How Harnessing Solar Power Can Slash Energy Bills

Are you fed up with excessive electric bills? Well, look no further than solar-energy systems.

Did you know that you could cut your electrical costs and show off your environmental savvy by installing solar panels? Last year, 792 megawatts of residential solar systems were installed in the U.S.—enough to power the equivalent of more than 130,000 homes.

A case study: Cheryl and Robert Boland of Apple Valley, Calif., cut their monthly electrical bill from approximately $300 to about $1.75 by installing solar panels on the roof of their home.

“When I compare the cost of installing the system with what we will save on our bills over the next two decades, solar gives us an incredible return on investment,” says Cheryl. “For us, it was all about the money.”

Think you might want to give solar panels a try? Consider these four key points:

    Quality products. Solar panels are a long-term investment in your home; you want them to last. A quality system should last for at least 25 years. The Bolands purchased their solar panels from longtime American manufacturer SolarWorld.

    Experienced installation. A qualified, experienced installer not only designs your solar panels, but can also save you money by guiding you through the process of securing tax rebates and financing options.

    Intelligent design. Your residential solar system must be designed to produce the right amount of power for your home and lifestyle. A good installer will review your previous year’s energy bills and analyze the orientation and shading of your roof to determine the best design. Check your installer’s credentials for signs of trustworthy certification, for instance, as a manufacturer’s authorized installer.

    Guaranteed performance. Be sure to choose solar panels that have gone through a factory-tested process called “plus sorting,” which ensures the panels have met or exceeded their nameplate power rating. Panels that don’t undergo this process are as much as 5 percent less efficient than advertised. And don’t forget the warranties.

For more information on energy-saving solar solutions for your home, visit www.solarworld.com.

If you’re feeling stressed and anxious, research says: feed the birds

 – In today’s constant contact, cell-phone celebrated, digital world, most people can go days or even weeks without spending any time in natural sunlight. Instead, we eat breakfast inside, or on the go, only to race to an office, filled with artificial light and plastic plants, for 8 to 10 hours a day. It’s no wonder why Americans’ mental health is suffering.Compare that hectic routine to those memorable moments when you’re able to sit quietly, let the sunshine warm your face, hear the birds, and allow nature to envelope you. While everyone longs for less stress, actually relaxing can be dauntingly stressful!However, a new study out of the United Kingdom sheds light on one way people can de-stress: bird watching. The study finds that people who watch birds from their home have lower depression, anxiety, and stress compared to those that live in less leafy areas that have fewer birds. People "felt relaxed and connected to nature when they watched birds in their garden," researchers say. These feelings increased with the level of bird feeding in the yard, they add.Specifically, the number of birds people might see was directly associated with better mental health. "This study starts to unpick the role that some key components of nature play for our mental well-being. Birds around the home and nature in general, show great promise in preventive health care, making cities healthier, happier places to live.," says lead researcher Dr. Daniel Cox from the University of Exeter.

Dr. Tina Phillips, Cornell Lab of Ornithology, agrees. "Overwhelmingly, studies show that people feed birds because it makes them feel more relaxed, that it’s something they’re interested in and ultimately something that makes them feel good."If you want to disconnect from the digital world and relieve some daily stress and anxiety, getting outside, bird watching could be the key to increasing your mindful, mental health. Since studies reveal the more birds you see, the less likely you are to be stressed and anxious, it’s important to attract as many birds as possible.The first step to attracting birds is to use an all-purpose tube feeder, which is the number one feeder choice, allowing birds to feed from multiple ports. Cole’s Wild Bird Products, Co. offers the Terrific Tube feeder, it’s made to last with state-of-the-art materials that prevent warping and discoloration and it features a "Quick Clean" removable base, so cleaning is super simple. Natural grip perch covers mimic the feel of a real branch, which encourages longer feeding times.Once you have the right feeder, you’ll need reliable seed that will bring birds to your backyard to deliver that dose of stress relief we all desire. According to Elaine Cole, President and owner of Cole’s, the quality of birdseed will determine how many feathered friends will flock to your backyard.Unlike other birdseed mixes, which typically contain cheap filler seed like milo and wheat, Cole’s selects only the top 1 to 2 percent of the highest quality seeds birds like to eat. Plus, Cole’s doesn’t add pesticides or chemicals, preferring instead to keep the seed as close to its natural state as possible."If you use inferior seed, you’re not going to like the results. Our seed is specifically formulated to attract the greatest number, variety, and species of birds. Birds are picky and birdseed matters. If you use cheap feed, they won’t hesitate look for something else they prefer. Birds are like people, give them what they like to eat and they’ll come back and bring their friends." Cole said.Since we’ve learned that the more birds we attract, the more stress-free we’ll be, it makes good sense to use the best bird feed you can buy. Cole’s Special Feeder, attracts the greatest number of wild birds than any other mix out there. Add Cole’s Blue Ribbon blend, which attracts the greatest variety of wild birds to the mix, and you’ve got the perfect prescription to help calm your anxiety and stress.At the heart of it, everyone wants less stress and anxiety. Once you start watching birds in action, they’ll engage your attention in a way that keeps you in the moment, a state that provides mental relief. Admiring their beauty, listening to their sweet song and enjoying their antics will calm your overactive mind and bring joy and renewal.For more information on top quality feed and feeders, please visit: Cole’s website. 

