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There a many different sounds that we hear every minute of every day. Some sounds instantly cause us to become worried and stressed out – such as the sound of a fire engine passing by. Other sounds are created specifically to help us maintain a state of calmness.

Sound therapy has been around for centuries even though it has been touted as a ‘New Age Phenomenon’. The world’s greatest musicians all know the power that music and sound have in helping to heal the mind and the body. English playwright and poet, William Congreve, has been quoted as saying: “Music hath charms to soothe a savage breast, to soften rocks, or bend a knotted oak.”

Music has the ability to relieve stress, promote relaxation and even lift a person’s spirits when they are feeling down. Whenever you are emotionally touched by a certain piece of music or lyric, your consciousness will usually transcend to a new height. Sound is simply a vibration that is felt throughout our body on many different levels. These vibrations and frequencies can affect us in many different ways.

Since we all live in a very hectic world, we don’t often realize the true nature of the sounds that are around us and we just assume everything is ‘background noise’.

However, our subconscious remembers the sounds and uses them to affect our conscious feelings and thoughts.

Take for example a situation in which you have had a terrible day at work. On your way home you put your favorite CD into your car’s CD player and you can instantly feel yourself relax as you listen to your favorite song.

Songs and lyrics act very much like personal affirmations. Some songs contain very powerful lyrics and even though we might not realize the meaning of the lyric itself, our mind picks out the tune and we start repeating that specific line to ourselves over and over again.

Therefore, pay special attention to the type of music that you feel drawn to as well as the lyrics that you are singing along with or that have become ‘stuck’ in your mind. Are those the words and phrases that you want in your life right now?

Affirmations are very powerfully uplifting phrases that are usually repeated several times a day. The purpose is to help a person’s psyche manifest certain results which they desire in their life.

Affirmations that are sung or chanted are even more powerful than words that are just boringly repeated over and over again. Even Saint Augustine once said: “Those who sing pray twice.”

In fact, throughout the world’s different religions and cultures, music, song and chanting all play a vital part in praising the divine, from Buddhist Monks and Christian hymns to Wiccan chanting and Hindu mantra’s.

Instrumental sounds and music also have the ability to help a person heal from emotional and mental wounds. Research has proven that children who listen to classical music have a masked improvement in their ability to learn new concepts than those children who do not.

Other instruments such as Tibetan and Himalayan singing bowls, crystal bowls, bells and gongs from the East have now made their beneficial abilities known to Westerners too. Listening to the sounds that these instruments emit helps to open up and balance the chakra’s and creates harmony in a person’s energy field.

Singing bowls were around nearly 4000 years ago in Nepal where mastering the ability to heal with sound was the highest level of initiation for a Monk. Some Historians believe that there is evidence of singing bowls being used in India 3,000 years ago and 1,000 years ago in Tibet. The healing ability of the bowls then spread to India, China, Japan and other Asian countries.

Originally, the singing bowls were consisted of either five, seven, or nine metals including gold, silver, copper, tin, mercury, and iron. Today, however, singing bowls are created by pouring metal into a cast which makes the bowls smoother and easier to play.

It is very easy to play a singing bowl: simply circle the wooden stick around the edge of the bowl in a steady slow motion. Eventually a delicate hum will start emanate from the bowl.

Singing bowls are usually used as a mediation aid, as well as a musical accent in a yoga or tai chi class. Just as in Tibet, singing bowls can be used for other purposes such as an offering bowl or as a beautiful decoration when not being played.

No matter what type of music we listen to, we are all susceptible to the sounds in our environment – whether we realize it or not. So be sure that the sounds that you listen to are sounds that are beneficial to your overall wellbeing.

Photo Credit: k4dordy

Or are you helping in slowly killing the planet in your endeavors to keep yourself fit? Although this may sound like a contradiction in terms, it is true. For most people their daily routine of exercising at the gym contains five factors that all play a vital role in killing our environment, most of which we do not even realize!

1. The Drive to Your Gym

Driving to your gym’s location attributes the most to killing the environment, specifically global warming. Most cars are gas guzzlers and approximately 20lbs of carbon dioxide is created and released for every gallon of gas that your car burns up. When you consider that most cars actually emit nearly 6 tons of carbon dioxide per year, you can see how cutting back on your gym drive can help the ozone layer.

