Ethanol is a biofuel that is slowly replacing petroleum for the good. The United States is the world’s largest manufacturer of ethanol, producing 863,000 barrels of ethanol per day. Corn crop which is used in the production of ethanol is cultivated in millions of acres of land. The following infographic presents the overall picture of ethanol production and consumption in the U.S.

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Every family has at least one car, but many of them have one for each member of the family. This means a lot of cars, and so a lot of these people have realized that they are doing a lot of harm to nature, forcing them to try to switch to green cars. Which one to choose?

Chevrolet Volt

The good thing about this car is that it can store energy that is enough for a day for the majority of people. It is easy to recharge and it has to be driven just like a traditional car. You don’t have to be afraid of remaining without the car, because it can also be used with gasoline.

In the majority of the cases the users need about 9.3 gallons of gas yearly. The federal tax credit in this case is of $7,500 and in some of the states the car is eligible for rebates of $5,000. This is also a good choice in case you are concerned about your safety, because it has been named one of the safest green cars of the year. The warranty for the batteries is of 8 years or 100,000 miles.

There are also some disadvantages of the car, such as the high price of $41,000. For a period of time it has been available only in six states, but in a short while it will be available in the whole country. In case you are using the gasoline engine, you have to buy premium gasoline, which costs 20 cents more than the regular gasoline.

Nissan Leaf

The advantages of this car include the fact that you don’t really need gas, since the electric engine covers the needs of the majority of people. For you to refuel the car costs you about $2.75. There is no need to change the oil. This means that the owners, unlike the owners of a Prius, can save about $1,360 because of maintenance.

The federal tax credit for the Leaf is of $7,500 and there are rebates available ranging from $2,000 to $6,000. Just as in the previous case the warranty for the battery is of 8 years or 100,000 miles.

There is a lot of space for the passengers and you can fit three child seats in the back of the car. This is also a safe choice when it comes to green cars and it is very easy to recharge.

Spas are considered to be types of non-medical therapy that is expected to be soothing and relieve stress. Spa treatments promote wellness by getting the body to relax. Spa treatments include such things as massages, facials, body treatments, salons and fitness services.

There are no many spas that offer eco-friendly services, so you can stay at an environmentally conscious spa. Here are 4 fantastic eco spas that will calm your nerves and make you feel at peace.

1. Bali Eco-Lodge

The Bali Eco-Lodge is situated on Mount Batukaru in beautiful Bali. The spa offers breath-taking views of the mountains, and the lush rainforest is nearby. You can stay at a quaint cottage and receive excellent service from the staff the eco lodge. The restaurant consists of open air dining, or you can eat in your room, and the meals are healthy and made with organic foods. While staying there, you can explore what nature has to offer with hiking or mountain bike riding, or you can relax with a soothing massage.

2. Titanic Spa

The first eco spa in the United Kingdom is Titanic Spa. Located in Yorkshire, Titanic Spa provides roomy apartments with nice views of the surrounding scenery. This lovely spa day offers guests alternative therapy, mosaic body or face treatments, a hair studio, hydrotherapy, mud chamber and much more. The facility has its very own water source that provides water for drinking, water for taking a bath, a salt controlled swimming pool and showers and an ice experience. They have a laundry that is energy efficient, as it washes on a cool temperature.

3. Hotel Terra

In Jackson Hole, you can visit the Hotel Terra, which is an eco-friendly chill spa. The chill spa is situated on the top floor and offers spectacular views of the Teton Mountains. The facility operates with an innovative and modern design that consists of natural lighting and organic treatments. There is a hot tub on the roof and a deck that provides amazing views of the nearby mountains. The spa has six cozy and tranquil treatment rooms, and it also consists of relaxing rooms before and after treatment. Organic robes, towels and linens are provided, and you can have lavish spa treatments using organic skin care products.

4. The Sundara

Located in Wisconsin, the Sundara Inn offers eco-friendly services. While staying here, you will be secluded from the rest of the world while relaxing in this excellent spa. Sundara promotes a healthy environment, as they offer numerous services, including therapeutic massages, holistic skin care, facials, pedicures and much more. The spa has energy-efficient resources with recycling centers located throughout the establishment.

