Sustainability will be one of the defining concepts of the next 40 years. If the present levels of carbon emissions, deforestation, resource depletion and pollution continue the world will be a very bleak place indeed 40 years in the future. Flooding, desertification, water shortages, food shortages and reduced life expectancy are all inevitable unless the world acts together to address the most pressing environmental and social problems. The answer to these problems can largely be summed up by 'sustainability'.

Sustainability in some ways is like a religion. People try to emulate the Buddha or Jesus, but they fall short of perfection or enlightenment. The same with sustainability: it is something we should strive for, even if we fall short in practice. The technical definition of sustainable is an enterprise or action which does not produce a net loss of energy or resources. Because there is no net loss an activity can go on indefinitely.

Commonly people imagine activities such as growing bamboo to make flooring as 'sustainable' because bamboo grows quick enough to keep up with consumer demand for new flooring. In contrast, chopping down hardwood trees that take over 100 years to reach maturity is not sustainable because trees grow too slowly to keep a pace with demand.

The case of growing bamboo is a good move in terms of sustainability but of course bamboo also requires inputs of water; it takes up soil resources; and the bamboo is processed using machines that require fossil fuels; the bamboo is then shipped from China to the rest of the world and that uses more resources. Studying the carbon history of any consumer item makes it clear that nothing is produced without a loss of energy or resources. It is a matter of deciding which activities are the most sustainable and which are the least.

We have to realize that there is no such thing as an eco-car. The inputs of power, water, and minerals are very significant to make just one hybrid or electric car. There is a limit to how much metal ores are in the ground. We are running out of iron ore deposits; just as we (the world) are running out of oil, gas and coal. Just because 'eco-cars' pollute less we should not be fooled into thinking that everyone should have one. We should think that cars are a necessary evil and their numbers should be limited.

It is at the level of ideas that the drive to get closer to sustainability must be fought. Big corporations have formed a symbiotic relationship with the mass media and many governments to push the persuasive rhetoric of consumption. We must all consume more to 'boost' the economy to give people jobs and a better standard of life. 'Standard of life' has become equated with material possessions. It is the job of environmental action groups around the world to fight this pernicious ideology. The standard of life is about preserving an environment that is fit for human habitation. The only way we can do this is to stop raping the earth. More important than paper money are trees, clean air, seas and rivers full of marine life, less carbon in the air etc. These are the real values of life because they underpin life. What use will be the billions of dollars the top execs in Wall Street have if the air they breathe poisons them, if the sun on their back gives them cancer, if they cannot eat fish or vegetables or fruit?

It is obvious that sustainability is interconnected with society. Until economic exploitation called 'globalization' is addressed nothing will get better. Until education systems stop producing factory fodder and start producing free thinking individuals nothing will change. Until women gain control of their bodies and their reproductive function human numbers will continue to spiral out of control. Until the issue of aboriginal land rights is really addressed forests and other natural resources will continue to be destroyed.

The fight for justice is also the fight for a sustainable future. That is why it is necessary to act together. Governments should act in accord; people should act in accord. The poor, dispossessed and exploited vastly outnumber the rich few who reap the benefits of the present system of unsustainable development. The fight is for real democracy where the needs of the vast majority are met is the battle ground where we must meet to save the planet from environmental Armageddon. We must make our leaders really take action not meet at climate change conferences and just hum and haw. They must be forced to side with the people and not oil companies, agribusiness and other big corporations.

At the same time as forcing the world to come together to find ways to make the future more sustainable we must all self-scrutinize. How can we use less electricity, less gasoline, less water? How can we offset our actions that damage the environment and drain its resources? How can we recycle our waste instead of plundering nature?

This website deals with all the aspects of sustainability and environmental action. Articles discuss the politics of sustainability as well as offering advice on how we can tread more lightly in our everyday lives to help the environment. There is an environmental aspect to nearly every topic, every consumer item. By bringing these aspects to the light we hope to do our own small part for the cause of sustainability. So read on. We all have walk on parts in this war to save the world.

Disappointments from the WSSD Conference In South Africa

Environment

At the WSSD, 10 years on from the 1992 UN Conference on Environment and Development it was clear that not changed very much. Over 20 thousand people attended the conference with the hope that finally an implementation framework could be put together to achieve the commitments made 10 years earlier. But again it seems the conference did not deliver. Much more could have been done.

If I could sum up the three areas where least progress was made it would be these:

Climate change and the Kyoto Protocol was discussed at the WSSD with the key sticking point being the fact that the USA had not ratified the treaty. A wide group of countries including Costa Rica, Cuba, Iceland, the EU, Japan, Mexico, Argentina and Uganda – all who had ratified the protocol argued that the position of the US was unacceptable.
The question of specific targets on renewable energy use and generation were a key point of discussion. This time opposition not only came from the US but also from Canada and Australia. Unfortunately once more the result was a very watered down implementation framework.
Although there were some moves towards specific poverty eradication targets coming out of WSSD, civil society groups were left with the feeling that coordinated action steps, as well as a move to create a central fund to tackle poverty, were still lacking. This despite the fact that poverty eradication was defined at the conference as the “greatest global challenge”

Finally I echo some of the concerns raised by UN-HABITAT about the conference from a real estate perspective. Let’s start looking forward.

The Rise of Offshore Wind Turbine

Green

One of the fastest emerging industries is that of offshore wind. Offshore wind farms are being explored and studied all around the world because they beat the onshore wind farms due to consistent and stronger speeds of wind. Last year, offshore wind’s cumulative capacity contributed over 1.5% of the global wind power capacity. There are several problems the offshore wind industry is presently facing. Inadequate skilled labour, non availability of technological advancements for offshore needs, lack of auxiliary services and not sufficient energy system integration are some of them. Of course, the outer competition comes from other big industries like Oil and Gas and Telecom.

New reliable reports have claimed that there is a flaw in the design in grouting of many offshore wind turbines across Europe. This flaw is resulting in the breaking of offshore wind farms while installation. Industry estimates claim that over 500 installed offshore wind turbines all over Europe are currently facing this problem of dissolved grouting. The approximate cost to fixing the affected wind turbines may well go over $40m.

Many European residents now use most of their household applications through solar energy. Heating water, making shakes using a good immersion blender and charging electric cars; all of these are done by an alternative source.

For any offshore wind project to take off, it is important to consider the basics of wind, depth of water, conditions of soil, location of the project. These are the factors on which the design of a wind project stands. There is multiple design guidelines developed and approved for building wind turbines, wind turbine foundations, etc. There is no doubt that offshore wind projects are costlier than their onshore counterparts.

The cost is primarily high due to massive structures, cost of foundations for offshore, challenging logistics involved in installation of towers, construction and grid connection. The water depth is directly proportional to the cost of the foundation. The turbines of any offshore wind farm including the tower contribute about 40% to the total cost of the project. The sub-sea cabling and the foundation also consume a good part of the expenses. Approximately 20% of the cost goes towards the installation.

Cheerleaders Voice Concerns about Sustainable Energy

Conservation, Environment, Green, Politics, Society

Victory Cheer Uniforms a company which provides cheerleading uniforms believe that cheerleaders are voicing their concerns for the future of sustainable energy. These cheerleaders have to cheer loudly so that their team members get motivated and encouraged. They are asked to speak slogans which give encouragement to their team players. For this they have to cheer on top of their voices, so that their voices could be heard apart from other cheerleaders and audiences. If this is going to continue, a lot of sound pollution will be caused due to the high pitch voices and noise. This is really a matter of concern from both the environment point of view and from the cheerleader’s energy point of view.

The government is taking measures to control this sustainable energy which can be utilized for some other beneficial purposes. When the cheerleaders enrol in a cheerleading school, they are taught some good and low pitch ways of cheering. This is important because they perform for hours and they have to maintain their energy levels till the end. If they lose their energy to motivate then the team’s energy will also be affected. Some plans and techniques are being introduced so those cheerleaders have to use their high pitch less. Some of these methods include using low sound loud speakers, using microphones, and some other low-sound gadgets. Low sound is very important so that the audience and the team members are not disturbed by it.

Social ease with roommates

Society

The understanding the pitfalls of navigating your social relationships, in your roommate situation, is essential. There are so many difficulties when living with people who aren’t your family, that it creates major headaches. I have had many of these experiences myself, and hope that’s my stories will give you a bit of perspective.

I have had both good and bad roommates in the past. The most important thing however is the ability to have distance in the apartment. The layout became the most important thing. When we selected which flats to rent, we always made a point of having a living room. When ever we only had a kitchen to socialize in., There was always strife. Once when I was 20 years old I lived with my best friend. The two of us shared a small apartment with a third girl named Jenny. Jenny claimed the largest room, because she had a boyfriend. We tried to argue this point as irrelevant, to no avail. We explains that the only reason we did not have a girlfriend was because we were new in town. She did not bend on that ruling.

I was optimistic that we would find a system where we would all be happy, but the layout and density of living situation, proved to be too difficult. Both myself and my friends had to deal with this girl and her boyfriend, “up all night”. The best situation I ever had was later in life, when I had only one roommate. Which one we were able to put in room or two, between rooms. That allowed more space and more solitude, and privacy. never a need for a sock on the door, or anything so banal. I’m glad jenny’s boyfriend never caught us laughing at their amourous noises. He was a black belt.

Tags: boyfriend, flats to rent, Roommates

Save Water When Gardening This Year

Conservation, Environment, Green

You will need to water the garden every day in hot weather. Using a large watering can is an economical way to do this if you have an outside tap. A much quicker way would be to use a hose pipe. However, when people use hose pipes they tend to use much more water than is actually required.

Hose pipes are very good for washing down lean to greenhouses especially if you have an attachment on the end to increase the water pressure. Another option for the garden is to attach a sprinkler on the end and leave in the garden for an hour or so.

