http://newlygreens.com Walking Green for a Sustainable Garden State Mon, 30 Aug 2010 15:41:09 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.2 en hourly 1 http://newlygreens.com/feed/ Stories of green living from the early adopters walking the walk. Produced in NJ just outside New York City the show gives an East Coast flavor to implementing more balanced choices. Hosts Greg and Connie, "newlygreens" and not so newlywed, try take the stories to heart and and bring practical change into their own lives. It may not be about being the ideal, but it is definitely about finding inspiration and working toward something better. Kaizen Productions LLC clean Kaizen Productions LLC info@newlygreens.com info@newlygreens.com (Kaizen Productions LLC) 2010 Kaizen Productions LLC Eco Friendly Tales of Going Green from the Northeast sustainable, environmental, earth, nature, solar, wind, recycle, organic, green, eco, eco-friendly http://newlygreens.com/_content/_images/powered_by_podpress_small.jpg http://newlygreens.com http://newlygreens.com/podcasts/greensprouts-fedral-eco-tax-tips/ http://newlygreens.com/podcasts/greensprouts-fedral-eco-tax-tips/#comments Thu, 15 Apr 2010 20:29:13 +0000 cmatti http://newlygreens.com/?p=2362 http://newlygreens.com/podcasts/greensprouts-fedral-eco-tax-tips/feed/ 0 Alliance to Save Energy,clean fuel,Department of Energy,energy efficiency,Energy Star,fuel cells,Geothermal,hybrid cars,Solar,state energy tax credits,Tax credits,tax credits for home efficiency - Green Your Tax Return! There are many ways to reap the benefits of energy efficiency, including on your tax return.  Here are just a few of the incentives up for grabs this year.  Next year may bring even more... Green Your Tax Return! There are many ways to reap the benefits of energy efficiency, including on your tax return.  Here are just a few of the incentives up for grabs this year.  Next year may bring even more... 1 - 30% On Home Energy Tax Credits for Geothermal, Solar, Wind Turbines or Fuel Cells The economic stimulus bill removed the $2,000 cap that had applied to geothermal heat pumps, solar panels and other home renewable energy technology. The 30% tax rebate on qualified solar energy systems remains in place on geothermal heat pumps, small wind turbines, and fuel cell systems. Ground-source heat pumps are installed underground and use the constant 50-degree subsurface temperature to cool air or water in the summer, and heat it in the winter — both of which reduce the cost of heating or cooling year round. In addition, the solar energy tax credit, which had been set to expire, is now good through 2016. (See The Daily Green's Home Solar Panel Reviews: The Most Efficient and Best Value Home Solar Panels.) 2 - $1,500 Home Tax Credits for Energy Efficiency You can claim a home tax credit for energy efficiency improvements made in 2009 (but not for improvements made in 2008) if you installed new insulation, energy-efficient windows or an energy-efficient furnace, boiler or air conditioner. A tax credit of up to $500 that expired in 2007 has been renewed for 2009 by the bailout bill, and expanded to $1,500 by the economic stimulus bill. It covers up to 30% (expanded from 10% by the economic stimulus bill) of the cost of a range of projects that meet certain specifications. Do $5,000 worth of qualifying work, and you not only get a $1,500 rebate, but also savings on energy bills for years to come. The economic stimulus bill also stripped out most caps on individual home improvements, which had applied to windows, heating equipment and other energy efficiency improvements. Note that the tax credit applies only to equipment, not labor. Find more information about these home energy efficiency tax credits at the Alliance to Save Energy or Energy Star or Department of Energy Websites. Note that much of this information reflects the tax incentives in place in 2006 and 2007; for the most part, the 2009 tax credits are identical, but check updated criteria for which products qualify, for instance. 3 - $500 Home Energy Tax Credits for Fuel Cells or Microturbines The tax incentive that had covered 30% of the cost of fuel cell or microturbine systems in homes, which lapsed in 2008, has been restored for 2009 and through 2016. It covers up to $500 per 0.5 kw of capacity. 