More and more people are promoting fair trade practices. This movement focuses on helping producers and workers in developing countries receive higher, fairer prices and helping improve working...
Organic gardening is becoming more and more popular. People are becoming increasingly concerned about the quality of foods they eat, and are turning to organic foods with higher levels of nutrition...
One of my friends recently applied for a mortgage with his bank. He was looking for some extra funds to increase the size of his conservatory, by replacing it with a new one. One of the questions on...
Although there are many factors that go into maintaining an environmentally conscious, sustainable lifestyle, it’s important to never forget how important a good, healthy diet is as well....
It never ceases to amaze me that being environmentally friendly as I am, it’s not simply a case of doing the more obvious things to maintain my green credentials. Yes I recycle where I can,...
More and more people are promoting fair trade practices. This movement focuses on helping producers and workers in developing countries receive higher, fairer prices and helping improve working conditions for farmers and factory workers.
You can choose to support free trade practices by purchasing free trade goods in supermarkets. In the UK, FLO Fair Trade oversees free trade products being sold. These products are identified with a special logo.
Organic gardening is becoming more and more popular. People are becoming increasingly concerned about the quality of foods they eat, and are turning to organic foods with higher levels of nutrition to ward off health concerns and sustain a vital body. The benefits of going organic greatly outweigh the time and energy involved.
One of my friends recently applied for a mortgage with his bank. He was looking for some extra funds to increase the size of his conservatory, by replacing it with a new one. One of the questions on the mortgage form asked about “agricultural ties” Now my friend is a keen urban gardener and has a nice little vegetable and herb plot in his garden. It is not a huge garden by any means, but he loves it and I can vouch for his carrots! The question about agricultural ties confused him slightly and he told the mortgage adviser, his property did have agriculture of sort i.e. his vegetable plot.
As soon as he mentioned this, the adviser seemed to get very concerned. This of course in turn concerned my friend; surely his lender would have no problem with a few spuds and carrots? The adviser said he would need to speak to his manager and got up and left my friend sitting there worried out of his head!
The mortgage adviser returned and told my friend they would need to decline his application as the bank did not lend to farms! My friend was astonished to hear these words, he didn’t have a farm, and he lived in a ex-council estate in East London! My friend immediately asked to see the manager, and after a few minutes the Manager came over. He explained that the banks policy was not to lend to property with significant “agricultural ties” My friend asked what the definition of significant was. The bank manager said that any property with a large proportion of its land used for farm production of crops.
By now was friend had gone from being worried to being outraged. Crops, farms what on earth did this bank think he was doing? Did they think he was selling his prize carrots to the whole of east London? No amount of explaining, that the small plot of vegetables at the bottom of his garden was for his own use, made any difference. My friend simply gave up and left the branch.
He explained his woes to me and was still visibly upset when I saw him. I calmed him down and explained that he could speak to my mortgage broker who was based in Glasgow, but would be more than happy to discuss my friend’s options. Although my broker was based in Glasgow, he has clients in London and can arrange everything by phone. He took my advice and spoke to my broker. The Glasgow mortgage broker was able to advise my client that there were plenty of lenders that would consider a re-mortgage application, even with his vegetable plot. The beauty of using a mortgage broker, is that they can access the whole market and work on your behalf not the banks( which can only be a good thing)
My friend was able to get a suitable mortgage and now has a beautiful new conservatory. If you need to find a suitable mortgage and need some sound advice, then I would have no problem recommending Mortgage Advisor Glasgow, you can find out more about them on their website here.
Although there are many factors that go into maintaining an environmentally conscious, sustainable lifestyle, it’s important to never forget how important a good, healthy diet is as well. Making it a point to support local businesses and – of course – eat wholesome, organic foods is more than just a big part of living sustainably. It’s also an important part of maintaining optimal good health.