Small watering cans with sprinkler attachments are best for delicate plants and seedlings where you want no disturbance of the soil, in lean to greenhouses for example.

Tags: gardening, greenhouses

Solar Power Beats Out Kerosene

Green

In Uttar Pradesh, a large and poor Indian state, a new service is being offered to locals that enables a cheaper and healthier source of energy for light and low power uses. This is very necessary as the Indian power grid is already massively overloaded and does not even reach to the far flung villages of many states. The service is made up of solar power grids that are built for individual villages. The villagers pay a small fee to get set up with their solar panel charging kits and a very small fee on a subscription basis. This cheap solar energy has many positive aspects;

The energy provided is much cheaper than kerosene, the normal choice of fuel
Kerosene is bad for health and causes lots of smoke and a danger of fire, especially when burnt in a enclosed environment – solar energy is ‘clean’
Additional cheap lighting means the working day can go on longer. Villagers appreciate this as it allows them to work longer hours to earn more money and their children get extra time to study for school.
The small subscription for the service means local families do not get into debt as they do not have to buy products that have a large one off payment.

With the cheaper energy prices, locals can also afford to charge their mobile phone regularly which is important for communications in most rural Indian towns and villages. One charge of a mobile phone in the local town costs 33% of the subscription payment for the local solar grid. If the locals connect into the local solar grid they can charge their phones as much as they need AND power their home lighting every night so the economic benefits are very clear.

It is great to see the worlds natural and renewable energy resources making a difference to the poor people of this planet. Hopefully in the future we will see more reliance on renewable energy sources and less on natural unrenewable sources for everyone in every nation.

Sustainability Begins with Solid Personal Finances

Society

Establishing an environmentally friendly, sustainable lifestyle will undoubtedly be the focus of younger generations for decades to come. It is a noble and increasingly necessary aspect of life in today’s society. Sustainability, however, doesn’t come easily. Sustainability must come after one establishes him or herself a viable, healthy personal lifestyle that includes a secure financial situation. Personal finances are the cornerstone upon which a “green” lifestyle can be built. For those that have loans out in their name, using an amortization schedule is a great way to ensure that a stable personal financial situation can be established. Loan amortization is an effective way to get an overall snapshot of finances by enabling one to view their recurring loan payments and see how they’re distributed between interest, principal and associated financial fees.

Local Governments are Going Green!

Environment, Green

Everything in churches and governments move extremely slow and for this reason I am not surprised neither have jumped on the Go Green bandwagon quickly. Most are still as wasteful as ever and have no plans on changing. Then again, every once in a while there seems to be a glimmer of hope and there is an improvement.

It can be as simple as having traffic accident claims available online instead of having to mail all the information to various companies. This is a small step but it can make a great impact over time.

Churches can also send emails to update parishioners on the events of the week instead of printing flyers and bulletins. Even better they can customize what parishioner gets what email so it save both the church and the person time and energy on information they do not want or need. The benefits of going green truly are endless.

Tags: environment, traffic accident claims

Create a Sustainable Business Strategy by Erecting Competitive Barriers

Environment, Society, Uncategorized

In business, it is critical to build a sustainable competitive advantage. Many new businesses develop competitive advantages that aren’t sustainable. This limits their future growth, unless they are able to continuously out-innovate the competition. To create a sustainable business strategy, you must erect barriers for the competitors. These range from barriers to entry (for an unsaturated market) to barriers against existing players.

One of the most common business strategies is to create ways to lock in strategic partners and/or customers. For instance, if the company is a manufacturer, it can try to create long-term contracts with the industry’s major buyers. These long term contracts not only provide financial security for the company itself, but they also ensure that competing manufacturers need to find new customers (i.e. grow the market) instead of fighting for the existing customers. Another example would be offering programs that increase customers’ switching costs. Great examples of these business strategies are hotel companies and airlines. These travel companies tend to use points or mileage systems and tiered membership (e.g. Gold, Platinum member status) systems to increase customer loyalty. As a customer earns more and more points with a particular provider, it becomes less inclined to use the services of other similar service providers.

There are some industries with interesting barriers that naturally put them in a very desirable competitive situation. These can be regulatory barriers placed by the government or environmental barriers. For instance, most telecommunication and energy companies are local monopolies. Ever wonder why you can only by utilities from a single company? This is due to regulatory restrictions that only allow a certain company to serve a specific area in the United States.

Other companies may be geographically or environmentally positioned to allow them a lower cost structure than competitors. This deters other companies from competing with them, because the competitors know they are at a disadvantage. An example of this could be mineral mining companies that own a controlling number of mines for a specific mineral.

When a business doesn’t have a sustainable competitive advantage, its business strategy must be altered so that it obtains a sustainable advantage. If a business never successfully develops a sustainable advantage, it is only be a matter of time before the company gets squeezed out of the market. A business can leverage its existing intellectual property and core competencies to pivot off its existing business into a neighboring one — where it obtains a competitive advantage.

Tags: business strategies, business strategy, market analysis, marketing strategy

Accessorizing House with Green Devices

Green

When you are on a Go green drive to make your house environment friendly, by buying solar lamps, heaters, and chargers, why not use eco-friendly accessories for pets too? It could be as simple as buying bed for pets, collar, harness, outing bag for packing pet food and medicine made out of recycled material. It may be difficult to leave out some of the devices like automatic litter box, which offers great convenience to pet owners. You may want to use environment friendly products whenever possible, but busy schedules make automated devices part of our life.

Green issues are easier to preach, than practice. If you are ready to sacrifice some time and effort and provide natural litter box, you may have to use sand or pine pellet accessories or other non-food grade natural litter. This needs one to scoop dirtied litter from time to time, to avoid the bad odor indoors. If cat or dog are used to going outdoors, it is best to let him or her go, provided, your residence is safe for them to venture out.

Other green measure that you can follow; to avoid the bad odor is to use baking soda. It is harmless and works well to reduce the odor. Using clay is not an environment friendly measure, for it may release toxic when the litter settles at the bottom. Using a natural litter box is not a feasible idea, since letting the machine do the dirty work sounds reassuring when you have lots to manage.

More on the Green Issue

Green

green issues The green issue is an organization that was formed by students in California. They were the first students to form the organization. They are committed to sustainability, and the green building. The organization is made up if students who are disciplined, they are determined to build the environment. They have a strong passion to change the surrounding community and their main campus as well.

They have realized the need to have a healthy ecosystem that will provide goods that are vital to the humans and other living organism. They have also assisted in the management of the resources which they have based their knowledge from the economics.

In most cases, they have their interest in green issues, they also focus to impact a better understanding of the environment and the society around them and improve on the economy of the country.

They have a mission to educate, create awareness on sustainability matters, they have also created awareness of Cordyceps as a remedy for high levels of bad cholesterol in the body they are also involved activities that help improve the standard of the community. They are mostly concerned in sustaining the community around them.

Within one year they have organized and have been the participants of various events like the workshops that are involved in the installation of the solar panels in the community. They have activities like the field trips, the green buildings, competition for the local and the nation desighn, competions for the energy saving in their campus.

Both the students and the faculty have worked so hard to get the tremendous education, get the research opportunity, as well as the involvement in the community service project. The green issue has led to the reorganizing of the living conditions. They have impacted greatly on the lifestyle of the community, with the new technology that has helped them to reduce resource consumption.

7 Effective Ways to Increase Your Energy Levels

Society

As we cope up with our busy lifestyles, our energy levels sometimes tend to drop, thus, making us slower in any task that we do at the moment. With this compelling issue we are facing, it is everyone’s goal to find solutions that will increase their energy levels to its maximum. Check out for online tips on how to increase one’s energy levels. There are great sources available for download just like the Photoshop free training courses that can help any web designer to become expert is his/her field.

Here are 7 effective ways which can help you level up your energies and keep up with the demands of your appointments in a more vibrant manner:

1. Prioritize your activities

Learn to prioritize your schedules according to their importance. Decide which task needs more time and attention to accomplish. By doing this, you have more time and energy to other tasks without consuming on things that are not necessary at the moment. You also save time in worrying.

2. Practice proper breathing methods

Breathe naturally and try to adopt the correct methods of breathing through the abdominal muscles. Once you mastered the technique, this will allow more air inside your system, thus giving you enough oxygen for more vigor to do most of your tasks.

3. Avoid skipping meals

Eat 3 meals a day with light snacks in between to perk you up. Remember that a person who tends to skip an important meal will make him/her feel weak and dull.

4. Have enough sleep

The normal hours required for a good night sleep is 8-10 hours. Having enough sleep will give our bodies the chance to recuperate and improve our energy levels. A person who lacks sleep is irritable, moody and has no focus on doing things the right way.

5. Do something that you love most

Take a time out from your busy schedule and do something worthwhile like a hobby or a favorite sport activity. Any active form of recreation will liven up your spirit and produce hormones that are responsible in creating a happier mood feeling to any individual, thus giving you a more energetic outlook to do each task without a heavy heart.

6. Eat foods rich in protein, carbohydrates, minerals and potassium

Remember what we have learned in our Science subjects about energy giving foods. Eat foods like meat, fish, whole grains, nuts and bananas for energy. Foods rich in minerals are also good for brain power that is needed in producing energy to the entire body’s system.

7. Listen to lively music

Once in a while, listen to livelier types of music to break the quietness in your surroundings. Find a music that can be pleasant to your ears, but lively enough to wake up your sleepy mood and give you energy to do any task faster as you listen and blend to the rhythmic movements of the music.

Be happy always. Live a healthy lifestyle.

Entry Level Jobs for Renewable Energy Companies

Green

The market for green and renewable energy jobs grows continuously, even faster compared to many other industries. So, it is not surprising that entry level jobs are sought after by many. These starting jobs can be in wind, solar, bio, hydro, or geothermal energy. Nonetheless, any other jobs that can help the country become less polluted and more energy efficient, can qualify as green jobs.

