There is a terrible fraud being perpetuated in the ecosphere that threatens to undermine the trend towards green living and is causing many consumers to unknowingly pollute the environment while under the impression that they are saving it. It’s called greenwashing and many unscrupulous businesses are indulging in this deceptive marketing tactic to con you out of your money and stomp on the environment at the same time.

What is Greenwashing?

The simplest explanation of greenwashing is when a company makes misleading, or outright false, claims about the Earth-friendliness of their company, products or business practices. It can be something as basic as claiming a product is green when in fact the environmental benefit is negligible to outright deception by launching a wide scale marketing campaign extolling the company’s new green initiatives when in reality the company is doing nothing of the sort.

Companies who participate in greenwashing are pretty clever when it comes to hiding the truth about their eco-friendliness and it can be a challenge separating fact from fiction. To help you avoid giving money to companies that choose to greenwash their business rather than clean up their act, I’ve put together a few tips for spotting a greenwashed product.

Educate Yourself

By far the easiest way to spot greenwashing is to understand what green really means. At its heart being eco-friendly means doing no lasting harm to the environment. So from its inception to its disposal a green product should have no adverse affects on the environment. It’s the same with businesses. Corporations should run their companies in a way that has little to no negative impact on the planet.

When you see a product on the shelf that claims to be eco-friendly, think about how the product was created, the impact it might have on the environment with its use and what happens to it when it is disposed of. If that product adds to environmental problem in any way, chances are it’s not as green as the manufacturer would like you to think.

Beware of Seals

Another area where companies try to pull a fast one is in the use of official looking seals and labels. Some seals, such as “Green Seal”, are valid because the product was independently verified by a credible third party. However, other seals are unregulated and thus are self-serving at best. Research which seals are official and lookout for those products that carry them.

Watch for Superficial Changes

The most transparent form of greenwashing is when a company makes changes that are purely for show. For example, changing a product’s packaging to emulate the color scheme of similar green products, adding buzzwords like Eco or Enviro to the name of the product or spinning a product’s marketing pitch to make it appear to be Earth-friendly.

Usually your gut instinct will warn you when a company is trying to pull the wool over your eyes with these types of tactics. So if it feels too good to be true, it probably is. It is a good idea to take the time to find companies who are truly committed to the environment and, therefore, whose products you can trust to be green.

Greenwashing is a sad and senseless fact of this move towards eco-responsibility. But as more and more people wise up to the deceptive tactics of unscrupulous companies the sooner they can be exposed for the frauds they are. If you are looking to do business with a company who has a real commitment to being Earth-friendly visit RockYourBusinessOnline.com for information about starting a home based business that helps you make money while saving the planet.

Going green is a lot more fun when you’ve got the whole family on board. In the beginning, it can be tempting to want to make a lot of changes all at once but if you want the change to last it is better to take things nice and slow. Here are five going green tips to help your family ease into the idea of being more eco-friendly and save you money in the process.

1. Turn the Electricity Off – In addition to turning the lights off whenever you leave a room, you should also get into the habit of unplugging electronics, such as cell phones and laptops, from the socket whenever they’ve finished charging. Electronics and some appliances will continue to draw electricity even when they are not turned on. So do your electric bill a favor and unplug it.

2. Take Military Showers – To cut back on you water consumption try to cut down on the length of time you are in the shower. The average person takes a 15 minute shower. At an average of 8 gallons per minute that equals 120 gallons of water. Even trimming off 5 minutes of shower time means a 30% reduction in water usage.

3. Reduce Meat Consumption – Raising livestock requires a good amount of resources and it is estimated that 80% of agriculture related greenhouse gasses can be attributed to waste produced by the animals. In fact, cutting out one pound of meat saves sixteen pounds of grain, 2000 gallons of water and one gallon of gasoline. But you don’t have to switch to a vegan diet. Even cutting meat out of 1-2 meals a week (about a 10% reduction) can help reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

4. Clothes Do a Double Take – Get into the habit of wearing clothes twice before throwing them into the washing machine. Unless you are especially active or prone to food related accidents, chances are you do not dirty your clothes up enough to warrant a trip the hamper. Save money on your laundry as well as wear and tear on clothes by getting twice the wear out of them before washing.

5. Go to the Library – This going green tip will help you reduce the clutter in your house, keep more money in your pocket and is kind to environment. Instead going to the bookstore and purchasing books, magazines and movies, check them out from the library. Honestly, how many times do you reread a book or watch the same movie? Most libraries will have all the latest titles so you can stay current and be green at the same time.

Once your family has gotten used to these going green tips then you can move on to more challenging changes such as carpooling and switching to a completely organic lifestyle. One way to show them that going green is good is by starting a home based business with an eco-conscious company committed to saving the environment. To learn how to earn green while going green visit RockYourBusinessOnline.com.

