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By Eric Leech IN Tech & Transport Jun 30 2009
Commuters spend a lot of time in their cars: transporting kids, business colleagues, drinking coffee, eating meals. All this makes a vehicle's interior very susceptible to stains. While there are an abundance of products designated for cleaning your automotive interior, some of your best stain removal options are actually the natural ones. Before we begin with these methods, remember that your best chance of removing any stain is when it initially happens. Waiting too long can set a stain into the fabric, making it next to impossible to remove. + READ MORE
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By Eric Leech IN Tech & Transport Jun 29 2009
Are you a green commuter? You might be a green commuter if... + READ MORE
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By Eric Leech IN Tech & Transport Jun 29 2009
During the summertime, it could be said that the hottest moment between is when you first get into your vehicle. This is the moment that really sets the mood for the trip. I don't know about you, but I don't like to drive grumpy. It opens the door for road rage, of which we already have plenty on our highways + READ MORE
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By Eric Leech IN Tech & Transport Jun 24 2009
The Cash for Clunkers program has been receiving a fair share of criticism: is it green or not? For one the program is counting on the fact that by rewarding some of the road's biggest polluters, those cars' owners will make the right choice and purchase a much more fuel-efficient vehicle. The program is also dependent on the buyers making the right choice on whether or not they can actually afford a new car payment right now. There are lots of things to consider before you go jumping on the bandwagon, ready to take a sledge hammer to your old clunker in exchange for a moderate reward, and big monthly payments. + READ MORE
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By Eric Leech IN Tech & Transport Jun 22 2009
It is a big question what to do with the crumbled auto industry. While there are a lot of different opinions on the matter, the one thing that we all can agree with is there is going to be some changes. Let's look at a few of the biggest changes you can expect, both directly and indirectly related to the retooling of the automotive industry. + READ MORE
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By Eric Leech IN Home & Garden Jun 18 2009
Oh no, it's the dreaded clogged toilet. Whether you are at a party or in your own home, nobody ever wants to have to deal with a clogged toilet. But it's Planet Green to the rescue with a batch of 7 of the greenest ways to get the blockage cleared and you back on the track to smooth flushing. These methods avoid harsh chemicals and focus on low impact, easy and less messy options to begin, then follow up with a few last resort things to try before calling in the plumber. So get out your plumber cracks and let's go for a swim. + READ MORE
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By Eric Leech IN Tech & Transport Jun 16 2009
Did you know that somewhere around 50 to 75 percent of all replaced windshields could have been repaired by a professional or one of the do it yourself kits purchased from the store? That is a lot of perfectly good windshields going to the landfill for no reason. Many areas in the U.S. unfortunately do not have a windshield recycling program in place. + READ MORE
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By Eric Leech IN Tech & Transport Jun 15 2009
When most people think about a junkyard, they picture hordes of rushed jalopies sitting around, rusting in a toxic cesspool of oil and gas. Well, for many of today's junkyards, this couldn't be further from the truth. Sure, there will always be a few of those old jalopies sitting around, but most of their newer vehicles will actually have quite a few good, reusable parts available, and for a reasonable cost. Why buy new parts, when there are hundreds of perfectly good used parts sitting around with nothing to do. Interested? First you need to know what parts can be used, what should you look for, and what is the best way to find them? + READ MORE
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By Eric Leech IN Food & Health Jun 11 2009
Soy has been considered both a saving grace and an instigator of evil, all within its 10 short years of being in the spotlight of the media. Many rumors stem from the fact that soy contains phytoestrogens, which function similarly to the natural form of estrogen. While there is some evidence to suggest these phytoestrogens can alter the processes of certain parts of the body, most research has discovered their influence very weak in comparison to the real deal. But let's put all rumor aside, and take an honest look at both the fact and the fiction of soy. + READ MORE
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By Eric Leech IN Home & Garden Jun 8 2009
Good toilet habits are one thing, but a good, healthy toilet is a whole other subject. If we would tally up the amount of water coming from leaking toilets across America, it would quickly add up to over 5.5 million gallons. While some toilets offer the telltale sign of phantom flushing (running water when nobody is using it), other toilets leak silently, and can often be very hard to detect. + READ MORE
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By Eric Leech IN Tech & Transport Jun 8 2009