If you are in search of a green entry level job, you may join the support staff. Most renewable energy companies have a staff that supports their business operations. So, if you have the skills and knowledge on clerical work, information technology, and computer operations, then you may qualify as part of the staff. It would also be helpful if you are familiar with outreach and communications, finance and accounting, marketing and sales, customer service, and human resources.

Depending on your performance, you may even get promoted after some time. See to it that you do your job well and you abide by all the rules of the company. As for the salary, yours may depend on your skills, educational background, location, years of service, and of course performance. Nonetheless, if you think that being part of the staff does not suit you, you may also consider being a technician. Entry level jobs such as this are also in-demand with renewable energy companies.

You can be an electrician, plumber, mechanic, or a technician for ventilation, air conditioning, and heating. You can also be a system installer or an integrator of wind or solar energy systems. Nevertheless, there are also entry level jobs in manufacturing and transportation; so you may also consider these. Moreover, you can check out the positions available in the science and engineering departments. They usually offer entry level jobs in academic institutions, manufacturing, and research. If you have a technical college degree, you may even be employed in the private sector. You can be in an energy services company or an environmental consulting firm.

Tags: entry level jobs, green energy

Saving on Your Next Subway Meal

Uncategorized

Its not unusual to find a couple of good Subway Coupons in the advertising section of your Sunday newspaper. But what if you missed the paper this week, will you have to miss out on the sandwich specials and pay full price rather than getting those great discounts?

Fortunately the answer is probably not. Many of the same Subway coupons you find in your newspaper every week are also posted online as well as some that are exclusively offered on the Internet only.

Online coupons of any kind, not just Subway coupons, are actually a great alternative to traditional clipped from the newspaper coupons. They do not get lost as you simply only print them out when you need them. and you don’t have to wait until the weekend to find them as they are available twenty four hours a day and seven days a week, ready whenever you are.

Tags: subway coupons

Was The WSSD A Lot Of Hot Air?

Environment

The World Summit on Sustainable Development (WSSD), also known as the Earth Summit took place in 2002. I am not a supporter of the Green Party and my knowledge of this event was non-existent until we received an order recently from a customer for several personalised christening gifts for a baby to be named Gaia.

I vaguely remembered a TV series constructed around the Gaia Theory and, having a few spare moments over the Christmas break, I did some research. The Theory was formulated by James Lovelock in the ‘70s and suggests that the Earth is a self-regulating complex system which relies on the components of the system – surface temperature, atmospheric composition, and ocean salinity – to be relatively stable. Any marked changes could threaten life itself.

The Gaia Theory has led to several summits over the years to discuss how to best maintain this delicate balance, with the latest threat seen to come from global warming or climate change. Although there has been much talk, and a little action from some of the smaller countries, the biggest polluting countries responsible for much of the causes of global warming have failed to take action to reduce pollution. Whether the little girl who will receive her christening gifts will enjoy the same sort of conditions on Earth when she is an adult is not known. Some say the chances of her doing so are slim.

Who Has Even Heard Of The WSSD?

Conservation, Politics

The World Summit on Sustainable Development took place almost ten years ago in 2002 and if you go online today, you have to look hard to find any material on this conference that took place in Johannesburg, South Africa. Just like so many other “world” meetings, gatherings, conferences, summits or whatever else you might call them, this one appears to have vanished into the history books.

The simple fact is that the countries of this world really don’t want to work together to do much of anything at all. No matter what type of initiative that seems to be on the table, getting the major players to all agree is one tough sell. Anything to do with global conservation, the environment, and pollution seems to be especially difficult to get an agreement on.

Countries ultimately look out after themselves and all these “world” initiatives are drains on their finances rather than money making ideas. It is extremely hard to convince nations that they need to change their ways and spend money to avert some crises that isn’t here yet and often times can’t even be agreed on. No matter how many of these summits like the WSSD there are, you just don’t see any real changes being made.

Unfortunately things might have to get much worse before anyone really pays attention. It is sad but true that before the world can truly agree to save and conserve, our planet will probably have to deteriorate much more. Only when faced with undeniable evidence that something has to be done, will different nations come together and agree to make changes.

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This was written by Sam from moneymakinghobby.com who is always looking for ways to make money online or in any other venue.

Tags: WSSD

Live Fences For African Vegetable Gardening

Conservation, Environment, Green

The key goal of the WSSD was to promote the advancement of Sustainable development around the world. One area of importance is to encourage productive vegetable gardening in African farming environments.

A major productivity reducer in African vegetable gardens is grazing on the harvest by roaming livestock. Unfortunately the building of fences to protect said gardens is an expensive undertaking. Not only are the initial costs in labor not insignificant, but fences also need ongoing care and maintenance if they are to remain effective.

The concept of live fences is one example of sustainable development. By using vegetation as fencing the amount of effort required in their building and maintenance is greatly reduced. Not only are costs reduced, but the fence itself can become an asset.

Firewood, fruits and similar products can be harvested from the fencing on a regular basis. Thus it becomes not just an obstacle to livestock getting into vegetable gardens, but a productive part of the garden itself.

While it may take a couple of years for a living fence to grow in from seed or seedlings, they are a much more realistic approach to protecting crops in Africa than the type of fences traditionally used in Western countries.

Research indicates that the use of living fences over dead fences in certain economically challenged African countries can increase a farmers earning by almost $250 American dollars over a six year test period. This is a significant amount of money in areas where the average income can sometimes be less than a dollar a day.

It is by spreading knowledge of sustainable development ideas – like this simple technique for improving the productivity of vegetable gardening – that summits like WSSD can make lasting changes to the world.

The Green Revolution in Building

Conservation, Green

It makes sense really, if we build homes that last much longer, that cost less to run and even improve the healthy of a family then everyone wins. Green building firms are doing just this and helping improve the environment, with more efficient buildings that actively reduce the environmental impact compared to old buildings.

Building practices have been refined and technology as well helps implement these improvements.The amazing thing is that construction costs are even lowered using these methods, creating a winning formula for both the builder and the homeowner.

There is a trendous opportunity to have a very positive impact on the environment with these eco friendly buildings. Here’s some of the advantages -

Reduce Emissions
Reduce Waste
Improve Air Quality
Improve Water Quality

Lots of potential and can be achieved by simply meeting green building standards. There are estimates that embracing these green building concepts could reduce energy usage by nearly ten percent. For example consider the construction industry could recycle over 70%. A much more efficient way of building and using less resources.

It is of course the primary aim of any green building standards, to improve energy efficiency. For most of us that means reducing the amount of fuel we need to heat and live in our homes. Even something as simple as house placement on a particular construction site can have huge implications for ongoing green savings and eco friendly benefits that stay with you.

For example, you can ensure that you reap the benefit of the sun’s warmth in the winter and maximise shade in the summer by how you locate windows, patios and even trees.

Possibly one of the most overlooked areas in Green building techniques is how you can conserve water. There are lots of special plumbing devices which save water and even in landscaping you can utilize drought tolerant sods to save on water usage.

Obviously materials are important and there are environmentally friendly options in most areas now. Often the ‘green options’ are stronger, more durable that the traditional options and yes even cheaper!

How Food Industry Affects Our Environment & Health

Environment, Green, Politics, Society

Recently I’ve been thinking how farm bill is contributing to the obesity problem in America. Well, since then I have been also thinking—can 127 million people in the US being overweight be chalked up entirely to subsidies in the farm bill? In the quest for an answer, I decided to look locally. A recent study by the NC Division of Public Health reported Orange County as having the lowest incidence of obesity in North Carolina. This makes sense; college students represent a huge portion of our population, and our proximity to RTP means that the average OC citizen can afford the health foods that are abundantly available here.

But being the fittest county in NC doesn’t mean what it used to, and according to World Health Organization standards more than 50% of local residents are overweight or obese & suffer from excess triglycerides levels. Not to mention the effects of excess food consumption, obesity effects the environment in several ways. An article in The Engineering Economist says that “nearly one billion gallons of additional fuel per year can be attributed to the average weight gain between 1960 and 2002 of people living in the United States.” If Orange County—home of the world famous Carrboro Farmer’s Market, Weaver Street, and dozens of gyms and health spas—can’t beat the obesity epidemic, what chance do we have?

In an editorial article on the BBC by Simon Cox, the health and environmental benefits of organic food and production are disputed. Many people intuitively feel that organic food is better for their health and so they buy organic products. However, what is the science behind it? I sure don’t know myself, not being big on the science thing. It’s interesting because this article shows that there is opposition to this organic movement which is becoming more and more popular as part of the larger environmental movement. Some research out there acutally says pesticides do not harm people since we already consume many foods with pesticides, and have been for several years.

You decide what you want to eat everytime you sit down for a meal right? Well maybe not…In Marion Nestle’s book, Food Politics, she reminds us that food is an industry much like tobacco. Nestle argues that the mere fact that we eat everyday creates an environment in which we take our food for granted and do not examine why or how we are eating certain things. Nestle tells us that this is a mistake…the food industry is a business which advertises and lobbies for policies that will be acceptable to their shareholders. So what effect does this have on us? This book tells us quite a large one.

Nestle divides her book into 5 different parts each covering one way the food industry has been politically active. The sections are: Undermining Dietary Advice, Working the System, Exploiting Kids, Corrupting Schools, Deregulating Dietary Supplements and Inventing Techno-Foods. Each section is broken down to show the way in which the food industry has worked to increase its profits and space in the food world by lobbying to the government for more lax regulations as well as advertising and promoting its products to young children and vulnerable audiences. The food industry accounts for 13% of the U.S. GNP which gives the industry unlimited resources to use when attempting to influence the way we eat. Some of the things you will read in this book will astound you: Did you know that in 2000 food companies spent $33 billion in the U.S. to advertise and promote their products? This book provides countless other details regarding each section of her book.

