7 Top Tips To Follow While Caring For Your Printer

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Printers have touched our lives in one or the other way since we have been subjected to the use of it. A printer has numerous benefits for home user and businessmen. It makes work easier and helps in promoting our products and businesses. A printer is an investment that ought to last at least 5-10 years when used moderately. Printers have many brand and models manufactured by reputed companies from all across the world.

Even after purchasing a printer it will continue to cost you money since the high quality images will require a regular supply of ink, toners, cartridges, fusers, drums and other important parts which might suffer wear and tear in the course of the working of the printer.

For printers especially the branded ones ink/toner cartridge such as OKI 44469805 and Brother TN155BK compatible spare parts should be kept handy where they are being used no stop. All these printer accessories are expensive and need to be replaced after being in use for a long time. In simple words, after purchasing a printer one requires occasional maintenance and repairs. As a printer user we always try to save money on printer repairs. Proper care is the best idea to keep your printer in good condition.

Here are a few important printer caring tips that will help you to prolong your printer life and save your money on printer repairs.

Don’t use low quality paper

Avoid using cheap dusty paper because it is very harmful for your printer. It can damage your printer’s rollers because it is responsible to create unnecessary paper dust throughout your printer. In case you fail to use quality paper while getting the print outs you will need to spend a bit of money to service and replace the rollers of your printer. You can use plastic containers to protect your paper from humidity. It is important since humidity affect your prints results badly.

Choose the right cartridge

We all know that a printer cartridge can be quite expensive. That’s a good reason why many people will opt for low quality and low price cartridges. However it is not the right thing to do because a low quality cartridge not only gives you poor prints results but it can also damage your printer’s internal sensitive parts.

Therefore, choose right cartridge according your printer needs is very necessary to get high quality print results. It is also helpful to maintain your printer in a good condition for a long time.

Ensure regular use of printer

It is necessary for your printer to work perfectly that you use it regularly. If you have untouched your printer for many days then it might create many problems for your printer like dry ink and your printer might clog from the head. Regular use of the printer will keep it in great working conditions.

Avoid stand-bye mode

It is one of the most important tip to care for your printer however it is also one of the most ignored ones. Always remember when your printer is turned on, it generates a lot of hits which is a cause of dry ink and also clogs your printer head. That is why; it is a good idea to turn your printer off when you are not using it.

Clean the printer head

It is also very important to get the best prints results. Unclean printer head creates many problems, it can create marks on theprint out with white lines or images that have missing ink. Thus, you need to clean your printer head properly. First you need to remove the cartridge carefully and then clean it and after cleaning the printer head to dry completely before fixing it back.

Choosing the right location

Don’t keep your printer in direct sunlight and moist places because moisture can damage your printer’s electronic parts and over-heating can lead to slower output and malfunctions. When you keep your printer in your office and home then always leave a space of approximately 12 cm around the printer since it allows air to flow through the cooling and exhaust fans and it is very helpful to maintain your printer’s health.

Remove dust and debris

Regular cleaning of dust and debris from your printer is very necessary because both are a major cause for a jammed printer, dry ink, lined pages and poor printouts. It also affects your work productivity. You can read the manufacturer’s instructions to clean dust and debris from your printer. Different brand printers recommend different materials to clean the dust and debris from your printer it is better to follow them instead of going with general cleaning material.

Conclusion

Remember every printer is perfect. Every printer just needs some care to keep it in good condition. By following all these tips you can easily keep your printer efficient, clean and well-maintained without spending too much money.

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Consequences of Climate Change in MENA

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Due to its unique geographical attributes, MENA is highly vulnerable to consequences of climate change. One of the main climate change impacts is sea level rise on coastal areas of MENA nations. This includes many of the large and small islands in the GCC region such as Kuwait, which are highly vulnerable to the impacts of sea level rise. Inundation will adversely affect cities, roads, agricultural areas, as well as beaches and salt marshes in the MENA region.

Continued use of non-renewable water is major factor in depleting groundwater reserves in MENA region and puts regional countries at severe risk of climate impacts. Depletion of groundwater through urbanization has led to the loss of freshwater springs/aquifers. The GCC countries are heavily dependent on energy-intensive desalination plants for its freshwater supplies which is further driving up electricity demand.

The MENA region is highly vulnerable to tensions brought on by spike in food prices. Due to growing water crisis and desertification, the region is staring at a food crisis in the coming years. The region is grappling with the realization that its barren soil and dwindling water supply will be insufficient to feed the population, even with intensive irrigation and modern farming technology.

