GPS vehicle and performanance tracking system essential to cut waste

With fuel prices increasing and expectation of further inevitable increases, vehicle maintenance and repair cost increasing, workers' salary increasing, it is essential for companies to maintain and even increase efficiency - fuel efficiency, workers' efficiency and productivity, vehicle engines efficiency and problems. It will be good if you can have a system to be able to track and analyse information on these factors easily and if necessary, take proactive and preventive actions. If your company operates a fleet, it is also important to monitor speed violation as such violations can lead to costly accidents and costly speeding tickets. You may want to monitor the usage of your company's vehicles like off hours and unauthorised activities. If your company operates interstate, you may have to keep records of state miles and if done manually, it can be pretty tedious you may have to assign the task to an employee to do that which means you are taking him or her away from more productive tasks. If your fleet is large, you may even have to employ someone to do it, meaning more cost to your company.

Our generation is very fortunate to live in an era of Internet, space satellites, GPS (Global Positioning System), Geomap such as Google Earth, etc. Not only that, there are companies that makes very innovative applications of these technologies that our ancestors never have. That for example GPS Insight. They have exploited Global Positioning System, Internet and Geomap to the full to help companies cut waste, improve efficiency, take proactive and preventive measures to control the cost of maintaining a fleet of vehicles. I did a review of that site, and I will report on some of the things I found below, but you really have to review yourself GPS Insight to fully appreciate how their system can help your company. After my brief review, in my opinion, if your company operate a fleet or have to reimburse employees for usage of their own vehicles for company's operation or you need to keep track of activities of employees who work outside your company's office or offices, and you take the trouble to review GPS Insight yourself, I am pretty sure you too will come realise why this is absolutely necessary.

In brief, GPS Insight offers a hardware and web software-based vehicle tracking product and they claim that their product is the only one currently on the market which gets direct engine diagnostics (fault codes, speed, fuel consumption, odometer readings, idle time, etc.). According to them, their product is easy to install (it plugs directly into the vehicles diagnostics port which vehicles manufactured after 1998 will have, I think.

Here is a screenshot of GPS Insight homepage:



I clicked on their "New Products Demos" (highlighted with a red arrow) and was pretty impressed at how their product can help your company cut waste, optimize route planning, get engine diagnostic information to control fuel consumption, be informed of engine problems and thus help fix them quickly and avoid higher repair costs from such problems causing more serious engine problems, etc.

One of the most valuable tool they offer for cutting waste is their route-planning tool. As an example, here is a screenshot of a route map after route optimization:



Note that the route goes in a nice logical sequence. You should view their demo and see the route before optimization and see how much this tool can help optimize the route, help plan routes for vehicle drivers to save time, fuel consumption, vehicle wear and tear.

With their tool, you can get a list of vehicles violating speed limits which can help your company control such undesirable activities. Overspeeding can lead to costly accidents and having to pay for speeding tickets, and I suspect may lead to higher motor insurance cost. See a screenshot of an example of a speed violation report below (click to enlarge):



You can also get GPS Insight email you scheduled various kind of reports such as the "Fuel usage and miles per gallon report" as Excel file. See screenshot below (click to enlarge):



Their Support and Contact Information page will give you more information on what GPS Insight can do for your company. They also have a GPS Insight Blog which can keep you updated on the new developments, news on the company, posts on companies using their products and their experience, etc.

You just have to surf over to their website to see for yourself as this review cannot give you all the benefits that usage of their product can bring to your company.

Don't waste money on expansive hotels. There are cheap accommodations available

Travel is unavoidable sometimes. You may need to travel for business, visit relatives and friend, to attend special occasions like weddings, etc., on working trips, to unwind and get a badly needed rest, etc. In fact, in January 2008, my niece will need to travel to where we stay to attend her sister's wedding.

Some will be lucky if there are relatives or friends who are willing to offer them accommodation during their stay. Others will need to stay in hotels. In most cases, you will be out of the hotel room most of the time and will only be back to get your nightly sleep. To me, it is a shear waste of money to stay in expensive hotels when you only spend a fraction of your time in the hotel room. Look for cheaper alternatives.

Spain is an interesting country to visit with a wide diversity of interesting places to visit. There are different Spanish regions with their own Spanish specialty, climate, geographical location, history and traditions. Right in the center of Spain is Madrid, the capital of Spain. It has many historical Spanish monuments such as the Royal Castle and Spanish museums including el Prado and Reina Sofia which houses paintings of Velasquez, Goya, Miro and Picasso. If you plan on visiting, to avoid wasting money, look for cheap hotels in Madrid.

