This product really will save you money even while helping the environment. It
Can you afford NOT to use it? This is a GREAT reason why Green IS Good!
What if you COULD help the environment & Earn Money? Wouldn’t GREEN be Really GOOD then??
BrighterGreen.org – Equity. Sustainability. Rights.
Brighter Green is a new public policy “action tank” that aims to raise awareness and encourage dialogue on and attention to issues that span the environment, animals, and sustainable development both globally and locally. Brighter Green’s work has a particular focus on equity and rights.
This is a really neat way to keep up to date with some of the issues and actions concerning greenies everywhere – enjoy!
New Carbon-Negative Community Loves Their Waste
… for production of renewable energy and maybe carbon sequestration.
Located in Sequatchie County, Tennessee, Mantria Place will be Tennessee
’s largest master planned community weighing it at 5,500 acres. Nearly half of that will be green space in addition to two championship golf courses. Question: Can new, Luxury development really be green?? With two golf courses how will they manage to keep their carbon footprint below par?
So far it seems that the planners of this new development have covered their research well, working out long term water usage, CO2 emissions and even paper usage in the planned restaurants..
Power for 3,000 homes will be generated via flash carbonisation, and you can read the full article here on cleantechnica
Staying Cool: Green Insulation Gets Warm Reception
Have you ever thought of growing mushrooms in the walls of your house as an insulation? Well, you can start now. “Greensulate” is a renewable, biodegradable insulation material that is more cost effective than existing materials available today.
Ecovative will be testing their eco product called Greensulate over the next year to check that the building material can resist mold growth even if it becomes saturated by water.
Gavin McIntyre, and Eben Bayer invented Greensulate in 2006 when they were seniors at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy, N.Y. They later formed their Ecovative company in ordert to continue their work.
If McIntyre and Bayer are satisfied with the results of their own tests, they will hire a third-party testing firm to do more testing and, hopefully, certify that Greensulate meets ASTM standards.
Once that is proved, their biggest hurdle may well be penetrating the “entrenched building industry,” Bayer says. He and McIntyre—who have patented their product—think Greensulate has considerable advantages over competing materials, including cost.
Rice hulls used in the production of greensulate are agricultural garbage. They can be bought for about five dollars a ton. The product’s fibrous mycelium mushroom roots are free, because Bayer and McIntyre grow them, and recycled paper is readily available. There is no petroleum in their greensulate product, so prices are not affected by gas price rises, which all means that current material projections for greensulate are equal or below the existing cost of board insulations like polystyrene.
Greensulate is also a proved fire retardant: It withstood heat up to 1,112 degrees Fahrenheit (600 degrees Celsius). Bayer reports that, during their own tests he was able to hold a piece of Greensulate in his hand, blast the panel with an acetylene welding torch, and not feel heat on the other side.
For full article see go here.
Stop Trashing the Climate
Amazing new report that links trash to climate change. Includes recommendations on zero waste, incinerators, packaging regulations, composting and recycling.
See it for yourself here.
This report outlines the link between climate change and unsustainable patterns of consumption and wasting. It deals with the myths about the climate benefits of landfill gas recovery and waste incineration and outlines several policies the authors believe are needed to effect change, and even offers a roadmap for how to significantly reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions within a short period.
The report states that significantly decreasing waste disposed in landfills and incinerators will reduce greenhouse gas emissions, to the equivalent of closing 21% of U.S. coal-fired power plants.
Imagine how much better the environment could be if we could reduce greenhouse gas emissions by that much! And don’t forget that another way to achieve this is to use a really good fuel additive that will make your car as energy efficient as possible while you need to continue using a gas or bio-fuel powered car..
Water Scarcity: The Real Food Crisis
In the discussion of the global food emergency, one underlying factor is barely mentioned: The world is running out of water. A British science writer, who authored a major book on water resources, here explores the nexus between water overconsumption and current food shortages. by fred pearce
Yale.edu - for full article.
This is a really useful article that highlights how we overlook some of the most concerning problems of our time until they hit us right between the eyes. So many of us don’t even give a second thought to where our water comes from and how it will be replenished in these days of wether and climate change. Just on the small island I live on we are confronted with this problem every summer and we seem to be getting less rain every winter, and yet people still engage in the same old habits that they have used for years, wasting water washing their cars, washing their paths and even the road fronts to get rid of the dust – but where do they think the water will keep on coming from once the last reservoir runs dry??
Do you know that it uses between 50-150 litres of water just to wash a car? Ouch – we need to wake up and start conserving the precious resources that we have..
