Natural Environment Blog

The time has arrived for the world to wake up to the alarming scenario of energy crisis. This is no more a situation of single dimension; the other dimensions of it being depletion of the conventional energy sources, global warming, severity in climatic changes and their effects being manifold.

Check out some of the methods of harnessing the tremendous solar energy which is mostly wasted and which has the potential of solving a majority of the above stated global problems.

• Solar water heating equipment is one of the most common and predominant usage of solar power for domestic purposes. Water can be heated normally up to 60 degrees Celsius and can hugely cut down on the electricity bills.
• Solar powered heating, ventilation and air conditioning systems commonly called HVAC systems can be deployed at residential places. Homes with modern architecture can accommodate construction with specific materials which can act as heat store. This acts as a heater when surroundings is cold and acts as a cooler when it is hot.
• Cooking using solar power is possible by solar cookers. The incident solar light energy using concentrated solar power systems is used to boil the water and thus cook the food. This is can also be used as an oven, milk heater and so on.
• Solar powered vehicles are off the beat cutting edge technology automobiles which use solar panels for trapping more and more solar energy and convert it into useful mechanical energy. There are cars, bicycles, boats and even aircrafts which are solar driven.
• Photovoltaic cells which are commonly called solar cells are devices which convert incident solar radiation into electrical energy. These cells can be instrumental in lighting and other electrical needs of residential units.
• By switching over to solar power for simple equipments which we use in our daily lives, we can not only save a great deal of money but can be a significant shift towards utilizing renewable energy sources. Solar powered calculators, emergency lamps, decorative lightings, watches and other electronic gadgets can eliminate our dependency on fossil fuels and chemical sources of energy.
• There are these and many more ways of utilizing solar energy; but all it requires is a one time investment and then reap the benefits on a long run. Another advantage of using solar powered equipment is the relative low maintenance factor. The governments of most of the countries which are signatories of the UNFCCC are unconditionally giving investment and tax benefits for installations to shift over to solar energy for power requirements.
• What more? There are facilities for your house hold equipments to generate solar power and sell the excess to the power grids of the native country at the same price which is collected from you for using it!

As individuals, if we think there is nothing much that we can do about the global problems like climate change, global warming and energy crisis; then we can’t be more wrong. To save a better and healthier tomorrow for your kids and for all the coming generations, ACT NOW – ACT FAST!

This article was contributed by Catherine Annie on behalf of http://www.environmentbasics.com.

Well, if you’ve had your sofa for any amount of time the probable answer is that your sofa isn’t very green.

The worst component on a sofa for not being green is the filling used to make sofa cushions. The vast majority are filled with polyurethane foam – which is a petrol-based product. So, for a start, that’s not very environmentally friendly as it’s a fossil fuel of which we only have a finite supply.

Added to this, it’s also highly flammable, so most sofa cushions are coated with flame retardants that are made with toxic chemicals. These used to be PBDEs (polybrominated diphenyl ethers), but these are gradually being phased out because of their toxicity. In Europe PBDEs have been banned since 2004, and they are also being phased out in the US.

Studies have shown that PBDEs are found in house dust and indoor air, and that the contamination is greater in homes than in the air outside. The probability is that PBDEs migrate into the household air from the furniture. In lab tests, animals exposed to PBDEs showed memory and learning deficits, and PBDEs have also been linked to thyroid defects. In short, PBDEs aren’t good news.

The trouble is that polyurethane foam is the cheapest option for sofa cushions, so when you buy cheap furniture that’s what will be inside any soft furnishings. To make a greener choice, you have to spend more, particularly with fabric sofas. A better environmental option for sofa cushions is to opt for natural latex foam filled cushions.

Natural latex is sourced from rubber trees and has the added bonus of being mould and mildew resistant, as well as repelling house dust mites, so it’s great for allergy sufferers. You will have to pay more for it though, as rubber trees are relatively scarce.

