go-green

Renewable energy technology: An Eco-House is the Future Home

Sat, 21 Feb 2009 14:56:37 +0100

Energy bills will be a thing of the past in the 'eco-house' of the future thanks to a combination of the latest renewable energy technology and hundred year old building techniques.

A zero carbon building has been developed by University of Cambridge architects as a prototype for future living. It is based on a 600-year-old Medieval design that retains heat from the sun while cooling naturally in the summer.Extra energy is also provided by solar panels on the roof and a woodchip boiler.

The four bedroom "Eco-house", was featured on the Channel 4 programme Grand Designs and cost £445,000 to build. However, with the price of renewable technologies set to plummet it could be the most affordable and practical option for the future. Environmentally friendly building materials were used, such as timber from local sources and recycled newspaper for insulation. The arched building is essentially one large vault spanning 65 feet (20 metres), covered on the outside with earth and plants to camouflage it and help it blend in with the rural surroundings. The natural materials mean that the house can absorb fluctuations in temperature while triple glazed windows use as much light as possible.

Michael Ramage, based at the University of Cambridge Department of Architecture, stated that "The design is cost-effective in that the home is relatively simple to build and, once you know what you're doing, it's quick. Many of the costs come from the new technology it uses for energy storage and generation. If those become more widely available, making a similar house cheaply in much larger quantities may be possible."

Source & Photo: Telegraph.co.uk

Are you still using plastic bags? Think again...

Sun, 08 Feb 2009 14:29:12 +0100

Plastic bags have only a brief useful life, but they can survive forever in landfills.

When I was still a child I remember people used to take a shopping bag or a carrier when going to the grocery store, today everyone uses plastic bags, and lots of them. One for vegetables another one for frozen food and other one for dairy products and so on. I have a closet full of the bags to reuse to carry items or line the bin and so lot of other people. But it is time to stop using these bags which are harmful to the environment. During these few years there there has been a growing international movement to ban or discourage the use of plastic bags because of their environmental effects.

Many countries have introduced taxes to discourage people from using plastic bags whilst others have totally banned them. Below are lots of facts about plastic bags that after reading them will convince you to stop using them. In various stores we can find a lot of reusable bags like tote bags and other nicely designed bags to carry with you when shopping, most can be washed and reused and also folded so as not to take space in you handbag or you can also leave one handy in your car.

Top Facts - Consumption

Each year, an estimated 500 billion to 1 trillion plastic bags are consumed worldwide. That comes out to over one million per minute. Billions end up as litter each year.
According to the EPA, over 380 billion plastic bags, sacks and wraps are consumed in the U.S. each year.
According to The Wall Street Journal, the U.S. goes through 100 billion plastic shopping bags annually. (Estimated cost to retailers is $4 billion)
According to the industry publication Modern Plastics, Taiwan consumes 20 billion bags a year - 900 per person.
According to Australia's Department of Environment, Australians consume 6.9 billion plastic bags each year - 326 per person. An estimated 0.7% or 49,600,000 end up as litter each year.

Top Facts - Environmental Impact

Hundreds of thousands of sea turtles, whales and other marine mammals die every year from eating discarded plastic bags mistaken for food.
Plastic bags don't biodegrade, they photodegrade - breaking down into smaller and smaller toxic bits contaminating soil and waterways and entering the food web when animals accidentally ingest.
As part of Clean Up Australia Day, in one day nearly 500,000 plastic bags were collected.
Windblown plastic bags are so prevalent in Africa that a cottage industry has sprung up harvesting bags and using them to weave hats, and even bags. According to the BBC, one group harvests 30,000 per month.
According to David Barnes, a marine scientist with the British Antarctic Survey, plastic bags have gone "from being rare in the late 80s and early 90s to being almost everywhere from Spitsbergen 78 degrees North [latitude] to Falklands 51 degrees South [latitude]."
Plastic bags are among the 12 items of debris most often found in coastal cleanups, according to the nonprofit Center for Marine Conservation.

Plastic Bags are Dangerous

Leaving plastic bags around is dangerous also for your pets and marine mammals and fish when these end up in the sea. Animals can choke on these bags. Cats and other animals are attracted to plastic bags but when they start chewing on them these can clog in their throat and they die asphyxiated.

Recycle! Recycle! Recycle!

Sat, 07 Feb 2009 18:53:40 +0100

Throwing away items that could be recycled diminishes energy, water and natural resources that could be saved by recycling.

Did you know...