Many of today’s top nutritionists and medical experts wholeheartedly believe that adding the right organic produce to your daily regimen can not only help you prevent disease, but also treat existing ailments you may already be suffering from. My health issues related to Kidney Pain makes this post a lot more personal and I have been looking into much deeper cause for these health issues. What I firmly believe now is that there are no better alternative to having organic food if you would like to maintain good health.
I will write a much in depth post on organic food and how it impacts your health in the later posts. But for now, lets keep this simple. Let’s just take a closer look at some of the top organic foods health authorities say you should be including in your diet and why.
Beans
Beans are more than one of the most economically conscious foods you can buy. They’re also high in a whole symphony of important nutrients. If you’re into sustainable home gardening, it’s easy to grow them yourself as well. Beans promote optimal bone, prostate, and muscle health. They can also help to treat symptoms associated with menopause. Their high protein content also makes them an easy swap-out for just about any meat in recipes you’d like to try to boot. Last but definitely not least, the high fiber content in beans helps to keep your entire digestive tract in good working order, making them an essential for everyone.
Garlic and Onions
Organic garlic and onions are more than just delicious, all-natural ways to add flavor to just about any dish. They’re also incredible health tonics in their own right. Garlic contains more than 70 phytochemicals that are thought to lower blood pressure. It is also prized for helping to lower your risks of developing cancers of the rectum, ovary, and more. Onions on the other hand are ideal for helping to prevent blood clots and keep your circulatory system on the whole super healthy.
Celery
Celery is prized by nutritionists for its ability to treat a variety of different ailments. These include chronic kidney issues like kidney stones. That said, if you have issues with your kidneys and your kidney pain location suggests that stones may be a problem for you, then you might want to try adding some organic celery to your diet in addition to following doctor’s orders. Celery is packed with vitamins and nutrients that help boost the immune system and ward off colds or the flu to boot. Most doctors recommend eating at least four stalks a day.
Citrus Fruit
Organic citrus fruits are among the most healthful fruits you can add to your diet. Not only are they chock full of Vitamin C, the nutrient responsible for maintaining your immune system, as well as the overall structural strength of many body tissues. Many varieties – such as grapefruit – are high in lycopene, a compound that has been linked to lowered cancer risks. The rinds are full of goodies as well. Use the zest to add pizzazz to favorite recipes and even drinks.
It never ceases to amaze me that being environmentally friendly as I am, it’s not simply a case of doing the more obvious things to maintain my green credentials. Yes I recycle where I can, try to use public transport, and when I can’t, drive an economical car and so on. You get the idea.
No being green even reaches into my bathroom and brushing my teeth! I read here that the toothpaste I use contains fluoride – and most of them do. I thought that was a good thing, helps your teeth from rotting, so the marketers love to keep telling us. And it does, but what I didn’t realise is that fluoride is more toxic that lead! Now that’s a worry for anyone, let alone someone as eco-friendly as me.
However, the evidence as to whether the amount of fluoride contained in toothpaste is enough to be harmful seems to be inconclusive. As long as you don’t swallow your toothpaste, there seems to be more benefits than drawbacks. That’s fine, but I have two young children, and they DO swallow the toothpaste. And while the manufacturers continue to market fluoride toothpastes in bubble-gum, fruit, and sweet-like flavours, who can blame them for thinking their toothpaste is not to be eaten. Young children also have poorly developed swallowing reflexes, and invariably swallow large amounts without thinking about it.
Fluoride toothpastes sold in the UK generally contain between 1,100 and 1,450 parts per million (ppm) fluoride (the equivalent of over 1 mg of fluoride for each gram of paste). Although I have noted that since reading this, upon checking my children’s toothpaste, the fluoride levels are lower, I guess to take into account the likelihood of their swallowing the toothpaste.
It seems that the bottom line is that fluoride is a poison that helps to kill off all the bacteria in your mouth when you brush your teeth, both the beneficial bacteria and the harmful ones that promote tooth decay. However, there’s no good reason to ever ingest fluoride, as it’s just inviting your kidneys to be over-worked by processing this toxin.