Lack of Seriousness

Unfortunately the level of seriousness that should have been shown by the regional governments is somewhat lacking. Climate change mitigation is not among the top priorities in most of the MENA countries.

There is lack of effective laws/regulations, absence of long-term climate action frameworks, weak coordination among different ministries and among regional governments and lack of public awareness.

The Way Forward

An efficient and effective environmental governance framework is essential for more productive and measurable interaction amongst various stakeholders and across key sectors. National, regional and international linkages within targeted sectors are essential to coordinate climate action in MENA.

Proactive involvement of public and private sectors, civil society organizations as well as research and academia in climate change mitigation is also a crucial issue. Environmental education will also go a long way in inculcating sustainable lifestyles and responsible behavior among local population and expatriates.

It is realistically possible that climate change will precipitate environmental degradation and drought-like conditions in MENA which will cause deterioration in livelihoods, and put pressure on populations to migrate en masse. Needless to say, Arabian Gulf is the most unsustainable region in the world. The craze for big cars and tall buildings coupled with apathy towards the environment and natural resources is pushing the region towards the worst-case scenario.

For more information, you may email the author Salman Zafar on salman@ecomena.org or salman@cleantechloops.com

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10 Brilliant Ways to Create an Eco-Friendly Garden

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An eco-friendly garden is about working with nature,  not against nature. Creating an eco-friendly garden is one of the best ways to help the environment. Choose organic fertilizers and methods for your garden that enhance the fertility of the soil.

In this Infographic you’ll get the complete information about how to choose eco-friendly materials? How to Recycle and Reuse Materials while Gardening? How to create Mini Vegetable Garden and know more about organic homemade composts.

Do you want to make your outdoor space eco-friendly? Take a look at this informative and interesting Infographic designed by Choice Furniture Superstore team on “10 Brilliant Ways to Create an Eco-Friendly Garden”.

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3 Green Packaging Methods to Reduce Your Carbon Footprint

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The consumer shift towards green living has awakened an increasing number of companies on the importance of green packaging This resulted to global brands – including the likes of McDonald’s, Walmart, Nike and Coca-Cola among many others – embracing green business practices to reduce their negative impact on the environment.

Although these eco-friendly initiatives are primarily focused in addressing the alarming environmental concerns, they also come with several benefits on the businesses’ end. These include helping the companies build a green reputation and as a result, earn the approval of like-minded consumers.

In the push towards a healthier environment, more and more companies continue integrating green practices in their functions. And as a business, what better step to take than to follow those initiatives? If you’re still clueless on how to make your business green, the easiest way would be to come up with more eco-friendly packaging alternatives. Fortunately, options abound for those seeking to implement more sustainable packaging practices.

If you are a business looking to embrace eco-friendly practices, these packaging methods will help reduce your carbon footprint.

  1. Reuse, Reduce, Recycle

The environmental trifecta of the three Rs also applies to product packaging:

Reuse – look for opportunities, where it makes sense, to introduce reusable packaging. In 2010, KFC released its reusable sides containers that are promoted as being reusable and microwave-safe.

Reduce – eliminate, where possible, the layers of wrappings you use in your product.  Additionally, you can also revolutionize your products to accommodate sustainable packaging. A great example of this is the packaging-free shampoo bars from LUSH.

Recycle: increase the proportion of packaging from recycled and recyclable materials so it can be repurposed at the end of its use.

  1. Think Innovative and Sustainable Packaging

Although it may not work with all products, you can consider unique and innovative materials with your packaging. A prime example of this is the Clever Little Bag by Puma, a reusable shoe bag that helped them save as much as 65% of paper.

You can also factor in the use of sustainable materials such as recycled and virgin papers, plant-based packing peanuts and bio-plastics. Soy-based inks are also a greener alternative to petroleum-based inks, as they come from a renewable source and makes recycling paper easier as well.

  1. Cut Down on Energy

A significant amount of energy is spent from the packaging production down to the logistics. So, streamlining these processes is necessary to reduce energy consumption. One way to effectively do that is by incorporating a space-saving design in your packaging.

Eco-friendly product packaging can help in green branding

This initiative not only optimises the delivery of your products, it also helps drive like-minded consumers towards your product, considering it provides better value for their money.

Ensuring that your product packaging is eco-friendly not only shows your commitment to the environment, but also reflects consideration to your customers who are demanding for sustainable products and services. As a result, you can be confident that your initiatives will help build your green reputation as a brand.

Find out more ways on how you can switch to an eco-friendly business with Green Courier, a leading courier company in London, providing environment-conscious delivery services across the UK.

