The C-Change Trust

The house that Eco built

admin — Wed, 21 Mar 2012 00:03:13 +0000

Trying to heal the earth’s environment involves big steps and small steps. From changing from stamps to cheap franking machines to renewable energy and global events, it all makes a difference. Ecobuild is here to deal with the big stuff and brings together a wide variety of ideas and views on how we, as a planet, can reduce our imprint through the places we live in. Starting on March 20 until March 22, Ecobuild is the largest conference and trade show in the world dealing with environmental design.

The conference focuses on new and challenging ideas, in addition to the key issues affecting government policy and building sector. These issues include how to keep the industry profitable when many environmentally friendly methods are inevitably more expensive. This makes it harder to remain committed to a low carbon environment, especially during a period of global economic instability, rising public debt and low growth. Ecobuild tries, through various seminars and demonstrations, to find a viable solution to these problems.

The debates vary, however, from big picture discussions about the role of science and technology in finding lasting solutions to the environmental crisis and international political co-operation to more national issues such as changes to the mind set and practice of the UK construction sector. In the latter category you will also find debates about new house building versus refurbishment of existing stock and the role of architects in making our homes more environmentally sound.

The event takes place at ExCeL in London and is well worth a look if you want a real idea of where the country is heading in an area of our lives that will make a considerable difference to the environment. Our homes shape our lives in interesting ways. Listed under ‘attractions’, Ecobuild lists: great ideas, inspirational solutions, practical advice. I couldn’t have put it better myself.

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Vanishing Bees Could be More Than a Little Worrying

admin — Mon, 05 Mar 2012 17:33:44 +0000

It has become aparant in the science world over the last few years that the number of colonies of honey bees that are dissapearing off the face of the earth without a trace could cause a catastrophic impact on the entire food chain if the situation does not imporove soon. You may wonder what this has to do with your carbon footprint or what you can do to help the situation?

Data integration techniques have been used to enable scientists to try and collate lots of different data sets to work out what the problem is. The answer seems to point towards new genetically modified seeds that are impregnated with strong pestacides. These chemicals are then ingrained as part of the plant and small particles are taken back to the hive by each bee that visits. Over time, the hive becomes toxic with the pestacide, and it kills the entire colony. These chemicals are only used on huge scale monoculture farms which are used to mass produce cheap food.

If you can say no to buying any foods with these chemical crops in them, you will be helping to save the bee, and save the environment. These huge farms are also causing huge environmental issues by the sheer size of the monoculture, and their operations have a massive carbon footprint on the earth. It is down to all of us to take responsibility for our purchasing choices and ensure that we are buying foods that have been produced in a low inpact way. If even just a quarter of people decided to make a change, the positive impact on the world would be tremedous, and would be something to be proud of. Cutting down on your carbon footprint is a much bigger issue than just cutting out a few car journeys, it is about making better choices on our everyday products as well.

Eliminating waste

admin — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 21:03:19 +0000

I love the 30 minutes I spend walking every day. This is the time when I am absolutely alone and can allow my brain to think into the directions it really wants to. It helps me relax myself mentally and of course the fresh air outside certainly has its own benefits. One of the things that really catch my attention during this walk are the Pop up stands and what they publish. There is no doubt that some of these pop up stands are absolutely eye catching. One that really got my attention yesterday was an investment company inviting small and medium size investors to invest into green energy.

One thing is for sure, companies around the world are absolutely working towards making their operations as green as possible. This is not really because they love the planet, well it could be one of the reasons as well. But the major reason I think is to save money. When I was working with GE, I remember the management always stressing on finding lean ideas to reduce the waste. Once you are producing the maximum you can produce and cannot further increase the margin of profit, then the easiest way to increase profit is by eliminating waste or reducing the cost of production.

Eliminating anything that is being used unnecessarily or is eating up on resources unnecessarily can save money. This saving will reduce the cost of production and will indirectly increase the profit. Eliminating waste is the best way of making operations greener. A very important aspect of making a company more eco friendly is to do carbon accounting. Unfortunately more the 80% of companies in UK are unprepared to do carbon accounting. There is a lot of education that needs to go into the accounting department to make the Green theme a success and the planet a winner. Together we can do great and one day we will have a better world.

Can the Earth be saved?

admin — Sun, 01 Jan 2012 02:33:07 +0000

There are many ways to reduce carbon footprints and many of us are working on it. But I honestly don’t think that we have reached a point where we would make changes to things that add to our comfort. I guess when all of us will be able to do that then we would really make a difference. Apart from the things that we can do as individuals, there are many things that leaders of every nation can do. But it seems like they only do things that will increase their approval rating.