This article was contributed by Celia Roche on behalf of http://www.harveysfurniture.co.uk/

You read a lot these days about low emission cars made by Honda, Toyota and other big manufacturers, and environmentally-friendly driving etc., but is driving sustainable at all?

Is it possible to live as nature intended us to in some ways at least, i.e. in complete harmony with the environment – whist simultaneously moving around the planet in metal boxes?

This all depends on just how purist your theoretical natural environment position is. But it’s certainly possible to have a car with absolutely zero emissions.

All-electric cars are becoming more practicable almost by the day. Recent news in the UK that various service stations around the country will now incorporate charging stations for electric cars means that the previous 100 mile a day limit is fast becoming a thing of the past. It seems likely that a decade or so from now, there really would be no need for petrol-engined vehicles whatsoever. That’s a quite a different thing from saying it will actually happen of course.

The reality is that zero emission motoring for all is still very many years away. But let’s look on the bright side – it is coming.

Until then, hybrid cars look to be the most balanced option, particularly those of the companies which have pioneered green motoring like Honda. Now hybrids certainly aren’t completely sustainable for the purists amongst us, but they’re certainly a giant step in the right direction. The people who choose them are still making an important sacrifice in their lives; namely, money. Hybrids remain more expensive to buy than conventionally-fuelled vehicles, so the people with a green conscience who make the monetary sacrifice are to be commended.

Hopefully, it won’t be too long before the additional mpg offered by hybrids makes them a “no-brainer”. And better still, the availability, speed and cost-efficiency of electric charging will make zero emission cart the next no-brainer – albeit a little further down the road.

This article was contributed by Celia Roche on behalf of http://www.honda.co.uk

How concerned are you with what you leave behind? With eco-friendliness and a green attitude becoming prominent in today’s day and age, there are still many individuals, as well as corporate entities that appear wholly unfazed by the amount of waste they leave behind. What is more, they deliberately choose to remain uninformed on the richness of options currently available for hazardous waste disposal.

Essentially, hazardous waste is any type of material that can come to represent a threat, either to the environment or to the safety of living beings, be they humans or non-humans. They can either be flammable, reactive when in contact with other substances, corrosive or toxic when ingested.

In case you didn’t know, it’s not just chemical plants or other types of factories that are responsible for this kind of waste. Individual consumers, as well as some of the most common types of businesses, massively produce such waste - dry cleaners, car repair shops, hospitals, your local photo printing center!

Below are five of the most common ways in which you, or your local business, can do away with potentially dangerous waste.

1. Recycling

Recycling is the best and most cost-effective method for hazardous waste disposal when it comes to day-to-day items, such as lead-acid batteries or computer motherboards. Both these items are loaded with heavy metals, immensely damaging for the environment, but also ideal candidates for use in new products.

Major waste producers, such as coal-fired power plants, will also produce their fair share of dangerous waste. Fly and bottom ash can be reused as pavement filling, while, otherwise, they are highly dangerous, due to the increased level of chemicals they contain.

2. Portland Cement

This method of hazardous waste disposal essentially buries the refuse under a solid and heavy layer of cement. There are five types of such cement, classified according to strength and components. Sludge is one type of waste that can be turned into Portland cement. Prior to this type of recycling, sludge is adjusted and cured, so that the level of contaminants it contains is reduced.

3. Neutralization

Basically, neutralization is a process you learned all about while in junior high, during chemistry classes. Neutralization will actually produce hazardous waste disposal by turning a given quantity of a potentially damaging type of refuse into a completely harmless one. Examples include neutralizing a corrosive acid by using a base, or adjusting the pH of a given substance and thereby reducing its leaching activity.

4. Incineration, Destruction, Waste-to-Energy

Used oils or chemical solvents are the best candidates for turning waste into energy. They are usually burned in cement kilns. The process does away with the waste, while the gases released in the atmosphere during the actual burning constitute the energy. This particular hazardous waste disposal method has been contested as producing its own damaging effects, yet advances in modern technology have made the development of more efficient incinerators possible.