So yes, I am worried for me and my children’s health here. Not to mention of course that the fluoride we do remember to spit out will go down the plughole and into our water system. However there are alternatives , in other words, fluoride-free toothpastes, and from what I understand, these are credible alternatives that actually work.
As to which toothpaste to purchase? Fluoride or fluoride-free, well for me that’s an easy answer. For you, that’s your own decision, but at least we may know which questions to ask, and at least at this point, there are many non-fluoride toothpastes available, so have a look and give them a go. You may surprise yourself and find a fluoride-free toothpaste that not only does the job of helping your teeth from rotting, but also give you the satisfaction of knowing, you have done away with fluoride, and that has to be worth it.
Farm tractors, irrigation pumps, and combines play an essential role in today’s quality of life and national economy, and America’s mining sector depends heavily on diesel-powered vehicles to harness the earth’s natural resources, such as iron, oil, coal, and precious metals.
With diesel-powered engines providing two-thirds of machine energy for America’s farms and major transportation systems, clean diesel has become the standard for new technology in these industries. This new generation of diesel engines offers companies in the farming, transportation, mining, and constructions industries the following benefits:
From digging foundations to lifting steel beams, diesel engines even offer a green solution to performing heavy-duty construction work. Companies that are looking for diesel-powered vehicles to get the job done efficiently and cost-effectively need to take into consideration the environmental impact, fuel efficiency, and governmental regulations of clean diesel engines.
Diesel-powered engines work differently from their gasoline counterparts, with the distinction lying in the ignition type. While gasoline-powered engines function on spark ignitions, diesel engines utilize compression-ignition systems.
Diesel engines draw the air into the engine and subject the fuel to high compression, resulting in a higher temperature that ignites the fuel. Because diesel engines infuse the air and fuel at different stages, the fuel and air mixture limits diesel fuel compression to provide overall fuel efficiency.
From petroleum-based to biodiesel fuel engines, most farming and transportation companies have turned to a greener form of fuel economy. These fuels create a balanced energy policy that benefits customers and companies across the nation, providing diesel engine longevity and cleanliness. Not only do diesel engines offer a greener form of fuel efficiency to companies, but these engines also provide numerous environmental benefits.
Green diesel fuels work in existing diesel engines, allowing the fuel to be pumped, burned, and stored safely without having a negative effect on the environment. Biodiesel and petroleum-based diesel fuels can be used together or separately in any portion, making it a cost-effective alternative to gasoline-powered engines.
Diesel engines rely on diesel fuel to lubricate the components, ensuring optimal performance levels. Green diesel fuel offers high lubricity levels for the fuel injection system, resulting in an increased performance and minimal injection system failure. The introduction of low and ultra-low sulfur diesel fuel has extended the life of the fuel injection system and fuel lubricity.
Green diesel fuel successfully follows the Clean Air Act by the EPA, reducing carcinogenic compound emissions by up to 85 percent. These engines offer a welcoming relief in environments where pedestrians and workers function in close proximity to these engines, including farming, public transportation, construction, and mining. With the advent of diesel engines that are equipped with particulate filters, catalytic converters, and exhaust gas recirculation (EGR), clean diesel technology offers incredible fuel efficiency and low emission levels. A study performed by the EPA shows the true impact of clean diesel fuel on regulated and non-regulated emissions:
The ultimate goal of diesel-powered companies is to build a stronger, self-sufficient community that benefits the local economy. From farmers growing their feedstock to major transportation systems carrying passengers, diesel fuel allows the money to remain in the community while maintaining a greener impact on local environments and increasing overall energy security.
According to a 2012 report from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), farming and rail transportation industries employ approximately 21 percent of certified diesel mechanics. Individuals who wish to become certified diesel mechanics and work on clean diesel fuel engines for the farming community or major transportation industry need to obtain the proper certifications through an accredited college before applying for available positions.