If you live more than three miles from your gym, consider carpooling with a friend. Not only will this save you on gas money but it will also ensure that you have a workout buddy too! If you live less than three miles, consider walking or riding a bicycle to your gym. This will have the greatest impact on reducing your carbon footprint whilst also adding more calorie burning opportunities to your exercise regime. For example, a woman who weighs approximately 140 lbs and who walks at least 2 miles to her gym and back can burn up to 250 calories each day – this equals out to be nearly 18 lbs per year!

2. The Gym

Gyms can be another silent environmental killer, especially when you consider the new 24 hour gyms that are popping up in almost every neighborhood these days. Those gyms typically have electricity running to them 24 hours a day to power the electronic exercise machines, television sets and lighting. Most gyms also use an excessive amount of water when they wash and dry the free use towels that they provide to their patrons. Bring your own towel to the gym instead. Or you could become a green advocate and speak to the gym’s manager about making a few small changes in the way the gym is run. Suggest things like installing low-flow shower heads to conserve both money and water, or fitting a chlorine filter in the shower. Better yet, shower when you get home.

3. Electronic Exercise Equipment

Although this may be the hardest thing to do, try to avoid using electronic exercising equipment such as elliptical trainers and treadmills, as using a treadmill for half an hour will consume .75 kilowatt hours which is the equivalent to lighting up a Christmas tree for about 6 hours. Instead, take a run outside as not only will you get a change of scenery, but you’ll also be able to breathe in fresh air that is not always abundant inside a sweaty, smelly gym.

4. Your Workout Clothes

Choose your workout clothes wisely as they may not be what the labels say they are! According to the Organic Consumers Association, one-third of a pound of agricultural chemicals is used to create one cotton shirt in America. So read the label carefully and keep in mind that a 100% cotton T-Shirt is really made up of 73% cotton and 27% of chemicals and chemical residue. Even though it may seem better for both your skin and the environment to buy an organic cotton T-Shirt, 720 gallons of water is still used to create just one cotton shirt.

You can do your part by making your own workout clothing or shopping for new workout clothes at eco-friendly companies who recycle their old clothing lines. For example, Patagonia has a program called Common Threads in which they collect old clothes from their customers which are then recycled into new clothing. Creating a new product from recycled materials is far cheaper and healthier for the environment than creating a new product using raw materials.

5. Plastic Water Bottles

One of the most commonly found pieces of equipment in any gym is the plastic disposable water bottle. These are extremely harmful to the environment as 1.5 million barrels of oil is needed to create them. Worse still, is that Americans buy nearly 34.6 billion plastic water bottles each year, of which 80% end up in a landfill. When you consider that during the purification process, two gallons of water are wasted for every one gallon of water that actually ends up inside the water bottle, you can understand why buying and using disposable plastic water bottles is so deadly to our environment.

Your best bet would be to use plastic water bottles that have been certified to be BPA-free, or use a stainless steel water bottle instead. Both of these are chemical free and more healthy to drink from.

Photo Credit: Mimar Sinan

In this day and age, doctors have us convinced that there is a pill for every type of ailment and condition.

However, there are other, more natural ways to cure any ailment or disease without having to take chemical filled pills.

Hypertension, or high blood pressure, can also easily be lowered by using very natural means.

Sometimes referred to as the silent killer, high blood pressure can sneak up on you without there being any obvious symptoms. However silent it is, it can put you at a greater risk for heart disease, kidney disease and even stroke.

Therefore, lowering your blood pressure should be your number one priority! By simply making lifestyle changes you can not only avoid having to take pharmaceutical drugs, you can also help them to work better if you have to take them.

Even lowering your systolic pressure reading by two points can reduce the occurrence of a stroke by nearly 6% and coronary artery disease by about 4%.

Before starting anything holistic, be sure to tell your doctor, so that he can monitor your success.

Here are 7 easy ways that you can naturally lower your blood pressure:

1. Slim down.
Even though this is probably the hardest, natural way to reduce your blood pressure, it can be the most rewarding. Losing 22 pounds of excess weight can help lower your blood pressure by 5 to 20 points. Another benefit to weight loss is that it also adds on a few more years to your life expectancy.

