D.I.Y Planet Cooling

[Valhalla]

Michaelangelica -

"There must be lots of things we can do on an individual level to slow Global Warming.
There are lots of clever people here so any ideas?"


What about wind turbines? I think in some european countries they pay their people to keep a wind turbine on their land. It's a clean way of producing power. Some people say they are un-sightly, but I don't think they are that bad. I read something about off-shore wind turbines, and the UK gets enough wind off the atlantic, so the only real reason I can think of why it isn't done is because there is less money in it, compared with other power sources. Denmark has about 1/4 of their electricity generated by wind power though - good on them!

[Michaelangelica]

http://www.app.com/apps/pbcs.dll/art...0317/1006/LIFE

GET PLUGGED IN

Educate yourself about

environmentally responsible travel.

Subscribe to the digital version of the newsletter of the International Ecotourism Society; (202) 347-9203.

Get ideas for your next trip from Lonely Planet's "Code Green." The book offers advice ranging from taking your used batteries home when you travel in developing countries, to vacationing on a windjammer up in Maine. These historic wind-powered schooners only use their back-up engines when coming in and out of harbors; a few have no engines and rely on small motor boats to tug them along.

Or join the Google Groups discussion on green travel. The same Web site also profiles "green" attractions in five cities — Las Vegas; Los Angeles; New York City; Orlando, Fla.; and San Francisco — such as L.A.'s Audubon Center at Debs Park, which is considered one of the country's most environmentally friendly buildings.

ON THE WEB: Visit our Web site, www.app.com, and click on this story in Jersey Life for links to Climate Care and Google Groups discussion on green travel.

[Michaelangelica]

http://www.chattanoogan.com/articles/article_94288.asp

According to Mr. Mazria, buildings and their construction account for nearly half of all the greenhouse gas emissions and energy consumed annually in the United States. Globally, the percentage is even higher.

Taking gas guzzlers off the road and replacing them with hybrids would have only a minimal effect on energy use and global warming, he said. Designing and constructing buildings that use less energy would have a far greater effect.

That�s because we drive our vehicles only about 12 years before they are replaced by more efficient vehicles, he said. Buildings, on the other hand, have lifespans of at least 50 to 100 years.

Architects already know that buildings can be designed to require less than half the energy of today's average U.S. building, he said.

This is achieved � at no additional cost � through strategies such as proper siting, improved design, selection of building materials and incorporating natural heating, cooling and ventilation.

[CraigD]

Originally Posted by Michaelangelica quoting Judy Frank quoting Edward Mazria

Taking gas guzzlers off the road and replacing them with hybrids would have only a minimal effect on energy use and global warming, he said. Designing and constructing buildings that use less energy would have a far greater effect.

That’s because we drive our vehicles only about 12 years before they are replaced by more efficient vehicles, he said. Buildings, on the other hand, have lifespans of at least 50 to 100 years.

Mazria makes a good point about the relative importance of energy efficiency in buildings and vehicles, but distorts, I think, in describing the effect of hybrid vehicles as “minimal”, and building improvements as “far greater”. In high-energy consumer nations like the US and UK, vehicles use about 36% of total artificially produced energy, while buildings, including such things as lighting and appliances, which are replaceable, with typical lifespans similar to vehicles, use about 43%. Both are significant targets for efficiency improvements.

There’s also data disproving that in the past, and casting doubt that in the future, vehicles “are replaced by more efficient vehicles”. Although this was true in the US from 1975 to 1987, when average non-comercial vehicle efficiency increased from 16 to 28 MPG, from 1987 to 2000, it decreased to 24 MPG (see http://www.aceee.org/energy/effact.htm). Other sources (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Corpora...rent_standards) put the peak effieciency in 1987, but at 22.1 MPG, decreasing to 20.8 in 2004.

Although consumer concerns with cost of gasoline has made such high efficiency (about 50 MPG) vehicles as the Toyota Prius a sales success, manufacturers appear to be increasinging focusing on the use of hybrid power systems in lower efficiency (typically 30 MPG), more traditionally attractive vehicles, such as the Mercury Mariner and the Toyota Camry. Even lower emission alternatives, such as electric vehicles, while offering dramatic environmental and health benefits, are not certain to result in significantly lower total energy consumption, as consumers may continue to opt for lower efficiency vehicles over higher.

[Michaelangelica]

International Day of Action on Climate Change is on Saturday November 4 2006.


More information can be found on
www.walkagainstwarming.org

There will walks in Sydney Parramatta, Canberra, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide, Perth and Cairns all on the 4 November.

[Little Bang]

Did anyone see Nova's ( Dimming The Sun )? I have a three year old grand daughter that won't see her 50th birthday if we don't do something quickly.

[Turtle]

Originally Posted by Little Bang

Did anyone see Nova's ( Dimming The Sun )? I have a three year old grand daughter that won't see her 50th birthday if we don't do something quickly.

Let's knot jerk our knees , but yes i saw it. We have a Hypog thread on it here

[Zythryn]

Yes, it was very interesting.
I don't believe your grand-daughter will meet her end due to global warming in the next 50 years (she may not be able to live in Fla;o)).

It is a critical issue, but no need to panic. Do what you can individually (recycle, compact fluoresent bulbs, better efficiency, etc) and keep in mind the importance of how we treat our enviornment when voting.

[Little Bang]

I do not understand how you could look at that show and not be scared to death for your children. Here is another little peice of information, over the past 400,00 years the CO 2 levels have gone up and down between 200 and 280 ppm. that rise produced a 10 degree C change each time that it went up to 280. Currently it is right at 350 ppm. If you interpolate for that rise we should have had over the past 100 years another 10 degree rise. The industrialized nations are passing laws to reduce the amount of particulates they are currently putting into the atmosphere. The permian extinction is going to look like a party compared to what looms on the horizion. There is a solution if it's not already to late. After any women gives birth to a live child she has a hysterectomy.

[Michaelangelica]

Some suggestions for personal action
http://www.nrdc.org/air/energy/genergy.asp
and

Plant a tree.
You can also make a difference in your own backyard.
Get a group in your neighborhood together and contact your local arborist or urban forester about planting trees on private property and public land.
In addition to storing carbon, trees planted in and around urban areas and residences can provide much-needed shade in the summer, reducing energy bills and fossil fuel use.

http://www.ucsusa.org/global_warming...solutions.html

The government here is giving people a $2,000 grant to help convert their cars to natural gas.
Is this a good option?
I have read that natural gas produces methane on combustion .
Methane is the number 2 greenhose gas

PS
Here is some good stuff on the importance of forests
http://www.ucsusa.org/global_warming...te-change.html
Although some even suggest they might produce methane too.

I wonder about Australian Forests; with our current severe, unprecedented drought a lot of the Southern States will go up in flames this Christmas. Eucalyptus oil burns real well.