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8.19.2011

Back to School with ENERGY STAR


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Back to School with ENERGY STAR

That's right, it's time for school already and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has some back-to-school, energy-saving tips to help you or your family prepare for the school year—from elementary all the way up to college. Even if your school days are behind you, there's lots here you can apply in your own home. So take a peek and get ready to go back to school with ENERGY STAR.

Green Your Dorm Room with ENERGY STAR

While outfitting you or your kid's dorm room this fall, where you can, remember to choose environmentally friendly products. One way to do this is by looking for the ENERGY STAR. Products that have earned the ENERGY STAR meet strict energy efficiency requirements set by the EPA, so they use less energy, save money, and help protect the climate. From laptops and printers for your schoolwork, to TVs and mini fridges for your study breaks, ENERGY STAR qualified products make it easy for you to make a difference. Here are a few tips to help you shop "green" for back to school:

ENERGY STAR Qualified Lighting: If a table lamp is part of your dorm decor, make sure it's ENERGY STAR qualified. Also look for ENERGY STAR qualified CFLs or LEDs, which use 75 percent less energy than regular incandescent light bulbs.

ENERGY STAR Qualified Computers: A high-performing computer is a must for school. With ENERGY STAR, you'll know you're getting a computer that is good for the environment and comparable in performance. Whether you choose a desktop or laptop, a computer that has earned the ENERGY STAR uses up to 65 percent less energy than non-qualified computers. And don't forget to look for the ENERGY STAR if you're in the market for other office products, as well.

ENERGY STAR Qualified Mini Fridges: How cool is it to keep food and drinks in an ENERGY STAR, energy-saving mini fridge? You get easy access to the "energy" you need while using less of it in the process. ENERGY STAR qualified refrigerators use 20 percent less energy than non-qualified refrigerators, so you can enjoy your break while making a difference.

ENERGY STAR Qualified Electronics: No dorm room is complete without an ENERGY STAR qualified entertainment system, right? With all that work, everyone needs some time to decompress. With ENERGY STAR qualified TVs, DVD and Blu-Ray players, and speakers, you can really relax—not only from your work, but also knowing that your electronics are using less energy. ENERGY STAR specifications for electronics are more efficient both when in stand-by mode and when in active mode, and use the latest and greatest technology. Plus, you'll feel good about helping the environment.
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Other Green, Energy-Saving Tips for College

Did you know that the buildings where we work, play, and learn are responsible for nearly 20 percent of both the nation's energy use and greenhouse gas emissions? That includes college buildings and dorm rooms, so make a change today to help cut down on this energy use by following one of the easy tips below! And, be sure to check out the ENERGY STAR Check-up Guide on www.energystar.gov/eventtoolkit for more information.

  • Power Down: Make sure that you enable the power management features on your computer and monitor so they go to sleep (switch to a low power mode) when not in use. Here's another bonus tip: Set your printer to print double-sided and cut paper waste in half while also saving money!
  • Unplug It: Did you know that your office equipment and electronics are still drawing energy from an electrical outlet even when not plugged in? To avoid wasting energy, remember to unplug your chargers after your electronics are all charged up.
  • Turn off the Lights: Remember to turn off your lights when leaving the room or other common areas. Duh, right?
  • Use a Power Strip: It's a myth that keeping your electronics on is better for them. It's infinitely better—both for your equipment and for the environment—to turn your electronics off, especially when you are not going to use it for a while, like at night. Plugging everything into a power strip makes this easier by creating a central "turn-off" point.
  • Fill 'er Up and Save: Did you know that running full loads of laundry instead of partial loads can save up to 3,400 gallons of water a year and save energy at the same time? Also, be sure to wash with cold water whenever possible.
  • Work from the Outside In: Check for air leaks around doors and windows and suggest that someone help seal leaks with weather stripping. Plus, keep doors and windows closed when the AC or heat is on!
  • Shared savings: We all know that, collectively, our individual changes make a big difference. Share your savings story and get your friends to share theirs to see how it all adds up. You can also hang signs or posters in your dorm building with tips for saving energy to encourage your friends to make a change!
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Back-to-School Shopping? Shoot for the Stars!