Green Courier is an environmentally friendly courier service in the United Kingdom. Being the leading Carbon Balanced supplier in the rapid dispatch industry, the company is committed in promoting sustainable solutions for the market and is always looking for ways to reduce its impact on the environment.

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Tips to Make Your Coffee Tastier Without Sugar

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Raise your hands: Do you love coffee? A whole lot of people do. They either drink it first thing when they wake up to get their day going, or they sip cups of joe throughout the day (maybe because they like it, maybe because they need a little energy boost). But to all the naysayers who say coffee isn’t good for you, tell them that research shows otherwise. In fact, coffee may benefit the liver and gall bladder, and it is full of antioxidants.

But what can make coffee unhealthy are the sugary additives that many of us also favor. Sugar can add calories and lead to a host of health conditions such as diabetes and liver disease. If you find plain coffee boring, then perhaps you might want to consider some flavor additions that aren’t sugar focused. What are those? This graphic offers some ideas to start to sip with your coffee.

 

8 Ways to Make Your Coffee Tastier Without Sugar
“8 Ways to Make Your Coffee Tastier Without Sugar” on Health Perch

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Environmental Cost of Paper in the Workplace

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A lot has been written about the greening of workplaces, but the unfortunate fact remains that many companies continue to be huge contributors to environmental destruction, pollution, and climate change. Many of those contributions are in the form of discarded paper. Say you decide to print something out at work. What’s the cost to your office? You might think that that single printing choice—that single piece of paper—doesn’t actually make that big of an impact on your bottom line, but you’d be wrong.

In fact, for every $1 million in revenue that a company generates, they also generate about 8 metric tons of waste, and out of that, 40 percent is just paper waste.  And if your average employee is anything like the average employee at every company, they’re probably using about 10,000 pieces of paper. Wow, is all we can say.

But here’s the thing: Recycled paper is pretty easy to come by. And by using recycled paper, you’re helping to reduce the deforestation of the planet and the increasing amount of waste in our landfills.

So how can you max out recycling of paper? This graphic explains it.

 

Click to Enlarge Image

Recycled papers

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Waste Management at Army Installations

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Waste management at army installations demands an integrated framework based on the conventional waste management hierarchy of 4Rs – reduction, reuse, recycling and recovery (of energy). Waste reduction (or waste minimization) is the top-most solution to reduce waste generation at army bases which demands close cooperation among different departments, including procurement, technical services, housing, food service, personnel. Reducing office paper waste by implementing a policy to duplex all draft reports.

Army installations are unique due to more than one factor including strict discipline, high degree of motivation, good financial resources and skilled personnel. Usually army installations are one of the largest employers in and around the region where they are based and have a very good influence of the surrounding community, which is bound to have a positive impact on overall waste management strategies in the concerned region.

Waste disposal methods for army based is dependent on size of the population, location, local regulations, budgetary constraints and many other factors. It is imperative on base commanders to evaluate all possible options and develop a cost-effective and efficient waste management plan.

The key factors in the success of waste management plan in army bases are development of new technologies/practices, infrastructure building, participation of all departments, basic environmental education for personnel and development of a quality recycling program.

Due to large fraction of recyclables in the waste stream, recycling is an attractive proposition for the armed forces. However, environmental awareness, waste collection infrastructure, and modern equipment are essential for the success of any waste management strategy.

Food waste and yard waste (or green waste) can be subjected to anaerobic digestion or composting to increase landfill diversion rates and obtain energy-rich biogas (for cooking/heating) and nutrient-rich fertilizer (for landscaping and indoor gardening). For deployed forces, small-scale waste-to-energy systems, based on thermal technologies, can be an effective solution for disposal of combustible wastes, and for harnessing energy potential of wastes.

Landfill diversion is achieved when the waste is either not generated in the first place, or when the potential waste is recycled or re-used. As a result, the material never actually becomes a waste. Separation is a critical part of waste diversion. Separation is probably most efficiently conducted at the point of generation. However, post collection separation is also feasible.

Conclusion

With increasing militarization, more wars and frequent armed conflicts, protection of the environment has assumed greater significance for military in armed conflicts as well as peacetime operations. Sustainable management of trash is a good opportunity for armed forces to promote environmental stewardship, foster sustainable development and generate goodwill among the local population and beyond.

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Turning Household Waste into Clean Fuel

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As more and more governments and businesses are racing to find efficient and reliable solutions for providing energy, the one option that is both widely achievable on a house-by-house basis, as well as tackling two major environmental issues is turning household waste into fuel.