Urban beekeeping is a profitable business and it doesn’t have to be a scary experience for you or your neighbors. There are certain precautions that you can take to ensure both you and your neighbor’s safety as well as avoid personal injury lawsuits. Below are some of the strategies you can use to ensure safe urban beekeeping.
Your Neighbors’ Safety
There are two types of urban beekeeping farmers. One keeps a hive in his backyard and doesn’t tell the neighbors until there is a complaint. This type of farmer will have to compensate his neighbors because he acted negligently by not disclosing that he has a beehive. In case they are faced with a lawsuit, there are many reputable law firms with experienced personal injury lawyers who can represent them but it’s advisable not to emulate this type of a farmer.
The other type of beekeeping farmer is the one who takes a proactive approach and discloses to his neighbors that he has a hive and he is willing to supply fresh honey for a small price to anyone that is interested.
If you are the second type of farmer, one way you can reassure your neighbors that they are safe is by keeping your bees out of their premises. For instance, if your neighbor has a swimming pool, honey bees will use it as a water source if the weather is dry. To avoid creating a nuisance to your neighbors, consider erecting a water supply area near the entrance of the beehive.
You can also prevent your honey bees from wandering into your neighbors’ yard by setting up a bait hive. While it is nearly impossible to prevent hive swarms, a bait hive will prevent the bees from setting up house on your neighbor’s tree. A bait hive is an empty hive that bee swarms can easily access.
The location of your beehive will also go a long way into ensuring your neighbor’s safety. Don’t place your beehive near play areas or sidewalks where bees may pose a direct threat to people nearby. Your urban beehive should be placed in a corner in your backyard away from human traffic.
Consider directing the flight pattern of your honey bees by erecting a 6-8ft fence so that when bees are flying out, they go up and over the fence. This way, they will achieve a great height and you will have reduced chances that they might encounter a neighbor or children playing.
If you have curious neighbors who want to come and inspect your hives, you should invest in an extra coverall, veil and pair of gloves. It is the perfect way to educate your neighbors about honey bees and also to assure them that urban beekeeping can be both safe and profitable.
Final Word
You can polish up on your urban beekeeping safety skills by joining a local beekeeping association. You can also get loads of information from state and local level organizations online by subscribing to their newsletters or visiting their websites. These are all great resources for acquiring more information about keeping bees.
Are you planning your garden for spring? Why not plan for smoothies? Smoothies will give you fast healthy energy all season. There are many vegetables you can plant in an urban garden that will happily go straight into the blender. Having instant nutrition straight from the garden will brighten your day.
The way smoothies work is to add a delicious blend of fresh ingredients to a base that will thicken the mixture. Bananas and avocados are popular base ingredients. So is yogurt. Liquid is added to thin the mixture. Add more protein by choosing nut milks, kefir or cow’s milk. Try coconut water, fruit juices and green or herbal teas for their taste and added nutritional benefits. Many people supplement the protein content of their smoothies. Peanut butter, almond butter, ground flax seeds and tofu are popular choices.
Green smoothies are an exciting way to use your urban garden. Greens, including kale, spinach and chard, can be added to your smoothie for extra punch. Add fruit, liquid and thickeners that balance the green flavor, which is surprisingly tasty and amazingly addictive. Smoothies use only raw ingredients. Drink them fresh and you’ll enjoy the maximum nutritional benefits.
The advantages of using homegrown vegetables in smoothies are numerous. Since the gardener controls the conditions, you can count on your own vegetables to be healthy and uncontaminated. Vegetables from your urban garden will be absolutely fresh. Store-bought vegetables travel long distances and sit on shelves for a period of time before you buy them. Urban garden vegetables will also be good value. You save money growing your own produce and you get good quality.
