Blog archives for February, 2009

Food and drinks cans make up around three percent of household waste that is thrown away by households in the UK on a daily basis. Around 75 percent of all drinks cans in the UK are made from aluminium although there are still almost 2 billion drinks cans that are made from steel. Food cans are often called tins because although they are made from steel, they have an ultra thin layer of tin that surrounds them.

If we consider that an average household goes through around 600 steel cans and 200 aluminium cans a year then it isnt hard to imagine the staggering amount of waste that is being generated by each and every one of us annually. We cannot go on burying this waste in landfill sites as the pressure on landfill sites is now nearing capacity and the estimations are that we will run out of space for new landfill sites within the next decade. For more information visit Enviromental technology

At the moment, approximately 80 percent of our household waste goes to landfill sites and as the amount of waste we produce is increasing each year we have to find new and creative ways of disposing of our waste. Landfill is no longer a viable option, not only because there isnt any space, but because landfill sites are not pleasant. There are risks associated with landfill that include the risk of explosion and also a risk of leakage of toxic pollutants into the surrounding earth and waterways which can present a health risk.

Basically, landfill sites are a threat to the environment so disposing of our waste in an environmentally friendly way that saves resources, energy and costs should be a matter of concern for all of us. Fortunately, more and more people are waking up to the idea of recycling. Local authorities also recognise the advantages of recycling and so roadside collections and the number of collection banks where you can deposit waste is on the increase.

Why recycle cans

Cans are one of the easiest items to recycle and the fact is, each and every can that ends up in landfill is a waste of a valuable resource and heres why. Producing new metal to make new cans depletes the earth of natural resources, such as iron, coal and water to make steel and bauxite to make aluminium and basically it costs more to produce new metal than it does to recycle it.

For example, recycling aluminium not only uses 95 percent less energy than it does to produce new aluminium if we recycle just 1kg of aluminium it saves 6kg of Bauxite. Similarly, if we recycle 1 tonne of steel it saves 1.5 tonnes of iron ore, half a tonne of coal, and uses 75 percent less energy than it does to make new steel. Recycling any type of metal reduces the CO2 emissions released into the atmosphere, reduces water pollution and massively reduces costs in general. For more information visit enviromental products

Cans are also 100 percent recyclable and can be recycled almost indefinitely without any loss of quality to the metal itself. Recycling metal is also a relatively simple process, in fact; it can take as little as six weeks for aluminium cans to be back on the supermarket shelves after collection.

One of the barriers to recycling other materials is the demand for the product. Take plastic for example; it can be cheaper to produce new plastic than to recycle it so there is less of a demand for used plastic. However, there is a great demand for used metal, so much so that there are schemes in operation that will pay you cash for your used aluminium cans.

Another barrier is sorting the waste. Sorting broken bits of glass can be a complex process but sorting aluminium from steel is not difficult. You can tell the difference between aluminium and steel using a simple magnet. If it sticks it is steel, which makes separation of steel very easy as magnets can be used to extract it.

So bearing in mind all the advantages involved in recycling cans, why are any food or drinks cans still ending up in landfill?

How you can make a difference

The truth is that we can all do more to protect the environment if we remember that each can dumped in landfill is a real waste. You can make a difference at home and at work by making sure that your cans are recycled and are not disposed of along with other rubbish. If kerbside collection is not available in your area yet, find out where the nearest collection bank or collection scheme is and deposit your cans there. If we all do our bit we can all benefit from a healthier environment and can preserve the earths resources for future generations.

Refer to environmental for more information.

There are different ways of making electricity for yourself. Alot of people use wind power and solar power. Wind power is the conversion of wind energy into a useful form, such as electricity, using wind turbines. A wind turbine is a rotating machine which converts the kinetic energy in wind into mechanical energy. If the mechanical energy is used directly by machinery, such as a pump or grinding stones, the machine is usually called a windmill. If the mechanical energy is then converted to electricity, the machine is called a wind generator, wind turbine, wind power unit (WPU), wind energy converter (WEC), or aerogenerator.

Solar power is another common use of producing electricity. Solar power technologies provide electrical generation by means of heat engines or photovoltaics. Once converted its uses are only limited by human ingenuity. A partial list of solar applications includes space heating and cooling through solar architecture, potable water via distillation and disinfection, daylighting, hot water, thermal energy for cooking, and high temperature process heat for industrial purposes.

Alot of people nowadays are looking at ways i.e. wind power and solar power to produce cheaper electricity. With living costs getting so expensive nowadays, people are looking other ways to reduce their electricity bill or create their own source in their backyard.

There are many companies solar energy out there who would be able to help you get a grant renewable energy or tell how to build a wind or solar farm.

Building your own solar or wind power can be very expensive costing as much as $2000. So building your own professional system for less than $200 makes sense.

By using Earth4Energy kit you can reduce your electricity bill by 80% or even elimnate it completely and create your own electricity from your own backyard.

Earth4Energy kit is a manual which is in plain speaking English and has a easy step by step guide so it’s easy to understand and to follow.

Why should you create your own power at home?

You will save hundreds of dollars every time you get your power bill!

This is great for our environment and your children will thank you for it.

With our complete instructions this makes for a fun at home project.

When you can make renewable power for less than $200, why wouldn’t you!

You will be able to spend your savings on more important things

Knowing that you are doing your part to conserve our planet feels great!

My fully illustrated instructions make this a very simple job for anybody!

This guide is amazing. I was trying to save myself money on my electricity bill and I came across this guide where it was step by step in plain English guide. You can get all the bits from your local hardware store and build your home made solar powered system or a wind power system for less than $200.

For the one time price off $49.97 you can build your own power system for less than $200. I did this and I would say to anyone who is looking to save money on their electricity bill I would recommend this.