We know there are already many organisations that are doing this on a large scale, collecting household waste from large areas and turning it into energy in Waste to Energy plants. However, arguably a better way to benefit from this is to produce energy on a household basis. In this article we explore some of the reasons why this is a good idea and how we can practically turn our own waste at home into energy.

Reduce Waste Transportation & Limit Landfill Use

Let’s take for example the UK, where they throw away 7 million tonnes of food and drink waste as a population every year. Every bit of this waste is collected by local council services and transported some distance, eventually disposed of at landfill sites across the country.

The impact on the environment is twofold in this case. Firstly, the heavy duty vehicles required to collect the household waste are less than environmentally friendly. On the surface this may seem like a minor point, however when you consider how heavy these vehicles are, how slowly they move and how long they spend idling, they contribute a large amount to traffic pollution.

In fact, recent figures show that the average efficiency of these vehicles is around 4.4 mpg. Transportation of waste obviously remains an issue even where commercial Waste to Energy plants are concerned, but can be remedied by turning waste to fuel at home.

The second and arguably more obvious impact of the traditional waste disposal process is that it requires a vast amount of land. Quite simply, by using home waste to generate energy we are able to limit the amount of rubbish currently going to landfill sites.

Anaerobic Digestion

Up until now it has been technically difficult to create usable gas from household waste such as food leftovers. However, recent developments have made it easier than ever to produce energy from these wasted items. This has been made possible by a start-up that has created a user-friendly unit that can be used to collect left over food waste and turn it into biogas using the anaerobic digestion process. This biogas can then be used directly in the connected house for cooking, heating and even lighting.

For those with the ambition and technical experience, it is possible to produce biofuels and build your own biogas generator at home. Practically this is much easier in a tropical climate where the environment makes perfect conditions for the production of biogas from a wide variety of organic wastes. However, with the right equipment and insulation it is possible to do this in other climates.

Car Fuel from Household Waste

We are going to see a continuing rise in fuel prices across the globe. This fact is seeing a trend for eco car manufacturers to develop alternatives for traditional fuels, ranging from solar power through to electric. One alternative is fuelling your car on used vegetable oil. Practically, most diesel cars can be run off used vegetable oil with some minor alterations. This can be done by a specialist, but equally can be also achieved at home by those mechanically-inclined with specialist kits.

Arguably this may not be the most environmentally friendly option for fuelling cars as burning the oil for energy is comparable to diesel in terms of emissions. However, vegetable oil based fuels are carbon neutral due to absorbed carbon during the plants growing process. Also, when we consider the global issues with waste management, running our cars on vegetable oil is a smart solution.

Using household waste may not be as negative for the environment as media often paints it out to be. By limiting landfill and the harmful emissions generated during the waste disposal process we are able to create environmental benefits. We have also explored some of the practical ways you can use home waste to generate fuel for use in your home and for your car.

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Preparing Your Garden Beds for Spring

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Do you want to get the most out of your garden beds this approaching spring? You can if you know the secret to effective gardening! What can that be? A good groundwork in making your soil right for planting! So, how do you go about getting your garden soil right for the year’s first crops? Following is a spring to do list that will enlighten you on the right way of going about your task.

Garden beds can be of three types

  • Garden beds that are to be freshly developed
  • Beds that have seen the growth of crops earlier but are now empty
  • Beds which have perennials, shrubs or bulbs growing on them

 The procedure to be adopted for each of them is detailed below:

Developing Fresh Garden Beds

The first task will be to ensure that there are no utility or irrigation lines running through your property from your local government cell. Outline the shape of your garden bed before the onset of spring. Do it with the help of a garden hose, changing its position till you get it right. Next, get down to destroying any vegetation if it exists by using a saw or pruners.

Begin your task in the fall period

  • Cover the soil and vegetation with a good many layers of newspapers with regular ink print
  • Lay a 3 inch compost material on it
  • Vegetation is killed due to the sunlight blockage
  • Nicely developed compost layer is good for the soil

Next step is to start turning the bed over with your spade and shovel. Ensure that you are working on soil that is moist but not wet. This alone will enable you to get the most out of your working. Double digging the soil to a depth of about 18 inches will go a long way in preparing your garden soil in an optimum fashion. Weed seeds that were earlier not visible will be highlighted. In order to prevent them from germinating, you need to use synthetic merchandise to kill it.

Alternatively, you can spread organic mulch of bark or pine needles thickly over your proposed garden bed. However, weed and feed merchandise will necessitate you to use pot grown plants for installing in your garden bed.

When you are through with your planting, spreading compost layer on your soil-top is necessary. This will prevent the growth of weeds; retain the soil moisture besides giving a neat appearance to your garden bed.

