Happy Greening and thank you for being part of The Big Green Help Event!

This is an archived version of the original site, so step back to 2009.

Thank you for your interest in Nickelodeon’s The Big Green Grants program! This program is a unique funding initiative that teams up kids and adults to help bring resources to their community. Each Green Grant will provide up to $5,000 for resources to schools and community-based organizations to support environmentally-friendly projects that educate and inspire kids to:

1.  Take care of the environment;
2. Be active and live healthier; and/or
3. Engage in community service.

How would you like to say goodbye to your electricity bill once and for all???

What are the advantages of solar power?

The solar energy solution is gaining popularity amongst the alternate energy solutions.

• Green energy solution: AKA Green Help. When you look at the solar energy solution, you will realize that it uses absolutely no fuel other than the sun’s light. Moreover, it does not release into the atmosphere anything harmful.
• Cheapest power solution: First, the energy comes free. Then, the installation cost is a one-time cost. Finally, the investment is recovered within a few years of installation, making the power generated by solar energy absolutely free.
•  Convenience of storage: You cannot store conventional power but you can store solar power for future use. The sun’s energy comes to rescue even in the times of darkness! Storing it also ensures a 24x7 supply of power, thus saving you from any power outage.
• Low on maintenance: The solar energy systems are easy to maintain. They do not involve high costs or too much effort, thus letting you reap the benefits of the solution comfortably.

How Can Solar Power Be Used?

Solar power can be used in our everyday lives by adopting the following solar power systems:

• Solar cooking system: Solar cooking is about cooking without lighting a fire or using electricity! However, it is not asking for too much given that you will get tasteful and healthy food without worrying about paying your gas or electricity bill.
• Solar lighting system: You can now light up the entire house, use every electrical appliance without thinking about cutting down bills. The solar lighting system lights up your house even in the nights, thanks to the power storage feature it has.
• Solar heating system: You can keep your house cozy and warm using the solar heating system without worrying about costs.

Of course businesses can use solor power systems too. I am part of a team of data architects, business and system analysts, and software developers where we work on Salesforce software development for companies that are in Financial Services, Medical Supply, Software Development, Transportation and Logistics, Manufacturing, and Services Markets. Salesforce is a cool web cloud platform that allows world wide communications between companies and their customers. We are real techies who regularly work with such front-end technologies such as JavaScript, HTML5, CSS3, JQuery, ExtJS, Ajax, as well as software languages: Java, Grails, Groovy, and PHP. We do cutting edge type of stuff and it is only fitting that the building where we work has installed solar panels. But that's not all. There are no toxic materials used in the actual building, we conserve water usuage, and recycle just about everything. We all believe in going as much GREEN as is possible. So read on to see what was happening in 2009.

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Here Are The Major Benefits Of This Program:

• Doing Your Part For Our Environment!
• You Can Not Only Save Money, But Actually Make Money!
• It's Fun, And You Will Learn A Lot Along The Way!

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Install Solar Panels

Imagine this: You come home from work in 4 door sedan, that is run entirely on electricity. You pull into the garage and plug it into the wall socket to re-charge. The energy created from the solar panels on your roof flows into your car, charging it for tomorrow. It is a hot summer's day and the A.C. is flowing, keeping your house cool.This energy is also coming from the panels on your roof. And your monthly electricity bill that used to cost you $300-$400 per month, maybe even higher, is now $15.00 per month. And you are using 3 times as much as you used to.

Fantasy??? Think again. This is possible Today!!!

With the world facing a severe energy crisis, it is wise to invest in an alternative power solution at home.Installing an alternate energy solution at home is no less than a great humanitarian effort.

The complete solar program has different components. Most people implement a few of these components as per their needs. Lets look at the various solar power components.

Solar Cooker: The solar cooker is the most popular solar energy system implemented at homes. Here are several of its advantages:

• Healthy cooking - You can cook for a family of 5 in a small cooking box at a time and considered very healthy.
• Variety cooking - You can boil, roast and bake using the same system.
• No Fuel - The Solar cooker does not use any other fuel other than the sun's light, thus helping you save power.
• No emissions - The solar cooker neither emits any gases nor does it leave any residue. It makes for the most environmentally-friendly cooking system.

Solar generator: The solar generator is a device that runs all your electrical appliances using solar energy. This device converts solar energy into electrical energy using photovoltaic cells. The solar generator is also referred to as the solar lighting system. The solar generator stores electrical energy in cells for later use. Installing a solar generator at home is a great power-saving and cost-saving idea. Imagine running the electrical appliances without worrying about paying any bills.

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How To Save Power At Home - Get Green Help.

When the whole world is looking for ways to cope with the severe energy crisis, what is the least we can do? We need to begin by saving the power we have and generating more power using alternate power solutions like solar and wind power systems.