Did you know that many insurance companies figure most vehicles on the road have only 10 years of useful life before being carted off to the junkyard? While there may indeed be older vehicles that should be crushed due to their poor emissions and economy, there are others that will remain quite efficient modes of transportation. In fact, the folks at Environmental Transport Association ( ETA )say that keeping your older (less efficient) vehicle, is actually greener than purchasing a newer and cleaner vehicle in many cases. + READ MORE
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By Eric Leech IN Tech & Transport Jun 2 2009
Bentley University Associate Professor, Eric (Rick) Oches, previously taught at the University of South Florida in the Geology Department before moving to Bentley University's Natural & Applied Sciences Department, coordinating their Earth, Environment, and Global Sustainability Liberal Studies Major. + READ MORE
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By Eric Leech IN Tech & Transport May 26 2009
While some folks never think much about it, a clean vehicle is actually a happier vehicle. Years of neglect on the outside surface of paint can eventually do its share of damage, slashing the overall worth of a vehicle in no time. While it is true that washing your vehicle's exterior too often can be wasteful, never washing it for the sake of the environment can be financially costly in terms of both paint damage and resale value. + READ MORE
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By Eric Leech IN Food & Health May 26 2009
Leftovers have long been made fun of, but today we are going to give them the respect that they deserve. Leftovers are a great way to save food, reduce your carbon footprint, save money, and save time. With that said, leftovers are only as good as the care that goes into their preparation, storage, and organization. A leftover doesn't do anybody any good if it sits in the refrigerator for weeks, until it needs to be thrown out anyway. Here are some tips to make the most of your leftovers, with a little help from the late comedian, George Carlin. + READ MORE
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By Eric Leech IN Tech & Transport May 26 2009
Longevity of your vehicle is just as important as its economy and emissions, considering that how you drive your vehicle dictates its lifespan, or in other words, how long it will remain out of some salvage yard, collecting dust, rust, and bug mites. It's kind of like the human body. If you take care of yourself, minimizing all health risks, you should be around a long time. Well, if you treat your vehicle with the same care, it too should have a long and reasonably efficient lifespan. + READ MORE
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By Eric Leech IN Tech & Transport May 19 2009
The National Collegiate Inventors and Innovators Alliance (NCIIA) combined with the support of the Lemelson Foundation provides $1.5 million to student and faculty programs and ventures annually. Today's featured project by the University of Massachusetts Lowell (UMass Lowell) is a low cost solar/wind drip irrigation system currently being tested in Peru. + READ MORE
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By Eric Leech IN Work & Connect May 18 2009
Sometimes love knows no boundaries. We fall for someone special and the world seems more right than it ever has. Then just as we think things can't get any better, they start to get worse. We begin to notice things about our non-environmentalist partner that annoys us. What happens is in the early stages of a relationship, couples are enthralled by both their similarities and differences. Instead of seeing these differences as bad, they see them as novel and exciting. + READ MORE
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By Eric Leech IN Travel & Outdoors May 18 2009
Another summer is set to kickoff. If you are like a lot of people, you have already settled on your vacation plans, but have you thought about how green they are? You aren't alone if you haven't. There are a lot of steps that go into planning a trip, which is why we have made going green easy for you with this helpful guide of 21 tips to consider before you finalize those summer vacation plans. + READ MORE
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By Eric Leech IN Tech & Transport May 14 2009
The National Collegiate Inventors and Innovators Alliance (NCIIA) combined with the support of the Lemelson Foundation provides $1.5 million to student and faculty programs and ventures annually. Today's featured project by the Georgia Tech Research Institute partnership with the Emory University Center for Global Safe Water, is a much new and improved version of the old outhouse that has been built especially for developing nations and their sanitation problems. + READ MORE
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By Eric Leech IN Home & Garden May 11 2009
While Energy Star is a worthy government program which aids the consumer in choosing the best appliances on the market, it is certainly not the end-all of green appliance shopping. There are many different aspects that goes into the purchase of a green appliance and here are a few of the most important to consider. + READ MORE
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By Eric Leech IN Tech & Transport May 8 2009
Did you know that the American driver can spend up to 1,600 hours of their life each year, sitting in their automobile, driving, idling, eating, breathing exhaust fumes, etc? On top of this, they pay an average of $8,200 for the privilege of automobile ownership, and this does not even include the many other expenses, such as traffic tickets, hospital expenses (accidents), repair and maintenance, and insurance fees. This is only the tip of the iceberg as far as the negative effects of driving go. + READ MORE
