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Greenrati was designed to help people find the best green and eco friendly solutions, products and ideas for better living in their home, office, and personal use. We aim to present the best green products and ideas that use solar, wind, geothermal, and other clean technologies. Products purchased through Greenrati help support green living education and this website.
Turn your foot Green, click here to calculate your Carbon Footprint
These highly rated green products can help you Go Green and make your carbon footprint smaller:
 Go Green - Get a Tax Credit
There are many Federal and State programs that allow you to get tax credit, incentives and rebates when you make your home more energy efficient. Check out the Department of Energy's - Database of State Incentives for Renewables and Efficiency or Greenrati's Financial Links for guides on tax incentives and rebates.
Go Green and Get Recycling Points
If you do curbside recylcing, you should think about joining The RecycleBank. The RecycleBank partners with cities and haulers to reward households for recycling. Households earn RecycleBank Points that can be used to shop at over 1,500 local and national businesses.
Go Green by Saving Water
Did you know that saving water saves energy and saving energy saves water? It is called the Water Energy Nexus. Water and energy are very dependent on each other. The production of energy, in its many forms, requires large amounts of water, in fact, the electricity industry is second only to agriculture as the largest user of water. In many parts of the country, people use as much water turning on the lights and running electric appliances in our homes, as we use in taking showers and watering lawns.
Conversely, the supply of water requires a lot of energy to extract, transport, treat, and deliver to your tap. Once you use the water, additional energy is required to collect, treat, and dispose of your wastewater. So when you are thinking about living more eco friendly, think about saving water with water savings products in addition to saving energy.
Learn more about how saving water can help you Go Green at Overview of the Water Energy Nexus in the United States
Go Green for Your Community
 Whether you believe in global warming or not, living more green makes sense for everyone. Reducing our dependence on Middle East oil companies, local electric companies, water, and landfills is good for all local communities. With the global population only going up, everyone needs to reduce their usage of resources from water to oil. Living green just makes sense for everyone, we only have one Mother Nature, please treat her right.
Visit the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration website for more information about the recent temperature trends and analysis.
For a counterpoint to Global warming, visit a video presentation by MIT's Richard Lindzen, a climatologist.
Go Green by Shopping On-Line
A study by Carnegie Mellon University's Green Design Institute showed that shopping online for products consumes 35 percent less energy and carbon dioxide emissions compared to traditional shopping. So when you have to shop, shop on-line for the Green products and services you need.
Go Green by Recycling Everything
Recycling not only includes newspaper, cans, glass, cardboard, organic items but just about anything has some value to someone else. Items that are old or broken often have internal components that can be valuable. Computer hard drives have powerful magnets that can be used in power generators. Old treadmills have internal permanent magnet motors that can be used in small wind turbines to generate power.
So before you take something to the dump or throw it out, use local classifieds to either sell it or just give it away. Visit The Freecycle Network to find local people who may want your old stuff. Living green can help you and your neighbors.
Go Green by Reducing Junk Mail
Each year millions of tons of junk mail is sent to landfills never opened. Each of us receives a lot of useless mail. This wasted mail uses valuable resources and energy to create, transport and recycle.
You can manage your junk mail by visiting DMA Choice.org. This site allows you to stop unwanted mail from companies who are part of the Direct Marketing Association.
Free Energy for Everyone!
That’s what Nikola Tesla, the father of modern AC electrical power systems and the famous Tesla Coil(left), believed he could provide the world back in the early 1900’s with his new invention...Free Energy Without Power Lines.
Today, Wardenclyffe Tower, the site of his incomplete invention, vaguely resembles Tesla's dream to produce free electricity. The project was originally financed by J.P. Morgan to develop trans-Atlantic wireless communications. It is rumored that when J.P. Morgan found out the alternative use of Tesla’s communication invention, he pulled his financing and the project was never completed.
Why would J.P. Morgan stop funding for such a great project…Money. The potential electricity from Tesla's invention could not be metered, so there was no way to charge people for the electricity, thus free electricity.
Today, academics are still studying Tesla’s inventions to expand on his brilliance.
To learn more about the great Nikola Tesla and the Wardenclyffe Tower project visit:
Wikipedia – Nikola Tesla
Wikipedia – Wardenclyffe Tower
Wikipedia - Tesla Coil
Free Energy Now
At the 2010 Consumer Electronics Show CES, RCA annouced a free energy device. RCA's Airnergy device will allow users to harvest WiFi waves to charge a small battery that can be used to charge small electronics. It is scheduled to come to market during the summer of 2010. To find out more, check out this YouTube Video: YouTube - RCA Airnergy
Go Green with Rechargeable Batteries
Each year millions of batteries end up in landfills. Help stop the waste by using rechargeable batteries. These eco-friendly PowerGenix batteries have the same power output as the high power disposable batteries and can be recharged 1000 times. By using rechargeable batteries versus disposables, you can:
- Consume up to 22 times less non-renewable natural resources
- Have up to 28 TIMES less impact on global warming (CO2)
- Save 12 times less water
- Save up to $80 a year.
When your batteries finally die, you can recycle rechargeable batteries at Staples, Home Depot, Radio Shack, Best Buy, and other retailers, free of charge. Your single use batteries can be recycled at your local Whole Foods Market, Ikea, or library.
