At first glance, the above choice seems pretty straight forward. A new hybrid, like the Toyota Prius, gets much better mileage, so how can it not be the greener choice? A recent article on Cut Your Carbon Footprint says that in many cases buying a used car is actually better for the environment.
How is this so? What your everyday mileage numbers don’t take into account is the amount of energy used up in actually building your car. If you buy a new hybrid, you drive it off the lot with a carbon footprint equivalent of burning 1000 gallons of gas. With a ten year old Tercel, for example, you don’t have to add that to your carbon footprint, giving you an instant advantage. It could take you years and thousands of miles to overcome that initial handicap before your ‘Eco-Friendly’ car is actually the better choice for the environment.
Certainly, this is simplifying the argument. There is something to be said for buying a hybrid car where the money you spend supports further products and investment in fuel efficient cars. As bad as most car manufacturers are for the environment, the truth is that if they didn’t make any money then we would be even further from having the more efficient and electric cars that are so badly needed to stop global warming.
Ultimately, the decision has to come down to the individual and there is no ‘right answer’ for everyone. But don’t get trapped by looking only at the mileage of a car when there are in fact so many other aspects of the car that contribute to your carbon footprint.
Wanting to make your computer faster without buying a new computer? Well there are several things you can do.
The first thing and best thing is to upgrade your memory. Before buying new memory check what kind of memory is in your computer/laptop so you don’t buy the wrong memory and also check your computers manual to see what the maximum size of memory your computer can handle. If you are unsure what memory you need try asking a someone that knows about computers or try a local computer shop. There are many places you can buy memory from places like local dealers to hundreds of online places like tigerdirect and newegg or E-bay.
Next you should get the latest patches, drivers, security updates from Microsoft or if you own a mac make sure that you run software update. Also make sure that you download other drivers that were not downloaded by Microsoft or Macintosh that you may need which can be downloaded directly from the manufactures web page. Next you should remove programs that you rarely use or never use by accessing add/remove programs by going to Start>Control Panel>Add or Remove Programs and also you should remove any unwanted files that are taking up unnecessary space. Next thing after downloading updates and removing unwanted items is to defrag your computer. If you have never defraged your computer in a long time it could take a few hours depending on your system and hard drive size. To accessing Defrag click Start>Programs>Accessories>System Tools>Disk Defragmenter and choose the drive you want to defrag.
Next monitor should have the brightness on your monitor turned down all the way or down enough so you can still read what is on your monitor. If you are still using a CRT monitor you should go out and buy a Energy Star flat panel monitor and properly dispose of your CRT monitor at a nearby recycling program that takes CRT monitors (some places will take your CRT monitor for a small fee).
Also make sure that your computer is plugged into a outlet strip and make sure that you turn off the switch when not using the computer and turn it on when you do use your computer (Your computer still uses power when not turned on). Lastly if you use window 2000, XP or Vista your computer should be able to use hibernation. Hibernation makes your start up time drop dramatically and extends the hard drive life span. For more information on how to configure this XP users, Win 2000 users. For windows vista it should be already enabled by default (I’m unsure about hibernation in vista since I have never used vista).
I run an online eco retail shop and am committed to helping the earth in whatever way I can. I firmly believe that we as individuals can all make a difference by making greener and more ethical choices. For me, saving energy is a priority because this will not only save money, but it will also help preserve our planet. It means a change of attitude and giving up old habits, but ultimately it’s something we’re all capable of doing. Here are my top energy saving tips:
Don’t use stand by
Gadgets left on stand by are responsible for producing 4 million tonnes of excess carbon dioxide (CO2) each year. An average family can save 150kg of CO2 a year just by turning off appliances. Appliances in standby mode account for around 10% of UK household energy use. If we switch off or unplug devices when not in use, or invest in a standby saver, you’ll save around £40 per year.
Use energy efficient lighting
In most homes, lighting accounts for 10 to 15% of the electricity bill. If we use a smart meter to compare the power consumption of normal light bulbs with that of low energy and energy saving light bulbs, we save about 80% of the energy of normal bulbs. It’s simple - use energy saving light bulbs!
Recharge those batteries
We throw away over 650m batteries every year in the UK, polluting the soil and clogging up landfill sites. Rechargeable batteries save energy, and the slightly higher cost is recovered in the first five charges. Recharging costs are also minimal.
Watch your washing
I try not to wash my clothes on a setting above 40C. A wash at 60C uses 30% more energy, as 90% of the energy used by a washing machine is used to heat the water. I also use Eco Balls or a natural laundry soap called Soapods to minimise the effect of harmful chemicals being released into the environment.
Defrost your freezer
It’s a messy job, but I try to defrost my fridge and freezer on a regular basis to maintain efficiency. I acquired a saving device developed in conjunction with the Department of Energy that helps me save up to 20% of my fridge’s energy by better regulating its power use. When fitted, it helps my fridge or freezer run more economically by adjusting the electricity supply according to the motor’s needs.
Lower the thermostat
I like woolly jumpers - wearing one means I can turn down the heating. Lowering the thermostat by just 1.5C can save up to 10% on heating bills and reduce the greenhouse gases households produce by up to a tonne.
Go to my website for more eco-friendly ideas and to see the full range of products available.
By Nigel Berman – Founder of www.nigelsecostore.com
GreenGirlsGlobal have written about the free 100 Ways to Save The Planet eBook which was written by Adam over at our usual website. As not everyone likes to read we’ve turned it into a video. It’s (hopefully) a reasonably short, nice, relaxing watch and another way to get the message out there. Please feel free to send it to anyone and everyone. The link is: http://www.revver.com/watch/501547/.
