Composting

Recently I added a new page which went into details on how to compost using waste from your yard and home. This page is labeled How to Compost if you would like to go into a little more detail on this topic. There were just a few benefits I would like to mention regarding composting and how it helps you and the environment. First off composting can be just as easy as taking out the trash, except the waste is recycled and the nutrient is used to fertilize plants. Sure there are a few extra steps to take, but the benefits to composting make them worth while. Secondly, composting can give you the motivation to weed your gardens because weeds before they seed are an excellent source of nutrient in the compost. Going along with motivation, by composting fruit and vegetable scraps then using that compost to fertilize the garden, it motivates you to use the compost fertilizer to give your new vegetable garden the nutrients it needs. And finally, composting is a great way to reduce waste that ends up in landfills. Overall, composting is an excellent way to go green, because not only are you reducing your trash that ends up in landfills through recycling yard waste, fesses, and food scraps, you are also have the means to become self sufficient by using the compost fertilizer in vegetable gardens and to feed fruit trees. If you have any thoughts or ideas about composting or any other green topics feel free to email me, or comment below. Thanks for reading!

Chevy Volt

If you are looking to go green through cutting energy usage and reducing green house gas emissions, where better to start than your gas or diesel powered vehicle. Today car companies are coming out with better and more fuel efficient cars to meet government regulations and to satisfy consumers needs with rising gas prices, but this only reduces the problem. The issue is around 20 million barrels of oil are consumed in the United States alone each and every day and as more cars are produced and new drives begin driving with the rising population, this number will only be going up, even with hybrids and fuel efficient SUVs and compact cars. In order make a real dent in this problem, we the consumers need to avoid using gas powered transportation whenever possible. This means biking to work, carpooling, using public transportation (even though the buses and trains run off of fossil fuels, they will be completing the same route regardless), walking, or purchasing an electric powered vehicle. The first four options may actually save you money right away, but purchasing and electric or partially electric vehicle will definitely take a while for the financial saving to show. But it's not always about the money. If you were considering purchasing an electric vehicle, you may be thinking about buying the Nissan Leaf or the Mitsubishi I-MiEV because they are some of the only all electric vehicles on the market. These vehicles would seem like logical choices if your commute from work and back, or to friends and family were relatively near to you, but a 100 mile range definitely limits a vehicle. I would recommend purchasing the Chevy Volt. I recommend this vehicle for three reasons, first it is an electric, gas powered hybrid where you see all the benefits of an electric car with few of their drawbacks, such as limited range, charging takes hours and could leave you stranded if your battery runs out, and the extremely small interiors with virtually no trunk space. The Volt has the option to be fully electric for 35 miles before needing to be charged (which the vast majority of people live within 35 miles of work), but if the battery runs out, the car won't simply stop, the gas powered generator will turn on and charge the battery as you continue driving. The second reason I would recommend the Chevy Volt is because of its extended range. Even though the battery will only get you 35 miles, the gas powered generator gets nearly 40 mph which totals nearly a 400 mile range including the 35 miles of fully electric miles. And finally, the Volt is a standard size car where you will actually have some elbow room and trunk space unlike many of the other all electric vehicles. If you are looking to reduce your carbon footprint, buying a Volt is a good place to start. Thanks for reading!

Geothermal Energy

Recently I read an article about geothermal energy and some of its many uses on the How Stuff Works website. Geothermal energy is a fairly easy concept to understand as well as implement into practice. Essentially geothermal energy works the same way wind turbines work, except use rising steam to power the turbine instead of wind. Initially, the engineers building the geothermal power plant dig a well to reach magma beneath earth's crust. In most locations, this layer can be reached rather easily. Then they build a pumping system to pump water down into this well where it is then heated to its boiling point or hotter, then is returned the the surface. From this point, the heated water becomes steam and rises at a quick enough rate to turn the turbine and generate electricity. This system is only cost effective at the large scale unfortunate, but home owners can still utilize this untapped energy source in other ways. Just a few feet below earth's crust is a constant 50-60 degrees Fahrenheit almost everywhere in the world. This is very convenient because for around $30,000 most home owners can purchase a heating system for the winter and a cooling system for the summer that utilizes this constant temperature. And according to How Stuff Works, this investment can will pay itself off in energy savings in 5-10 years. Geothermal energy is an excellent alternative to energy generated by fossil fuels and even other forms of clean energy because it is everywhere, all you need to do is dig straight down, making it the most constant form of energy. Geothermal energy is also one of the cleanest forms of energy because there are little to no byproducts from pumping water down a well then collecting the water on the surface and repeat the process. Finally, geothermal energy is the most reliable form of air conditioning and heating in a home because of the constant temperature several feet under the ground. If you have any comments or questions about this article please post below. Thanks for reading!

