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3 Ways to Streamline Your Morning Routine Whether you're getting ready for work or getting the kids ready for school, streamline your daily routine with these three simple tips to save time in the morning: Set your clothes out the night before . How much time do you spend figuring out what to wear? Or how long does it take you to find your favorite shirt? Deciding what you want to wear and laying it out the night before can save you priceless minutes each morning. Pack your work/school bag the night before . Making sure your bag has everything you need or that your wallet, car keys and cell phone are in one easy-to-find place is another easy way to avoid hassle and save time in the morning. Make breakfast simple . Breakfast is by far the most important meal of the day, but lack of time in the morning can cause people to skip it. A quick strategy to combat this is to prepare all the materials you need for your breakfast the night before. Whether you're mixing pancake bat...

Trees combat climate change Excess carbon dioxide (CO2) caused by many factors is a building up in our atmosphere and contributing to climate change. Trees absorb CO2, removing and storing the carbon while releasing the oxygen back into the air. In one year, an acre of mature trees absorbs the amount of CO2 produced when you drive your car 26,000 miles. Trees clean the air Trees absorb odors and pollutant gases (nitrogen oxides, ammonia, sulfur dioxide and ozone) and filter particulates out of the air by trapping them on their leaves and bark. Trees provide oxygen In one year an acre of mature trees can provide enough oxygen for 18 people. Trees cool the streets and the city Average temperatures in Los Angeles have risen 6°F in the last 50 years as tree coverage has declined and the number of heat-absorbing roads and buildings has increased. Trees cool the city by up to 10°F, by shading our homes and streets, breaking up urban “heat islands” and releasing wate...

Trees provide us with so many benefits, which makes planting trees always worth the time and effort. Trees are a cost-effective means of cleaning our air and water, reducing our need for energy, and making us feel better.  Interested in Planting a Tree?  There are a few things to consider before the tree goes in the ground. By making a handful of careful choices your tree will be healthier and you’ll enjoy it more. You need to think about three things first: where to put it, what species is best and how to select the right tree from the nursery. Need Help with Planting  Y our Tree?    Download the RainScapes Guide.  ( PDF , 1.2MB) 1. Where to Plant Your New Tree The  right tree in the  right place   will give a lot back for many decades.  In the right place,  trees save energy  by protecting buildings from winter winds or hot sun. Select a place to plant and visualize how much room there is for a...

Cut The Carbon Urban lifestyles have a huge impact on the environment. Our lifestyles have large carbon footprints which affect the climate adversely. Everything we do requires energy which usually comes from combustion of fossil fuels-ranging from taking a flight to just having a cup of coffee. Thus, every action has a carbon footprint associated with it. Cut the Carbon is an initiative which makes us aware of the carbon emissions associated with each choice. It is an interactive initiative that aims to inculcate among students sensitivity towards global environment issues. It guides schools/institutions to reduce their Carbon footprint using a do-it-yourself approach, creating Ambassadors of change who assess carbon emissions and come up with measures to promote a greener low carbon lifestyle. To facilitate this we have developed a Carbon Reduction Toolkit which comprises of a user friendly Carbon Calculator, guiding material for participants and a questionnaire which assi...

Nobody likes sitting in traffic. We try to find the best ways to avoid it so that we don’t become late to work, miss social events, or become stressed. Also, traffic congestion produces air pollution that negatively affects the environment as it creates serious breathing problems in young children and the elderly. Not to mention, your vehicle is burning up more gas as this will lead you to spend extra cash filling up your tank at the pump. You can do your part in preserving the environment, saving money in gas costs, and relieving the unwanted stress by reducing the amount of  traffic out on the roads . Read these 5 tips to help you reduce vehicle traffic. Tip #1: Avoid Peak Times There are certain times of the day when more vehicles are on the roads, usually people heading to work or school in the mornings and people heading home in the evenings. Also known as rush hour traffic, major cities of San Francisco, Miami, Houston, and Seattle all have the highest traffic c...

Jerry Spiegel and Lucien Y. Maystre Over the course of the twentieth century, growing recognition of the environmental and public health impacts associated with anthropogenic activities (discussed in the chapter Environmental Health Hazards) has prompted the development and application of methods and technologies to reduce the effects of pollution. In this context, governments have adopted regulatory and other policy measures (discussed in the chapter Environmental Policy) to minimize negative effects and ensure that environmental quality standards are achieved. The objective of this chapter is to provide an orientation to the methods that are applied to control and prevent environmental pollution. The basic principles followed for eliminating negative impacts on the quality of water, air or land will be introduced; the shifting emphasis from control to prevention will be considered; and the limitations of building solutions for individual environmental media will be examined. It...