3 Exciting DIY Solar Guides Worth Reading

A lot of people ask me about ways they can get started with solar technologies. Let’s face it. If you have never played with solar technologies before, it’s not going to be too straight forward to get started. After all, there are a few details you need to know before going solar at home. You want to figure out how you can go about remodeling your house to take advantage of solar technology. You can always go beyond that and tackle some geeky solar projects. But you can’t just jump into deep waters without some training beforehand. Thankfully, there are plenty of cool books you can pick up that give you the background knowledge you need to get the job done.

With that in mind, here are 3 exciting do-it-yourself solar guides that can help you get a fast start with this technology:

Solar Energy Projects for the Evil Genius: one of the most exciting solar books all around. Whether you want to get started with solar cooking or build a water purifier, this book has you covered. (more…)

How To Find a Green Job: Resources

So you want to find a green job? It’s one of the best fields to be involved in these tough economic times. A lot of IT institutions try to get people to sign up for their courses, promising them high paying jobs. But the IT field is as good as dead in the U.S. Don’t get me wrong. There are jobs out there, and if you are good at what you do, you can earn a good amount of money for your IT work. However, you simply can’t expect to get your head in the field of IT and start demanding those top dollars. Green jobs are another story. Since not a lot of people know how to do them, you have got the opportunity to get a jump start in this field and start getting those big bucks.

A lot of people want to find a green job but don’t know where to look. A few others have no idea what a green job entails. Whatever the case, there are books you can refer you to help you get all the information you need to start a green career. Since we are going to go green in the next few decades, your job will be secure for the foreseeable future, which is always a good thing. If you are looking for a green job but have no idea where to start, here are 4 books you should read:

The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Green Careers: it’s the book to read for anyone who has no idea what green jobs are about and how to get them. Finding a green job may be difficult but it’d be even more daunting if you don’t know what you are looking for.

75 Green Businesses You Can Start to Make Money: a great book that teaches you how to start a business, and what careers you can pursue in the green industry. If you are familiar with the business model, it’s easier to figure out what you need to do.

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Green Home Improvement 101: How To Get Started – Part I

So you want to go green? There is no better way to do that than by starting the process right at home. I remember when I decided to get started with this process. Everywhere I looked in my house, there was an opportunity to go green. Whether it’s the way your power up your house or consume water, there is always opportunity to improvement. As someone who jumped into this field without having too much background, I can tell you that things can get a bit confusing. There are a lot of things you can do, and you want to make sure you have the right knowledge to get the maximum out of your dollars.

There are plenty of ways to get started with this process. I personally would suggest breaking it down to a few main things and then tackle them one by one — divide and conquer if you will. Here is how I would divide it:

• Energy: you know, solar panels, solar chargers, wind mills, and so on. Look for ways to reduce your energy consumption at home and find new energy alternatives.
• Light: going back to the first point, you need to use energy efficient lights to save money in the long run and conserve energy.
• Cooling & heating: we all want to have the coolest/warmest rooms during summer/winter. But you should avoid going overboard. It’s not good for your pocket, and it’s not good for the environment either. Using a thermostat always helps. You can also save a lot of money with evaporative fans and more.
• Plumbing: wasting water is not exactly an admirable thing to do. So if your faucet is leaking or there is something wrong with your showers, you should take time to fix them to not only save money but also water. Water is a precious thing. In some companies, people pay a lot of money to buy it. So conserving water is a great move for today and the future.
• Outdoors: you’d be surprised how many opportunities you’ll find in your yard to save the environment and money at the same time. I am not just talking about putting soloar panels on your roof. Think about your lawn. Using an energy efficient lawn mower could be a good start. You can focus on organic gardening to avoid introducing harmful material to the environment. How about collecting rain water? Doesn’t sound too silly, does it?
• Green Gadgets: Energy star gadgets are energy efficient and are in general better than their non-eco counterparts. But you should always read the descriptions of what you are buying to get gadgets that are not only energy efficient but also don’t introduce any harmful material to the environment.
• Accessories: there are lot of small little things that you can buy to go even greener at home. Green bags, detergents, and … are all helpful towards your cause.

There you have it. You can obviously break these down even further. But as I have experienced, anytime you feel you have done all you could to go green around your house, there is more to be done. Trust me.

5 DIY Eco Guides To Go Green

A lot of people assume that you need to be a technical genius to go green at home and on the road. Putting up a solar panel or building a wind engine may look daunting from the outside, but it’s not that hard when you think about it. As long as you are willing to educate yourself and be serious about going green, there is no reason you can’t have a green house and car in no time. Thankfully, there are many green training courses available that you can use to learn how to do it all yourself. Whether you want to go solar or just build a water car, you can do it all with these guides:

Earth 4 Energy: a complete do it yourself training system for folks who are interested in learning how to save money by using solar or wind engines. You’ll get all the instructions and tips you need to set up your solar panels or wind engine fast. You are also provided with videos to help you better implement what you have learned from the course. IRS Tax forms and other bonuses pluses.

