Cities offer many opportunities for testing out sustainable living practices because the close proximity of so many individuals [...]]]>
While often times we associate the environmental movement with open landscapes and vast swaths of rural land, a tremendous amount of environmental change is taking place right here in our cities.

Cities offer many opportunities for testing out sustainable living practices because the close proximity of so many individuals makes innovative transportation and housing solutions possible. While new progress is happening all the time, many have looked at existing city structures designed for one purpose, and devised ways in which they can be retrofitted to be environmentally friendly. What was formerly just blacktop on top of a building has the potential to become a green roof. The concrete divider in between two parking spaces can be recast as a charging station for electric vehicles. Whether you’re an urban resident seeking to change the way you live, or just curious about the pace of change in cities, check out these ten ways to make them greener.

Source: Best Sociology Programs

Being green has never been so important. With the planet in a state of decline we need to do all we can to help alleviate the problem.

It isn’t just individuals needing to subscribe to this mentality either. Businesses need to get on board and contribute by operating in a greener fashion. Only [...]]]> By Donald Parfew

Being green has never been so important. With the planet in a state of decline we need to do all we can to help alleviate the problem.

It isn’t just individuals needing to subscribe to this mentality either. Businesses need to get on board and contribute by operating in a greener fashion. Only with all of us pulling together will we make a difference.

Waste

According to DEFRA the average UK commercial and industrial waste total is in decline, which is good news. However, more still needs to be done.

Many companies recycle and reuse a lot of what they generate from providing their products or services but it’s the little things that can make the difference.

Implementing a thorough ‘green’ policy throughout your business is key to becoming a more environmentally friendly operation. If you’re a company head then looking at the detail is where you’ll be able to make big gains.

Waste is a significant problem within business environments and aiming to reduce this will have positive effects down the line.

Emissions

It’s long been recognised that carbon emissions being dumped into the atmosphere are one of the main causes of the depletion of the Earth’s protective Ozone Layer. Strategies to address this problem by businesses have been implemented over the past few years but there is still too much being pumped into the atmosphere.

One of the biggest causes of carbon emission pollution is through transport.

If you’re a company using vehicles regularly then making this part of your business more efficient is one way to cut your carbon footprint down. Not only that, it will save you money.

If you operate a fleet of vehicles then considering electric or hybrid models, where possible, is another way of going green.

Office strategy

Whatever we do in our daily working lives will have some kind of knock on effect to the environment. Considering our behaviour while at work, and how we can make things better for the planet, is something we should all be mindful of.

Simple acts such as switching off lights when not in use, consuming less water by turning off taps and flushing toilets on the minimal setting are all ways that we can contribute to a greener way of operating.

Powering down PCs and not leaving them on standby, recycling and finding ways to reuse office materials are all ways to contribute to the environmentally friendly credentials of your place of work.

Suppliers

As a business you will no doubt find yourself working with suppliers and outside contractors.

When looking at potential companies to partner with, considering their green credentials is a way to build a network of environmentally conscious companies all striving to provide services or products while helping the planet at the same time.

The more this kind of strategy is implemented then the more likely firms will begin to take note and revise their working practices to benefit the environment.

Education

If you’re the leader of a business then you need to take the reins and lead by example. Implementing green strategies into your normal operating procedure is a way to increase your employee’s awareness.

Investing in education and training is another good way to heighten the level of green practices within your company. Bringing experts in to perform presentations and provide green training will raise awareness amongst your staff.

Going green doesn’t have to be an expensive process – making small changes within your place of work will make an impact, no matter how small you perceive this to be.

The bottom line is that we all need to work towards being greener in every part of our lives, implementing this behaviour at work, where we spend an ever-increasing amount of time, is therefore an obvious way to achieve this.

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Donald Parfew works for LAM Office; a UK-based recycled office furniture supplier. View their green business mission statement here.

As described, the Juicebar pocket portable solar charger is a pocket-sized mobile battery/solar charger compatible with a wide variety of mobile devices, complete with a selection of [...]]]> Disclaimer: I was provided Juicebar portable solar charger from Cableorganizer.com  for testing and review. The opinions expressed in this post are entirely my own

As described, the Juicebar pocket portable solar charger is a pocket-sized mobile battery/solar charger compatible with a wide variety of mobile devices, complete with a selection of adaptors for use with your particular device. For my case, I’ve tested it with my iPod touch and LG Optimus S phone and found no issues with connections or compatibility.

