Kayakas!

Offshore wind is a relatively underexploited resource, with obstacles ranging from Cape Wind-like NIMBYism to the high infrastructure costs (and thus total costs) for installing systems out at sea.  The idea of going toward floating wind turbines has been around awhile and BlueH Group looks to be one step closer to making that idea a reality.

Blue H offshore wind farms, are planned to be far out at sea, virtually invisible to the naked eye from shore. At such locations, the winds are stronger and are more constant, ideal for  generating large quantities of clean and inexhaustible electricity.

Next year expect to see global marketers pitch consumers’ inner ecologist. Among
the areas that will see the most change: bottled water, cosmetics, grains and
cereals, organics, fair trade products, luxury home care products and product
labeling, according to the Mintel Global New Products Database.

~A

MediaPost Publications - 2008: Eco-Marketing To Take Front And Center Stage - 12/03/2007
NEXT YEAR, EXPECT TO SEE global marketers pitch consumers’ inner ecologist. Sure, there are catalogues like Harmony and Gaia aimed at eco-minded consumers. But Chicago-based consultancy Mintel is predicting a raft of new products from mass-market companies.

The firm served up a list of consumer packaged goods categories that will see a big shift in the spectrum toward green. The Mintel Global New Products Database was developed by Lynn Dornblaser, senior new product analyst at the firm, and a colleague in London. They found that the areas that will see the most change are bottled water, cosmetics, grains and cereals, organics, fair trade products, luxury home care products and product labeling.

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>A study of the world’s power stations has shown the extent to which developed countries produce more carbon dioxide per head than emerging economies.

>Australians were found to be the world’s worst polluters per capita, producing five times as much carbon from generating power as China. The US came second with eight tonnes of carbon per head - 16 times more than that produced by India. The US also produced the most carbon in total, followed by China.

>The Carbon Monitoring for Action (Carma) website is the first global inventory of emissions and looks at 50,000 power stations. Its data was compiled by the Center for Global Development, a US think-tank.

>Carma points out that while US power plants emit the most CO2, releasing 2.5bn tonnes into the atmosphere each year, Australian power stations are the least efficient on a per capita basis, with emissions of 10 tonnes, compared with the US’s 8.2 tonnes. China’s power sector emits the second-highest total amount of carbon dioxide, pumping 2.4bn tonnes of the gas into the atmosphere annually. >However, its emissions are only one fifth of Australia’s when measured on a per capita basis.

>Kevin Ummel, a research assistant at the Center for Global Development, hoped the online inventory would help the push towards a low carbon future.>> >

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With all the talk of gas prices and being more eco-friendly….plus transportation issues in our state, which I’m sure are present in other states.  PLUS the problems with the airline industry… 

I wonder why those in charge of railroads haven’t attempted to capitalize on the situation.  Why not use trains more?  Granted it’s not as quick as driving or flying…but it could be way more convenient.  And that’s a sell as speed to consumers.  I’d take a train somewhere…but I love trains.  However, I believe if advertised correctly, the populous would try trains more.  The key is to make sure you point out that travelling by train is easier, more affordable (if it is, I haven’t run the numbers) and most importantly is apart of the thinking: “Getting there is half the fun!”.

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Waste not, want not, does not really apply to fashion. Every season designers give us a delectable new array of goodies to choose from and even though most of my clothes (ok, all of my clothes) from last year are in perfect condition and able to be worn again I am usually tired of them and ready for something new. So I clean out my closet (I do keep and re-wear quite a few pieces) and then re-stock with all the new must-haves my wallet will allow!

This does however make me feel a tad wasteful and I was only too thrilled when I found a designer who uses recycled cashmere fabric to create gorgeous, artsy and eco-friendly sweaters. Burning Torch creates, each season limited edition sweaters that are patched together with luxurious cashmere extras left over from production thus not wasting any fabric. Plus, these sweaters are so gorgeous and timeless you will reach for them season after season. It’s a win win, look good while doing good! Burning Torch recycled cashmere sweaters available at www.bluebee.com and www.burningtorchboutique.com.

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Home for the holidays

I was at SDM last night, and found these.

there’s actually a sale at the site for the set. Pretty good deal. and it’s environmentally friendly.

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It’s just too long since I covered any shiny pretty things, so here’s LunaBrite. This immensely lovely lighting system is said to be eco-friendly, child safe, non-toxic and weather resistant.

Although information is a bit sparse (the website is pretty, but not very informative), I’ve gleaned that they are fully solar, probably, as they don’t need any batteries or electricity, and recharge in sunlight. I say probably, since there are patents out for bio-luminescent and chemo-luminescent light sources, and hybrids of these and other lights. LunaBrite lights are supposed to fully recharge after about 30 minutes of sunlight, and to glow for up to 12 hours, gradually fading as they lose charge.

The website does speculate on where LunaBrite systems might be applied, giving a gorgeous illustration of the lights being used to illuminate the edges of a harbour walkway.  They have probably made the light casing sew-able or glue-able, too, since their other ideas are for sports clothing piping. I particularly like the glowing trainers, though.

Personally, I’d mostly like to glue it to my skirting board tops, along my hall, stairs and landing, and dispense with the need for electric lights in those areas altogether. I think they’d look so lovely that I’d actually look forward to night-time.

Amanda
 

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Try to combine trips in the car.

Several short trips begun when the engine is cold creates unnecessary air pollution.

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>For quite some time I have believed in the benefits of organic food, after all we really must take care with what we ingest.  Over the past few years I have been noticing organic cotton around.  I felt it was a bit too expensive to waste money on.  Never stopping to think about the fact that it is grown in the very same soil where we grow our food.  That the run off affects the very same water we drink every day.  I started to look a bit more into cotton to see exactly what the facts were.  This is what I discovered:

>Cotton Facts:

>Conventional cotton cultivation inflicts a heavy environmental toll. 

• >Cotton uses approximately 25% of the world’s insecticides and more than 10% of the pesticides (including herbicides, insecticides, and defoliants.).
• >Cotton pesticides can enter the human food chain via cotton seed oil used in processed foods. The meat and dairy products from cows fed cottonseed meal, trash from cotton gins and cotton straw may also contain pesticides that were applied to cotton.
• >Eighty-four million pounds of pesticides were sprayed on the 14.4 million acres of conventional cotton grown in the U.S. in 2000 (5.85 pounds/ acre), ranking cotton second behind corn in total amount of pesticides sprayed.
• >Over 2.03 billion pounds of synthetic fertilizers were applied to conventional cotton the same year (142 pounds/acre), making cotton the fourth most heavily fertilized crop behind corn, winter wheat, and soybeans.
• >The Environmental Protection Agency considers seven of the top 15 pesticides used on cotton in 2000 in the United States as “possible,” “likely,” “probable,” or “known” human carcinogens (acephate, dichloropropene, diuron, fluometuron, pendimethalin, tribufos, and trifluralin).
• >It takes roughly one-third of a pound of chemicals (pesticides and fertilizers) to grow enough cotton for just one T-shirt.

>In contrast, organic cotton has all the benefits of >organic agriculture>, in addition to providing stronger, healthier cotton. For now it costs a little more, but the benefits far outweigh the costs.

>Source: >The Sustainable Cotton Project

>I was amazed at the impact what we wear & sleep on can have on the environment.  I wondered why I had never thought about it before.  Now, I’m not going to throw out all of my cotton items & buy organic but I am going start buying the organic versions when I have the need and opportunity.  Each of us doing our part to help protect the planet we live on can have major impacts on the health of everyone!  Tomorrow I want to look more into sustainability.

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