How does Nestle say we should combat the political power and influence of the food industry? Simply by taking action and voting with our forks. However, for this solution to be effective citizens must be educated to the politics of food. People must learn to recognize food advertisements when they seem them and realize that government regulations may not be in the consumers best interest as they have been influenced by food industry money and lobbyists. She advocates for eating food that is grown locally and organically which improves the nutritional quality of the food and supports local farmers. She encourages the development of alliances between people who want to make concious choices about food and which can counteract the political influence of the food industry.

Nestle’s book was a very interesting read and I would recommend everyone to sit down and spend some time at least skimming the book. It is written in a lively style that is really easy to read. Although the subject could be techinical, the writting is done in way that is accessible to all. The only downfall about this book is its length; it is 375 pages which can be overwhelming if you are pressed for time. I would recommend reading it when you can take the time to get into it. It is easy to get in a routine with the food we eat because it is an everday occurance that becomes second nature. However, if there is one thing this class taught me, it is the importantance of critically examining the messages we are receiving and the same should be done with food. Nestle’s work provides a body of knowledge that helps to educate the common citizen about the ways in which food is advocated for, manipulated and advertised by major corporations.

The Hidden Cost of Clean Water

Environment

Although having access to free flowing drinking water is a wonderful thing, many people are afraid of the dangerous chemicals that lurk in regular tap water. Studies have shown that tap water contains chemicals, prescription medication, and other compounds that can cause health damage. Because of this, many people have turned to an under sink water filter powered by reverse osmosis.

Although reverse osmosis water filters can provide your family with safe and healthy drinking water free of contaminants, there is a hidden environmental cost of using such a filter. Of the water that reaches the unit’s semi-permeable membrane, only five to 15 percent of it is recovered. That’s a massive use of water! The rest of it is waste water that cannot be used because it is filled with the rejected contaminants from the filtered water. Five gallons of reverse osmosis water will create a startling 45 to 95 gallons of waste water, which puts an extra burden on your septic system and, of course, the environment.

Before you invest in a water filter, consider different options other than reverse osmosis. You can use a cartridge system that filters the water through carbon filters that catch contaminants but do not waste water. We all deserve access to clean water, but let’s keep the environment in mind while we do it.

Tags: clean water

Is Wine Sustainable?

Uncategorized

Wine is an interesting topic when it comes to sustainability. Ask any wine of the month club and they can tell you that Styrofoam is a cheaper packing material than cardboard, but the conversation is much more involved than that.

The stopper is an interesting topic. Are natural cork stoppers really better than 100% recyclable fake cork? Does your answer change if you know that all the cork which is used is shipped from Portugal?

What about shipping and those costs to the environment when it comes to pollution? As nice as it is to buy American, if you live on the east coast your wine from California is shipped on a truck across the country while European wine is creating much less emissions on a boat.

Interesting set of topics isn’t it?

What do you think?

Can Debt Relief Help People Live A Greener Life?

Politics

There is no doubt that debt relief programs help people to live a greener life. But the question is what do I mean by greener life? For one I mean having more money in your pocket, after all the dollar is green. However saving more money can help people to then use that money for some better cause than getting the greedy credit card companies wallets fatter. That money can be put back into ones house making it more energy efficient therefore saving you more money on your power bills but also contributing to help save our dying planet as well.

Tags: debt relief, money

Is A Lifestyle With Poor Sleep Even Worth It?

Society

One of the body’s absolute necessities to function properly is sound quality sleep. Unfortunately not everyone gets the proper sleep that is required. One very bad sleep condition that has been catching quite a bit of buzz lately is sleep apnea. The major problem with this condition is that the lack of sleep affects both partners due to the obnoxious snoring this condition causes. The cessation of breathing during sleep is what causes the awful snoring so often associated with this ailment. Curing this problem will lead to a much healthier lifestyle and definitely lead to a higher level of productivity.

Tags: lifestyle, sleep apnea

The Green Advantages of a Gas Fire Pit

Green

There is no doubt that an outdoor fire pit can be both an attractive and a practical addition to anyone’s back yard. A new generation of gas fire pits though has a big advantage of the more traditional wood burning fire pit – they are far more eco friendly.

The first big advantage of gas fire pits over wood burning fir pits is that they are clean burning. Many local ordinances forbid wood burning fires, especially in the summer, but they do allow gas fueled fires, just for this reason. This means that people who had thought that a fire pit was not an option for them because of where they lived now have the option, thanks to gas fire pits, to get a taste of what they have been missing for all this time.

A gas fire pit is also better for human health as well as that of the environment. Sit by a wood burning fire pit for a while and the smoke will begin to get to you. If it is a light smoke you may just find yourself fanning it away but if it is the heavy smoke that many woods tend to produce you may find yourself running away instead! The smoke is not only annoying but if inhaled it can be downright unhealthy, especially if the wood that you are burning has been treated with pesticides (and a lot of it has)

It is also very fair to say that gas burning fire pits are far easier to use than wood burning fire pits. Lighting a wood fire is not the easiest thing to do, or often the safest either. If you have a gas fire pit the flame is there at a touch of a button which allows you to enjoy your evening around the fire rather than spend it tearing your hair out because you cannot get a flame to burn for longer than five minutes at a time.

Improving Sustainable Shoe Manufacturing Processes

Environment

High street fashion has become more and more competitive in recent years especially in the UK with brands such as Primark and H&M battling it out for the women’s ‘fast fashion’ crown. Stores like these are nuder pressure to be at the forefront of fashion in order to survive and quite amazingly you can see catwalk fashions, such as dresses and designer shoes, arrive on the high street in a matter of weeks at prices affordable to everyone. This is due to the manufacturers in countries such as China and India having such cheap labor costs along with their ability to produce designs in super fast time.

This may sound great for consumers but the rock bottom prices do come at a cost in other areas, namely the workers and environment. Luckily there are organizations that are looking for a way to produce a more sustainable manufacturing process which they hope to both improve output whilst improving the environmental footprint some of these processes leave. Recycling is a major focus as only 3.5% of the twenty billion pairs of shoes made worldwide each and every year are either re-used or recycled. The only place for the rest of them is in landfill sites which of course is not doing the environment any good

Saving the Bees – USA Next ?

Green

Here’s a remarkable fact for you, and I’m assured it’s true although not sure how they measured it. Out of every three mouthfuls of food consumed on this planet, one of them depends on pollinators. Now that’s an incredible figure and shows how reliant the world’s food supply is on these creatures. It’s also a fact that makes the global decline of bee colonies even more scarey.

You’ve probably heard the stories because over the last decade – there have been many reports on how bee colonies are being decimated. Mainly in the areas of North America and Europe where 30% falls have been commonplaces. This last year moved up a notch with up to 50% falls in some areas of the United States.

There has been numerous investigations across the world on the reasons for thsi decimation and there are no definitive answers yet. However it seems that pesticides are very likely to be the culprit, much more widely used in the areas affected. There is an interesting documentary on the BBC – called Who Killed the Honey Bee – it’s well worth a watch.

It should be visible in all countries but if you get an unavailable message then it could be worth – checking this post out – how to bypass video not available. Europe at least has this week began to take this issue seriously and has just imposed a ban on the pesticides known as neonicotinoids one of the world’s most widespread pesticides and considered a high risk to bee colonies.

No one is certain if these are deinfitely to blame but the suspicion is high and in affected colonies very high levels of this pesticide is being recorded. Some scientists believe that high levels of neonicitonoids can affect the number of queen bees in colonies and also the bees navigation systems.

In the USA the manufacturers of these pesticides are fighting any regulation. They insist that they are not to blame and there is little evidence of a correlation between the decline in bee colonies and the use of the pesticides. In the author’s opinion there is no choice if there is even a suspicion then the pesticides should be banned until proven safe not the other way around. We cannot allow big business – just like Google in this example have impact on such important issues. Sustainable food supply for the world should not be risked simply for profit.

Tags: bees, science, news, environment, nature

Save Environment by using Cloth Bag

Uncategorized

Save Environment by using Cloth Bag. Cloth bags, nowadays, are very popular among young people. There are various kinds of cloth bags, such as silk bags or canvas bags. The first advantage of them is that they are very fashionable with more patterns and colors. Red cloth bags, pink ones, purple ones, blue ones, green ones, yellow ones, all can be found on the market. If we want a special colored cloth bag, we can always find it.

The patterns of cloth bags, the same as colors, are also as various as we can imagine. Then it leads to its second advantage, that is, it is easy to match clothing. For example, if we wear a shirt with the ground color of white and red patterns, we can match a cloth bag with the ground color of red and flowery patterns. In the other hand by using cloth bag we can do our part in the fight to save Mother Earth by using environmentally-friendly cloth bags.

Our world is slowly deteriorating. Earth’s inhabitants are at risk of dying if or when the Earth can no longer sustain life. It is imperative that every person does his/her part to prevent this tragedy from happening. Every little bit helps. Using environmentally-friendly cloth bags instead of paper or the plastic ones is one way a person can help. If you are looking for the best place to buy anything like this is on the internet, visit www.grosirtas.co because you can choose exactly what you need at a price that is cheaper than you will find at a local store.

Tags: Eco Cloth Bag

Fitness And Carbon Footprints

Environment

It is time for all of us to begin to think globally. The things we do to make our lives easier often end up being detrimental to the environment, and people often fail to see the damage they are doing while they are simply trying to keep up with current trends. A decade ago, it was all the rage to have the biggest sport utility vehicle you could find. Couples would get married, have one child, and trade in their fuel efficient Honda Civic for a Ford Excursion.

