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Gore is a recipient of a Nobel Peace Prize award for his efforts in educating the public to the effects of global warming and climate change. He even released a documentary entitled “An Inconvenient Truth”.

Personal Background

Gore is born to a family of political background, as his father was a U.S. Representative and Senator. His father represented Tennessee during his term in Congress. Gore’s mother was a graduate of Vanderbilt University Law School, one of the first women to do so.

Following the footsteps of his father, Gore graduated from Harvard University with a B.A. in government in 1969. He even graduated with flying colors, finishing cum laude at the course. Just a year later, he married Mary Elizabeth Aitcheson with whom he has four children.

Like almost all young men in the United States at that time, Gore spent time in Vietnam as part of the 20th Engineer Brigade in Bien Hoa. Even though he opposed the war, Gore enlisted in the U.S. Army out of civic duty and said that serving in Vietnam exposed him to the South Vietnamese’s desire to cling to their freedom, but failed to change his stance about war being a big mistake.

Gore’s time in Vietnam discouraged him from taking a career in politics and, instead turned to journalism and divinity school after returning home from Vietnam. It would only be in 1976 would he embark on a political career, a decision which was a surprise even to himself. Gore also refused help from his father during his campaign.

Political Career

At the age of 28, Gore was elected as Congressman of Tennessee. As a congressman, he introduced the bill that would later on lead to the National Information Infrastructure and, subsequently, the Internet. He also tried to cease the United States’ support for Saddam Hussein by cosponsoring the Prevention of Genocide Act of 1988 during his senatorial term, but he failed in this task.

Gore was picked by Bill Clinton to run as vice president during the 1992 presidential election. Both Clinton and Gore won the elections in 1992. Both were also re-elected in 1996. After Clinton’s term ended, Gore decided to run as president opposite George W. Bush in 2000. Gore won the popularity vote, but in the end, Bush won the presidency. It was a decision that was supported by the U.S. Supreme Court, and a decision that Gore disagreed with. However, he conceded for the sake of “unity as a people and the strength of [the US’] democracy”.

Environmental Efforts

Since the late 1970s, Gore has been making efforts regarding climate change and its effects to the environment. The Concord Monitor remarked that Gore grasped early the seriousness of the problem of climate change, and was one of the few to seek lower emission levels of carbon dioxide and other gases that contribute to the greenhouse effect.

Gore also appeared in a 2006 documentary, An Inconvenient Truth, in which he tries to bring forward evidence that the world is experiencing anthropogenic global warming. The film also tries to show people what would happen if the problem of global warming and climate change is not addressed with appropriate measures. The film won an Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature.

Gore’s environmental efforts are not without criticism. The Tennessee Center for Policy Research has said that Gore consumes 12 to 20 times more electricity than the average family in his mansion. Since 2005, the group added, Gore’s mansion has increased its electricity consumption. The MSNBC came to Gore’s response, citing that the Gores merely increased their consumption their 50% due to the Green Power Switch, which costs a lot more for them.

The Associated Press published a story on December 13, 2007 that Gore has completed renovating his home in order to make it more energy efficient. Gore’s mansion received the U.S. Green Building Council’s second-highest rating. The TCPR again criticized Gore, accusing him of higher bills after his new technology was installed.

Gore also received criticisms for his purchase of carbon credits from Generation Investment Management, due to the fact that he is the Chairman of that company. Generation responded by stating that the company does not sell or develop carbon credits, but purchases them from third-party providers on behalf of its employees.

Attila Z Jancsina is a freelance copy writer. He occasionally writes for Tennessee Real Estate FSBO. Website offers Free FSBO advertisement.

Laundry may be the one daily chore nobody wants to think much about. However, two of the larger energy consuming appliances in your home are in the laundry room. The clothes washer uses both energy and water, especially if you wash in hot water. The clothes dryer is a large heater blowing hot air through your wet clothes. The water heater accounts for 13% of the average US home’s annual utility bill. Of that up to 26% can be due to washing clothes. Therefore, about 3.4% of your utility bill is for heating the water to wash your clothes. Read the following tips to stop wasting money from your clothes washer and dryer.

