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A nearly forgotten breakthrough in nuclear power technology has the capacity to virtually replace the use of fossil fuels within 10 years according to researchers.  However, the technology was shelved during the Clinton administration at the height of the anti-nuclear movement in the U.S., and kept there by the Bush administration.

Integral Fast Reactor (IFR) technology has been tested and proven viable at the Argonne National Laboratory in Idaho over a thirty year span beginning in the mid-1960’s.  These “fourth-generation” reactors use existing stocks of nuclear waste as fuel and produce clean energy with virtually no radioactive byproducts.  The common objections to use of nuclear power are virtually eliminated.

Based on current research, it is conceivable to meet virtually 100% of our electrical generation needs using the integral fast reactor technology within a matter of years if we were to undertake an aggressive switch to this technology.  Using currently available nuclear waste material as fuel would allow for several hundred years of operation at current levels of worldwide energy usage without any need for extraction or mining of additional nuclear fuel.  Additionally, the process consumes nearly all of the radioactive material, leaving low volumes of waste material that require containment periods measured in decades rather than millennia.

Further, the reactor design is essentially disaster-proof.  Should something go wrong during the process, the reactor naturally shuts down.  This has already been successfully tested at the Argonne facility.  Concerns over proliferation of nuclear material are reduced as well, since the material used in the IFR is much less suited to weapons development than that of the current generation of nuclear plants.

The primary obstacle seems to be commercialization of the process required to reprocess the existing stockpiles of nuclear waste into nuclear fuel for the IFR. While this technology, called pyroprocessing, has been developed and tested, the cost of handling a large scale effort would require a significant upfront investment. 

There is a growing consensus that green-energy technology alone cannot meet our energy needs.  Those in the fossil fuel industries have been pushing for increased use of natural gas and coal, which continue to add CO2 and other greenhouse gasses to the already elevated levels in the atmosphere. It seems that a technology that has been neglected for over a decade may hold the key to solving both the worldwide energy crisis and be a major factor in reducing climate change.

What is Green Living – Green Living is a life philosophy. Proponents of green living aims to conduct their lives in such a way that they have an all encompassing awareness of saving the earth and its environment.
As a supporter of Green living, you carry out your life in an eco-friendly and responsible manner, an attempt to minimize the size of your ecological footprint. Green living includes the conservation of resources, recycling, sustainability, green construction, alternative energy, organic food choices and other environmental topics.
Green Lifestyle – Each choice you make requires a consideration of the consequences of the choice, and the way that the decision will affect the environment and all living things within it. Ecological consciousness and care for the earth are of paramount importance in the decision-making process.By minimizing their “ecological footprints” – the extent to which they create an environmental impact, proponents of green living hope to preserve the earth for future generations of human beings and other life.
Green Technology – Green technology is essential for the conservation of energy, soil health, green building, environmentally preferred purchasing, green chemistry and green nanotechnology.Developing green technology includes toxic-waste-eating trees, smart electricity grids and floating environmental sensors. Then there is the alternative-energy home fueling station that could jump-start the long-awaited hydrogen economy. This technology may seem far out-but it will probably be here a lot sooner than we think.
Green Building – Green building is basically the practice of using eco-friendly building materials and designing homes and offices to be more energy efficient.A zero-energy building has no net energy consumption when measured across a year’s time. It uses alternative energy sources like solar and wind power. Both zero- and low-energy buildings are great for green living.
Green Energy – Green technologist aims produce energy without burning all the world’s coal and using all the world’s fossil fuels and natural resources. Alternative energy is related to green living as it includes energy alternatives to traditional fossil fuels. The main drive behind alternative energy is to find renewable, eco-friendly sources of energy like solar or wind power.
Organic Food – Organic food refers to food items that are produced, processed and packaged without using chemicals. Organic food is increasingly becoming popular due to its perceived health benefits over conventional food. Droves of people are turning to organic produce as a way to feel safer about the foods they eat. People are worried about the foods they put into their bodies. With all of the reports of food poisoning from fruits and vegetables, many people are worried about what they are eating.
Renewable Energy – Strictly speaking, renewable energy is energy that is replenished at the same rate it’s used. As the center of green living, renewable energy encourages use of solar, wind, and other alternative forms of energy.
Solar Energy – Solar energy is the conversion of the sun’s rays to energy, very good for green living. Active solar technology uses electrical or mechanical equipment to convert the sun’s rays into usable energy for heating or whatever. Passive solar technology does not use any outside non-solar energy.
Sustainablility – Sustainability, central to green living, is about preserving the environment and natural resources for years to come. It is the process of maintaining a small ecological footprint so that one’s life has no permanent detrimental effect on the earth. There are specific fields within it like sustainable architecture, sustainable agriculture, and sustainable development.Green living habits are worthwhile no matter what our circumstances – privileged or not.

