Passive Solar Design How-to

A “passive” solar house provides cooling and heating to keep the home comfortable without the use of mechanical equipment. This style of construction results in homes that respond to the environment.

For passive heating and cooling, the plan of the house, careful site selection and planning, construction materials, building features and other aspects of the home are designed to collect, store and distribute the sun’s heat in winter; and to block the sun’s rays in summer. Passive solar houses can be built in any architectural style and in any part of the country.

The following techniques use passive solar strategies to provide heat

Direct Gain is radiant heat resulting from sunlight admitted directly to the living spaces through south-facing windows, which warms the interior surfaces (walls, furniture, floors, etc.). For direct gain, the south-facing window area must be sized for the climate, the type of window used and the amount of thermal mass in the home.

Graphics courtesy of North Carolina Solar Center

Indirect Gain In a design that employs indirect gain, an attached sunspace or Trombe wall collects heat from the sun before transferring it to other spaces within the home. The air heated in a sunspace circulates naturally or with the aid of fans to other rooms.

Thermal Mass is any material in the home that absorbs and stores heat. Concrete, brick, tile and other masonry materials are the most common choices for thermal mass in a passive solar home, these materials absorb and release heat slowly and are easily and inexpensively integrated into the house design. They are most effective when dark colored and located in direct sunlight. The addition of thermal mass allows saved solar energy to heat the house at night or on cloudy days. The combination increases the performance and energy-saving characteristics of the home, generally for only a modest cost increase.

The following techniques use passive solar strategies to provide cooling

Passive solar cooling can reduce or even eliminate the need for air conditioning in homes. At its simplest, passive cooling includes overhangs for south-facing windows, few windows on the west, shade trees, thermal mass and cross ventilation. Some of the same strategies that help to heat a home in the winter also cool it in the summer. For example, with a well-designed overhang, the south-facing windows that admit the low-angled rays of the winter sun are shaded from the high-angled summer sun. Thermal mass, which stores heat in the winter to release in the evening, works in reverse in the summer. The mass cools down in the evening and retains that coolness the next day, moderating the effects of high daytime temperatures.

Graphic courtesy of North Carolina Solar Center.

Passive solar design works by utilizing overhangs to shade a house during the heat of the summer and allow sunlight to penetrate the interior of the house during the winter.

Passive solar design utilizes energy efficiency

Energy efficiency minimizes the need for heating, cooling and electricity, solar or otherwise. Designers of solar homes use insulation levels that are higher than those found in typical construction and energy efficiency appliances and lighting.

Windows are up to twice as resistant to heat loss as those used in conventional construction. Air infiltration is also reduced by carefully sealing and caulking around window and door openings and under sill plates.

Adapted from “Consumer Guide to Solar Energy,” K. Sheinkopf and S. Sklar, Bonus Books, Inc. and “Buildings for a Sustainable America Case Studies,” Burke Miller Thayer, American Solar Energy Society.

Tags: Guide, Solar Energy

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Prepaid Phone Cards Explained

Prepaid phone cards are recognized worldwide as one of the most convenient ways to make long distance calls. Basically prepaid phone card is a payment for telephone service in advance, with a price varied from $2 to $100 or even more. When you use a card to make calls, the value is deducted from the card value according to connection fee, call duration and/or maintenance cost associated with the card. While initially phone cards were issued mainly as pieces of plastic, resembling credit cards, today they are mainly purchased from online stores and delivered as an email message, containing your PIN (“Personal Identification Number”) which is all you need to make a call.

Using prepaid phone cards is quite simple and straightforward. After purchase you are supplied with an access number and your personal identification number (PIN). What you have to do to make a call is to dial the access number and enter your PIN. Usually you will hear a computer generated message, telling you the value of your card. Next you enter the actual phone number you’re trying to reach, and then you can expect to hear the second message from your service provider, telling you how many minutes you can talk according to the rates for your international or domestic call. Prepaid phone cards come in rechargeable and non-rechargeable types, that is with rechargeable phone card you don’t have to get new PIN every time you want to make a call, you just buy more minutes or units and use the same PIN every time. This is of course a convenient feature for those who call frequently.

There are many reasons to use prepaid phone cards over other calling methods, especially for long distance and international calls. First and foremost, phone card companies most often have lower rates for both international and domestic calling, while offering the same and even better connection quality then regular phone service. They are also very useful for people who travel a lot, or make frequent calls overseas. And of course with prepaid phone cards you are freeing yourself from any kind of contracts, bills and such – you have an absolute control over how much you spend.

