A Renewed Enthusiasm?
The Climate Change talks in Copenhagen have undoubtedly created a renewed enthusiasm and passion in climate change enthusiasts. At the same time, however, the climate change sceptics have gathered force and are hot on the heels of climate change campaigners with talk of conspiracies and government cover-ups. Despite calls from the sceptic camp climate change discussions seem to be greeted with an immense enthusiasm by both politicians and the general public alike; not a day goes by without the broadsheets running pages of environmental stories and Copenhagen coverage is at an all time high.
What does all this mean for us as the public though?
World leaders are more committed than ever to reducing emissions and helping developing countries to do the same. This will have an impact on the lives of all residents within the developed world; as any agreements reached will have both a fiscal and physical impact on the way we all lead our lives.
As developed countries pledge to reduce emissions by 2020 we are bound to see an increased amount of renewable energy supplies and alternatives to traditional fossil fuels.
This means many of us may now be faced with the prospect of wind turbines, or nuclear power stations, close to our homes. This means that many of us who consider ourselves to be 'environmentally friendly' will have to address any "not on our doorstep" views we have with regards to alternative energy sources.
Many people see the benefits in an increased amount of our electricity coming from renewable energy sources, but many people also take significant issue, for example, with wind turbines being built near their homes. There is a significant stigma attached to wind turbines and many people feel extremely passionately about them being built in their vicinity. It is an issue where there is very much a "not in our back yard" mentality.
The enthusiasm that has swept through the media and the public with news of Copenhagen is the perfect opportunity for peoples' views to change with regards to their proximity to alternative energy suppliers. And whilst this is, obviously, a prime necessity in our battle to reduce our carbon emissions, it is also necessary for the government to explore avenues of renewable energy generation that do not upset the general public and have no impact on house prices and the British
landscape.
We have explored many possible sources of alternative energy previously in The Green Issue and will do so again in the future. Wind, tidal and wave power are all areas in which significant government finance would enable great forward strides in technology that will enable an increasingly higher percentage of our energy to come from renewable sources; as well as making our country more energy self-sufficient.
But in order to increase the amount of energy coming from renewable sources it is necessary for the general public to change their perceptions and become more receptive to the idea that renewable energy sources will slowly fill our landscape; and perhaps even to see this as a positive step.
Personally I find something extremely therapeutic, and most certainly beautiful, in the movement of wind turbines. A change in mindset of the majority of the British public would make the shift to renewable energy significantly easier; and it is a transition that must happen if we are not only to meet carbon emission aims, but also of we hope to preserve the planet for our children, and our children's children.
A Natural Solution to Our Energy Crisis
Politicians, environmentalist and the general public alike are all looking for ways to reduce carbon emissions with a bid to stopping global warming. One of the biggest problems we face in this quest is the ability to produce, capture and utilise green energy. Now, there are many alternative, green, forms of electricity available; be it wind power, solar power or many of the other sources of green electricity that are being developed. Up until now, however, there has been little said about the possibility for green gas. Until one company, Ecotricity, came up with a big idea to turn our gas supplies from brown, to green.
Whilst many people are aware of environmentally friendly ways of producing electricity, many of which we have previously explored in The Green Issue, gas has always been something for which there appeared to be no 'green' resolution. And with natural gas supplies decreasing at an alarming rate, and the pollutants emitted by the burning of gas contributing to global warming, the need for a suitable, sustainable and renewable alternative is startlingly apparent.
In an incredible stroke of green thinking, Ecotricity have developed (and are rolling out) a way of not only supplying our homes with green gas, but the way in which this gas is produced also helps solves another major environmental issue we face: the amount of food waste that we send to landfill.
Every year, we Britons dispose of approximately 18 million tonnes of food waste each year. Currently, the vast majority of this waste is sent to our ever depleting landfill sites, where it not only fills our valuable countryside but also releases harmful greenhouse gases, such as methane and carbon dioxide, as it decomposes. Being able to stop this food waste from going to landfill will not only decrease the speed at which our landfill sites are being filled as well as reducing the amount of greenhouse gases that are being released in to the atmosphere.
Ecotricity are the world's leading green electricity supplier, but until now their Dual Energy plans were made 'green' by using the money from supplying gas to invest money in green technologies. Until recently Ecotricity have been generating electricity from renewable sources and injecting this in to the National Grid but this has not been possible with gas: until now.
Ecotricity saw potential in the 18 million tonnes of organic waste that Britons send to landfill each year; and instead of seeing this as rubbish they instead saw it as an opportunity to create a renewable source of gas from the products of Anaerobic Digestion when the organic matter is broken down.
This technology allows Ecotricity to provide gas from entirely renewable sources in to the National Grid. And whilst the gas provided by the company will not be from 100% renewable sources immediately, money from customer will go directly in to developing these technologies and building more Green Gas Mills to enable Ecotricity to push forward this exciting new technology.
It is an exciting time with gas turning from brown to green, as well as pushing forward in Britain's drive to become energy independent. It is companies such as Ecotricity that can provide a driving force independent of the government to invest and advance renewable sources of electricity.
What Do You Do With Your Dogs....?
So, you are an environmentally conscious homeowner and place your organic food waste in to a compost bin or wormery but there is one item that inevitably, consistently, ends up in with the household waste, despite the fact that it is 100% biodegradable. So what is this mysterious item? If you are a dog lover then, more than likely, your dog's waste ends up in a poop bag and either put in to a 'red bin' on your walking route or in your household waste.
Many people are not aware that there is a very viable alternative to this traditional method of doggy waste disposal. And that solution is a wormery specifically designed to deal with your dog's waste.
Here at Earth Essentials we want you, our followers, to be able to recycle and compost as much of your household waste as possible- and that is why we have created our first ever Dog Waste Wormery.
However unappealing this may sound, rest assured that all of the excrement is dealt with in a way that means no mess, fuss and perhaps most importantly, smell for you the home and dog owner. As with traditional household waste wormeries the waste material is inside a container which is specially sealed to prevent odour escaping and keeping all the germs held within the excrement trapped inside.
Not only does the Dog Waste Wormery provide an odour free, and contamination free, place in which to dispose of your dog's waste: it also deals with the excrement in a matter of days. Using the same process that occurs within traditional wormeries, our Dog Waste Wormery uses the natural process of worms breaking down organic waste in order to not only break down your pets' excrement but also to create wonderful compost for your garden.
We all know that manure is one of the most effective forms of compost for the garden, and now it is possible to use your dogs' waste as a natural compost with the same, if not better, nutritional qualities than regular manure. Not only that but it has no odour at all so is much more appealing than, for example, traditional horse manure. And it's free!
So, not only does our Dog Waste Wormery prevent methane producing dog waste being sent to landfill, it also provides a free, odourless, and nutritionally rich compost for your garden. Why not give it a try and see what a difference it can make, not only to the planet, but also to your plants!?
