I.Am.Eco: Super-easy Greening

I've just check out REI Adventures, looking for a trip that showcases ecofriendly practices, and I got a bit more than I was asking for.

REI, an outdoor apparel and equipment outfitter, has become so much more. From the website:

"Each year, REI donates millions of dollars to support conservation efforts nationwide, and sends scores of volunteers to build trails, clean up beaches, and teach outdoor ethics to kids. Through responsible business practices, we strive to reduce our environmental footprint."

But REI has gone even further...

"Starting in 2007, REI Adventures will offset 100% of the climate-altering carbon emissions generated by all aspects of our trips, including participant airline travel. In partnership with the Bonneville Environmental Foundation, we will purchase energy credits called "Green Tags" which support solar, wind and other renewable energy projects."

The fun part about finding this? You can purchase "Green Tags" yourself!

Visit the Bonneville Environmental Foundation for more information, but A BEF Green Tag costs $20 and there is a minimum purchase of two Green Tags, or three Green Tags for monthly payment orders.

Organizations like BEF make being ecofriendly super easy.

S.R. Nunnally
Editor, Material Profits
Taipan Financial News

I.Am.Eco: RAND Report Findings

A MarketWatch.com article reports that more green energy use could lower energy costs in the future. These findings were published in a RAND report commissioned by the Energy Future Coalition.

Apparently, under a best case scenario, a 25% renewable energy standard could reduce energy expenditures by $40 billion by 2025.

Under a worst case scenario, we'd see a rise of $75 billion. I'll be reviewing the report, which is fairly extensive, for more information.

In the meantime, this tip from the Slate Green Challenge with TreeHugger:

"Donating all of your unwanted clothing instead of throwing it out--and therefore letting it rot in a landfill--can save the average American about 165 pounds CO2 per year. For more tips, facts, and stats about how you can green your closet, check out TreeHugger's How to Green Your Wardrobe, the latest in our series of Green Guides."

That's all for today.

S.R. Nunnally
Editor, Material Profits
The Taipan Financial News Network

I.Am.Eco: Better Late than Never

Well, we're a little late to the party, but better late than never to this party.

The Slate.com has issued a challenge. Reduce your carbon emissions with its eight-week program. I've got to tell you, some of the ideas in here are really simple.

I'll be trying some of them as we go along.

There are some interesting facts here, too. According to data from the United Nations, each U.S. citizen's carbon emissions are equivalent to four cars' worth of emissions.

Slate is partnering with a favorite site of mine, Treehugger.com.

If you like to keep up-to-date with new environmental technologies, legislation, and many other areas of interest, you should check this site regularly.

That's all for today,

S.R. Nunnally
Editor, Material Profits

I.Am.Eco: Wind Milestone

Even though General Electric (GE:NYSE) makes most of its profits from its finance business, it's good to hear about the renewable energy side of the company every once in a while. Like this article that talks about GE's 5,000 turbine milestone.

I wrote earlier this year that conglomerates often have more money to invest in alternative energies than smaller companies.

That's why I like these stories. It reminds me that if more businesses contribute to alternative energy, the better off we'll all be.

S.R. Nunnally
Editor, Material Profits
The Taipan Financial News Network

I.Am.Eco: 100 Days of Carbon Clean-Up

I found a unique competition being tracked on Treehugger called 100 Days of Carbon Clean-Up. The competition featured over 500 businesses striving to reduce their carbon emissions by 10% in 100 days.

Pretty inspiring stuff.

The campaign was sponsored by the Chartered Institution of Building Services Engineers, and they've got a ton of information on how you can reduce your own carbon emissions.

On a separate note, my colleague, Ann Sosnowski, sent me an article from Wired Magazine that explores a new type of wind power generator. You can read that here.

Enjoy,

S.R. Nunnally
Editor, Material Profits
The Taipan Financial News Network

I.Am.Eco: How to be Green Classes

I normally check the events on RenewableEnergyAccess.com to see what kind of fun things are happening across the world. I stumbled across some in my own back yard.

The Green Building Institute offers courses on how to be green, and I'll be attending some of them as part of this eco-project.

I'll let you all know how they go.

S.R. Nunnally
Editor, Material Profits
Taipan Financial News Network

I.Am.Eco: Global Warming Investment Trend

A MarketWatch.com article highlights global warming as a growing market for investment opportunities.

The article notes:

"The battle against global warming and the transition from fossil fuels is destined to lead to unprecedented opportunities for capital investment and technical advance.Already, bankers, scientists and politicians are beginning to seize them."

I'd say companies, too. Look at the number of companies who are linking up with renewable energy: Wal-Mart, the Home Depot, GE, BP... There are too many to name.

It's been companies taking the reins, not government - at least here in the U.S.

And for a capitalistic society, that's good news.

S.R. Nunnally
Editor, Material Profits
Taipan Financial News Network

I.Am.Eco: The State of Renewable Energy in the U.S.

This report was recently released by the Worldwatch Institute and the Center for American Progress. It's titled "American Energy: The Renewable Path to Energy Security."

The report shows where we stand with renewable energy, where we've been, and where we could be going, should certain groups get their way.

I suggest you read it.

S.R. Nunnally
Editor, Material Profits
The Taipan Financial News Network

I.Am.Eco: Back and Ready

Okay, I'm back and ready.

Yesterday, I got my first gas and electric bill in my new house. It's an 1,100 square foot townhouse, middle of group. It has radiator heat and window AC units.

The bill was for 45 days usage, as I moved in at the end of July. In that time, I used 1258 kWh of electricity, for an average daily usage of 28 kWh. According to the bill, the average temperature was 76 degrees.

I also used 12 therms of natural gas, or 0.3 therms a day. I haven't used the heat yet, so my natural gas usage comes from cooking and hot water. One therm equals approximately 94 cubic feet of natual gas. So my daily usage of natural gas is 28 cubic feet.

Let's not forget my daily 4.8 gallons of gas for travel.

Using the calculations for carbon dioxide emissions in pounds found on SafeClimate, my average daily CO2 emissions total 135.26 lbs.

Here's the breakdown:

Gasoline: 93.86 lbs
Electricity: 37.52 lbs
Natural Gas: 3.88 lbs

Clearly, gasoline has the most potential for cutting CO2 emissions. If you recall a couple weeks back, I found that for a 20 mpg vehicle, one pound of CO2 was emitted for every mile driven. Which put my CO2 emissions for daily travel at 10.8 lbs. That doesn't equal what I've found in the calculation above.

I'll work on finding the reason for this. If you have an answer, email me at materialprofits@taipangroup.com. Use the subject line, "CO2 Emissions."

That's all for today.

S.R. Nunnally
Editor, Material Profits
The Taipan Financial News Network

I.Am.Eco: University Competition

MTV and GE are partnering up in a new competition called the mtvU ecomagination challenge. Individuals and teams of college students are asked to submit ideas on how to make their schools greener.

Find out more about the challenge here. This is a great resource for those trying to get businesses and organizations to go green.

(Originally found on ecorazzi.com.)

S.R. Nunnally
Editor, Material Profits
Taipan Financial News