Barcelona is another interesting town especially if you are an architectural student, an architect or someone interested in architecture and interesting buildings. Or if you are a fan of Picasso, there is the the Picasso Museum in Barcelona which is housed in three medieval palaces. If you plan to visit Barcelona, again my advice as a person who hate waste to look for cheap hotels in Barcelona.

There are many other interesting places to visit in Spain. There are different regions and each region have their own speciality, climate, geographical features, history and traditions. The Basque Country is in the north of Spain and often referred to as the "Green Spain" because of the green countryside, mountains and sea, a natural attraction for nature lovers. Galicia in the northwest also form part of "Green Spain" and is much like the Basque Country and is further known for its fresh Spanish fish. In the south of Spain is Andalucia which attract many tourists because of its nice beaches and conducive climate. There are also the Spanish Festivals from April to October. In the Mediterranean sea and the Atlantic ocean are the Balearic and Canary Islands which also attract tourists. There is no end to the diversity of Spain. As always, being budget conscious, I would look for cheap hotels in Spain if I ever have the chance to visit Spain.

Edible Wedding Favors: Zero Waste

I have a problem with presents (gifts) as mentioned in this post My first grandchild at his grandpa's 58th birthday gathering. One often ends up with things that one don't use, and it become a waste of good money and a problem for the environment. Someone commented in the above post that the presents he like the best are edible ones.

Well, if you are looking for edible wedding favors, CandyUnderCover.com have a delightful range of unique, and personalized edible Wedding Favors. Then you can be sure your guests do not end up with trinkets they can't use, but something they can (eat). Zero waste.

Well, you don't have to limit yourself to wedding favors. CandyUnderCover.com have a great varieties of edible favors from Baby Shower Favors, Bridal Shower Favors, Engagement Favors, First Communion and Confirmation Favors. You got to surf over to CandyUnderCover.com to see for yourself the great varieties they have.

Save by using coupons at CouponChief.com

Using coupons to save is a great way to save on your purchases. This you can do conveniently online at CouponChief.com. Want to buy a Dell computer? You can get coupons and save at Dell Home. At the time of writing, you can get as much as $332 off select Inspiron^TM E1505 Notebook computers or $400 off purchase of Inspiron purchases of $1499 or more. Looking for overstock items? Surf over to Overstock.com.

At CouponChief.com, you can use their search box to search for items you seek, or search by categories. You can also search by store - for example gap.com or eBags.

You can also search by categories. For example, Apparel for Women or Health and Beauty or Books and Magazines, and many others. You have to see the wide range for yourself at CouponChief.com

Don't waste any time. Join Bid4Prizes and get chances to win fabulous prizes

Bid4Prizes is an unusual auction site. You can register as a member at Bid4Prizes Registration Form. Standard Registration is free if you don't mind the advertisements, and you get unlimited online bids, plus you can log in to track points, and redeem points for prizes with no cost. Or you can register for a Premium account so you don't get advertisements and receive unlimited bids each month for only $9.99 per month. Premium members get unlimited mobile and online bids, plus you can log in to track points, redeem points for prizes, bid via your mobile phone and bid online with no advertisements.

Bid4Prizes works in an unusual way. Instead of the highest bidder winning the prize, it is the one with the lowest bid that wind the auction. It is so unusual, I am still trying to digest fully how it works.

Don't waste any time. Surf over to Bid4Prizes, find out how it really works, and try your luck at getting attractive prizes. After all, if you don't want the frills, you can do it all for free.

Don't waste your time doing searches with Google, etc. Use Winzy instead

When you use Google or other search engines, sponsored ads are displayed alongside the links to the relevant websites. However, the Company that creates the search engine get the benefits when someone click on the sponsored links. So when you use these search engines, the benefits go to the search engines instead of to you, the user.

With Winzy Deal or no deal it is a different story. It is a site where you can search the web, play free online games, and get a chance to win great prizes. So why waste time using Google, Yahoo, etc.? Use Winzy Deal or no deal instead and get a chance to win great prizes. Winzy Deal or no deal has given away thousands of prizes including iPod Shuffles, iPod Nanos, the Nintendo Wii, Xboxes, Amazon Gift Certificates, iTunes Gift Certificates, and even large cash prizes.

At Winzy Deal or no deal, you can play the online version of the popular television game "Deal or no deal". However, playing this game will not win you any prizes.

There are other online games at Deal or no deal you can play, including Winzy Secret Suitcase which is very similar to Deal or No Deal, but you can win real prizes! And it's totally free to play. Join Winzy for free. Search the web. With each search, you stand to win prizes instantly and also win you points which goes towards Winzy's monthly sweepstakes where you can win large cash prizes! And while you search, you also get a chance to play fun games and win even more.