2. Try to follow the DASH diet plan.
The DASH diet plan, which stands for Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension, is low in fat, sweets, and sugar filled drinks. It is also high in fruit and veggies as well as low-fat dairy. Researches claim that just by simply following this dietary plan, you can expect to lower your systolic blood pressure reading by nearly 8 to 14 points, making this diet as effective as some pharmaceutical drugs! If the DASH diet plan seems too hard to follow, then concentrate on ingesting more potassium by eating a diet that is rich in fish, dairy, fruits and vegetables.

3. Reduce your alcohol and sodium intake.
By reducing the amount of alcoholic drinks to only 2 drinks per day if you are a man and 1 a day if you are a woman, you can easily and naturally lower your blood pressure by 2 to 4 points. Most people consume an excess of sodium daily anyway, but consciously being aware of how much sodium you actually consume and reducing your intake to only 2400 mg per day could help your lower your blood pressure by 2 to nearly 8 points.

4. Take supplements.
As we grow older our bodies produce less calcium so it is always a good idea to take a calcium supplement. Just be sure to take at least 1,000 mg a day if you are under the age of 50 or 1,200 mg if you are over the age of 50.

Vitamin C is another supplement that everybody should be taking at least 500mg per day. Research has proven that with long term use, vitamin C can work just as well as pharmaceutical drugs in lowering your blood pressure. In fact, one such study showed a 9% drop in a person’s high blood pressure after only a month’s use.

Other supplements to try are alpha lipoic acid and acetyl-L-carnitine. Most people have high blood pressure as a result of non-relaxing blood vessels, meaning they do not dilate as they should. A recent study showed an increase in the diameter of the arteries in people who consumed 200 mg of alpha lipoic acid and 500 mg of acetyl-L-carnitine during an 8 week period. This powerful duo also helped lower their blood pressure as well.

Lastly, try to consume a lot of omega-3 fatty acids through eating fatty fish or by swallowing a high quality fish oil supplement. A Japanese study found that men who had consumed the highest amounts of omega-3 also had the lowest blood pressure.

5. Remember to exercise.
You can quickly lower your blood pressure by 4 to 9 points, just by exercising for 30 minutes at least 5 to 7 days a week.

6. Remember to sleep.
Going to bed early and getting at least 8 hours of sleep can truly help in naturally lowering your high blood pressure.

7. Try not to stress.
Stressing over something can cause your blood pressure to rise. Too much stressing can cause your blood pressure to stay permanently elevated. Try to relax more.

Photo Credit: House of Sims

Everyone who is concerned about their health knows that they need to supplement their diets with a high quality multi-vitamin.

In fact, researchers at the National Institute of Health conducted a study where they examined the end segments on DNA strands. Referred to as telomeres, these segments actually shorten a bit every time a cell divides itself. The researchers believe that the length of a telomere may be an indicator for aging, especially considering the fact that short telomeres have been associated with a greater risk of death and chronic disease, such as heart disease and cancer. Reason being, is that as a telomere becomes shorter, the cells either stops dividing altogether or it divides with many DNA errors.

Female participants in the NIH study, who were instructed to take a daily multivitamin, had nearly 5.1% longer telomeres, which is roughly the equivalent of 9.8 additional years of life.

Researchers believe that the multivitamin helps because it reduces oxidative damage and inflammation. However, for the most part, telomeres are rather susceptible to oxidative stress; inflammation is the chief inducer of oxidative stress and also decreases the activity level of the telomerase, the enzyme which is responsible for sustaining the telomeres. However, certain vitamins and minerals, such as vitamin C, E, B (especially vitamin B12 and folic acid), actually work to reduce oxidative stress and inflammation. Therefore, consuming these vitamins can help maintain the length of the telomere. There has even been evidence proving that C and E vitamins slow down the shortening of the telomere, thereby increasing its cellular life span, in cell cultures.

Vitamin D, resveratrol (a compound found in wine and grapes), astragalus (an Indian tonic), and exercise have also all been shown to help preserve the length of the telomere.

Taking all this into consideration, it is easy to understand why a good quality multivitamin can and will act as your main defense again disease and aging.