Elephanta caves - historical place to visit in Mumbai

नमस्कार मेरे दोस्तों, मई महीना शुरू हो गया है और गर्मी जोरो शोरो से बढ़ रही है लेकिन एक बात है, मई महीने में ही सभी पाठशालाओं को छुट्टियां मिल जाती है. आपने भी इन छुट्टियों में किसी अद्भुत एवं खूबसूरत जगहों पर छुट्टियां बिताने की सोच रखी होगी. आज मैं मेरे मुंबई के सफर के बारे में कुछ रोचक बातें बताने वाला हूं. मुंबई मेरा पसंदीदा ट्रेवल डेस्टिनेशन है, आप सभी को तो पता ही है की मुंबई देश की इकोनॉमीकल राजधानी है. मुंबई शहर का विकास अंग्रेजो के शासन में हुआ. वैसे देखा जाए तो मुंबई सात छोटे-छोटे द्वीपों से बना हुआ एक शहर है. इसकी आबादी आज आसमान को छू रही है, लेकिन इसी आबादी वाले शहर में बहुत सारी ऐसी चीजें हैं कि जो आप देखना पसंद करोगे. पिछले साल जब छुट्टियां थी तब मैं भी मेरे दोस्तों के साथ मुंबई देखने के लिए चल पड़ा था. मैं अब थोड़ा आपको मुंबई के बारे में बताना चाहता हूं. मुंबई भारत के महाराष्ट्र राज्य की राजधानी है और लगभग तीन से चार करोड़ लोक मुंबई में रहते हैं. अंग्रेज़ों के जमाने से ही मुंबई का बहुत विकास हुआ है और अंग्रेजों ने मुंबई में कई ऐसी जगह विकसित की है की जो आज पर्यटकों के लिए स्वर्ग का अनुभव देती है. वैसे देखा जाए तो मुंबई में एक से बढ़कर एक देखने की जगह है अगर सभी को इस लेख में साझा किया जाए तो पन्ने कम पड़ जाएंगे इतने सारे अद्भुत और देखने लायक डेस्टिनेशन से मुंबई भरा पड़ा है. इसलिए आज मैं मेरे मुंबई के सफ़र की कुछ खास बातें ही बताने वाला हूं जैसे कि एक है एलिफेंटा गुफ़ाएँ।  