Home Made Energy: if you are looking for a system that teaches you how to go green in your house and save a whole lot of money on your energy bills, this is the one you should try. You’ll see where you need to look for parts for your engines, and how you can put together a complete green energy system for cheap. 60 days money back guarantee is also offered.

GreenDIYenergy: so you want to go green at home but don’t want to spend a fortune to do it? Use the videos and tutorials in this package to learn how you can go green and save money at the same time.

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5 Resources To Get You Started As an Ecopreneur

Starting a green business these days is a very smart choice. Unlike many industries, the green movement is not slowing down, and there will be money to be earned in this business as long as you play your cards right. In fact, you don’t want to wait till a couple of years to get started in this business. Now’s the time to pounce and get ahead of so many others that will no doubt enter this market.

Starting a green business is no different from starting any other business. It takes hard work and some know-how. You can always try to go with trial and error, but the best way to go is to learn from what others have done in the industry and use their knowledge to get moving quickly. Thankfully, there are many resources that you can tap into to start your career as an Ecopreneur. Whether it’s books or DVDs that interest you the most, you won’t struggle to find learning material in this field.

Here are 5 best books/DVDs that you could use to get started in this field:

75 Green Businesses You Can Start to Make Money and Make A Difference: if you are just getting started in the green industry and have no idea what the industry has to offer, you must read this book. It will give you all kinds of ideas that you can take advantage of to build a profitable green business.

Start Your Own Green Business: this is one of my favorite book. It’s concise and to the point. All the books in this series are great if you are an entrepreneur and want to navigate through a whole new field. If you need basic information to start your own eco business, this is the book you should read.

Build a Green Small Business: another good read on how to become a successful Ecopreneur. It gets you familiar with marketing, advertising, and networking techniques that build a loyal customer base and help you take your business to the next level.

2008 Global Conference – Green Is Green: a very informative DVD on the state of green economy that will open your eyes to new opportunities and challenges in this industry. Whether you want to start a green business or go green in your own existing one, this is a good DVD to watch.

Strategies for the Green Economy: this book is a more advanced book about the green economy and the challenges and opportunities involved with going green in your business and starting new green businesses. This books shows you what it take to be seen as an environmental leader.

Starting a green business with be challenging but as long as you are passionate about it, there is nothing you can’t achieve.

Your turn: what’s your favorite green learning resource?

9 Green Businesses You Can Start to Make Money

A lot of my friends ask me, “how can I start a green business?” Whether you want to get into the solar or wind business, there are many things you need to know to avoid getting in a dead-end venture. There is more to the green industry than setting up solar panels or windmills. In fact, the money is in niches that have not yet been saturated by other businesses. You don’t want to get into a niche that has so many players nobody’s making any money. You want to stay in those fairly blue oceans to capitalize.

The best way to start a successful business in the green industry is by finding new, emerging micro-niches. For instance, the green training niche used to be very profitable for many businesses. There are many that are still making money in it. But at some point you are going to struggle making a dent in this business. Even more so in a more saturated market. Thankfully, the green industry is still in its infacy and growing fast. So if you are passionate about solar, wind, and bio-fuel technologies, you are going to have a lot of opportunities to make money in this business.

Here are a few business ideas for your next green business:

• Solar consulting: providing tips on how others can go solar at home or in their business.
• Green IT: another emerging field in the green industry.
• Installation: you are always going to need installers.
• Mobile Solar: mobile solar solutions will be highly in demand in the future.
• Green portals: whether you are a blogger or you want to create a huge solar portal, there are plenty of ways to make money.
• Green Startup Services: you can always help others start their own green start-ups.
• Green packaging: many companies are taking advantage of this trend to save costs.
• Home modeling: you can always help others remodel their houses to take advantage of solar and wind technologies.
• Green Vlogging: if you are into vlogging, why not create a vlog about eco-friendly products/tips?

As you can see there are just too many ways to enter this industry and start making some money. Now I am not suggesting that it will be easy, but having an idea is a good way to start.

*P.S. for more ideas, don’t forget to read 75 Green Businesses You Can Start to Make Money and Make A Difference.

Make Your Own Solar Water Heater

Solar energy is probably the most underrated energy source on this green planet of ours. A few years ago, you could complain that we didn’t have the technology to properly lose eco-friendly solar solutions in your life. But these days, we have the technology to do a lot of things with the help of the sun. You don’t have to spend lots of money on gas for your energy source when you have access to an energy source that doesn’t run out anytime soon.

