Carbon Emissions
Green Living Strategies for a Healthier Environment
You can make a positive impact on the environment by following green living ideas. Something is better than nothing, so making some changes to help the planet, especially when they also help you directly, is a good move. These few simple ideas for green living are easy to put into your lifestyle. Green living: making lifestyle choices with the health of the environment in mind.
Scientists believe that carbon is a major contributor to global warming and green living strategies look at ways to reduce carbon, waste products, toxins and the exploitation of natural resources. Save money and become more healthy by implementing these green strategies.
A reduction in carbon emissions from fossil fuels is essential if we are to save the planet and you can help. When your destination is close, leave the car at home. Take a bus or train to work or start up a car pool. You could always walk or cycle to your destination. So, improve your health and help to save the planet at the same time.
An easy environmetally friendly strategy is to change your incandescent bulbs for CFLs which use less power. These reduce your energy consumption by up to 70% and last several times longer than the old bulbs. Changing your incandescent light bulbs for fluorescent will save you on power costs in your home, bearing in mind that changing only 5 bulbs saves you about $50 a year? Switch all appliances off at the socket when they are not being used.
Improve the health of the environment and your body by eating more plant foods; plants remove carbon for the atmosphere and store it in the soil. Again, you are improving the health of your own lifestyle as well as that of the planet. Cattle compact the soil and produce large amounts of methane which is a harmful greenhouse gas. Limit the amount of red meat you eat and have smaller portions, and eat more lean poultry and fish; the planet and your body will thank you.
The important three rules of reducing your environmental footprint are recycle, reuse and reduce. Reducing your dependence on plastics in the home helps the environment by reducing the toxins that are produced by their manufacture. Use your own bags for shopping, like your grandmother did, and reduce the amount of plastic bags in landfill. Reduce how much paper you use in your work and at home. Recycling plastic containers keeps them out of landfill, so try to come up with new ideas for their use.
Cut down the volume of water you and your family uses in the house and garden. Shorten the length of your shower by only two minutes and save gallons of water as well as money off your water bill. Control the flow of water from your taps to prevent losing it down the drain. Have you thought of using the water from your washing machine on your garden?. Research ways to reduce the impact of your home on the environment; consider planting trees, installing solar heating and hot water and using blinds to control the temperature.
You can benefit the environment in many ways; these are just a few suggestions. You can learn about many other ways you can help both the environment and your own well-being and health. Kids have great ideas, so get them involved in your new green living lifestyle.
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Cruise Ships Developments That Could Help Save The Planet
In the latest ‘eco-friendly’ move by governments to reduce carbon emissions from various modes of transport, the cruising industry has been put under the microscope and asked to invest in more sustainable and cleaner ship developments in the coming years. Cruise ships have long been known to be one of the more ‘unclean’ modes of transport, which is an image many cruise lines are keen to move away from. Couple this with the increased taxes that vessels are now receiving based on carbon emissions, and there is real motivations to innovate. Lets take a look at 3 of the most promising eco developments.
Improved Ship Efficiency. Not only are ships now being made from more sustainable materials and but they are also being designed and constructed to more efficient specifications. The materials are getting lighter so less energy is needed for propulsion, soft sails are often being included, and a company in Ireland have pioneered a biogas-powered engine, set to soon be used by Cunard cruises. Hull design has also been dramatically resigned by the same Irish ship building company, allowing the energy usually lost when the boat impacts waves to be turned into forward propulsion instead.
Hybrid Boats. A number of cars and trucks have been developed with hybrid fuel-battery engines now and have integrated very well with the more traditional vehicles. Now ship builders such as those making boats for Silversea Cruises are getting in on the action and making boats that couple the traditional diesel power with electrical power. When its batteries are running low, it connects up the power supply of the nearest harbor and charges them back up again
Sharing Cargo. A great idea being trialled by Oceania Cruises is ‘cargo sharing’. If a cruise ship has not filled all its spaces, it can offer to carry commercial cargo for other companies sending things to the same place, for a small commission of course. A few extra bucks are earned by the cruise companies who would have otherwise wasted space, the company who are shipping the cargo massively save on costs and less pollution is released into the environment. Everyone’s a winner.