While prepaid phone cards are still sold in a number of places like grocery stores, gas stations, post offices and many more, the most convenient way to buy a phone card today is of course from an online store. These often have a wide variety of cards to choose from, helping you to find the one that suits you best. Most phone card stores have a search system that will find you a card with lowest rates depending on location you want to call to. And of course buying prepaid phone cards online is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year – you don’t have to leave the comfort of your home to be able to make a low-cost long distance phone call!

Tags: international calls, long distance, phone cards

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The Economy and the Job Market – Searching For Growth in Troubled Times

The economy is clearly not in good shape. We may or may not currently be in a recession, and while conditions won’t get nearly as bad as the Chicken Littles of the world would have us believe, they most certainly won’t improve either. Well, dramatically, anyway.

The economy has been under a three-pronged siege of falling housing prices, rising commodity prices and an ever weakening labor market. And each aspect of this siege appears inextricably linked. What makes the current situation so difficult is that all three of these issues are and will continue to have meaningful impact on the average American’s pocketbook. Rising food and fuel costs coupled with lower wages yields a cash flow problem that we will not be able to ignore. That is what makes our current situation so different than that of 2001. That recession, spawned by the “.com” bubble burst, saw peoples overall stock portfolios and retirement accounts diminish or disappear. But in all honesty, who pays any considerable attention to that? Thanks to an increasingly innovative financial market and its willingness and ability to redistribute risk, lenders were right there to lend. And borrowers there to borrow. Consumer spending barely dipped, mortgage applications spiked, and we spent our way out of the 2001 recession.

It seems, then, that the current downturn is much more an extension of the 2001 disaster than a unique, separate situation. Can you ever really exit a recession if you borrowed the money to do so? Our economic doldrums have been a long time in the making, providing a solid base for what figures to be an extended period of zero to slow growth. And that’s why things don’t figure to improve too soon.

To exacerbate all this, the lumbering political machine in Washington has begun talking about the economy, and, more specifically, increased regulation of financial markets. This will only make things worse. It isn’t that taxes and regulations are altogether bad, it’s just that Congress has little, if any, idea how to brandish these tools. What we should expect is a weakened ability for different industries to tap into investment capital, inhibiting their ability to rebound from their current crises, and weakening the outlook overall in financial well-being for fiscal quarters to come.

So which industries stand to improve? To answer this question we need to think critically about what glaring problems the current economic situation has uncovered.

The most striking of these problems is America’s source of and need for energy. As mentioned, oil prices are high and should continue to go higher. China and India, with their burgeoning economies and swarming populations, are now dominant players in the international demand for fuel. And supply isn’t even constant; it’s falling. Our reliance on oil is clearly a very, very expensive habit. Setting aside environmental concerns (which are important), we simply cannot afford to rely on fossil fuels as we once did. The industry with the most long-term growth potential, then, is the renewable energy category.

Renewable energy is comprised of dozens of sectors, each giving rise to yet more sub-sectors. Wind, solar, and hydroelectric power are all growing, not just in the US, but around the globe. Bio fuel seems the heir apparent to gasoline (just look at Brazil), and carbon emission legislation stands on the brink of being passed. Each of these areas, and there are many, many more, represents tremendous job opportunities with long-term growth. And what’s more, they call for a broad spectrum of backgrounds.

Scientists and agriculturalists are obvious. It will become important to devote time and money into research projects, such as ethanol yield from various crops (i.e., corn, sugar, algae, etc.), and what type of return we could and should expect from each.

Carbon emission regulation would force big business to manage a certain number of “carbon credits.” Carbon credits are simply an accounting tool businesses will likely have to adhere to, by law, in an effort to keep their carbon footprint in check. Companies expecting to exceed their carbon credit limit must buy additional credits from companies willing to sell them – companies, of course, who are expecting a carbon credit surplus. Therein lies a marketplace, much like stocks and bonds, where finance and accounting professionals will clearly be in high demand.

Most importantly though, as it relates to career paths and job opportunities, small companies will be born to capture different pieces of this emerging world of renewable energy. And these companies will need the same things as any other company. Human resources, marketing, administration, law, and management are all areas that will see growth – so long they’re within the right business – as these are professional areas that will always be in demand. Exactly how much depends more on a specific company’s positioning within the greater economic landscape than it does the actual current economy.

