Answer by wisco_love
www.solarenergyireland.com

In the event of the current economic headwinds that have hit the US economy and gas prices, Hybrid cars have emerged as the panacea to these crises. But do hybrid cars really save gas money? Hybrid cars are designed to use both electric and gasoline to run its engines. The most important aspect of this type of design though is its effect on the environment. This type of design reduces carbon emission compared to the usual car engine design. Hybrid cars are dubbed to be 'green' cars or 'environment-friendly' cars. But other than this aspect, Hybrid cars also reduce the use of gas because of the electric part of the engine. So, to answer if Hybrid cars save gas money: yes they do. However, in evaluating 'buy or not' decisions, the gain or savings from use is not the only thing to consider. The cost of acquiring should also be considered.

Hybrid cars usually cost an average of over five thousand more than the regular non-Hybrid cars. There are even those premium Hybrid cars that cost over two thousand than the regular non-Hybrid cars-a ridiculously high price for a car that's supposed to be the panacea of economic crises. The next thing that would be worth looking into is the gas savings on Hybrid cars. According to research, Hybrid cars are supposed to save you somewhere between two hundred to six hundred dollars in gas money every year. If you do the math, your breakeven point would be somewhere between five to more than ten years, depending on the cost of the car.

If, you are currently looking for a way to save on gas, then shelling out cash to purchase a car that's five thousand higher than regular cars should be properly evaluated. You will be looking at a breakeven point of five years or more. And if you do not hold your car for more than five years, then buying a Hybrid car is clearly not an option for you using the cost factor. When it comes to the environmental benefit from Hybrid cars, there is no question on its benefit. Yes, it would be a good idea to do your part on saving the environment, but will holding the cost of a Hybrid car save your purse from being emptied?

Gas mileage using hybrid cars is better for city driving rather on highway driving. So if you're considering buying a hybrid car, then your location should be another factor you should weigh. Yes, hybrid cars save gas money, but more in city driving. If you do highway driving more, then the savings on gas would be lesser and you will be looking at a longer breakeven period.

Hybrid cars do save gas money but requires a higher holding cost and a longer breakeven point. If you are planning to go for Hybrid cars to reduce gas money, then you should consider the cost, your location, the breakeven point and holding the car beyond that point.

Answer by Weirdo.
http://www.kew.org/learn/wildlifezone/4_env_games.pdf Check this out. It's the best I could find. There's 3 games.

But you don't have to follow that crowd. In fact, establishing a greener lifestyle can actually save you money if you go about it the right way.

My focus is very much on how consumers can save money as they go green. And it makes sense to create your green lifestyle this way. Cutting back on energy use, conserving water, driving your car less, and buying certain items second-hand are all actions that reduce your consumption of resources. Why should that cost you more?

In fact, it doesn't. Here are 3 tips for living that greener lifestyle that are guaranteed to save you money.

1) Replace all incandescent light bulbs with compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs). CFLs use only one-quarter of the energy of an incandescent and last up to 10 times longer. It is easy to understand why. Incandescent light bulbs convert only about 3-5% of the energy they consume into light. The rest is dissipated as heat. Incandescent bulbs are essentially little heaters that happen to generate some light. Because CFLs generate less heat, using them will reduce your cooling costs in the summer. Another advantage of CFLs is the following: although the earliest version of CFLs did not work with dimmers switches, the more recent versions will.

2) Buy power strips to switch off electronics when they are not in use.Most people probably do not remember the days when you switched on a television set and then waited 30 to 60 seconds for it to warm up and turn on. Nowadays, we have the instant-on feature, which become so much a part of our modern world but which costs us in so-called "vampire power." Why? Because in order to deliver the immediate gratification of instant-on, the device (television, radio, computer, etc.) must stay in a constantly warmed-up mode, and it must continually draw a little bit of power to accomplish this.  Electronics have become so pervasive that this vampire energy draw is estimated to account for around 10 percent of residential energy use in the United States. By plugging your electronics into a power strip that can be switched on and off, you can cut the power completely, saving all that energy drain. In addition to televisions and VCRs, computers and printers should be switched off at night or whenever you are not using them for an extended period of time.

3) Reduce hot water use by taking showers instead of baths. A bathtub will require 40-70 gallons of water to fill, and all of that water is heated. In contrast, a shower uses about 2 to 3 gallons of water per minute (less if you use a low-flow showerhead). A 7 minute shower, therefore, uses only 14 to 21 gallons of water. You get a double benefit, saving not just on water, but also on the energy required to heat that water.

These three simple steps are guaranteed to make your greener lifestyle cost you less, not more.