These gas-guzzling beasts of vehicles were causing detrimental damage to the atmosphere and the environment. As people began to realize the impact their ridiculously huge vehicles had on the environment (and their wallets when oil prices surged), they began to realize it was time to consider going back to their gas-sipping smaller vehicles. Not only are these cars more practical, but they are better for the environment all around. What if we take it a step further, and begin opting for an even more bohemian form of transportation? What if we use our own two legs and our own two feet again to get from A to B?

Granted, this isn’t always feasible, but considering the amount of money we would save on vehicles, as well as how much we can save the environment, it could very well be a reasonable option for many people. It also gives the added bonus of getting people more active, which in turn leads to better levels of fitness. Even if you can’t walk everywhere, consider taking up an exercise routine at home instead of driving to the gym. You can find excellent workout regimens at http://www.workoutequipmentreviews.net/insanity-workout-review/ that you can do right in your own home. Who knew that fitness could help save the environment one gas tank at a time?

Tags: pollution, exercise

Green Getaways

Green

With people trying to erase their carbon footprint holidays can be a way to make your mark. Flying about the world obviously is not the most environmentally sound way of travelling so people are now choosing to holiday closer to home.

With options like getting beautiful 5 star lodges in England being available the thought of flying across the world to stay in sub standard accomodation is not as appealing to people. These kind of holidays can also open up your eyes to parts of the country that you might not have seen and will also show you the diferent wildlife and nature that can be found in the UK and the effects of ignoring the threat of pollution.

Making changes in day to day life and doing things like walking or cycling when the option is available can make all the difference in the long run and help to ensure that the future of the planet and the incredible wildlife is a bit safer. There are far to many species being driven out of their habitat so we need to make sure that the existing areas that still thrive are as safe as they possibly can be.

Hopefully with the right education people will start to make the changes neccesary.

Tags: lodges in england, lodges

Do Sustainable Low Carbon Emissions Still Make a Difference?

Environment

You might think that it is a godsend that sustainable low carbon emission options are available, with low-carbon engines and hybrid engines becoming more commonplace in the market. However, does it even matter? With all the pollution that the world is being assailed with everyday, does 2-4% really matter?

Statistics Show Drastic Numbers:
Did you know that global warming is more prominent now than it was just two years ago? If you thought that eco-friendly organizations were playing around when they claimed humans and the world in general is suffering from pollution, they weren’t. Consider these statistics:

•    16% additional people gain carbon-related lung diseases per year
•    Mortality rates concerning lung diseases, heat, and cancer have gone up by 24% since 2005
•    More than 15% of children have developed skin diseases, lung diseases, and brain abnormalities due to growing world pollution

You Can Make a Difference!

Does 2-4% make a difference? It does! If everyone makes the switch and if more companies switch to sustain low carbon emissions in their waste disposal, it is very likely that those numbers will change for the better. Everybody needs to pitch in to make that 2-4% significant. If everyone makes a slight change, that 2% can grow. Just look at carbon-rich hairsprays. Back then they were a huge threat to the ozone layer but over the years cosmetic companies opted to use safer chemicals and the environment is more than grateful for it.

One of the easiest ways is to voice it out is online. Everybody has a Facebook account, Twitter, Reddit, and others. With web design pricing so affordable you might even want to make your own website to showcase the problem and visualize the needed change. As a matter of fact with a few hundred dollars, you can get a professional website complete with Flash content and a slightly advanced database. Web design pricing is much more affordable than before, giving you one more option to make a difference.

Stop Animal Exploitation

Conservation

Cat are often used for experimental especially for medical research. In the United Stated cat are used primarily forneurological experimentation (such as stroke research), eye, ear, and HIV/AIDS research. Cat also often used for surgery ecperimental and also routinely used for cornea research, and their eyes are removed at the end of the study, yet the animals are not euthanized.

This conditionis so sad for us, it is doubtful that anything more was learned here than could have been learned in actual clinical situations where veterinarians are trying to save the lives of cats and other animals. That’s why one action should be take to concervate cat life, best automatic cat feeder can be a tool to help cat concervation. Stop eating or wearing animal products or supporting any activity that exploits animal should be sounded.

Ivory Adverts on Google

Politics

There are claims that the company who’s motto include “don’t be evil” are actually helping promote a surge in the demand for ivory. A conservation group has claimed that there has been an increase in the demand for small wooden stamps used mainly in Japan as a sort of letter seal. The increase in this demand seems to have been fueled by thousands of adverts on Google’s Japanese shopping sites and on their Google ad networks.

These seals are called ’Hanko’ and they are widely used for sealing a wide variety of legal documents. They can be used on contracts, agreements and all forms of official documents. The wooden stamps are inlaid and decorated with ivory which is claimed is resulting in an increase in poaching in order to fuel this demand.

For anyone who has tried to place adverts on Google advertising network they’ll know it can be quite a strict process. There are lots of restrictions on what you can and can’t do ranging from the products to the way in which you promote them. Is it ok to advertise something like ivory on this network ?

Well apparently not, Google has responded that adverts for any product obtained from endangered or threatened species are not allowed. These people are violating our advertising policies and they shall be removed.

The search engine giant have been criticised for not ensuring that these policies have been adhered to. The ivory trade is not going away and is one of the biggest threats to elephants and rhinos – the opportunity to sell to a mass audience using the Google network will certainly lead to more poaching and more deaths. If you want to see more information on the plight of the elephant and rhino a great place is to keep up to date with the BBC environmental pages on their site. There are also some great programmes on both the environment and sutainability on the BBC Iplayer site – if you’re based outside Britain you may need some help to view – http://www.uktv-online.com/ demonstrates how to use a simple proxy tool to be able to watch British TV.

Tags: UK TV, british tv, hanko, google, ivory trade

Sustainable Medical

Uncategorized

So I was talking to one of the San Diego chiropractors who is featured on the San Diego Chiropractor Directory the other day and we had an interesting, intense and frank discussion about the medical establishment. I’m not sure if you saw it or not, but Time Magazine recently had a length (25k words in total) article about medical care in this country and how hispitals and hospital adminstrators are now making more money than bankers in New York City. It was eye opening and it made me think of my opportunity to write on this site, because that type of payment structure simply isn’t sustainable. I mean, as much as I would like to continue paying doctor’s well, do we really need hospital administrator’s earning a million dollars per year? Do these supposed non profit hospitals not realize that someone really does have to pay for that insurance coverage at some point right?

Tags: hospitals

Solve Health Problems to Focus on Environment

Uncategorized

A blood pressure chart is intended to show a patient what the baseline is for blood pressure. This chart will tell someone whether they can make daily changes to their lives in order to overcome high blood pressure to extend their lives.

The normal blood pressure of an patient will be between 90 and 140. There are some people who experience low blood pressure, which is just as important as high pressure. If someone has low pressure and is experiencing chronic fatigue and dizziness, they may need to change their daily medications or take a medication that will bring their pressure up.

You will need to compare your blood pressure numbers to that on a chart in order to determine if you have high or low blood pressure. When taking your own pressure, you should know that you will need to take a series of pressures in order to determine which numbers are correct. You will want to rest for a period of 15 minutes before you take the test and do not smoke for the last hour. Smoking can cause your pressure to increase therefore it is important that you not smoke prior to taking the test. If you find that you suffer from high pressure, there are some daily routine changes that can be done in order to lower your pressure.

The one thing that doctors will recommend that you do when you suffer from high blood pressure is to change your eating habits. It is important that you add more fiber to your diet and decrease the amount of proteins and fat that you take in daily. Also, try to incorporate more vegetables and fruits into your daily meals. This alone can help decrease your pressure.

Politics of Wine and Going Green

Politics

the carbon of wine! The politics of the environmental movement are among the most complicated most of us have ever been faced with. There are two major viewpoints: First you have the true believers, or those who believe that everyone should be living a carbon neutral life as of tomorrow morning. Others think we need to get to carbon neutral, but live in reality where governments will need to take some responsibility for taking carbon out of the air etc.

One group who is often absent from the dicussion are the owners of online wine clubs. An online wine club is often absent from discussions about the environment and carbon emissions for two simple reasons. First, their business is dependent on a consistent environment. Secondly, their business is about the most carbon intense on the planet. I mean shipping wine is bad normally, but 2 bottles at a time is a killer for anyone’s carbon footprint!

Tags: wine

Reasons To Change From Traditional To Electric Litter Box.

Society

The Earth becomes dirtier each day because of irresponsible people. We must do something to prevent worse things to happen. There is no other planet in which we can live in so if the Earth becomes completely polluted, we would be gonetoo. So we should start going green. So what are we going to do to save the Earth? Can we do something special and meanwhile we cannot do such a special thing like that. Don’t worry, start it with our self simply, especially for pet owner. Do you have a cat? Then you can do it with your cat by cleaning its litter correctly. So how do we do that? It is very simple because there is automatic cat litter box special for cat. We can manage cat’s litter easily with this tool.

Automatic cat litter box is an open pan that uses a metal rake. The motor attaches to the top of the pan on the long edge and traverses the box from one end up to the waste receptacle and back. Fifteen minutes after the cat leaves, the motor drives the rake across the box. When it reaches the waste receptacle, the rake lifts up the waste and rotates toward the top of the box. The receptacle opens and the waste slides down the rake into the receptacle. The receptacle is lined with any type of bag that is fitted to the receptacle. The lid of the receptacle has a carbon filter to help with the odor.

Automatic cat litter box is solidly constructed and easy to assemble. The receptacle is a bit small; it needs to be emptied once a week with one cat. This means it will require more frequent emptying with multiple cats. Automatic cat litter box comes with a ramp which is useful if your cat gets old or has trouble climbing in the box. Cleaning is the same as all auto litter boxes that use clumping litter. It is necessary to disassemble it and clean the litter area and receptacle periodically with a mild soap.

