Natural Environment Blog

If you would like to drive more environmentally friendly, but there is no chance for you to switch to a hybrid, there is probably a way to make your used car burn less fuel and therefore reduce emission.

Have you ever heard about “remapping”? Although many people will associate the term with the modified car scene, it is actually becoming an increasingly common practice amongst mainstream motorists.

What is engine remapping?

Remapping refers to a process that alters a car’s standard ECU settings to gain more horsepower and torque, and, in some cases, to reduce fuel consumption. What’s more, remapping is a cost-effective modification that, when performed by a certified remapping specialist, can take as little as two hours to complete.

Those who own turbocharged cars will benefit from the greatest power gains, with up to 30 percent more horsepower and torque obtainable after a remap, whereas non-turbo engines typically give a 10 percent gain in these areas.

For example, the hugely popular  BMW 320D, which boasts 163hp and 340Nm of torque in standard guise, will have its power rating boosted to around 190hp and 400Nm of torque after a remap. Similarly, a 1.6 TDCi Ford Focus, which only offers 109hp as standard, will gain almost 30hp after a professional remap.

Can remapping my car’s engine improve its fuel efficiency?

In many cases, yes. Although the remapping process won’t directly make your engine cleaner, it can increase its fuel efficiency rating, which will have a positive environmental effect, and benefit your wallet, too.

For example, in both the cars mentioned above, fuel consumption will drop by around 1mpg after remapping. In the case of the Volkswagen Golf GTi 1.8T, meanwhile there is a 2mpg improvement after remapping, which will add up to considerable savings over time, particularly for those doing high annual mileages. What’s more, you can achieve even greater fuel efficiency gains at the expense of power, if this is your priority.

Why would I want to change a car manufacturer’s standard map settings?

When car manufacturers launch new models, they usually map the car on standard settings to suit many markets around the world.

For example, Ireland has cold weather and Spain has warm weather, but car manufacturers usually apply a base map setting that suits both of these climates. A remap, however, exploits the car’s ECU to better suit a specific location.

Manufacturers also leave a possibility to upgrade the programme later to respond to market changes and customer demands, which leaves the opportunity for aftermarket tuning companies to offer after-sale remapping services.

How does the process work?

Many drivers talk about having their cars remapped, but most won’t be able to tell you what the process entails. Although it sounds like a highly complex procedure, it isn’t!

Unlike most car modifications, a remap doesn’t require any handheld tools such as screwdrivers and spanners. Instead, the mechanic simply plugs a diagnostics laptop into the car’s ECU and sets about introducing the new settings.

There are several ways to remap a car, but the popular method is to remap the car’s ECU by reading data on the car’s EPROM (Erasable Programmable Read-Only Memory) chip. The easiest way to do this is by connecting a diagnostics machine to the car’s diagnostics socket, which allows the mechanic to both read and modify the car’s standard map settings. Once the data has been read, the mechanic can then choose to overwrite the EPROM file and replace it with a completely new file, which means they can apply different maps where appropriate, but also restore the original mapping settings should you need them again.

All drivers considering having their car remapped should be aware of any warranty implications – you need to know if the process will affect your manufacturer’s warranty or not, as it still counts as an aftermarket modification. For this reason, we would advise you to check with your local dealer before going ahead with the procedure.

Similarly, you should notify your insurer after having a remap carried out. Although it is almost impossible to visually trace a remap, authorised dealers will be able to tell the difference when driving the car. Most car mapping companies offer a service that allows you to have the ECU reset to the old settings for a small fee if you aren’t happy with the remap. Prices vary for each car and company, but in the UK, you can expect to shell out in the region of €350 for a remap, including labour and the required diagnostics.

This post was contributed by the Editorial Team at Car Buyers’ Guide. Car Buyers’ Guide is the publisher of Ireland’s leading motoring websites and magazines. CBG.ie is the only motoring website to have exclusive partnerships with the leading national newspaper websites (The Iris Times and Independent Newspapers). CBG.ie is visited by buyers over 450,000 times per month and users view over 11.5 million pages on the website per month.