According to the American Association for Health Freedom (AAHF) and its European equivalent, the Alliance for Natural Health (ANH), most people are not consuming enough vitamins and minerals, even with the addition of a multivitamin. Their studies have revealed this to be as a result of incorrect dosing of multivitamins. These studies proclaimed many benefits of consuming multivitamins and other nutritional supplements in high doses.

However, the problem comes in when other contributors to the medical community over exaggerate the risks of taking multivitamins in high doses. Both the AAHF and the ANH strongly believe that the method that is commonly used to determine the ‘correct’ dosage is faulty and does not specify the many benefits of high doses of multivitamins.

The Archives of Internal Medicine published three relevant studies, that all established the fact that high doses actually contributed towards better results. The research mainly focused on how the B vitamins worked towards thwarting off macular degeneration due to age, and how vitamin D helps to reduce the possibility of contracting an upper respiratory infection, and lastly, how Calcium plays an important role in the prevention of cancer.

The Legislative Director of AAHF, Tami Wahl, stated that:

“Vitamins and supplements, combined with other healthy habits, play an integral role in the prevention of many medical conditions and diseases. Our concern is that the dosage amounts currently recommended are simply not adequate to yield protective effects.”

Likewise, the Executive and Scientific Director of ANH, Robert Verkerk, PhD, explained in a similar statement that such studies actually prove that there is:
“an increasing body of science that shows high doses of supplements are both safe and effective. To get some perspective on it, the levels found to be most beneficial in preventing macular degeneration were over 12 times the U.S. Recommended Daily Allowance (RDA) of folic acid, 25 times the RDA of vitamin B6, and 1,000 times the RDA of vitamin B12.”

However, these findings should not be seen as a precursor for self-diagnosis which ultimately leads to self-supplementation of higher doses of multivitamins and minerals.

The old adage, ‘more is not necessarily better’, should always be kept in mind. If you are in any doubt as to the proper dose of any vitamin, you should first consult a natural health care practitioner for advice.

Photo Credit: Lintilla

It appears that quite soon, not only will shoppers at Wal-Mart be looking for a bargain but they will also be able to find out more information about the carbon foot print of the item that they are considering buying, or how much air pollution it caused, or how many gallons of water was used to create the product. In a nutshell, it appears that Wal-Mart is going green.

Wal-Mart is the largest retailer in the world today, and as such they feel that they have to give something more back to the communities that they support. How do they plan on doing this? Well, certainly not by reducing any more prices! Instead, Wal-Mart will be focusing on ascertaining the environmental and social impact of each item that is placed upon their shelves.

To accomplish this somewhat enormous task, Wal-Mart has enlisted the help of environmental groups, suppliers, and educated scholars, to help create an electronic indexing system that would help rate the environmental and social impact of every product.

The objective is to produce a universal rating system that will appoint scores based on how a product will be, both environmentally and socially sustainable, throughout its projected lifespan. The concept is quite similar in fact, to organic nutrition labels on foods.

However, such a sustainability rating system would focus on a wide range of social and environmental consequences, rather on specific details such as waste reduction or lower emissions.

The apparent goal is encourage other retailers, both large and small, to adopt Wal-Mart’s universal indexing system, which is set to be completed over the next five years.

Wal-Mart’s President and Chief Executive, Michael T. Duke, explains that:

“We have to change how we make and sell products. We have to make consumption itself smarter and sustainable.”

Because Wal-Mart is such a retail giant, they are the only ones that could actually pull of such an indexing system on such a global scale.

Michelle Harvey of the Environmental Defense Fund, one of the environmental groups hired by Wal-Mart to help create the indexing system, exclaimed:

“Nobody else could pull this off.”

However, some people are already questioning whether or not Wal-Mart could even finish such a daunting project.

Professor, Jon Johnson, at the Sam M. Walton College of Business at the University of Arkansas, whom the company asked to help create the index, explained that:

“I think it’s going to be a lot of work for a lot of people. But obviously we’re optimistic about the prospects.”

One of Wal-Mart’s major suppliers’s, Unilever, expressed their support for such an indexing system and their Senior Vice President, Joe Cavaliere, called it “a great move forward for the industry.”