Disassembly is not too difficult. No screws are used to hold it together. Automatic cat litter box plugs into a standard wall outlet with a cube-shaped DC transformer plug. A household extension cord can be used if needed. Power consumption is similar to all auto litter boxes. It does not cost much to run Automatic cat litter box.

Tags: Cat

The Place People Want To Visit

Conservation

Why do people visit other countries? For some a change in climate, others for the sights and attractions. But how do you go about making sure that your country is at its best and people get to see what you have to show.

Having a good website is a great way to show the highlights and you can post great pictures like the ones on gbcnewzealand.com. You get to show of some amazing scenes and also share information about the country that folk may not have known. It is also an opportunity for people to interact with each other and ask questions about the places they were thinking of visiting.

As I mentioned previously there are different reasons why people may choose to visit a country but finding out as much information about possible countries before you go is a wise move. Good sites will be able to inform you whether or not the reason that you plan to visit the country is a good one.

Another good reason to promote tourism and sightseeing is that the money it can generate can go into conservation projects and help sustain the natural habitat of fauna and animal life that otherwise might find its home being gradually destroyed.

Tags: http://gbcnewzealand.com/

Sustainable Employment Options

Society

To a large extent, if you give people choices of ways to feed their families – most will select a sustainable option. After all it makes sense to guarantee an income for years to come rather than a one year bonanza. People are smart on the whole and will make these choices when they have the option and that’s the important part. Not everyone has the luxury of choice, the farmer who slaughters or sells his last cow will usually do out of desperation. Western farmers can leave fields fallow because they know that it will increase the yield of the land, a poor African farmer may not have this option.

This is why economic development is so important in the poorer countries of the world. Prosperity can bring huge environmental benefits to these regions and the world in general. Brazil has one of the quickest growing economies in the world and the prosperity is allowing the country the ability to protect the rain forests and combat commercial deforrestation. Wealth has also given them the chance to try and even out the economic inequalities although there is still a very large gap between rich and poor.

The internet is playing a big part in these successes as well, the worlds communication network has allowed development in all corners of the planet not just the traditional North American and European hubs. Location is becoming an increasing irrelevance to many areas of business. You can sell, communicate, hold meetings or market your goods and services online via a connected computer. For instance many people I know have moved their lives from big US cities to take up residence in one of the many popular South American nations like Mexico, Chile or Argentina. Anywhere that has an internet connection is a potential base and there’s little difference from working on line in Rio to Chicago. There are some barriers online which can make things difficult but yoru location can easily be changed virtually by using proxies and VPNs to obtain a US or UK IP address if needed – this site has details - http://www.proxyusa.com/.

When you see an African family all being brought up on the proceeds of an internet entrepreneur working from the local cyber cafe, you’ve got to be impressed. The internet brings choices to people who previously had none and that’s got to be good news for the environment too.

Tags: internet, brazil economy, marketing, proxies, Amaerican proxy

Help for the Poyang Lake in China

Conservation

It has been agreed in a two day Chinese-France seminar that a special scientific laboratory will be set up at Poyang Lake to help protect it.

The lake is of special ecological importance and is actually the largest freshwater lake in China. The plan will establish a joint scientific research lab and will focus on hydrological, biological and ecological research involving the lake’s environment. Dai Nianhua is the Vice Director from the Jiangxi Academy of Social Sciences.

They intend to focus on developing remedies to clear and fix man made pollution caused by the rapid development in the country. The lake is very important for it’s almost unique wetland ecosystem. It is also one of the most important bird habitats in the whole of Asia.

The seminar was very well attended by ecological and environment experts from around the globe, they also took the chance to do some field surveys. The lake certainly has some pollution problems but researchers hope that these can be fixed whilst developing solutions which can be used elsewhere.

The seminar is available on certain French University sites in video and mp4 format. However unless you are registered user then you’ll need to use a French proxy if you are outside the country.

Tags: nanchang, poyang lake, proxy server

Environmental Protection Agency politics about green vehicles

Uncategorized

The United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is trying to promote greener thinking with their SmartWay program. EPA supports vehicles with lower levels of co2 emits as well as the ones using less energy e.g. petrol. With this action EPA raises the awareness of pollution made from huge co2 emissions from Car engines in US and other countries. We should really start thinking about greener thinking as the numbers of co2 emissions are hazardous. China alone emits 21% of worlds co2, US is second with 20% and the next follower is Russia with 5.5%. The biggest polluters per square km are South Korea, Qatar, Japan and others. This all leaves a huge footprint to nature as well as climate change.

While watching car videos at http://fastcar.sg/ realised that society has to raise their awareness in terms of choosing greener cars as they save money, fuel, as well as are more nature-friendly with almost no pollution or natural footprint.
Society should choose green vehicles that are environment friendly, not harmful to nature and use either greener or renewable energy. Basically – green cars should turn drivers away from petrol and high carbon emission vehicles.

Green cars include all vehicles that are fully or partly powered with alternative energy sources rather than fossil fuel or less carbon intensive than gasoline and diesel. There are many low-carbon vehicles nowadays. Most popular are so called hybrid cars or electric cars, for example Chevrolet Volt that is fully powered with electricity and was awarded as most effective green car of 2012. Other great green cars are Toyota Prius, Nissan Leaf, Mitsubishi i-MiEV and many others. Such green cars as – Hybrids, Plug-in Hybrids, Clean Diesel, fuel-cell powered hydrogen cars or Electric cars – are low or no-emission cars that are nature-friendly compared to any other petrol based cars. Hybrid cars can be partly fossil fueled and partly electric. Help raising societies awareness about global warming and move to a green car today!

The Technology of Coffee Harvesting Paradox: Development VS. Diffusion

Politics

The technology of coffee harvesting has not progressed as rapidly as many other processing and manufacturing of other products in other industries. As people in the Western world demand more coffee beans to use in their home espresso machines, the industry has to try to keep up.

Ultimately, the process of collecting coffee begins with converting the raw fruit of the coffee plant into the actual coffee bean that will be used for roasting and brewing. The pulp of the coffee fruit will be removed which exposes the bean which is the seed of the plant. It’s this sees that’s then dried to create the coffee bean.

The technology of coffee harvesting will greatly determine and affect the flavor of roasted and brewed coffee. The technology, whether ancient and primate or the latest method has as much to do with the flavor of the coffee as the climate and region the bean is grown in.

Circumstances such as global warming, environmental changes, difficulty finding workers, and many other conditions are forcing the coffee industry to evolve its growing and processing technology faster than ever. However, an industry halting paradox is being created because once the technology is developed the implementation of that technology takes even longer to get going. In reality, it’s the implementation of the latest technology in the coffee growing world that are creating the biggest problems.

Many of these problems are compounded by the fact that most of the growers around the world we receive our coffee from are small coffee growers. These local growers have particular barriers that include cultural behaviors, traditions, conservative views, fear of change, fear of loss, poor level of education and misunderstanding in general. Other practical barriers include the consistency of use with the technology, proper training, financing, and more.

Even in some of the most prolific coffee exporting countries, it’s the dissemination of the coffee technology that bogs everything down. It’s this technology of coffee harvesting and how it gets implemented that needs to be improved if certain regions around the world expect to stay competitive.

A Greener Alternative To Smoking?

Green

Most people are aware of the effects that smoking tobacco cigarettes has on our health as well as others but not many people take into account the detrimental effects that smoking has on the environment. Smoking a cigarette contributes to air pollution, 25-30% of the population of North America smoke and if you think that a cigarette contains around 4000 chemicals then the atmosphere is bound to suffer. Land and water are also susceptible due to the careless disposal of cigarette butts, many end up in lakes and rivers and take around 25 years to decompose. Carelessly discarded butts have also been the cause of bush fires in dry seasons. This is all without going into the resources that are used to manufacture cigarettes, did you know one tree is used to make just 300 cigarettes?

This is why it is more important than ever to find alternatives and the electronic cigarette may just be the answer. The vapor that is exhaled is not harmful to the environment or other people and the e-liquid itself doesn’t contain the carcinogens contained in tobacco. From a consumer point of view they are also a lot cheaper, especially when discounts such as the E-Lites discount code are taken advantage of.

Tags: pollution

A sustainable online business model

Society

Many genuine money making chances online are more similar to part-time work opportunities which has the opportunity to use a regular cash flow. One such reputable online business model will be self-employed article marketing. A lot of online business proprietors look for the actual services involving high quality post writers for their advertising and marketing requires. The income you could gain is depend upon the kind of article you will be writing and the client soliciting the service. There’s also article writing and submission websites that will pay freelance writers to perform depending on the variety of view and the practical use of the article. It can indicate recurring income when the write-up is utilized through the web site for a long time.

Other legitimate income generating options online which makes use of your talent and knowledge has been a specialized expert. In the event you call yourself a web geek, your understanding about computer software and hardware may be a great benefit for you. Most online businessmen don’t have complex ideas and relies on your services of other people that do hold the expertise and knowledge they need to have. Repair any website or even making web design templates and fix programs and applications, people might rather get a cheaper the freelancer as compared to higher charging specialist service.

Selling sites such as eBay list can be one of the popular profitable business online. The online companies are teeming using buyers and sellers, and collectors searching for treasures online will always be on the watch for the subsequent great discovery. And the unquestionably the most popular one of the profitable business online is actually affiliate marketing. Mostly with regards to promoting your own affiliate companions, internet affiliate marketing is a possible selection for most any individual because it does not demand specific skill sets however it can require the in-depth expertise in online marketing and advertising for someone to succeed.

Tags: Ecommerce

3 Easy Ways to Help Save the Earth

Green

Walk or Use a Bike
Try to just ride a bike or walk when you need to go to work or school. Telecommute only when the place that you need to go to is really far. Walking and biking will help you save money as you won’t have to buy gas or pay for parking tickets. Doing so will also improve your health.