वैसे देखा जाए तो मेरी मुंबई की जर्नी 2 दिन की थी जिसमें हमें पूरी मुंबई घूम के देखनी थी लेकिन जब हम मुंबई पहुंचे तो पता चला एक-दो दिन में पूरी मुंबई देखना संभव ही नहीं है. हमने हमारी शुरुआत पुणे से की, हम चार मित्रों ने एक साथ मुंबई देखने का सोचा था इसलिए हम चारों ही मित्र एक दूसरे को सहायता करते हुए मुंबई जाने का प्लान बना रहे थे. हमारी जर्नी शुरू हुई पुणे के लोह गांव स्थित एयरपोर्ट से. हमने इससे पहले कभी भी हवाई जहाज में सफर नहीं किया था तो इसलिए हमारे ट्रैवल को और रोमांचकारी बनाने के लिए हमने पुणे से मुंबई को जाने वाली फ्लाइट पकड़ी। वैसे देखा जाए तो पुणे से मुंबई को जाने के लिए बहुत सारे हवाई जहाज उपलब्ध है और हवाई जहाज में सुविधा भी काफी अच्छी होती है. हवाई जहाजो का Flight Schedule काफी आरामदेह और अत्यंत सरल एवं उपयोगी है. हमारे हवाई जहाज ने जैसे ही टेक ऑफ़  किया तो सारे दोस्त खुशी से झूम उठे. लगभग 1 घंटे के अंदर हम मुंबई के हवाई अड्डे पर उतर गए उसके तुरंत बाद हम गेटवे ऑफ इंडिया की तरफ गए. गेट वे ऑफ इंडिया, छत्रपति शिवाजी टर्मिनल से बहुत नजदीक है. लगभग 20 मिनट चलने के बाद हम सभी दोस्त गेट वे ऑफ  इंडिया तक पहुंचे। उसके बाद पानी से सफर शुरू हुआ, समुंदर बहुत ही सुंदर लग रहा था. हमने एक किराए के नौका पर बैठने का फैसला कि जो 50 रुपयों मे एलिफेंटा के किनारे तक छोड़ता था. वह पानी का सफर बड़ा ही अद्भुत एवं रोमांचकारी था लगभग 50 से 60  मिनट के बाद हम लोग दूसरे किनारे पर पहुंचे कि जहां पर एलिफेंटा की गुफाएं मौजूद थी. 

एलिफेंटा गुफाओं को घारापुरी की गुफाएं भी कहते हैं. ये गुफाएं गेटवे ऑफ इंडिया से 12 किलोमीटर की दूरी पर स्थित है. कुल सात गुफाएं हैं कि जिस में प्राचीन भारत के देवी देवताओं का सुंदर वर्णन दिया हुआ है. यह गुफाएं पहाड़ को काटकर बनाई गई है और इनमें लगभग हर मूर्ति हिंदू धर्म के देवी-देवताओं से प्रेरित हुई है. इन सभी में से भगवान शंकर की त्रिमूर्ति सबसे आकर्षक है तथा बहुत ही प्रसिद्ध है. भारत सरकार के प्रयास से आज यह घारापुरी की गुफाएं विश्व में प्रसिद्ध हो गई है तथा यूनेस्को ने इन एलिफेंटा गुफाओं को विश्व धरोहर घोषित कर दिया है. आप जब भी मुंबई आए तो इन गुफाओं को देखना न भूलिएगा। इन गुफाओं को देखने के बाद हम सभी दोस्त हमारे अगले सफर की तरफ चल पड़े, हमने बाद में मुंबई में बहुत सारी जगहें देखीं लेकिन एलिफेंटा गुफाएं हमेशा हमारे मन मे घर कर गयी. ये गुफाएं हमें हमारे समृद्ध संस्कृति की याद दिलाती है. इन प्राचीन गुफाओं मे छुपा है हमारा गौरवशाली इतिहास, इसलिए इसे एक बार अवश्य देखे.

Tulsi plant - a good way to stay healthy

The most important and eco-friendly plant on earth is Tulsi. Indians worship the Tulsi plant from ancient times. Holy Basil has been revered for its medicinal value throughout India for thousands of years. Ayurvedic texts describe Holy Basil as a pillar of holistic herbal medicine and a goddess incarnated in plant form (the mother medicine of nature). Here we will look the most important properties and benefits of Tulsi to our Nature. We all know that how pollution impact environment so the impact of pollution can be reduce by using Tulsi plant. Having holy basil plant in front of the house is considered as one of the good practices in India. Let’s see why.

General information

Ocimum tenuiflorum, also known as Ocimum sanctum, holy basil, or Tulsi (also spelled thulasi), “तुळस” in Marathi. is an aromatic plant in the family Lamiaceae which is native to the Indian subcontinent and widespread as a cultivated plant throughout the Southeast Asian tropics. It is an erect, many branched sub shrub, 30–60 cm tall with hairy stems and simple phyllotaxic green or purple leaves that are strongly scented. Tulasi is cultivated for religious and medicinal purposes, and for its essential oil. It is widely known across the Indian subcontinent as a medicinal plant and an herbal tea, commonly used in Ayurveda.