When you do your back-to-school shopping—whether it's for products that have earned the ENERGY STAR or the typical supplies like pencils and notebooks—make sure you're shopping at retailers that care about the environment. Some of the top retailers in the country partner with EPA either to make their buildings super energy efficient or to help educate customers about ENERGY STAR qualified products.

Click here for a list of retailers that are doing good things for the environment by joining EPA to protect the climate either by making their stores energy efficient or participating in our Change the World, Start with ENERGY STAR campaign.

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Go Green Nights Available for the 2011-2012 School Year

For the third school year in a row, EPA is teaming up with PTO Today to sponsor Go Green Nights in K-8 schools across the country. Since the partnership began in 2009, Parent Teacher Organization (PTO) leaders from more than 9,500 schools have held Go Green Nights full of fun, educational activities for kids and their families to teach them how to make a difference for the environment. For the 2011-2012 school year, EPA and PTO Today have another fun-filled year planned. If you are part of a school, visit ptotoday.com/gogreen to order your kit or let your child's school know about this great opportunity to organize a Go Green Night!

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"Do Something" to Make a Difference

EPA and Do Something.org, a teen action outreach organization, joined together to launch a fun, environmentally-focused online Facebook game called eMission. This popular game, with more than 47,000 players since the fall 2010 launch, provides teens and Facebook users the chance to protect their own habitat by taking action around energy efficiency and climate change, both online and off. Click here to start playing today! Or, for more information, contact changetheworld@cadmusgroup.com.

Also in partnership with Do Something, EPA is encouraging teens to shed their unwanted electronics by participating in the E-Waste Drive campaign. From August 15 through October 1, teens can drop off their unwanted electronics at their local Best Buy, instead of dumping it in landfills. Are you a teen (or do you know a teen) who is passionate about the environment and recycling? Tell them to get involved and say goodbye to those extra unwanted laptops, cell phones, chargers, DVDs, and CDs. For more information, check out www.dosomething.org/ewaste.

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Don't forget to check out other cool stuff with our campaign!    
There's only a short time left to get your videos in for the "Be an ENERGY STAR Video Challenge". Voting for the winners starts September 16th, so get out there and have some fun and show the world how you can be an ENERGY STAR! You can also see what fun ENERGY STAR events are happening in your area with the ENERGY STARs Across America map.

And, of course, don't forget to take the pledge. Even if you have taken it already, take it again now to include your latest energy-efficient changes! And, forward this e-mail on to your colleagues, friends, and family so they can do the same.

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ENERGY STAR, a program sponsored by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, helps us all save money and fight climate change through energy-efficient products and practices. Learn more. Visit www.energystar.gov.





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Newsletter: Supercommitte Money Madness, Boycotting Campaign Cash and More



.

Sectors With Much at Stake in Debt Talks Heavily Invested in Supercommittee Members


The 12 members of the Joint Select Committee on Deficit Reduction won't be making decisions about what spending to cut in a vacuum: They bring with them ties to particular industries and loyalties to particular political patrons. And a new section of OpenSecrets.org helps you follow the money associated with these high-profile politicos. According to a new analysis by the Center for Responsive Politics, these 12 lawmakers have collectively raised more than $592 million since the 1990 election cycle. Big chunks of this money have come from interests with much at stake during the deficit reduction talks. » Read More


Starbucks CEO Wants Contribution Boycott


Howard Schultz, the CEO of Starbucks, has pledged to "withhold any further campaign contributions to the president and all members of Congress until a fair, bipartisan deal is reached that sets our nation on stronger long-term fiscal footing." This rhetoric isn't just an empty threat. According to research by the Center for Responsive Politics, Schultz has been a prolific donor over the years. Along with his wife, he has donated $183,650 to federal candidates and political committees since the 1994 election cycle -- when he made his first donation. Of that sum, 95 percent has benefited Democrats, including $100,000 to the Democratic National Committee. » Read More


Supercommittee Members Far Wealthier Than Average Americans


The net worths of politicians sitting on the Joint Select Committee on Deficit Reduction range from just over $100,000 to more than $238 million, according to an analysis by the Center for Responsive Politics. The median net worth for these dozen lawmakers is $1.2 million -- nearly 13 times larger than the net worth of the average American family. » Read More