4 - $7,500 Energy Tax Credits for Plug-in Hybrid Cars The first 200,000 buyers of plug-in hybrid vehicles from each manufacturer now qualify for a $7,500 tax rebate. A similar tax credit for hybrid vehicles had been capped at $3,500 before the bailout bill. 5 - $50,000 for Installing a Clean Fuel Refueling System While few homeowners may be ready to take advantage, those who want to install a clean fuel refueling system, like a natural gas refueling or a recharging system for a plug-in electric vehicle, can now qualify for up to $50,000 -- up from $30,000 -- if the system is installed in 2009 or 2010, thanks to the stimulus bill. Go with hydrogen and the credit increases to $200,000, and you have until 2014 to take advantage of it. 6 - Wildcard: State Energy Tax Credits Keep your eyes out for new incentives from your state, since the bill also authorizes an $800 million government bond program that encourages states to create incentives for new and existing energy conservation and related programs. Some of that money is likely to be used toward state tax breaks and other incentives that will vary by location. Among the incentives to watch for is up to $6,500 per qualifying home in the Weatherization Assistance Program. The Department of Energy's Office of Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency, Kaizen Productions LLC clean 1:38 http://newlygreens.com/podcasts/reusable-news-december-17th/ http://newlygreens.com/podcasts/reusable-news-december-17th/#comments Thu, 17 Dec 2009 16:09:23 +0000 RisaP http://newlygreens.com/?p=2037 http://newlygreens.com/podcasts/reusable-news-december-17th/feed/ 0 Bloomberg,NYC,Pope Benedict,Sarkozy,Solar,Wind Today's Stories: Wind Farm Goes Underwater (In a Good Way) Sarkozy and Brown Hold Hands on Transaction Tax Solar Panels Now Even More Efficient New Energy Possibilities for New York Pope Benedict XVI Acknowledges Climate Change Crisis Wind Farm Goe... Today's Stories: Wind Farm Goes Underwater (In a Good Way) Sarkozy and Brown Hold Hands on Transaction Tax Solar Panels Now Even More Efficient New Energy Possibilities for New York Pope Benedict XVI Acknowledges Climate Change Crisis Wind Farm Goes Underwater (In a Good Way) http://cleantechnica.com/2009/12/15/london-calling-nexans-to-supply-undersea-cable-for-worlds-largest-wind-farm/ The world's largest wind farm still in the process of being built, the London Array, is taking another step towards completion. The project, which is being installed in the Thames (Tehms) Estuary, has just signed a 100 million euro contract with global cablers Nexans to supply the high voltage undersea power cables that will transmit power from the array to the U.K. grid. The London Array, all told, will house up to 341 turbines and generate up to 1,000 megawatts of electricity.  That is enough wind power to supply 750,000 homes or about a quarter of Greater London. The deal just agreed upon will mean Nexans will supply a total of four submarine power cables for the London Array, each about 54 kilometers long. Sarkozy and Brown Hold Hands on Transaction Tax http://www.worldchanging.com/archives/010885.html UK Prime Minister Gordon Brown and French President Nicolas Sarkozy have jointly proposed a global financial transaction tax or Tobin tax, the proceeds of which would go towards the halting of global warming. This statement comes in response to the European Union commitment of €2.4bn a year from January to immediately help the world's poor countries cope with climate change. In a world whose leaders are attempting to learn from its recent economic crisis, the idea of a Tobin tax has been gaining support. Stability and accountability are big factors under consideration as the leaders of European nations feel pressure from their constituents to come to an agreement on climate action, and a properly executed Tobin tax could potentially provide both. So far, England has pledged the most funding to poorer countries facing climate change, with France and Germany making slightly smaller pledges. The EU also emphasised its willingness to increase its target for cutting greenhouse gases 30% by 2020, if the rest of the world signs up to a sufficiently ambitious package in Copenhagen. The EU is currently committed to 20% cuts by 2020. Solar Panels Now Even More Efficient http://www.ecogeek.org/component/content/article/3016 Scientists at Tel Aviv University unwittingly came up with a breakthrough in nano-technology with sustainable applications recently, while trying to work on a cure for Alzheimer's. Sufferers of Alzheimer's have been shown to have a particular peptide found in the plaques that form in their brains, and the researchers found a way to get peptides to self-assemble in a vacuum. Why is this significant? Because the resulting arrangement of peptides acts as a dust- and water-repelling coating. This isn't very helpful for a human brain, however it is helpful if used to coat solar panels. Not only can the coating keep solar panels clear from debris, but it also could be used as a supercapacitor, meaning better lithium batteries. Alzheimer's research will continue at Tel Aviv University, but it's not certain who will pick up funding for the solar panel applications of their research. New Energy Possibilities for New York http://greeninc.