Category Archives: General

How to Organise a Community Clean-Up Day!

Posted by on February 18, 2012 No comments
Litter is an ever-growing problem in the UK. In 2011, it's estimated that over 25 million tonnes were dropped in Britain, spoiling both urban and countryside areas in equal measure. That amount of litter is not just an eyesore, however; it also contributed to the death or injury of nearly 70,000 animals last year. By organising a community litter-pick, you'll give people the chance to make a positive contribution to their local area while combatting a serious environmental issue. Here are a few essential tips for organising your own community clean-up! - Decide on a location for your litter-pick. It's obviously a good idea to pick a badly affected area as your clean-up will have the most impact. Don't forget to contact any landowners to make sure you are legally entitled to access the area! - Read more [...]

Does Not Compute: Computer Recycling

Posted by on February 10, 2012 No comments
There's a certain disconnect in logic when the time comes to dispose of something around the house that we consider an object of permanence. Major appliances like TVs, refrigerators, stereos, and computers, appliances that we shelled out a decent amount of cash to get, we find ourselves understandably reluctant to put in the trash. We might first try to sell them at a garage sale, or maybe find someone who's willing to shell out the dough to have it fixed instead of merely buying a new one; but when all of this fails we place it on top of all of our other trash, maybe with a note apologizing to the garbage man for any inconvenience. Somehow the level to which we are attached to this home fixture blinds us from the obvious solution when it comes to disposal-recycling. Why people seem to gloss Read more [...]

Reduce Landfill Use By Recycling

Posted by on January 19, 2012 No comments
Imagine what it would be like to wander around the entire 843 acres of Central Park in Manhattan, enjoying the pathways, the meadows, the bridges, the ponds. You can have a nice picnic, watch a play, enjoy a concert, attend a wedding, fly a kite, toss a Frisbee around or join in a baseball game. Sound like heaven, right? Now imagine doing the same thing in a park piled high with mountains of garbage, trash, discards of everything from old mattresses to putrefying food and medical waste. And imagine that this second park is 2.6 times the size of Central Park! Is that park real? Actually, it is. I have just described the 2200 acre Fresh Kills landfill in the borough of Staten Island, located in New York City, in the very same city where you'll find Central Park. And, of course, Fresh Kills Read more [...]

Save the World While Saving Your Wallet

Posted by on January 3, 2012 No comments
It's all about money. With an ever-increasing focus on sustainability in today's businesses, schools, and media, the vast majority of today's North American population is realizing how influential we as humans are on our precious planet. So why doesn't everyone shop organic and ditch their cars already? The answer always comes back to money. When asked about the most difficult part of being eco-friendly, an overwhelming majority of people cite price as a push factor away from making sustainable choices. It's true that reducing the impact of a product on the environment may not always be cost-effective, but that doesn't mean money should be an obstacle to sustainability. You can go green without breaking the bank, and in fact, many eco-friendly choices can actually save you money! Here's how: Reduce Read more [...]

Ecosystem Services of the ACF Watershed

Posted by on December 17, 2011 No comments
The water that flows from the Apalachicola River into Apalachicola Bay has its genesis in northern Georgia. Two river systems from Georgia, the Chattahoochee and Flint rivers flow into the Apalachicola near the Florida town of Chattahoochee to form the Apalachicola-Chattahoochee-Flint River Watershed (ACF). There are many economical benefits associated within the ACF ecosystem for the Florida Panhandle. The benefits associated with ACF ecosystem are important for the ACF ecology and even the people that live in the ACF region in terms of their dependence on ecosystem services like food, clean water and electricity. First of all, ACF's ecosystem is a diverse ecosystem that maintains many different types of animal and plant species. ACF also provides many natural ecosystem services. These Read more [...]

Himalayan Nations on Climate Control

Posted by on December 5, 2011 No comments
More than one billion individuals depend on the Himalayas directly for survival, and as much as climate change is a global issue and will eventually affect the entire planet, there are immediate repercussions in the Himalayan region. This will adversely affect ecosystems, habitats, as well as endangering the very existence of humanity for those living in the areas adjoining the mountains and those living below the mountain's plains. The rate at which this is happening is apparently alarming and analysts expect it to exert more pressure on the environment as well as natural resources, with the major causes associated with industrialization, economic developments, and urbanization. These potentially catastrophic impacts led to regional tensions which have for a long time prevented Himalayan Read more [...]

Red Energy – Boosting Renewable Energy in Australia

Posted by on November 24, 2011 No comments
Australia continuously introduces and implements various efforts to help minimize the impact of greenhouse gas emissions in the country and in the whole world. The Land Down Under is a huge contributor of these harmful emissions. This is why its power companies are urged by the government to offer products and services that will help increase production and usage of eco-friendly power sources. Red Energy is one power company that does its part towards this objective. This Melbourne-based company supplies gas and electricity to houses, offices, and other establishments in Victoria, South Australia and New South Wales. Red offers environmental friendly programs including renewable energy matching, 100% GreenPower, and solar energy option. Being part of Snowy Hydro Limited, this supplier has Read more [...]

China’s First Superjumbo Jet Raises Frustration With EU

Posted by on November 8, 2011 No comments
China purchased its very first superjumbo jet, Airbus A380, on October 14. Three three days later, the jet touched down at Guangzhou Baiyun Airport after completing its first commercial flight in the country. A380 is the largest passenger airliner in the world. It's a two-story, wide-bodied jet with four engines. The airliner is designed and built by Europe's Airbus, a subsidiary of EADS. The plane can accommodate 525 people in a typical three-class configuration or up to 853 people in all-coach class configurations. According to the company manufacturer, as of October 2011, it has received 236 firm orders for the A380, and 58 of them have already been delivered. China has currently ordered a total of five of the world's largest aircraft. Airbus is expected to deliver the second A380 by the Read more [...]

The Nordic Perspective on Climate Mitigation Action

Posted by on October 20, 2011 No comments
The Nordic countries have always been considered pioneers where innovative thinking and development is concerned, and their attitude to environmental sustainability and global warming is no exception. As comprehensive management of climate change was declared the highlight of the Finnish presidency of the Nordic Council of Ministers in 2011, again all eyes turned to the North. Among the results of Nordic cooperation in the environmental field was the support for a Nordic Scaled Up Mitigation Initiative, intended to develop the Nordic approach toward climate change and take the market for carbon credits to the next level. The initiative, which attracted a lot of attention at COP 16 in Cancun, is an attempt to streamline and adapt the concept of the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) to the challenges Read more [...]

Eco Friendly Products and The Truth Behind Them

Posted by on October 19, 2011 No comments
There are many eco friendly products that you can find in stores near you, and there are many reasons that you should purchase such products. Food products, in particular, are much better when they are eco-friendly, and you will find that buying them will benefit you in many ways. Keep reading to discover why green products are the best choice for you when shopping at the supermarket: There are no drugs, hormones, growth chemicals, or antibiotics used to promote the growth of these food products. Hormones and growth chemicals can help animals to grow much larger, but they can have serious negative effects on humans when consumed. Thanks to these friendly products, the food you purchase can now be 100% side effect free. When purchasing green food products, you can be certain that the food Read more [...]