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By Eric Leech IN Tech & Transport May 5 2009
Many areas throughout Africa are known for their lack of fuel for cooking, since supplies are particularly scarce in the more arid regions, such as Rwanda. Many people are forced to cut down trees in order to use the wood as a stove. These indoor fireplaces, as they most closely resemble, cause respiratory disease, degrades soil quality, soil stability, and contribute to extensive deforestation. + READ MORE
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By Eric Leech IN Tech & Transport May 1 2009
Public Transportation is praised a lot on this sight, but one part of it that is not covered as often is your safety while riding. While public transportation has come a long way as far as your safety and security are concerned, there are still a few tips you can follow to ensure you get to your destination as problem-free as possible: + READ MORE
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By Eric Leech IN Tech & Transport Apr 28 2009
It was not that many months ago that John Breaux was struck down by a vehicle while picking up trash alongside a highway.Cleaning up trash from alongside the road is a great way to take care of the environment, but remember the environment will profit most from your continued efforts, so keep it safe so that you may... + READ MORE
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By Eric Leech IN Tech & Transport Apr 27 2009
We've covered how to green clean your computer keyboard before, but today I have a few additional methods to share with you. In general, the most advised methods for cleaning a computer keyboard involve either aerosol compressed air or wasteful gimmick wipes and sponges, which offer as much unnecessary packaging as they do harmful chemicals and a waste of your money. + READ MORE
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By Eric Leech IN Tech & Transport Apr 24 2009
Over the years animal-related accidents have been on the rise in many areas of the United States. The automobile insurance company, State Farm, has reported that in 2008, an estimated 1.2 million accident claims were made for vehicles involving an animal. This is an increase of nearly 15 percent over the past 5 years. In Pennsylvania alone, 1 in 86 drivers can expect to experience some sort of collision with an animal over this next year. + READ MORE
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By Eric Leech IN Tech & Transport Apr 22 2009
This is a question which is currently in debate between the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the automotive industry. Currently the standard for ethanol blend gasoline is 10 percent. This is the percentage that vehicles currently in production today are being manufactured to run in their fuel line, and are being warranted as such. So if you ask an automotive manufacturer just how much ethanol a regular gasoline engine can handle, they will tell you 10 percent and no more. + READ MORE
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By Eric Leech IN Work & Connect Apr 20 2009
Finding someone to spend the rest of your life with is hard. Finding someone who also shares your passion for green living it can be darn near impossible—especially if you live in an area where the green movement hasn't infiltrated the community at large. So if you're faced with the dilemma of where to find a worthy soul mate, here are six places that just might tip the odds in your favor. + READ MORE
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By Eric Leech IN Tech & Transport Apr 14 2009
Tires themselves are a bit of an environmental eyesore, even though science is continually searching for alternatives to the rubber tree production process. While they can be recycled and reused, there is question as to the carcinogenic nature of some of the products they can be reused as, such as playground and garden mulch. + READ MORE
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By Eric Leech IN Tech & Transport Apr 14 2009
The National Collegiate Inventors and Innovators Alliance (NCIIA) combined with the support of the Lemelson Foundation provides $1.5 million to student and faculty programs and ventures annually. Today's featured project by STG International, a non-profit organization started by the combined initiative of engineers and students trained at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), is a solar thermal microgenerator capable of providing both electricity and heat to the rural areas of South Africa. + READ MORE
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By Eric Leech IN Tech & Transport Apr 1 2009
How many of you have ever left the water running briefly while doing such odds and ends as rinsing a pork roast or even a few potatoes? We all do it. It seems harmless enough. But for every few seconds the faucet runs when not needed, several ounces are being flushed down the drain needlessly. + READ MORE
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By Eric Leech IN Food & Health Apr 1 2009
There is a lot of conflicting information about sleep and the helpful or harmful nature of using sleeping pills to get it. Sleep is good, there is no doubt about that, but some research indicates that drugs may in fact counter the healthful effects of sleep and cause more harm than good. + READ MORE