5. Landfill

Hazardous waste disposal through landfills entails isolating said waste in an area that cannot be accidentally or voluntarily accessed by human or non-human entities. It does bear risks, but such permanent disposal facilities are sometimes the only solution available for certain types of refuse.

This article was contributed by Paul Estcott on behalf of labwaste.co.uk.

When you decide to decorate your home, make sure that you don’t slip up and buy any products that are not planet-friendly. It’s easy to avoid this - all you need to do is spend a bit more time researching the products before you buy.

If you’re going to paint any of your rooms, there are many paint suppliers who sell a great range of eco-friendly paints. There are organic paints which are non-toxic and these aren’t just limited to emulsions. You can also find gloss finish paints and wood varnishes that are a lot more environmentally-friendly than you could a few years ago.

However, there are lots of paints that still have toxins like VOCs (Volatile Organic Compounds) in them, so make sure you take time to read the labels before making your choice.

You can also research flooring materials to make sure that the glues and varnishes used aren’t toxic to the environment in any way. Using natural fibres like seagrass and bamboo can seem like a more environmentally sound option, but it’s still worth checking that they come from sustainable sources.

When looking at pieces of furniture like sofas, check their environmental credits by asking the retailer - for example, Harveys - about their supply chain. Can they show that the fabrics used on the sofa bed you are thinking about buying have been produced in an environmentally responsible fashion? For example, were any pesticides used in the growing of the cotton, or were any toxic dyes used to produce the fabric colours? Go down to any Harveys’ sofa bed sale and see if you can find a sofa bed that suits you. Once you’ve done that, it’s time to delve a little deeper and investigate how the furniture has been produced and where the materials it is made from have been grown or sourced.

This article was contributed by Celia Roche on behalf of http://www.harveysfurniture.co.uk/.

If you’re thinking about changing your car – and most people do every four to five years – you’ve probably considered the possibility of buying a car that is more environmentally friendly than your current car.

There are some cars that are particularly ‘green’ such as electric vehicles and hybrid cars, but most modern cars have much lower emissions than similar models from just a few years ago. Partly this is because manufacturers have to make sure their products conform to tighter emissions and air quality standards set by governments around the world, but it’s also in response to customer demand.

It’s worth doing your research and comparing the emissions levels on conventional cars with more specialist green technology, such as hybrid and electric vehicles, as sometimes the difference isn’t huge. Some people find the extra initial cost of buying a hybrid off-putting, but over the lifetime of the car, you will easily recoup the difference as you will be spending much less on fuel. And in today’s difficult financial environment, manufacturers like Honda have plenty of new car offers to attract would-be green drivers.

The big advantage for the environment in choosing a hybrid is that you would be burning less fossil fuel (of which there is only a finite supply) than with a conventional car. Toyota and Honda were pioneering manufacturers in hybrid technology back in the 1990s, and now pretty much every car manufacturer has a hybrid model. Many also sell electric models, too. These have become fairly commonplace, and are becoming standard rather than exceptional vehicles.

The latest fuel seen as the fuel of the future is hydrogen, as the only emission it produces when powering a fuel-cell vehicle is water. However, it will be some time yet before hydrogen cars become a common sight – mainly because there are very few hydrogen filling stations.

This article was contributed by Celia Roche on behalf of http://www.honda.co.uk

When considering energy solutions the only place to look, is up. Look up to the sky and see the newest of our clean, green energy solutions shining down on us.

The heat and strength of the suns rays can be easily converted to solar energy, which can power homes and industries. The rays are caught by the solar panels that are usually placed on the roof of your building. They are fed into an inverter, which converts them to energy of the right voltage for use.

Your Own Power Generator

Every time the sun shines, solar panels are creating energy - often more than your household can use. Even on a cloudy day your solar panels are still generating power. If you are connected to a grid, (which you will be unless you are in a remote area) the excess power can be sold back to the power company. Just imagine your energy company paying you rather than billing! It is like having your own power generator sitting on your property.

