As we all start switching on those Christmas lights (which are hopefully low energy!) and begin cooking and baking, spare a thought for your energy consumption. This is quite an 'energy heavy' season and might just be a great time to consider switching your provider to something more easy on the planet.
Good Energy is the only UK supplier providing 100% renewable electricity. Many others offer a 'Green Tariff', but no one else obtains all of the electricity they supply from renewable sources.
So, get a quote, see how much CO2 you could stop being pumped into the atmosphere and bathe in that warm glow of knowing you are using a renewable source. Perhaps now is the time to give your home a green Christmas present by switching - it takes about 5 minutes and you can do it online now.
www.Good-Energy.co.uk
The Gift of Electricity for Christmas
Animated Eco Mug
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.
Eco Driving
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.
An Eco Team will give you a chance to DO something!
Make a real difference! Become an ECOTEAM PARTICIPANT
What’s it all about?
An EcoTeam is a group of 6-8 local people who meet to discover simple, effective changes for a more environmentally friendly lifestyle and is a great way to meet new people in your local area.
Previous members have;
- Cut household bills
- Improved the environment
- Received our newsletter
- Lead a healthier lifestyle
- Visited eco houses
- Made new friends
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
Earth Hour
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
Green that Roof
Green, growing, roofs are not new in the architecture field, but this one is a stunner.
The new construction is part of the School of Art and Design at Nanyang Technical University in Singapore. The curved grassy roofs top a 5 storey glass fronted building which nestles in a wooded area of the university campus. Housed inside are digital sound and vision studios as well as a sound stage, recording studios and video post production studios.
There is access to the three interlinked roof areas via steps so that they can be used as a scenic, outdoor, communal area. Apart from looking beautiful and helping the building blend into its wooded environment, the roofs help lower building temperature and also that of the surrounding area. Makes you wonder what the art produced inside is like.
More details on the University website: www.ntu.edu.sg
[Via: Inhabitat]
Food glorious food!
In an era where ‘food miles’ are under close scrutiny and obesity and healthy eating are top of the news list, various groups of individuals and farmers have come up with answers. If you enjoy gardening but lack time or knowledge to have your own allotment, get a group of friends together and follow the example of The Shared Garden Group. http://www.sharedgarden.co.uk/, if you are not into socializing that way, you might like to buy yourself a large window box or container. Alternatively have a look around for a local Organic Box scheme, ours in Nottingham is http://www.redearthorganics.co.uk/ or find out about your local farmers market and support them as much as possible.
While you are at it, invest in a bike you might be able to pick one up through you local realcycle group. http://groups.yahoo.com/group/realcycle_nottingham/
If you really want to know where you food comes from have a look at this little video
http://www.themeatrix.com/
You can make a difference and have fun in the mean time!
Light Up Your Life - A Week of Brilliant Solutions
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.
Visual Energy Monitor
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
Save Energy by Sight
Most of us would like to be more environmentally conscious but it isn't easy. This little device can help.
Do you know how much energy your electric kettle uses? Or the greenhouse gas the power station gives off to make enough power for that cup of tea? Watch and be amazed.
Simple to install, you just clip a sensor next to your electricity meter, the Electrisave monitors your energy use and shows you, in big LCD numbers, on a portable display.
It's a real eye-opener and will help you turn a few things off, so saving a serious amount of energy. Good for your pocket and the environment at the same time.
Get yours from Electrisave.co.uk. Quote Promotional code WBSG to claim a discount of £19.95 so you not only save energy but by mentioning you came from the EcoList you also save money!
Energy Saving Week
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%
Paris on a Bike
Going to Paris? Want to nip around the city on wheels? Try Velib.
On 15th July Paris launched its new bike ‘transit system’ committing itself to an expanding service for Parisians and visitors.
The idea is fiendishly simple – they have installed over 10,000 bikes in 740 locations round Paris. You buy a one day ‘access card’ for €1.00, place it into any of the bike stations and it will ‘unlock’ the bike so you can ride around to your hearts content.
The first half an hour is free and after that there is a sliding scale of charges: an additional half hour will cost you an extra Euro, the next 30 minuted cost €2.00 and each additional 30 mins is €4.00. Clearly they want you to use the system for short(ish) journeys rather than monopolising a bike for the entire day.
Using this pricing system a 25 minute trip will cost you nothing, 50 minutes in the saddle will cost 1 Euro and an hour and a quarter comes in at 3 Euros.
You can ‘drop off’ you bike at any other bike park so you don’t have to return to your original starting point. Weekly and annual cards are available and, by the end of the year, Paris plans to have 1,451 bike stations (that will be about every 900 feet round the city!) and a total of 20,600 bikes.