For the latest motoring news and views, as well as road tests, videos and a host of quality used cars for sale, visit CBG.ie

The benefits of choosing eco-friendly furniture and upholstery are two-fold. You can be kind to the environment, and kind to yourself. Refusing to use animal-derived materials saves land, water and food, which in turn reduces greenhouse gas emissions and hazardous chemical-use

Choosing animal derived materials for furniture may seem natural, but this may not be the case, since these materials are known to emit toxic emissions which pollute the air, the water and the soil. Often the raising of livestock for wool, down or leather can be cruel.

Leather

Considered very luxurious by many, leather is made from animal skins, and is ecologically harmful. Raising livestock for whatever purpose, meat or leather productive, requires considerable amounts of feed, land, water and fuels. The excrement produced on farms also infects the waterways.

Even the process used to tan leather is noxious and polluting, with some of the oils and dyes used being cyanide-based. The tanning of leather produces a range of different pollutants including chromium, sulphides and acids.

Wool

You can be forgiven for thinking that wool is an environmentally-friendly upholstery material, especially since the sheep from which the wool comes are not killed, merely shorn. Many people (including the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) have a problem with how wool-producing livestock are treated. They argue that even if they’re not subjected to pesticide-ridden habitats they could end up being mutilated by their owners.

Animal rights protesters have made a particular example of the Australian Merino sheep, who have been bred to have wrinkly skin which results in increased wool yields. Sometimes flies lay eggs in the folds of the sheep’s skin which can result in fatal maggot infestations, so farmers restrain the sheep without pain killers, cutting out chunks of flesh to discourage flies laying eggs.

Another environmental disadvantage of wool is the amount of gas that sheep and other wool-giving animals emit into the atmosphere through burping and farting. Sheep flatulence represents ninety-percent of New Zealand’s greenhouse gas emissions, so you shouldn’t doubt that this is a major contributing factor towards climate change.

Down and feathers

Down is a popular filler material for cushioned furniture, and is made from an insulating layer of feathers which can be found underneath the outer feathers of ducks and geese.

Down and feathers are collected from commercial meat processing plants, which means that it is impossible to know if they were raised organically.

Some campaigners have warned that often geese and ducks are plucked while alive. Down and feathers have also been blamed for allergic reactions, although this is more likely to be due to the dust and dirty which can accumulate in bedding over a long time.

Cover finishes

Cover fabrics, such as cotton is often bleached or dyed, and releases carcinogenic dioxins into the environment. Permanent-press and stain- and water-repellent finishes can emit gas formaldehyde into the environment. Cotton covers can also have detrimental environmental effects, as cotton uses a lot of water and is treated with more pesticides than any other crop in the world. Cotton is resistant to dyes and bleaches, so half of these chemicals end up as waste in rivers and in the soil.

Adam Cairn writes on behalf of Gecco Interiors, who supply a range of eco furniture and green products.

Research conducted by Norwich Union insurance (recently rebranded ‘Aviva’) indicates that over the past 25 years, asthma has increased six times in children and three to four times in adults.

Diet and pollution is thought to be the cause of asthma, and it might be alarming to realise that sometimes seemingly innocuous items like paint can actually be dangerous pollutants.

The Impact of Paint on our Health

Exposure to paint fumes can lead asthmatics to suffer effects from wheeziness to asthma attacks, but it’s not just asthmatics that can be affected by paint fumes.

Studies have shown that the volatile organic compound levels inside newly-painted buildings are a thousand times higher than outside. The World Health Organisation released a report stating that painters have a twenty percent higher risk of cancer and forty percent for lung cancer.

Even normal, long term exposure to paint can have a detrimental effect on ones health, Danish specialists have discovered a neurological condition which they have dubbed ‘painter’s dementia’. Paint fumes can be particularly bad for health when combined with other problems such as skin problems, allergic reactions or headaches.

Paint is something which is hard to avoid for anyone who enjoys electricity, lights and shelter, so what can we do?

The Solution

Fortunately, the demand for eco paint is starting to gain momentum, and the possibility of protecting your family against the potential health risks of conventional solvent paints. Eco-friendly paints are made from natural ingredients, containing the bare minimum of synthetic constituents, and often none at all. Environmentally-friendly paint can be composed of all sorts of different substances including by-products. These natural ingredient paints do not emit damaging fumes into your home, and some are completely bio-degradable.