Tim Marrin, the associate director of external relations for Procter & Gamble voiced his opinion on the importance of sharing the new sustainability index across the entire retail industry.

“The last thing a supplier really wants is when you’re doing a separate index for every retailer. Wal-Mart has invited the Targets’, the Costcos’, the Tescos’ of the world to come up with a solution so that there are not 5, 10, 15, 20 different standards that retailers are implementing in their markets.”

Other concerns involving the cost of producing more environmentally sustainable goods have also been brought up, as Wal-Mart’s Chief Merchandising Officer, John E. Fleming, knows only too well.

“The first question is always, ‘It’s going to cost more’. But you know, I think we’ve demonstrated time and time again, if you reduce packaging, if you reduce energy, the costs go down.”

The first step in creating the indexing system is to have Wal-Mart’s 100,000 or more global suppliers, complete a 15 question survey regarding the sustainability practices of their company.

Suppliers in the USA have until October to respond, whilst international suppliers do not yet have a deadline by which they need to respond. Those who don’t respond to the survey might face limited business opportunities down the road.

Wal-Mart seems to understand that today’s consumer generation, those born between 1980 and 2000, are making purchases that are based not just on a low price but also on their sustainability factor, such as avoiding products that were made in a sweat factory by children.

Mr Fleming explained that, “These younger consumers, they care deeply about this regardless of what happens in the economy. When I go around to colleges and universities to recruit, sustainability is tops on their list. So I think this will help us build a better business model.”

Hopefully, the success of Wal-Mart’s universal indexing system would force other manufacturers and suppliers to also create more environmentally sustainable products.

Photo Credit: jason.mundy

Hot dog connoisseurs across America will be celebrating National Hot Dog Day on the 23rd of July 2009.

The basis for every patriotic barbeque and pool party, hot dogs, have been around for many years. Although today, they are the staple diet at almost every State Fair and baseball game, hot dogs have earned their place in history as one of the oldest forms of processed foods.

Hot dog type sausages were first mentioned in 9th Century BC in Homer’s Odyssey.

Most people believe that Frankfurt-am-Main in Germany was the birth place of the hot dog. But, others believe that the ‘dachshund sausage’ or ‘little dog sausage’ was actually created by a butcher living in Coburg, Johann Georghehner, during the 1600′s. Legend says that Johann travelled to Frankfurt to sell his sausage to other butchers and markets.

However, in 1987, the city of Frankfurt marked the 500th anniversary of the hot dog in Frankfurt. It is believed that the Frankfurter was created in Frankfurt in 1484, approximately five years before Christopher Columbus had set off to find the new world.

In spite of Frankfurt’s anniversary celebration, the city of Vienna, Austria declared that there city was the birth place of the hot dog. Vienna is also called Wien, which they point out is short for ‘wiener’.

Whether the hot dog came from Vienna or Frankfurt, it eventually made its way into North America via butchers who wanted to have their own claim to fame and popularity in the new world.

There has also been further controversy surrounding who exactly was the first person to serve the hot dog on a roll. One fabled story is that an immigrant to the US, from Germany, sold the sausages along with milk rolls and sauerkraut from his own little push car during the 1860′s in New York City’s Bowery. Eventually, the first Coney Island hot dog stand was opened in 1871 by a German butcher named Charles Feltman. He sold nearly 3,684 dachshund sausages in a milk roll in his first year of business.

In 1893, sausages became the staple diet of baseball games when Chris Von de Ahe introduced them to the major league baseball team that he owned, the St. Louis Browns.

Later, in 1901, the term ‘hot dog’ was born at the New York Polo Grounds. It seems that during one rather cold April day, Harry Stevens, a concessionaire whose company is still in business today, found that he was losing money selling only ice cream and cold sodas. Stevens sent all his salesmen to go out and buy as many dachshund sausages as they could find, as well as an equal number of milk rolls. Within the hour his vendors were selling hot dogs from portable hot water tanks whilst loudly exclaiming: “They’re red hot! Get your dachshund sausages while they’re red hot!”

