Eco-Christmas-Ideas-For-Christmas-2009

 

Thoughts on a cleaner greener Christmas for 2009

Well it is actually 'that' time of year again where we are all thinking about what to buy for our children and loved ones this Christmas, for me it that time of year to worry about all the excess and waste that goes on during the Christmas festive period. Excessive plastic bags usage, packaging galore and heating and lighting on all day long. My largest worry is the amount of plastic products are used in gifts and toys, plastic is made from crude oil which is a fossil fuel, it does not biodegrade for 100's of years and is toxic when burned.

What we can do this Christmas to be more Eco Friendly

After all Christmas is about giving so I am not about to suggest that we stop giving gifts away, there are things we can all do to be more Earth Friendly this Christmas 2009, below are some ideas you may want to try out.

1. When you go Christmas shopping this year, take with you re usable bags to bring your presents & gifts back with you.
2. Try doing your Christmas shopping all at the same time so you are only traveling once. It will save you travel costs as well.
3. Why not make your friends & children some carbon neutral gifts. You could make them something from Wood, which is a renewable source, or how about making a 2011 Eco Calendar from recycled paper?
4. How about wrapping all your presents and gifts in used newspaper? Sounds cheap but if you take your time it looks really nice!
5. Buy your children or loved ones a bicycle for Christmas, sounds simple but not enough people get out these days and exercise, go on do them a favor and why not get yourself one while you are at it?
6. On Christmas day, once all the present opening is done with, spend 20 minutes with your friends and family collecting all the paper, cardboard and empty boxes and flat packing them for your recycle bins. This may sound obvious but if it is left until after your Christmas meal then it is more likely to all get thrown in the waste bin and becoming land fill. You know what it feels like when you have indulged in more than your share of Christmas lunch, pudding and trifle then started on the sherry! Recycling will be the last thing on your mind.
7. Get yourself some LED Christmas lights, they are more energy efficient than traditional filament lamp ones.
8. If your family are over for the festive season then the central heating will be on all day. Why not go into the bedrooms and turn down the radiator control valves (TRV's) a little bit?
9. If you are all sat around having fun and chatting away, turn the television off at the wall, if you like background noise then pop on the radio instead, it consumes much less power than a television does.
10. If you insist on a large outdoor display of lighting for all to see then why not at least put them on a 24 Hour timer? Who will be there to see them at 3AM!

I would like to take this opportunity to wish all my readers a very Merry Eco Christmas 2009.

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.

Carbon-Footprint-Calculator

Carbon Footprint

Carbon Footprint is a measure of the impact human activities have on the environment in terms of the amount of green house gases produced, measured in units of carbon dioxide.

Carbon Footprint Calculator

http://www.carbonfootprint.com/calculator.html

Carbon Footprint Flight Calculator

http://www.carbonfootprint.com/flight_calc.html

Express Flight Emissions Calculator

We all know that planes contribute large amounts of CO2 into the atmosphere. We should all try not to fly if possible, but if you have to, then you should be aware of the impact on the planet. This calculator will show you how much you are responsible for, for your individual flight.
Note: this calculator is currently in development so at the moment only covers flights from UK, London. We will be adding to it over the coming months to take in more start and end points.

Minimise your carbon footprint Today it is more important than ever before to minimise your footprint. Not only are the developed western countries producing more and more carbon emissions, but there is a growing problem as the population in Africa and Asia start living improved lifestyles which consume more energy.
We need to lead the way...
Did you know... Electricity is one of the biggest producers of carbon emissions, so every time you make a coffee or turn the television on you are adding to global warming. switch to green energy


Here's a list of simple things you can do immediately, which will start to reduce your contribution to global warming. The items in this list will cost you no money at all and will in fact save you money.

Sign up to a green energy supplier, who will supply electricity from renewable sources (e.g. wind and hydroelectric power) - this will reduce your carbon footprint contribution from electricity to zero
Turn it off when not in use (lights, television, DVD player, Hi Fi, computer etc. etc. ...) Click here to find out which electrical items in your household are contribute the most to your Carbon Footprint
Turn down the central heating slightly (try just 1 to 2 degrees C)
Turn down the water heating setting (just 2 degrees will make a significant saving)
Check the central heating timer setting - remember there is no point heating the house after you have left for work
Fill your dish washer and washing machine with a full load - this will save you water, electricity, and washing powder
Fill the kettle with only as much water as you need
Unplug your mobile phone as soon as it has finished charging
Defrost your fridge/freezer regularly
Do your weekly shopping in a single trip
Hang out the washing to dry rather than tumble drying it
Go for a run rather than drive to the gym
The following is a list of items that may take an initial investment, but should pay for themselves over the course of 1-4 years through savings on your energy bills.
Fit energy saving light bulbs
Install thermostatic valves on your radiators
Insulate your hot water tank, your loft and your walls
35% of heat generated in the house is lost through the walls. Installing cavity wall installation to a medium size house could reduce your heating bills by up to £100 per year
By installing 180mm thick loft insulation you could stop about 25% of your heating escaping through the roof
Recycle your grey water
Replace your old fridge / freezer (if it is over 15 years old), with a new one with energy efficiency rating of "A"
Replace your old boiler with a new energy efficient condensing boiler
Travel less and travel more carbon footprint friendly.
Car share to work, or for the kids school run
Use the bus or a train rather than your car
Don't use domestic flights (e.g. from London to Edinburgh), use a train or a coach.
Take the ferry or channel tunnel instead of flying to France
See if your employer will allow you to work from home one day a week
Next time you replace your car - check out diesel engines. With one of these you can even make your own Biodiesel fuel. Find out more about Biodiesel.
When on holiday - hire a bicycle to explore locally rather than a car
When staying in a hotel turn the lights and air-conditioning off when you leave your hotel room
Ask for you room towels to be washed every other day, rather than every day
As well as your primary carbon footprint, there is also a secondary footprint that you cause through your buying habits. If you buy foods out of season at the super market, then these will have either been flown or shipped in from far away - all adding to your carbon footprint.
Reduce your consumption of meat
Don't buy bottled water if your tap water is safe to drink (especially if it has been shipped from far away)
Buy local fruit and vegetables, or even try growing your own
Don't buy fresh fruit and vegetables which are out of season, they may have been flown in
Try to buy products made closer to home (look out and avoid items that are made in the distant lands such as China and India)
Buy organic produce
Don't buy over packaged products
Recycle as much as possible

