Every day, more and more news is coming out on just how damaged the environment has actually become. We are finally awakening to the fact that we have severely damaged our planet and we are looking for ways to live better and not deplete our precious natural resources.

One simple way to help the planet is by planting trees. Trees have a natural ability to convert carbon dioxide that is present in the air, into oxygen. Another way to help is to conserve water so there is enough water for all humans, plants and animals.

Here in lies a paradox. How can we achieve a balance between giving plants very little water while trying to conserve it, yet giving those plants enough water to survive?

Scientists are hard at work trying to develop plants that are genetically engineered to require little water to grow, but we can also do our part. One way is through a gray water rerouting system.

What is Gray Water?

Water that is generated from our baths, dishwashing, hand washing and laundry is called gray water. Black water is water that is generated from our toilets. It is estimated that an average family of four, generates nearly three thousand gallons of gray water weekly. This water is wasted down the drain and could be reused.

The gray water that is discarded does contain soaps and detergents and often bleach. These soaps and detergents do contain certain minerals that can actually help plants, but the gray water also contains chemicals that may harm plans and the soil. Bleach is especially dangerous as it damages the roots and can actually stay in the soil for a long time.

It is possible to reroute the gray water that is now going down the drain and reroute it to your garden. This is done through a series of treatment tubes and a filtration system. This will help the environment by permitting more plant life to grow and you are conserving water by reusing water that would have gone to waste.

The following tips will help you get started to use gray water for your garden.

If you are planning to use gray water to water your garden, then take note of the following tips before you start. Check with a local plumbing supply house or repair shop to see what products are available to reroute gray water.

Drip irrigation systems that direct gray water directly to the plants are available. These types of units are very efficient as they direct water to the root system of the plants where it is needed and best absorbed.

Most gray water does not require treatment, but a filter on the system will help keep dust or debris that may harm delicate plants, out of the water. Your plumbing supply will be able to assist you on how to treat the water. A stop at your local gardening supply center or landscaping professional will be able to give you information on whether or not you can use gray water on the plants you have in your garden.

Most gray water contains phosphorus, potassium and nitrogen, all of which benefit plants. These chemicals are found in organic soaps and shampoos. Check the labels on the products you purchase and look for natural or organic products. Avoid products that contain toxic chemicals and bleaches. If you notice that your plants are suffering damage from the gray water, stop using it and consult a horticulturist or gardener.

Research is needed before you can use gray water. Every garden is different and has different plants with different growing conditions. If your passion is gardenias, you may not want a gray water recycling system as gardenias to not like soap products, and can damage them severely.

If all this sounds expensive and beyond your ability, remember that you can still recycle gray water by keeping a bucket handy whenever you do your laundry, wash your dishes, or take a bath. If you use organic soaps, you can use this otherwise discarded water on your plants.

Beverly Saltonstall
http://www.articlesbase.com/gardening-articles/tips-on-using-gray-water-for-your-garden-714154.html

Making money from membership sites is a fantastic way to earn a living online. If your subscriber numbers reach a large enough number, you could be earning several thousand dollars per month. Many people have replaced their full time jobs just by running one or more successful membership tasks.

The first step to making money from membership sites is to think of a topic to build the site around. This must be a niche that has people interested enough to come back regularly for more information or products.

Some topics naturally lend themselves to regular information while others only require a one-time purchase for the visitor to gather the information they require.

For example, a person searching for a remedy for sunburn will find what they need and then move on. These people are not good candidates for a membership site.

On the other hand, cat lovers, for example, love to soak up information on cats and are perfect candidates for a membership site.

Here are some great ideas for membership site niches:

Dating Fishing Travel Cars Bodybuilding Weight Loss Pets Religion Photography Music Gardening Poker Self-Help Video Games Private Label Rights Products Resell Rights Products

The above are just a selection of ideas that would be ideal for membership site topics. Ultimately you would want to break any of the above topics down into a sub-topic to make it a more tightly focused membership.

For example, gardening may be broken down several levels as in the following example: Gardening > organic gardening > organic vegetable gardening

The tighter the focus of your site is, for more details visit to www.member-site-manager.com the easier it is to find highly targeted leads, and the easier it is to make your membership appealing to people with specific interests. Of course, there is no reason why you cannot open multiple membership sites in multiple sub-niches.

A membership site does not have to be overly technical. In fact, some of the best memberships consist only of a forum. This forum is an exclusive club and the best part is that you do little to add content to it - most of the content comes from members themselves.

Ideally, you would provide a free general forum with certain sub-forums being a paid only member access area. Regular members will wonder what goes on in the paid forum and once curiosity gets the better of them, they too will join up.

Forums can get very large, so you only need to charge a small amount or even a one-time fee for people to access it, for more details visit to www.secure-member-area.com and you can still earn huge amounts of money.

Once you have built up a targeted member base, you will start to form relationships with them. From this relationship comes a sense of trust, in that they will often trust that the product recommendations you make to them are honest and helpful, so they are likely to buy.

Harmeet Kaur
http://www.articlesbase.com/business-articles/some-profitable-topics-and-ideas-for-membership-sites-712302.html

With the coming of a new year, we have the chance to better our lives and turn over a new leaf. Why not start by living a more eco-friendly lifestyle. Clip this list of green alternatives and see how many you can apply to your daily life. You may be surprised at just how green you can be with very little effort, and who knows, maybe it will be contagious.

