Tuesday, December 16, 2008






Good Sam Club - Going Green Article




































Going Green Is Easy With the Good Sam Club
Everyone is talking about going green like it’s the hottest new trend. Yet the Good Sam Club, providing services to RVers for more than 40 years, has long been offering benefits that encourage members to preserve the environment.



Join the Good Sam Club today and join other RVers who are dedicated to becoming better global citizens.
Along with money-saving benefits like 10% discounts on camping, Good Sam Club members make a difference in the environment. Here’s how you can do your part:
Pick up Litter.
Good Sam Club offers members many opportunities to volunteer and contribute to your community and environment. One of the Club's largest cleanup efforts is the Good Sam National Cleanup Day. For the past 12 years, Club members across the country join in a shared effort to improve the appearance of our public lands before the summer travel season begins.





Interested in participating in this year’s cleanup effort that clears our highways, parks, beaches and mountains? Become a Good Sam Club member today!
Think Global, Act Local. With more than 2,000 local Good Sam Chapters, many of them have implemented Adopt-a-Highway and Adopt-a-Park Programs. Chapters have adopted more than 600 miles of byways and 126 federal, state and municipal parks across the United States and Canada.




When you join the Good Sam Club, you have the chance to join a dedicated group of RVers who make a positive impact on your local community.
Plan Your Trips. Plan your trip and avoid getting lost, which wastes fuel. Tools like the Good Sam Club's online trip routing can help you prepare. This service is simple to use. Type in your origination and destination, and you’ll get RV-specific routing that includes bridge and tunnel restrictions and state towing laws. You can also get road advisories, an estimate on fuel costs and map out locations that offer Good Sam member discounts.




Good Sam Club benefits like these are good for the environment; Plus, they save you time and money.
Drive Smarter. How? Keep your RV and towed vehicle well tuned, the tires inflated properly; avoid overloading your RV; use the cruise control as often as possible; and drive smoothly. Driving smarter means less fuel consumption.
Reduce, Reuse, Repair, Recycle. Before throwing anything out, consider whether it can be reused, repaired or recycled. And before you make a new purchase, consider purchasing something used – that includes RV parts.


Good Sam members get the members-only monthly magazine – Highways – packed with RV maintenance and technical tips to keep your RV running smoothly. Plus, you’ll get the Good Sam e-newsletter, CyberSam, which delivers helpful tips directly to your in-box.

The Good Sam Club offers many resources

to help members save the planet – while saving money.

Join today and start saving money with member benefits like these:


  1. 10% Discount at the network of more than 1,700 Good Sam Parks

  2. Free subscription to Highways magazine, the official publication of the Good Sam Club

  3. RV Emergency Road Service Enrollment Discount

  4. Members-Only Rates on RV and Auto Insurance

  5. Discounts on Trailer Life Directory and RV related books & publications

  6. Good Sam Continued Service Plan (CSP) can save you thousands on RV repairs





Tuesday, December 2, 2008

Harnessing the Sun for Your Home – Key Components

Using the power of the sun is becoming increasingly attractive from an economic and environmental aspect. If you’re going solar, you need to know the components.

Solar Components

While generally considered electric platforms, solar systems definitely have unique components. Here’s some of the jargon you are going to need to be familiar with before buying.

1. Photovoltaic Cell – This is the key piece of any solar platform. Known as a PV cell, it is typically a small cell containing a silicon substance under glass. When the sun hits the cell, the silicon undergoes an electrical reaction that creates a charge. The charge is collected by small wires. Depending on the nature of the cell, each should produce roughly half a volt.

2. Solar Panel – A collection of solar cells joined as a unit in a frame. A single panel typically is insufficient to produce enough energy to power anything of significance in your home.

3. Solar System – Also known as a photovoltaic system, a solar system is an interconnected set of solar panels. This is what you see on the roofs of home or other areas around homes and buildings. A solar system converts enough sunlight into electricity to provide most or all of the power required by a home.

4. Orientation – Before installing a panel system, one has to give some thought regarding where to put it. The sun tracks across a structure in a particular way. To maximize the energy production, the panels have to be oriented to receive the maximum amount of sunlight. This, of course, results in the maximum amount of electricity.

5. Direct Current – A type of electricity that flows in only one direction. Solar cells produce direct current electricity.

6. Alternating Current – Electricity that flows in both directions. AC power is used by utilities and in practically all appliances and machines in a home.

7. Inverter – A key component in a solar panel system. The inverter converts the direct current produced by the solar panels into AC power that can be used in the home or fed back into a utility power grid system.

Obviously, there are a wide variety of systems for converting sunlight into power. Making yourself familiar with the above components is a good place to start.



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About this Article Author:


Rick Chapo is with SolarCompanies.com – a directory of solar energy companies. Visit us to read more articles about home solar power and facts about solar energy.