Tomatoes are a favorite for urban gardens, for good reason. Tomatoes contain lycopene, a powerful antioxidant. They’re easy to grow. And the taste of fresh tomatoes can’t be beat. Tomatoes are actually a fruit. Start your smoothie with a handful of grape or cherry tomatoes. Add a ripe mango for extra sweetness or an avocado for thickening. A cup of fresh pineapple brings out the tomato tartness. Pack in 2 cups of fresh spinach and a handful of cilantro from the garden. Add enough unsweetened almond milk to barely cover the ingredients. If you are looking for the best smoothie blenders make sure to buy one with enough horse power since you want it to be able to blend pineapples or other, tougher vegetables with ease. Blend just until smooth, and drink.
Greens that love your urban garden include spinach, Swiss chard, cilantro, parsley and lettuce. Each of these greens has a distinct flavor to add to a green smoothie. Not all your fruits have to come from the store. Strawberries and cantaloupes grow well in urban gardens. A classic smoothie recipe combines 2 cups of strawberries to one cup of cantaloupe. Add half a cup of nonfat vanilla yogurt and thin with a cup of fresh orange or apple juice. If you want to go green, add one or two handfuls of spinach. Sweeten with honey or maple syrup.
What else can you grow in your urban garden for smoothies? Cucumbers, carrots, celery and bell peppers all are easy to cultivate in a small plot and add unique flavors. Beets are wonderful raw, and add great color to smoothies. Add smoothies to your spring gardening plans. Smoothies and urban gardens are a match made in heaven.
It is a pleasure to see one of the biggest franchise companies in the world with the most restaurant locations in the world to start thinking “green” and be more environmentally responsible in all aspects of their operations.
Most companies believe that just by implementing Energy Star rated appliances and LED lighting they satisfy their environmental responsibility.
That is not the case, and Subway knows that. They have made numerous changes that I will go over in more detail below but one of the more impressive changes they have done is educating their workforce and all Subway partners and franchise owners on the importance of being eco-friendly.
From my conversations with store employees there are new online training courses available at the Subway University to educate all Subway partners and staff members on how to work with the new appliances and how to be conscious of waste during their hours at the store.
This to me was one of the most important changes they could have done. Reminding employees to recycle, turn off unneeded lights, and not to let the water run more than it has too, can make more of a difference than any materiel change the parent company can do.
One such example is with the napkins. Too many times employees give out a handful of napkins even when the customer just asked for one, that is a huge and painful waste.
Even though the roll out of the eco-store concept started a few years back I have recently had the opportunity to visit one of these locations and I couldn’t be more excited with its prospects.
This is a brilliant move by Subway as they not only get good press for their brand but also save quite a bit of change on energy bills with each ecologically friendly modification they make at their shops.
The new Subway eco-restaurants will come with solar panels, energy efficient LED lighting, low flow water facets, and motion sensor lightnings among the many Energy Star rated equipment. Moreover, recycled materials will be used for all the Subway packaging, like the cups, napkins, salad bowls, and all other plastic and carton based products in the stores.
Additionally, Doctor’s Associates, the parent company of Subway restaurants, is rolling out many “green” improvements to their corporate headquarters at each department it can identify that will benefit from this. One of the main ones is the IT department which is responsible for running and maintaining the LMS platform hosting the University of Subway online training website. By using efficiently powered computer servers and virtualization for all their web properties, the energy saving can add up quickly.
These environmentally responsible changes will save millions of dollars for Subway, not to mention the huge reduction in the carbon foot print to our planet.
As with any big project things move slowly. In the past 3-years since Subway initially made their announcement, only 14 Subway eco-restaurant locations have been built, and only one internationally. I am not disappointed as I understand the difficulties involved when it comes to eco-related initiative. In my book even a little splash makes big waves when done by a large brand such as Subway.
I have hopes that other brands will follow, if for no other reason than the good publicity they will receive from just announcing such a move.
For every modern problem the world is facing, urban farming just seems to have the solution. Allotting space in the cities for urban farming – however little it may be – has provided solutions to man’s most pressing problems.
Hunger
The world is still battling its oldest and fiercest enemies since time immemorial – hunger and poverty. Could it be that the solution to the ancient problem of hunger lies on the hands of urban gardeners? Stories of urban farming around the world tell of poor communities farming on marginal land and living off on them.