The Juicebar is simple enough. One side houses the solar panel, and the other has charge indicator bar and two buttons, one to display the available charge and the other for a small LED flashlight – the addition of the flashlight may be an indication of the intended use of the Juicebar, which we’ll get into in a moment.

Testing and use

Out of the box, as per instructions, I charged the battery via supplied USB  cable connected to my iMac to get the unit fully charged, which took a couple of hours. With the fully charged Juicebar battery I was able to recharge my iPod touch in a relatively short time – about two hours.

The next test was recharging the now depleted Juicebar battery in direct sunlight and using it to charge-up my LG phone. The instruction manual says that Juicebar takes between 10 and 12 hours to fully charge via the device’s solar panel. In the late-winter sun I had available to me for the test, I was able to give the Juicebar about six hours of sunlight, providing enough juice to charge the phone from approximately 32 percent to about 90 percent before the Juicebar gave out.

I attempted to recharge the depleted battery in sunlight, but after nearly a full day in the sun (about 8 hours – still less than the recommended time for a full sunlight-fueled charge), Juicebar was only charged to approximately 60-70 percent. Attempting to recharge the iPod touch from around 30 percent, I only got about three-quarters charge before Juicebar itself needed more charge; time to plug it back into the iMac to get a good, full charge.

Conclusions

I’ve been using the Juicebar portable solar charger for a little over a week now, and while the unit does have some limitations, once understood the Juicebar should prove a useful device in the right situations for keeping my mobile devices charged – namely when I’m traveling or temporarily away from a convenient source of power.

The Juicebar isn’t intended (0r isn’t suited for) replacing the main source of power for recharging your mobile devices (typically the plug on your wall). I’ve seen Juicebar advertised as an energy-saving device to help reduce your energy bills, which in my opinion is very misleading. In terms of energy conservation the results are negligible almost to the point of being non-existent – though every little bit helps.

But that’s not really what the Juicebar is for, Perhaps I haven’t had enough opportunity to try it exclusively as a solar charger but it seems to me there will be occasions when a full recharge via USB cable will be necessary. The principal utility of the Juicebar is for when you’re traveling, away from a standard power source and need a charge, and generally keeping your mobile devices charged in a pinch. And for that the Juicebar Pocket Mobile Charger does a fine job.

 The Juicebar Pocket Solar Charger is available from Cableorganizer.com for $49.99

The fact that hummingbirds are the smallest birds on the planet which is probably why many people don’t even consider them when they think of where to focus their conservation efforts. Fact of the matter is that, despite their small size, [...]]]> Feature post by Ernie Allison

The fact that hummingbirds are the smallest birds on the planet which is probably why many people don’t even consider them when they think of where to focus their conservation efforts. Fact of the matter is that, despite their small size, hummingbirds have a huge impact on the ecosystem and no other creature could fill their unique niche. In line with the bees, hummingbirds are some of the most efficient natural pollinators and insect control forces around. Because of this, it’s important for us to make sure that we keep them around by helping out in our conservation efforts.

Challenges Hummingbirds Face

Hummingbirds have so many natural predators, more than most other birds, that the last thing they need is human activity adding to the mix. Creatures that you wouldn’t usually consider as a threat to a bird are very real threats to hummingbirds because of the hummingbird’s small size.  Preying mantises, spiders, frogs, and a whole other array of predators pose as lethal threats to hummingbirds. Even a single sting from a bee or a wasp can kill a hummingbird because their bodies are so small that they are unable to absorb the venom.

Climate changes are also affecting hummingbirds’ chances of survival. The changing temperatures are causing hummingbirds to be seen well out of the usual migratory routes which can make it more difficult more them to find food and other resources.

Helping Efforts

Because hummingbirds have so many forces working against them, we should do all that we can to help. That doesn’t mean that you should donate all of your savings to hummingbird conservations efforts, you can if you want to, but there are a lot of little ways that you can contribute to help conserve hummingbirds.

