Peak CO2 Emissions by 2020

While some people may wonder if the world can really peak its CO2 emissions by 2020 in order to, as ecological experts have said, avoid irreversible damage to the planet, those at the recent Major Economies Forum say it can be done. One of those saying this the loudest was Ed Miliband, the UK Energy and Climate Change Secretary.

The forum, which took place in Mexico, featured representatives from around the world in what was basically a follow-up meeting to the forum that was held last December in Copenhagen. These meetings are designed to put together the next set of Kyoto Accords, and the attending countries all have committed themselves to not just make the peak year but actually to beat it if at all possible.

According to scientists, if we delay the peak for another ten years, the overall temperature of the planet will rise a half degree. That may not seem like much, but it will be irreversible. Some models have shown, though, that developed countries may be able to reach their emission peak by 2015 if they work at it. This would be followed by at least a three percent per year decline in carbon emissions up to 2050.

As part of this initiative, Miliband and the UK ecological team have created the Act on Copenhagen website and movement. They hope to educate the public on how to limit their CO2 emissions and put pressure on various officials and companies to take the 2020 peak very seriously.

While 2020 is only 11 years away, many countries are already making good progress. Of course, this doesn’t mean people can stop working to reduce their emissions. In fact, there’s still a long way to go to meet the peak year, but things are looking good.

Organic Beauty Products Launched in the UK

While the UK has seen a fair number of organic beauty products hit the shelves, none of them have had the fair-trade seal of approval on them until now.  The Fairtrade Foundation has recently given five different companies their seal of approval.  They include Boots, Essential Care, Lush, Bubble & Balm, and Neal’s Yard.  The 57 different products that have been licensed by the foundation contain at least one fair-trade certified ingredient.

So what does that have to do with green news?  Well, the fact is that these natural ingredients are often grown and sold by farmers in third world countries.  The Fairtrade Foundation guarantees that these farmers get a fair price for their ingredients.  This means that farmers are encouraged to grow these natural ingredients, which include things like sugar, brazil nut oil, and Shea butter.  In addition to getting fair prices for their products, companies also invest a bit in the community, giving money to local schools and other groups.

While going green does mean supporting companies and products that help the environment, buying products endorsed by the Fairtrade Foundation also helps the world.  By helping those who grow the natural ingredients found in the beauty products sold by these companies, we’re helping promote farming and organic products.  Many of the farmers who grow these products do so using green technology or, at the very least, avoid damaging insecticides and other harmful things.

Coffee Cozies—Get Rid of that Cardboard!

Every time you get a hot cup of coffee or an espresso at Starbucks, you probably get a cardboard cup cozy to help keep you from burning your hand on the warm cup.  But how much cardboard does Starbucks go through in a day?  And how many people recycle these cozies?  Most end up in the trash.  However, several companies have started looking at ways to get rid of these cardboard cozies altogether.

The silicone Cup Cooley is sold by a number of different companies.  These silicone sleeves can be found in several different colors, and they cost about as much as one of those fancy coffees.  They insulate, are slip resistant, and will protect your hand from heat.  They also fold flat so you can store them in your jacket pocket or purse.

Of course, if you’d rather create a custom cozy, that’s certain an option, too.  One idea is to take a sock put your cup down in it.  Get one of the short ankle socks and roll down any extra at the top.  It’s cheap and easy!

You can also find a number of crocheted patterns for creating cup cozies as well.  What’s nice about these is that you can use the cozy as a wrist band as well.  There are also patterns for creating cozies out of several different items, including old neckties or the sleeves of an old shirt.  No matter what kind of coffee you love, these types of cozies can be easily customized and decorated in any way you like.

If you’re a big coffee drinker, think about purchasing or making one of your own cup cozies.  You’ll save a good amount of cardboard, especially if you purchase a coffee every morning before work.

UK Launches Recycle Week with Recycled Sculpture

While the Coca Cola company hasn’t always been eco-friendly (there have been rumors regarding pesticide use and Coke has been involved in battling some recycling legislation), they’ve also worked to help the environment.  The company has electric delivery vehicles and they’ve added wind power to some of their manufacturing plants.  Well, now the company has done something else—they’ve trashed the UK coastline with millions of aluminum cans!

