If you want a mug of tea and some idea what the world will look like when the polar ice caps melt (great start to your day!), try this Eco mug from the Unemployed Philosophers Guild.
It shows a map of the world which changes as the heat from your drink causes parts of the image to disappear. It isn’t a recycled product and it doesn’t save energy, but it might help you be more aware about what all your carbon emissions are doing to the planet.
One of the really irritating things about those eco bulbs (CFL’s) we are constantly asked to put into our homes is that you can’t dime then. Enter the ‘Electronic Garden’ an interactive installation by Jason Bruges for Green Peace and the 100% Design show, held in September at London’s Earl’s Court.
Jason, who we have featured on the EcoList previously, was commissioned by Green Peace to produce this ground breaking installation as a way of drawing attention to the new dimmable low energy bulbs and to show that they can be stylish and versatile.
For more details visit the Green Peace website where this video is also available along with more details about the installation and these new dimmable bulbs.
As the debate continues about eco cars v. gass guzzlers it seems we are all going to be ‘encouraged’ to help out a little. From September a new section to the driving theory test will be introduced by the Driving Standards Agency. You will need to know more about efficient driving. The aim is to cut down on carbon emissions and save fuel at the same time.
No-one can do everything - but we can all do something!
Everyone is welcome - It doesn't matter if you’re already very green or not! EcoTeams are easy, supportive and free to residents in Broxtowe, Rushcliffe, Gedling and Nottingham City!
EcoTeam meetings are held locally (usually within walking distance of participant’s homes) and are informal and very friendly on dates convenient to the participants. It takes just five monthly meetings to take the EcoTeam from start to finish. We look at shopping ethically, saving resources, saving energy and traveling wisely and even have a celebration meeting! Every participant receives our information folder which is filled with useful tips, web-links and information. And, if you’d like to be more than a participant, why not receive our one day training to become an EcoTeam Facilitator?
With simple monitoring, you’ll also generate your own ‘before’ and ‘after’ results showing the effect of your more sustainable lifestyle.
For more information on joining an EcoTeam, contact Global Action Plan on: (0115) 9223298 or nottingham@globalactionplan.org.uk
.jpg)
If you just filled up your car with petrol - at the new increased prices - you might like to know that Toyota have announced world-wide cumulative sales of their popular Prius Hybrid electric/petrol car of over one million units!
More than half a million of these have been purchased during the past three years alone so it is getting harder to dismiss hybrids as a fringe eco vehicle!
Not only are Prius drivers using less petrol than conventional drivers, and only paying £15.00 car tax (in the UK) it seems that these million cars have prevented 4.5 million tons of CO2 being released into the atmosphere (as calculated by Toyota). They also calculate that this is equivalent to around 535,500,000 gallons of fuel - or around One Billion Pounds saved.
There will be a new Prius out on the market in 2010 which can do around 100 miles per gallon - so even more savings on the way.
[Via EcoGeek ]
Back in February Beccy Spurr, our first ever EcoList prize-winner sent us information about the next Earth Hour event.
Well now is the time - this weekend - so turn off some lights and join in.
How do you draw people's attention to global warming and the massive amounts of power we use every day? - Simple – we all turn off our lights for one hour on March 29th 2008.
The event took place in Sydney last year and now, many more major cities around the world have signed up to ‘do it again’. There is a website, packed full of information, help and ideas on how to take part and you can sign up quickly and simply.
Have a look at the video below, which is also on the EarthHour website and see just what impact Sydney made in 2007.
Already cities from across Europe, North America, Asia and Asia Pacific, including Chicago, Copenhagen, Manila, Melbourne, Sydney, Tel Aviv and Toronto have been named as the flagship participants in the WWF-led event.
www.earthhour.org
Today (Wednesday 27th February) is e-day. Well, did you know?