Tad Dorgan, a sports cartoonist sitting in a nearby press box, who just happened to have been approaching his deadline without a clue on what to draw, overheard the vendors selling their hot sausages. He quickly drew up a cartoon depicting a little barking dachshund sausage huddled inside a warm roll. But, since Dorgan was unable to correctly spell the word ‘dachshund’, he instead opted to write ‘hot dog’. The rest, as they say, is history. Dorgan’s cartoon became an overnight hit and the phrase “hot dog” was born.

Today’s modernized hot-dog-on-a-bun was instituted in 1904 during the St. Louis “Louisiana Purchase Exposition” in 1904 by Anton Feuchtwanger, a Bavarian concessionaire. In order to help his patrons carefully hold their piping hot sausages, Feuchtwanger loaned out white gloves for them to wear. However, the majority of the white gloves were never given back to Feuchtwanger and his supply was starting to run pretty low. It was then that he decided to ask his brother-in-law for help. His brother-in-law was a baker who baked long, soft bread rolls into which the sausages fit perfectly – thereby creating the hot dog bun.

Since then hot dogs have enjoyed a continuing revolution in their flavor. Long thought of as made up of undesirable meat from pigs, today’s hot dogs are cured and cooked sausages that can be found in Chicken, Turkey, Beef as well as a variety of other flavors.

For the health conscious, it is good to know that hot dogs are nutrient rich sources of vitamins, minerals, protein, iron and zinc. The average, 1.6 oz, hot dog has approximately 150 calories, 13 grams of fat, 450 mgs of sodium and about 7 grams of protein.

American’s eat about 60 hot dogs every year, with New Yorkers consuming the most. In 1999, Americans consumed a total of 7 billion hot dogs, roughly 818 hot dogs every second, during the Hot Dog Season.

Photo Credit: Marit & Toomas Hinnosaar

Throughout the USA transportation is accountable for nearly a third of the average citizen’s impact on global warming. The good news is that Americans have more control over their transportation than they do on anything else that impacts global warming.

Carbon dioxide is produced by burning fuel and is actually one of the main greenhouse gases that have become single handily responsible for global warming. Every type of major transportation, such as a car, a plane or a bus, requires fuel to be burned in order for it to run. Every day, millions of American is using over 380 million gallons of gasoline; and nearly 20 pounds of carbon dioxide is released into the atmosphere that we breathe for every gallon of gasoline that is burned. If you think this through carefully you will come to the realization that the average American car drives approximately 12,500 miles pet year, which equals out to be about a pound of carbon dioxide that is emitted per mile, which, in turn, works out to be 11,450 pounds per year. This is roughly the amount needed to fill up an Olympic sized swimming pool.

Besides driving, Americans also love to fly a lot too. In fact, more than 500 million airplane trips are experienced by Americans every year. The carbon print of an airplane ride can be more difficult to estimate. This is due to each plane trip varying in length – an airplane will burn more fuel during its take off than when it is cruising at an altitude of 30,000 feet. Other factors that hinder the calculation of carbon dioxide emissions are the type of airplane and the amount of passengers on board. Generally speaking, however, a round trip flight taking off in New York and landing in Chicago would result in almost 650 pounds in carbon dioxide emissions and a return flight that lasts the whole length of the US can produce nearly 2,000 pounds of carbon dioxide.

With all these numbers you might feel that cutting back on your family’s carbon print is hard, but this is not the case at all! One of the easiest ways to cut back on carbon dioxide emissions is to leave your car parked in the garage and walk everywhere that you can. Walking, or even riding a bicycle, is not only good for the planet; it is also good for your health as well.

If you do have to drive your car, then think about your trip before hand and chose the shortest route possible. Combining all your errands into one trip will not only save on carbon dioxide emissions, but will save you gas time as well.

Another great alternative is to use your city’s public transportation whenever possible. Riding the bus to work can be quite a relaxing experience, especially when you realize that someone else is watching the traffic. Just don’t forget to bring a good book with you to read or some nice music on your iPod to listen to.

If none of these options seem to work for you and your family and driving your motor vehicle is the only transportation that you have, don’t despair – there are plenty of other great tips that you can follow to not only save you gas money but also to help your cat get better gas mileage, all while reducing your car’s carbon footprint.