Wash in the lowest needed temperature and rinse in cold water. Most of the energy used for the clothes washer is consumed at the water heater, about 80 to 90%. Top load washers have tubs which can use 45 to 60 gallons of water per load. Front end washers use only about 17-26 gallons. If hot water is selected on the washer, then most of the above water comes from your water heater. Using the lowest water temperature is the best action to reduce energy consumption of your clothes washer.

Fill tub completely. If this is not possible, then adjust water level to the load. Waiting until there is enough dirty clothes for a full load will minimize the time the washer is used. However, overloading the washer may prevent sufficient cleaning of all the clothes. In the few cases some clothes must be washed, adjust the water level.

Use gentle cycle when possible. The washer also has an electric motor to spin the tub (drum) and agitator. Less energy is needed for a gentle agitation. Energy Star qualified front end washers do not have an agitator.

When buying a new washer, consider front end washers that are Energy Star qualified. Front end washers use less water and energy than top load washers. Energy Star qualified washers use over 40% less energy and water. Even if a washer is Energy Star qualified, energy use can vary between models and manufacturers. Always compare the yellow EnergyGuide tag posted on the appliance.

Dry your clothes outside on a clothesline. The clothes dryer has an electric or gas heater to dry the clothes. These heaters can be quite large, requiring a 240 volt connection in the US for electric heaters. Most of the energy used by the dryer goes into the heater. There is a fan to pull air through the drying clothes and out through a vent; and a motor turns the drum. The energy used by the clothes dryer is similar between models and manufacturers. Since there is little that can be done to reduce energy, they are not required to display EnergyGuide tags and are not included in Energy Star requirements. To save energy runtime must be reduced. The greatest reduction in runtime comes from drying clothes outside; let the sun do the work. Some homeowner associations do not allow or restrict the use of clotheslines.
Clean lint filter after every load. Lint in the filter slows the airflow and results in longer time to dry clothes. Make sure entire vent to the outside is clear of lint.

Using spin dry features of the washer saves drying time. Spinning your clothes in the washer pulls water from your clothes by means of centrifugal force. This uses less energy than the heater in your dryer. Energy star qualified washers spin clothes two to three times faster. More water is extracted which reduces dryer run time.

Do not over dry clothes. This runs your dryer longer than needed, wasting energy. When buying a new dryer, consider one with a moisture sensor.

Do not forget other devices that use energy. The use of the clothes iron is declining in our fast pace permanent press world but they do use energy when used. Irons can pull 1000 to 1800 watts. Use irons only when needed and make sure you do not leave it on. A sink may be used to aid in stain removal. Any use of hot water will use energy at the water heater.

To summarize, the major factor in energy use of clothes washers is water temperature. Try using warm water instead of hot water. Use cold water for colors and delicates. Rinsing can be with cold water. There is no advantage to rinse with warm or hot water. There is little control over the heat used by the clothes dryer; simply, do not run the dryer when it is not needed. These efforts will stop wasting energy when you do laundry.

Gary Transmeier has worked over 25 years providing paying clients methods to save energy in their buildings. Now he offers ways to save energy to everyone. At The Home Energy Place you will find details on over a 100 ways to save energy in your home.

Ways to deal with the large amounts of greenhouse gases produced by those cars in inner city areas has been a major concern for environmental lobbyists for some time. The car hire industry has been one of the major points of discussion, as has the way in which we use our cars. In Europe especially the drive towards more environmentally friendly forms of transport and more ecologically sound transportation solutions has been gaining pace.

The latest development in this has been from the mayor of Paris. He recently presented plans to allow city dwellers to hire an electric car from various points in the city along a ‘pick up and drop off’ scheme. The mayor is hoping that by the end of next year there will be almost four thousand electric cars available for hire in the city. Hopefully, those making short journeys will be able to pick up the car in the outskirts and drop it off once they have reached their inner city destination. Of all the capital cities in the world, Paris is taking the first steps towards a more eco-friendly transportation solution.

Some believe that such a scheme could revolutionise transport. He has already expanded the original plans and clearly believes that this is the way to combat rising amounts of greenhouse gases being produce in modern cities. This is a worldwide problem and affects us all; thankfully, at least one official is happy to follow a course that will hopefully reduce smog and be more environmentally friendly. Paris does however have a history of being a forerunner for such schemes. The bikes available for hire in the city have changed the way that residents traverse the capital; the next phase of this is to bring the electric car plans into action.