For my money, any company with a business model that incorporates forward looking thought regarding renewable energy will fare well in the short, medium and long term.

Aiden was born and raised in northern New Jersey. He attended New York University, where he graduated with a bachelor’s degree in Finance. He currently lives in New York City and works in the equities trading division of a large investment bank. –Aiden Quinn

Tags: Business, Economy, Energy, Job, Money, Mortgage, Recession, Renewable Energy

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Halloween Charms

Bats on Moon Italian Charm	Crazed Pumpkin Laser Charm	Dracula Caricature Photo Charm
Ghost and Bats Italian Charm	Happy Halloween Collage Black Laser Charm	Prince turned into Frog Laser Charm
Wicked Witch riding Broom Black Laser Charm	Witch Italian Charm	Bat in blue Sky Italian Charm
Demon with Pitchfork Laser Charm	Ghost Italian Charm	Pumpkin with Tooth Italian Charm

More Halloween Charms at Italian Charms shop.

Tags: Ghost, Halloween, Halloween Charms, Italian Charms, Pumpkin

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Pubs Bars and Inns in Kent, UK – A 30 Second Guide

If you are looking to go out for a drink in Kent then you certainly have a considerable number of options. There are over 1700 pubs, bars and inns in Kent offering a diverse range of drinking experience. Also as diverse is the range of interesting names given to the public houses across Kent and this article aims to discuss some of those.

First of all lets look at the spread of pubs throughout Kent. As you would expect the majority of pubs are found in the major conurbations, with scatterings of pubs throughout the villages.

Looking at the leader board we can see that

Maidstone has 132 pubs
Canterbury has 124 pubs
Rochester has 97 pubs
Ashford has 87 pubs
Gravesend has 87 pubs
Sevenoaks has 77 pubs
Tonbridge has 71 pubs
Dover has 66 pubs
Ramsgate has 64 pubs
Dartford has 61 pubs
Gillingham has 60 pubs

So, onto the names. The most popular name for pubs in Kent is “The Royal Oak”. There are Royal Oak pubs in Ashford, Bexleyheath, Canterbury, Dartford, Dover, Edenbridge, Folkestone, Herne Bay, Romney Marsh, Sevenoaks and Tunbridge Wells. Some places even have 2 Royal Oaks, and in total there are 19. Next most popular is the Red Lion, with 15 spread across the county and then the Kings Head, The Bull Inn and The Chequers Inn. The Bell Inn, The George Inn and The Wheatsheaf are also popular names.

Some of the less common names we have
The Abergavenny Arms, Tunbridge Wells, originally called The Bull, but renamed in 1823 in honour of Lord Abergavenny who owned the property at the time.

The Barge, Gillingham, once stables for Admiralty offices, then fishermen’s cottages and then a pub called The Cricketers. It was renamed in 1991.

The Cat Custard Pot in Paddlesworth, which used to be called the Red Lion, but when a new sign was required many years ago the artist drew something which more resembled a cat.

Looking deeper within the names we can see that in Kent the most common type of pub is the Inn, with nearly 200 occurrences. Common examples are The Bull Inn, The George Inn, The Bell Inn and The Chequers Inn. Less commonly we have Old Eden Inn, Man of Kent Inn, Britannia Inn, Junction Inn and Muggleton Inn to name but a few.

“Arms”, is the next most common word to occur in pub names in Kent, with such names as The Kings Arms, The Foresters Arms, The Coopers Arms, Port Arms Inn, Fruiterers Arms, Town Arms and The Colyer Arms. There are 106 pubs across Kent with Arms in the name.

There are 43 pubs contain the word “Tavern” in their name, such as The Railway Tavern The Vale Tavern, Darenth Tavern and The Park Tavern

33 pubs contain the word “of “ in their name, examples of this are The Prince of Wales, The Man of Kent, City of London, Duke of Kent, Beauty of Bath, Sovereign of the Seas and Heights of Alma

Also 33 pubs contain the word House in their name
e.g. The Old House At Home, The Albert Public House, The Halfway House and Red House

28 pubs are horse related, which is unsurprising as most pubs were originally coaching inns. Horses are usually White, Black or Olde, but can also be Hungry or Flying. Other Horse related pub names in Kent include The Horse Groom,Sea Horse and the Three Horse Shoes.