Recently Canada moved out of the Kyoto protocol. As per them the protocol is not making any impact, as some of the countries that produce maximum carbon have not participated in it. While this is true, it also cannot be ignored that Canada might have opted out as they wanted to continue producing fuel from sand without any obligation. Extracting fuel from sand is a process that would produce ten to thirty percent more green house gases than fossil fuel. Fuel from sand will surely help America to reduce its dependency on hostile Arab countries, but will greatly add to the already big carbon footprint the continent has. Environmentalist have been using various platforms like blogs, forums, placing of display stand in public areas describing the negative effects of fuel from sand and theatres to increase awareness on key issues. Hopefully this would bring in some positive change.

There is no doubt that the world is not going to learn its lesson till a major catastrophic event would happen on a global scale. But do we really want to pay that price and is there nothing we can learn from the natural disasters that happen in different parts of the globe? I think it’s time for the world to stand up as one and save a planet that is the only known place where life can exist.

Belgium Quitting Nuclear Energy Production

admin — Wed, 02 Nov 2011 15:33:11 +0000

The Japanese nuclear crisis in March 2011 exposed the dramatic consequences that nuclear energy production might have over the environment and the habitats of people and other species over the world. This is the reason why a wave of public unrest forced many countries to strongly reconsider their positions in regard to nuclear electricity generation. Belgium thus becomes one of the first nations in the world that announced clear and unprecedented plans to quit energy production through the use of nuclear sources by 2025.

Fukushima nuclear power plant in Japan suffered enormous consequences as a result of an earthquake in the country early this year. This is the reason why reconsideration over the nuclear industry needs to be conducted. Belgium announced that, following the exposition of various problems that might occur as a result of unstable nuclear production of energy, it is switching off its facilities. The process would be slow and definitely capital consuming but it would constitute the beginning of a new era of energy production in the country, more secure and more reliable, not to mention that fact that it would definitely become greener.

The people in the country have generally been positive about the energy plans of the country. They tend to be more concerned about the silver jewellery that the country has to offer rather than the policies it undertakes simply because the nation was generally happy with its governance. However, the change of attitude towards energy production followed the disaster in Japan. In response, the government has established a plan that would completely replace the nuclear power. Significant capital availability for the production of green and renewable energy, packages for foreign investments, good prices of the production and undisturbed consumer prices for the use of energy are only a few minor steps that would ensure that the country would not need energy from nuclear power in the upcoming decades.

Furthermore, the government is determined to continue investing in scientific research in renewable energy so that more options would be available to the country once it quits using nuclear sources for electricity generation.

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Change is difficult

admin — Fri, 19 Aug 2011 20:33:07 +0000

I completely agree to the fact that it is very difficult for people above forty, and especially above fifty to change their lifestyle. I think as we grow older we tend to close ourselves towards learning; therefore we are less able to change, even if it’s beneficial for us.

This scenario can also be applied to global warming or climate change. The majority of people who are mindful or are adjusting their lifestyle to save the planet and to reduce their carbon footprint are mostly below fifty, in fact the higher the age the lesser the willingness to change.

It’s true that a major lifestyle change is needed to adjust to the current global crisis, but just because you will not be there when the crisis will hit the earth does not give you the right to act ignorantly. Anyways I know that this is an issue that can never be resolved, since it has more to do with human psyche. To look at it in a rational manner its easier for a twenty year old to change than a fifty year old, simply because the twenty year old has to change his lifestyle which is just twenty years old, whereas imagine doing something for fifty or more years and then you suddenly have to stop doing it or change the way you do it; that’s kind of impossible.

Just to give you an example of what I am talking about. I recently bought an asics gel nimbus for my grandfather, as I felt his old shoes were too rough for him. He is some 76 years old. I was very proud about it, but guess what the next day I saw my grandfather go for walking wearing the same old shoes. When I enquired if he did not like those shoes, he said that he found them a bit too light.

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Hyper Stores Increase Carbon Footprint

admin — Fri, 19 Aug 2011 14:33:04 +0000

Last month when me and wife were walking to a nearby Sainsbury store, on the way we saw some posters saying no more big stores, no more Sainsbury or Tesco. Within no time we were deep into the discussion whether we should have hyper stores and superstores or not. Well, I was for these hyper stores and she was against it. She told me how these big stores bargain the price with the farmers and buy the product from them for a very low price, giving them very little profit, not even good enough to run their houses. I know she has a very good point and that it’s truly valid. But if I look at my work schedule and the hours I put in my work, I am left with very little time for shopping. So I rather go into a hyper store to get all that I need, than hopping into those smaller stores to search for what I need and in most cases paying a bit extra.

We ended the conversation at a note that says ‘we don’t agree with each other and so we talk something else’. But that was not the case really, I kept thinking about this for long, as I had to convince myself with a satisfactory reason.