Cultivation Method

Tulsi can be grown any where easily by just spreading its seeds on the soil. Tulsi requires little water and no any fertilizer for growth. Tulsi can be easily cultivated around the house and in the backyard. Tulsi seeds are very small in size and are grown in bunches. Tulsi leaves have a unique smell and it is due the presence of special chemicals that makes Tulsi a strong medicine. In Ayurveda, Tulsi is used for treatment in many diseases.

Religious importance

Tulsi has a very high importance in the religion of Hindus. The wedding season in India is started after marriage ceremony of God Tulsi with God Krishna. Tulsi is the sacred plant dearer to the Lord Vishnu. Tulsi symbolizes purity. It is considered as the holy plant in the Indian Subcontinent. Tulsi got its name from Tulsi Devi, who was one of Lord Krishna's eternal consorts. In India people grow Tulsi as the religious plant and worship it. Its leaves are used in temples for the worship purposes and also on the several occasions such as marriage. A Hindu house is considered incomplete without the Tulsi plant in the courtyard. Tulsi is believed to promote longevity and lifelong happiness.

Due to presence of Tulsi the environment around the house stays healthy and clean. By taking every day juice of Tulsi will remove all impurities from our body. Study for Effects of Tulsi on the cancer tissues are in progress with positive results. In almost every home in India parents recommends their children to eat one leaf of Tulsi every day to prevent cough, fever, night blindness, headache and other allergic diseases. The impact of pollution is greatly cured by Tulsi plant.

This blog post is inspired by the blogging marathon hosted on IndiBlogger for the launch of the #Fantastico Zica from Tata Motors. You can apply for a test drive of the hatchback Zica today.

Oil Spillage - A dangerous problem for environment

In this article we will briefly discuss about oil spillage in the water bodies. Oil spillage means release of petroleum products directly in to water bodies such as oceans and rivers. There were many incidences happened in past related with oil spillage. Oil spillage can also be occurred on land but the impact of oil spillage in water bodies is very high as compared to oil spillage on land. The largest oil spillage in history occurred in Kuwait and in USA. Millions of gallon crude oil was spilled in oceans.

When petroleum product such as crude oil, gasoline, diesel etc spilled in water bodies a layer is formed on the surface of water because the density of petroleum products are less as compared to the density of water. Density of petroleum product is in the range of 700 to 850 kg/m³ and that of water is 1000 kg/m³.

The layer of the petroleum products causes many problems. The first and most dangerous problem is petroleum products are nothing but the hydrocarbons having long chain compounds which are highly carcinogenic. These components remains in water bodies for thousands of year and can enter in any biological food chain very easily. Initially marine animals such as fish were contaminated and then the contamination transfers in to human beings. Direct drinking of petroleum infected water directly combines with human body. These hydrocarbons can penetrate the nucleus of cell and can interfere with the cell functioning. It is found by scientist that if any part of the land is contaminated by petroleum oils then that part of land will be affected for thousands of years and becomes unfertile. So it is always instructed to dispose petroleum product with almost care. Disposal of petroleum products is very critical and difficult task and it is always good to dispose the oils with the help of expert.

The next problem arise due to oil spillage is the problem to the marine animals and plants. As the water surface gets cover with the oil, oxygen from atmosphere cannot be mix with the water so the level of oxygen in water decreases and after some time the animals and fishes inside the water dies. The next problem is related with the photosynthesis of marine plants. As the surface of the water gets covered with oil, sun radiation cannot reach up to the bottom of the water body which adversely affects the photosynthesis process. All these effects impact very badly on the marine life.

So it is very important to avoid oil spillage in the water bodies as well as on lands. It is observed that there is very less awareness among the people regarding this issue. So the first step to eliminate this problem is to aware more and more people about oil spillage issue.

This blog post is inspired by the blogging marathon hosted on IndiBlogger for the launch of the #Fantastico Zica from Tata Motors. You can apply for a test drive of the hatchback Zica today.