At these fabulous spas, you can experience a deeper connection with nature. You can have a peaceful stay at an eco-friendly spa without worrying about the effects that your actions will have on the environment. It will be an adventure of a lifetime.

In the moment of organizing the promotional campaign for a new mobile phone the manufacturers create a list of words that they would like the consumers to associate with their products. These include sleek, elegant, useful, trendy, and so on, but usually cancer isn’t on their list.

There have been a lot of rumors regarding whether mobile phones cause cancer or not. A study has been conducted a while ago that seemed to have put an end to the discussions, but a new study has shown that the radiofrequency electromagnetic fields that are emitted by mobile phones and ‘possibly carcinogenic’.

This new study has found contradictory information to the studies previously published that said that there has been no link found between mobile phones and brain tumors. Nonetheless we have to add that the possibilities of this new study have been limited regarding the link between two specific brain cancers: glioma and acoustic neuroma.

Since the mobile phones have been considered ‘possibly carcinogenic’, they are in the same classification as coffee, chloroform, dry cleaning chemicals and DDT.

It is no wonder that the mobile phone companies have been trying to downplay the results of the study saying that it isn’t certain that their products cause brain cancer and that the information that has been used by the researchers has been limited.

According to them the hazards of using mobile phones are possible but not likely. The majority of the most well-known manufacturers say that the products that they have comply with the international standards.

The truth about mobile phones is that they have become a necessity for the people of our days and according to the estimations that the manufacturers have made, their number will exceed 50 billion by 2020. In the year of 2000 there have been about 720 million, but this number has increased to 5 billion in only a decade.

There will be a new study performed regarding this matter that involves a 20-30 year time period. The initial results will be published in 2015 and there are numerous international organizations that support this new study.

According to researchers from the UK, the incidences of brain cancer did not increase as the mobile phone use increased over the last period of time. There is no trend observed in New Zealand, Scandinavia or USA either. The positive and the negative news balance each other out, and we still have no idea about the truth.

When it comes to elderly care, the U.S. government is trying to develop better elderly care system that includes the basics of green living.  These are special care plans, which require good specialists, but the most important thing is that there are good examples already.

One of the examples is the Holistic Community Living based in Colorado. The non-profit organization is teaching others to operate neighborhood-based assisted living homes.

The founder of the organization, David Lazaroff is very optimistic about these living homes. According to him, the Holistic Community Living is giving a chance for new life to the elderly people.

Creating such communities is a big chance for the elders, for they can continue to be part of their own community, without having to live isolated lives.

The Holistic Community residents are now elderly people that are involved in different green causes. This way the founder of the elder care community is trying to make elder people participate in different useful initiatives. Caring for the elderly people is also about making them feel that they are still active and useful to the society.

This is a good idea that is finding many followers and soon the project will grow bigger. There is another project for elderly people that become very popular recently.

The Green House Project is a project that allows groups of elderly people living together and caring for each other. The Green Houses are built with sustainable and green materials.

Each of the houses is built differently. The warm design and the special care are what attract the elders in this project. The Green House community offers special nursing care, medical care and support with daily living.

The houses are built with new technology that contains four common elements. The warmth is an important part of the Green House Project`s plan. It includes comforting décor and atmosphere, for this is very necessary in the elders’ care. The second element is the smart design.

The homes are created to be cost-effective and to use smart technology including electronic ceiling lifts and wireless pagers. The third element is the green element. In those houses one can find plants, garden areas and plenty of sunlight.

The organic foods are part of the daily menu in these houses, which is recommendable for elders. On the other hand, the project also supports the local farms and the environment by buying only from the local organic farms.

Computers are now a part of our daily lives and most of us spend almost the whole day staring at the computer screen. No doubt that the computer sucks in a lot of energy as it runs on electricity and yes a lot of paper when you are printing stuff all the time.

When we are striving to choose greener options in our daily routines it makes a lot of sense to make green choices regarding our computers and laptops too.

People who use them for considerable number of hours can save a lot of energy by making some simple choices.

When buying a new computer, look for models that consume less electricity so that you save energy from the start. Old computers need not find themselves in the dump, instead they can be recycled or less fortunate people can benefit from having one at cheaper cost. Look for peripherals that consume less energy too.

