Jude’s Eclectic Resources

Everyone is going green and trying to do their part to be environmentally responsible. Gore has always been a huge supporter of protecting our environment and save the limited resources because it’s hard to satisfy all the unlimited wants and demands. Now large companies are using green marketing and everyone is trying to help by saving energy. This has affected the whole world and now in the UK, British Gas has developed 2 new green energy tariffs because of the increased demands for more efficient and effective green energy products by it’s citizens.

“The National Energy Foundation says green tariffs are designed to provide as much electricity as possible from renewable sources, avoiding the harmful emissions associated with burning fossil fuels, or the risks that come with nuclear power.” Also there are 2 different types one is a renewable and the other is an eco-funds tariff. Read the press release below for all the details about the 2 new green energy tariffs British Gas has developed and how it can help you and your communities.

Press Release:

BRITISH GAS LAUNCHES GREENEST ENERGY TARIFF

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.”

I took a job search workshop a few years ago and it was very interesting for me. They really help you prepare and I got involved through the unemployment office. We learned how to de-stress , what to expect during interviews and also how to conduct ourselves in order to get the job among so many other things. Some of which I am going to share with you in a series of articles.

I totally hate filling out applications and especially interviews because they use to make me a total wreck and I always felt physically sick, but after I took this job seeking workshop I at least knew what to expect during an interview and how to prepare myself. We even had mock interviews that showed us what to expect and it’s always a great idea to have a fact card of all the information that you will need. I suggest a 3 by 5 index card.

It’s really neat how you can apply to most companies over the Internet , but you need to be careful that it is a legitimate company. That’s what I did when I applied at Lowe’s and they called me for an interview within a couple days. I still think it is better to go in person because they could be in desperate need and you could be hired on the spot.

4 Tips To Remember

1. Always dress like you are going for the interview the same day you put your application in. You never know, you might get lucky and you need to look your best.
2. When you are at the company be very courteous to everyone you meet. Always put the best of you out there. You never know who you might be impressing in the parking lot.
3. Always be prepared and take a couple of the same colored ink pens, either blue or black.
4. Remember to carry that fact card with you. Below is the list of information you will need to have available for yourself so you will be prepared.

Fact Card List

1. Your name
2. Permanent address and telephone numbers
3. Social Security number
4. Drivers license number
5. Schools attended and the addresses if available. If the school no longer exists do not list the old address. Usually just the city and state is enough.
6. Last elementary school and the dates you attended
7. Last secondary school and the dates and when you graduated
8. All other classroom training like College or special vocational training and the dates you attended and graduated or completed. List all degrees, certificates, credits, and diplomas.
9. All other training such as workshops, seminars, internships, on the job training etcetera. Location of the training and the dates attended and completed.
10. Information about your last 4 employers.
11. Name of the company if you were self-employed write that “Self-Employed”
12. Complete address of the company with zip code and phone number. If the company has relocated try to get the new address and if it is out of business make sure you state that.
13. Your job title and a brief description of your job duties. Keywords will conserve space on your fact card and serve to remind you.
14. The dates you were employed mo/yr.
15. The name of your supervisor if it was more than one I always put down the one that I got along the best with.
16. Wage earned from start to finish date. If you can’t remember just make your best guess.
17. Reason you left the job and try to list the most positive one. If you were fired just write you “will discuss at the interview” that way you will be able to explain it better.
18. References of at least 3 people, with name, addresses, phone numbers, occupation, and the length of time acquainted. They may ask for either personal or business references, so be prepared with the home or business information required.
19. Military experience, list the dates you served, last duty station, last training you received and type of discharge.
20. Your last 3 previous addresses and dates or how long at each location. Employers are looking for stable people and they like knowing you will be around for awhile.
21. Last medical exam, list your doctor’s name, address, and date of examination.