Tom Tancredo Forms a Super PAC


Fresh off his unsuccessful gubernatorial bid as the Constitution Party candidate in Colorado, ex-Rep. Tom Tancredo has founded his own super PAC. The group, which is known as the American Legacy Alliance, filed paperwork with the Federal Election Commission last week announcing its intention to "raise funds in unlimited amounts" and "make independent expenditures." During the 2008 election cycle, Tancredo unsuccessfully campaigned for the GOP presidential nomination, championing the issues of border security and tougher immigration laws. That's a message that his super PAC is continuing to herald. » Read More


Mets Owners Face Long Arm of the Law


The New York Mets owners may be required to pay up to $300 million to the trustee of the victims of Bernie Madoff's fraud. A federal appeals court this week ruled against Mets owners Fred Wilpon and Saul Katz in a lawsuit, which claimed that they were "net winners" from their decades of investing with Madoff. They both also have decades of experience making political contributions, research by the Center for Responsive Politics shows. » Read More


Join OpenSecrets.org for Coffee in San Francisco


Join OpenSecrets.org Outreach Coordinator Evan Mackinder at an informal meet and greet on Saturday, Aug. 20, in San Francisco. This will be an informal session, meant to give supporters of OpenSecrets.org a chance to meet with a member of our staff and talk about issues related to campaign finance and government transparency. It's also a chance for us to hear what's on your mind! Come, join us -- and bring your friends! » Read More


Numerous Media Outlets Citing OpenSecrets.org's Research, Reporting


Numerous media outlets have this past week cited OpenSecrets.org's research and reporting, particularly the Center's analysis of the supercommittee members.

CNBC, U.S. News & World Report, the Huffington Post, National Public Radio and the New York Times were among the news organizations to cite the Center's work or experts regarding the supercommittee.

Meanwhile, the Washington Post, ABC News, Fox News, CNNMoney.com and KPCC public radio in Los Angeles were among the news organizations citing the Center in stories about Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz's call for a contribution boycott.

Other outlets to rely on the Center's expertise this week include:

See all the news outlets and blogs who've been citing our work at our "In the News" page.
August 18, 2011
See our new iPhone app
Copyright © 2011 Center for Responsive Politics, All rights reserved.  You are receiving this email because you opted in at our website, OpenSecrets.org.

Center for Responsive Politics
1101 14th St. NW
Suite 1030
Washington, District of Columbia 20005



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Get on the Bus: Opening the Door to New Jobs


 The White House  wrote:
The White House Friday, August 19, 2011
 

This week President Obama traveled to the Midwest where he met with Americans in rural towns and communities in Minnesota, Iowa and Illinois. The purpose of his trip, dubbed the Economic Rural Tour 2011, was to talk to people from different walks of life about what is happening in our country right now.

The President was there to talk, but also to listen. In town halls, county fairs and an economic forum, Americans shared their hopes for the future and their concerns about the economy and what it means for their businesses and their families.

Throughout his trip, the President proposed a series of common sense steps Congress can take immediately upon their return to Washington that will start rebuilding our economy. These include:

  • Extend the payroll tax cut so that middle class families have more money in their paychecks next year.  If you've got more money in your paycheck, you're more likely to spend it, and that means businesses of all sizes will have more customers. They'll be in a better position to hire. 
  • Extend unemployment benefits so that millions of workers who are still pounding the pavement looking for jobs can support their families
  • Pass a bipartisan road construction bill. There are over a million construction workers out of work after the housing boom went bust, just as a lot of America needs rebuilding.  We can put these workers back to work by rebuilding our roads and bridges and railways. 
  • Pass the patent reform bill to help our innovators and entrepreneurs get their job creating ideas to market faster.
  • Pass the trade agreements that will help businesses sell more American-made goods and services to Asia and South America, supporting tens of thousands of jobs here at home.
  • Put our bright, talented and skilled veterans returning from Iraq and Afghanistan to work. The President has proposed several initiatives to make sure our veterans are able to navigate this difficult labor market and succeed in the civilian workforce, including the Returning Heroes and Wounded Warrior Tax Credits, and his challenge to the private sector to train or hire 100,000 unemployed veterans.