Avoid printing something unless absolutely necessary. Use recycled paper and when possible reuse the unused side of used printing paper. Instead of memos and reports that do the round from one desk to another in the office, emails and pdf files with scanned signatures can replace them to save paper. Aardvark and GreenPrint are software that can help you with this when printing from the browser.

Refill the empty printer ink cartridges and wherever possible opt for vegetable ink for refilling. You are not only preventing more dumping in the landfills but also protecting the environment by choosing greener options.

When running the computer, look for software that can help you save energy and also printing paper. Every time you leave the computer and go for a coffee or to the bathroom you could put the computer to sleep or even hibernate. A hibernating computer uses lesser energy than a sleeping one. WinOff is a software that can help you manage this.

Don’t leave the computer running even when you are out of the office or home. If you need to access it from outside the use of Wake-on-LAN software can help you out. You can access the computer even if it is switched off. Lower the brightness off your screen. It will consume less energy.

Switch off peripherals that are not being used as they suck unnecessary energy. Look for peripherals that are energy vampires because they use energy even when switched off. Such peripherals should be unplugged. These are primarily the ones with AC adapters.

You may also use gadgets like Energy saving Smart Strip to help you achieve your goal.

Being a parent is one of the toughest jobs and the pressure that we put on ourselves to excel at this job is tremendous. As a parent it is our duty and desire to give the child best of everything that we can.

As parents we want a safe and nurturing place where our children can grow as we want them to live in a good environment. One of the few things that a parent can do to ensure this, is to lead a green and healthy life and give the child a good beginning.

You can start as early as your pregnancy. What a mother does and eats during her pregnancy plays a large role in the future health and life of the child. If the mother has non-green habits she is depriving the child of a good and healthy start. A balanced and green diet ensures that the unborn baby gets the right nutrients and is not exposed to unhealthy chemicals.

Eating an organic diet is a must if you want to avoid exposure of chemicals to your yet to be born baby. The fertilizers, insecticides, pesticides and other chemicals used to grow the traditional food are transmitted to the baby through the mother if she eats regular food. This is true even after the baby has been born and the mother is breast feeding the baby.

The consumption of processed food also leads to unnecessary chemicals in the form of stabilizers and preservatives. Processed food also lacks in nutrients that are essential for an expecting or lactating mother.

The idea is to make green choices so that your child may start life healthy and without the influence of chemicals.

Eat organic. Choose food that is organic and closest to its natural form. Stay away from processed food and avoid impulsive eating and cravings that are part of a pregnancy. An increased intake of magnesium rich food can help you with this. Incorporate nuts, green vegetables, unprocessed grains and seeds that have been grown organically. An adequate intake of magnesium is essential to maintain good pregnancy health, avoid birth defects and assist in child birth.

If you are just starting to eat organic food, a few foods top the list that you should start off with. Beef, potatoes, milk, soy and apples are the first products that you should go green with. When inorganically grown, these are food products that contain maximum amount of chemical residue in the form of insecticides, fertilizers and pesticides.

Look for organic food and make the right choices to give your child a green and healthy life.

In case you are a fan of the green lifestyle, you probably want cheap green foods of better quality. So far, this is an illusion, for there is no cheap food that is healthy enough to be labeled as green.

The cheap foods are more often the premade ready meals. This is the fastest option for lunch or dinner, but actually this food contains bad chemicals, which can be harmful for your health or the environment. The chemical alternatives are cheap because if chemically treated the frozen food lasts longer.

When did you last check out the label and the expiration date on a can of beans or on the microwave ready dish you enjoyed? Of course you bought them for almost nothing and they were more than enough to satisfy your hunger. How green and healthy they were… well that is another story.

All frozen foods that can be cooked and made ready to eat in a matter of minutes are chemically treated so that they can be kept a longer period of time. They contain preservatives that are able to keep them as they were when frozen.

Of course everybody loves the supermarket promotions, the low food cost, buying two items for the same price, etc. The truth is that today the price of food in 80% lower than it was a century ago. The gourmet treats are way cheaper, so people can afford them.

The whole idea that the discounts help the humanity not to go hungry is nothing but a large blindfold over our eyes. Yes, food is cheap, and promotions help us fill our bellies, however the hidden cost escapes us.