Preparing Existing Beds with No Vegetation

Here, you will be replanting into a garden bed that has no vegetation in it. You can therefore, skip the first step of layering the bed with newspapers for destroying the existing vegetation. However, you need to keep enriching your soil by adding organic matter at regular intervals. You turn the moist soil and then add a layer of compost into it. Double digging along with inclusion of organic matter is highly recommended. Additionally, mulch can be used to cover your soil-top to prevent weed growth and make it richer.

Good groundwork is essential in making your soil right for planting

Preparing Existing Beds with Vegetation

The third kind is garden beds which have some sort of vegetation in it. You have to be extra careful while turning in the compost on these areas. The roots of existing plants should not be harmed in any way. The compost mixture can be put in small amounts around the prevailing plants and can be spread on the soil-top. Ensure that it does not touch the plant stems. Areas which are left open for planting annuals can be enriched by incorporating compost before planting.

How to Evaluate Soil’s Moisture Content

  • Pick a lump and crush it. If water is squeezed out then it is wet.
  • If it can’t be crushed into a ball then it is too dry.
  • If it shapes up into a ball and falls apart on tapping then it is said to be perfect.

Dry soil will prevent work to be done while wet soil will lead to clumping. Moist soil ensures optimum soil structure and air porosity.

How to Determine Soil Structure

  • Sandy Soil: Doesn’t retain water
  • Clay Soil: Too hard to be broken down
  • Healthy Soil: Crumbly and friable

Clay and sandy soil can be tackled by incorporating lots of enriched organic matter or compost into it. Microbial activity will be enhanced and earthworms who are supposed to be besties of gardeners will start flourishing.

Follow the above spring to do list and you will be on your way to getting an excellent garden bed prepared for your spring planting.

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Our Digital Carbon Footprint: A Cause for Concern

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The number of Internet users reaches record highs every year, but did you know that for every tweet, comment, email and google search, a small amount of CO2 is emitted? This is our digital carbon footprint. For one person, the numbers aren’t too impressive, but when you factor in every person on planet earth who’s using the internet, those small numbers suddenly look ginormous, and worrying.

What is Digital Carbon Footprint?

When you think of the destructive causes that contribute to the breakdown of the ozone layer, sitting behind a desk on your computer or flicking through your phone probably isn’t the first thing that comes to mind. However, thanks to the colossal number of data centres that are now needed to feed planet earth’s internet obsession, the online world is now beginning to damage the real world.

Here are some internet and social media stats per second and the resulting CO2 emitted.

Google Searches

In the modern world, Google is our gateway to any answer we’re looking for. As a result, there are over 60,000 searches made on Google every second. Combine that with the fact that the average search produces around 0.2g of CO2 and the quantity of emissions is quite remarkable.

Sending Emails

According to ‘internet live stats’, there are more than 2.5 million emails sent every second with a “everyday” email emitting 4g of CO2. That is quite astonishing. Especially when they also say that around 67% off all emails are spam. Anti-virus specialists, McAfee, say that this number is even higher, reporting that a remarkable 78% of all incoming emails are spam and that approximately 62 trillion spam messages are sent every year.

Facebook

Facebook’s growth is the perfect example of how things have escalated over the last 10 years or so when it comes to internet usage. According to their sustainability report, in 2004 one million people were using Facebook, fast forward to 2016 and you need to replace the word million with billion and then some.

Facebook say that their annual per-user carbon emissions is 299g of CO2, which is less than making 1 latte or boiling 1 pot of tea. This is quite an achievement, but when there are so many people using the site, it still adds up to a lot of emissions.

Twitter

Raffi Krikorian, a developer at Twitter once stated that each tweet consumes around 90 joules, equalling 0.02g of CO2 emissions. Hardly anything right? Correct, however there are approximately 8,000 tweets written and published every single second.

YouTube

An article in the Guardian revealed that 1g of CO2 was emitted for every 10 minutes of YouTube watched or 0.0017g per second. That’s right, so the next time you’re up late at night watching funny cat videos, remember that those adorable, cute and cuddly fur balls mean you are contributing to the breakdown of the ozone layer.

Google’s Strive For Carbon Neutrality

10 years ago, Google vowed to be carbon neutral by 2017, a goal which they’ve met. In 2016 Google’s gross greenhouse gas emissions were 2.9 million metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2e), but thanks to $2.5 billion of investment into solar and wind projects, carbon offset programs and renewable energy, their net operational carbon emissions are now zero.

This infographic will provide more information about our digital carbon footprint:


Consumption and Resulting Carbon Footprint of the Internet by Credit Angel.

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