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Whitney Taylor Profile and Articles
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1). Misuse Of Law Could Be Toxic To Farmers
How would you like it if your home were suddenly declared a toxic waste site?
Sound like something out of Ripley's "Believe it or Not!"? Yet in today's topsy-turvy world, that is exactly what some people are proposing. If you have any land with horses, cattle, chickens or other livestock on it, you have reason to be concerned.
The proposal-being pushed by some of the nation's biggest environmental organizations-would bring all such farm and country property under the so-called Superfund law for cleaning up industrial waste sites.
2). How To Leave Global Warming Out In The Cold
Global warming, experts contend, is an urgent problem-but there are concrete steps every American can take to be part of the solution. There are so many things we do every day that use energy-therefore we have so many opportunities every day to make a difference.
The Problem
When cars, factories and power plants burn fossil fuels, such as oil and gas, they release global-warming pollution.
3). 13 SEER & Earth Day: Working Together To Improve the Environment
The 35th anniversary of Earth Day will take place on April 22. Through the combined efforts of government, grassroots organizations and environmentally minded companies, Earth Day has evolved into a worldwide campaign to protect the global environment.
In the U.S., the Department of Energy (DOE) is also concerned about protecting our environment and resources.
4). Getting Tax Credits For Saving Energy
Homeowners looking to cut their tax bills may want to rethink their water heaters. A recently signed law allows people to take as much as a $300 tax credit if they install a tankless water heater in their house.
The new tax credit is meant to encourage U.S. residents to better manage their energy consumption through the use of more efficient technology.
5). Like Night And Day
Wild Atlantic salmon are champion swimmers: They travel more than 2,500 miles from rivers to ocean feeding grounds at Greenland and back to their birth rivers to spawn.
By contrast, farmed salmon swim in circles in sea cages while they are fattened up for slaughter.
However, when carelessness, nature or sabotage destroys sea cage nets, farmed salmon make a quick getaway.
6). Tax Credits Available For New Furnace Buyers
Not letting hot air get lost up the chimney has its rewards. Many homeowners who are replacing their furnaces are choosing high-efficiency models to help combat rising heating costs. High-efficiency furnaces, however, can be more expensive in the short term than their standard-efficiency counterparts. To make the purchase of this and other high-efficiency appliances easier on the average household, Congress passed the Energy Policy Act of 2005, which provides tax credits for the purchase of high-efficiency furnaces.
7). Keeping Natural Gas Clean And Available
Thanks to new technology, natural gas is more environmentally friendly and more reliable. That means more Americans can enjoy the warmth of clean natural gas heat without getting chills about pollution.
Natural gas supplies nearly a fourth of all the energy used in the United States and, according to the Department of Energy, that's expected to rise to 40 percent in the next 20 years.
8). Getting A Tax Credit For Doing The Right Thing
Making energy-efficient home improvements and purchasing fuel-efficient hybrid electric vehicles is no longer just an environmentally friendly move -making these purchases could save you money at tax time.
That's because the Energy Policy Act of 2005 will offer consumers federal tax credits for making energy-efficient purchases.
Using energy-efficient appliances and installing better windows and insulation can provide many benefits.
9). Tips For Improving The Air In Your Home
According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), indoor air may be four to five times more polluted than outdoor air. With Americans spending nearly 90 percent of their time inside, indoor air quality is often taken for granted.
Allergens such as pollen, animal dander, dust mites, cockroaches and mold; irritants such as smoke, chemical odors and dust; and biological pollutants such as viruses and bacteria swirl in, often causing headaches, stuffy noses, tickly throats, nagging coughs, wheezing, shortness of breath, itchy eyes and more.
10). What You Should Know About New Appliances
Spending a little time researching appliance purchases can help homeowners save big on energy costs.
When looking for a clothes washer or dishwasher, it can pay to look for one that meets the 2007 Energy Star® criteria and uses next-generation technology to cut energy and water consumption. These products do more than help homeowners save money, and they can help protect the environment.
11). Help For Our Economy And Ecology
There are several ways you can conserve energy and protect the environment:
• Replace incandescent bulbs with compact fluorescents.