Be kind to the planet, your family, and your home

Green paint is just as easy to work with as conventional paint you would find in any DIY store, and they also come in the same range of colours. There’s no reason why committing yourself to environmentally friendly interior design should you mean you are forced to compromise on the style and quality you desire.

Natural paint is not prohibitively expensive, in fact it is very competitive with mainstream paint products, so hopefully more people will realise that they don’t need to expose themselves and their loved ones to dangerous pollutants inside their own homes.

Thankfully science has told us that paint is contributing to our seemingly-deteriorating health, and now slowly the tables are turning as environmentally-sound paint becomes readily available on the market.

Adam Cairn writes on behalf of Gecco Interiors, who supply green paint and other eco products for a green home.

I recently read this article in Honolulu magazine about a North Shore company making green surfboards.

The company, called Country Feeling Surfboards, make their surfboards from environmentally friendly materials. According to their website, they use soy-based and sugar-based foams; deck inlays are made from hemp, organic cotton, bamboo and silk; and the resin is catalyzed by the sun.

Here’s what Country Feeling Surfboards say about their foray into green surfboards:

Transforming the industry from ego to eco is a heady process that begins with everyone taking a conscientious step in the right direction. We must recognize that if we don’t take care of our planet, the magic will disappear.

They also recognize that it could take some time before the competive surfing industry makes the switch to the eco-friendly surfboards. Kyle Bernhardt, one of the company’s shapers says this:

Shapers have used the same materials for the past 30 years, and everybody’s grown accustomed to the way the boards feel. When you bring in new materials, you can’t guarantee that same feeling. That’s our biggest hurdle.

Another hurdle could be the higher price tag. Shortboards start at $695; stand-up boards cost about $1,500, which is more than a typical surfboard. 

In any case, if you want to try out these eco-friendly surfboards, check out the Country Feeling Surfboards website.

A study has found that rechargeable batteries have up to 28 times less impact on the environment than disposable batteries (also known as alkaline batteries).

The research, commissioned by Uniross, is the world’s first study on the environmental impact of alkaline batteries vs rechargeable batteries.

Some of the key findings from the study:

• Rechargeable batteries have up to 28 times less impact on the environment than alkaline batteries
• Most of the environmental impact comes from the manufacture and transport of the batteries
• Rechargeable batteries can be reused up to 1,000 times - thus significantly reducing the number of new batteries that need to be created
• Rechargeable batteries have up to 12 times less potential toxic risks for fresh water and sea water sediments than disposable batteries
• Rechargeable batteries have up to 30 times less impact on ozone pollution than disposable batteries.
• Rechargeable batteries consume up to 23 times less non-renewable natural resources (fossil and mineral) than disposable batteries

Uniross also stated that the packaging requirements for disposable batteries was having a significant impact on the environment. By sticking to disposable batteries, not only do more batteries need to be produced and shipped, but more packaging is required.

Note that a large part of the environmental impact of disposable batteries comes from the actual manufacture and transport of the batteries. Regardless, this still demonstrates that, every time you recharge your battery, you’re preventing the need for a new battery to be produced and transported. And by doing that, you’re helping the environment.

Of course, if you can avoid batteries (and electricity) altogether, then that’s even better!

Organic wool is wool that has been produced in a way that is less harmful to the environment than non-organic wool.

Non-Organic Wool

Traditional methods for producing wool are having an adverse impact on the environment and livestock welfare. During the production of non-organic wool, livestock is often subject to synthetic pesticides, non-organic feed, and possibly even synthetic hormones and/or genetic engineering. They could also be subject to substandard health management, and live in substandard conditions.

Organic Wool

During the production of organic wool, sheep/livestock are raised and treated in a different way to those which produce non-organic wool. The above treatment and conditions should not be present during the production of organic wool.

If you intend to purchase wool (or a product made from wool), try to make sure the wool is organic. You could even check that the wool producer has organic certification.

Certification

Different countries have different standards regarding organic certification. In some countries, the standards are set and overseen by the government. In other countries, the standards are set by a non-profit organization or even a private company.