For every ton of paper that is recycled, the following is saved: 7,000 gallons of water; 380 gallons of oil; and enough electricity to power an average house for six months.
You can run a TV for six hours on the amount of electricity that is saved by recycling one aluminum can.
By recycling just one glass bottle, you save enough electricity to power a 100-watt bulb for four hours.

20 Tips to Save Water and Electricity

Sat, 31 Jan 2009 15:06:33 +0100

It's Simple and Inexpensive!

The typical household in the developed world uses upwards of 260 gallons of water per day and 920 kWh of electricity per month! Utility bills are increasing every year, the good news is that by making a few quick changes, you can cut down a good percentage of your bills .

So here are 20 energy saving tips, using them wisely will save you lots of money and also save our environment.

1) If you are going to buy new appliances, choose eco-friendly ones. Maybe they will be more expensive, but they will save you money in the long run. Look out for the guarantees though, to make sure the appliances will last long enough to get your money's worth.

2) Only heat up rooms you are using, warm up with more clothes and blankets instead of using electric heaters, or use a hot water bottle.

3) Wash your clothes in cold instead of hot water and use a clothes line or a laundry rack instead of a tumble dryer.

4) If you have an electric hob and oven consider buying an alternative gas hob to use for things that take long to cook, and use a microwave oven instead of the electric one.

5) If your fridge was built more than eight years ago, the chances are that a substantial part of your electricity bill is being spent on its inefficiency. Changing it now, while the running cost is increasing, will be an investment worth making. If you don't think it's worth replacing just yet, check the condition of the door's seal and replace it if it is damaged.

6) If you use air-conditioning, try installing ceiling fans instead. They are incredibly more efficient, even when compared to standing fans. And if you must switch on your AC, make sure the doors and windows are closed, switch on the timer, and set the temperature at a steady comfortable level. Also note that if you want to heat a room, air-conditioning is more efficient that electric heating, but gas heaters are a better idea.

7) If you have not done so yet, make the switch to energy-saving light bulbs. Traditional bulbs use up more electricity on producing heat than giving off light - they are just not worth having anymore. Also, switch off lights and appliances whenever you do not need them on. The impression that switching on and off electrical appliances and light bulbs means more consumption than leaving them on is a myth.

8) You cannot save much from computers, but simple things can make a difference. Keep your computer on sleep instead of on screen saver. And if you still use the old CRT (curved) screens, replace them with newer LCD flat-screens. The latter are far more efficient. You can also edit preferences to switch off monitor when not in use and just leave the hard disk on.

9) Buy a timer for your water heater so that it only switches on an hour before you actually need the hot water. They do not cost much, but if you are ready to time your shower schedule accordingly, you can make big savings. Also, set the temperature to around 55 degrees Celsius, not more. You can also choose to replace your electric with a more efficient gas water heater or better still a solar water heater. When offset against the recurring cost of the new bills, the money spent on replacing your old electric unit can be recouped in a short span of time.

10) Be bathroom-efficient. Install a water-efficient showerhead, and shorten your showers by a couple of minutes. If you have baths, try use a little less water each time. When shaving and brushing your teeth, switch off the tap, and try washing your face in the shower.

11) Save water by running your dishwasher and washing machine only when they are full and you could save 1000 gallons a month.

12) When washing dishes by hand, don't let the water run while rinsing. Fill one sink with wash water and the other with rinse water. Collect the water you use for washing vegetables and fruit and use it to water the plants.

13) Listen for dripping faucets, grab a wrench and fix that leaky faucet! Put food coloring in your toilet tank. If it seeps into the toilet bowl without flushing, you have a leak.

14) If your toilet was installed prior to 1980, place a toilet dam or bottle filled with water in your toilet tank to cut down on the amount of water used for each flush. Be sure these devices do not interfere with operating parts.

15) Use a broom instead of a hose to clean your driveway or sidewalk and save 80 gallons of water every time.

16) Place a bucket or barrel outside to collect rainwater which can be used for watering your plants or washing the floor.

17) Boil a full kettle of water, then store in a thermal bottle to use the remaining when having another cup of coffee or tea. Otherwise only fill the kettle with the amount required.

18) Generate your own electricity by using solar panels, wind turbines or solar water heaters.

19) Avoid flushing the toilet unnecessarily. Dispose of tissues, insects and other such waste in the trash rather than the toilet.

20) Unplug mobile and battery chargers and other appliances you are not using, turn them off instead of leaving them on stand-by when not in use.