Have Plants At Home
Plants need carbon dioxide to live and so they will be able to help get rid of the excess carbon dioxide in the Earth. You may have plants outside or inside your home. If you have a cat, you may want to buy an http://www.automatickittylitterbox.com/ that looks like a real clay pot with a plant.

Stop Buying Bottled Water
The amount of container waste will surely decrease if you stop buying bottled water. You may instead just purify tap water by using a water filter.

Avoid Using Disposable Bags
These bags can’t be recycled so just use some reusable bags or brown bags. You may also make your own reusable bag by using old jeans.

The change must start in our own homes. Start doing the above mentioned tips to save the Earth.

Pollution is an Old Issue

Environment

It’s definitely not a new problem but pollution is now firmly on the agendas of Governments and organisations like the United Nations. For many pollution is the number one issue of the age and has the potential to seriously affect the world’s population. Our environment is being seriously affected by pollution and of course this affects the people who live in it. The social problems caused by the damaged environment are growing and they won’t be getting better anytime soon.

We pollute in a variety of different ways – heat, light and even noise pollution. Yet arguably the worst of these is the chemicals that we are pumping into the earth and it’s atmosphere. The difficulty is that this pollution has built up through human history, it’s almost impossible to completely reverse. Our societies have developed and polluted as we went, the damage has been caused and the price is yet to be paid fully.

If you look at studies about the levels of pollution over history, you’ll see that there are spikes whenever metals were used. The only time when polllution has slowed down was during the middle ages when populations were dispersed from large centres. The growth in population and production is ultimately the driver for the rising levels.

It possibly can be all reduced to a single word – energy. The power to build, travel and produce we always need more energy. The energy we utlise though is dirty and damaging – the oil, the gas and other fossil fuel variants. Other energy sources are being developed and researched – the wind, the sun and even the waves have possibilities. Hopefully these will eventually lead the human race to continue it’s expansion in a far less damaging way.

If you’d like to get up to date with all the latest green and environmental news from across the planet – may I suggest the BBC. You’ll find a lot of documentaries including the excellent Human Planet series – try this episode here about the Artic, Human Planet – Artic. Not sure how long the link will work but it’s a breathtaking piece of film making which highlights the pollution issues. If you are outside the United Kingdon you’ll need some trickery to fool the website – check out this post here which shows you a painless method to get a fake IP address. It should allow you to watch all the shows on the BBC Iplayer – arguably some of the best programmes available anywhere.

Tags: pollution, society, BBC Iplayer

Politics and Wine Shipments

Politics

We all like the ability to buy online. From electronics to wine gift baskets, there is always a sale going on somewhere and given free or discounted shipping and the high gas prices we are all experiencing, doesn’t it make a lot of sense to buy online these days?

So how do politics play into wine shipments and your ability to buy wine?

Pretty simple really, politicians are in desperate need of reveneue currently. That means they are looking more and more to the internet to answer all of their problems. They think that they can make millions by either taxing online sales of alcohol, or by forcing everyone shipping wine into their state to have a warehouse. Seems fair right, until you realize that only about 4 wineries and 2 wineries warehouse in any state, outside of California.

Tags: politics, wine, wine gift baskets, ecommerce

The correlation between cheap car financing and high gas prices

Environment

What is the association between cheap car financing and high gas prices? While we seek loans to purchase expensive cars, there are those who seek the same loans to purchase cheap cars. Generally, the idea is to get means of transport that is agreeable to your pocket. The impact of oil prices has been addressed negatively dependence on the tension build up in countries that produce oil. Rising gasoline prices mean that the cost of living will also increase, which means that car financing will also be affected. If you are accessing cheap car financing, it means that the loans you sought to purchase the car were easy to pay on monthly basis.

Cheap car financing is an advantage to the person with money issues especially during these days when oil prices have been tripled to what was paid a few years ago. Without energy, life may not be as easy as thought although in the past it worked out just fine. When industrial revolution took place, so did the economy. The money you pay for gas each day, in a year, can accumulate to a brand new car but cheap car financing is a trend that is correcting all that. All you have to do is either refinance your car or find a lender fit in your budget.

http://geldlenenvooreenauto.com/auto-kopen-op-afbetaling/

Tags: correlations

Sustainability and hybrid cars

Green

What does sustainability mean? When you approach a lender for car loans, especially hybrid cars, the objective is to take charge of the current economic situations where fuel has become an issue. The manufacturing of electric petrol cars that are commonly known as hybrid cars, you can save fuel. Notably these hybrid cars will not only be allowing you to save money, but also their loans. While they perform just as well as normal petrol cars, they are somewhat expensive than petrol cars which means that you may need to work on the anticipated needs of the loans and compare with the loans you access for normal cars. (Short information: Go to http://geldlenenvooreenauto.com/huurkoop-auto-zonder-aanbetaling/ to find out more about car financing if you need this to buy your own hybrid car without downpayment)

Sustainability is the real reason that makes people seek to purchase hybrid cars as well as their environmental safety. While petrol would be used to power the car, the car can also use battery which will drive the electric motor and hence at some point, the vehicle will not be consuming any petrol. Note that the money you spend each day on a normal petrol or diesel car or vehicle can be a lot more than the money you may spend on a hybrid car. Spend more when accessing the loans but save more when using it. Whatever applies best, most people believe sustainability is reflected on use and not purchase.

Tags: hybrid cars

Refrigerator Parts – Repair Don’t Replace Appliances

Conservation

Everyone is so keen on recycling as a key means of reducing our impact on the planet, and increasing the sustainability of modern lifestyles. While recycling is certainly useful in this regards, it is not the be all and end all of reducing our footprint on the Earth.

Another important technique that can be used to do this is reducing the amount of stuff we use. While recycling is good, even better is not to throw things away at all. Many people buy things like new cars or new kitchen appliances every few years; however, we would be better served by buying once and making these things last.

For example, let us consider the typical refrigerator purchase. These appliances are expensive, but many homeowners will buy one every few years – either when their tastes change, or at the first indication of trouble with their existing unit.

Given todays lowered quality of manufactured goods, it is not unusual for a refrigerator to need repairs shortly after coming out of warranty. Rather than dealing with that hassle, some people will opt to replace rather than repair.

Unfortunately this is doubly wasteful. Not only does the old unit end up in a landfill, but the new one requires both energy and raw materials to produce. A better option would be to investigate exactly what is wrong with the fridge freezer, and get refrigerator parts to replace those that have malfunctioned.

Spending a couple of hundred dollars on refrigerator parts every few years, rather than a thousand plus dollars on a brand new refrigerator, makes both financial and environmental sense.

The only time buying a unit new is sensible is with really old fridges. These units can be remarkably inefficient, and for ancient units the reduced operating cost can justify the investment in resources to produce a newer refrigerator.

Tags: reuse refrigerator; repair refrigerator; refrigerator parts

Heating and Cooling Costs

Green

Heating and cooling costs make up 32% of the entire residential consumption of energy in the USA. This represents a lot of money as well as a lot of carbon emissions because most electricity in the USA comes from burning fossil fuels. It is thus in the home owner’s as well as the environment’s benefit to try and reduce heating and cooling bills.

It is important to do whatever is in your budget to improve the insulation in your home. This can be blocking holes, using draft excluders to fitting vinyl windows and putting insulation in the roof space. The energy efficiency of a home is intimately connected with making sure heat does not escape in the winter and that heat doesn’t enter the house in the summer. The notion of the passive house in Europe is very much focussed on insulation.

Another keep issue is better control of the HVAC systems. Too many people use inapproariate set point temperautes. Also many people waste money heating or cooling the home too much when they are not in. The solution to the problem is to buy a good programmable thermostat such as the Lux Products TX9100E. If you get a 7 day thermostat with 4 periods to program per day you will be able to make sure the home is comfortable when you are around and saving money when you are not at home. For every 8 hour period that the set point is reduced by 1 degree represents a 1% saving in the heating / cooling bill for that day. Over a year you can save #0% on your bills by using a programmable thermostat.

Installing a programmable thermostat is usually easy. They also do not cost much. A good 7 day thermostat costs between $40 and $100. They also come with many handy features such as smart response, auto change-over and filter change warning. They not only save you money on your bills, they make your home life more comfortable. That’s got to worth looking into!

Tags: 7 day thermostat, insulation, reducing heating and cooling bills

Save Energy Save Earth

Environment

Our earth is crying right now. It becomes old and dirty every day, people make the great invention everyday but they forget to take care of our earth. With their invention they make it becomes more polluted that before. We must do something to prevent the irresponsible person to destroy our home.

First, we do not need a big move to do it; it should be begun from our self. We do not need to move to the street, shouting to people who passing by how to save the earth, who should be blamed, or why it happens in the first place. We all are the bad guy. Do not go telling people their mistake but we have to correct our own. The small things that we can do to save our world is begin in our own environment.

I remembered read the dangerous of crystal litter in the following automatic litter box reviews blog. If a large amount of crystal litter end in landfill for years, what will happen in the future? Saving the energy that we are not used in our home are good starts.

First, After charging our mobile phone or laptop, do not let the cable still hanging on the electricity contact for long. Second, we do not need to turn on the light on the day time. Third, Do not waste the water to much when we take a shower, just take what we need. Wasting water is the biggest mistake we ever made, imagine if there was no water in this earth, how we could survive then.

Fourth, Do not forget to turn off the television when we sleep at night. There is no use to turn on the TV when we are not even watching it. Fifth, use the bike or our own foot to travel instead of car is a very good choice to prevent the air pollution. If we are healthy enough to walk then do not waste our energy to travel using car. Saving our earth is easy if we want to start doing it from our self-first. One person cannot make significant different but a hundred person can make the huge different. We must change our selves first then we can save our earth.