Think carefully about the type of activities you do in your spare time. Do any of these cause an increase in carbon emissions? e.g. Saunas, Health clubs, restaurants and pubs, go-karting etc. etc...

In addition there is your footprint at work. Do you leave your computer and monitor on when you are away from your desk? Do you leave the lights on when you leave the office? Do you print documents unnecessarily - and could you print two pages to a side and double sided?

Supreme-Court-Rules-Against-Bush-On-Emissions

Supreme Court rules against Bush on emissions

April 03, 2007

THE US Supreme Court rebuked the Bush administration today for its inaction on global warming in a decision that could encourage faster action in Congress on climate change and lead to more fuel-efficient cars as early as next year. EU lashes Australia, US on climateThe court, in a 5-4 ruling in its first case on climate change, declared that carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases are air pollutants under the Clean Air Act.

The Environmental Protection Agency has the authority to regulate those emissions from new cars and trucks under the landmark environment law, and the “laundry list” of reasons it has given for declining to do so are insufficient, the court said.

“A reduction in domestic emissions would slow the pace of global emissions increases, no matter what happens elsewhere,” Justice John Paul Stevens said in the majority opinion.
“EPA has offered no reasoned explanation for its refusal to decide whether greenhouse gases cause or contribute to climate change.”

The politics of global warming have changed dramatically since the court agreed last year to hear its first case on the subject, with many Republicans as well as Democrats now pressing for action. However, the administration has argued for a voluntary approach rather than new regulation.

The reasoning in the court's ruling also appears to apply to EPA's decision not to impose controls on global warming pollution from power plants, a decision that has been challenged separately in court, several environmental lawyers said.

In the short term, the decision boosts California's and 11 other states' prospects for gaining EPA approval of their own programs to limit tailpipe emissions, beginning with the 2009 model year. Those cars begin appearing in showrooms next year. Emission limits would become stricter each year until 2016.

Automobile makers have said stricter emission limits would be accomplished by increasing fuel-economy standards.
Reacting to the court ruling, the automakers called for an economy-wide approach to global warming, cautioning that no single industry could bear the burden alone.
Today's ruling also improved the odds that Congress would take action on comprehensive legislation to reduce global warming, said business groups, environmental advocates and lawmakers. Several measures already have been introduced.

Senator Jeff Bingaman, a Democrat and chairman of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee urged President George W Bush “to work with Congress to enact a mandatory cap-and-trade proposal and other programs to reduce our nation's greenhouse gas emissions”.
EPA spokeswoman Jennifer Wood said the agency is studying the court's ruling.
In the meantime, she defended EPA's voluntary partnerships to reduce emissions.
“These national and international voluntary programs are helping achieve reductions now while saving millions of dollars, as well as providing clean, affordable energy,” Wood said.
Many scientists believe greenhouse gases, flowing into the atmosphere at an unprecedented rate, are leading to warming of the Earth, rising sea levels and other marked ecological changes.
Carbon dioxide is produced when fossil fuels such as oil and natural gas are burned. One way to reduce those emissions is to have more fuel-efficient cars.

In handing an almost-total victory to Massachusetts, 11 other states, three cities and 13 environmental groups that sued the EPA, the court adopted many of their concerns and their belief that taking even limited action concerning new American cars and trucks is better than doing nothing.
The court's four conservative justices - Chief Justice John Roberts and Justices Samuel Alito, Antonin Scalia and Clarence Thomas - dissented.
“In many ways, the debate has moved beyond this,” said Chris Miller, director of the global warming campaign for Greenpeace, one of the environmental groups that sued the EPA.
“All the front-runners in the 2008 presidential campaign, both Democrats and Republicans, even the business community, are much further along on this than the Bush administration is.”
Democrats took control of Congress last November. The world's leading climate scientists reported in February that global warming is “very likely” to be caused by man and is so severe that it will continue for centuries.

Former Vice President Al Gore's documentary movie, “An Inconvenient Truth” - making the case for quick action on climate change - won an Oscar award. Business leaders are saying they are increasingly open to congressional action to reduce emissions of greenhouse gases, of which carbon dioxide is the largest.