From 6pm tonight until 6pm on Thursday 28th e-day is there to focus attention of reducing energy. Their dedicated website has a real time energy monitor which shows how much energy is being used in England, Scotland and Wales in Gigawatts (10 million times 100 watt lightbulbs). It is updated every few minutes and hopes to show the difference we can make if we “Leave Things Off” - switching TVs off standby for example, or turning unwanted lights off tonight.
The campaign has asked many organisations to suggest solutions and these are listed on the website. So - do your bit, switch something off, get an idea of how you can make a small change to counteract climate change and watch the results over the next 24 hours.
A New Year, A new start.
After a hopefully wonderful Christmas and New Year most people are wondering what this New Year will bring. Lots of good ideas on how we want to change or improve but don't necessarily know how to go about it. If that is you, why not set up an Eco Team with your street?
An Eco Team is a group of households (usually 6-8 in one street) who, for 6 months, commit to monitoring their habits with regard to waste, gas, electricity, water, transport and shopping.
EcoTeams are designed to help households reduce their environmental impact from energy and water use, household waste, transport and consumer behaviour. The aim is that, by measuring improvements, the household will be able to change its behaviour and play its part toward a cleaner, more sustainable future.
"An EcoTeam is not simply a discussion group, it is a practical workshop where words and thoughts are translated into action." says Karina Wells, the founder of EcoTeams in the UK.
EcoTeams are built upon a few simple principles:
Nobody can do everything, but we can all can do something
The work is shared by a group so that members can support and encourage one another and share experiences and ideas.
It's a step-by-step process that helps you to change your lifestyle by small adjustments that become good habits By measuring resource use, improvements can be monitored during the course of the programme. Not to mention the friendships that can be made with people in your neighbourhood you never knew were there! It simple and sociable (if that is what you want)
For more information contact: karina.wells@ntlworld.com
OK, so you like the idea of visually monitoring your electricity usage but don’t like the utilitarian design of the current crop of devices. Enter ‘Wattson’ a device which monitors your power but displays the information in a stylish unit which wouldn’t look out of place on your (designer) coffee table.
Not only can Wattson show a digital readout of your power consumption, live as it changes, but also features colour changing LEDs which breath and pulsate: blue for low energy use and red for high usage. It can even store 4 weeks of energy information which you can download to your computer for analysis.
This device was featured in the Guardian Top Ten Green Gadgets (August) and has been designed by DIY KYOTO, a group founded by three MA students from the Royal College of Art, London.
You pay for the sculptural simplicity – and sometimes you just need to support this sort of innovative design and application. Available from Nigel's Eco Store for £149.50
It seems Virgin Media is about to put some of its engineers onto bikes to carry out home visits!
These ‘greener’ engineers are to be introduced around London in the hope that they can avoid traffic congestion and be more productive by reaching more appointments more quickly.
Virgin has worked out that compared to using a van they can save a third of the petrol and a third of the travelling time. If this is actually the case then they will introduce the scheme in other major (congested) cities. Now they just need to work on their customer service!!
[ Via Techdigest.com ]
‘Stealth’ is made from polypropylene plastic, which is easy to recycle at the end of its life and uses low energy bulbs. These types of bulbs have given designers a greater degree of freedom as they produce very little heat and can be fitted into small spaces.
Stealth comes flat packed, with six interchangeable filters so you can select the colour of your light to match your surroundings – or mood.
Designed by Blue Marmalade, a Scottish based company, this architectural light can be used on a table or free standing. Not only is it low energy but also comes in recycled cardboard packaging!
At the moment it is on offer at www.ecocentric.co.uk for £32.00
Kate Watson-Smith reports in the Independent newspaper that time is ‘ticking’ for the traditional light bulb! It seems that after January 2008 you will no longer be able to buy 150-watt incandescent light bulbs and more are on their way out in following years.
By 2011 the light bulb, as we know it, will be history!
Why – well they ‘eat’ energy and advances in technology have produced reliable alternatives which use less power and last longer.