Water your garden with a rain barrel. Hook up a rain barrel to your downspout or attach a fancy copper water catcher and start storing water for those hot summer days. Your barrel will weigh over 400 lbs when full, so ensure you find a level place to store it. One quarter inch of rain will yield 200 gallons of water.

Gather your neighbors and start a community garden to grow your own vegetables. This is a great idea especially for people with limited yard space or apartment dwellers.

Set up a composter and treat your garden to free compost. Fill it up with any non-meat food scraps, vegetable peelings coffee grounds, leaves and grass cuttings. Your plants will love it and you’ll be buying less garbage bags.

Plant a tree. Build your own forest by planting trees and seedlings. They look beautiful, provide shade and habitats for animals and birds. They’ll even do their part to improve air quality by filtering out pollution and boosting oxygen.

Find alternatives to insecticides. Fight garden pests with organic means, such as dish detergent and water. Take some Ivory Liquid detergent mixed with water at a ratio of one to two percent and spray your plants to coat bugs and suffocate them.

Use solar power to light your walkway. Save money on bulbs and electricity with solar powered garden lights. You’ll love the wire-free installation. Where solar isn’t practical switch to low voltage or LED lighting.

When landscaping, focus on using native species of plants to help stop the spread of invasive, non-native vegetation.

Make a habitat. Help support our feathered friends by hanging feeders or bird houses, set up a bird bath and plant shrubs that bear fruit.

Let nature take care of mosquitoes naturally. Build a backyard bat box and let them feast on between 500 to 1,000 mosquitoes per hour. That sure beats spraying bug repellent.

Remember push mowers? They’ve become all the rage as an eco-alternative to gas mowers for cutting your lawn. They save money, mess and you get additional exercise.

Don’t forget the mulch. Adding mulch to your garden in the winter protects your plants from the cold and in the summer months keeps the soil cool, prevents water loss and helps to control weeds.

Reduce, reuse and recycle every chance you get. It may take some time, but just by being aware you will increase your practice of the 3 “R’s”. The next time you go to throw out that old piece of lumber, fencing, or light fixture, stop yourself and take a load to the local reuse store. You may also find that reclaimed lumber fits the bill for your next building project.

Carolyn Capalbo
http://www.articlesbase.com/home-improvement-articles/turn-over-a-new-leaf-and-resolve-to-be-green-717324.html

As more and more people are taking a hard look at the effects that pollution is having on our planet, new terminology is emerging.

The term sustainable development encompasses the concept of using our resources wisely so that we can enjoy them, but they will also be available for future generations.

Another term that has been showing up in the worldwide lexicon is “food miles”. Before the industrial revolution, food was grown and consumed locally. What food wasn’t grown at home was obtained at local farmers markets, or using the barter system.

As the world is becoming globalized, the ease in which food can be transported is having a major impact on the environment. The transportation of that food can use a tremendous amount of fossil fuel. “Food miles” is the total distance that food goods are transported from the field or source of manufacture to the consumer. This term has become an indicator of sustainability, and has sparked a movement towards using foods produced and consumed locally.

Recent studies are showing that the globalization within the food industry has resulted in more and more products being imported from foreign companies. This has greatly increased the “food miles” a product travels, and substantially increases the amount of pollution that is generated.

In an effort to supply consumers with fresh food, the use of the airplane to transport that food has greatly increased. Since air transportation produces far greater greenhouse gasses than ships, this also has a negative effect on our environment.

Long distance transportation also requires more packaging since consumers will not buy bruised foods. Packaging made from cardboard, paper and plastics use more of our natural resources such as trees and fossil fuels. The increased packaging also requires that more trees be cut down, destroying wildlife habitat. Then the packaging ends up in our landfills when it is discarded. This creates a vicious course that harms the environment.

Consumers need to be aware of where their food originates. Packing will often tell what country produced the product you are planning to purchase. Buying fruits and vegetables that are “in season” often means that that they are locally produced and travel less miles to get to market. Choosing apples from New York State is preferred over buying them from New Zealand.

Buying locally is part of the key. It not only helps the economy by supporting our local growers, it is better for the environment. The trend is to buy “organic” but if that food comes from South America, the benefit to the environment is minimized.

The other benefit of purchasing locally is that the produce is fresher, so you are getting healthier food that contains fewer preservatives. Often the cost is less because we are not paying for the cost of transportation, packaging, advertising and all the chemical additives.

If as a consumer you wish to lower your carbon footprint, your best option is to purchase most products that have been produced within a thirty mile radius, choose products that are not damaging to the environment and purchase products from the areas where they grow best.

During World Wars I and II, citizens were asked to plant victory gardens. These gardens produced over one third of all the vegetables consumed in the country. Maybe it’s time to go back to the “good old days” and consider planting gardens to grow our own vegetables to help the environment.

In time, as technology improves, buying from overseas will not hurt the environment. Many countries rely heavily on the exportation of food goods to other countries, so a shift to purchasing locally grown food could be devastating to these countries.

Beverly Saltonstall
http://www.articlesbase.com/food-and-beverage-articles/what-are-food-miles-and-how-does-it-affect-you-715486.html