Goal For The Green

Let’s face it, no matter what your New Year’s resolution is or was, the bottom line is we have to take better care of ourselves, on a daily basis.  That includes taking time for ourselves by exercising, eating right and taking care of our skin.

English: A complete diagram of the human skin. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Caring about yourself and caring about the earth, may seem like the furthest thing from your mind when doing your daily beauty regimen.  However, there actually is a close connection.

Our skin should always be a pampered priority, as it is the largest organ in our body. Therefore, always look for the very best in natural and organic skin care  products, so that you can pamper your skin with truly beneficial ingredients.  It is important to look for natural and paraben free cosmetics that offer the best solution for your skincare dilemma.  This time of year is when lotions and keeping our skin moist and nourished are necessary steps to protect us from wind and chaffing.

At EnviroProductsWorld, you can be assured that you have the best organic options for everything from hair products, cosmetics and deodorants, to green cleaning products, and natural pet products.  In fact, many of their products are USDA Certified Organic, meaning that the products are certified by the government (US) as 95% food grade organic, with zero chemicals or synthetics used in the manufacturing process.  Stop by and check out their January sale in effect until 1-27-2013.  You can get free shipping on orders of $49 or more, on names and products you may already know and trust.

In getting back to a New Year and a new YOU, keep in mind that there are harsh additives and preservatives in the make up and most skincare products found in department stores that you may frequent. Not only are these additives and preservatives bad for the world we live in, but they can be harmful to your body and skin, as well.  If your current skincare products are bad things to wash down the drain –  along with your hard earned money, why on earth would you want to put them on your face?  You can stop the harm and change all of that, by using a selection of organic natural skincare products.  You’ll never again have to worry about the bad effects on your skin or your impact on the environment, plus you’ll save money while doing both.

Guest Post by Amanda Green

One of the most popular New Year’s Resolutions is “I am going to eat better.” This typically refers to starting and, hopefully, maintaining a healthy diet. It can even go as far as to mean eating only organic foods. Of course this is easier said than done. The process of successfully overhauling your diet is more complicated than you might think. Here are some tips to help you out.

1. Plan for food costing more than it use to. Organic food is, across the board, more expensive than its processed counterparts. This can be problematic if you’re used to living with a really tight food budget. Of course, as someone who is use to budgeting you’ve probably already done the high interest savings accounts comparison. Why not use some of your compounded interest to help you pay for your first few rounds of groceries?

Health (Photo credit: 401(K) 2012)

2. If you are serious about your goal, you might think about using a credit card (make sure to do your research so that you can find the best credit card rates and perks) to fund your initial ventures into healthier eating. Buying the tools you need to cook your ingredients properly can make the transition even more fun!

3. Go slowly. Trying to overhaul all of your eating habits at once is too much of a shock for your system. You might feel good for a couple of days but after that first week, you’ll be a lot more likely to fall off of your organic and nutritious wagon. By going slowly and changing out processed foods for organic and healthier options one or two at a time you’ll allow your body to get used to your new diet and you won’t have to worry that you’ve spent a bunch of money on food you don’t actually like to eat.

4. Switch up your eating habits by taste. For example if you typically reach for a bag of Skittles when your energy starts to wane, sub in a peach instead. The fruit is better for you and will raise your blood sugar and energy level in a healthy way (that won’t lead to a crash). If you’re craving pasta, why not make your own with whole wheat flour? From there you can make the sauce from scratch—this way you know that you’re getting healthy ingredients but you’re still satisfying the craving you’re having.

It is important to remind yourself, particularly when the cost of eating well starts to bum you out, that the money you’re spending now might seem like a lot, but it is much lower than the cost of the doctor bills and potential hospital stays you’d be in for if you kept up the unhealthy eating habits you’ve been use to using.

I recently received this important ground-breaking information and wanted to be sure and share it with you before the New Year!

HINES ANNOUNCES LARGEST NET-ZERO ENERGY COMMERCIAL OFFICE BUILDING IN U.S.

 LPL Financial at La Jolla Commons to

Produce More Energy on Site Than it Uses

Deutsch: La Jolla aus der Luft, Aufnahme Richtung Nord-Osten (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Recently in San Diego, Hines-the international real estate firm, and equity partner  with J.P. Morgan Asset Management, announced that the 13-story, 415,000-square-foot building under construction at La Jolla Commons in San Diego will become the nation’s largest carbon-neutral office building to date. The new building will achieve carbon neutrality on an annual basis through a combination of high-performance building design, directed bio-gas and on-site fuel cells that annually will generate more electricity than the building and tenant will use.  While there are other small net-zero buildings in the U.S., LPL Financial at La Jolla Commons will be the largest and most ambitious net-zero office building in the U.S. developed for lease.

The building will be fully leased and occupied by LPL Financial, LLC, the nation’s largest independent broker-dealer*, a leading RIA custodian, institutional service provider and a wholly owned subsidiary of LPL Financial Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ: LPLA).  It is being developed and will be owned by a partnership of Hines and institutional investors advised by J.P. Morgan Asset Management.  Construction began in April 2012 and completion is scheduled for mid-2014.

The building design incorporates a highly efficient under-floor air system, advanced curtain wall materials and many other features that reduce the energy required to operate the building.  The fuel cells, acquired from Bloom Energy, will generate approximately 5.0 million KWh of electricity annually, which is above what the building will consume.  Total on-site energy production will be roughly equivalent to generating the electricity required to power 1,000 San Diego homes.  The fuel cells convert methane into electricity in a non-combustion process.  Sufficient methane for the system will be acquired from carbon-neutral sources, such as landfills and waste-water plants, and placed into the national natural gas pipeline system. This system will contribute to California’s ambitious goal of deriving a third of its electricity from renewable sources by 2020.

About Hines:

Hines is a privately owned real estate firm involved in real estate investment, development and property management worldwide. The firm’s historical and current portfolio of projects that are underway, completed, acquired and managed for third parties includes 1,208 properties representing more than 488 million square feet of office, residential, mixed-use, industrial, hotel, medical and sports facilities, as well as large, master-planned communities and land developments.  With offices in 104 cities in 18 countries, and controlled assets valued at approximately $23.8 billion, Hines is one of the largest real estate organizations in the world. Hines is also a world leader in sustainable real estate strategies, with extensive experience in LEED, ENERGY STAR, BREEAM, Haute Qualité Environnementale and DGNB green building rating systems.  Visit www.hines.com for more information.
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