• Air dry dishes instead of using the dishwasher drying cycle.
• Use your microwave instead of a conventional electric range or oven.
• Turn off your computer and monitor when not in use.
• Plug home electronics, such as TVs and VCRs, into power strips and turn power strips off when equipment is not in use.
12). Save Energy, Money And The Planet Every Day. Simple Steps Make A Difference
At a time of record-high energy prices and increased attention to global warming, nearly everyone is looking for ways to save energy, save money on utility bills, and help to protect the environment.
Here are simple actions you can take this Earth Day, and all year round, recommended by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
1. Look for products that have earned the Energy Star® for energy efficiency.
13). Harvesting A Natural Resource: Wind Power
In today's economy, with America's increasing consumption of electricity and natural resources, the possibility of an inexpensive, renewable and reliable energy source is seen by consumers as a breath of fresh air. That's where wind energy comes in.
According to the Department of Energy, modern wind turbines can convert winds in most U.S. states and coastal waters into reliable, clean electricity.
14). Energy Tips To Help Your Pocketbook And America
According to the Department of Energy, household energy costs have increased a whopping 12 percent from 2004. Even more startling is the price of natural gas, which rose by 23 percent.
The good news is that there are many actions Americans can take to lower their energy bills, and at the same time help the nation become more energy independent.
Keep Your Cool This Summer
• Use a microwave oven instead of a conventional oven.
15). Warming Up to the Idea of Solar Energy
There's good news for those who claim there's nothing new under the sun when it comes to saving on energy bills. Experts say new benefits and current conditions are making solar energy systems a practical reality for a growing number of homeowners.
With rising energy prices and concerns for the environment and about national security, homeowners are looking at solar energy options.
16). Tips For Improving The Air In Your Home
According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), indoor air may be four to five times more polluted than outdoor air. With Americans spending nearly 90 percent of their time inside, indoor air quality is often taken for granted.
Allergens such as pollen, animal dander, dust mites, cockroaches and mold; irritants such as smoke, chemical odors and dust; and biological pollutants such as viruses and bacteria swirl in, often causing headaches, stuffy noses, tickly throats, nagging coughs, wheezing, shortness of breath, itchy eyes and more.
17). Readying Your Air-Conditioning System For A Hot Summer
Keeping your cool this year may be easier if you give your air-conditioning system a tune-up before the weather gets any warmer. All it takes is a few simple steps to make sure your air-conditioning system is ready to properly cool your home.
Here are some tips from the U.S. Department of Energy and the experts at Coleman® Heating and Air Conditioning, a brand of the Unitary Products Group of York--a Johnson Controls Company:
• Keeping the cool air inside is just as important as keeping the warm air outside.
18). History Needs A Hand
Every year, America devotes time for communities to honor the past and take pride in preserving it for the future. As government spending on preservation programs continues to decline drastically-in 2007, the budget will be cut by $15 million-May's National Preservation Month highlights the critical role that individuals and communities will have to play in protecting our country's history.
19). Bird-Watchers Flock To Florida Beaches
There's now another good reason a growing number of bird-watchers are flying toward Florida beaches. The newly opened south loop of the Great Florida Birding Trail brings 116 sites across south Florida into the 2,000-mile highway trail designed to conserve and enhance bird habitat by promoting bird-watching activities and conservation education.
With.
20). Mowing Tips For A Hardy, Healthy Lawn
Volleyball games, croquet, picnics and slip-n-slides will leave no trace on your lawn if you care for it properly.
Recently, green industry associations and companies have come together to form Project Ever- Green to raise the awareness of the environmental, economic and lifestyle benefits of landscapes and promote the significance of those who preserve and enhance green spaces at home, work and play.
21). Finding Energy Tax Credits For Homeowners
Homeowners who purchase high-efficiency heating and cooling equipment may benefit from legislation recently signed into law.
Last August, President Bush signed the Energy Policy Act of 2005. The act includes the home- energy efficiency tax credit, which offers homeowners as much as $300 in tax credits with the purchase of qualified high-efficiency heating, cooling and water-heating equipment.
