Orange County Blog

Orange County, with its 42 miles of coastline, is a spectacular place to live. A day at the beach washes away cares and concerns while watching the sun set over the vast ocean offers a new perspective to life.  All in all, there is no such thing as a bad day at the beach.  And Orange County has a multitude of beaches from which to choose to spend a day.

But before heading out to enjoy sea and sand, take a look at these important reminders from the American Academy of Dermatology at www.WelcomeToOC.com

Seriously, it’s time to fill the gas tank again?  Prices are on the rise and there’s not much we can do about it.  Right?  Well, the answer to that is both no and yes.  No, we can’t do much to lower the price of gas, but yes, we can take steps to reduce the number of times we visit the cost consuming gas station.

Here are a few helpful hints to reduce the frequency of the Needle on Empty Syndrome:

1.  Take care of your car!  Besides the issue with gas prices, a car is a huge investment.  Checking the tire pressure and replacing the air filter on a regular basis will do wonders for improving your car’s efficiency and therefore it’s MPG.

2. Remember that when the traffic light turns green, it’s not a green light to jump on the accelerator – settle down Speed Racer.  Accelerate moderately so as not to waste fuel.  A perfect partner to this hint is to take a tip from the truck drivers on crowded freeways.  They keep their speed constant as they know it takes much more fuel to get a vehicle moving than it does to keep it moving.

3. Try roughing it and turn off your air conditioner.  At lower speeds, you will save fuel.  But on the flip side, at higher speeds the A/C will be more efficient than the open windows because of wind resistance.

4. Resist the urge to “pimp your ride”.  If your tires are wider than the stock tires, chances are they'll create more rolling resistance and decrease fuel economy

5. So many of us fall into the category of being cleanliness impaired when it comes to our cars.  It takes little to acquire an extra 40-50 lbs. of stuff in our trunks.  Extra weight equals more fuel to burn to get from point A to point B.

6. One last tip for the carpool parent: Avoid Long Idles - The bottom line is idling burns more gas than restarting an engine. If you wait in line at the kids’ school, you know what a long idle means!

Now that you know how to stretch your tank of gas, stretch your gas dollars by learning where the cheapest gas stations are in your area http://bit.ly/47pekN

OC residents know that reducing their carbon footprint is paramount to the future of their world and are actively researching solar energy businesses. Our environment’s resources are not limitless and we should always be looking for ways to be good caretakers of Mother Earth.  Using the sun to turn your roof into a miniature electrical power plant for your home makes sense on two fronts.  One, solar electricity is a clean power source.  It generates electricity that is free of harmful CO2 emissions and other greenhouse gases.  Two, many state and local government programs offer incentives and rebates to subsidize the cost of equipment and installation so it makes good financial sense to go solar.  Solar electricity converts sunlight directly into electricity, which can help reduce your electricity bills by as much as 60 percent. What a great savings!

Don’t delay.  Make a difference today.  Visit www.welcometooc.com to help you plan your conversion to solar energy.

In Orange County, being environmentally aware and reducing our carbon footprint is a big focus in our lives.  But did you ever stop to consider what chemicals you are putting onto your face? Does parabens, harsh chemicals, petroleum, synthetic colors and fragrances, Paraffin, PABA, mineral oil, propylene-glycol, phthalates, genetically modified organic material, DEA and animal ingredients sound like a smart investment in you and in your skin. Today’s savvy women are putting pressure on the cosmetic companies to produce organic products because while we care about our skin, we are not ready to give up the luxury of make-up.  The major focus of “green cosmetics” is the ingredients and the more organic the ingredients the better.

Ready to get started? Ease into going green with these tips...www.welcometooc.com