One area that you can utilize solar energy as your power source is your water heater. A lot of people pay a lot of money each and every month to power up their water heater. But now you can cut your bill by 30% by going solar with your water heater. Solar hot water systems not only save you money, but they also help you save the environment too. A single hot water system can offset the equivalent of approximately 40% of the carbon dioxide emissions of a modern passenger car.

Solar heaters work anywhere you have access to the sun. It doesn’t matter how cold or hot your region is. All you need is the sun to power up your heater. Best of all, you can build them without too much technical knowledge and save a lot of money in the process. There are many do it yourself guides available on the market that teach you how to build your own system and avoid paying thousands of dollars to big name companies. At this point in time, going solar is a no brainer. The economy is struggling and the energy costs are expected to go higher. But the government doesn’t own the sun yet. So take advantage of it while you can.

3 Green Books You Should Read

The green market is heating up, and the more reading you do, the easier you can stay on the top of things. While there are a lot of blogs that you can read on a daily basis to stay in toch with the latest developments in this industry, there are still a lot of books that provide you with a lot more information that you wouldn’t normally get on blogs. The dummies series may be a bit funny, but I have personally found some of the best books on various topics in the dummies series. The same can be said about Eco books. Here are 3 top green for dummies books that have been released recently:

1. Green Your Home for Dummies: Green Your Home for Dummies is one of the most comprehensive books on this topic. It shows you exactly how to go green in your daily life without breaking the bank. If you are new to this game and are looking for ways to help save the environment and live a green life, this is one book to consider.

2. Organic Gardening for Dummies: Organic Gardening for Dummies is a cool book that shows you how to develop your own environment-friendly garden. A lot of people know how to garden, but there are practices that you need to pay attention to to save the environment. This book teaches you how to do that exactly.

3. Green Business Practices For Dummies: Green Business Practices For Dummies is a great book for small business owners that want to help save the environment while conducting their business. A lot of companies are realizing the benefits of going green these days. Green IT is a field that is on the rise, and that’s only scratching the surface. There are many ways to save money conducting business and help save the environment as well. This book teaches you how!

Honorable mentions: Green IT for Dummies, Socially Responsible Investing For Dummies, Green Building & Remodeling For Dummies

Green Your Home For Dummies Review

The tough economic times have been a blessing in disguise for a lot of folks. A lot of people are hurting, and that has made them make adjustments to how they live their lives. One of the best ways to save money is by going green. And I am not just talking about going solar or using wind energy to power up your home. There are a lot of ways to go green and save money at the same time. And unlike what most people think, you are not going to have to settle for less with these technologies.

Green Your Home is a new book by the folks behind the “For Dummies” series that shows you exactly how to go green and save a lot of money in the process. I was very impressed how simple the book is to follow. You don’t have to be a green engineer to put into practice some of the tips that you learn in this book. By following the tips in this book, you can start saving money and save the planet as well.

What’s Covered?

This book not only shows you how to use solar energy to save money but also how to go about teaching your kids a greener lifestyle. You also learn how to remodel your house without breaking the bank. Here is what’s covered in this book:

• Green energy saving tips
• Solar power tips
• Green cleaning solutions
• Organic gardening tips
• Green food choices
• Tips for financing solar investments
• Tips on how to raise ecoconscious kids

Green Your Home for Dummies is not one of those books that you can finish in a weekend. It’s a comprehensive book that shows you how to get started with green technologies. No matter how advanced you are in the game, you are going to pick up some valuable nuggets here.

8 Green Sites That Aim To Change The World

The green industry has been heating up lately, and the industry is expected to grow in the future. A lot of people have already realized the importance of adopting eco-friendly products to help save the Earth. So if you are thinking about doing the same, you are not alone. In reality, there are many places that you can meet other green-lifers and network with them. TreeHugger.com is a great forum to be involved in. But if you want to go beyond that, there are many social media sites to get involved in and join forces. With that in mind, here are top green sites that aim to change the world:

1. Green Any Site: a great way to shop online and save the earth in the process.

2. BoxCycle: BoxCycle allows you to buy and sell used boxes and reuse!

3. Ecovian: a local green search engine helping you find eco-friendly businesses.

4. Be Green: BeGreen will help you find information about the causes and effects of global warming.

5. PlanetFesto: PlanetFesto is a collaborative, group-created site about the environment and individual action.


6. Change.org: change.org is the best place to follow the causes that are important to you and get involved!

7. Greenopolis: Greenopolis planning all sorts of online and offline activities and resources to reinforce individual greener behavior, a great place to get your green game on.

8. GoodGuide: GoodGuide is a great place to find out about ways you can live a greener life and create a better society for us all.

Time to take action is now! Get involved!