Build a House for FREE using by-products of humanity..
This is a Permaculture thing, houses made of tires and junk, what a way to recycle. Some of these houses are gorgeous and they are all made from recycled materials that are not bio-degradable, making them virtually indestructible.
Check out earthship.net for more info on how to build using natural and recycled materials. You simply won’t believe how good some of these homes have been made to look.. All have been created with the use of tyres filled with earth as the main walling blocks and then covered with natural stone or a natural earth plaster. Bottles are used to create beautiful coloured walls that the light shines through and some of the overall effects have to be seen to be believed..
The Greenest U.S. Cities (Are Not What You Think)
Honolulu and, Yes, Los Angeles, Top the List – can you believe that?
You’ll have to read the full article to see how they do it, just came across this info on digg and it really surpirsied me. I would have thought that the less built up and less populated states would have taken the crown for being green but I guess the ones with the biggest pollution problems are the ones that are working hardest to find a way around those issues. That just shows there’s no excuse for any of us..
Mind you – will add this quote from the article as a caveat here:
Quote – [Here's how Brookings describes the limitations of its data:
"To produce comparable carbon footprints for the 100 largest metropolitan areas, the authors examined national databases for passenger and freight transportation and for energy consumption in residential buildings. These estimates are as current as data sources will allow across metro areas, yet at the same time they are incomplete. Major omissions are the carbon emissions from commercial buildings, industry, and other modes of transportation such as planes, transit, and trains. These sources account for roughly half of national emissions. For this reason, results for any particular metropolitan area should be treated with caution. Still, the majority of commercial buildings are powered by electricity derived largely from coal, and their spatial arrangement would be expected to follow the general compactness and density characteristics of residential developments in a metro area. Thus, their footprints are likely to resemble those reported here for residential buildings, although this remains to be seen."
Neysa C. Pranger, director of Public Affairs for the Regional Plan Association, a partner in the report, added this about Los Angeles:
"Emissions numbers for California used a statewide average. Apparently in northern California, energy production is very green, while in southern California it is not so good. The break down couldn’t happen with a high degree of accuracy, so the report uses a statewide average which made LA look better than it is."] end quote.
A good way to reduce your own fuel emissions is to use a good fuel additive. This will save you money as well helping the environment by reducing your emissions..
Unleash power for the people with 50 terawatts.
Ok – so what’s a terrawatt? – it is one trillion watts of energy - I can’t even think how many noughts to add after the one to write that in numerals….
Sustainable energy is so underused on our planet – Unleash Power for the People aims to get us to think about how we can increase our sustainable energy use and help reduce poverty / make the world a better place for everyone.
This site is aiming for a worldwide response to increasing sustainable energy, but remember there are small local things that we can do to keep improving our environment. If we all take small steps, together we can make a big difference..
Reduce emissions with a good fuel additive.
Reuse your plastic bags or better still use canvas shopping bag and leave the plastic ones in the shop…
Use grey water for irrigation.
Compost ..
If you would like to find out some more energy facts – try this site - are you ready to change the world? Remember, just one little step at a time by many people makes a BIG difference…
Why Go GREEN?
Hmm – maybe this is something that becomes increasingly important as we get older? I know for me this is the case. I have always worried a little about the stuff that comes across in the news about global warming and lately global cooling.. sometimes the info that we read or hear about can be quite confusing and certainly with films like The Day After Tomorrow showing the possible effects of some of these issues (albeit enhanced and speeded up a gazillion times to make a more entertaining film), it’s an issue that is never far from my mind..
For me going green is about trying to do some of the little things that can make a difference to my immediate environment and maybe growing my sphere of influence so that my friends, neighbours and then their friends take notice and hopefully do some of the same things.
I joined facebook recently and it’s great to see that there are so many groups and individuals there who feel the same way, and some who are working hard to make even more of an impact. I try to support those initiatives and look at incorporating some of their suggestions into my lifestyle.
So what brought this on? For me living in Cyprus in the eastern mediterranean has opened my eyes a little - both to global weather changes and to the local problems that can create. For example, we have water shortages and increasing problems with the dust in the environment which is enhanced in the spring, summer and autumn. We’ve had little rain since March 2007 and while I love the sun and indeed moved here to get away from the grim UK weather, it makes me conscious of how precious water is and how necessary to our lives.
I want to use my blog to highlight some of the local stuff that we can do – however small that will help to make a difference to the world around us, and just maybe help make it a better place for our kids and their kids…
Debs