Successfully Fighting Global Warming Today
This week the world’s largest emitters of carbon monoxides are converging to find a lasting solution to global warming. And whilst these nations discuss the destiny of our continent the world is actually warming up bit by bit. Global warming threatens to destroy our planet so it is important for everyone to assist in curbing this mysterious occurrence.
Carbon emissions by industrialized nations must be cut down significantly in the next 10 years if we are going to survive the soaring temperatures that re predicted for the next 100 years. It won’t help getting a full face helmet to protect yourself from the heat when you could easily cut down our dependency on fossil fuels to meet our energy requirements. But not doing so on time will see us burn to death or move to another planet.
There are more than enough alternative sources of energy that can be used instead of toxic fossil fuels that release dangerous carbon when they are burnt. Water can be used to make hydro electric power and the wind can be used as well just like in the initial phases of industrialization in the 19th century. Such alternatives don’t release carbon into the atmosphere; they’re cheap and they are clean sources of energy. Skin care treatment won’t be necessary because temperatures on earth wouldn’t have reached the point of scathing people’s skin.
There are a couple of research scientists that actually discovered that painting roofs white will greatly reduce the effects of global warming. White doesn’t absorb heat but reflects it. Therefore using this technique will ensure that the heat from the sun is reflected back into the atmosphere before it raises temperatures down here on earth.
Cars that use electricity and water must be manufactured as a replacement for cars that run on fuel. Considering the large number of cars in this world the effect of this will be great indeed. But if we continue to use motor fuel to power cars global warming will continue unabated.
Planting more trees and preserving rainforests has been highlighted as a means of curbing global warming but this solution has been ignored. Trees actually absorb carbon dioxide in the atmosphere and convert it to the oxygen that we all need to live. If more trees were planted than are cut down it would be very much possible to reduce the levels of greenhouse gases.
Global warming is a scary reality that we must all learn to accept instead of visiting a facial spa to cleanse skin that will melt away regardless. We must all put effort towards curbing global warming otherwise our beautiful planet will self-destruct.
The Great Bottled Water Swindle
For the past ten years or so, the level of bottled water sales has been steadily growing by 7 – 8% every year. The level of consumption worldwide is estimated to have more than doubled between 1997 and 2005.
Approximately 200 billion bottles of water are consumed worldwide each year. The US market is the largest by far, with 25% of all sales worldwide.
However, there has been a recent backlash against the use of bottled water. One of the main concerns is the environmental effect which bottled water has. The actual bottles are usually manufactured from Polyethylene terephthalate (PET), which is a recyclable material – but the actual level of recycling is held to be lower than 25%.
The energy required for production, transportation and disposal of the bottles is also a source for concern among environmentalists. When compared with tap water, bottled water creates carbon emissions which are three orders of magnitude greater on a per litre basis.
Despite the very effective marketing of the bottled water suppliers, there seems to be no evidence that bottled water is, in developed countries at least, any better for your health than plain old tap water. Certain bottled waters have been found to contain estrogenic chemicals and even uranium. Most bottled waters contain salt to some degree– not good for your blood pressure.
In terms of taste there is little firm evidence that bottled water is any better than tap water. London tap water came third out of 24 different waters used in a UK blind taste test. In the USA, a 2007 episode of Penn and Teller (which may have been more entertaining than scientific – but still merits a mention) showed that diners could not distinguish between bottled water and water sourced from a garden hose.
In terms of cost to the consumer the exact ratio will vary according to the brand of water under consideration, but generally speaking bottled water costs several hundred times more per litre than tap water.
So, in terms of environmental impact, health, taste and cost, bottled water really doesn’t have a lot going for it. If you really dislike the taste of your tap water then you could always try some type of home filtration system. The cost will be greater than for tap water, but very much less than bottled water. If you go for a solution such as the Brita water filter jug then you will know that it’s better for the environment as all parts of the filters are recyclable.
Of course, if home filtration systems are great for when you’re at home – but if you like to carry water with you when you’re out and about then you could use and reuse a bottle which you fill at home, or the office, before you leave. Again, Brita Water are a good example having combined with international designer Orla Kiely to produce the Wottle – which claims to be the world’s first designer reusable bottle and is manufactured from 100% recycled material. Or do your own recycling and use an old soda bottle.
