(Outdoor pets) Living Green is Good for the Environment and for You
No commentsBy SimonSkinner
You hear a lot these days about how important it is to live a greener life that you should lighten your carbon footprint on the earth. Sometimes it seems like we’re getting lectured everywhere we turn.
But there are several ways you can live a greener life that are easy to implement. Most cities have garbage services that pick up recyclable materials in addition to your trash. It is simple to set up a separate container for cardboard, plastics and other recyclables. On trash day, your garbage service takes it away and does all the hard work of recycling all those materials.
Another easy way to live greener is to join your local Freecycle email list. Instead of throwing away items and buying new stuff all the time, use the Freecycle list. If you have an item you don’t want anymore, simply list it. Chances are, someone in your community can use it and they’ll come take it off your hands for free. Likewise, if you need something, post your needs and see if someone can help you score the items for free. This reduces trash in the landfills, and everyone gets what they want.
When you do things around the house, there are a lot of green products you can use that cost very little. If you replace your standard incandescent light bulbs with energy-saver bulbs, you can save a considerable amount on your energy bill, and the costs of the bulbs are very similar to the incandescent bulbs. These compact fluorescents last much longer than a traditional bulb as well as using less energy.
Out in the yard, solar lights can save energy and help illuminate dark areas. There are enough different designs on the market now at varying prices to make them affordable to most people. They don’t require an electrician to install them, and with the new solar technologies, they are brighter than solar lights used to be. They even have solar powered holiday lights you can use to decorate your yard without using cords and increasing your electric bill.
Another place to go green and save money is with batteries. Today’s rechargeable batteries last a long time, recharge easily, and save you money. When they finally do run out of their charging ability, rechargeable batteries are recyclable. Just drop them off at your local hardware store for recycling along with any broken fluorescent bulbs.
As you can see, it is easy to begin going green. It is not only good for the environment, it is better for you and it will save you money. Living green will soon become a habit, and before you know it, you’ll be looking for more ways to be even greener. So don’t be afraid to take that first step. It’s easier than you think.
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Green Building Design - Not Just For New Builds
By Dominic Donaldson
Economic and climatic changes are afoot resulting in some major upheavals in engineering and construction legislation. An attitude shift in a greener direction when it comes to development is being welcomed in the industry. Recently, one of the most coveted awards available in architecture was awarded to a group who combined their knowledge to build sustainable housing on a brownfield site in the UK. The use of energy saving materials and energy saving methods combine to produce accommodation that has a chance of being rated as carbon zero.
The targets set by the British government for domestic builds are to meet sustainable development legislation by 2016, and for commercial premises to adhere to the new rules by 2019. The current housing minister reportedly said that half the UK’s carbon emissions are from buildings; so theoretically, if designing greener buildings is made a priority, the country should be well on the way to meeting EU carbon emission reduction targets. By focussing on insulation and ventilation, ways to re-use water, and using energy from sustainable sources, engineering companies are designing green buildings with the future in mind.
Existing developments have proved that opting for green building design does not necessarily equate to being a costly development scheme. In fact, by utilising energy saving methods to produce energy saving buildings, it is likely that cost will be reduced in comparison to traditional builds. For those builds that are costly to implement, it has been estimated that the return on investment could be seen within three years. If Britain is serious about meeting targets for sustainable development, then a look at green building practices from around the world could shed light on good practices.
Working towards a greener future in building design is not confined to new builds; the upgrading of existing buildings can in itself be the first foot on the carbon zero ladder. With existing buildings making up the majority of carbon gushing properties, relying on environmentally sound new developments to combat emission levels could be a fallacy. Implementing changes through retro-fitting in commercial and domestic premises will help to reduce emission levels. This tactic is already being deployed in the Netherlands and there is currently a major project underway in Nottingham in the UK.
Rather than use an existing house as a starting point, researchers have re-built a 1930s house and plan to upgrade it in stages. The reason for this is to assess each upgrade for effectiveness in a way that mimics the reality of a domestic upgrade. It is expected that the work will be stretched out over three years and in that time an existing house will match the requirements for carbon zero legislation expected from new builds.
This affordable and creative approach to sustainable building design is the attitude that is needed in the construction and engineering industry as well as from the Government. The public are ready and willing to embrace the changes that are afoot, but implementation of governmental policy is needed to make it happen. With a system that saves money for constructor and consumer and has the potential for saving the planet too, up to date building designs for old and new properties will see brownfield sites blossoming into greenbelt havens.
Dominic Donaldson is an expert in the environmental engineering industry.
Find out more about green building design in the environmental engineering industry at URS Corp.
Thursday, November 20th, 2008 at 9:00 pm and is filed under environmental. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