For example, in North America, for wool to be certified as organic by the Organic Trade Association (OTA), it must adhere to requirements that include:

• Livestock feed and forage used from the last third of gestation must be certified organic;
• Use of synthetic hormones and genetic engineering is prohibited;
• Use of synthetic pesticides (internal, external, and on pastures) is prohibited, and
• Producers must encourage livestock health through good cultural and management practices.

According to OTA, organic livestock management differs from non-organic management in at least two major ways:

• Sheep cannot be dipped in parasiticides (insecticides) to control external parasites such as ticks and lice
• Organic livestock producers are required to ensure that they do not exceed the natural carrying capacity of the land on which their animals graze.

Around the world, organizations such as OTA can be a member of the International Federation of Organic Agriculture Movements (iFOAM). iFOAM is an international agricultural umbrella organization for the world’s organic certification bodies. It currently unites more than 750 member organizations across 108 countries.

So, how Eco-friendly is Wool?

Wool is a natural fiber, so it does have a head start in the eco-friendly game (compared to synthetic fibers such as polyester). However, the typical production of wool is far from eco-friendly.

The Negatives

Production of wool requires arable land and sheep. Sheep create carbon dioxide and they degrade the land. Also, wool contains grease and oil that needs to be scoured. This in turn, pollutes run-off. Typically, 500,000 liters of water is used for each tonne of wool processed.

It has been estimated that 685,000 litres of water is required to produce a single pure woolen suit!

The Positives

Despite the negatives, there are positives too though. Woolen products are usually very durable and will usually last a lot longer than many products made from other fibers. This means it’s less likely to end up as landfill within a couple of years of purchase.

Summary

Although wool itself is a natural fiber, traditional wool production is not known for it’s eco-friendliness. Organic wool has been produced using more eco-friendly production methods than it’s non-organic counterpart.

Generally speaking, by selecting organic wool, you’re ensuring that the wool has been produced in a much more natural and sustainable way, compared with non-organic wool.

Sometimes it seems that just about everything we buy these days ends up being bad for the environment. I mean, even the clothes we’ve all been buying and wearing for so many years have turned out to be bad for the environment…

Now, don’t get me wrong. I’m not saying that wearing clothes is bad for the environment! The problem lies in the fabrics that are being used to make our modern day clothes. These fabrics tend to be far from eco-friendly. Here are some examples:

• Cotton: The production of (non-organic) cotton destroys farmland and pollutes waterways. The production of a simple T-shirt requires two pounds of pesticide!
• Dyes: Most common dyes that are used in fabrics contain heavy metals that can be harmful to animals, the natural environment, and ourselves.
• Synthetic polyesters and nylons: These are made from petrochemicals via a process of refining crude oil, which creates horrible pollution.
• Silk: Commercial silk is made by boiling the silkworms’ cocoons, then unwinding the single silk strand onto reels. This results in the silkworms being boiled to death in their cocoons.

What’s more, many fabrics cause further environmental problems when they’re dumped in landfill. Fabrics can typically take hundreds of years (or more) to break down in landfill.

But there is hope. Many major clothing companies are recognizing the environmental problems caused by traditional fabrics, and they’re starting to do something about it. These companies are now producing clothes that are made from eco-friendly fabrics.

Unfortunately, eco-friendly clothes still tend to be the exception rather than the norm. That’s why it’s so important for us, as consumers, to start searching for clothes made from environmentally friendly fabrics. The more of us that do this, the more commercially viable it will be for companies to use eco-friendly fabrics in their clothing lines. Here’s an example of one major clothing company doing just that.

It might not be long before we’re buying clothes made out of spider webs. Don’t laugh, a company in Japan is talking about creating socks, fishing lines, and stockings out of spider-web silk.

For many years now, scientists around the world have been try to find ways of mass producing spider silk. And now, a team of scientists at Shinshu University have had a breakthrough. They’ve devised a way of injecting spider genes into silkworms, which will result in a much stronger silk. This in turn, could lead to a new “super silk”.

Also, Grado Zero Espace and The University of California, have created the world’s first spider-woven fabric produced using modern processes. Apparently the spider woven fabric “feels like silk, is as elastic as nylon and is thirty times stronger than Kevlar”.

At this stage, it’s not entirely clear how eco-friendly these developments will turn out. But they are likely to bring spider web silk one step closer to the mainstream markets. And that’s got to be a good thing for the natural fiber market.