Factory farming and intensive agriculture are the things hiding beyond the low price on the shelf.

Factory farming refers to animals raised and fed with hormones so they will grow faster and develop a larger muscle mass. This is how we get younger and juicier beef, larger chicken breasts and bigger turkeys.

Would you buy cheap beer if you knew it is made out of self fermenting powder rather than malt? Would you buy mashed eggs in a cardboard bottle if you knew that the hens they came from had such a low calcium level that the eggshell was too soft?

It is true that we like fresh fruits, fresh berries in winter, bananas any time of the year, but we never think how much more than technology is behind the fruits we enjoy.

Nowadays building a house isn’t just the same. There are several requirements that you surely need to follow, in case you are a green lover. The eco concept of your future house is a must, if you want to live a sustainable and environmentally friendly life.

There are many modern concepts about green homes and it isn’t only about the materials or the construction. It is also about finding a new technology that will help you live better and in harmony with the environment. Nowadays the example on this subject is one: the Triple Zero House.

This is a contemporary eco home, which was built with a revolutionary method. The creators of this home are the company of Wener Sobek that is already one of the most famous green designer studios in Europe. Their first goal was to create a home that should complete the standards of LEED and Pasivhaus.

In case you don’t know these standards, they are the official standards for efficient energy run. So the Triple Zero was created according to these standards. Another good thing about this home is the fact that Triple Zero is able to reduce the carbon footprint to zero, which is a huge progress for the eco building nowadays.

The Triple Zero house is also created to be without any waste while building, as well as, using the house. The house doesn’t need energy, because it is able to create its own – thanks to the solar panels that are integrated on the roof of the house.

Of course the company builder has used different type of solar paneling. They upgraded the solar panels on the roof, but those panels are very special, because they can take the heat from the ground and this is actually the basic source of energy for a Triple Zero Home.

The house is made without any fireplace, because as we all know it is extremely polluting and harmful. In case you are wondering how they maintain with the greenhouse gas emissions, the answer is simple – the house doesn’t produce CO2.

The main material for the building is glass – clean, sustainable and non-polluting. The amazing fact about this home is that there isn’t any material that is harmful. All of them are recycled and recyclable.

Nowadays Triple Zero turns to be the greenest possible home with a smart eco concept.

Winter is about to come, so there are several things you should think about. One of the most important things is the insulation.

In case you don’t have any insulation, this should be a must on your list, because otherwise your home will not be warm enough.

The professionals advise you to choose your home insulation carefully. If you are a green lover, there are several types of insulations, which you should consider as right.

Glass-fiber insulation

The first one is the glass-fiber insulation. This is an insulation, which is very proper for attics and it is totally green. The experts claim that if you use glass-fiber you will save 2,142 pounds of CO2 per year, which is quite an impressive figure.

On the other hand, the glass-fiber insulations are cheap and it will save you some money. It is easy to install and noncombustible.

Sand insulation

Recently another sort of insulation is very popular. The sand insulation is also affordable and it is one of the greenest ways to insulate your home. The sand is renewable and abundant, as well as it is easy to maintain. There are several companies that offer sand insulations with special technology. They insert recycled bottles into the sand, which is another green way to provide proper insulation at home.

Denim insulation

In case you are not very big fan of sand insulation, you can research more about the denim insulation.

Nowadays the old jeans can be used with a very good purpose – to create a solid home insulation. It may sound a bit odd for you, but some manufacturers are collecting old pieces of denim and making them into insulation. It is proven that denim is way greener than the glass-fiber, for it doesn’t contain any hazardous substances.

Wool insulations

Wool insulations are also famous. In fact many people prefer to have wool insulation, because it is affordable, solid and green, not to mention it is fire and water resistant.

Other insulations

Usually all the materials that are flame resistant make good insulation.  Another natural insulation is the cork insulation. It is used since centuries; and it is lightweight and durable.

In general, there are lots of natural materials that can make good insulation. For instance, you can insulate the water pipes with newspapers and duck tape, for it will prevent freezing.

Newspaper is also a good green way to insulate some parts of your home. You can try cellulose, spray foam and bubble wrap, for they are also green insulating materials.