In Australia, a community farm was made right along a busy railway. In Chicago, volunteers transformed an acre of crumbling cement into a vibrant community farm. There are endless stories of urban farming exploits – rolling gardens planted on the back of pickup trucks, up against walls, on roofs, in old tires, repurposed cans, cabinets, discarded wood pallets and whatnots.
Urban farming gives food right where people live, providing food that is fresh, indigenous, in season and free or low-cost. When food sources are near, people spend less time, gas and money in procuring fresh produce. The cumulative savings of such proximity and accessibility to food can be huge.
Diseases
Packaged, convenience foods are implicated with a host of health problems, foremost among them cancer and cardiovascular diseases. Packaged foods are highly-processed and heavily preserved, removing the natural nutritional density of foods and sneaking in harmful preservatives and additives. Regular consumption of packaged foods makes human bodies undernourished and overburdened with non-nutrient toxins.
Urban farming, by its close association with organic agriculture and integrated pest management, gives produce that are guaranteed natural, toxin-free and nutrient-dense. Urban farming keeps a steady supply of fresh, multi-colored vegetables and fruits which load up the body with highly-nourishing and protective vitamins, minerals, antioxidants and fiber. Urban farming is really nature’s real pharmacy for good health.
Environmental Problems
There’s no denying that highly-urbanized cities are contending with a host of environmental problems. There is the heat island effect which causes metropolitan areas to have much higher ambient temperatures than their surrounding rural areas. There is the harmful water runoff caused by a lack in water-absorbing vegetation.
By dotting the city landscape with vertical, patio, balcony, rooftop and other pocket gardens, urban farming actively cools the environment, combating the heat island effect. Encouraging tree planting and home gardening in urban areas produces abundant vegetation to prevent hazardous water runoff. It is also a known fact that plants are the best air purifiers, absorbing and neutralizing toxic gases which normally abound in urban air.
Aesthetic Problems
In most urban areas, the cityscape is nothing but gray concrete and steel. There is nothing alive and green that meets the eye. This is like a well made-up face that lacks a smile. Urban farming has broken that gray monotony and spruced up city landscapes with lively colors, crisp textures and rich greenery. This is akin to having your smile freshened and brightened by a professional dentist.
Consider New York City’s lush and green High Line Park and the office farm of a Japanese employment and staffing company in Tokyo – these are but a couple of examples of how urban farming gives our cities a green makeover.
We all know recycling is important and for most modern families, it is a part of our daily lives. This is a big step for our society and is a sign of progress toward greener living, but it is only the first step. Recycling still has a major carbon footprint. Those bottles and cans have to be picked up from your curb, taken to a facility, sorted, transported again, processed, and transported again to new product manufactures. Could we go “greener” by reducing or eliminating this process all together? Of course we can and the answer is Reusing.
I this article, I will show you just one simple way to to use “resuse” tactics in your home to further shrink your carbon footprint.
When you make your own soda at home, you can eliminate virtually all of the bottles and cans that you are used to recycling at the curb every week. You can just use one or two bottles and reuse them over and over in your home. There are a few ways to make soda at home.
This is probably the easiest way to make your own soda at home. Buy one of these machines online or at a local store, set it up, and you’re in business. The machine basically carbonates water, and then you can flavor it with syrups that the company makes, or flavor it yourself with fruit juice or whatever you like. There are tons of sodastream reviews online and available. Spend some time researching and pick which one is best for your. If you type “sodastream reviews” into Youtube, you will get a bunch of relevant results as well.
If you don’t like the idea of buying a soda making machine, you can actually build your own pretty easily. Basically, you buy a CO2 tank, a regulator, some tubing and some fittings and put them together to make a water carbonating system. It may sound complicated but it really is quite easy. The start up cost is a little more than the Sodastream machine, but the CO2 refills are cheaper and will probably save you money in the long run. There are a few websites that lay out exactly how to do this. My favorite guide is here.