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/12/14/bloomberg-eyes-danish-offshore-wind-farm-and-sees-new-yorks-future/ Michael Bloomberg, mayor of New York City, is considering using wind turbines to help power his city. The turbines, which have been proposed to be located several miles off the shores of Long Island, would provide less than 1 percent of New York's energy, based on the planned distribution: 350 megawatts to Long Island, and 350 megawatts to New York City. However, the mayor has conceded that it's not just one effort that will help the city to become more sustainable and less wasteful. Kaizen Productions LLC clean 7:18 http://newlygreens.com/podcasts/poznan-update-wp-887fm/ http://newlygreens.com/podcasts/poznan-update-wp-887fm/#comments Thu, 04 Dec 2008 17:24:38 +0000 Greg http://newlygreens.com/?p=1343 http://newlygreens.com/podcasts/poznan-update-wp-887fm/feed/ 0 Galapagos,NGO,Oak Trees,Poznan,Solar,Times Square 2009 Reusable News Headlines Duracell Batteries charged with Pedal Power will light Times Square this New Year's. Want to do more than just ring in the New Year?  How about actually helping to power the "2009" lights in Times Square? Reusable News Headlines Duracell Batteries charged with Pedal Power will light Times Square this New Year's. Want to do more than just ring in the New Year?  How about actually helping to power the "2009" lights in Times Square?  You can thanks to Duracell. Duracell is putting out an open call, inviting energetic folks to the Duracell Power Lodge at the Charmin Restrooms at 1514 Broadway, Times Square to hop on a snowmobike to generate power. The snowmobikes operate through rotary technology very much like a windmill, turning kinetic energy into electrical energy. From there, power is routed into the Duracell Battery Center where it will be stored until New Year's Eve and trusted to light the night's most important moment. "At Duracell we are always looking for new and innovative ways to store energy for consumers to power their important moments," said Rick June, vice president and general manager, North America. "The Duracell Power Lodge is a giant example of the work we do every day. This time the battery is bigger and we're storing people power to light up the 2009 display when the world famous New Year's Ball drops in Times Square at midnight. Our guests in New York will truly be powering the New Year with Duracell." In addition to the bikes, the Lodge has recharging stations for your portable devices as well as video games set up for the kids.  Learn More Duracell's parent company Procter & Gambel has many sutainability iniciatives underway. Northeast Acorn Drought Enormous swaths of oaks in the Northeast are taking a year off from producing acorns, and scientists aren't quite sure why. The nut shortage appears to be a periodic blip in the life cycle of oak trees, and one that is already beginning to have dire consequences for animals such as chipmunks and mice that feed on acorns. It is also bringing new annoyances for gardeners, as squirrels and chipmunks dig into gardens to get at bulbs or other protein sources. This year's acorn drought could mean that there isn't enough food to go around. Researchers expect that many small animals will die from lack of food, and deer and bears may venture closer to houses looking for a meal. Already, scientists in New York are noticing a die-off of chipmunks and white-footed mice because of the lack of acorns there.  Full story at Boston.com Leave a little extra birdseed outside this season in the Northeast to help the little critters through it helps balance the natural variation a bit. Earth911.com 11/29/08 1:34 PM Francine Hardaway Uncategorized UNFCCC Comments Environmentalists - Killing goats to spite the Galapagos ecosystem Scientists from the Charles Darwin Research Center have undertaken what they call Project Isabela - a lovely name for a questionable project. Project Isabela is a massive endeavor to eliminate the ever-growing population of goats that were introduced to the islands as livestock. Since the project began over 150,000 goats have been killed. Although the killing methods have drastically improved with the use of sharpshooters wielding American-made rifles, many critics and animal rights activists are up in arms. People involved in the project are quick to point out that the ecosystem of the Galapagos islands is arguably the most fragile in the world, and that the livestock are threatening the delicate balance that exists there. However, it's hardly the goats' fault for being shipped there by humans with good intentions but little forethought. You can find out more from Treehugger.com. Los Angeles to do yet another thing BIG - Solar Energy Antonio Villaraigosa, mayor of Los Angeles, unveiled an ambitious plan that calls for installingsolar panels on residents' rooftops to meet 10 percent of the city's energy needs by the year 2020. "Our solar initiative is the largest of any kind anywhere in the world. When it takes full effect, L.A. will have 1,280 megawatts more capacity -- more than exists in the entire United States today," said the mayor. Kaizen Productions LLC clean 48:47 http://newlygreens.com/podcasts/episode-6-clean-power-choice/ http://newlygreens.com/podcasts/episode-6-clean-power-choice/#comments Fri, 25 Jul 2008 18:57:57 +0000 Greg http://newlygreens.com/?p=667 http://newlygreens.com/podcasts/episode-6-clean-power-choice/feed/ 0 clean power choice,Community