Hummingbirds need a lot of food to keep up with their high expenditures of energy as they complete their migratory journeys so one of the best things you can do to help is to provide food for them. Keep your hummingbird feeders full and leave them up until you know that the hummingbirds are gone for the season. Scientists have established that availability of food resources won’t affect their decision to migrate so don’t worry about leaving your feeder up too long. If you do decide to hang hummingbird feeders, make sure that you hang them high so that they are less vulnerable to cat attacks from both feral and domestic cats.

You can also plant certain flowers that produce nectar in your garden to provide food sources. Daylilies, penstemons, sunset hyssops, and cardinal flowers are all great at attracting and nourishing hummingbirds.

Even though hummingbirds receive all of the water they need through nectar, they still need water sources that allow them to bathe. They particularly like water sources with fountains which allow them to take quick showers.

Avoid using insecticides and other synthetic chemicals in your yard. They may make you yard look momentarily healthy but they have long term negative effects on the environment and the animals that directly or indirectly come into contact with them.  Rely on organic methods of lawn care instead.

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Author Bio: Ernie Allison is a nature writer with a particular interest in birds. He is dedicated to using his writing skills to bring awareness to conservation issues concerning birds. To help further this mission, he writes for birdfeeders.com, which supplies hummingbird feeders.

Image credit: D.Eickhoff, courtesy flickr

Fuel consumption is one of the commercial driving industry’s biggest concerns both for its cost and its impact on the environment. We rely on truckers to provide our society with everything it needs to function, so necessity of [...]]]> Guest post by Hank Barton

Fuel consumption is one of the commercial driving industry’s biggest concerns both for its cost and its impact on the environment. We rely on truckers to provide our society with everything it needs to function, so necessity of the industry may have overshadowed environmental impact in the past. Recently, there has been increasing focus on the issue, however. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) launched the SmartWay program in 2004 to address this and offer some solutions. Though investment in green technologies has been slow for varying reasons, companies are increasingly moving in the right direction as they see the long term benefits. Here are some technologies that truckers can take advantage of to reduce fuel consumption and carbon dioxide emissions as well as spending on costly fuel.

GPS

Every trucker gets lost from time to time in their career. Unfortunately, it can result in a lot of unnecessary fuel consumption. Having a good commercial driving GPS on board can save a lot of headache in addition to the fuel and emissions. Truck GPS systems are a little more involved than your average GPS, providing routes specifically for commercial drivers and accounting for things like clearances and load limits. Even for the average motorist, GPS is something worth looking into when you think about all the times you’ve been lost on the road. Extra time spent finding your way costs the environment and it costs your time and money.

Predictive Cruise Control

Large trucking companies usually employ some type of speed governor that limits the truck’s speed on the road, which also improves fuel economy by regulating a truck’s speed around 65mph. Cruise control in general helps reduce fuel consumption in this way, but Predictive Cruise Control (PCC) takes things a step further by utilizing GPS technology to adjust a truck’s speed for maximum fuel efficiency based on upcoming terrain changes. Though experienced truckers may already adjust their speed for this purpose based on their knowledge of the terrain, PCC shoulders that burden. Essentially, it is a smarter cruise control that offers better fuel consumption economy. The technology is relatively new, but outlook for its promised reduction in fuel costs is good.

Aerodynamic Fairings

These relatively low-cost modifications to the body of the trailer improve aerodynamics so there is less drag, which means less fuel is consumed. Those trucking in California are probably already aware of the necessity of this technology. Testing has shown these to have good enough reduction of fuel consumption that costs to outfit a rig with them can be recuperated quickly.

Low Rolling Resistance Tires

You’ve probably already seen this technology whether you realize it or not. Many electric or hybrid cars such as the Prius already feature low rolling resistance tires. These use less energy as they roll, and thus, consume less fuel. According to the US Department of Energy, “5 percent-15 percent of light-duty fuel consumption is used to overcome rolling resistance for passenger cars. For heavy trucks, this quantity can be as high as 15 percent-30 percent.” They are also not significantly more expensive than their higher resistance counterparts, especially when you consider the potential benefit.

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Hank Barton is a second generation truck driver and a first generation blogger. He writes about good driving practices, the trucker lifestyle, the beauty of the open road and working toward a sustainable future for the trucking industry. He writes for E-Gears, an online CDL Practice Test authority that specializes in a variety of study guides. Hank writes and drives far too much for his own good.

Image credit: Bigtime700