If I have to tell you the answer then you – my friend -have never been in love. Love really IS all that matters.
Light it up green – save money and energy!
Everywhere you turn, people are talking ‘green’. It is fun to watch as green products and innovative decorating ideas continue to surface that are helping our planet become less wasteful in energy consumption. Items that we never dreamed could possibly be replaced are now slowly disappearing with new technology presenting, literally, a better light bulb.
Since 1879 when Edison first presented the light bulb as an alternative to kerosene lamps, we have marveled at this great invention, never thinking that there could ever be anything better. But as we study the energy draining products of today, the incandescent light bulb is right at the top of the list. An energy guzzling device that emits a distorted yellowish glare, it is still considered the cheapest option on the market.
Great for lighting – horrible for make up
Another type of lighting that gained popularity in the 1920’s was fluorescent lighting and was first used in commercial buildings and garages where more light was in demand. Even though at the time it seemed good, today we know how bad it is for residential use. Some of the many drawbacks of fluorescent lighting, for starters, is the fact that it is filled with mercury. It is also sensitive to temperature extremes, intermittent flickering is common and then there is disposal.
The world has a lot of lights – you can see form space!
It seems that energy consumption, sometime in the 1970’s, really began to take form and thus the birth of the tungsten halogen lamp or quartz lamp. The light from this bulb is far better than the incandescent light bulb, also needs lower voltage and its life span is much longer. It is becoming more popular only recently with emphasis on energy consumption but before people were not so quick to change, in part, because of the cost.
LED – bright, efficient and flexible!
But now, there is an option that we have all been waiting for. The most awesome and creative discovery of alternative lighting was discovered in the 1960s and is known as the LED. This device is made out of a Silicon element that converts electrical energy into light energy without the drawbacks found in other lighting types. Invented by Nick Holonyak, known as ‘the father of the light-emitting diode’, Holonyak has received many honors for his innovation that is changing the world – and deservedly so.
Not your average bulb – more like a lightning bug on steroids!
The LED (light-emitting diode) is totally different from other light bulbs as we know them. If you’ve ever had an electronic device, you may notice a small red indicator light that shows whether the unit is on or off. This is a LED light. There is no heat given off, no distorted tint, no moving parts, a long life span and energy efficient.
This technology is being worked on all the time now and as a result there are bulbs being used as replacements in street lights and decorative lighting, as well as for LCD displays of flat screen televisions. Although the costs associated with this technology are high at first, the savings and other benefits outweigh that. Pretty soon all light bulbs will be replaced by the energy efficient and saving LED. This only shows that it is possible to make a better light bulb.
For those of you that have made the move to one of those beautiful, older, neglected neighborhoods you might have seen some issues. There is a lot of fixing up going on in these areas. While your working on your house you need to think of some new ways of pumping up the camaraderie in the area. Showing their Original Art is very exciting for many local artist. If you get a new neighborhood idea going you can make improvements within the interpersonal layer of the community. In other words you can bring people together.
One such event that will attract a lot of attention is a community art show.
This could be a small locals only thing that the kids in the area could participate in. Or, you could make it the first of a new annual event in your city. For something like that you can get help from the city and turn it into a major city attraction. You can attract artists from all over and it will generate revenue for your neighborhood.
Before you start calling in artists you need to look at the laws and ordinances surrounding what you want to do. There are tons of funky city rules about things of this nature and you don’t want to get a bad surprise later on in planning. You would do well to use your neighborhood park for this because you will need a pretty space for all the artists and vendors. You need to look into getting permission, insurance, if needed and other things that are alien to you.
Get your ART team together
A team of volunteers is helpful for this to work. You will also need to attract sponsors. A corporate sponsor will give money and supplies to something of this type. You are not doing it for profit. That does not mean there will not be paying positions available at some point though. You could have wine companies donate wine that you will give out as samples. You can get money to help with advertising and other expenses. One thing that you want for sure are some promotional items. Shirts, hats, key-chains, or whatever you want. These can be where you give your sponsors some official credit and they will help remind people to look for next years event.
You can bring excitement, culture, and some revenue into your neighborhood with an art show. Just hit all the bases first such as, legal issues, planning, sponsoring, and attracting artists. There are multiple streams of revenue possible for something like this. If it is going to be a neighborhood event then you need to tap into the people of your area. You’d be surprised with the amount of knowledge that is floating around. Handmade artisans and professional muralists can also show their work.
Everyone wins
The businesses in your area will profit and you could even have it set up so your neighbors could set up stands in their yards to sell refreshments or whatever.
Promotional clothing will give you space to appreciate your sponsors publicly as well as advertise for future shows. You can use other quality promotional items such as sports bottles to sell to attendees too.
Article Source:http://www.articlesbase.com/visual-art-articles/start-up-an-art-show-in-your-neighborhood-1219001.html
Powering an off grid home can be done in several ways and some of the most popular green-energy sources today are the wind and solar power that will not only help you save on your electric bills but you will also do your part for the environment. When deciding to go completely off-grid and install a solar or wind power system in your home you need to know which one is more effective. If you live in a more windy area then you will surely need to have a wind turbine, thus solar panels will be more effective in sun kissed areas.
No matter what type energy source you choose both the wind and solar power systems can reduce your energy consumption by 80% or even eliminate your electric bills.
Harvest the sun
Lets suppose you’re choosing to harvest solar energy and transform it into electricity using solar panels. You will need more than one solar panel to supply enough electricity for all your home appliances, including the heating in the winter. It’s recommended that you build one solar panel and first calculate the energy savings and then start building more solar panels to cover up all your home’s energy needs.
A DIY solar panel does not cost more than $200 to build.
If you were to buy the same solar panel from your local solar parts supplier then you would have to pay a few thousands of dollars. The misconception that it costs a fortune to build your own solar panels or any other renewable energy systems is just a myth.
I was where you’re probably now, skeptical about building my own solar panels to supply energy for my off-grid home. I though that it costs a lot of money to set up a solar power system, however I was wrong at that time. I soon found out that a solar panel can be built in just a few days spending no more than two hundred dollars for all the parts and components that we needed.
We’ve built our first solar panel purely to test out the energy savings for one month. We now have 6 solar panels installed on our roof-top, all running smoothly and generating enough power for our off grid home. The best part of it all is that we don’t have to pay a single dollar to our local power company anymore instead we benefit of the solar energy.
If you’re tired of high electricity bills, discover how thousands of families worldwide benefit from homemade solar panels and wind turbines to power their homes.
Here is one of many DIY videos on the subject!
If you’re tired of high electricity bills, discover how thousands of families worldwide benefit from homemade solar panels and wind turbines to power their homes.
For more information on how to build your own solar panels visit our Earth 4 Energy Review.
Article Source:http://www.articlesbase.com/diy-articles/powering-an-off-grid-home-how-you-can-save-energy-by-going-completely-off-grid-1222146.html
Creativity is expressing your soul.
Share your unique passion, inspiration & vision and trust whatever happens. Spread creativity today – share this short with someone who needs a boost of inspiration!
Being creative is as natural as breathing, sometimes you just need a little nudge in the right direction. We now have these Creativity affirmations as inspirational posters and motivational refrigerator magnets – (for less than $6) You can’t beat THAT for inspiring creativity!
Retro art
