When one thinks of Los Angeles, warm weather, beautiful beaches, and Hollywood come to mind.  As attractive as these features of LA are, the city’s reputation is often overshadowed by how frustrating it can be to travel even short distances.  Drivers are notoriously known for being heavily reliant on freeways, and with a lack of comprehensive and efficient alternatives, traffic relief is not promising for the near future.

It is no wonder that a weekend closure of a 10 mile stretch of Interstate 405, the nation’s busiest freeway, was cause for concern.  With a long stretch of freeway closed during the weekend of July 16, a freeway segment that over half a million drivers depend on every day, there should have been a nightmare traffic gridlock in the surrounding area, right?  In the city known as the “freeway Mecca,” the general expectation was that we would witness an event dubbed as “Carmageddon.”


However, as the LA Times staff points out, there were similar traffic concerns back when Los Angeles hosted the 1984 Summer Olympics…and traffic was “a breeze.”  History does indeed repeat itself and once again Los Angeles drivers have proven that when given proper incentive, they can manage to utilize other means of transportation en masse (or at least decide to leave their cars at home).


If told to stay off the roads for a reason like Carmageddon, or anything else, what would you do?  Many people stayed home and had family time or block parties.  Some went to parks or nearby attractions to enjoy themselves, and found a new way to have fun.  These guys even had a candle-lit dinner on the deserted highway.

There was also a noted increase in the use of mass transit, some estimate a 10-15% jump in ridership during the shutdown.  While an area as large as Los Angeles requires an extensive mass transit system, the bulk of its operations are road based buses, which in the event of a shutdown of a road, such as the 405, would hamper its operations as well, or the buses would be subject to the same traffic headaches as other cars given open roads.  A more comprehensive and efficient mass transit system would help matters, however in a sprawling city like Los Angeles, distances can be too hard to tame.


Now imagine if drivers in the Los Angeles metro area found incentive to drive less daily.  Carbon emissions in the area would greatly reduce, gas prices would relax, less road maintenance would be necessary, and travel would be less stressful.  I’m sure that you can come up with other ensuing benefits from a decreased dependence on freeways.  However, the fact remains that until drivers are offered extensive and reliable alternatives, the status quo will remain intact.


About One Stop Green: One Stop Green is looking towards a ‘greener’ future, sharing the latest and greatest ideas in green living and green technology with you through our staff written blogs.  Going 'green' is no longer a choice, it's our responsibility, that's why it's so important to try and do the small things that can help change the outlook of the planet - and this is essentially the purpose of One Stop Green.  We believe even the little things like recycling or using less water helps the environment out in a big way, and that's why our various solutions seek to nurture and edify your home or business in an eco-friendly manner.

Google, in response to recent criticisms, compiled data to reveal its energy use, greenhouse gas production, and put its environmentally friendly initiatives on display.  This all started from a claim by The Sunday Times, a British newspaper, stating “Googling” something uses the same amount of energy as boiling a teapot (British people love their tea, and so did I when I visited, with cream even).  This bold claim put Google on defense and spurred an investigation into how much energy its ever-growing data centers use.  The Sunday Times accepted Google’s response that most searches use 35 times less energy than The Sunday Times suggested, however Google wanted to be sure.

Google’s concern is valid; it is regularly seen as one of the best places to work in the United States and the perks its employees enjoy are subject to jealous comments by other office workers across the country.  Google’s statistics could be considered high, using 2.3 billion kWh of electricity last year, enough for a medium sized city (207,000 homes according to Edison Electric Institute). However, that is about half of the biggest power users, mostly oil companies, automobile manufacturers, and steel mills.

In defense, Google has decided it will now publish numbers regularly to track progress in reducing its carbon footprint.  Google has also pointed out that searching for something for a research project is more efficient than going to a library and looking in books for the information.  In addition, Google, is pushing customers to use their centralized data centers to store and process data, called cloud computing.  Cloud computing is more efficient and cheaper for a company than that company using its own information technology department (Google states an in-house email server uses 75 times more energy than using Google’s Gmail).