Schemes like this could be adopted in many cities across the world. Many capitals would benefit from such a scheme that would utilise around seven hundred pick up and drop off points all around the city. As short journeys and city driving are the most harmful to the environment, green campaigners are largely appreciative of the scheme. Such a plan however has only become a reality thanks to advances in GPS technology, allowing system operators to manage the location of vehicles at all times.

The similarities with the bike hire system in place at the moment are hard to dispute, but as this has been a success it is easy to understand why they are incorporating electric cars. Users would have to subscribe to the system along annual basis; however plans are in place to allow a pay as you travel method of payment. Plans may even use a system like London’s Oyster card to allow users to pay indirectly for the hire service.

Many cities are facing the problem of overcrowding on the roads and it is hoped that schemes such as this will allow residents to negate the need for owning a car. For instance, a family that only uses their car once a week for shopping would benefit from hiring one instead of owning one. The fact that it is electric cars simply reflects the growing understanding of environmental needs.

Not all green campaigners are entirely happy however. Some argue that instead of catering for people using cars, behaviour should be changed. More important is to increase the use of public transport networks and reduce the congestion on our city roads. In Britain, car sharing schemes are more likely to be adopted over the hire plans used in France. Whatever the arguments surrounding the scheme it is good to see that some officials are trying to create more eco-friendly forms of travel. As the environment becomes an increasingly important factor on the political agenda, solutions like this will undoubtedly become more popular.

Environmental expert Thomas Pretty looks into ways in which electric car hire schemes are being adopted to make cities more eco-friendly.

When you hear the name O’Neill you immediately think of surfer dude’s with their surfer’s hair, bronzed bodies and wetsuits. The name has come to be synonymous with surf clothing after Jack O’Neill set up the original surf shop in the Sixties. Up until that point, all surf shops had stocked surf boards but it was O’Neill that was supplying the only surf clothing. In fact, it is believed he was responsible for the first wet suit designs.

However, Jack O’Neill is also responsible for disadvantaged children learning about the environment and marine life on his O’Neill Sea Odyssey Programme. This aims to teach children all about the environment and the effects people have on it. Producing children that are much more aware of the impact they have on their surroundings and how they can help or hinder it can oly be a good thing.

This course, in Santa Cruz, California takes place on the Team O’Neill 65′ catamaran over three hours. There is also on-line education tools that schools can use in conjunction with the course and, although it is relatively short, it gives these kids a good grounding in the understanding of ecology, navigation and marine biology.

So, what is the point of it? Well, the kids learn that while sports people are often hailed as heroes, everyone still needs to be responsible for their place in the world and the impact they have on it. They will learn about marine biology. This is the study of living organisms that occupy our waterways, from fish to corals. They will learn how the forces of nature change the marine habitat and the effects that mankind also have on it.

Marine biology is a science that can take many years of study to get to grips with. Even then, ideas are constantly changing, as is the environment. Marine habitat and the relationship between oceans and the environment are touched on during O’Neill’s short course and this will be enough to tell these children whether or not they are interested in it enough to take up a similar course on leaving school.

Also studied on the Sea Odyssey Programme is Ecology. This is a very important subject for today’s youngsters to understand. There is much in the press about mankind’s effects on the world around us and to see it with the clarity that a short burst of information can provide, it will probably have a more far-reaching impact. Ecology is a science all its own studying the distribution of organisms and the interactions between them and their environment, including the effects of climate and geology.

The navigation part of the course involves learning how to plan, read and control the movements of those who are moving around the sea’s, particularly while they are studying the ecology. There is no point in understanding our impact on the environment if we have no way of controlling it while we study it.

This course, as I said earlier, is predominantly for disadvantaged young people. For those who get this opportunity, many would otherwise have never known about the possibilities and options open to them to study their environment and to be able to give something back. It means that this is just one more opening to get their minds active and show them that, whatever their background, they can make a difference. Just as O’Neill has done when he could so easily have made a comfortable living simply from selling surf clothing.

Environmental expert Catherine Harvey llooks at how a shop for surf clothing led to an ongoing education programme.

As global warming continues to be a major concern for the future of our planet, people are starting to turn to green living practices to help save it for future generations. Green living involves every aspect of our daily lives - from driving to work to mowing our lawns.