P.S. It is time to start acting in a smart and eco friendly way. Read about heirloom organic seeds and why people got seriously interested about them.

With the skyrocketing costs of electricity these days, many folks are looking for methods to save on their electric bills. Solar and wind energy seems like a viable option, but the preliminary costs can be staggering.

One solution that’s becoming more trendy is to build it yourself. There are numerous books that claim to teach you how to do this, but how good are they?

Earth4Energy is one of the more popular DIY residential solar power and wind power books available and as it turns out, with good reason.

Earth4Energy promises to teach you how to build your own solar panel or wind generator for under $200 and does precisely that. But we found the best component to be the instructional videos. Everything is easier when you actually see someone do it.

It also contains a few of what they call “free chapters” that teach you how to lessen your oil dependency and how to use ethanol as a practical energy source.

There is one concern you need to be conscious of, though. While it’s possible to create a solar panel or wind generator for under $200, this isn’t going to replace your electric bill. It will take much more than one solar panel or wind generator to make a major impact on your electric bill.

What we didn’t like: Earth4Energy gives you all it promises, but little else. There are not any bonuses and modest insight beyond the obvious. But if all you want is to create your own solar panels or wind generator, you can’t go wrong. And as we mentioned earlier, the instructional videos make it rather simple.

If nothing else, if you like to create things, this could be a fun project. Being able to power even a small device from only the sun or wind gives you a sense of triumph.

Important note! Don’t buy Earth4Energy from the main sales link! At the time of this review, we realized that if you try to exit the page or close “Suzy”, their spokeswoman (which we found a bit annoying), a phony chat box pops up and offers a $10 discount. We highly recommend that if you plan to buy, to take advantage of this offer.

Usually, although they tell you it’s a limited time offer, they rarely go away. BUT … you never know. If you plan to buy, we suggest taking advantage of this special right away.

Bottom line: if you fancy yourself a handyman or woman and have been thinking about this, Earth4Energy gives you everything you need to know. For product comparisons, visit DIY Residential Solar Power and Windmill Power Reviews for more details.

If your ducts are not cleaned regularly, you may be increasing your risk of suffering from the many symptoms and illnesses associated with indoor air pollution. Many types of pollutants and small particles can collect within the ducts that include mold, fungus, dust, bacteria and viruses as well as other outdoor pollutants, such as exhaust fumes, pollen and animal hair. The more these particles collect within the ducts, the higher chance you have of developing illnesses and symptoms associated with poor indoor air quality. If you have allergies, you are even more susceptible to the high concentration of contaminants that may be circulating within your home.

Poor indoor air quality can cause a variety of symptoms that include nausea, headaches, respiratory illness, congestion, eye and nose irritation, runny nose, trouble concentrating, malaise (generally not feeling well) and lethargy. It also increases the risk of contracting illnesses such as colds, flu and fungal or other infections. Indoor air pollution greatly contributes to the amount of severity of symptoms suffered by those with allergies and can even contribute to the development of new allergies.

Many times we do not think about the quality of air we air we breathe while inside our homes. However, the American Lung Association estimates that we spend anywhere from 60-90% of our time indoors. Usually, the pollutants and fine particles found within the air we breathe indoors are at substantially higher levels of concentration compared to the air outdoors. This makes those with allergies at especially high risk for the health problems associated with poor indoor air quality that may in part be attributed to the debris collected within our ducts.

Dust buildup is the most common cause of asthma and is also the biggest allergen within the home. The more dust buildup there is, the more dust mites there will be, which are true causes of dust allergies. The large quantities of dust mites that are found with collections of dust within your ducts and airborne dust particles are a major contributor to the allergy symptoms experienced by the vast majority people. It is hard to rid your house of dust and avoid the health risks of the allergic reactions attributed to dust mites if there is a large amount of dust buildup within your ducts. This dust is then circulated in high concentrations within your home and is breathed in causing a much higher risk of allergy symptoms and allergic reactions within the body.

Regular duct cleaning is essential for clean indoor air quality and the reduction of the potential health hazards associated with indoor air pollution. It is even more essential for those that suffer from allergies to avoid the severe symptoms associated with them. Dust is the most common allergy, but many other allergens can be found in high concentrations within the ducts and in the indoor air you breathe including pollen, animal hair and fungus. If you do your duct cleaning regularly, you will find this will greatly reduce and even relieve the many allergy symptoms you are experiencing and will also reduce your chance for other indoor air pollution health risks.

Creating energy using the power of the wind comes about when wind power, such as that produced by a home wind turbine, is exchanged for electricity. Wind turbines are made up of a rotor, which is basically three propeller-like blades, and a structure that looks like a very tall tower to give the rotor height. Usually wind turbines are about 20 meters tall – the reason for this is that the force of the wind is greater the higher up it gets. The use of green energy sources has become increasingly popular for a few reasons.

Firstly, it is great for the earth and aids in the reduction the emission of greenhouse gases that traditional energy production, that is the burning of coal, emits into the atmosphere. Secondly, by using energy sources such as that produced by DIY solar panels and wind turbines can save quite a large amount on energy bills.

Another little known reason is that if enough energy is produced by homemade solar panels and the like, this energy can actually be put back into the energy system and the energy companies will pay you for it. So not only does this process save you money, in many cases it can make you money also.

There are numerous kits and resources accessible for people to utilize when building their own natural power generator for their homes. Just be sure to pick good quality products and instructions that are easy to understand and written in layman’s terms rather than professional jargon. Lots of people are choosing to build their own generators for all sorts of uses ranging from small units for home use right up to larger ones for commercial premises.

So when thinking about building a new house or making improvements on an existing residence, it is consider installing their own natural energy production unit – these can be professionally made and installed, however a much cheaper alternative is to build it yourself. It’s simple, affordable and anyone can do it.