So many people are talking about the environment and “living green” and even the corporate world has joined the band wagon coming out with campaigns to display their companies as “green”. But advertising campaigns will not save our planet! That’s why I like to see some actual actions such as the recent program launched by British Gas (see below).

9 August 2007: British Gas has announced it is launching two new green energy tariffs, Zero Carbon, which will be the greenest tariff available on the domestic market and Future Energy. British Gas has launched the tariffs, in response to the increasing demand for green energy products.

Householders signing up to the Zero Carbon tariff will:
• reduce their household energy carbon emissions to zero through Kyoto compliant offset schemes which will meet the new Defra requirements
• help fund a direct increase in investment in renewable energy generated in the UK
• contribute to the new British Gas green fund which will:
o invest in developing new renewable technologies such as wave power
o oversee a programme to help schools in the UK reduce their CO2 emissions

Gearóid Lane, Managing Director British Gas New Energy said,”Our new tariff responds to consumer demand for truly green energy solutions. It is essential that customers have confidence in green energy tariffs and that their credibility is not damaged by tariffs that claim to be green but in reality do not deliver any incremental environmental benefits. Green tariffs are moving from niche to mainstream products and we’re leading the industry by offering a tariff that will do more for the environment than any other product currently available.”

Under the government’s Renewables Obligation (RO), electricity suppliers in the UK are already required to produce an increasing percentage of their electricity through methods such as wind farms which, unlike traditional power plants, produce zero carbon emissions. For 2007/2008 this figure is set at 7.9%.

In a recent report, the National Consumer Council (NCC) raised concerns that some energy suppliers are packaging electricity which is produced under the RO scheme as “green”, yet it delivers no additional environmental benefits. The NCC called on energy suppliers to take steps beyond their legal requirements and offer green energy tariffs that provide genuine additional environmental benefits, in particular CO2 emissions reduction.

British Gas worked with Global Action Plan and The Climate Group’s “We’re in this Together” campaign to develop Zero Carbon which goes further than any other green tariff in meeting these requirements offering consumers the only zero carbon option on the market.

The tariff carries a premium of £84 per year, reflecting the higher cost of producing energy through lower carbon emission schemes.

Virginia Graham, Chair of Global Action Plan, said, “The British Gas Zero Carbon tariff delivers on all three of the essential requirements of a green tariff which are: additionality, transparency and verifiability. As such it is a very welcome new offering in the market. Consumers signing up to the tariff can be confident that they are getting 12 per cent more renewable energy than they would otherwise have got. The carbon emissions from their electricity and gas will also be offset with emissions reductions from projects accredited by the United Nations.”

Zero Carbon is one of the first initiatives launched through the ‘We’re in this Together’ campaign, which was launched in April 07 as an alliance of some of the UK’s biggest brands who are all working to help their customers reduce their impact on the climate.

Dr Steve Howard, CEO of The Climate Group and founder of ‘We’re in this Together’ said, “We’re committed to offering people ways to make a real impact on climate change through Together.com. We’ve worked with British Gas to ensure that Zero Carbon is a genuine step forward in delivering more environmental benefits than any other tariff currently available.”

British Gas’s second green energy tariff, Future Energy, offers an alternative green electricity tariff at a premium of just £20 per year. Customers signing up to this tariff will contribute to a green fund which will provide solar panels and other renewable energy technologies to UK schools. Money from the fund will also be invested in development of future renewable technologies and sources.

To sign up customers can call British Gas on 0845 604 0055 or visit www.britishgas.co.uk

Here are some sure-fire ways to ensure that you get the most out of your money when you go out to shop:

Make a list and stick to it. Too often we go to the department store or the supermarket and wander aimlessly around and then buy more than we planned. Buy only what you have in mind and resist the urge to get something on impulse.

Keep an eye out for sales. Stores would have seasonal promotions and offer huge discounts during certain occasions. Take advantage and plan your next shopping trip on those times.

Compare prices. And labels as well. Don’t fall for the splashy signs and attractive promotions. Know what you’re getting and how much you’re willing to pay for it.

Have you ever heard of Car Angel? They are an extremely unique charitable organization who raise money for causes they support by accepting Los Angeles Car Donations. The cars that are donated to Car Angel are right away offered for sale by the professional staff of Car Angel who know how to convert your car into cash and raise the most money for each car. If you are interested to Donate Your Car In Los Angeles, Car Angel will go out of their way to help you do so and have developed a well organized system which makes the whole process extremely quick and simple.

Car Angel can even pick your car up from your location and arrange all aspects of selling the car including getting the right tax form for you to receive a deduction for the charitable value your car brought in. This is a great way to do something good in situations where you are planning on selling your car or perhaps getting rid of it. Car Angel not only allows you to do something positive with your car, donating it can actually be less of a hassle than selling it. With your help, Car Angel can extend their support for orphans and at risk youth as well as distribute their Free DVDs for Kids.

We have discussed a few drug rehabilitation centers on our blog before and believe this is a topic which is worth bringing up and creating awareness to. The consequences of drug abuse are so far reaching that I find it almost unfathomable that people still kid themselves with the concept of “just experimenting” or thinking they “light users”.

While our country has are some amazing drug rehabilitation centers, a few of which we have discussed here in the past, there is one that we find truly amazing. The reason for this is in its founders’ background. You see they too were once drug addicts and as they have received help from others and got their life back, they feel it their mission in life to help others in return.

Running a successful online business takes a lot more than simply creating a website and placing it online. Even experience marketing soon enough realize that marketing an online site is very different from traditional offline marketing. Suddenly terms like SEO (search engine optimization), CTR (click through rate), CPM (cost per mil) and landing pages are added to your vocabulary and you realize you are in a whole new ballgame.

A great place to brush up on your online marketing skills and stay updated with the latest marketing news is available at allinanchor.com (only true SEO’s will understand the meaning of that domain name). It’s a great way to keep on top of the game since the online marketing business moves at a very fast pace. Can you keep up?