Make Your Own Dad Or Mom Gifts

Make Your Own Dad Or Mom Gifts
by: Kadence Buchanan

Whether their birthday is quickly approaching or Father and Mother Day are holidays you prefer to forget due to your inability to find something which can be a valuable present, a gift that you will craft yourself and will portray your own personal touch can go a long way into their hearts. Here are some easy craft ideas for those capable to open your computer and put it to work.

- Personal Music Compilation: You have heard them one thousand times. That Frank Sinatra song they were dancing last Christmas is engraved on your brain and you are catching yourself singing the lyrics every time you see a couple that resembles them crossing the street. One of the most appreciated gifts you can easily construct is that of a music CD containing all their favorite songs. You can even create the CD cover and labels on your computer and your gift can have a personal touch that will make tears fall from their eyes as they open the wrapping paper. Add a romantic photograph of them on the cover, put their theme song first and last, arrange the music according to their pleasing, and think of a good song that they do not know but will love when hearing. Improvise as much as you can and you will be glad you did.

- A Box Full of Memories: Last summer they have decided to visit Spain, but their tickets, photographs, beach shells, and museum passes have been inside a bag since then. Surprise them with a "Box from Spain." Arrange their favorite photographs and create on your computer a collage that will cover the sides of the box. Print and place the year and their favorite Spanish phrase, which they have been using since, on top. Place the tickets and passes on a transparency paper and glue them inside the box, organize the box according to days or places, and try to create the box you would like to receive. Give them a chance to travel back in time and smile to your ingenuity.

- A Photograph Album: The photographs they have been eager to take every summer are scattered around or placed in boxes that nobody has time to open up and see anymore. Visit your local art or bookstore and purchase a couple of albums that can host most of the pictures you know they cherish. Arrange the pictures in chronological order or just grab them from the box and place them in the album while adding your own comments or imaginary dialogues. You can also create the album yourself on your computer and bind the pages together with string and ribbon. Embellish the photograph albums with your own taste, like black and white copies of photographs and experience how it feels to have something truly valuable given to them.

- A Card Box: They are always searching those small pieces of paper with those old recipes or sports scores on them, which seem to have disappeared since you remember yourself. They are always complaining and thinking they are now really old and incompetent for not remembering where they have placed their favorite cards the last time they used them. Save them the trouble of trying to locate their "valuable" pieces of paper and create a box which can have a title and display their favorite colors. Add some paper labels inside and give them the chance to feel organized and prepared when the time to use them again comes.

Creating the perfect gift for dad and mom is not that difficult. It needs some imagination and time to invest. We know you got both; you know it too. Good luck and happy crafting times!

About The Author
Kadence Buchanan writes articles for For HomeLife - In addition, Kadence also writes articles for It's Family Time and Home Improvement Station.

More Funny Ways To Save Money

More Funny Ways To Save Money
by: Steve Gillman

I was doing research for my web site, on ways to save money. Checking other web sites and discussion forums, I found that the cheapskates are hitting new - and funnier - lows. Choosing a spouse according to how frugal he or she is, and reusing the plastic from bacon packages were just a couple of the serious suggestions. One man even said, "Instead of buying toilet paper, I use yesterday's newspaper."

Probably the suggestion that was the most ridiculous was to stop drinking beer. What are we trying to save all this money for? In any case, here are some more funny ways to save money. I suspect, or at least hope, that many of these really are not meant to be serious suggestions. Don't try these at home.

Ways To Save Money?

- Unplug your clocks at night to save on electricity.

- Carry powdered drink mix and add it to water when eating out, to save on buying drinks.

- Install a cat door and train your cat to go outside and to the neighbors yard to go to the bathroom. This saves you on cat litter and time cleaning the yard.

- Eat dog food. (According to this contributor, the dry dog food is better than the canned.)

- Tell everyone you'll be out of town for Christmas, so you can shop the after-Christmas sales for presents.

- Ask your friends to save the labels for you off any new products they buy, so you can put them on your thrift-store purchases when you are buying gifts.

- Run around the house and close the heater vents in all the rooms except your bedroom before going to sleep.

- Encourage mice in the house by leaving crumbs around - so your cat will have a free food supply.

- Learn speed-reading and read books for free while in the aisle at the book store.

- Leave everything in the same place in your house, so you can easily get around at night without turning the lights on.

- Bring back rolls of coins from Canada, to use at the laundromat and in pop machines, saving you 20% or more, depending on the exchange rate.