Clean Energy

I have always enjoyed reading about new forms of clean energy, how they work and some of their uses. There is a blog that writes solely about clean energy topics, under cleanenergy.org. This blog is done by a very eco-friendly family and some of their colleagues who enjoy the benefits of many forms of clean energy first hand. There are a few articles mentioning how they purchased all electric cars, installed energy efficient lighting, a mirror roof and many other things to reduce the consumption of energy, especially energy derived from power plants emitting CO2. Many of these projects didn't save them much money initially, but after the costs of installing or purchasing the items were meet with savings, the overall savings were substantial. As green technology continues to improve, the costs of many of these green projects go down making it more and more economical for businesses and homeowners to begin using new forms of energy production and energy reducing items in their homes and businesses. This group of bloggers also attend green events and promote these events through their blog. They blog about current issues regarding clean energy and give some personal insight on these issues.  They had a couple of articles on controversial topics such as carbon credits that I found to be very interesting because of their personal insight on these issues. I would definitely recommend visiting the Clean Energy website and blog page and reading some of their blogs and articles. If you have any comments please post below. Thanks for reading!

The possible impact of solar energy

Clean alternative energy has always fascinated me. Not only do I find it interesting how these energy generators transfer energy from nature into electrical energy, but I also enjoy thinking of all the possible applications for these clean energy machines. Recently I read an article about some of the uses and benefits solar power provides to rural communities from the renewable energy world blog. This article was labeled "Solar Power's Impact on Rural Exodus" by Abhishek Gupta. In the article, Gupta explains some of the many struggles that come with living in a rural area. These include things like no electricity, running water, proper education, or below average health care. Many of these things can be greatly improved or fixed if these areas had a constant source of electricity. One problem they have is with the high amount of poverty, it is not economical for electric companies to supply these areas with electricity. Also many people living in rural areas lack proper education making it difficult for them make life better for themselves. But as Abhishek explains in the article, solar power is the solution to these problems. Because solar power requires little to no maintenance and is fairly simple to install, even people with limited education can use them. Because solar panels work on sunny and cloudy days, it is a reliable source of energy. And with a reliable source of energy, people living in rural areas will be able to have running water for themselves and to water their lands, they will have light at night which could potentially save lives if there is an emergency, and they will have an opportunity to connect to the internet to educate themselves. The only issue now is producing solar panels at a low enough price so everyone can afford one and delivering the panels to very secluded areas. If you have any questions or thoughts on this article, please comment below. Thanks for reading!

Highest grossing film

After reading several lists online about movie ticket sales in theaters versus how much they cost to make, I found the movie making business is much more profitable than I previously thought. I found that there were several films, including avatar, that actually surpassed $500,000,000 in sales. This is a crazy feat considering many tickets cost only $8-$12 with profits going to the theaters as well. I found an interesting article in the week which found that many of these all time most profitable lists are only partially correct on which film actually earned the most. The article can be found through this link (http://theweek.com/article/index/263552/why-avatar-isnt-actually-the-most-successful-movie-of-all-time)
The article explains how many of the top grossing lists don't actually adjust for inflation which only makes them partially correct. For instance, if a movie was sold last year for $15 and 20 years ago was sold for $10, then the most recent movie would seem to be the most profitable. But say you had $10 10 years ago versus now, that $10 could have bought you a movie before, but not now. This goes to show that even though the profits are higher in numbers today, the actual buying power of each dollar would also drop. So for most cases, the older movies with relatively high profit margins are not accurately represented on these lists because most don't adjust for inflation. If you find lists dealing with profits, costs or other financial measurement interesting in regards to the film industry, please comment below. Thanks for reading!

Movie List Post

I have always enjoyed watching movies, especially after a long day at work to relax or to spend some quality time with my family and friends. This post will include my top 10 favorite movies in order from low to high on my rating scale. I have always been a bit of a harsh critic when it comes to rating movies mainly because I compare all movies to some of the best movies created in their genres. I apologize ahead of time if your movie did not make this list.

10. Up (2009)
I was strongly considering putting Bambi or Lion King on here, but I really enjoyed watching this movie, and it's on of those movies that I'm never not in the mood for.
9. Fight Club (1998)
Fight Club is a classic movie where you need to go through and watch it a few times before you completely understand what's going on. And even after watching in several times, I always seem to catch another sign I missed before which always keeps me engaged in the movie.
8. Gladiator (2000)
Gladiator is a great movie showing the struggles of the lead actor where nothing seems to go his way, but by sticking to what he believes in everything eventually falls into place. More or less.
7. The Dark Knight (2005)
This movie is just awesome! Everything worked well in this movie, from the plot to the special affects The Dark Knight always keeps you on the edge of your seat.
6. Catch Me If You Can (2002)
I really enjoyed this movie because it's one of the few movies that you want the hero and the villain to win.
5. Saving Private Ryan (1998)
This classic war movie does an excellent job showing the perspectives of all parties involved in WWII and makes you feel like you were there.
4. Forest Gump (1994)
Forest Gump is probably my favorite feel-good movie out there. Life is like a box of chocolates.
3. V for Vendetta (2005)
V for Vendetta is an amazing film that shows just how powerful an idea can be.
2. The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001)
This movie set up what is perhaps the best trilogy every created in my opinion. The visuals are spectacular, the acting is perfect and the plot always keeps you engaged.
1. The Shawshank Redemption (1994)
The Shawshank Redemption is about as close to a perfect movie as possible. There is not a single scene in this movie that needs to be added or omitted.

I hope you enjoyed this list. If you have any thoughts about any movie on this list or feel a movie should have been added, please feel free to comment below.