An easy tip to remember is to bring your car in for a service at regularly scheduled intervals. This will help keep your car running its best at all times. Next, routinely check your car’s tire pressure and make sure it is within the limit set out by the manufacturer (usually there is a sticker with this information either on gas cap lid or on driver’s door frame). Keeping the tire pressure constant and within the correct limit can help you save nearly 4% on your gas bill, and, remember burning less gas means that less carbon dioxide is produced too.

If you are in the market for a new vehicle, you should consider purchasing one of the new eco-friendly crossover SUVs. These vehicles are designed to get better mileage than other vehicles of the same size. Another choice is buying a hybrid car or one that runs off of clean diesel such as Ethanol 85. No matter what you choose, make sure that buying such a vehicle will actually save you money in the long run and not just immediately.

If long distance travel is something that is looming in your future, try to take the train instead! Train rides are better for the environment and a lot more fun. But, if flying is truly the only way for you to travel, then you can always add a carbon offset amount to your airline ticket.

Photo Credit: Maria Keays

Everyone is feeling the need to curb spending this summer, but most people do not often think about how keeping their home cool can affect their savings. There are quite a few ways to keep your home cool this summer whilst helping keep your money in your wallet.

1. Open The Windows

As soon as the air outside becomes cooler that the air inside your home, immediately open the windows. A gentle breeze blowing your house is the perfect accompaniment to a hot summer’s night.

During the daytime, keep the windows and blinds closed to keep in the coolness from the night before. Keeping the windows and blinds closed will also work to reflect back the light and the heat the sun shines down upon your house.

2. Use Fans

Ceiling fans work by moving the air around your room. Make sure that the fan is blowing in the correct direction. You can tell this by looking at the blades; if the leading edge is higher than back edge of the blade then the fan is pushing the air downwards. The fan should blow downwards in the summer and upwards in the winter.
If you don’t already have one, install an attic fan. Such a fan moves the air around and pulls in cooler air from outside at the same time. Make sure that you open your windows at night first, before turning on the attic fan.

Another household fan to run is the fan in your furnace. Most thermostats allow you to turn on the fan without running the furnace or air conditioner. The furnace fan will cause the air in your house to be circulated thoroughly and will therefore eliminate any hot or cold spots. Turning on the furnace fan also helps to catch any allergens that have entered your home through the open windows. However, you should regularly check and replace the filter inside your furnace.

3. Install an Energy-Efficient Thermostat

A programmable thermostat can be your best friend in summer. You should program it to increase by 5 degrees just before you leave for work and have it scheduled to return to its regular temperature just before you come home.

During the summer months it is recommended that you set your thermostat to 78 degrees, specifically if you have central air. However, if you really want to pile up the savings, consider increasing an extra degree or two. Each degree raised above 78 is equal to a savings of nearly 6 – 7%.

4. Close The Vents

Remember to close the air vents in rooms that are not being constantly used in your house. This will help to force more cooling air to come out of the vents that are in rooms that are commonly used, such as a bedroom or living room.

5. Turn Off the Lights

Everyone knows that one of the major aspects to energy saving in your home is to turn off your unused lights. However, turning off the lights can actually help reduce the amount of heat inside your home too. Most every light bulb generates heat as a consequence of emitting light.

6. Avoid the Stove

Turning on the stove in order to cook a meal can greatly increase the amount of heat inside your house. So either prepare meals in advance and just reheat them in the microwave, eat healthy salads, or have a barbeque outside on the grill. However, if you really have to turn on the oven make sure that you do it later in the evening after the windows have been opened.

7. Leave the Laundry

Although that may sound too good to be true, instead of doing the laundry during the daytime hours, try to do it later in the evening. A dryer emits quite a bit of heat that, although is vented outside, can still leak back in your house. The later it is in the evening, the cooler it will be and the less likely that your dryer’s excess heat will add further warmth to your house.

8. Unplug Electronics

Remember that not only are plugged in electronics still generating electricity, they are also turning that same power into harmful heat. So unplug any electronic device that you are not currently using and place those that you are, onto surge protectors.

9. Spend More Time On The Lowest Level Of Your House

It is a simple fact that hot air rises. Try to avoid spending time on the upper levels of your house during summer. Instead convert your basement into a family room and congregate there.

Photo Credit: wharman