I have been very enthusiastic about saving the planet and reducing my carbon foot print for which I even bought a solar panel from pv panels kent. Amidst all these thoughts I realised that the food that is served at these hyper stores are most likely not from the local farmers. They come from various different places, meaning there is a lot of energy used to keep them fresh, plus a lot of fuel burnt to transport them to different stores. In that case if I have to further reduce my carbon footprint I should rather buy as much as possible from local farmers, rather than these hyper stores. I know it might be some extra work but it’s truly beneficial for the planet. Well, after all my wife right anyways.

Getting Better with Green

admin — Thu, 18 Aug 2011 17:03:05 +0000

It seems like impossible is nothing. Just a couple of years ago, during the conferences and conventions held to find a way out to reduce global carbon emission, it seemed like it would be impossible. There are two reasons why something can be impossible; one it’s because it’s logistically difficult and second because change is never welcomed.

In the universe, as per the knowledge that we have today about space, there is no other planet like the planet Earth and there is no other species like man. Man is the ultimate species created by God; well that of course is debatable by an atheist or by a Darwin follower. But in essence there is no other species that has been as successful as man.

And it seems like we might be successful once again in curbing the climate change issue. There is a definite increase in the number of green alternatives we have today and the best part is that people are awaking to the fact that it’s beneficial. Now it does not seem like an expense to go green, but an investment and saving. This is an outlook that is very important for any idea to be successful.

If man is traditionally the bread winner of the house, then women are the ones who really run the house. I think most women, unlike men, would always like to save at least a little on everything they buy. Just for example we did the flooring for a small room that we built in the backyard, and my sweet wife was so excited that we went with her selection as she saw that we were saving nearly fifty bucks. If all of us would see how much we could save by going green, then imagine the global impact.

Eco-Friendly Energy Technologies and Conservation

admin — Tue, 02 Aug 2011 11:11:07 +0000

Energy conservation is on the minds of many people worldwide. There is a big drive in this nation to move towards eco-friendly energy technologies. It’s an organic progression, particularly considering just how energy reliant we have turned out to be as well as how we have cut off ourselves from the majority of the other options open to us. Why can’t we changeover in addition to moving forward? This is because the various types of eco-friendly energy each possess their advantages as well as disadvantages, both positives and negatives.

Let us take a look at the 3 popular systems…

Wind

Wind has been in use for many years. Dutch windmills are a great example of this. This energy source is both bountiful and low in cost. Nonetheless, there are drawbacks. Although a wind mill may efficiently service just one household, to supply power to a tiny city, you will need to build a wind plantation. This usually requires a substantial investment of both space and cash. Additionally, wind is often fickle. You will likely experience intervals of continual winds followed by intervals of little, if any, wind.

Solor Powered Panels

This is a system that encounters many of the same problems as wind farms. Although its main energy source can be cost-free as well as typically abundant, there are some limitations. Cloudy winter days will probably produce no power. It will require a major expense and lots of room. Additionally, as of now, many of us possess no chance to save the produced power for evening use or those times when there is zero direct sun light.

Ethanol

There is no question we have to find an alternate for oil if many of us are not going to make use of our own resources. Ethanol progression has been in process for many years. In truth, the very first ethanol plant had been built by the US Army in the ’40s. It is organically founded. For example, Brazil utilizes sugar cane for their ethanol base, whilst here in the United States people make use of corn. In addition it burns cleaner when compared to gasoline.

Another thing we can consider to help with carbon footprint and save on our resources is by walking to places that are not too far away rather than getting into our 4×4 cars. This will help eliminate pollution and save on gasoline resources. It’s the little things we can do that will maximize everyone’s efforts.

Some Easy Ways to Take Down your Carbon Footprint

admin — Wed, 20 Jul 2011 11:03:05 +0000

It is unlikely that you are able to afford the newest hybrid car, solar panels or CNG compressors for your home. These items can surely reduce your carbon footprint however installing them might be very expensive, even domestic compression of natural gas costs a lot. So, no matter what your budget is you can try a few or all of these practical and easy tips to help save the environment.

Here are some helpful tips:

· Buy local and organic: Whenever it is possible buy stuff that is grown locally because it doesn’t have to travel too far to get to you. When you eat at restaurants try ones that serve food that are produced locally or is in season.

· Stop using bottled water: Bottled water is one of the things we think helps the environment by recycling but it is actually damaging. The water is bottled in one location then shipped all over hence uses a lot of gas. Instead, try to use a water filter system that allows you to drink water from the tap and also save your money.

· Use native plants: When you are landscaping your business or home use native plant life. Not only will these plants grow better but they are also shipped from a close distance.

· Put your water heater on vacation mode: Most water heaters generally have a vacation setting; you can switch over to it when you are away. Vacation mode continues to keep the water warm but not extremely hot.

· Use cold water: I am not telling you to use cold water in the shower but perhaps in your washer. It takes a lot of energy to heat up water and if you use hot water on many loads then you are using a lot of unnecessary energy.

If you follow these above tips you will be able to greatly reduce your carbon footprint.