But wait, before you judge the company harshly, know that this was planned.  Coke has created a huge recycled sculpture to celebrate and support the UK Recycle Week, the week between June 22nd and June 28th.  The sculpture is more than 50 meters across and is made completely from used aluminum cans.  The image created is from Coke’s 1949 summer poster and features a woman relaxing on the beach with a large bottle of Coke behind her.  The sculpture has been dubbed the world’s largest sculpture to be created out of all recycled materials.

Recycle Week and the giant sculpture were created to help bring more attention to recycling and what it can do for the environment and the amount of energy we use.  Throughout the rest of the week, various recycling programs and activities will be held across the UK.

In addition to creating the sculpture and sponsoring many Recycling Week activities, Coke has also launched an educational program promoting recycling and is actively working to create recycling stations in shopping centers, parks, and airports.  The idea here is to make it just as easy to recycle when out in public as it is when at home.  While aluminum recycling is certainly a part of these stations, it’s not the only focus: paper, glass, and other materials will also be recycled.

China Saves 1.6 Million Tons of Petroleum in Plastic Bags

While several countries, including the United States, are looking at banning those really thin plastic shopping bags, China has already gotten rid of more than 40 billion plastic bags.  This has actually saved the country more than 1.6 million tons of petroleum!  All in all, China has reduced its plastic bag usage by almost 66 percent.

While China’s government has passed some controversial laws on human rights, the country has been seen as a leader in ecological and environmental practices.  In fact, their bag law is often hailed as one of the best examples of ways governments can help implement environmentally friendly policies.

While some have been skeptical of China’s bag ban, studies show it is working.  However, while more than 80 percent of all Chinese citizens support the ban, surveys also show that more than 80 percent of stores in the rural areas of China are completely ignoring this law.  How long such an act will last is uncertain, but it appears some stores simply aren’t willing to change their old habits.  The State Administration for Industry and Commerce has been sending out regulators to inspect stores, however, and they’ve been imposing very steep fines.

One of the reasons going plastic bag-less has really caught on in big cities like Shanghai and Beijing is that tote bag makers are marketing to the hip youngsters.  They’re making tote bags in a number of different styles, colors, and designs.  These tote bags have become quite the fashion statement, especially among the younger generations.

The United Nations has picked up on this movement, and the chief of the U.N. Environmental Program has actually called for countries to enact a global ban on the production of plastic bags.  Following in a somewhat similar vein, several cities in the US have adapted a bag tax or even a bag ban, although some cities have since relented on their anti-plastic plans.  Ireland has taxed plastic bags since 2002.

Backyard Wind Turbines

If you’re looking for the newest thing in backyard wind turbines, here are three different options.  Each one will help you generate a large amount of wind power for your home, but there’s a major catch—none of them are cheap.

The Wind Dancer is an eight-bladed top of the line wind turbine.  It was actually created by a father and daughter to provide power to their home.  In addition to pulling in a great amount of wind power, this copper-colored turbine looks pretty, too.  The Wind Dancer is strong enough to handle large gusts of wind while still working with just a light breeze.  It’s also very silent.  This is because of the way its fan blades are shaped.  Unlike some backyard turbines, the Wind Dancer does not need a tall tower.  The Wind Dancer is sold by Wind Simplicity, and their systems range from $27,000 to $69,000.

If you want something a bit cheaper, the Wind Terra is also available.  It can be mounted right on your roof, so you don’t have the cost (or the eyesore) of a tower.  The Wind Terra works with almost no wind at all.  This is because its blades actually spin horizontally, maximizing the amount of energy it can product at lower wind speeds.  This backyard wind turbine option costs around $11,000.

The third option is the Skystream.  It also uses a very low amount of wind.  With this turbine, you actually mount the inverter right on the turbine itself, so the power is generated right there.  The turbine connects right into your power grid, so it provides your power right away instead of going through a battery (although a battery is available).  However, the Skystream doesn’t provide a large amount of power, so you’ll need several to really make a difference in your bill.  This system costs around $13,000.

Boon Pickens Investment in Residential Wind Turbines

Power On with Wind! 1000's of wind turbines and construction is taking place across the nation’s wind belt, from Texas to the north. To date T Boon Pickens has invested more than $2,000,000,000.00 (billion) and once complete, Pickens says the project will generate enough power to meet 20% of the nation’s power needs. Food for thought, eco friendly, but not so friendly towards the birds. If you have any further information, like how the power would connect to existing grid systems, we encourage you to leave a comment below.