During the night or in periods when there is no sunlight consumers can buy their power back again and be comfortable knowing that it is clean and renewable energy.

Solar energy can power all your appliances, your lighting and even your hot water service.

The Cost Factor

While the initial investment can be expensive, consumers save money in the long term by generating their own energy. The actual equipment has no moving parts so it will last for a very long time with no wear and tear or replacement costs. Adding solar panels to a home can sometimes increase its value in the market, too, as buyers see the benefits in reduced power bills.

Solar power is reliable and continually available. It does not harm the planet and it is easy to generate. It can power small buildings and large communities. It is affordable and even has the capacity to generate an income for you.

When you are looking for energy solutions, look up. The answer is waiting for you in the sky!

This article was contributed by Rick from comparegasandelectricity.com. Compare gas and electricity suppliers and find energy companies providing green solutions. This saves money and supplies financing to the gas and electricity providers that are moving towards alternative energy.

When people want to go green and to have a feng shui design in their house, they need to know several tips on how to build a Eco-friendly house with feng shui. Most homeowners do not think of feng shui when they are designing their home, since it is often difficult to redesign the layout of their homes. Homeowners can adopt several easy feng shui tips to build an Eco-friendly home.

Many homeowners decorate their homes with vases, candles, and pictures. The first tip homeowners need to do, is to add live plants throughout their home. People place large plants around the house, and then have several potted plants inside their home. Another way to incorporate live plants in the house is to grow aloe and herbs in the kitchen. Buy plants from local gardeners, to reduce the carbon footprint of shipping exotic plants to the home.

Homeowners who have Eco-friendly houses with feng shui allow natural sunlight to come through their windows. This increases the energy throughout the home, and the light will flow through the house. This is a great way to reduce energy costs, since the lights will not be on as often.

Another tip to keep in mind when building an Eco-friendly house is to remove furniture and other items that you do not like. This will hurt the positive energy flow throughout the house when there are items that people do not like. People who have an ugly couch or table should recycle them, or donate them to local charities. This will help keep items out of landfills, and helping the community at the same time. Bamboo furniture is environmentally friendly, and lasts a long time.

Another way to build an Eco-friendly house with feng shui is to reduce the amount of electronics throughout the house. People should get rid of the television in their bedrooms, and only have one in the living room. This will create a peaceful atmosphere when people are getting ready for bed.

Having electronics plugged into the outlet will keep a positive energy flow through to the electronics. People who are not using televisions, computers, coffee makers, and other items should unplug them when not in use. This will reduce homeowners’ utility bills, and save the fossil fuels in the environment.

When building a new home, it is important to get rid of everything that you have not used in a year or more. This will help create a positive energy flow throughout the home on moving day. People who want to remodel their current homes should host a yard sale to get rid of items that is disrupting the feng shui throughout the house. The items stay out of the landfills, and the money helps to buy sustainable and environmentally friendly furniture
for the house.

This post was contributed by Michael Schnippering. Michael is the founder of Feng Shui at Work. He is committed to the true art and science of Feng Shui. Over the years his Feng Shui practice has taken him to various parts of the United States, Germany, France, Spain, Colombia and Argentina. If you’d like to learn more about Feng Shui, read Michael’ blog and follow him on Twitter @fengshuiatwork

Photo Credit: Richard Masoner/Cycleicious

September is a busy month with kids going back to school, but make sure to mark your calendars because September 22 is World Carfree Day! This day was actually first organized in the 1970s during the oil crisis and then again cropped up in Europe in the 1990s.

For the past few years, it has been a staple day to celebrate the world we live in by doing our best not to pollute it further. The goal of World Carfree Day is to get people thinking about the environment and show them that we can in fact, make do without a vehicle, at least in some areas.

While World Carfree Day is only one day a year, the message that is being spread is to promote to people to consider other ways of living and to change their lifestyles. The goal of this day is not to take part and then turn around and go back to your ‘normal’ life the next day, but to make a continued difference.

