What-Can-I-Do-To-Help-The-Planet-Earth?

There are a number of things you may do for our planet. Let me try and give you some suitable answers to help you out a little.

Fossil Fuels: You can 'Lower' your dependence on fossil fuels. I don't expect you to go run away and live in a cage or become a 'Tree Hugger' but you can, for example;

1. switch all your lights from incandescent filament lamps to high efficiency low energy compact fluorescent lamps.

2. Strip out the gas fire and install a wood burner (Wood is a carbon neutral source of heating fuel) They can come with a back boiler so you can feed the excess heat into the heating system to heat other rooms.

3. Cut back on the travel by (Car / Van / Bus / Train) and try cycling short routes. If your distances are large for commuting then why not set up a car sharing scheme with friends so you can all commute in the same vehicle and save burning excessive fossil fuels (Petrol and Diesel)

4. Buy your fresh vegetables from local farmers / farm stores, supermarkets fly / ship fruit and vegetables from all 4 corners of the globe and add to the excessive burning of fossil fuels. Why not support your local farmer and purchase his vegetables and fruit that were grown in the field next door and delivered by hand by the farmer himself?

5. Try educating others about turning lights off when they leave the room, why have the radiator in the lavatory on full when you are in there for 2 minutes 2 times a day? Try and see logic!

6. Swap your CRT (Cathode Ray Tube - The Big Glass fronted TV's) TV with a LCD flat screen one. They use much less Electricity (Which is mainly produced by burning fossil fuels Diesel & Gas)

7. Set your Laptop and or desktop PC to hibernate after a set amount of inactivity so it is not needlessly wasting Electricity.

8. When you go to bed for the night go around the house and switch off all non essential electrical equipment at the plug, putting TV's and Microwaves into standby does not shut them down but only puts them into a lower consuming mode.

9. Grow your own fruit and vegetables, it is so much fun and very satisfying, plus you get to know you are reducing your carbon footprint whilst getting free food!

10. Opt for as many bills as possible to be sent to you electronically, you save them printing them on paper, save the rain forests and save on the delivery van burning fossil fuels in the process!

Hope this helps you out a little.

Obamas-Green-Jobs-Revolution

Obama's green jobs revolution

Democrat will lead effort to curb world's dependence on oil; Plans to create five million new posts in clean energy projects

Obama has pledged to create five million new 'green collar jobs' if elected

Barack Obama is promising a $150bn "Apollo project" to bring jobs and energy security to the US through a new alternative energy economy, if his final push for votes brings victory in the presidential election on Tuesday.

"That's going to be my number one priority when I get into office," Mr Obama has said of his "green recovery" plans. Making his arguments in a radio address yesterday, the Democratic favourite promised: "If you give me your vote on Tuesday, we won't just win this election. Together, we will change this country and change the world."

The election has come during the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression of the 1930s, but he declared: "We'll invest $15bn a year over the next decade in renewable energy, creating five million new green jobs that pay well, can't be outsourced and help end our dependence on foreign oil." The appeal of the idea that clean energy could help to kick-start the economy is such that Mr Obama's Republican opponent, John McCain, has also promised "millions" of green jobs if he wins.

That was looking less likely yesterday, despite Republican strategists predicting a historic upset victory as they pointed to polls showing Mr Obama's lead narrowing in "must-win" states such as Ohio. Despite the growing confidence of the Obama campaign, Mr McCain's forces are now engaged in a massive final effort, making 17 million phone calls or door knocks at the homes of carefully targeted voters in the dying hours of the election.

Mr McCain's final blitz will see him make stops in seven states tomorrow. As he told a small crowd of voters at the weekend: "The pundits, my friends, have written us off as they've done before. But we're closing... and we're going to win Ohio." A major handicap he faces, however, is a surge in early voting by Democrats – a reversal of the pattern that delivered George Bush his 2004 victory. In Florida alone, 200,000 more Democrats have already voted than Republicans, and a high turnout – predictions are that 130 million Americans will vote, the largest number since 1960 – is thought to favour Mr Obama.

In the mayhem of the election campaign, Mr Obama has yet to deliver a major speech about his renewable energy plans. But he has pledged to create five million new "green collar jobs", largely by greatly expanding the use of renewable energy, which should supply a tenth of America's electricity within four years, insulating a million homes a year and to put a million rechargeable "plug-in hybrid cars" on the road by 2015.

He also wants the US motor industry to take a lead in producing environmentally friendly vehicles rather than 4x4s. He promises to invest in clean engine technology, to increase America's hitherto lax car fuel economy standards by 4 per cent a year, and to boost sales of green cars by giving a $7,000 tax credit to people who buy them. And he has pledged to convert the White House fleet to plug-in hybrids within a year of taking office.

There is growing acceptance from economists in the US that a Green "New Deal" should be a fundamental part of the solution to the financial crisis and to America's long-term security concerns.

At the same time, British ministers are planning a huge increase in environmentally friendly investment as a central part of its economic rescue plan. Japan's Prime Minister, Taro Aso, has called the green economy "a great opportunity for new growth". And plans are being laid in the Australian treasury for a 3,000 per cent growth in green jobs over the next decades.

But it is the American plans that could have the greatest effect in dragging the world economy out of crisis. Mr Obama believes that a new clean-energy economy "can be the engine that drives us into the future in the same way the computer was the engine for economic growth over the last couple of decades".