Gone are the days when those low energy bulbs were oddly shaped (not in a good way) and cost a fortune. There are now hundreds of low cost, energy efficient, lighting products and, over the next few days the EcoList will be hunting them down and pointing you in the right direction.
Good quality energy saving light bulbs use less electricity than normal bulbs and last 12 times longer.
By buying an energy saving light bulb you can cut energy wastage by over three quarters. That’s a saving of up to £9 a year for a typical 100W bulb, or a massive £100 over the bulb’s lifetime. By replacing all your light bulbs with energy saving ones, you’ll not only cut your electricity bills but you’ll also be doing your bit to reduce carbon emissions.
These day you can get them in all shapes and forms, I recently bought a LED halogen replacement one from www.energysave-eu.co.uk
Also, did you know that when eventually these lights break you can dispose of them safely via IKEA, if however any of you out there know of another way, please let us know. (k)
Saving energy has a lot to do with knowing how much you can actually save and ‘seeing’ it happen. Waiting for your electricity bill to arrive three months after you turned some light bulbs off just doesn’t have the required impact.
Try one of these energy saving monitors. I’ve had one for almost a year now and they certainly help.
Simple to install, you just attach a plastic clip round your main electricity supply cable (takes 3 seconds) and then your ‘live’ electricity usage is transmitted to a portable screen which tells you how much you are spending each hour.
Boil the kettle, for a cup of tea, and you see the power consumption shoot up. It makes it VERY easy to just boil enough for one cup, rather than half a kettle (like I used to – sorry!). Swap a normal light bulb for an energy saving one and you can actually see the difference. Feedback is king!! [A]
Available from many online retailers – Nigel's Eco Store have one listed for £44.99 at the moment
Well, did you know!! An annual event hosted by the energy Saving Trust, Energy Saving Week runs from 22nd – 28th October. Part of its aim is to encourage groups, families and individuals to commit to saving 20% of the energy we use and so fight climate change.
The Energy Saving Week website has a host of tips and information which include a home energy’ check, efficient ways of driving and details of energy saving grants and offers. All well worth a look. You can also make your own commitment by using their easy to use ‘commitment’ pages. Very simply you can choose to ‘only boil as much water in your kettle as you need”, turn your thermostat down by 1 degree or turn off appliances which are on standby. You get the idea – simple steps which are easy to achieve.
Save your 20%
We may all have the best intentions and want to switch our utilities to a ‘greener’ supplier, but it can take hours to find the right one in your area and, lets face it, there are other things which keep getting in the way.
Now it is easy with a new, and very simple to use, site GreenHelpline.com. Simple enter your postcode, make a few choices and the site will give you a set of comparisons for green suppliers in your area. An easy way to reduce your household’s Co2 footprint and they even have a “local Food” finder on the site as well so you can reduce your food miles and the corresponding Co2.
Well worth a look, even if you just want to see what sort of savings you can make on your Gas and Electricity bill.
If you don’t want to go as far as one of the ‘eco’ hybrid electric/petrol cars from Toyota or Honda, and just want to ‘zip’ around town, this might just be for you.
The Eco Moped is electric – you plug it in to recharge it – and it offers zero carbon emissions when you are riding. It can be delivered to your door, nationwide (in the UK), and you will soon be able to walk into a showroom in London, Manchester, Birmingham, Oxford, Leeds and Cambridge. It can travel for 30 miles on one charge, takes about 3-6 hours to recharge and can make a top speed of 37 mph.
More details from Ecomoped.com
If you are thinking about changing some of your normal light bulbs to energy saving ones, you might like to know about Ever Greener. They are having an end of season sale and are offering 25% off their low energy bulbs. That means a replacement for a standard 60w bulb is reduced from £6.00 to £4.50.
You can order online and have them delivered to your door.
We like the idea of saving energy but we also like the idea of saving money too!
http://www.evengreener.com/Pages/End_of_Season_Sale.html