We all know that cars are pollution causing, money draining, environmental pests. However, almost all of us own one or drive one on a regular basis. What many people don’t realize are that the benefits of not driving aren’t limited to just your wallet and the environment. It is also healthier for you when you choose to walk or ride your bike instead of drive. You get fresh air, exercise, and sunshine and it can be a great way to start your day.

While not all of us are able to make it to the office via bike, there are other options to go carfree. You can take public transit, which can sometimes even shorten your journey. Another option is to carpool which cuts your carbon footprint for that activity in half.

With the ever growing threat of global warming and the constant environmental damage, September 22, 2011 is the perfect day to give Mother Nature a break and to consider a lifestyle change. We need to start looking towards a more sustainable living attitude now in order to protect this planet for future generations.

This article was contributed by Amy Lizee from Environment911.org.

Environment911.org is an interactive website for individuals to come and discuss the environment from green business to natural disasters. We feel it is important for people to come together and share their thoughts, ideas and visions for the future.

The hemp plant is of foremost importance to protecting the environment. It is simultaneously the most useful and the most underutilized plant of anything we have access to. The environmental implications of hemp are wide reaching and extremely powerful.

Not only is hemp great for the Earth’s environment, but it is the most nutritious resource for the human body’s internal environment.

While hemp’s benefits require pages upon pages to describe completely, I’d like to give a brief overview of everything this one plant is capable of.

Growing Hemp

The act of simply growing hemp is great for the environment. The roots are incredibly long, and break up the soil to make it easier for other crops to grow in. This also brings up nutrients from deep down for future crops, including more hemp.

One report from Kentucky stated that a batch of hemp was grown on the same land for 14 consecutive years, without any reduced yields or soil depletion. This is pretty incredible, considering that hemp can yield four times as much pulp per acre as trees, and three times as much fiber as cotton.

One ton of carbon dioxide is removed from the atmosphere for every two tons of hemp grown, and since hemp can produce as much as twelve tons per acre, the carbon dioxide removed adds up fast.

Hemp Products

Hemp can be used to make all kinds of environmentally friendly products, and is a great way to help us use much less petroleum.

Hemp can be used as a clean biofuel which releases no sulphur oxides when burned, and as a biodegradable alternative to petroleum plastics.

Hemp paper is stronger than wood pulp paper, can be recycled up to 8 times (compared to 3 with regular paper), and does not require dangerous bleaching agents.

The list goes on and on, but what is perhaps most important is the power of hemp nutrition.

Hemp Food

Seed from the hemp plant is the most nutritious food in the world. It contains 11 grams of protein per 3 tablespoons, but the quantity is not as important as the quality. Hemp protein is 100% complete, with all the essential amino acids, but an even better characteristic of hemp protein is its bioavailability. It is 65% globulin edestin, a simple type of plant protein that is very easy to digest. This is the highest in all the plant kingdom and it makes hemp protein the best protein in the world.

As if that wasn’t good enough, hemp protein has the perfect balance of Omega-6 and Omega-3 essential fatty acids, along with Omega-9 fatty acid. These acids are critical for the body to efficiently perform life sustaining chemical processes, and having high quantities of good fatty acids will reduce the risk of all types of diseases.

Further still, hemp seed has lots of fiber (10% soluble, 90% insoluble), minerals (magnesium, manganese, phosphorous, zinc, calcium, and more), antioxidants, and chlorophyll.

Why is this especially important?

Hemp seed can be baked into bread and used as a staple food. If this were the staple of the world, there would be no malnutrition at all, and that goes for developed and undeveloped countries. The power of hemp needs to be utilized by the world, for the sake of the environment’s health and our health!

This article was written by Justin Kander from Versativa, an innovative new company which produces raw hemp food and a powerful type of hemp seed concentrate. Dozens of people with little raw food or hemp experience have used these products to change their lives and experience the benefits of hemp for themselves. If you want highly detailed information about the company, products, and dozens of testimonials, check out the Versativa Superfoodspage.