We all learned about the renewable and non-renewable sources of energy in school. However, we never paid much attention to the rapid consumption of the non-renewable sources of energy until recently. The world is faced with severe energy crisis now and none of us remain unaffected anymore. Should we leave everything to the governments, or can we do something to save power? The answer is simple: we can. Here are some simple tips for Green Help In Your Life.

Let us look at how you can save power at home.

• Computer: More often than not, we do not switch off our monitors even after we have shut down our computers. Keep the monitor and the computer switched off when you are not using them. Start practicing this even when at work. You will help save some more power for the world.
• Light bulbs: You must have seen compact fluorescent light (CFL) bulbs being advertised all the time. You must have even used them at times. As a power-saving measure, start using the CFL light bulbs as much as you can. If you are thinking they are more expensive than the regular bulbs, the benefits of the CFL bulbs will prove much more cost-effective in the long turn by the amount of power they will save.
• Air Conditioner: Set the temperature at the minimum or maximum best you are comfortable with, depending on the season. Try not to set it at too high or too low temperatures. Setting the air conditioner at reasonable temperatures helps save a lot of energy.
• Washing Machines: Do you use your washing machine as often as you want? Do you use your washing machine even when there are not enough clothes to wash? Minimize the number of washes by washing full load of clothes every time.
• Television: Take off the power plug of your television set when not using it. This may not sound a big deal but this tiny step will help save power.
• Geysers: Keep the geyser thermostat at the minimum heat. You do not need to heat the water at a very high temperature or for too long.
• Refrigerator: Bring hot food to room temperatures before putting it into the refrigerator. You can also save power by taking cold or frozen food out of the refrigerator much before the mealtime, thereby saving power in heating it.
• Car: For an air-conditioner equipped car, pull up the windows of your car before switching on the air-conditioner.

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Save Money On Your Energy Bills...

Has the price of electricity and gas got you feeling nervous about the future? Are you looking for a little "green help"? If it hasn't, then it definitely should as the trend of price increases is set to continue in the future.

At the minute the majority of people are able to survive without having to make any real sacrifice. However, as the price of oil gravitates upwards, the price of everything else associated with oil will also increase. This means food prices will increase as transportation costs increase - definitely not something that can be sustained by the majority of people.

You already know the costs of running your home and how tight your budget is - would it be possible to afford the same lifestyle if the cost of everything increased by 50% or more?

Unless action is taken by individual people to improve their efficiency now, companies will continue to pass on price hikes to essential items like food. By taking simple actions as an individual you will be doing your part. As more and more individuals do their part, prices will stabilize and effectively decrease due to lower demand.

It isn't rocket science - but it is basic economics. It is a simple case of supply and demand that helps drive price movements. If individuals reduce wastage and become efficient, then collectively there will be lower demand. Prices will gravitate downwards until people can comfortably buy again in larger quantities.

There are numerous things people can do to start living more efficiently, but companies won't make as much profit and therefore don't encourage efficient living enough. You can even get started now by doing a quick check of every electrical appliance in your home.

All you need to do is get a notepad and pen and walk around your house. Check everything is switched off that isn't in use. If something has been left on, but not being used e.g. your TV is on standby, you should make a note to remind yourself to turn it off when it isn't being used. Naturally, if you weren't responsible for that indiscretion, you can always inform the person who was by referring to your notes.

If you do carry out this quick house survey - remember to turn the computer monitor off as well, even if it is for a few minutes, it will still save you money. At the end of the month, if you ensure all appliances are being used more efficiently, you could have saved up to 35% of your electricity bill.

There are many other solutions available to further [reduce energy bills]. You can find out if solar or wind energy is suitable for you along with a lot more practical tips to save money here.

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Bio Fuels - Are They Good?

As the term suggests, bio-fuels are fuels that are formed when biological matter decomposes. The bio-fuels are mostly derived from plants. Bio-fuels exist in all the three states of matter: solid, liquid, and gas.

Difference between bio-fuels and fossil fuels

Bio-fuels are different from fossil fuels in the following ways:

• Fossil fuels take a million years to build whereas bio-fuels can be made extremely fast, in a matter of days.
• Fossil fuels generate huge amounts of pollution. Bio-fuels are comparatively safer.
• Bio-fuels are renewable sources of energy unlike fossil fuels.

Different types of bio-fuels

Bio-fuels have been categorized into four types: first generation, second generation, third generation, and fourth generation.

The first generation bio-fuels are derived from vegetable fats, starch, and sugar, which are in turn derived from food-crops. The first generation fuels are also derived from animal fats. Biogas, bio-diesel, and vegetable oil are some examples of this type of bio-fuels.

The second generation of bio-fuels is mainly derived from waste biomass, thus making it a more balanced option compared to the first-generation bio-fuels. Different kinds of alcohols and diesel generated from wood fall into the category of second generation bio-fuels.

The third generation comprises of bio-fuels derived from algae. Algae are farmed on large scales for creating these bio-fuels. The algae fuels are extremely environment-friendly as they can easily decompose into the soil without harming it.