There are 26 pubs contain the word Head in their name
The Kings Head, The Queens Head, The Dukes Head, Elephants Head, The Bulls Head, The Nags Head, Rodney’s Head, Hogs Head, The Leopards Head, The Buffalo’s Head, The Griffins Head, The Druids Head, Stags Head, Monks Head Public House, The Saracens Head, The Tigers Head

There are 22 pubs contain the word Bar in their name, which shows growing number of trendy bars catering for a more youthful clientèle. Examples are O Neill s Irish Bar, Bar Coast, Harbour St Bar, Bar Vasa, Sloanes Bar

Finally 21 pubs contain the word Old or Olde in their name.
The Old House At Home, The Olde Lantern Inn, The Old Ship, The Olde Coach Horses.

So there you have it. Kent is an excellent place to go out drinking you should easily be able to find something to suit your mood. Now, if you’ll excuse me I’m off to the Nordenfeldt Tavern for a quick one.

Andy Bowen is webmaster of UKReccy.net . The number 1 resource for over 43000 towns, cities and villages in the United Kingdom, including those in Kent

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The Future of Solar Energy

With the current concentration on global warming, the existence of which is denied by only a few naysayers, developments in solar power are moving at a pace to fill the need for efficient green solutions to our seemingly insatiable desire for energy.

The failure of solar power to be more widely adopted to date seems primarily to be due to cost concerns, where the payback periods are now quoted to be 7+ years, and thus beyond the normal financial horizon for many potential participants, whose average occupancy of any particular house is expected to be 7 years. When a lower cost can be achieved, the benefits of mass production will cause a snowball effect in purchasing systems, and that time would seem to be drawing closer.

Durham University in the UK, ever photovoltaic solar research project, with more than $12M to be spent in the next four years, starting in April. The principal investigator, Professor Ken Durose, has committed to “make a major contribution to achieving competitive photovoltaic solar energy”. Nine industrial partners and eight institutions will be involved in the project, which is aimed at reducing the thickness, and thus cost, of solar cells.

Much as this may seem to be a promising advance, an alternative approach is being adopted by commercial interests, in the form of a company called G24i which is also in the UK, in Wales. They have developed what are called fourth generation solar cells, which are a thin-film product, the latest buzzword in the solar marketplace.

Their invention is a dye-sensitized solar cell (DSSC), which is, simply, printing a thin layer of titanium oxide on to a thin-film of metal foil, and then performing some molecular manipulations to achieve the desired reaction to light. The product is manufactured on a roll-to-roll process, similar to that used in the textile industry. They commenced production last year, and are planning to expand this year to a production capacity of 200 Megawatts.

The process by which DSSC works has been compared to that of photosynthesis in plants, and it is more sensitive than conventional silicon cells, producing electricity from a wider range of the light spectrum and lower levels of lighting. It is very flexible and one-fiftieth of the weight of conventional glass silicon cells, and can even be produced in designer colors! The initial market is for devices that could not be made with the older technology, supplying power for portable electronics, particularly for mobile phones in the developing world.

With a growth in the traditional solar cell market of 35% per annum, and a continuing global shortage of silicon projected up to 2010, G24i would seem to be very well placed to take away business from the conventional suppliers. Their technology is available at much lower cost, and expansion would seem to be limited only by their ability to grow in a controlled manner.

On what seems to be a more esoteric front, it’s reported that scientists are considering the possibility of a space engineering project that would dwarf any other that has been attempted to date. While the sheer size of the project would require governments to take the first steps at an international level, researchers from the USA, Europe and Japan are proposing building giant solar arrays in orbit and beaming the energy to Earth.

Lieutenant Colonel Paul Damphousse of the Pentagon has spoken of the need for “hundreds of sorties every week” in order to move the tons of material that would be required. A recent study by the Pentagon concluded that such a project was nearly technologically possible right now, and that robots could be used to facilitate the construction in space. More realistically, perhaps, Leopold Summerer of the European Space Agency has projected that the generation of power in space may be about 20 years away, but the concept is being actively pursued.

Finally, what may prove to be the most promising current development in solar energy has just been announced by Global Warming Solutions, Inc. of Houston. Successful tests have been conducted on hybrid solar modules, which produce both heat and electricity from one unit. The combined efficiency of the modules is reported to reach 85%, significantly better than the 40%+, then a record, achieved a year ago by Spectrolab using concentrator solar cells to produce electricity only.