Energy,Hydro,Solar,Wind [part 4 of 4] Did you know that New Jersey residents can choose to source their power from renewable suppliers? NJ Clean Power Choice Program and Host Transition Greg had a chance to speak with Paul Copleman, [part 4 of 4] Did you know that New Jersey residents can choose to source their power from renewable suppliers? NJ Clean Power Choice Program and Host Transition Greg had a chance to speak with Paul Copleman, Communications Manager for Community Energy, Inc. about the NJ Clean Power Choice program. There are several ways to join up. The first is through a ballet that comes with your utility bill, usually in the spring or fall. The second is by visiting the Clean Power Choice website and the third is by visiting the supplier websites directly (see sites listed below). If you’re not in NJ, find out what programs are available in your area or ask they start one. Want to learn more about your energy choices? Check out these sites: Clean Energy Choice Program Community Energy, Inc Sterling Planet, Inc Green Mountain Energy Co Host Transition: Kaizen Productions and the NewlyGreens’ house now powered 100% by renewable energy sources. Armed with all this new information, we set out to source our power from renewable energy. Although CONSERVATION IS KEY, getting the power we must use from renewable sources instead of dirty coal (and in NJ 50% nuclear) was the next obvious step for us. So we signed up to source 100% of our power from renewable energy sources. The costs vary between 5 to 15 dollars a month extra. This is one of those green choices that impacts your bottom line negatively, but for us we felt the long-term benefits made it worth while. Conservation and efficiency have saved us money on our utility bills so we felt good about using those savings to carry us the rest of the way by sourcing our power in this way. We’re sending a message that there is a demand for cleaner, renewable energy and getting our ideals in line with our purchasing choices. Keep thinking green - It’s good for the earth and it’s good for you! Kaizen Productions LLC clean http://newlygreens.com/blog/some-green-thoughts/ http://newlygreens.com/blog/some-green-thoughts/#comments Wed, 02 Jan 2008 15:37:23 +0000 Greg http://newlygreens.com/podcast-supplemental/some-green-thoughts/ http://newlygreens.com/blog/some-green-thoughts/feed/ 0 http://newlygreens.com/podcasts/episode-1-prout-solar/ http://newlygreens.com/podcasts/episode-1-prout-solar/#comments Wed, 27 Dec 2006 18:40:31 +0000 Greg http://newlygreens.com/podcasts/episode-1-prout-solar/ http://newlygreens.com/podcasts/episode-1-prout-solar/feed/ 0 Bamboo,Clean,Clothing,Cotton,Energy,Fashion,Foods,Green,Hemp,Jersey,Models,New [part 1 of 4] (2008 Telly Award Winner) Solar Panels and the NJCEP Organic Clothing Show #1 Air Date: December 2006 Extreme Green Segment: Solar Panels and the NJCEP Interview with: Bob Prout of Prout Funeral Home in Verona NJ This episode of the N... [part 1 of 4] (2008 Telly Award Winner) Solar Panels and the NJCEP Organic Clothing Show #1 Air Date: December 2006 Extreme Green Segment: Solar Panels and the NJCEP Interview with: Bob Prout of Prout Funeral Home in Verona NJ This episode of the Newly Greens focuses on solar energy and the path to obtaining it in the state of New Jersey. We speak to Bob Prout of Prout Funeral Home in Verona NJ who has gone solar in a big way. Not only is his business solar powered, it is also a classroom. Check out his solar control room and learn all about it in this episode. Or book a tour! He is a great resource for learning more about this incredible form of clean energy. And don’t forget the spectacular rebates and incentives that NJ offers on all forms of renewable energy. (GO NJ!) To get you started, check out this link to the NJ Clean Energy Program. njcleanenergy.com/ “O” Goods Segment: Organic Clothing Special Guest: Carol Peterson This segment of the Newly Greens’s “O” Goods puts the spotlight on organic clothing. We searched high and low for some cool (and reasonably priced) organic duds and we found them in some unusual places and made from some unusual fibers. Our friend Carol joined us and we had fun checking them out and trying them on. Here are some links and information if you’re interested in any particular item you saw on the show. Whole Foods Market Some Whole Foods now carry a pretty large variety of organic clothing and jewelry. Some of the brands we featured were from Whole Foods: Of the Earth World of Good Indigenous Designs The Internet Searching the Internet is also a great way to find organic clothing these days. Some of the brands we featured were found on these sites: Bamboosa Earth Creations (hemp) Wal-Mart Wal-Mart is also stepping up to the sustainable plate these days. They are carrying organic clothing for men and woman. These items were not featured on the “O” duds segment this time around because we found them after the fact. But maybe next time… No Boundaries and a few others: walmart.com Kaizen Productions LLC clean