With home brewed soda, the fizz in the soda is produced by fermentation, instead of CO2 injection as described above. Yeast is added to the flavored water, and left to sit at room temperature for a couple of days. The yeast consumes the sugar and the byproduct is CO2, which makes it fizzy. This is how traditional root beer and ginger ale are made. It’s a little more involved than carbonating water with a machine, but the result can be delicious. Check out this article for more info.
Whichever option you choose, making soda at home can be a great way use less bottles and cans, and reduce your carbon footprint.
Every day, scientists who work for the automobile industry are trying to develop ways for cars to run without using gasoline. One of the newest cars to come onto the market runs on solar power, and the ability to harness the power of the sun is going to make it the perfect car for some parts of the country where the sun shines most of the time. When it comes time to buy a new car, people who are into green transportation should look into solar powered cars.
Solar power cars are not the same as regular cars because they have to have a special place for the solar panels to be placed in order to absorb the sun. With these special panels, which are usually placed on the roof, people can drive around during the day, and the panels will turn the sun rays into the power that the car’s engine runs off of.
· No need for gasoline anymore: With the power of the sun now making the car run, people can take the money they would have spent on gas and get that fancy paint job, expensive stock wheels, and personalized license plates that they always wanted. Gas is over three dollars a gallon, and in some places it’s even more than four, but solar panels are going to eliminate everyone having to spend all their hard earned money filling up their gas tank.
· A smooth and silent ride: Gasoline engines are very noisy, and while driving around, people are not able to enjoy the ride because of the noise that the engine makes. Solar panels will ensure that the ride is silent no matter where they go or how long they are out on the road.
· A cool looking car that looks futuristic: Some people spend thousands of dollars on things like fancy original stock rims, an expensive car stereo, and a paint job with real gold flakes, but with a solar panel car, people can save their money because the designs of the cars are quite cool in their appearance. Solar cars are not very popular as of yet, and anyone that owns one is going to have a really amazing car even without any kind of fancy tires or overpriced paint job.
· A car that requires very little maintenance: Engines that run on gasoline need maintenance every few thousand miles or the car starts to malfunction. Solar panel cars run on the power that is supplied from the UV rays of the sun, and the engine that is attached to them is special and it is virtually problem-free. People can drive their solar cars for thousands of miles with absolutely no trouble, and the only thing that may need maintenance is the tires needing more air or replacing.
· Breathing easier with a solar powered car: Gas engines can produce emissions that pollute the air no matter how well-maintained they are. Solar powered cars do not cause pollution, and people who own them are not contributing to the pollution problem.
Every time people pass a gas station, the billboard or sign that announces the price of gas can make people wince when they see it. The price of gas is only going to go up, and there are alternatives to dealing with it like buying cars that run off of alternative forms of energy. Solar powered cars are available for people who want to drive around in a car that does not require any gas at all, but instead uses the power of the sun’s UV rays. People can save money they would normally spend on gas and car maintenance, and by owning a solar powered car, they are doing something good for the environment and their families as well.
I have spent many years working as a civil engineer and became very successful, when all the talk of green living first started everyone was very skeptical about not only the effect on the environment but also the practicality of green living as a whole.
This intrigued me, so I started to research and think of ways as to how I could live completely green.
Once looking into everything I decided that I wanted to turn my life around and wanted to attempt to live 100% green.
My main problem at the start was that I couldn’t live green in a big city as this would defeat the purpose and would also have too many temptations to send me off track.
I have always loved the idea of moving into the country and this seemed like the best way to do it.
I decided there was no time like the present to move, so my first steps were to sell my home and buy a house with lots of land far away from modern society as it were.
When wanting to act fast there is only one way to achieve it and this is by using
The Sell House Fast Guide , which got my house sold and money in my pocket faster than I could ever imagine, one the papers where signed I moved into my new home.
I had lots of ideas in the pipe line that I could use to live green, but my main priorities at the start were food, water and electric.