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By Eric Leech IN Tech & Transport Mar 25 2009
Currently there is desperate need for economic lighting systems that can be assembled, installed, and maintained by the millions of rural poor who live in the remote regions of the developing world. We have known for years that the traditional light sources such as lamps with cotton cloth wicks are expensive to run, provide poor quality illumination, and degrade the air quality. But the question is, how can we replace these units with an eco-friendly option? + READ MORE
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By Eric Leech IN Tech & Transport Mar 19 2009
Village Energy Inc., created by professors and students at Baylor University, is currently in business to bring electricity to the rural and remote communities in many developing countries. Today we will be featuring their current program going on in Honduras. Their primary goal is to deploy village-level electrical generation systems via hydroelectric distribution systems that are powered from the plentiful mountainous streams found throughout the rural areas of Honduras. + READ MORE
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By Eric Leech IN Food & Health Mar 12 2009
Green Sex is our regular column on sexual health and eco-friendly romance... So what's a girl to do when Mother Nature takes a break? There are a lot of different kinds of personal lubrication out there: silicone-based, oil-based, and water-based, as well as novelty stuff that claims to warm, cool, or massage. + READ MORE
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By Eric Leech IN Tech & Transport Mar 5 2009
Global Resolve is an interdisciplinary social entrepreneurship initiative at Arizona State University that is dedicated to involving students and international partners in projects that improve the lives of underprivileged people. For example, one initiative was to help reduce the indoor pollution problem which occurs in many developing countries, due to the smoke created when using coal or wood indoors as fuel. + READ MORE
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By Eric Leech IN Tech & Transport Mar 2 2009
We've had some requests from readers lately to receive more information about the current Cash For Clunkers Programs going on around North America. Regardless of which side of the fence you reside, pro clunker program or against, there are a lot of people upside-down on their payments towards a gas guzzler, which they'd... + READ MORE
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By Eric Leech IN Tech & Transport Feb 18 2009
In this week's Green Inventors Series: We talk with Mike Stacey and Will McLeod of SmarterShade about their window tinting system which can change any glass window from clear to dark at the flip of a switch. + READ MORE
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By Eric Leech IN Work & Connect Feb 17 2009
After a crazy Valentine's evening.. if you look around the bedroom the morning after, you will probably see a small trash bag worth of boxes, packaging, instructions, empty bottles, and half eaten boxer shorts and string bikinis. The first question you should be asking yourself, is how can I cleanup this mess as eco-efficiently as possible? Green Sex is our regular column on sexual health and eco-friendly romance. Got a question? Need answers? Leave a comment below. + READ MORE
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By Eric Leech IN Tech & Transport Feb 11 2009
GPS navigation units are great. Yeah, some people could say that they are just another piece of human-made techno garbage. But when your sense of direction is about as keen as an upside down sloth on a lazy Sunday afternoon, they can keep you from needless idling and countless minutes of driving around lost. Even those who have pretty good senses of direction can find them useful in calculating the absolute shortest distance to any destination. + READ MORE
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By Eric Leech IN Home & Garden Feb 9 2009
There are four very special things which make Heart is Hot a very unique Valentine surprise. First, it is a vibrant red glass heart keepsake that anyone would be happy to receive. Second, it is recycled, so in a sense it is a gift to Mother Earth. Third it is reusable, which means it can be shared with many people, as it is not necessarily meant to keep forever. Fourth, it is individually registered with a special number that allows the giver and recipient to share their story of the heart with others through an online archive. + READ MORE
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By Eric Leech IN Tech & Transport Feb 9 2009
Garage inventors are always tinkering away trying to find the next efficiency innovation. One has developed a biofuel powered skycar that offers a better way to fly. + READ MORE
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By Eric Leech IN Tech & Transport Feb 9 2009
Hypermiling techniques allow these skilled drivers to achieve unthinkable distances with a single tank of gas. + READ MORE
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By Eric Leech IN Tech & Transport Feb 9 2009
Innovations in aerodynamics that drastically improve the fuel efficiency of standard cars. + READ MORE
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By Eric Leech IN Tech & Transport Feb 9 2009
Amazing vehicle gas mileage doesn't always come out of a large manufacturing plant. In fact, sometimes it comes right out of a small garage or workshop in the suburbs! + READ MORE
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