I just read an article about making use of some seemingly obvious items that many of us already have. However, I started to realize how long it has been since I have seen anyone around me make use of these.

When is the last time someone opened a lunch pail and thermos where you work? How about the last time you were invited to a Fondue dinner? Have you used an electric blanket recently?

Lets start with the easy one. The thermos uses a simple mechanical process to keep food at the same temperature, hot, cold or neutral. By separating all but the very lip of the inner container from the surrounding environment, a thermos makes the transfer of heat very difficult and preserves the state of its contents. Alton Brown, a cooking show host that I really enjoy, recommends a thermos for keeping difficult sauces like hollandaise warm until your ready use it. On a more basic level, a thermos will keep water or other drinks cold. A thermos will keep soup for lunch nice and hot.

If you don't already have a '70s-era slow-cooker (aka "crock pot") collecting dust in your kitchen cupboard, you can buy a new energy-sipping model for about $30. The Fondue pot is also an energy sipper that helps make use of leftover bread and cheese.

Electric blankets and pads cost little more than many non-electric comforters, and only use about a nickel's worth of electricity per night to operate. Yet according to the U.S. Department of Energy, for every degree you turn down the heat during the winter, you'll probably save about one to three percent on your total home heating bill.

If this is an option, drying your clothes outside on an old-fashioned clothes line or indoors on one of those accordion-like laundry racks will not only save you about $200 per year on the cost to own and operate an electric dryer, but it can make some garments last up to twice as long.

I hope this stirs some ideas that can save you some money while reducing your energy demand on the environment.

The other day, I read an article about chemicals in plastics contributing to obesity if you are exposed during certain developmental periods. I kept thinking about how to relate the information here. Then it hit me, this is perfectly relevant, taking care of the environment is also a health benefit!

The chemicals, known as obesogens, mimic natural hormones and can wreak havoc on your endocrine system. Obesogens may explain why we all know skinny people who eat whatever they want and others who gain weight even if they watch everything they eat.

Some of these chemicals can cause your body to make more fat cells, which stay with you for life. Although having more fat cells doesn't mean you'll definitely be overweight, it does make it harder to lose weight. "Fat cells want to hold onto fat," says Robert Lustig, an endocrinologist at the University California, San Francisco. "They will go to the mat to hold onto their fat. They do not want to give it up."

Obesogens can also affect your metabolism (how quickly your body burns calories) and how quickly your hunger is satisfied. Timing of exposure is critical. The data so far indicates that development (in utero, and the first few years of life...perhaps even to puberty) is the most sensitive period, says Jerrold Heindel of National Institute of Environmental Sciences (NIEHS), who recently published a recent paper on the latest science of obesogens in Molecular and Cellular Endocrinology. Researchers at Tufts found that rats who ingested bisphenol-A from pregnancy through lactation had offspring that exhibited an increase in body weight that continued into adulthood.

Note that bisphenol-A is commonly known as BPA. This was often used in plastics including drinking bottles for many years. As we learn to use renewable energy, reusable containers and take better care of the environment, we should also be reducing our contact with these chemicals.

For more information on the actual research, follow the related link.

Cost is the obvious benefit, however, lower cost means the ability to add batteries in situations that may not have allowed previously. Technology to store energy is also a means to boost alternative energy sources as they need a buffer in order to supply stable energy on demand.

The printed battery sheet is very thin (500 um), flexible (allowing it to be attached to curved surfaces) and designed for use with a flexible solar battery, a combination that could be both a power generator and power storage unit. The battery prototypes have an output voltage of 2V - 4V, but the battery capacity hasn't been revealed. The benefit of the roll-to-roll printing is that its highly efficient, meaning cheaper production.

Unlike other prototype technology, this cool breakthrough isn't one that we'll have to wait 10 years to see in production. The research team, who work with the Advanced Materials Innovation Center of Mie Industry and Enterprise Support Center in Japan, plans to finish studying the technology and start shopping around for commercial opportunities sometime next year.

Follow the related link below for more information.

There are some indicators that this may be true. However, they may also be anecdotal.

The first indicator is a drop in vehicles for 2009. The Earth Policy Institute released a study reflecting 14 million cars were scrapped during 2009 while only 10 million were purchased. This means there are 4 million less cars out there. Keep in mind in the United States the statistic is 5 cars for every 4 drivers, however, 4 million less cars is still going the right direction.

The second indicator may actually be more telling even though it is a much smaller chunk of evidence. In the Upper West Side of New York City, they will be converting 240 parking meters into bicycle racks! The community board voted to make the change after local businesses said they wanted the 185,000 cyclists in the city visiting their shops and restaurants. This is definitely going to encourage bike riders, however, it may not add to the number of riders already out there. We will have to wait and see. What I like is the simple encouragement to ride a bike. People who might not normally ride a bike may now think of the added parking convenience.

To find out more about NYC and the bike racks, follow the related link below.

I have covered this subject lightly before. Now to share the project I mentioned in the "Working Toward Paperless" article.

A great deal of paper used to be processed for job bids. Basically when a school district needs work done that will require a contractor, there is a bid process to ensure funds are used as prudently as possible. In this process, complete print outs of blue prints, plans, descriptions of work and any changes thereafter were prepared on paper for all participants. At the beginning of the process enough materials were prepared for all of the respondents plus a few extra copies. Work descriptions could have 2 or 3 hundred pages with all of our criteria spelled out for ADA, Fire Safety, Learning Environment Requirements, etc... The amount of paper and time to prepare these was huge. The cost of oversize prints for plans and blue prints was also very large. These steps were all necessary as we did not have a viable alternative.

Now we have an alternative. After I personally configured a computer here to be a web-server, our tech department made the machine accessible to the Internet. After this, I worked closely with our drafter who is also a very qualified website designer to create a space for making the process paperless. The drafter is involved with almost every step of the bid process as plans and blueprints for our records as well as county records are managed and maintained by her. Plans are generally very large CAD drawings accurate to the inch for the building and all of its systems including the grounds it is on, water lines, electrical wiring, communication wiring, ventilation ducts, etc... With the insight of the drafter, a very clear layout was created for conveying the material required. The best part is the bid materials can be updated instantly and all those who are participating can be notified and will be able to view the changes immediately.

Using historic costs, this project will save us close to $100,000 a year! This is a very smart step financially as well as a huge benefit to the environment by paper avoidance.

Currently there are only two bids in the system. You can take a peek if you like by following the related link.