In the short time I’ve been living green, I’ve found that it really is a lifestyle choice. So if you are going to pick up the ball, you might as well run with it as far as you can. In this article, I’m going to pass along a few going green tips for making your home more environmentally friendly. Some of these tips are simple and cheap and some are a little more complicated and expensive. But in the long run not only will you create a healthier living environment for yourself and your family, you’ll also save money in the process.

1. Insulate Walls – It is estimated that an average sized home loses up to 50% of its heat energy through the walls and the attic. Installing insulation in these areas can dramatically reduce your energy bill as well as cut down on the noise pollution in your own home.

2. Cold Water is Your Friend – 90% of the energy used in washing clothes in warm or hot water goes towards the actual heating of the water. The average family washes 392 load of laundry per year. Using the cold water setting saves the equivalent of 162 pounds of CO2 emissions and takes an equally sizeable chunk out of your electric bill.

3. Install a Solar Powered Water Heater – If your water heater is due for replacement, consider installing a solar powered water heater instead of the traditional electric or gas heater. Using energy from the sun to heat your water can save you up to $220 per year on your utility bills. Additionally, installing solar products on your home increases its value and homeowners who do are eligible for a tax credit from the government until 2016.

4. Use Organic Cleaning Supplies – Many of the cleaning supplies on the market, although effective, use chemicals that are toxic to both humans and the environment. Switch to organic cleaning products or, better yet, make your own at home. There are many websites on the internet offering cleaning recipes using nothing more than vinegar, lemon and baking soda to create cleaning products that are just as effective as their toxic counterparts and a lot more human and Earth-friendly.

5. Rainwater is Your Friend – One unique going green tip to help cut your water bill is to collect and use rainwater. Rainwater tanks can be purchased from home improvement stores or created using simple DIY instructions found on the web. Water from rain can be used for something as basic as watering a garden or be outfitted to the home for use in toilets, washing machines, to wash the car and even for drinking if filtered properly.

These going green tips are just a few of the ways you make your home a little more eco-friendly. Another way you can go green is by starting a home based business with an eco-conscious company that helps you earn green as you go green. For more information about this life changing opportunity visit RockYourBusinessOnline.com.

How to Unfollow people on Twitter

UnTweeps

Unfollow Tweeps who do not Tweet often enough

Your Twitter Karma

Who is following you & who is not – Bulk unfollow

Friend or Follow

Who is following & who is not – Se more detail on each person

*TwitFresh (New one I came across – Awesome !)

Unfollow everyone not following you – happens within minutes (WARNING – does no take you to another screen or allow you to pick people. If you put your info in and hit submit then BAM they are all gone)

In a previous blog post, we talked about the definition of a green business and some reasons why you would want to build a sustainable business. In addition to creating a healthier and more stable environment for current and future generations, having a green business can be very profitable. Your business overhead will be lower and you’ll be able to command higher prices for the products you sell.

How you go green depends very much on where you are in your business. People who want to start a green business will definitely have an easier time of it than people with an already established business. In either event, here are a few tips for building a sustainable business that will help you prosper in this new era of eco-responsibility.

Start Small and Build on Success

When you want to go green, it can be tempting to make sweeping changes in order to hurry along the process of becoming more eco-friendly. But sudden changes can be difficult to maintain especially if you have employees. Instead of hitting hard and fast, go slow and steady to give everyone involved plenty of time to adjust.

Think Long Term

Get into the habit of thinking long term when making business decisions. A major aspect of a green business is the fact that the business has little to no negative impact on the environment. Therefore, whenever you make decisions about how your business is run, think about the long term consequences of your actions. What may seem inconsequential now may have a huge impact down the road.

Reduce Your Impact

If you manufacture products, work to reduce the impact your production has on the Earth. This includes reducing your consumption of resources, such as water and electricity, and reusing or recycling as much of the waste you produce as you can. Not only will you reduce your carbon footprint but you will save money in the process.

Get Employees Involved

If you employ people, get them involved in the company’s quest to go green. Solicit input about ways the business could be more eco-friendly. Offer incentives for helping the company achieve its sustainable business goals. Promote the reality that being an eco-friendly company takes team work and make sure you let them know how much you value all their efforts to help the business move in the right direction.

Get with the Green Program

Connect with an environmental group and involve your company in local green programs. The program can be as basic as planting trees or as elaborate as helping to raise money for green organizations by hosting fundraising events. If you have the time, space and knowledge, you can even create your own green community program which will give you a unique edge over your competition.

Building a sustainable business is a process that may take several years to complete. Take your time and implement changes that will stick. Before you know it, you’ll have a green business that you will be proud to own. If you are an entrepreneur looking to start a green business of your own, visit RockYourBusinessOnline.com for information about an eco-friendly business opportunity that has people all over the country turning a profit while turning green.