Making the switch to green living all at once might scare most people away from implementing those earth-friendly changes. However, there are many ways to ease into this practice and help save the environment.

Air pollution is a major problem in many cities. Massive amounts of pollutant have been generated by factories, but that is not the only avenue contributing to global warming. Automobiles give off a fair amount of pollutants into the air as well.

When you have a lot of cars driving around on the city streets, you are multiplying the amount of pollutants being emitted by each car that is destroying our ozone. If you want to save the environment, you can start by either carpooling, walking more instead of driving or even purchasing hybrid models that do not contribute much damage.

This small change can bring much relief for the environment for future generations. There are many ways to adapt green living into your life by taking a look at your home. What kind of light bulbs are you using?

The standard bulbs we use contribute to higher electricity bills and higher levels of carbon dioxide. If you switch at least some of your standard bulbs with the compact fluorescent bulbs, you can save the environment and at the same time save on your electric bill.

Make sure to seal any gaps around windows and doors to keep any cold drafts from blowing into the house, which can cost you more money. Make sure the house is well insulated to help cut down on those costs in the wintertime. The less the furnace or heater has to run, the better off everyone will be.

Take a look at your appliances. Are they devouring too much energy? If they are older models, the answer is probably yes. While some of the changes are in the appliances that you use, other ways to go green involve your own habits and actions.

Do you open the oven door several times to check and see if something is done? The harder an appliance has to work, the harder it is on the environment. If you keep opening the oven door, the temperature will drop almost 25 degrees. It will then have to work harder to get back to the original temperature.

Recycling is an excellent way to save our environment. Try buying products that can be recycled and avoid the non-recyclable items such as Styrofoam cups. The less trash that has to be burned - or buried into our soil - the better off our planet will be.

These small changes may seem like they are not able to help much for the environment, but in reality they can help tremendously. Every little bit we do is a much-needed step toward reserving natural resources for our future generations. Get involved with the environment and start to make a difference in the practice of green living for our earth.

Paul Hata is active in various social and community programs aimed at providing equal access to education,health and jobs to all.Paul has over 10 years experience in managing a multi-million dollar advertising company.Paul can be reached at - EarlyPlanet.com

Each year more and more landfills are being opened up to handle the garbage that people are throwing out. The more garbage we send to these landfills, the more chances we have of increasing the greenhouse gases that are affecting the environment.

The best way to become eco-friendly and help protect our environment is by recycling. Recycling is the process of taking some of our garbage and re-use it again and again. This helps to eliminate the problem of landfill areas becoming filled with junk that could harm the soil as well as the environment.

Here are some simple tips to get you started on the right track with recycling your goods:

Check with your local recycling center and see what items they collect. The most common items recycling centers collect are paper products, plastic, glass, aluminum and tin cans. Designate an area in your home that can easily be reached to store your recycling products. Segregate these items by using recycling materials like paper or plastic bags.

In some cities, the recycling center will send someone to pick up your recycled items from you, while at others you have to drop off your products at the center yourself. If pick-up is available, make sure you know what day it is on and do not forget to place the recyclables on the curb for them to pick up.

If you drop off your products to a center, do schedule a day each week or every other week to get them there. If you forget to take care of the products, you are more likely to just throw them away to get rid of them.

If your city does not have a recycling pick-up option or a center to take your products to, then talk to your city officials. If you can get enough people interested in recycling their products to save the environment, they can contact the local recycling centers in nearby cities to find out how they can arrange a pick-up of your city recyclable goods.

Recycle some of the products yourself. Some craft items and even bird feeders can be made from materials you may already have at home. A plastic liter bottle can make an excellent bird feeder. Check your local library for books on making crafts and things from recycled material.

Donate some of the items you want to get rid of. Libraries may take some of those old books you have, if they are in good condition. Donate the good clothes to places like the Salvation Army. What may be junk to you, would be a nice treasure for someone less fortunate than you.

If you are not one to use the grocery store bags for other purposes, consider purchasing some nice sturdy canvas bags to take to the store with you when you shop for groceries. They can be reused for a long time and you will not have to worry about the space the plastic and paper grocery bags take up in your home or in the landfills!

Paul Hata is active in various social and community programs aimed at providing equal access to education,health and jobs to all.Paul has over 10 years experience in managing a multi-million dollar advertising company.Paul can be reached at - TradePlanets.com