Environmental Solutions

« Obama’s Oval Office address

Father’s Day »

Posted on June 8th, 2011 by Nick | Edit

   Share

As the world population expands more natural resources will become depleted if they are not preserved. Therefore, if we intend to leave our children and grandchildren with the same standard of living we have enjoyed, it must be preserved. In addition, throwing away items that could be recycled diminishes energy, water, and natural resources that could be saved by recycling.

For every ton of paper that is recycled, the following is saved: 7,000 gallons of water, 380 gallons of oil, and enough electricity to power an average house for six months.

You can run a TV for six hours on the amount of electricity that is saved by recycling one aluminum can. By recycling just one glass bottle, you save enough electricity to power a 100-watt bulb for four hours.
The more we throw away, the more space we take up in landfills. When a landfill becomes a “landfull”, taxpayers have to build a new one. The less we throw away, the longer our landfills will last. The amount of taxpayer money we save by extending the longevity of our landfills is an important community benefit.

OUR NAME…
Sobuka comes from the words “solar” (straightforward) and “buka” a word from a African dialect for a gathering at a market place. We put the two together to form solbuka (solar marketplace), then realized there’s more than solar to going green, so we got rid of the “l” and got sobuka…

TEAM…
A group of like-minded individuals with engineering backgrounds who are concerned about the future of the environment and want to be part of the solution.

Mission…
To contribute to a cleaner environment by educating home owners and businesses about greening their homes and businesses as well as connecting them with reliable green resources/experts in their area resulting in a brighter future! We also help folks shop green by selecting eco-friendly energy-star rated products for every day life.

If you would like to have an analysis of heat loss at your home or small business, a nice energy audit will send you in the right direction. The insight you gain from it will give you plenty of ideas for a little green remodeling, so you can become part of the solution. Sign up for an energy audit through Sobuka by typing in your zipcode and selecting contractors in your area.

Tags: green products, green store, recycling

Posted via email from simplelivinggreen's posterous

Greening your home: Part 2 of 5

 

1. Use compact fluorescent light bulbs with the ENERGY STAR® label instead of incandescent bulbs.

 

2. CFLs use 75 percent less energy and lasts about 10 times longer than an incandescent bulb.

 

3. CFLs generate 70 percent less heat than standard incandescent lighting.

 

“If every American home replaced just one light bulb or fixture with an ENERGY STAR qualified product, we  preserve enough energy each year to light more than three million homes, save more than $600 Million in energy cost, and prevent greenhouse gas emission equivalent to those produced by more than 800,000 cars!”

 

<strong>Feel free to take a few steps in the right direction by getting quotes from our green contractors for solar or wind energy services, energy efficiency audits, or green remodeling projects by going to our homepage and doing a quick search with your zipcode (currently supporting DC, MD, VA only).</strong>

Posted via email from simplelivinggreen's posterous

« The Green Police: Best Superbowl Commercial

Greening your home: Part 2 of 5 »

Greening your home: Part 1 of 5

POSTED ON MAY 22ND, 2011 BY NICK | EDIT

 Share

During the winter and fall with the AC unit turned off, the electricity bill can get pretty high as we spend time in doors. I spent time walking around my house to find out how much I can save by cutting corners. To cut cost, others may place several kitchen appliances and electronics away in the attic. If that approach does not meet your satisfaction, we have several economic tips along with suggestions that you can use to save within your household. Trying some of these suggestions may work out as Part 1 of 6 of our greening your home series.

Appliances on standby mode:
You may already know what standby mode is or heard of the term thrown around at your local Radio Shack, BestBuy, or favorite electronics store. However as a refresher, picture yourself at a bus stop waiting for a bus. I remember back in high school and college standing hours waiting for public transportation. The most I spent at a bus stop was longer during half a days when class ended during irregular periods. I was doing nothing efficient but just standing there idle.

Similarly… Having your home electronics on while not in use can be very inefficient because they still use up electricity while on. The US Department of Energy notes, “In the average home, 75% of the electricity used to power home electronics and appliances is consumed while the products are turned off.” I pulled out a couple of appliances from Australia’s website to see what we can compare to our neighbors down under at the EIA’s office. Seems like we share some common appliances that include:

Televisions
Fax Machines
Cordless Telephones
Microwave Ovens
Battery Chargers for Portable Devices (such as mobile phones)
Remote Control Devices
Any appliances with a built in electronic clock. My stove is one of those.
Any appliance which does not have an “off” switch

Some suggestions are to put these devices into common power strips around your home and turning the power strips off when the equipment is not in use. Another simpler method is simply turn off your computer and monitor when not in use. If you have an electronic device or appliance that is not efficient, try trading it in for an energy star related device. Going back to the US EIA assessment, if 75% of my energy is being wasted, how much money is my household losing….

If you would like to have an analysis of heat loss at your home or small business, a nice energy audit will send you in the right direction. The insight you gain from it will give you plenty of ideas for a little green remodeling, so you can become part of the solution. Sign up for an energy audit through Sobuka by typing in your zip code and selecting contractors in your area.

Tags: Electricity Bill Household Applicances

This entry was posted on Sunday, May 22nd, 2011 at 12:31 pm and is filed under Do it Yourself, Energy Audits,Green Construction and Remodeling, Green Technology. You can follow any responses to this entry through theRSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site. Edit this entry.

Posted via email from simplelivinggreen's posterous