The technologies used include some originally developed for industrial lasers, stated Dr. Alexander Kornaraki, the COO. “The quantum pump separates the heat and the electrical photons of the incident solar light”, giving the most efficient spectra to the photovoltaic process. The modules produce up to 28 Watts of electricity and 93 Watts of heat per square foot. The projected payback period is no more than five years.

Global Warming Systems have several pilot systems, and one with 108 square feet of panels provides 100% of the energy, both electrical and heating, to a single family home. Even more promising, these panels are efficient even as far north as Alaska, which is a new achievement for the industry.

Learn more about Solar Power and how you can use it to produce electric power, to heat, or even cool your home!

Tags: Business, Energy, Europe, Government, Oil, Solar Energy, Technology, USA

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Politics As Usual

I can see the ad on eBay when I close my eyes, one senate seat, price $500,000.00, pick up only. Sure the news would have leaked sooner, but is this idea really such a stretch? Here we have yet another politician whom we can assume is well educated and intelligent and who is well aware of the watchful eye that follows, and eventually catches up with public servants gone wild. For reasons that escape me, this does not appear to factor into the decision making process, or perhaps it is just that the elitist feels such a sense of entitlement, that their actions play out like the actions of a sociopath, without conscience and with complete and utter narcissism.

I am of course speaking of the scandal of Blagojevich and his alleged participation in the selling of our President elect’s vacant senate seat. What strikes me as even more remarkable then the charges against Mr. Blagojevich, is the defiance he displayed by showing up at his office to work, despite the fact that he was to relinquish his duties while under investigation. This willful act of brazenness reminds me of an old Seinfeld episode, where the character George Costanza gives his boss a verbal thrashing, then quits and walks out the door. Regretting his actions, George shows up at work the following day as if nothing ever happened, thinking no one will notice, including his boss. Okay, maybe not the best example, but you get the point.

Why are we the public, the only ones not shocked by the alleged actions of yet another politician who has allegedly soiled the very foundation that is our government? Certainly, the Washington elite are well aware of the corruption that plagues their inner circle. Is their feigned surprise merely a guise to keep us of their track? Ask yourselves this question, if a politician falls in DC and there is no one around, does he make a sound and proclaim his innocence and do we really want to hear it?

I’m a freelance writer who is a former New Yorker now living in New Mexico. Many moons ago I wrote a legal column “The Legal Eye”, for a major internet provider. I have a background in sociology and am currently in the health field. I am a big fan of the late Erma Bomback and currently enjoy the rantings of New York Times columnist Maureen Dowd.

Tags: Corruption, Government, Oil, Price

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Death Before Bankruptcy – No Way – Hope is on the Horizon

In today’s economic conditions death seem to be the only way out for many consumers who are consumed by over whelming debt. Although bankruptcies are up in filings for the third year since reforms went onto effect many consumers feel that their options seem hopeless yet they still plug on through the daily grind. For many alternatives such as the housing bailout seems like it’s to strict on its guidelines or to ambiguous in its terms to clearly point out the pitfalls and loopholes used to gain the upper hand in the situation by the mortgage lenders.

While we are in these turbulent and chaotic times we need to keep out wits up, our spirits high so we can see clearly through the stormy and uncharted waters of our financial status. For many it’s all or nothing, the fight seems hopeless will I ever survive? Lawyers go for blood and prey on those challenged in tough times. Are they really giving you the best advice for you or for them?

If you have ever had to seek counsel for filing a bankruptcy you know it’s a gut wrenching and sickened type of feeling. You know you’re in for a life long time of hurt and suffering. However if you’ve exhausted all of your options and you can’t take the pressure of your creditors calling and demanding terms you are unable to afford then you need to seek shelter.

Seeking shelter doesn’t mean go hide, change your address and telephone number it means legal protection for you as well as your sanity. Stop the annoying creditor phone calls; get the debt goons off of your back and regain your sanity back to a time when life was a bit easier and more joyous for you.

Although finding an attorney who is both ethical and sensible to your needs is often an oxymoron in the true sense of the meaning of the word they do exist. When in doubt seek them out. This is when having direct access to a professional organization of seasoned attorneys who are both smart and compassionate to your needs is essential.

We’re not suggesting you seek out a well known discounted legal firm or county legal aid for your personal or commercial situation, we’re merely suggesting you have access to a knowledgeable professionals so that if you don’t like the individual your dealing with you have a back up or two or even three.