Not everyone will agree with the points made and some of them are vague and loose as we couldn’t fit more text on there (and have the ebook anyway), so it would be great to hear your comments and any feedback that you have.
Due to feedback we already have from the eBook, we’re now working on the next generation of the 100 Ways which will be followed up by a new, improved version of the eBook in the months to come - there’s no end to the ways you can go green!
Toilet paper is one of those things we generally can’t ‘live’ without. We all buy it and I’m sure those of us who choose to buy a recycled toilet/tissue paper have often happily purchased Nouvelle. Safe in the knowledge that you are doing your bit.
Afterall it has a Woodland Trust badge on it and everything - it must be OK? Surely…
Well, sadly the reality is far more murky. Nouvelle is produced by Georgia Pacific and according to the WWF Report on how companies source fibres for tissue paper they don’t fair so well. For example “Land rights conflicts, forest destruction, irresponsible plantations management and illegal harvesting of timber are key issues associated with many of these forest regions”.
To learn more about the specifics of the tissue industry reports go to the WWF website, the information there is much more in-depth than I want to go into in this post and makes for an enlightening read.
But there is more to this story.
Georgia Pacific is owned by Koch industries and those of you out there that already know Koch industries will understand why this information might lead you to change brands. Surprisingly a lot of consumers have probably never heard of Koch even though they are the largest privately owned company in the world - no, really.
Dig a little deeper.
As ever, the Internet is your friend and you can find out a lot of information on your own - here are a couple of interesting links - both of which are from the U.S Department of Justice:
Koch Industries Indicted For Environmental Crimes At Refinery
Koch Industries To Pay Record Fine For Oil Spills In Six States
Wow! and we are just getting warmed up, these guys have been busy for sure. I don’t think I need to go much further - you get what I’m getting at.
The alternatives.
Getting back to toilet paper then, there are alternatives that do come from managed sources. According to the WWF report, looking for the FSC logo on packaging will help as this is the only standard they recognise as assurance that “If virgin fibres are used they need to come from forests managed to the highest environmental and social standards”.
SCA Tissue produce the Naturalle brand in the UK which is 100% recycled and available to UK consumers.
More information on recycled brands here.
Hopefully the WWF will have a new report soon and we will see if anything has changed in the world of tissue and toilet paper. As we effectively flush or trash 270,000 trees per day this is no place for toilet humour.
As it’s my first post here I thought I’d head straight into a rant. Why not?
I’m a bit advocate of doing little things in your life to become green. I have done bigger things like giving up the car, but small things like using recycled toilet paper etc is all well and good. However there are some things that I can’t work out whether the change I’m making is really doing that much good. Can trying to be green actually be worse for the planet?
For example, if I download a film rather than buying one I’ve saved the production of the disc, the packaging, the delivery etc. But then what about the eight hours I’ve had the computer on downloading it and watching it? Then I might burn it to disc anyway. Is the energy used downloading it less than making it? What if everyone did it, the national grid can hardly cope with people putting on the kettle in the break in Coronation Street, nevermind on the day of release for the latest blockbuster.
At work we recycle paper. But the oversized bins that we put the paper in are made from plastic and so are the recycling sacks inside them. And on top of our normal refuse collection, someone comes in a diesel van and picks up all the paper and card.
And what about a wind-up radio? It saves on batteries/electricity but it’s made out of plastic.
And then there’s the other way round. My flat is damp so occasionally I forget about the environment as a whole and think about my localised environment and put the dehumidifier on. That’s bad right? But the water it collects waters the plants so is that okay to use it? I’m using electricity but saving water.
I originally had a point but it’s become lost a bit, and I think that’s what I’m talking about - people can become confused about what to do for the best. But sites like this one, Life Goggles which I write for and the other editor’s sites (see right) can help you muddle through.
So, how do we help the environment without to think that we will lose some of our comfort and doing it without headaches?
Simple!
ENERGY/WATER SAVINGS:
Turn off any light you do not use.
Turn off all stand buy machines that you do not use at night (TV, computers for example).
Use rechargeable batteries (you WILL save a lot of money at the end).
Use fluorescent light-bulbs everywhere you can in your house.
Cook things a few items at the same time: use the steam alone too, when boiling food and put the cover on after having turned the gas/electrics of the cooker off.
Save water by taking more showers than baths. Wash full loads of washing up and laundry (with cold rinse at least for the latter).
FUEL SAVINGS:
Do NOT race off in your car when you are stopped at a traffic light and it turns from a red light to green. Just ease off.
Close all windows when you are on a motorway.
Do a few errands in one go, instead of a few trips a day.
Use the bus, tube even train each time you can.
Walk whenever you can (and that is good for your heart to).
ITEMS/MONEY/TIME SAVINGS:
Buy “as new”: each time you can. A car is a car. Second hands can be quite cheaper and reliable.
For books, audio visual items, apparels and more, buy as new (used) or very good from, for example, amazon.co.uk
Shop in charity shops:
Buy food in bulk and freeze what you can. (you save space and packaging too)
Buy organic whenever you can
Buy local products when you can.
RE-GIVING TO EARTH/PEOPLE:
Recycle what you can, re use what you can, give what you can and only as the last resort, throw away things.
Use e mailing a lot, you save paper. If you send a gift, re use packaging and boxes too.
Volunteer if you can : smiles, hugs, thanks DO make you stronger and more complete as a man.
And that is it: within two or three weeks, that should be in place in your life and it becomes habit