As President Obama said this week, "there is nothing wrong with our country, there is something wrong with our politics…When this country is operating off a common ground, nobody can stop us. But when we're divided, then we end up having a whole lot of self-inflicted problems."

Check out videos and highlights of all of the events from the Economic Rural Tour:

Monday August 15, 2011:

Townhall in Cannon Falls, MN

Townhall in Decorah, IA

Tuesday August 16, 2011:

White House Rural Economic Forum in Peosta, IA

Wednesday August 17, 2011:

Townhall in Atkinson, IL

Townhall in Alpha, IL

P.S. - On Tuesday, President Obama gave a few words in his closing remarks on how his bus trip through rural America reminded him of why he wanted to get into public service in the first place:

Sometimes there are days in Washington that will drive you crazy. But getting out of Washington and meeting all of you, and seeing how hard you're working, how creative you are, how resourceful you are, how determined you are, that just makes me that much more determined to serve you as best I can as President of the United States. 

Watch the full video of his remarks.


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The White House • 1600 Pennsylvania Ave NW • Washington, DC 20500 • 202-456-1111

  




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Scotty No comments:

Solar Storm

 Expert Predicts Massive Power Grid Meltdown
In all the years we've been working to develop solutions for self-reliant, independent people such as yourself, I've never
been as worried as I am right now, and that's because of the interview in today's edition of Off The Grid Radio.

Our guest today is John Kappenman, the owner and Chief Analyst of Storm Analysis Consultants. John has a resume and list
of professional accomplishments the length of my arm and is one of the world's leading experts on the dangers from
geomagnetic storms, or what is commonly known as an ElectroMagneticPulse (EMP).

His testimony before the US House of Representatives was so compelling that the House voted unanimously to accept John's
new recommendations to protect the grid, and yet the legislation appears dead in the US Senate. Think about that-unanimity
in the US House of Representatives. Even Ron Paul supports this.

If our leaders fail to act, John and others experts have predicted that:

A solar storm of extreme strength will hit within the next few yearsThe entire global electric grid could go downThe most
at-risk components are hugely expensive and take years to replaceWe may live without electricity for 4-10 years

And tens of millions of people will die as their medications expire and are not replaced, as food rots on the farm and
hospitals turn into morgues.

Just imagine waking up tomorrow to discover that the electricity is off and isn't coming back on. City water will run out
within a day or two. Grocery stores will be out of food within 72 hours... if it lasts that long. No banks are open. Gas
stations can't pump the gas they have, and nothing more will be delivered. There are no telephones, TV and Radio stations
are off the air, there's no internet. And your local hospital is overwhelmed with the sick, injured and elderly...imagine
the ER without electricity, medicine or a reliable way to sanitize equipment. It's horrifying.

In short, we're talking about an apocalyptic time machine that will take us back 100 years, and while your grandparents
may have been accustomed to life before modern technology, polling here at OffTheGridNews.com suggests that even those of
us who are aware of and working towards total independence have a long way to go. (One poll showed that half of all
readers estimated they would starve within a month!)

What about the hundreds of millions in our own country who are blindly stumbling forward through life, oblivious to the
coming darkness.

I want to urge you to take an hour out of your time, right now, to listen to this life-changing interview with John
Kappenman, and after you've heard it, forward this email to everyone you know. There is no charge to listen, but the price
of ignorance could be beyond imagination. This crisis is right around the corner, and history has shown us it's not a
matter of 'if', but when, so please, click through and listen. 

Imagine the lights going off suddenly

Regards,

The Team at Off The Grid Radio

Help a friend by forwarding this newsletter to them! 

This newsletter is a free weekly service of Solutions from Science. You can reach us at: 

Solutions from Science
815 W. Main St.
P.O. Box 518 
Thomson, IL 61285 
Email us at info@solutionsfromscience.com

Solutions From Science, 815 W. Main Street, PO Box 518, Thomson, IL 61285, USA

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