Consultations are usually free and can be very informative, although some firms may have a hidden agenda to get your commitment on the dotted line; don’t sign anything until you get all of your facts answered and you feel that bankruptcy will have your best interests covered.

If you have not sought out financial counsel this may be up your alley instead. Remember a professional’s whole status depends on the not only the advice given but the business received. Having a selection of more than one professional can make the difference in your outcome financially as well as mentally.

Get the facts you deserve and never jump to a conclusion, instead rely on a trusted group of professionals dedicated to your overall success, not theirs. Remember no matter where you are today there will always be a brighter tomorrow. Learning the options, facts and different solutions for you are your responsibility. Seek out a close friend or family member even a co worker if you have this type of rapport with the individual; ask them about their experiences and pitfalls.

Ask them about personal triumphs then ask them what advice you might need when consulting with an attorney. Once you have scoured your inquisitiveness and come up with questions you are now armed to tackle the interview. You’re confident and sure about your needs and desires.

Learn the secrets of saving money, making money and creating wealth by maximizing protecting and growing your income. Receive trusted, unlimited advice from our financial counselors, attorneys, and financial mentors that will save you literally thousands of dollars and tons of frustration. You owe it to yourself to seek out qualified advice. Stop walking around in fear and get empowered. Maximize your wealth today

Tags: Attorney, Bankruptcy, Business, Debt, Dollar, Election, Guide, Law, Money, Mortgage

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Hydrogen As a Fuel Source

From water to air, there are a number of ways to energize your car. Alternatives to petroleum are a hot topic today. The growing concern for the environment is steadily increasing. It’s an important issue that many people want to feel personally connected to. Hydrogen as a fuel source is not an entirely new idea. But science is taking a closer look at the impact that using hydrogen could have on both the environment and the economy. The best solutions are the ones that have more benefits than drawbacks.

Hydrogen burns in a vehicle much the same way that petroleum does. This makes it a good imitation even though it is not at all the same thing. Many alternatives are not this easy to work with.

Hydrogen makes a great fuel option for more than just automobiles. It can also be used in airplanes and even bicycles. A bicycle is already a great alternative to driving a car. By powering it, you make it faster and more efficient while still avoiding the use of a vehicle.

Major car companies such as Daimler Chrysler are already investing in hydrogen options for drivers seeking a hydrogen vehicle solution. These types of things certainly do not develop over night but the fact that they are in production at all is a great sign.

Hydrogen is an energy source that can be obtained from both renewable and non-renewable resources. This makes it much more environmentally friendly than some other petroleum alternatives currently being used and studied. It is much more flexible.

One really positive aspect of hydrogen fuel is that it can be produced and used continuously. It is highly renewable which is exactly what many consumers are waiting for. Making a fuel change is not a light decision to make. Benefits like this can help to aid your choice.

Every positive thing always has a negative counterpart. It’s just the way the world works. Hydrogen is not a fool proof fuel option. The burning of hydrogen actually produces more emissions than regular petroleum gas does. Since less emissions is what we really need, that just is not acceptable.

There are economic aspects that do come into play here. Hydrogen without fossil fuels is not economically friendly. When it comes to money, unfortunately that is where a lot of decisions are made. Anything that is not good financially just won’t take off no matter how good a fuel it is. The two must go hand in hand.

If hydrogen was to be a leading fuel alternative to diesel and petrol, then plenty of preparation work would have to be undertaken first. In order to properly produce clean, useable hydrogen, new facilities and systems would have to be built. The cost of that would be substantial. These types of developments cannot be done without intense amounts of study and planning.

Hydrogen is a realistic fuel source that is in use in some places. However, it is not yet ready to become a worldwide solution.

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Tags: Economy, Energy, Fuel, Gas, Money, Tips

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Capital Campaigns – Roadmap to Success

If your nonprofit is considering expanding or renovating, you’re probably thinking about launching a capital campaign. But how do you create an effective campaign? How many donors do you need? How much money should you try to raise? Here’s a quick tutorial to outline the answers to these questions and more.

A capital campaign is a significant project for a nonprofit organization. A successful capital campaign, and the completion of the project for which funds are raised, can be a transformational event. Ideally, when viewed in retrospect the capital project will appear as a logical and inevitable step in the development of the organization as it strives to fully serve its audiences and community.

With careful planning and keen attention to detail, a capital campaign can be a powerful bridge to the future.