Okay, these may be funny ways to save money, but did any of them tempt you? Do you pick up pennies on the street? Wouldn't it be more efficient to just stay on the clock at work for an extra minute? Hey, and while you are there, take a big drink of water - to save on your home water bill.

About The Author
Steve Gillman studies money. To get free e-courses and e-books on money topics, and for more Funny Ways To Save Money, visit: Unusual Ways to Make Money

More Funny Ways To Save Money

More Funny Ways To Save Money
by: Steve Gillman

I was doing research for my web site, on ways to save money. Checking other web sites and discussion forums, I found that the cheapskates are hitting new - and funnier - lows. Choosing a spouse according to how frugal he or she is, and reusing the plastic from bacon packages were just a couple of the serious suggestions. One man even said, "Instead of buying toilet paper, I use yesterday's newspaper."

Probably the suggestion that was the most ridiculous was to stop drinking beer. What are we trying to save all this money for? In any case, here are some more funny ways to save money. I suspect, or at least hope, that many of these really are not meant to be serious suggestions. Don't try these at home.

Ways To Save Money?

- Unplug your clocks at night to save on electricity.

- Carry powdered drink mix and add it to water when eating out, to save on buying drinks.

- Install a cat door and train your cat to go outside and to the neighbors yard to go to the bathroom. This saves you on cat litter and time cleaning the yard.

- Eat dog food. (According to this contributor, the dry dog food is better than the canned.)

- Tell everyone you'll be out of town for Christmas, so you can shop the after-Christmas sales for presents.

- Ask your friends to save the labels for you off any new products they buy, so you can put them on your thrift-store purchases when you are buying gifts.

- Run around the house and close the heater vents in all the rooms except your bedroom before going to sleep.

- Encourage mice in the house by leaving crumbs around - so your cat will have a free food supply.

- Learn speed-reading and read books for free while in the aisle at the book store.

- Leave everything in the same place in your house, so you can easily get around at night without turning the lights on.

- Bring back rolls of coins from Canada, to use at the laundromat and in pop machines, saving you 20% or more, depending on the exchange rate.

Okay, these may be funny ways to save money, but did any of them tempt you? Do you pick up pennies on the street? Wouldn't it be more efficient to just stay on the clock at work for an extra minute? Hey, and while you are there, take a big drink of water - to save on your home water bill.

About The Author
Steve Gillman studies money. To get free e-courses and e-books on money topics, and for more Funny Ways To Save Money, visit: Unusual Ways to Make Money<.a>

How to save on electricity

Did you know that electricity used to keep your appliances on standby can light one or more rooms? In a French survey, the average standby power of TV decoders are 11w, VCRs are 9.9w, TVs are 7.3w, Hi-fi stereos are 7.2w, modems are 4.3w, washing machines are 4w and microwave ovens are 3.5w. Compare these figures with the fact that your bedside lamp may only be a 4w compact flourescent light.

Don't pay for nothing.

Switch off your appliances at the main plug.

Source: Cetdem, "Be Energy Smart"

Buy Nothing Month

Recently the world celebrated Buy Nothing Day. It was a day when millions of people declined to participate in the doomsday economy, in the frantic consumer binge. It was welcomed relief for a day, but it was only a day, a small dent in the orgy of consumerism. Why not a month. Why not declare the month of December as the Buy Nothing Month (BNM). Rules - buy only absolute necessity,

Environmentally friendly pesticide (baby powder)

Money Saving Tips Say: "Rember the 5 R's: Repair, Restore, Reduce, Reuse, Recycle. Always remember to put these tips into your daily life, you will save a lot of money. I have and you can too."

Example of a handy tip from "Money Saving Tips"

No Ants:
Sprinkle baby powder in cracks, along a window sill, or under doors where ants enter. Ants will not walk through baby powder.

Enviroman liked that - an environmentally friendly pesticide!!!!

This was posted over at Enviroman Says
but today a visitor commented that it really worked for her, so I have decided to repost over here, as as well as being environmentally friendly, one can also save money on pesticide.

If you want to read the comment and the original post, it is in the March 2005 archive.

Sprout soak water are great natural fertilizer

If you make your own sprouts, what do you do with the soak water? Don't just pour them down the drain. Do you know that the carbohydrates left in the soak water that are difficult for us to digest are great nutrients for plants and vegetable. Use it to water your plants. They are great free natural fertilizer.

Homemade aftershave

Save money, make your own after-shave lotion. Fill an empty
bottle with 20 to 30% rubbing alcohol and add water. Then
add some cologne. Shake it and it is ready to use.