The head of Mr Obama's transition team, John Podesta, has called for "a new vision for the economic revitalisation of the nation and a restoration of America's leadership in the world", adding: "We must seize this precious opportunity to mobilise the country and the international community towards a brighter and more prosperous future."

Protos-Plant-Oil-Stove-Wanted-UK

We are looking to purchase a Protos Plant Oil Stove - Any Offers?



As many of you will know there is a Stove in production that runs on plant oils (Vegetable Oil)
We at Home Brew Power are actively looking to source one for testing and evaluation.

We would be happy to accept a donation unit from anywhere around the world as we would like to be the first to evaluate it for a number of end uses.

We believe that this technology can be suitably adapted for use in a modified Wood Stove with a back boiler to help heat a DCH (Domestic Central Heating) system. Our main goal will be to run one for extended periods on WVO (Waste Vegetable Oil) that has been filtered to 2 Microns.

Are there any readers out there who would like to work with us here at Home Brew Power to assist us in obtaining the elusive Protos Plant Oil Stove?

Email Click HERE

The-Green-Guide-National-Geographic-Society

I stumbled on a great site 'The Green Guide' owned and run by 'The National Geographic Society'

It covers many Green Topics including, Carbon Neutral Products, Green Issues (Of Course) Green Travel, Green Living and much more.

Their website is http://www.thegreenguide.com/

Don't forget to visit the homebrewpower Forum, it's free, it covers tons of subjects about Carbon Neutral Power Generation (Wind Turbines, Solar, CHP, MCHP, WVO & WMO Burners & many other interesting topic's)

It is brand new, free to join and specifically for like minded people.

Andy Mahoney
http://www.homebrewpower.co.uk

Googleplex-Solar-PV-How-It-Should-Be-Done

Google Leading The Way To A Sustainable Future

Location:Mountain View, California
System Size:1.6 MW

Energy Output:2,611,719 kWh per year
Savings:$393,000 + annually

Results:CO2 emissions reduced by 3.6 million pounds/year (equivalent to 4.28 million car miles/year)

"At Google, we do things a bit differently. We see a bit of ourselves in the way that EI Solutions solves problems, thinks, and invents."

Robyn Beavers, Corporate Environmental Programs

Background As one of the most recognizable brands on the Internet, Google is on a mission to organize the world's information and make it universally accessible and useful. Like many of today's high-tech companies, Google requires an enormous amount of electricity to power the computers and servers it uses to run its business.

The company wanted to find a way to reduce energy costs at its Mountain View "Googleplex," as well as make a statement in support of clean energy.

The ChallengeUnlike the typical "big box" buildings found on most high-tech campuses, Google headquarters features structures with unique configurations, sharp angles, and other architecturally unusual design elements.

The Smart Solution: Intelligent use of available mounting surfacesBecause of the nontraditional design of the Google buildings, the EI Solutions team had to take a nontraditional approach to engineering the company's solar power system. To maximize energy output, the team assessed every available surface on the Google campus for its viability to hold solar photovoltaic (PV) cells. Eventually, more than 197,000 square feet on top of existing buildings and new parking lot shade structures (designed especially for the project) were fitted with cells using customized mounting hardware.

To help reduce the cost of such a large installation, plus simplify any future maintenance needs, EI Solutions used one type of PV module in all arrays.To further optimize the Google system, EI Solutions also closely examined the company's electricity usage patterns, available financial incentives, and the amount of sun received at its Mountain View headquarters.
The Result, By building the largest solar power system ever installed at a single corporate campus, Google will save more than $393,000 annually in energy costs — or close to $15 million over the 30-year lifespan of its solar system. At this rate, the system will pay for itself in approximately 7.5 years.

Rufflets-Country-House-Goes-Carbon-Neutral-100%

The five star Rufflets Country House in St Andrews will be certified carbon neutral from the 1st of June. It’s apparently the first official carbon neutral hotel in Scotland. What’s fantastic about their carbon offsetting scheme is that the luxury hotel will invest in the reforestation of the Carrifran Valley in the Scottish Borders.

I’m still bemused why offsetting normally entails wind turbines in India when healing the same environment we are damaging seems to make more sense. The reforestation will offset 3000 tonnes a year in carbon emissions, and even though this is a small dent in the hotel’s yearly carbon footprint, they’ve got the right idea.

However, what is more innovative about this hotel is that they will harvest rainwater for use in all their loos, as well as for onsite laundry and irrigation for the surrounding garden.

Homebrewpower-Feb-Magazine-Sale-For-£1.00-Sustainable-Living

I have listed an auction for my monthly magazine Feb edition HERE For £1.00 I hope the people who could not afford the initial price will be able to purchase this copy.

It is in electronic format and can be, If you really must, be printed out. Please print responsibly, if you have to then the publication is in High Definition so it looks as good as a commercial product.

Enjoy, it is only small but covers some nice stories and places I have visited and researched.

Andy

Editor

http://www.homebrewpower.co.uk/

Homebrewpower Mag Link

Proven-Grid-Tied-Downwind-Down-Wind-Turbine

I have just returned from a visit to a friend in Burnley (Lancashire) who has a 6KW grid tied Proven wind turbine! What an awesome site it was to see it working away in what I can only describe as gale force conditions that are hitting the UK right now!

I have decided to run my homebrew wind machine tonight in 24V mode and the power difference is scary. I was getting around 80W of power into my battery bank running the turbine at 12V but on 24V charging I am now sat here looking at in excess of 1KW! I guess letting the blades run away a little more makes a huge difference on the power output of the turbine!

Above are a couple of pictures from my visit this evening.