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Posts Tagged ‘eco’

A Public Service Campaign of the American Advertising Federation 4th District.

Cruising companies have recently felt the persuasive powers of various governments, who have asked them to clean up their act and develop ships that are more sustainable and environmentally viable. The extent to which cruise ships damage the environment really entered the public’s consciousness a few years ago with a number of critical expert reports released to the media, and this is something cruise companies wish to put behind them. Couple this with the increased taxes that vessels are now receiving based on carbon emissions, and there is real motivations to innovate. Here are 3 of the latest ‘green’ cruising developments.

More Efficient Ships. The effect of ship design and construction on the environment was not top priority twenty years ago, but now ship builders are using clever materials and efficient designs. 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 Engines. Automobiles that rely on both fuel combustion and battery power have been around for a little while now and have proved very popular. 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 a ship comes into harbor it is connected to the shoreside power source and gets a quick charge up of its huge batteries

Sharing Cargo. A great idea being trialled by Oceania Cruises is ‘cargo sharing’. When a cruise ship has spare room onboard, they effectively rent it out to companies wishing to transport cargo to the destination on the ships path. The cruise company wins as they get money they would otherwise not have got, the cargo company does not have to charter its own boat, and energy is saved that reduces carbon emissions.

Cruising companies have recently felt the persuasive powers of various governments, who have asked them to clean up their act and develop ships that are more sustainable and environmentally viable. The extent to which cruise ships damage the environment really entered the public’s consciousness a few years ago with a number of critical expert reports released to the media, and this is something cruise companies wish to put behind them. Couple this with the increased taxes that vessels are now receiving based on carbon emissions, and there is real motivations to innovate. Here are 3 of the latest ‘green’ cruising developments.

More Efficient Ships. The effect of ship design and construction on the environment was not top priority twenty years ago, but now ship builders are using clever materials and efficient designs. 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 Engines. Automobiles that rely on both fuel combustion and battery power have been around for a little while now and have proved very popular. 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 a ship comes into harbor it is connected to the shoreside power source and gets a quick charge up of its huge batteries

Sharing Cargo. A great idea being trialled by Oceania Cruises is ‘cargo sharing’. When a cruise ship has spare room onboard, they effectively rent it out to companies wishing to transport cargo to the destination on the ships path. The cruise company wins as they get money they would otherwise not have got, the cargo company does not have to charter its own boat, and energy is saved that reduces carbon emissions.

Ok, so the original Bamboo PC was just a gimmick. The laptop launched at the Hanover computer fair last March, with a laminated bamboo casing around a pretty conventional computer won’t make a dent in the rising tide of plastics sold around the world.

But it was a little demonstration of what can be done, and, if proof of bamboo’s versatility were required, consider it proven.

Surely bamboo must be the only plant that is a source of building materials, clothing and food. One of Edison’s early light bulbs had a carbonised bamboo filament. Its strength, resilience and cheapness make it a widely used scaffolding material throughout Asia. Fibres from bamboo poles are extremely strong, it both tension and compression terms. It’s compressive strength works out around twice that of concrete, bamboo also has the same tensile strength to weight ratio as steel. And now there’s a bamboo laptop!

Bamboo will please anyone whose buying eco-friendly home furnishings. For a start, bamboo is an extremely sustainable material. Some species of bamboo grow at more than a metre every day. The locals that live close to these fantastic plants are able top cut down as much bamboo as they need while still having the same sized forest at the end of the year as they did at the beginning. As for the global warming question, because the bamboo is a plant, anything that’s been made from it contains a large proportion of atmospheric carbon. Any plastic equivalent has added to the atmosphere’s carbon level!

Another point is that because bamboo is a plant source, there are many variations between two plants, these variations make it a difficult material to use in a mass production process. This means that when buying a bamboo product, you can be quite sure that it’s been hand crafted. If you go to a reputable source you’ll also know that the craftsman got a fair wage for his or her work, and that no one was exploited by western buying power. The last thing is that you can be sure that your purchased product won’t have accumulated any air miles since it’s creation.

With eco credentials this strong, it’s a surprise bamboo built products are so beautiful. Picture a skilfully made bamboo box, lovingly lacquered with 15 layers of natural shellac. Stylish and all natural at the same time. I myself bought a fantastic, hand-crafted bamboo knife block and am seriously considering following suit with other bamboo bamboo knife block such as fruit bowls. Stylish and ethical. Win.

Having a eco-friendly home doesn’t necessarily mean switching the heating off and sitting cross-legged in a circle. In fact, an eco-friendly home is far from the traditional, hippy image it’s often painted with – an eco-friendly home is all about being practical.

After all you don’t need to be living in a treehouse to be concerned about the environment. Global warming is a problem that affects every one of us and we all have to make the changes to our lifestyles if we want to see a difference.

Of course, an eco-friendly home isn’t just about saving the environment, it’s also about saving you money, something which can’t be ignored in this economic climate. Cutting down on energy usage within your home really is a win-win situation for both you and the environment.

One of the easiest ways in which you could cut down on your energy usage is to switch to energy efficient lightbulbs. Although it may seem like you’re getting a raw deal in terms of the amount of light you will be getting, energy efficient lightbulbs actually produce just as much light as a normal lightbulb whilst using less energy.

Tumble driers are another big energy hog and one that can easily be replaced with a proper drying system. While you might feel likes a clothes horse takes up to much space and takes too long to dry things, you could always opt for a clothes airer. A clother airer is basically a drying rank which is lowered for you to put the clothes on and then hoisted up to the ceiling (the warmest part of the room) where the clothes are hung to dry. These airers mean there is more space on the ground and the clothes dry faster than with a regular clothes horse.

Of course if you have a garden or even a small back yard, you can always set up a clothes line which will dry the clothes much faster and save you a lot more money.

Switching your energy supplier is yet another way in which you can make your home more eco-friendly. There are a growing number of energy suppliers which generate electricity from wind farms, hydro stations and other eco-friendly methods to choose from. Online comparison sites will allow you to compare just how much using an eco-friendly energy supplier will cost you allowing you to weight up the ethical benefits against the financial.

Aside from switching your energy supplier, there are other companies that you might consider choosing based on their green and ethical credentials. Bank accounts are one example of this and while you may wonder what difference this makes, the main difference is where the banks invest their money. You see banks, aside from charging you interest on loans, mortgages and home insurance, often make their money through external investments.

Although most banks like to keep their investments private, in recent years a lot of these investments have been made public, with the most unethical thrown into the spotlight. Ethical banks on the other hand generally have a transparent approach to their external investments, only investing in companies who meet their rigorous standards and allowing those who bank with them to see exactly where their money goes.

So creating a more environmentally friendly home isn’t about creating a commune, it’s all about creating small changes that will make a big difference to the environment and your wallet.

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