Sustain the World's Environment

Image by now picnic via Flickr The British Government is proposing to offer loans so householders can install solar panels. This is not a new idea, as in the US so companies and local authorities have already started doing this. The cost of installing solar panels on a typical house in the UK costs @ £12,000. This is more than many families can afford in the current economic climate. The loans will repaid with the savings householders make from the electricity they generate . The model relies on the recently announced ‘feed-in tariff’ that will give householders an income from feeding surplus electricity into the National Grid . This could amount to hundreds of pounds a year. The tariff pays up to 36p per kW/hr of electricity generated form not only solar panels but also wind turbines , hydro power or anaerobic digestion. This is paid even if the electricity generated by these means is not fed into the National Grid but used instead by the householder. Any that is fed back i...

Image via Wikipedia The sideshow that was Copenhagen lived up to expectations (or lack of them) and showed how irrelevant in fact it was. Why do I say this... well, for one thing it was unrealistic to expect so many nations and powerful interest groups to work together in perfect harmony (we would all love the song to be true, I know...). Secondly, whenever you get politicians involved, especially so-called 'world leaders' its never going to be anything but a sideshow, full of posturing for the domestic audience. Add to the mix the diverse but ultimately divergent groups of NGO 's, energy companies, scientists of every persuasion, journalists, individual campaigners and a host of others all fighting to gain their 15 minutes of fame and failure to achieve anything of substance was all we could realistically expect. Here's a thought... was more carbon created by the whole thing than will be saved by anything that directly and solely came out of it? I personally woul...

The UN Climate Change Summit is 26 days away. Greenpeace has an online petition for everyone to sign. You can sign the petition at http://www.greenpeace.org/international/campaigns/climate-change/take_action/leaders-go-to-copenhagen-climate-summit?0 The world needs to change from its addiction to coal and other fossil fuels , preserve forests and agree sustainable targets on reducing carbon emissions . Sign the petition and help persuade world leaders to make real progress, before its too late. Powered by ScribeFire . Related articles by Zemanta Agency Says Emissions Pact Would Ease Fossil-Fuel Use (nytimes.com) Carbon budgets are 'fair' says Lord Smith (telegraph.co.uk) The U.S. Chamber of Commerce Is Hurting U.S. Competitiveness (blogs.harvardbusiness.org) Fast-Track Plans For Nuclear Power Stations (news.sky.com) Plenary 1 (Part 2) (slideshare.net) Senate Global Warming Bill Is Seeking to Cushion the Impact on Industry (nytimes.com) Burning The Future: C...

Greentech Media: GreenFuel Technologies Closing Down The Harvard - MIT algae company winds down after spending millions and experiencing delays, technical difficulties. GreenFuel Technologies, one of the earliest, best funded and most publicized algae companies, is shutting its doors, a victim of the credit crunch . "We are closing doors. We are a victim of the economy," said Duncan McIntyre at Polaris Venture Partners , which invested in Greenfuel. Although it has raised millions of dollars and landed a high-profile deal with Auranta in Spain to erect test facilities, it could not get money to complete the project. In January, it laid off 19 people, or half of the staff. Powered by ScribeFire . Related articles by Zemanta Pervasis Therapeutics Secures $10M in New Financing (xconomy.com) Polaris to Open Dog Patch Labs Incubator in Cambridge (xconomy.com) 1366 Technologies launches solar cell with record efficiencies (green.venturebeat.com) Four Boston Sta...

Image by themactep via Flickr Computers are everywhere, or so it seems! However, what happens to them when they are no longer wanted? Unfortunately, far too many end up being thrown away even when they have some useful life left in them. So, what are the alternatives? 1. Recycle them properly - new EU legislation requires computers and other electronic equipment to be recycled rather than going to landfill. See  http://ec.europa.eu/environment/waste/weee/index_en.htm for more detailed info. Currently, despite the legislation,    only one third of electrical and electronic waste in the European Union is reported as appropriately treated and the other two thirds are going to landfills and potentially to sub-standard treatment sites in or outside the European Union. 2. Re-purpose your old pc - even old computers can find a useful second life as a file server , NAS or even media server (for all your iTunes libraries). You can find cheap (even free) options on the...

Japan is aiming for zero-waste with one town, Kamikatsu , already banning waste bins. The Chritsian Science Monitor web-site has an article " Japan as ground zero for no-waste lifestyle". The article features this pioneering Japanese town and highlights its efforts to profoundly reduce their environmental impact. Its not alone either, with Japan as a whole becoming almost obsessed with reducing waste, maximizing recycling and generating renewable energy . Supported by the government , towns like Kamikatsu are showing the way forward to the rest of the world. Read more here: http://www.csmonitor.com/2008/1216/p01s04-woap.html Powered by ScribeFire . Related articles by Zemanta 12 Junk Drawer Gadget Projects from Planet Green (momblognetwork.com) A Challenge For Toronto: Go Zero Waste (treehugger.com) Tracking Your Trash Electronically (takepart.com)

In 2010 the UK government will set up a Feed-in Tariff to help promote solar power and reduce carbon dioxide emissions . The Feed-in Tariff will help reduce global warming , boost UK clean-tech jobs andreward people for installing solar power.It is important the Feed-in Tariff is set at the correct rate. If it's too low the potential for a massive increase in the UK's solar energy could be lost, and we could be left behind the rest of Europe . We Support Solar is working to highlight the value of solar PV in the UK and to ensure the Government sets an appropriate rate for the solar Feed-in Tariff to ensure a clean, renewable future for generations to come. You can find out more about the campaign here: http://wesupportsolar.net/ Related articles by Zemanta Green feed-in tariff needs to maximise solar power (guardian.co.uk) Green energy overtakes fossil fuel investment (guardian.co.uk) Laser-based manufacturing can give solar power a boost (energyrefuge.co...