Tips on Saving Energy

You don’t need to spend a lot of money to save energy try the below energy saving tips:
-Let the sunshine in. Did you know that if you leave window shades and curtains open during the day, the light coming in will warm up the house, thus, you need less energy to heat.
-Replace or clean furnace filters once a month. Dirty filters restrict airflow and increase energy use. Now is also the time for a furnace “tune-up.” Keeping your furnace clean, lubricated and properly adjusted will reduce energy use, saving up to 5 percent of heating costs.
-Rearrange your rooms. If your furniture is placed next to an interior wall, you wont feel the clod draft of the windows or exterior walls.
-Everyone one knows this one, but do we comply??? turn off lights in unoccupied rooms. And do you really need that extra refrigerator in the garage plugged in?
-While it is better to have your computer turned off, try to use the sleep function on your computer monitor when you are away from it for more than 5 minutes.
- Do not forget to clean your clothes dryer’s lint trap after each use. Use the moisture-sensing automatic drying setting on your dryer if you have one.
for more visit:
http://www.consumerenergycenter.org/tips/winter.html#fastfree
and feel free to share your thoughts and comments with us at RaisingGreen.

This one is for all of you Macheads…

Did you know that Apple is shifting from plastic notebook casings to a more eco-friendly aluminum?

In his 2008 Environmental Update, Steve Jobs, the C.E.O. of Apple, highlighted the company’s new product environmental performance reports — part of Apple’s efforts to design more efficient and eco-friendly products.

The Apple Web site touts that the body of the laptop is made of “a single piece of solid, recyclable aluminum that replaces dozens of extraneous pieces once destined for landfill.”

For more visit: http://greeninc.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/11/17/the-new-macbooks-green-credentials/

Signing off RaisingGreen

Growth of Organic Market

MarketWatch just released an article which indicated that the organic food market is valued at $5.2 billion in 2008. This does not include sales of private label organic food, which have pushed the category even higher. The organic Market has grown over the past six years. Hopefully this will allow everyone to see the importance of organic products for people. It is projected that the sales will increase through 2013 Which forces are driving the organic food market and the importance of providing products that appeal to the two major user groups: younger adults and higher-income consumers. The opportunities that will grow the market in the future-as well as those that may cause its sales to slow: the effects of higher food prices and the importance of quality.
- The key players in the marketplace, in six broadly defined segments
- What consumers feel is important when they choose organic food; how and where they shop for these products and how they feel about organic products in general

From MarketWatch Press Release :
Article title: Research and Markets: The Organic Food in the United States 2008 Report Projects Sales Will Increase Through to 2013
and Research and Markets see:http://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/3c95b6/organic%5ffood%5fin%5fth

Signing off RaisingGreen

It’s Earth Day!

I have come across a great book to read to our kids. It is by Mercer Mayer, It’s Earth Day! I don’t know about you, but I did not grow up in a family where the importance of our Earth and saving energy was discussed often. It’s Earth Day! is a great for children as young as the preschooler age. It teaches the importance of the Earth and how our everyday things like driving cars and watching TV makes the Earth warmer. The book is about the little critter’s efforts to control the climate and stop the ice melting in order to save the polar bears. My 4 year is now closing the refrigerator door much quicker so that she can save the polar bears.

Please feel free to recommend any books that you have come across on this topic with us at RaisingGreen.

Why this site?

We were not always so Earth conscious.  After having children our lives changed.  All of the sudden we became more Earth friendly and Earth conscious. We changed from conventional goods to organic and green friendly products.  The importance of our Earth and its future became abundantly clear.  It is for our children and generations to come, it is for all man-kind.

That is how RaisingGreen was born, it was born with and for our kids.

Please feel free share your heart and comments with us on this topic.