Google’s own in-house green initiatives have also spread beyond the company itself.  Google has invested nearly $1 billion in renewable energy projects across the United States.  Wind farms in North Dakota, California, and Oregon, and solar projects in California and Germany all have received investment from Google to help reduce the reliance on fossil fuels for our everyday electricity.  In addition, a transmission system, one of the key hindrances to many renewable energy projects, has been started with the help of Google to help jump start offshore wind farms on the Atlantic Coast.

Google’s transparency should be an example for companies across the United States.  For Google to sit down and plot out its carbon footprint was no easy task, and the results opened even their eyes to how much they use.  Companies like One Stop Green can help companies and households help identify changes that can be made to improve their own carbon footprint in order to help make the world a greener place.

One Stop Green is looking towards a ‘greener’ future, sharing the latest and greatest ideas in green living and green technology with you through our staff written blogs. Going 'green' is no longer a choice, it's our responsibility, that's why it's so important to try and do the small things that can help change the outlook of the planet - and this is essentially the purpose of One Stop Green. We believe even the little things like recycling or using less water helps the environment out in a big way, and that's why our various solutions seek to nurture and edify your home or business in an eco-friendly manner.

The best advice for a homeowner interested in a Solar PV system for their home is to first do your homework! Prices for Solar PV systems will vary depending on the size and type of system, as well as the overall structure of your home. An average solar PV system costs between 16k -28k and may be more depending on the type of solar panels you use, however, the industry has seen a 30% drop in solar panel prices in the last six months alone, meaning that solar for the home is becoming more affordable.

Generally, the more electricity the system can generate, the higher the savings – but the bigger the initial cost. A 4kW system typically provides around a quarter of your home’s electricity needs and will save you money on your annual electricity bill.

The Database of State Incentives for Renewable Energy (DSIRE) has information regarding incentives available in your state. You can use energy calculators available on various websites (such as OneStopGreen.com) to determine how much potential your home has to produce electricity from solar.

How much electricity you will generate will depend on:

• The tilt angle of your roof and its orientation (maximum output is for a perfectly south facing roof with a tilt angle of 30 degrees)
• Where you live: the south-west gets more sun than the north, which could impact the amount of electricity your system will generate, although not too significantly.

Our initial site survey will first complete a comprehensive energy audit of your home in order to determine potential problems areas. Otherwise, it’s as if you are just pouring water into a bucket with a hole in it – no matter how much water you pour in, its going to continue to leak out. In much the same way, it is important to address all the other problem areas of the home before even thinking about adding a solar PV system.   

Also, be sure to:

• Make written notes – Inspect your roof and make note of all the measurements, in particular the orientation of the roof.
• Look at the roof – from both inside and outside.
• Be safe – Use access equipment for closer inspection where roof quality is uncertain.
• Record any possible risk of shade – Shade will reduce the effectiveness of your system.  Look for shady spots on the roof from trees, neighboring houses and chimneys.
• Examine the house – Measure the tilt angle of the roof, this is important when determining how big of a system is needed.
• Look at electrical use – Look at your fuse box and metering to see how much energy you are using.
• Identify your main electrical appliances – The biggest users and when you use them can help set a baseline for a solar system.
• Look around your property – Plan and discuss where to locate cables and equipment.
• Be sure to ask about other costs – This includes scaffolding, panel/module information, details of warranties, details of the inverter, the company’s terms and conditions, and information on how it has calculated the payback, rate of return and savings.

One Stop Green is looking towards a ‘greener’ future, sharing the latest and greatest ideas in green living and green technology with you through our staff written blogs. Going 'green' is no longer a choice, it's our responsibility, that's why it's so important to try and do the small things that can help change the outlook of the planet - and this is essentially the purpose of One Stop Green. We believe even the little things like recycling or using less water helps the environment out in a big way, and that's why our various solutions seek to nurture and edify your home or business in an eco-friendly manner.