Join Freecycle to cut waste

Do you have items in your storeroom unutilised or underutilised and is cluttering up your house? Join a Freecycle group to help clear clutter, cut waste, help reduce the mountains at your nation's wastedumps, help the environment, help a fellow passenger of spaceship earth, etc. etc. At the time of writing, there are 3,086 communities and 1,661,428 members spread over many nations.

What is freecycle?

The Freecycle Network™ is made up of many individual groups across the globe. It's a grassroots movement of people who are giving (& getting) stuff for free in their own towns. Each local group is run by a local volunteer moderator (them's good people). Membership is free. To sign up, find your community near you from http://freecycle.org. Can't find a group near you? You might want to consider starting one (click on "Start a Group" for instructions).

Alternatively, go to Yahoo Group's homepage and search for "freecycle". You will find thousands of groups.

Have fun!

History

The Freecycle Network was started in May 2003 to promote waste reduction in Tucson's downtown and help save desert landscape from being taken over by landfills. The Network provides individuals and non-profits an electronic forum to "recycle" unwanted items. One person's trash can truly be another's treasure!

How does it work?

When you want to find a new home for something -- whether it's a chair, a fax machine, piano, or an old door -- you simply send an e-mail offering it to members of your Freecycle group.

Or, maybe you're looking to acquire something yourself. Simply respond to a member's offer, and you just might get it. After that, it's up to the giver to decide who receives the gift and to set up a pickup time for passing on the treasure.

One main rule: Everything posted must be free, legal, and appropriate for all ages.

Non-profit organizations also benefit from The Freecycle Network. Post the item or items you want to give away and a local organization can help you get it to someone in need.

Who can use the freecycle network?

Think globally, recycle locally. The Freecycle Network is open to all communities and to all individuals who want to participate. Freecycle groups are run by local volunteer moderators from across the globe who facilitate each local group - grassroots at its best!

Support them, and you support your children, your grandchildren, your great-grandchildren ..........

E-Petition to Bristol City Council

Reduce, Reuse and then Recycle
==============================
Even with Bristol's new twin bin recycling scheme, a massive 73% of our household waste is destined for Landfill, and much of this waste is excess plastic and packaging. So it makes sense to cut down on the amount of plastic packaging generated in the first place.

By themselves shops will be unwilling to cut down on packaging because consumers have come to expect it. The Council is in a unique position to provide information and encourage consumers and local shops. We want the council to work with local businesses on schemes to cut down on excess packaging and also substitute plastic other material such as cardboard. This will benefit council tax payers by reducing Bristol's landfill tax bill and improve the environment.

Our petition recognises the significant environmental benefits of increasing recycling, but request that Bristol City Council also develops and implements effective measures to reduce and reuse waste. We are therefore requesting that the City Council works with local shops and businesses on practicable schemes:

1 To reduce packaging when selling goods and services and eliminate unnecessary packaging.

2 To promote and supply goods in re-useable, compostable and recyclable packaging.

3 To develop and promote schemes to repair and reuse goods within Bristol.

We acknolwedge the important role supermarkets can play in reducing waste packaging, and therefore we also call upon all supermarkets to work with Bristol City Council in achieving the above objectives.

The closing date for the petition is 2nd September 2005.

Our target of 1000 signatures will send a powerful message to the council.

The Singapore Government seemed serious in cutting waste

Interesting. The Singapore Government seemed serious in cutting waste. They have a special website devoted to this. From their website, Cut Waste:

"The Government is determined to continue delivering excellent public services despite increasing fiscal pressures. Do you have an idea of where and how the government can cut waste in public expenditure? Please write to us using the form below..........."

Poo at the Zoo and You

In the past five years, Auckland Zoo has successfully reduced waste to landfill by two-thirds from 15 tonnes a month to five tonnes, and that five tonnes is further squashed in a compacting machine to reduce the amount of room it takes in the landfill.
The Zoo has also commissioned a large Tag-G Digester worm farm which will take organic waste from the Zoo's cafes and further reduce the amount of waste going out the gate.
The worm farm can hold five tonnes of organic waste, says Auckland Zoo Educator, Cassandra Knight. The waste education programme at the Zoo is called "Poo at the Zoo and You" and teaches students about how the Zoo deals with waste from the animals and from the public.

TV show to help cut waste

A TV show, "No Waste Like Home", is helping householders cut wastes. In the first episode August 2005, presenter Penney Poyzer (Queen of Green) managed to reduce a family's household waste by 94% in 2 weeks, reduce food wastage by 60%, heating gas usage by 63% and helped the family saved $753 in 2 weeks. That is quite an achievement.

Introduction

Reason for this blog - I hate waste. And the world can do with less waste. So this blog will be all about cutting or eliminating waste. Zero waste, or owaste, or 0waste.