TweetMiner

*** A new tool I just started using and it is awesome! ***

This tool allows you to schedule RSS feed for content from your favorite sites, RT your favorite people and either schedule specific time or add to rolling schedule. New feature to help you find people to follow ! Definitely check it out !

(Click the image to get a better look a Tweetminer’s features.)

(Click the image to get a better look at Tweetminer’s features.)

Tweetbeep and Tweetburner will help you identify people with like interest & tracking for your business

Two great tools to help identify people with like interests & tracking for your business.

TweetBeep

TweetBurner

With all the talk about going green, it is easy to get lost amidst all the advice offered on a daily basis that is designed to help you become more eco-friendly. One area where it can get especially confusing is when it comes to starting and running a green business. Just what exactly does “green business” mean and why, as a home based entrepreneur, should you be interested in implementing sustainable business practices in your company?

Although it would be great if green business referred to a company that was pulling in the cash hand over fist, the term green business actually refers to a company whose products, processes and manufacturing activities address the triple bottom line; the environment, people and profits. According to Wikipedia, a business can be considered green if it meets all of the following criteria:

1. It supplies eco-friendly products and services that reduce the need for similar conventional products and services.

2. Each business decision incorporates the principles of sustainable business development.

3. The business itself is more eco-friendly than its competition.

4. The business is committed to being eco-conscious in its day to day operations.

Basically, to be considered a green business a company must sell Earth-friendly products and have implemented a sustainable business strategy that focuses on running the business in a way that has little to no negative impact on the environment or society at large.

Building a sustainable business is just as important as going green in other areas of your life. One simple reason is a business that works in harmony with the Earth is far more likely to survive than a business that depends on nonrenewable resources or pollutes. Just think about it. If your company depends on a nonrenewable resource, when that resource runs out where does that leave your business?

Another good reason to have a green business is it helps you do your part to be a good conservator of the planet so that future generations can also enjoy the beauty and splendor offered by the Earth. It is a sad fact that if we don’t do something now, the next generation will be the first one to have ever inherited a planet that was worse off than when the previous generation received it. You don’t want our generation to go out like that now do you?

If those two reasons don’t do it for you, then building a green business is simply better for the bottom line. Using fewer resources, such as electricity and water, saves money. Coupled with the fact that most people are willing to pay a premium for Earth friendly products and you have a recipe for profits that you’ll be able to sustain for many years to come.

In the next article, I will pass along some tips for building a green business you can be proud of. In the meantime, if you a ready to earn green while going green visit RockYourBusinessOnline to learn about an eco-friendly business opportunity that has people building profitable green businesses all over the country.

Discover some tips and tools to help you on Follow Friday

I remember my first Friday on Twitter. I was completely confused & had no idea what was going on? Why do I see #FollowFriday? What does it mean?

Every Friday people will send out their favorite people and recommend that others follow them. Many times you will see tons and tons of tweets like this….

#FollowFriday @Terry_Allison @ckinney @mmangen @williger @David_Kaufer @MirrorFinish @Mastocytosis @westham999 @AnthonyTilghman @Msbbp404

#FF @DeanBenninger @MyGreenSide @billbudgets @teamarete @EcoFan @amous @eQuin2010 @ArwenTaylor

After a few Friday’s I felt like my eyes were going to roll back into my head. Friday’s had now become chaotic & almost stressful for me. I had so many followers and it was too much to try and recommend them all & how was I ever going to keep up with it?

I found an awesome tool to make Follow Friday so much easier. The Twitter Tag Project, which allow you to scan the last 200 tweets, count the dups, and return your most active friends.

The results will display: (you hit tweet and that is it) – So Easy!!

Latest update & breaking news about Follow Friday:

Many more Friday’s went by before I started to realize that my eyes were still rolling in the back of my head. The tweets all day long looked the same to me. It all looked like a bunch of noise & was not really following any new people on Friday. That is when I decided to do things very different then everyone else on Twitter.

I decided that it is all about creating value & that each person deserves to know a little about that person & why they should follow. I also decided that I would make #follow recommendations every day of the week & not just on Friday. This way the recommendation would really stand out apart from all the noise.

Now my recommendations look like this….. (Some of my Favorite peeps )

@Terry_Allison Great friend who does Joint Ventures w/ Authors, Speakers, Trainers, Real Estate and Niche Experts for Promotion/Profit.

@ckinney Good friend. Always engages- very helpful here on Twitter & She markets a Carwash Magazine. Take time 2 get 2 know her..

@mmangen Great girl – My friend. Does Bookkeeping & Property Management Virtual Assistant. QuickBooks ProAdvisor. Excel Queen.

@williger Darren is a tea drinking, guitar playing, low-carb eating, wine making sales maker who writes 4 MyLowCarbPages.com – Luv it !