One Stop Green offers Energy Efficient products and services for your Home, Business, or Commercial property. Learn more about One Stop Green by visiting us at Green Living & Energy Efficient Products

On the twelfth day of Christmas: Get that closet ready! Almost 100,000 tons of old clothes will be thrown away this Christmas, so if you know your getting a new wardrobe, be sure to get your closet ready by donating your old clothes to a local charity.

On the eleventh day of Christmas: Avoid buying gifts that require batteries! New gifts at Christmas often mean that households go through a lot of batteries. But remember, batteries contain toxic chemicals, are not biodegradable and are difficult to recycle. As an alternative, One Stop Green recommends using rechargeable batteries or better yet, try buying new USB rechargeable batteries! By opening the batteries cap and plugging it into a USB connector, you can recharge them pretty much anywhere and save them from otherwise being disposed!

On the tenth day of Christmas: Buy in bulk! Instead of purchasing cans of soda and individual small bags of chips, go ahead and stock up on bulk goods you know you’ll end up using to reduce packaging waste and save on trips to the grocery store.

On the ninth day of Christmas: Getting a new cell phone or electronic product for Christmas? Be sure to dispose of that old phone or electronic through an e-recycling program. Each year, approximately 130 million cell phones are thrown out that weigh over 65,000 tons. Recycle your old phone or electronic responsibly to prevent hazardous elements like mercury, cadmium and lead from leaking into our landfills.

On the eight day of Christmas: Buy a Real Christmas Tree and be sure to Recycle! Ninety-eight percent of Christmas trees were grown on farms, not in forests, so it's not as if you're cutting down an ancient tree. Each year, 10 million Christmas trees end up in the landfills and while your tree won't fit in the recycling bin, you can recycle it through various other methods, one of which is through programs offered by the city to turn your tree into mulch.

On the seventh day of Christmas: Add Organic and Local Foods to Your Holiday Feast! Support local farms that grow sustainable meat and produce. Not only does it taste better, but its more humane towards animals and you'll be doing your part for the planet too. Speaking of buying local foods.

On the sixth day of Christmas: Buy Local Gifts - The impact of transportation contributes significantly to greenhouse emissions and global warming so this Christmas, buy locally made and manufactured gifts from places such as fairs and artisan shops that reduce the added costs of transportation.

On the fifth day of Christmas: Christmas is expensive and that means lots of bills! This Christmas, be sure to sign up for paper free billing and pay all your bills online. Not only will this help you cut down on the amount of junk mail you receive but you'll save some trees as well!

On the fourth day of Christmas: Not all gifts have to be store-bought. Give more while spending less by making personal and unique gifts from scratch. Need some ideas? Check out how to make your own Green Terrarium!

On the third day of Christmas: Use LED Christmas lights to decorate your home! Save money, use less energy, and invest in long term LED energy saving Christmas lights that will give you all the festive cheer without the holiday electricity bill.

On the second day of Christmas: Re-use gift bags! Save your gift bag or wrapping paper and re-use them for other gifts to use less paper. Try also using the comic section of your daily newspaper to wrap gifts – it’s free, saves money, and helps the environment!

And on the first day of Christmas: Buy Green! This Christmas, consider giving the gift of green and give recycled and up-cycled gifts and ornaments! For more eco-friendly gift ideas and tips, visit OneStopGreen.com – Your Destination for Green Living! 

One Stop Green is looking towards a ‘greener’ future, sharing the latest and greatest ideas in green living and green technology with you through our staff written blogs. Going 'green' is no longer a choice, it's our responsibility, that's why it's so important to try and do the small things that can help change the outlook of the planet - and this is essentially the purpose of One Stop Green. We believe even the little things like recycling or using less water helps the environment out in a big way, and that's why our various solutions seek to nurture and edify your home or business in an eco-friendly manner.