Go Green by Changing Your Driving Habits
Most of us have to drive, so make the most out of driving by driving more efficiently. By making small changes to your normal driving style, you can improve your miles per gallon, be less stressed and improve your safety. Here are some practical driving tips:
- Accelerate smoothly, no jack rabbit starts.
- Anticipate stops to reduce sudden braking.
- On off ramps and steep hills, coast as much as possible but keep pace with traffic.
- Focus on driving and avoid distractions like cell phones.
- If you have a trip computer with real time fuel consumption, experiment with different driving techniques.
For more information about improving your MPG, visit:
Wikipedia - Fuel Economy-Maximizing
Fuel Economy.gov
Go Green, Slay Your Energy Vampires
Up to 20% of your home electricity use can be attributed to appliances that are in the "off" position. Even though an appliance is turned "off", it may still continue to use energy. How can you slay these little energy suckers? You can monitor your overall electricity usage and put high usage appliances on a single power strip. By turning one power strip off, you can stop the slow drain of electricity and start living more green.
This Belkin power strip has a remote, so you don't have to crawl behind appliances to turn it off.
Go Green by Teaching Green Ideas
Teach green ideas of wind, solar and water power to your children. It's never too early to help the next generation get more involved in the green, eco-friendly trend. Hands-on learning is the best way to actively involve children and promote scientific interests.
By creating simple windmills, solar experiments and waterwheels, you can bring home the simple ideas of natural energy that has been around for thousand of years.
Visit these sites for more green education for kids:
EEK - Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources
EPA - Student Center
The Green Squad
Meet the Greens
ABC Science
Go Green by Knowing the Carbon Cycle
You can be more green by knowing one of the most important green concepts, the Carbon Cycle. The Carbon Cycle is a series of natural processes in which carbon is cycled through the world. Carbon cycles through the world by moving from earth in the form of plants and fossil fuels -->to animals and humans --> to the atmosphere --> then back to the earth.
To learn more about the Carbon Cycle, visit: NOAA’s/ESRL's Global Monitoring Division.
*Image property of NOAA.
Go Green by Recycling Rainwater
People may use solar, wind, gas, oil, wood or other methods to generate electricity or heat / cool their homes, but they all use one thing...WATER. Without clean water, people can not live. Just look around the World to see massive economic and social problems that a lack of clean water can have on an area.
Do your part by conserving as much water as you can by reducing your water consumption and recycling water. If you have a home where you can start living more eco-friendly by capturing rainwater from your downspouts, use a rain barrel to collect and recycle water.
Go Green by Planting a Tree
Did you know you can seriously reduce your carbon footprint by planting trees each year? By planting 10 to 20 trees each year, you can reduce or eliminate carbon footprint. Planting trees gives you a real sense of contribution to making the World more green and healing the planet. Living trees and plants let off oxygen and take in carbon dioxide.
Consider giving a living tree instead of holiday flowers or other gifts to promote planting trees.
To learn more, visit Discovery.com's Plant a Tree Article or The Nature Conservancy's - Plant a Billion Trees
Go Green by Developing Green Ideas
Share your green ideas at Yahoo's Make It Green site. This website allows you to review green ideas and post your own green solutions to make others green. If you have a great green idea or product, this site along with Edison National can help you get it in front of top companies. Who knows, it may make you some money.
Go Green by Just Saying "NO"
The United States is one of the greatest countries in the World but we consume too many unnecessary products. You know this is true if you have ever seen the completely full garages or the thousands of offsite storage places around the country. Just saying "NO" to unneeded purchases can dramatically reduce your impact on the World, save money and live more green. The next time you are shopping ask yourself 3 simple questions:
- Do I REALLY REALLY need this item?
- Do I already have a similar item at home that may be stored or hidden?
- Can I repair what I have?
The power of "YES" is great but so is the power of "NO". Say "NO" and Go Green
Go Green by Doing an Energy Audit
Your home is generally your biggest energy user. You can save money by doing a home energy audit to find where you can reduce your energy usage. An energy audit is simple to do by following a couple easy steps outlined on the U.S. Department of Energy's Energy Savers website. If you prefer not to do-it-yourself, your local energy company can generally provide an energy audit for you, many times for free. Learn more about professional audits at U.S. Department of Energy's Professional Audit website.
Go Green by Starting an Organic Garden
Nothing is more satisfying than growing your own food and it gives you control over what goes into your food. Living green can be as easy as starting your own organic garden. Whether you live in the country and have land or live in the city and use a community garden, growing your own food reduces your carbon footprint and saves you money. Get your hands dirty today.
Visit Wikipedia - Organic Gardening and Farming for more information about organic gardening.
You can also visit the White Houses's Healthy Harvest and see a video of the First Lady's organic garden.
Go Green Go Negawatts
Never heard of Negawatts? You're not alone. A "Negawatt" is the theory that people can generate energy credit by choosing to not use energy. By reducing demand or using energy more efficiently, you can generate negawatts. The concept has practical applications in efficient energy management systems or smart girds. These smart girds can reduce power to customers during peak energy usage periods. By participating in these programs, customers can potentially reduce their energy usage and save money. Find out more at: Wikipedia - Negawatt or learn about the smart girds at: Echelon's Smart Gird page
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