The bio-fuels in the fourth generation are derived by a method in which micro-organisms are raised to work with carbon dioxide to generate fuel.

Advantages of Bio-fuels

Bio-fuels prove advantageous in the following ways:

• Bio-fuels lessen the burden on gradually-vanishing fossil fuels.
• Bio-fuels are environment-friendly. They help reduce carbon emissions into the atmosphere.
• ;Bio-fuels, especially, bio-diesel prove to be very cost-effective for consumers.

Disadvantages of Bio-fuels

Bio-fuels are not bereft of criticism. Though beneficial for the environment, bio-fuels have its disadvantages, paradoxically in the environmental purview. Bio-fuels have received criticism for many reasons, a couple of which are stated below:

• Economists have long debated on the usefulness of first generation bio-fuels when compared to the lack of food they cause. Generating fuel from food crops makes food crops unworthy of human consumption. Some people believe that being a higher priority than fuel, food should not be farmed for making fuels but for human consumption.
• Making bio-fuels require acres of farming land, thus encroaching upon the natural habitat of plants and animals.

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Living Off The Grid:

Several Tips For Green Help!

The shortage of power, the rapid consumption of non-renewable energy, the ever-increasing demand for power supply, the daily warnings about our environment are enough signs to tell us that it’s time we do something. So, what can we do? For starters, how about living off the grid? If I have startled you with that proposition, let me tell you that living off the grid not only helps the environment and helps save power; it also cuts down our electricity bill substantially. Now, that’s a tangible benefit apart from all the good you will do to the world. Trust me, you will feel good doing this.

Let us first study the advantages of living off the grid.

• Reduced dependability on exhausting resources: Who wants to depend on public utilities all the time? Living off the grid helps you rely only on your resources and not the ones supplied by governments or corporations. How often have you cursed when faced with a power outage in the midst of some important work or a party? Wouldn’t you like to take charge of such factors affecting you life? With alternate power solutions, you can.
• Freedom of usage of naturally available resources: How would you feel when you don’t have to pay for the power you use? Wouldn’t it be delightful to use as much power as you want without worrying about the electricity meter? You can make use of the abundant power available in the nature to light up your home and make your food. The solar power solutions and the wind power solutions are the answers to your power quest (well, literally!).
• Reduced power costs, helping save your money: How would you feel if the electricity bills stop coming in your letter box? The alternate power solutions give you a return on investment very soon, thus making the power supply to your home eventually free!
• Making way for a healthier environment: Don’t you bless the people who planted trees years ago not expecting them to miraculously grow? They planted those trees for the future generations. Make the future of your future generations secure by giving them a greener, healthier world. Cut down on the usage of non-renewable sources of energy. Try to use water minimally. There is not much drinking water left for the next generations.

If you are thinking it is not very feasible to live off the grid, look for alternate power solutions and you will be surprised to learn that they are not only cost-effective but also extremely feasible.

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Reduce Energy Usage:

Several Tips For Green Help!

The most difficult day of every month is when time comes to pay bills and mostly the enormous electricity bills that we get. It’s high time and we need to take serious measures to reduce the power bill. Do not worry. We will share some key tips and will make you reach your goal.

Make sure to discuss with family member about the importance of saving electricity. You can reward them a treat if their participation has led to savings. Suggest them some tips like switching of the lights when they are not present there and attending a call in another room or having dinner at the dining table. Make sure to switch off all the appliances even if you are sure to be back in five minutes. Yes, that will help a lot. Every drop of water makes an ocean.

We may prefer to switch off the television set or turn off the fan, but not the tube-light.We need light at the time of night but see that the usage is required in all the rooms or not.Taking care of such these small precautions will surely leads us to savings in the long run by reducing the bills of the power demon.

One should plan to invest smartly on power. Replace all the incandescent bulbs present in the house with compact fluorescent light or those CFL bulbs. These bulbs consume less electricity as they consume less power.

Buy the energy saver gadgets that are available in the market. Such gadgets will monitor the intake of the entire power supply in your house and makes you take decision on how to control the usage.

Most of us assume on the fact that the rise in electricity bill is due to the vast number of electrical items present at home. But the truth is that the electricity bill is not directly connected or affected due to the number of gadgets, but by the way one uses them.

• Take a step forward to avoid using those typical items regularly that consumes lot of power -
• The washing machine should be used only when there is a bucket full of clothes.
• The geyser should not be kept on for maximum amount of time. The air-conditioner should be kept at minimum high or low temperature.
• Take note to switch off the computer monitor when not in use. It consumes maximum power and it just takes a second to switch it again.

Lastly we suggest that for reducing the electricity bill by taking benefit of reading the energy saving guide like Earth4Energy that has some of the best solutions to generate energy at home and providing free electricity to some of your home appliances. In this way we can save power that is facing a huge shortage because of the large demand in the global countries. Try to reduce the requirement of those electrical wires and sockets for home and use the renewable energy extracted from natural resources like wind, sun, tides at a lesser price but having a long term returns.