If you are worried about launching yourself into the Parisian traffic on a bike – they have over 230 miles of cycling lanes.
More details on their website: http://us.franceguide.com
An Inconvenient Truth - The DVD
If you were inspired by last weekend's Live Earth concerts, around the world, and didn't get a chance to view Former Vice President Al Gore's film which takes a serious look at global warming, Amazon are now offering it for £14.98 (reduced from £19.99).
An Inconvenient Truth [2006]
There are several extras on the DVD including: an update from Al Gore, The Making of, Director Commentary, Producer Commentary and 'I Need to Wake Up' Music Video. It has already inspired lots of people around the world and, at this price, is worth a quick look - then hand it into some friends.
Live Earth
Saturday 7th July was Live Earth day with concerts in New York, London, Johannesburg, Rio De Janeiro, Shanghai, Tokyo, Sydney and Hamburg.
All there to raise awareness of the mess we seem to have got ourselves into concerning the climate and its impact on where we live.
Visit the Live Earth website for all the details.
They have an online carbon footprint calculator, so you can see just what sort of effect you are having on the planet (takes about 3 mins and you need some idea of what you are paying for your power utilities).
Once you can see what your carbon footprint is you can do something about it and make a pledge. If you do, your name will appear on the scrolling display at the bottom of the screen. A tiny change might be the offer to swap 4 light bulbs in your home to eco bulbs, or just switch off your electrical equipment, and lights, when you are not using them.
Even the website is eco friendly and run completely on solar energy! These people are really trying – go on, swap some light bulbs and make a change yourself.
www.liveearth.org
Solar Bins - Sun Powered 'Crushers'
One of the problems with public bins is that they fill up and it costs money to empty them. Solar power to the rescue with bins which use power from the sun to activate built in crushers.
A number of these 'crusher' bins have been installed in Torbay, Devon. The solar powered crushers can reduce the amount of rubbish inside by up to five times. As they do not have to be emptied so often there is a drop in
carbon emissions from the vehicles needed to empty them.
View the BBC video report.
[Via Hippy Shopper]
Consumer Pressure and Dixons goes Green
People often wonder if they can make any difference to eco issues and global warming without organising a riot. Well, it seems that your money talks and has made Dixons Store Group, Europe’s largest electrical chain, take a hard look at some of the products it sells.
They have noticed a rise in the sale of energy-efficient products so are now going to persuade their suppliers to phase out the standby function on TVs and DVD players. It seems that around 10% of an average household’s electricity bill is wasted because gadgets are left on standby.
Money talks!!
[From the Independent]
In the meantime, if you do have a lot of electrical equipment which sits on standby all day, have a look at this handy device which might help.
First zero-carbon house
Monday was a good day for the zero-carbon debate as the UK government has just recognised the first zero-carbon house by awarding it a stamp duty exemption certificate. For those not living in the UK – stamp duty is a tax payable when you buy property.
Housing minister, Yvette Cooper, handed over the certificate to a prototype house which is the most environmentally friendly home built in the UK. For a buyer this means they do not have to pay the tax and could save around £2,000 on a zero-carbon house costing £200,000.
"A quarter of carbon emissions come from our homes. That's why zero-carbon homes are so important," said Yvette Cooper.
Photo: Peter White, BRE. Used with permission.
[From the Guardian]
Got a lot of hot Air?
In the summer our loft spaces get HOT. There is now a device which will take that heat and convert it into hot water for use in the house! Something for nothing?
The air source heat pump, supplied by Trianco, which looks like a small industrial air conditioning unit, is installed in your loft space and plumed into your hot water tank. It will heat water to around 55 degrees.
As our summers get warmer, this might be just the thing to supply your hot water needs. "But it must use electricity to keep it going I hear you ask" – well Trianco claim that for every unit of energy purchased as electricity to run the pump, several units of heat are delivered, making it up to four times more effective than other heaters (gas and oil systems). www.trianco.co.uk
World Environment day: 5th June
The mend of the World is Near
If it is true that the action of each of us human beings has led to a change in our climate, then would it not also be true that we each have the power to do something about it...?
Climate change is the theme for World Environment Day on June 5.
What one extra thing could you do to help tackle climate change?
What's stopping you?
Celebrate Green Weeks in West Bridgford
On Saturday 9th June the West Bridgford Summer Gathering will take place between 10am - 2pm
Join us (behind the farmers' market in Bridgford Park), to help celebrating Green Weeks and visit the variety of people taking part: Freecycle, Ecoteams, Teddy Bear's Picnic, Craft, Plants, Cakes, Clipper Tea, The Green Box Shop, River Nene Organic Deliveries, Money saving Eco tips, the Vendablenda, Jo Jingles, U3A.
