Live Green

I normally purchase my books at Barnes & Noble but they are so overpriced that I sourced out cheaper. I found Amazon.com. Of course Ive been to the site before but never bought anything. As I searched for different books I was wonderfully surprised by the low prices. Books I had on hold at Barnes & Noble were more than 75% off at Amazon and they are BRAND NEW. I found Nina Garcia’s “Little Black of Style” for rougly six dollars and its roughly twenty five dollars and B&N. Needless to say, I snapped that book and another book that was a steal right up. Delivery is very fast also. I went back on the site and they actually have a “green” section. Im so excited about that. Very interesting and very informative.
Like the information regarding bamboo. I am definitely going to start using bamboo products for the home and daily use.

Excerpt from www.amazon.com
What's all the fuss about bamboo?
Bamboo is the fastest-growing plant on Earth, making it rapidly renewable (and therefore affordable). Bamboo is 16% harder than maple wood, 1/3 lighter in weight than oak, yet in some instances as strong as steel.
Scientists have found that bamboo produces a unique anti-bacterial and bacteriostasis bio-agent named "bamboo kun.” This substance bonds tightly with bamboo cellulose molecules during the plant's growth, creating fibers that are inherently antimicrobial. Even after fifty machine-wash cycles, or runs through the dishwasher, bamboo products still retain this property.
Bamboo Cons:

The bamboo plant’s environmental benefits are not yet fully realized, but consumer demand could improve manufacturing practices and encourage domestic innovation. For example, while pesticides are not required to grow this sustainable crop, there is no certification to guarantee that plantations are not using pesticides as an unnecessary precaution. Although not widely documented, current processes to transform bamboo into soft fabric sometimes use chemicals and solvents similar to those used to manufacture rayon.
AND ON ENERGY USE
What are some ways I can save energy in my home?
Consumer electronics play an increasingly larger role in your home's energy consumption, accounting for up to 15 percent of household electricity use. If every American replaced their TV, computer*, and just 5 light bulbs with ENERGY STAR qualified models, they would save over 7 billion dollars on their energy bills per year and prevent greenhouse gas emissions equivalent to the annual emissions of over 8.5 million vehicles.
*Note: computer includes LCD computer monitor and Desktop PC.
ENERGY STAR tips to save energy and money:
1. Replace your five most frequently used light fixtures or the bulbs in them with ENERGY STAR qualified lights and save more than $65 a year in energy costs.
2. Even when turned off, electronic equipment, like cell phones and computers, use a small amount of electricity. To save energy, unplug battery chargers or power adapters when equipment is fully charged or disconnected from the charger. Also remember to use a power strip for your computer and all peripheral equipment to allow you to completely disconnect the power supply from the power source and eliminate standby power consumption.
3. Look for an ENERGY STAR qualified computer and other office products and make sure you enable the power management feature on both your computer and monitor. If all U.S. households and businesses replaced old computers with new ENERGY STAR qualified models with power management, we would save more than $1.8 billion in energy costs over the next five years and avoid greenhouse gas emissions equivalent to more than 2.7 million cars.
4. Save money and energy by purchasing an ENERGY STAR qualified clothes washer. ENERGY STAR qualified clothes washers use about 55% less water and 40-50% less energy, for annual household savings of about $50.
5. Look for an ENERGY STAR programmable thermostat and make sure you program it according to your schedule so you are only heating or cooling your home to comfort levels when you're at home and not when you're away or asleep. This could save you up to $150 a year in energy costs.