Buy Wind Power Now ->

Five Incredibly Green Cities

Many cities around the world are going green these days, but there are five that have simply outdone the rest. These five cities have very small carbon footprints, have great recycling programs, and use reusable energy in unique and creative ways.

Freiburg, a city in Germany, has been a leader in green community living for quite some time. The city’s central area was actually rebuilt to be green after it was destroyed during World War II. Yes, the city has been green-focused since WWII! Freiburg has a car-free area, a solar village, and more.

Portland, Oregon, in the United States is the first city to be named a platinum-level bicycle community. The city also makes great use of renewable energy, recycling, and mass transportation systems. Portland is a great city for those looking to integrate being green with their lifestyle.

Another city in the US, Austin, Texas, is working very hard to reduce the amount of fossil fuel used. They’ve mandated home energy audits to help people increase the efficiency of their homes, and they focus on locally grown foods and farmer’s markets. Austin also holds several green festivals designed to teach people how to be more eco-friendly.

Zermatt, a town in Switzerland, has become a huge tourist destination. However, you won’t find cars in the town. Streets are for pedestrians and bikes only, and large loads are actually hauled through town on hand carts and small electric carts. If you want anything larger than that, you must have a special permit.

Finally, Montreal, in Quebec, Canada, regulates carbon emissions, has implemented the Bixi bike sharing project, and more. The city is one of the leaders in being green, and many other cities look to Montreal as their guide in reducing waste and recycling.

Solar Power from the Sahara

Many countries have been looking at using the Sahara Desert as a source of solar power for years, especially countries in Europe. However, no one has yet to be able to solve the issue of how to build a huge solar array in the Sahara and then get the power from there to Europe. The major issue is the Mediterranean Sea which sits between the desert and the countries that want the solar power. However, recent work in the area of solar power by a number of German companies may change that.

Around 20 different companies from Germany have formed a consortium with the purpose of making use of solar power in the Sahara. They’re working to raise 400 billion euros to create the Desertec project. This project will place solar arrays in the most politically stable areas of the Sahara Desert. The total amount of power produced by these huge arrays could actually equal around 15 percent of all the electricity used in Europe. However, the Desertec project wouldn’t actually start providing this energy until 2019 or so.

The Desertec project is anything but a sure bet, unfortunately. The risk of building huge arrays in North Africa is fairly large, making it difficult to persuade some investors that the project is viable. Regulations in the area are another issue, especially since the various countries that control the Sahara want to have some control of the project. The red tape involved can be quite complicated.

Another major issue is the fact that while the array can provide a large amount of power to all European countries, there may be some compatibility issues. There is no single European power distribution network. Instead, each country has a different system, and until these systems are more integrated and unified, distributing the energy collected in the desert may be difficult.

Recycling: Does It Really Help?

People have heard things like “it costs twice as much to create something from recycled material as it does to make a new product” or that recycling just doesn’t work.  So is recycling really worthwhile?  Are we really saving the planet?

First of all, the rumor that it takes more to make something out of recycled materials than it does to make a new product is false.  Companies can make twenty aluminum cans out of recycled materials using the same amount of energy it takes to make one aluminum can out of non-recycled materials.  This means that if you recycle one can, you’ve saved enough energy to power your television for three hours!  Throwing away an aluminum can, on the other hand, is like filling that can half full of petrol and throwing it out the window.

Recycling glass is also very beneficial to the environment.  Glass is one of the few materials that can be recycled over and over without losing any quality.  More than 80 percent of recycled glass bottles are made into new containers.  In fact, there really isn’t such a thing as new glass anymore—almost all new glass is made with recycled glass.  Recycling 20 glass bottles equals a savings of about two pound of carbon emissions.

Overall, every pound of recycled materials saves landfills and two and a half pounds of carbon emissions.  Here’s the bottom line, though: the average person actually recycles about one and a half pounds of mixed solid waste every day!  That’s about a third of all the solid waste we create.  Not bad, but it could be even better.  If we were to recycle 50 percent of all solid waste, we’d save almost 2,500 pounds of carbon emissions per house per year.

So does recycling work?  The answer is a resounding yes.

Next Page »