Initial expenses involved in these alternative energy homes are bit costly. The real saving only can be realized down the line with reduced monthly bills.  Renewable energy sources are the main back bone for this alternative energy. Tapping out energy from these renewable energy resources needs good investment. In fact there will be no charge to use this natural sunlight, wind and water in generating alternative energy for our needs. But the infrastructure needed to generate power through them is your investment. This solar power can be made utilized in solar energy homes for heating, cooling and other purposes. In fact required power energy can be generated through solar panels and this generated energy would be converted through inverter into usable format.

Solar energy homes are free from grid and energy generated will be serving to their requirement. Whole family should make a proper utilization of this energy alternative. Conserve the power usage by switching off appliances while they are not in use. This kind of simple changes can help you in proper utilization of this alternative energy in your solar energy homes. Also give a thought about more energy efficient appliances and this energy can be managed properly. All these steps will take you towards lot money saving, environmental friendly and much closer to the green world.

Anybody can build Solar Energy Homes, it really quite easy to make, all guided in the step-by-step guideline, Visit This Site, and find our free bonus

Just how much of a difference will consumers see with the Honda Insight hybrid cars? Studies have shown that hybrid cars featuring a manual transmission will get approximately 60 miles per gallon in the city and 66 miles per gallon on the highway. Hybrid cars with an automatic transmission generally provide slightly less than 57 miles per gallon in the city and 56 miles per gallon on the highway.

The brand new 2006 Honda Civic hybrid cars are only manufactured with an automatic transmission and provide an approximate 50 miles per gallon on the highway and/or the city.

As expected, hybrid cars will get better mileage per gallon than that of a hybrid SUVs. The Ford Escape, for example, provides 36 miles per gallon in the city and 31 miles per gallon on the highway. Even with these numbers, the hybrid Escape is rated to provide better gas mileage than the non-hybrid Escape, which is only said to provide 22 miles per gallon in the city and 25 miles per gallon on the highway.

The most popular reason for consumers to purchase hybrid cars is because they are economical. With the recent rise in gasoline prices, consumers were left searching for an automobile that could provide better gas mileage and found just that in hybrid cars. In addition to their fuel friendly design, hybrid cars are no longer confined to one or two cookie cutter designs. In fact, today's hybrid cars are available in a variety of sizes, colors and are manufactured by a several automobile makers.

With all of the aforementioned benefits, many wonder just how much the convenience of saving money will cost. Surprisingly, hybrid cars are not drastically priced above other non-hybrid automobiles. In fact, hybrid cars & SUVs can be found in prices ranging from ,000 to ,000 for standard models, but may cost more depending on chosen upgrades. The new hybrid cars are available in the look of typical highway automobiles or those designed with a unique flair. Either way, the manufacturers of hybrid cars believe that while appearance is important, the most important thing about these new technologically advanced autos is the fact that they are both environmentally and wallet friendly.

But you don't have to follow that crowd. In fact, establishing a greener lifestyle can actually save you money if you go about it the right way.

My focus is very much on how consumers can save money as they go green. And it makes sense to create your green lifestyle this way. Cutting back on energy use, conserving water, driving your car less, and buying certain items second-hand are all actions that reduce your consumption of resources. Why should that cost you more?

In fact, it doesn't. Here are 3 tips for living that greener lifestyle that are guaranteed to save you money.

1) Replace all incandescent light bulbs with compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs). CFLs use only one-quarter of the energy of an incandescent and last up to 10 times longer. It is easy to understand why. Incandescent light bulbs convert only about 3-5% of the energy they consume into light. The rest is dissipated as heat. Incandescent bulbs are essentially little heaters that happen to generate some light. Because CFLs generate less heat, using them will reduce your cooling costs in the summer. Another advantage of CFLs is the following: although the earliest version of CFLs did not work with dimmers switches, the more recent versions will.

2) Buy power strips to switch off electronics when they are not in use.Most people probably do not remember the days when you switched on a television set and then waited 30 to 60 seconds for it to warm up and turn on. Nowadays, we have the instant-on feature, which become so much a part of our modern world but which costs us in so-called "vampire power." Why? Because in order to deliver the immediate gratification of instant-on, the device (television, radio, computer, etc.) must stay in a constantly warmed-up mode, and it must continually draw a little bit of power to accomplish this.  Electronics have become so pervasive that this vampire energy draw is estimated to account for around 10 percent of residential energy use in the United States. By plugging your electronics into a power strip that can be switched on and off, you can cut the power completely, saving all that energy drain. In addition to televisions and VCRs, computers and printers should be switched off at night or whenever you are not using them for an extended period of time.

3) Reduce hot water use by taking showers instead of baths. A bathtub will require 40-70 gallons of water to fill, and all of that water is heated. In contrast, a shower uses about 2 to 3 gallons of water per minute (less if you use a low-flow showerhead). A 7 minute shower, therefore, uses only 14 to 21 gallons of water. You get a double benefit, saving not just on water, but also on the energy required to heat that water.

These three simple steps are guaranteed to make your greener lifestyle cost you less, not more.