A great way to get clean water although it seems like you are living in the dark ages is to collect rain water, as it is a free source of water, and if you live in the UK you can be guaranteed that there is no shortage of rain water so you will never go thirsty.
Food was also easy to solve, I turned some of my land into allotments and greenhouses and started to grow my fruits and vegetables. I acquired animals such as chickens, sheep, and cows which meant that I had food and wool not only for myself but I could also sell the excess so that I would not run out of money.
Electric I must say was a much more expensive to achieve as I used solar panels, and a wind turbine.
The main obstacle I faced with trying to get the wind turbine was trying to get planning permission for it, for me it went through a lot faster than expected, although for others who live closer to towns or cities I can see them having a lot of trouble.
Once I had the basic living essentials sorted I then moved onto transport, I must admit until I thought about transport I was using my non green car, which was cheating a little bit although I had thought about selling it earlier but it was not practical at all. But now I intended to remedy the situation.
The best way to sort transport was to go for a hybrid car, when I first thought of them I assumed they would be hideous looking with no power what so ever, although they come in all shapes and sizes just like any other type of vehicle and there is no loss of power.
The smart thing about hybrid cars in that even though they are majority electric you can also use petrol or diesel in them as sort of a reserve, for the times that they run out of charge and you are not at home, so they can be seen as more reliable in that sense than any normal vehicle.
I would recommend anyone who is not afraid of adventure or to get their hands dirty to go green, I now feel so much better for it and I have not had to sacrifice anything that I used to do before I moved, if anything I have actually been able to do more as now I am not wasting money because I am more aware of the cost of everything.
I have actually got a savings jar and every pound I save on things like a carton of eggs I now put in the jar and then at the end of the month I count how much I have saved and then buy something that I actually want, or will book a holiday or something.
Go for it and see how much better you feel
Energy efficiency is not just confined to better use of natural resources, building materials and using solar power. While it is great that we are thinking big when it comes to construction and sustainable living I have found that even the little things go a long way to turning your home and community green.
This is why I want to explain why a simple process like an iPhone 4 jailbreak can help create a more energy efficient home.
First I should explain what I mean by jailbreaking. For those of you who haven’t heard about this process before it is basically opening up the Apple iPhone device (not physically but in terms of its iOS code) and making it easier to customize and edit. So users can then access another app store called Cydia, have better features and more functionality.
What does all this have to do with sustainability you may ask?
Well, within this new Cydia app store and within the edited iOS of the iPhone 4 is better battery life. You can download apps that can increase your iPhone 4s battery life quite substantially and because the whole point of jailbreaking an iPhone is to have more functionality from the device, a default jailbroken iPhone has better battery life than the normal version.
How does this all affect your energy bills and contribute to a more energy efficient home?
Well charging up cell phones such as the iPhone 4s which needs to be plugged in daily costs money. Not thousands per year admittedly, but saving a few dollars of household income is always welcome. What I am more concerned about is the combined cost. We are talking millions of dollars across the country that is being wasted on cell phone charging every year. Leaving chargers on is a big problem when the phone is not even plugged in however inferior battery life on many iPhone’s and other smartphone devices is just as much to blame.
With a jailbroken iPhone and the features that are available on this device then you can go an extra day or so without charging under general use. So instead of 7 days a week of charging your iPhone you are maybe only doing it 4. Saving 3 days every week which equates to 156 days a year. Think of the possibilities and savings if every iPhone user did this?
I am not naive enough to think that jailbreaking an iPhone 4s is going to create a more sustainable and energy efficient world on its own nor is it going to drive down energy prices either. However, what it can do is help towards making your home more green and eco-friendly. Sometimes big changes have to come from small actions and that is what jailbreaking an iPhone 4 can do.
If everyone in the community dedicated themselves to better battery life on their cell phones, didn’t have to charge them up every day (even several times a day in some cases) and also turned the charger off when they are finished, we could start to see a more sustainable and environmentally friendly society developing.