ENERGY STAR AND OTHER ENERGY-EFFICIENT PRODUCTS

Visit www.energystar.gov to learn more facts!

Fact: Find the ENERGY STAR label on everything from computer monitors to lights-- even newly built homes

That little label above has had a tremendous impact on the environment since it first appeared in 1992. ENERGY STAR is the synergistic result of the Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Department of Energy, conceived out of a need make energy-efficient appliances widely available to consumers.

Fact: In 2005, Americans saved enough energy with ENERGY STAR appliances to prevent the release of greenhouse gas equivalent to emissions from 23 million cars, cutting $12 billion on their utility bills

In the United States, electric power plants are the largest industrial source of carbon dioxide emissions, a key factor in acid rain and global warming issues. A higher demand for electricity means more fossil fuels (coal, oil, and gas) are burned by plants to generate power, contributing to heat-trapping smog in the air. The Natural Resources Defense Council reports that by using an ENERGY STAR refrigerator as opposed to a less energy-efficient model, a person reduces carbon dioxide emissions by almost a ton throughout the product�s life! And with less electricity consumption, a consumer benefits the environment and their checkbook.

Fact: GreenCULTURE proudly hosts a wide variety of ENERGY STAR products

Purchasing ENERGY STAR appliances is one of the easiest and most effective ways to have an immediate impact on our environment. You�ll find functional and attractive ENERGY STAR products in our Housewares and Lighting sites.

TRASH FACTS

Unlike wild animals the waste humans leave behind is not easily and efficiently integrated back into the environment.  Did you know that each person generates on average 4.4 pounds of waste per day?  As a whole people throw away 160 million tons of solid waste each year in the US alone.  The amount of waste we create compounds every year due to a growing population all in constant need of fast and easy foods that all come in individual packaging.  The packaging that is used to contain and store our foods accounts for 30% of the weight and 50% of the volume in our household waste.  Much of this can be alleviated through the use of food processors and juicers.  By buying fruits, vegetables, nuts and other foods that can be processed at home you can literally save tons of waste that is generated from plastic bottles wrappers and containers.  While you are helping the environment you will also be saving yourself money.  Did you know that $1 out of every $10 spent on food pays for packaging.  So by simply using a food processor and or juicer you could potentially save yourself hundreds of dollars a year.  Money saved can be used to offer your children a monetary legacy to accompany the approximate 90,000 lbs of waste you will also leave to their generation.  

Our Friend Aluminum

Aluminum is Americas most recycled product.  50% of all aluminum cans are recycled in the U.S.  Recycling aluminum saves energy as well as saving waste.  Creating a recycled aluminum can takes only 5% of the energy required to produce a new one.  Enough energy is saved by recycling one aluminum can to run a TV set for three hours or to light one 100 watt bulb for 20 hours.  Americans throw away enough aluminum every three months to rebuild our entire commercial air fleet.  Recycled aluminum has many uses; anything from cans and car parts to some of the decorative pieces found on our website.  Aluminum beverage cans contain an average of 55 percent recycled content. The industry buys more than $1 billion in recovered aluminum cans at prices that continue to make aluminum recycling an obvious economic success for community recycling programs.

Glass

Recycled glass used to have very limited possibilities for reuse.  However, in recent years it has begun to find many more uses as recycling technology has improved.  Recycled glass is being used in such unconventional secondary applications as the manufacture of fiberglass insulation, roadbed aggregate for the nations highways, driving safety reflective beads and decorative pieces.  

Recycled Glass - How it is done

At temperatures considerably below melting, particles of metal, ceramics, or glass begin to bond through a process called sintering. Sintering of soda-lime glass begins at about 1250° F. Sintering can be used to create solid glass objects by heating glass particles to above the sintering point and holding at that temperature until a dense body forms. This process takes all the individual forms and combines them into one malleable mass so that it can be made into new products.  

The basic steps for re-firing glass are as follows:

• Obtain a mold that will withstand temperatures of at least 1600° F. The mold is coated with a release. These often consist of Commercial “shelf paints” or a mixture of kaolin and alumina hydrate.
• The mold is filled with glass pieces. Glass of any size can be used. However, glass is usually crushed to a uniform shape and screened to a size 16 mesh and finer. There is a trade-off here between glass grain size and cleanliness. It is easier to obtain a glassy, translucent product with larger grain sizes, but smaller grain sizes minimize contamination.
• The glass is then fired in the kiln to fusing temperatures.  The maximum temperature that works best in a particular kiln may be anywhere from 1500 to 1600°F.