A successful campaign is the result of many constituencies working together for a common goal, including the board, staff, volunteers, donors, and community representatives. As the project grows from an idea to a proposal to reality, a Campaign Planis key to success. A comprehensive plan provides a framework for action and a template that is transparent and universally accepted. It is a document that speaks both internally (to those who are managing the campaign) and externally (to those who may be asked to contribute or who may be impacted by the project). As campaigns are multi-year, a clear plan also serves as a guide if key team members drop out and new team members are brought in.

1. The Goal

A key element of success is to accurately estimate the amount of money needed to be raised.

The costs of planning, acquisition, renovation, and endowment must be carefully determined. In addition, the following items need to be added to any actual cost of building, buying, or starting an endowment.

? Ten percent for campaign materials, cost of consultants and staff time, office extras.
? Ten percent for building project extras like insurance, building permits, design costs, and estimates for cost overruns or unforeseen delays.
? Ten percent additional for people who pledge but cannot or will not finish paying, or whose stock gift depreciates.
? An additional ten percent for added protection.

2. Timing

Many nonprofits hesitate to undertake capital campaigns because board members believe that the timing isn’t right; typically, if the national economy is slow, or if the stock market is underperforming. While there may be good reasons for postponing a campaign, board members should remember that the national economy is cyclical, and donors make annual appeal gifts from discretionary cash and capital campaign gifts from assets. Most organizations do not run a major campaign more than once every few decades. Your supporters will be enthusiastic about supporting a transformative project and will plan accordingly.

3. Organization

The nonprofit must have the capacity to undertake a capital campaign. A successful capital campaign must have the full faith and support of the organization’s board of trustees.

However, support grows incrementally. The following action groups are formed as the campaign progresses:

? Steering Committee. Typically composed of not more than twelve, including board members, the executive director, a campaign consultant, and perhaps major donors who are not on the board. The steering committee organizes and spearheads the campaign.

? Outside Consultant. Generally, capital campaigns require the participation of a part-time fundraising consultant who can help manage the campaign, train staff and volunteers, and interview prospects during the feasibility study.

? Campaign Committee. This group may be very large and include board members, donors, and community supporters who want to take an active role in the campaign. The campaign committee grows as the campaign gains traction. Subcommittees may include finance, fundraising, architecture and building, and public relations.

? Volunteers. These are campaign supporters who participate sporadically. They may include community leaders who host fundraising events in their homes, or who have a connection to a potential donor.

4. Campaign Case

The campaign case is the key document that provides a rationale for the project. It is both an internal summation of the organization’s goals and a marketing tool to help inform prospective donors. The case must be prepared early in the process and may be revised periodically.

5. Gift Pyramid

Once the total monetary goal has been set, a gift pyramid is created. This shows the number and size of gifts needed to meet the goal. Gifts may range in size from millions to under a hundred, depending upon the goal of the campaign.

The figures are set to reflect the giving potential of the highest donors and the total number of donors expected.

6. Prospect List

Once the gift pyramid is established, the names of prospects must be attached to each of the gifts. This is the task of the Steering Committee. Acting in complete secrecy, the committee compiles a list of prospects. Next to each prospect name is the amount projected, and the name of a person who will solicit the prospect.

If the prospect list cannot be filled with prospects to reach 50% of the goal, then the project must be reconsidered.

7. Interviews with Prospects

If there is the slightest uncertainty about prospect support for the project, a feasibility survey is required. An impartial consultant who is not directly involved with the organization is selected to conduct confidential interviews with key board members and donors. The interviews are about a half-hour in duration and are conducted at the interviewee’s convenience, in home or office.

8. Solicitation of Key Donors

The “Quiet Phase” is an initial private solicitation. It should begin only after certain conditions have been met, including if the project has been approved by the board of trustees and if the feasibility study is positive. During the Quiet Phase, it is expected that 50% of the goal will be reached.

9. The Public Phase

During the Public Phase, the solicitation effort is broadened to include anyone not directly involved with the organization, including charitable foundations, corporations, and government agencies.

10. Conclusion

A well-prepared organization need not be apprehensive about considering a capital campaign. If the appropriate incremental steps are taken, conditions can be assessed at every stage. If at any time conditions are considered unfavorable the campaign can be postponed. If conditions continue to be positive, the campaign can be allowed to progress to the public phase and then to a successful conclusion.

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