22). Bright Hopes For The Future Of Solar Energy
Research is shedding new light on an unexpected source of energy for heating homes and generating electricity-the sun.
The sun-directly or indirectly-is the primary source for most forms of energy found on Earth. Solar energy is clean, abundant and renewable.
Though we think of solar power as a new discovery, ancient civilizations found innovative ways to use solar energy.
23). Window Fashions Are Going Hybrid
A growing number of products are being created to respond to the demands of environmentally-conscious consumers, as well as those who like styles that blend the old and the new.
For example, hybrid-a term often used to describe a type of car designed to appeal to consumers concerned about energy savings-is now being used to describe a new type of interior window shutter.
24). A Practical Solution To U.S. Energy Needs May Exist
While both the demand for energy and energy prices continue to increase, nonrenewable sources of energy, particularly fossil fuels, are decreasing. These factors, coupled with the effects of pollution and global warming, are driving consumers and industry to call for a better solution to the world's energy needs.
Some suggest that the solution might be found by making innovative technological improvements to an existing source of energy- nuclear power.
25). Save Money With Efficient A/C
For homeowners looking to replace or upgrade their air conditioning systems for more energy efficiency, there's good news: The U.S. Department of Energy now requires all air conditioning systems to be manufactured at a minimum 13-Seasonal Energy Efficiency Rating (SEER).
This, it's estimated, can save more than $19 billion in energy by 2030-enough to light all U.
26). How Ventilation Improves Indoor Air Quality
Learning ways to improve your home's air quality may help you breathe easier. According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, indoor air pollution is among the top five environmental risks to public health. Fortunately, ventilation systems and air cleaners can improve your home's indoor air quality (IAQ) by replacing a portion of stale indoor air with fresh outdoor air.
27). Strictly For The Birds
Did you know that over 85 percent of injuries to pelicans result from discarded fishing lines and hooks?
The Suncoast Seabird Sanctuary, located between St. Petersburg and Clearwater in Indian Shores, is a nonprofit rescue mission and refuge for more than 500 wild birds.
Renowned among thousands of bird-watchers, wildlife artists and researchers, it began in 1971 when Ralph Heath spotted an injured cormorant and carried it to a veterinarian friend who helped him nurse it back to health.
28). Planting Trees Can Cut Your Energy Costs
Your trees are an important part of your yard. They not only provide shade and comfort to your family and add value to your house, they provide an important cost-savings opportunity. "You can dramatically reduce your heating and cooling bills by planting trees and caring for them," says Bayer Advanced™ Garden Expert Lance Walheim, a best-selling author and regular contributor to Sunset magazine.
29). Light Up Your Home While Keeping Energy Costs Down
According to ENERGY STAR®, if every American home replaced just five high-use light fixtures or the bulbs in them with ones that have earned the ENERGY STAR label, each family would save more than $60 every year in energy costs, and together keep more than one trillion pounds of greenhouse gases out of the air, which roughly equals the emissions of eight million cars.
30). Facts On Fuels
Boaters don't have to be all at sea when it comes to protecting the planet from pollution. As petroleum companies stop blending fuels using the additive MTBE and begin using ethanol blends instead, many boat owners are floating some creative ways to deal with the issue.
MTBE has a superior capability to "oxygenate" fuel, reducing emissions. Unfortunately, the chemical has been associated with ground water pollution and is a growing liability issue for petroleum refiners.
31). Vinyl Siding That Combines Appeal And Savings
To get the most for your home improvement dollars, insulated siding can be an investment that pays dividends in more ways than one. Some of the latest developments in vinyl siding, for example, make it possible to reduce maintenance, add curb appeal and improve your home's energy efficiency all at the same time.
Heat tends to flow from warmer to cooler spaces.
32). Endangered Species Act Stirs Strong Feelings
Efforts in the U.S. Senate to update and modernize the 33-year-old Endangered Species Act (ESA) are an emotional topic for many. Opinions range from completely repealing the act to not changing a single word.
Yet, it seems clear to many that sensible improvements-particularly those that focus on the recovery of species and not just habitats-are long overdue.
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