@David_Kaufer awesome guy -good friend to follow – Great Tweets – He is a marketer, entrepreneur & Passionate #Green advocate

@MirrorFinish Frank is super guy. Always here to help & he tweets to help keep your car and boat like new. Mobile detail biz

@Mastocytosis An incredibly brave women & great person who is always helpful. Follow her & learn about her cause to raise awareness….

@westham999 Really great guy who always engages and is very helpful to me. He mixes it up with music & fun.. Be sure to follow

@AnthonyTilghman He is a great guy who always engages & here to help.

@Msbbp404 Awesome – always engages and RT’s – truly a wonderful person!

@DeanBenninger He is a great guy to know. Always engages here on Twitter & very helpful person. check him out !

@MyGreenSide She is awesome lady… Mother & wife — I am learning great #green info from her… check her out

@billbudgets Jessica is very cool girl. Good friend to have. Always helping others & she takes the stress out of bill paying…

@teamarete He is Entrepreneur, Bringing 25+ years of business development experience to the home business industry. Super guy to follow!

@ecofan Super guy & father. Always engages. He is an Entrepreneur that LOVE’s Alternative Energy. check him out

@amous He is a super guy who really helps out & engages on Twitter. He is holding the famous bunny on twitter #amousbunny – check him out!

@eQuin2010 He is super cool & helpful. He engages and RT’s. Great friend to have. Check him out! Has new #green biz too!

@ArwenTaylor She is great & engages. She also writes articles for people & does SEO. Internet savvy girl.

@davorado Great guy who does magazine design, media, & publishing. He is all about Sharing, learning, and meeting new people. #follow

@AmericanWomannn My fun & passionate friend & the lady who started #Hunkalert & #babealert. She is always on here & will engage!

Those were just a few of my favorite peeps on Twitter. There are so many wonderful people that I have connected with that I wish I could name them all.

I now keep a word document with all the people I feel deserve to go on my list & then I will recommend them throughout the week & even promote their business. I continue to add more and more people that I feel add value & are worth tweeting about on Twitter.

I think people deserve to know why they should follow others and those you recommend deserve to be in the spotlight!

Imagine this. You are in the grocery store, kids in tow, filling up the cart and making good time. Just a few more items and you’ll be able to check this task off your long to-do list. As you reach for a case of bottled water you hear a tiny voice say,

“Bottled water is bad for the Earth.”

You look down the grocery aisle but quickly realize that the statement came, not from some militant environmentalist standing by, but from your eight year old who is staring at you with wide innocent eyes.

You ask them to explain what they are talking about and, to your surprise, you are given a litany of facts about how only 2 in 10 plastic bottles are ever recycled (the rest find homes in landfills) and how when plastic degrades, it leaches dangerous chemicals into the ground and water.

Needless to say you are shocked that you’ve just been schooled by your child on the environmental dangers of bottled water.

Think this scenario is farfetched? Think again. Children as young as 4 and 5 are now getting a green education as school teachers add environmental awareness to the program. A recent poll by book publishing company Scholastic showed that out of 2754 children a whopping 56% stated global warming as the issue most important to them.

Teaching kids to be green can be a challenge but with patience and a little creativity, you can raise environmentally aware children who care for the Earth.

Young Children

Young children may not be able to understand the environmental issues facing us today but even toddlers can learn some basic green habits. Start with recycling. For better or worse, children learn by watching what you do so let them observe you separating the trash into the different recycling containers. You can start with an explanation of the different types of materials and where they go. As they get older, you can further explain why it is important to recycle.

Another easy area to start instilling good green habits is teaching them how to conserve resources. Get them used to turning out lights when they leave a room. Make it a habit for them to fill a glass with water to use to rinse their mouth out after brushing their teeth rather than leave the faucet running.

Older Children

When children are old enough to start helping around the house, you can get them excited about being green with a little kitchen chemistry. Show them how to make an all purpose cleaning solution out of vinegar (50%) and water (50%). You can also make a furniture polish using 1 cup of olive oil and ½ cup of lemon juice. Something kids might find especially fun is to shred a whole lemon (or orange) peel in the garbage disposal to clean it.

Preteens and Teens

As children become increasing mobile and self-sufficient, you can encourage them to expand their green efforts beyond the home. Get them involved in local environmental projects such as planting trees and cleaning up local parks. For driving teens that may be looking to purchase their first car, steer them towards hybrid and electric cars as well as teach them the value of carpooling with friends.

It’s never too early or too late to start instilling good eco-friendly habits in kids. You can even show them how to run a green business with your own Earth-friendly company that earns you money while helping you save the environment. For more information on this groundbreaking opportunity, visit RockYourBusinessOnline.com.

(photo credit: D Sharon Pruitt)