Have you driven a Prius lately? If you haven’t, chances are you have definitely seen one on the road. Toyota recently announced that they have sold over one million Prii (the official plural of Prius) in the U.S. and over two million worldwide. This pretty much answers the question, “Is the world ready for hybrids?” It’s clear that for the past decade the Prius has paved the way. Now many others are following that path.

As fuel prices continue to climb, we're all looking for ways to reduce our spending on transportation. Use of public transportation, carpooling or telecommuting is becoming more and more attractive. Though for many, these options may not be feasible due to various circumstances. For those of you needing other alternatives to reduce your gas expenditure, the U.S. Department of Energy website, www.fueleconomy.gov, offers a bunch of credible information pertaining to your fuel efficiency.

What does your old air conditioner, freezer, refrigerator and older car all have in common? They all contain a chemical compound called chlorofluorocarbons or CFC’s, a substance that adversely reacts with the ozone layer in the atmosphere. This substance is so harmful that special equipment and strict regulations were designed to protect the population of the entire planet.

The sun may be an important energy resource but there are some aspects about it, like ultraviolet rays, that can be downright damaging to living things, including human beings. Luckily, the ozone layer is providing the earth with a blanket of protection from these harmful rays. However, due to the activities of the human race, instead of having a thick blanket of protection, we now have a depleting ozone.

What is ozone? Well the answer depends on which ozone you are referring to. High altitude ozone is the good ozone protecting us from the damaging rays of the sun. Low level or ground level ozone is the bad ozone with direct effects on our health as well as indirect effects on the ozone layer. Here’s why…

Air pollution is a problem that besets the planet today. So many pollutants exist in the air people breathe, especially in urban environments. Some of them may cause minimal health hazards but there are those that are toxic and can cause severe health effects. Here is a list of 10 common air pollutants to be cautious of.

Modern conveniences are growing as almost every household has air conditioners, computers, multiple cellular phones, PlayStations, refrigerators, televisions, and many other cool gadgets. And how many of our modern conveniences are made of plastic? In fact, if you look around you might be surprised to find you’re surrounded by it! And what about cars, can you look outside without seeing at least one? What do all of these things have in common? And can we create a sustainable urban lifestyle?

Climate change happens when certain elements in the atmosphere allow sunlight to pass freely, yet trap the light that is reflected back. Light enters the earth freely, but instead of leaving the atmosphere after reflecting off the ground, it gets trapped and the earth just keeps on getting warmer and warmer.

It is a simple fact of life that things get dirty and we need cleaners, solvents, powders, sprays and the like to stay on top of it all. Many of these chemicals carry warnings and cautions on how to properly store them. Large varieties of these products are petroleum based and have warnings stating that they are flammable and/or poisonous. People have come up with some strange, and even dangerous, storage places.