Global Warming Taxes Could Slow Overseas Property Markets
The call for new taxes on flights to reduce carbon emissions could impact the prices of properties, according to a UK based overseas property company.
‘There has been more discussion and calls for action recently over the impact that air travel is having on the environment,’ they say, ‘And one of the most obvious ways to cut air travel is to raise the price of travelling through taxes. It’s a win-win situation for governments, more tax revenue and being seen combating global warming at the same time. It’s only a matter of time before cheap air fares on the scale we see it today comes to an end’.
Owning a second home and a property abroad has shown to be an aspiration for the majority of UK residents by recent surveys, and low cost carriers have opened up new overseas property markets by flying to destinations not covered by other airlines, or forcing flight prices down where they compete directly with more established carriers.
Property prices within a one hour drive of regional airports served by the low cost airlines have tended to escalate in recent years, and it is these areas that would be hardest hit by any increased taxes on flying.
The areas which would feel least impact would be northern France, which many UK second home owners access via ferry and the Channel Tunnel, and areas where owning a property abroad was in vogue long before the new airlines started, and when air fares were proportionately higher than they are today. Access to France from the UK has improved recently with Eurotunnel cutting the journey time by twenty minutes.
‘The Costa del Sol for example we feel wouldn’t be impacted much by increased air taxes – although over development could bring prices down there anyway’.
But there is a warning that the lower priced end of the market could be hit more than the top end.
Bargain Properties
‘There has been a significant increase in second home ownership in the last decade’, say the company. ‘Gone are the days when it was just the wealthy who owned an overseas property. Developers in Spain, Greece and Cyprus have built apartment blocks with units of two and three bedrooms that are affordable for a lot of middle income families. Given that mortgages are readily available and it’s often just twenty per cent of the asking price that needs to be found an overseas home has become reality for millions of Europeans. But if air fares increase significantly and the holiday makers who rent the owners apartments and villas declines, quite a few will need to sell as the rental income pays the mortgage. There could be a glut of properties come to the market which will send prices downwards.’
Exceptions to the rule could be in the two European tax havens of Monaco and Andorra, where there is no income tax for residents.
‘Historically tax havens have been popular no matter how the economy is. When someone buys a property in Monaco it often doesn’t matter to them if it’s a few million Euros as they’re going to save more than that in tax during the time they stay there. Andorra is slightly different as it’s a tax haven but also people buy ski apartments there, adding to demand’.
Andorra property prices have risen an average of ten per cent a year in the last decade, and some predictions are for that figure to be closer to fifteen per cent for 2006.
If governments do start introducing new air fare taxes to slow and possibly reverse the rise in air travel there could be good news for some property buyers though.
‘In some areas the second home market has increased prices significantly, with many of the younger local population being forced to move away from their towns and villages.
The UK and US populations are quite mobile, but in some countries popular with holiday home buyers there are three or four generations of the same family in a village or town. But as overseas property buyers have moved in and pushed prices up, the younger generations ahave been forced to look away from these popular areas because they cannot afford a property in their home town anymore, and a lot of the local employment has become seasonal. If real estate prices come down they might be able to afford to live in the villages where they were brought up if they choose to do so. Some will still move away but at least they will have a choice.’
Conversely, far from changing traditional towns and villages into holiday resorts, overseas property buyers can sometimes have a positive affect on preserving traditional village life.
‘In France for example, many of the rural villages were dying a slow death as the younger generations moved away to the bigger towns and cities to find work. British second home buyers have revived the villages by buying run down properties and renovated them, breathing new life into the communities. The property market is nothing if it isn’t adaptable,’ they conclude, ‘And while there will be regions that will suffer as a result of a declining market, there will be winners too.’
About the Author
Tribune properties offer to send current Andorra property details at propertyandorra.comDetails of Menorca property are through menorcaproperty.info
Article source: http://www.contentdragon.com/content/finance/real-estate/global-warming-taxes-could-slow-overseas-property-markets/