Renewable Energy as the term implies is a form of energy that is self sustaining and constantly renewing itself like wind and solar energy. Which can not be said by many other energy sources that are currently in use such as oil, gas, coal and nuclear energy. Another advantage the renewable energy sources have over conventially used energy sources is that for the most part it is non polluting and thus is environmentally friendly and health for human and animal use. A third advantage and one that peaks most peoples interest is that solar and wind energy saves you money as they are essentially fixed in cost and are not subject to the price volitility and availability of oil, coal, gas and nucluear energy. There are two ways that a homeowner can implement renewable energy; this can be done by using solar panels and/or wind turbines. These renewable energy technologies are implemented into what is essentially an energy system using advance electronics to tie together and control the energy generating sources. These systems may lead you to think that they are fairly complex and expensive, but that couldn’t be farther from the truth. If your a Do-It-Yourselfer it’s even more cost effective, and as with all such systems they pay for themselves year after year. Depending on how you implement renewable energy technolgy it is quite possible to power your home off grid which can save you thousands yearly. This includes using solar power heaters that can provide up to 75% of a homes hot water needs reducing or eliminating the need for oil or gas heating systems. If your currently not ready for upgrading your home with solar panels and wind turbines you should still begin to investigate what it will take to upgrade your home and the cost involved; since eventually going green is something we’re all going to have to do. For now though you can reduce your energy consumption by insulating your home, use energy efficient light bulbs, caulk leaky windows, insulate your water heating tank, insulate pipes that distribute your hot water… To start getting ready on installing green technologies do your best to learn about the various programs available to homeowners from federal and state governements that will help reduce the cost on installing green technologies such as solar and wind and the various tax benefits that are also available, which can save you a bundle of money. As the price for the commonly used fuels of oil and gas continue to rise and there scarcity increases, renewable energy sources and the technology developed to take advantage of them is the only way to go since they will be here as long as the sun burns bright in earths sky. Learn more about Green Technology Solar Panels and Wind Turbines and how they can save you money as well as add value to your home while helping the environment at the same time!

When it comes to making a change in your life, and deciding that you want to ‘go green’, then a green forum is an excellent place to begin.

It is difficult to know where to start. We all know that we should be making a concerted effort to save energy, and eat food produced in a fashion that protects the environment. The question is where is all the information to start to make a positive change? Well, over the last few years there has been a large increase in the number of ‘go green’ focused websites. These sites are portals for consumers to leave information about any experiences they have had in becoming more friendly to the environment.

So called ‘Green Forums’ are usually free to join, and they can have thousands of useful tips for local and global issues. Making a change in our life means starting the change from home, and these forums give us all a chance to find out what we would maybe never have learned otherwise. Tips on the house and home and how to saving energy is a very big subject, and there is plenty of information to be found.

Other areas to help the environment include new fuels and fuel technology, including how and where to fill up a car running on a hydrogen cell, or how to get information on running and electric vehicle.

Solar panels for the home are quite a new trend, and there are many unanswered questions about this topic. Using a green forum lets you see the experiences of others in the same situation, and see any pitfalls and advantages before you decide on how to proceed.