Tags: save energy

Life in the Slow Lane

Society

When I was young I could never imagine living anywhere but in a city in the UK. I wanted to travel and see the world, but If I was going to stay in my own country for any length of time I couldn’t envisage being happy in a?rural town with nothing going on. I wanted to have access to pubs, mates, shops and a decent public transport system. Moreover, I loved going to musuems and galleries; feeling the throngs of happy people on Saint Patrick’s Day and other celebrations. Being surrounded by nature just didn’t appeal. I could appreciate the beauty of open spaces, but I realized that after a while a view would not be enough.

When I went traveling, I got the bug badly. I travelled all over India and came home and then went hitching around Eastern Europe just a few years after the Berlin Wall came down. I came home again and studied some more and then went off to teach in China. That was in 1997. It was before the world started paying attention to the Chinese economic miracle. It was a place that never gave me any respite in terms of cultural complications. Also the sheer mass of people where ever I went just made me feel weary. I would have to fight tooth and nail just to buy a train ticket.

On my first holiday from my Chinese job I went to Koh Samui. I stayed in a cheap bungalow in Maenam. It was heaven. I was with my new girlfriend and I was content to fill up my days with a very basic routine of eating, swimming in the warm blue sea, reading my book, playing cards, taking walks along the beach and around the the small town of Maenam, and then having a couple of drinks on the blacony of my bungalow and watching the stars and listening to the sea lap against the shore. I realized I was in love with my companion and with life in the slow lane.

Since that holiday I’ve avoided living in big cities, and every holiday I get I go to explore new beaches, mountains and other areas where nature is in the ascendency. One day I want to retire to a small bungalow or cottage somewhere far away from the madding crowds.

Tags: nature, Maenam, Koh Samui, cities, China

Life in the Slow Lane

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hello world

Tags: China, cities, Koh Samui, Maenam, nature

Life in the Slow Lane

Uncategorized

hello world

Tags: China, cities, Koh Samui, Maenam, nature

Politics Affect on Wine, Green and Society

Politics

I went to have a wine gift shipped to a friend the other day and was shocked to be told that I couldn’t ship the gift to him because he lives in Pennsylvania, where they have state owned liquor stores, which basically want a cut of every single alcohol sale. Heck, even if I lived in Pennsylvania and went to Napa Valley myself, I couldn’t buy the wine in Napa and ship it to my own house! Does that make sense to anyone!

The whole incident made me think of the wider environmental movement in this country since I was working on installing a tankless hot water heater and solar panels before I left. How many environmental causes in this country are derailed by stupid laws and protectionist movements from the states? How much money is our country losing by not allowing true freedom of choice? Does that truly make sense to anyone? Is this what the Constitution meant by the Commerce Clause?

I think we all know the answer to that.

Tags: wine

Wine Politics

Politics

Wine is one of the most political foods that exists today. Don’t believe me?

Can you ship orange juice from one state to another? Easily.

You need a permit for wine, unless you’re a retailer in which case you’re probably not allowed to have one.

Each state wants to protect their own businesses, sales tax revenues and jobs.

If you’re looking to purchase a couple of edible gift baskets then knowing something about the rules, regulations and laws which affect what you can legally purchase is a really good thing. Some foods, like fruit must be bought within the state that you live in order to be shipped, as an example. California does have that rule in order to keep out fruit flies which are native to much of the Midwest, but have never been able to cross the Rocky Mountains into California.

Tags: wine

Uncategorized

The environment has been abused for years and it is finally getting through to people that by doing so we are risking our future generations health and new laws and ideas are at long last making their way into legislation. The same could be said for the human body that has had to endure an unhealthy lifestyle in most cases with extreme action sometimes being the only action.

Older standard suction assisted lipectomy techniques removed fat by inserting a metal tube called a cannula beneath the skin to remove fat by aspiration with high powered suction.

The fat cells are actually ruptured and sucked out from beneath the skin. Other supporting tissues beneath the skin are also removed. This procedure is quite traumatic and can produce bruising and swelling and post operative pain which can lead to a prolonged recovery.

Results for fat removal are excellent, however lack of uniformity of skin appearance and loose skin after the procedure have been reported in as many as 20 % of patients.

The new laser lipo technique first involves the placement of a tiny laser fiber beneath the skin to melt or liquefy the fat before removal.

This allows for a much less traumatic fat removal because much smaller aspiration cannulas can be used and there is less tissue trauma and injury to the non fatty tissues. After the laser fat melting process a small cannula about half the size of the older cannulas is used to remove the liquefied fat.

In addition, the heat generated by the laser causes the skin to tighten, and results in my Boston area patients have shown improved skin tightening following laser liposuction.

In addition to liquefaction or melting of fat, many more fat cells are injured, but not removed, by the laser. much of the fat is reabsorbed by the tissues, so that the actual volume of suctioned fat is typically less using this new technology. Small areas may be treated without suction.

Making a Difference at Little Cost to Yourself

Conservation

Have you ever heard of Peter Singer? He is an important philosopher who argues that Westerners can make a real difference to the lives of the poor at very little cost to themselves. At his lectures, he often tells the same story and asks the audience what they see as the right thing to do.

In the story, you are walking through a park and suddenly notice a very small child in a shallow pond. You cannot see anyone else in the pond and you realize that, while the pond is very shallow to an adult, it is a very dangerous place for the baby who is in real danger of drowning. The only cost to yourself of saving the child would be to ruin the new pair of shoes you are wearing. So what should you do?

Most people respond that the cost of the shoes pales in significance when compared to the life of the child. At this point, Peter Singer suggests that starving children in Africa are similar to the baby in the pond. Should we not help them also?

Resource: Peter Singer’s website, The Life You Can Save – http://www.thelifeyoucansave.com/

Saving the Amazon

Environment

Brazil is one of the economies that is fast growing in the world and that is catching the eye of investors. It is one of the BRIC countries that promises to gain in importance in the future. At the same time environmentalists are acutely aware that the fate of the Amazon rainforest is in the hands of Brazil. It is the single most important natural resource in the world with the greatest bio-doversity and the greatest ability to recycle carbon.

Although doom mongers are forever pointing out that the area the size of a European country is being cleared every year by loggers, the amount of logging per year is not uniform. Indeed Brazil has been reducing its logging activities year on year since 2004. They have now reduced logging in the Amazon by 75% since 2004. The area now cut down is about the size of Delaware in the USA.

Unfortunately, the present strict Forest Code that has been helping to preserve the rainforest is now being debated. The Brazilian parliament is being pressured by the logging lobby to relax restrictions to open up new areas of the forest. At the same time environmental activists policing the enforcement of the environmental laws are being killed. The President is being pressured to cave in to the loggers demands although she has a right to veto any new acts.

We must do our part to help the fight against the illegal loggers. What is driving the destruction of the Amazon is largely consumer demand in the USA. One of the biggest uses of ’exotic’ hardwoods from the rainforest is to make hardwood flooring. It is essential that consumers only buy hardwood flooring from suppliers who can supply an FSC certificate. Here is a list of companies in the USA selling hardwood flooring without FSC certification.

Alternatively, a consumer can buy either reclaimed hardwood flooring or another type of sustainable flooring such as cork, coconut or bamboo flooring. All these alternatives have advantages over hardwood flooring, not the least of which is that they are helping to preserve valuable natural resources. So before you buy hardwood flooring think carefully.

Tags: save the Amazon, companies selling Amazon hardwood in the USA, sustainable flooring

How Could Cosmetic Surgery be Made More Energy Efficient?

Conservation

I don’t like going to the hospital. Every time I go, it feels like I am on a giant soundstage burning with electricity. So many bright lights, so many machines sucking power out of the walls. I think of how the world could survive without all this wasted power. Do people even realize that these machines don’t all have to be on at the same time? There should be a system where efficiency is built in to the design of these life-saving machines.

Life-saving machines tend to need 3 to 4 doctors to utilize them and repair them wasting time energy and hospital space. So many procedures can be done now without the need to go to a hospital. Going to a local practice of dermatology is a resourceful enough facility to handle the procedure. Not all doctor offices can handle such minor surgeries but enough facilities exist today for many hospitals to confirm patients to smaller private practices. Saving bedspace but also electricity in the process. By reducing the load on hospitals you reduce the load on powerplants and thus mother nature.

It had never used to bother me, the name calling, the ostracizing and all the other small little things that teenage girls can do to you that makes your life a living hell. My parents told me it was a buety mark and that it will make me stand out as a bueaty when i’m older. I had grown a protective skin around myself that their taunts, their insults just bounced off.

Now as an adult, I see that my mole is not some source of pride, like my parents convinced me it was as a child, but rather just a piece of skin. and I wanted it gone. I went to my local dermatologist office and had the procedure done that afternoon. I was prepared for a good amount of pain with out all those big machines pumping out gas. but with one small needle I was numbed and ready. The mole removal took three minutes working with a scalpel. I was then patched up and sent on my way.

I took my mole home for my compost pile. Now there’s a little bit of me in there.

Tags: Health, Mole Removal

Tips for Going Green

Environment, Green

Want to go greener this year, but not sure where you and your family should start? It doesn’t have to be a whiplash set of changes. You and your children can always start with some small habits or products to change. Here’s a few tips on how to go green.

You may already do a few of these things, like turn off the lights you are not using or shutting off running water and taking showers instead of baths. If you have kids, pack their lunches in canvas bags instead of those brown paper bags, and opt for reusable plastic containers over plastic bags that often get thrown away.

Seek out their back-to-school materials with labels that say they are made with organic or recycled material. Usually children do not use all the paper in their notebooks, so save all the unused paper or notebooks for later use. And if their school has a recycling program, tell your children which materials to throw in recycling bins and which ones go in garbage cans.

Tags: environment, whiplash

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