Xcel Energy

Xcel Energy is offering three ways to save money. One of the ways is to pay an extra $19.99 and you get to select six appliances to get repaired which is a savings of $60 for the first year. You can add more appliances for $4 each. For an additional $9.99 a month per appliance you can get them replaced. Another way for you to save money through Xcel Energy is to get your appliances reviewed. The appliances are; Carbon Monoxide Alarm, Central Humidifier, Central Air Cleaner and Purifier, Water Heater-Tankless and with a Tank, Central Air Conditioner, Gas Boiler, and Gas Furnace. For more ways to save money through Xcel Energy go to http://www.homesmartcolorado.com/.

Energy Star Appliances

By Xena



The U.S. Department of Energy and the U.S. Environment Protection Agency created the Energy Star symbol. These appliances with the energy star symbol on it helps reduce air pollution and helps you save money at the same time! Isn't that amazing? It's a deal that no one can easily refuse.



The energy star symbol can be found in many different appliances, such as...



1. refrigerators



2. dishwashers



3. clothes washers and dryers



4. room air conditioners



5. and many more to come!

These appliances can be rewarded energy efficient stars, or the energy star symbol if they are miraculously more energy efficient than the government's standards. But the average amount of energy used per each kind of appliance is different. Appliances with energy stars are the most efficient today.

Convinced about getting one yet? Here are some benefits that could help convince you.

1. They get along with you better than a normal appliance. For example, their noise is reduced, plus they have a better design so they can withstand more without getting destroyed.

2. They have a lower utility bill. Everyone knows we are going through a crisis everywhere with the shortage of money, so with an appliance with an energy star will help you!

Energy Star Appliances help you, and they help the world go green!

Planting Trees

by Grace

While planting trees helps to improve air quality and help decrease pollution, if you plant them in the wrong place, they can interfere with power lines, causing powere outages during storms. Keep these things in mind when planting trees near power lines.





~Tall growing trees should be planted more than 50 feet away from power lines.





~Low growing trees (20-25 feet or under at maturity) should be planted within 35 feet of power lines.





~Don't plant trees withing 10 feet of the power lines that connect your house to the pole.





~Plant vegetation more than 10 feet away from ground-level electrical boxes.





~Call 8-1-1 before planting trees to locate any underground utility lines.

Earth Day as a Nation!

By Chaaya



This week on Thursday, April 22 is the one and only day known as Earth Day. As a community, a country and a nation we come together to celebrate our home, the thing that is most precious to us. Though nowadays it doesn't seem like it because our seas are polluted, along with the air. We are getting better though, by turning to "green" appliances and equipment. Even the little things can help...if one person did something to help out our Earth, our home, it would make a huge difference. Ever heard big things come in small packages? Well this applies to everything we do to help. Gather friends and family on Earth Day and do something to aid in our mission to make Earth a better place to live.

Earth Day 2010

Earth Day is THIS Thursday, April 22! If you're not already aware of the issue of Global Warming, maybe this year you can pretend to care.. at least a little bit! It really isn't that hard to recycle your cans and bottles instead of just throwing them away, and the few steps it may take to the recycling bin won't hurt you a bit! Recycling is good for the Earth, and the extra exercise you get for taking some inconvenient little steps will help you!

Maybe this year, instead of sitting at home griping about the Earth Day commercials running on TV all day, stepping outside to enjoy the sunshine and the wonderful springtime weather sweeping across the country may just bring a smile to your face! Hey, while you're outside, why not go plant a tree? Then you'll be able to say that the pollution in the air isn't your fault, that you're environmentally aware, etc. After all, you did plant a tree didn't you? I think not! Now, trees are some of the biggest contributors to reversing the damage being done by pollutants in the air, but they can't be expected to clean up the whole mess! And why not? Well, here's why not:

• A single adult tree can absorb an average of 48 lbs. of carbon dioxide a year and supply enough oxygen for two human beings.

As of 2005, there is an estimated 400 billion+ trees throughout the world, according to NASA. And that is a lot of trees! But, check this out:

• Each person in America is estimated to dump 2.3 tons of CO2 into the air every year!
• There is a ratio of about 61 trees to each person.

However, not all of these trees are located in the U.S. But, for argument's sake, let's say that all trees are located in the United States:

• Since there are over 300 million people in the United Sates, our estimated carbon output would end up being around 690 million tons every year.
  
• If all the world's trees were located in the U.S., we'd be covered!! We would have the freshest air in the entire world!
• But , if all of the trees in the world are in the U.S. , what would happen to other countries? Countries like China, Russia, India, and Japan that are some of the top contributors to global CO2 pollution? In fact, China alone is responsible for 21.5% of annual CO2 emissions worldwide! What would happen then?

Can you imagine the horrifying conditions that the rest of the world would be in if our imaginary situation was real? Try to think about the condition that the world is already in, and then clean up the U.S., and spread our emissions out to every other country in the world. Doesn't look good, does it? Even now, air pollution isn't a pretty thing.



Beijing after a rainy day (left), Beijing on a regular, sunny day (right)


This is only one example of air pollution in the world! Things can change, and you can help!
Go to www.earthday.net to find out what you can do to help out this Earth Day.
Personally, I think that every day should be Earth Day, but since that isn't the case, why not take a little time this Earth Day to help everyone around you? Little actions like recycling any paper, aluminum cans, or plastic bottles that you would usually throw away is an easy thing to do, and the service is often provided by your local waste management companies. It isn't reasonable to plant a tree every single day of the year, but maybe a tree every month, or every other month, whatever you can do! The economic recession that we are in does limit what we can do to benefit our environment, but it can only last for so long, while the damage being done to the Earth can end up being for generations and generations to come. I say, try to stop it while we can, because isn't that the right thing to do?


By Ninja

Salt Ponds by Philip Frank

Salt ponds are used to create electricity in an interesting way. As the temperature of a water rises, the water is able to dissolve more salt. This makes the volume more, so the water goes to the bottom. Then, the cold water at the top insulates the hot water down in theur naturally. What the salt pond basically does is to collect solar thermall energy. This energy could be collected and made into electricity to power a house. with the correct size, you could power your house easily.

The power of pesticides

by Hezikia


They are the subtle killer of animals even though their main target is bugs.

They are also almost single handedly responsible for the near extinction of the Perigrin falcon in the 1980's.
They are pesticides.

Although rules and regulations have been improved they are still casuing particular damage in other countries who have no alternative to it. Not only are they killing birds but also fish and other marine life when they get sprayed on crops near the ocean. Then marine plants get infected with it which goes onto the fish up the food chain eventually to us. Efforts in other countries are being made to stop this.