The Future of Wind Power?

Wind power on a micro scale poses several problems for the average green household.  The first being the size of a wind turbine required to generate sufficient green electricity to actually run your home?s electrics, the second being the cost of buying your wind turbine. 

 

The basic design of wind-turbines hasn?t really altered all that much from the original and traditional image of the old-fashioned windmill that was used to grind flour for bread or pump water generations ago. 

 

However, a revolution in wind power technology is now on the horizon with the invention by a young inventor that has created a completely new device to generate green energy, on the micro-scale.  The Wind Beld is a completely new approach being the first that uses aeroelastic flutter to create super cheap electricity ?  having fewer moving parts than traditional wind turbines, less energy is wasted as friction so it will produce green energy that is about 10 times more efficient than conventionally produced wind generated electricity. 

 

Initially the devise is likely to be developed for developing countries, where many homes are off-grid and already reliant on more expensive solar energy, but there is no reason that the invention wont also find it?s way in to your back-yard.


Tags:  wind home

 
Manuka Honey

If you know a little about the health benefits of manuka honey but want to know more, there's a new website to help you.

The New Zealand Honey Shop focuses on providing information as well as products, so that you can learn more about manuka honey, its healing properties, and that the properties of different manuka honey are not the same.

 

The website provides information about how to distinguish what honey the health benefit research is based on. Includes guidance about how different types of  manuka honey can help with digestive problems, wound care, burns, ulcers and more. With news, and links to some of the research, the site is a valuable honey information source.

 

The site has a huge range of Comvita honey to buy from their online shop. If you like to pamper yourself, they stock a range of honey based skin care. The Living Nature range is all natural and chemical and paraben free, using natural and wild crafted ingredients.

 

Both Comvita and Living Nature are well recognised in New Zealand for their sustainable business practices, with Comvita having won a peoples choice award for this in 2006. 


Tags:  honey health skin

 
Hot Piccalilly Fair Trade Cotton
picallilly Piccalilly was set up in 2006 by Hannah Evans, an ex-graduate of the Royal College of Art. Hannah felt that there was a gap in the market for bright and modern ethical clothing and wanted to prove that you don?t have to compromise on style to care. Hannah spent much of 2006 sourcing suppliers and developing ranges for the launch of Piccalilly. Piccalilly now work with a range of suppliers from a large Calcutta based business who only use organic cotton, are fairtrade certified and they employ over 200 people in full time employment.

Piccalilly also work with a number of very small family run businesses who produce hand made products. These companies tend to use conventional cotton as they don?t have access to the limited supplies of organic cotton. Hannah places small repeat orders throughout the year with these businesses and sends regular advances to enable these suppliers to cash flow production of her garments.

 


 
Green Building Made Easy
A Web site called CalFinder provides visitors from the USA with a range of very real methods of installing green building techniques in your home, whether you are renovating or building from scratch.


First, you should choose exterior materials that will require minimal repainting and waterproofing and that optimizes, or avoids, the use of wood. When residing your home, take that opportunity to install rigid foam insulation.


There are two types of active solar heating retrofits: one is a solar hot water fluid collector that heats a fluid that is circulated within them. The other is an air collector that heats air for distribution to the house with fans. In addition, photo voltaic panels with hundreds of small silicon cells that collect the sun?s energy and change it into electricity that can be used in the home.


In the attic, install a radiant barrier on the underside of the roof, which will reduce heat gains through the ceiling by 95%. In the basement, it?s important to remedy wetness and mold issues before deciding to do anything with that space. Then, add living area that fulfills your family?s needs.


In the kitchen, you should install facilities that make basic recycling simple to do on a regular basis. A high performance shower head uses only 1 ? 1.5 gallons of water per shower, which is up to 60% less than is used in a traditional showerhead. You should also repair or replace old dripping faucets, update toilets to the low flow type, replace dishwashers and clothes washers with the new, efficient Energy Star models.


Amazingly, over 75,000 synthetic chemicals have been released into our atmosphere since World War II. You should certainly avoid these chemicals in your baby?s nursery. In order to accomplish this, make sure that the nursery is painted with no VOC (volatile organic compounds) paint and utilize solid wood flooring.
 
Travellers get ethical in Africa

More volunteers are heading for Africa


Kate Plummer, Marketing Manager at Acacia Adventure Holidays comments: ?We?ve seen a 20% increase over 2007 towards the charitable or volunteering aspects of our tours.  We feel that the high profile campaigns for example, ?Live 8?, have had a real impact on the choices people make where holidays are concerned, and people readily identify with their musical icons who are highlighting issues relevant to Africa. 

 

Ethical travellers


There?s a fairly even split between both sexes in terms of ethical trips and this relates to singles, couples or groups of friends ? the common denominator being that they want to give something back to the host community they are visiting.?
 
?We?ve also coined the term for a new phenomenon in the market, that of the ?mini-gap? ? where people want an alternative to the gap year that offers a similar experience. Volunteering is sound option for this group and while these adventurers might have been considering the longer gap year option, knowing that we can package something similar, on a value for money basis and in a shorter time frame often makes sense whether the traveller is between studies or taking a break from their career.?
 
Adventurers on the 8-day Tanzanian Trail itinerary now have the option to participate in a further 6-day volunteering holiday.  Travellers will gain an insight into the Amani Project in Moshi ? a charity that aims to  help the growing number of street children and kids affected with HIV/Aids.  Day to day activities might involve helping the kids in their lessons,  assisting with odd jobs, labouring or working in the home?s kitchens, but  afternoons are free to explore the local area. 


Participants can enjoy various  activities including, horse riding around the lower slopes of Mount  Kilimanjaro and swimming in the Kikuletwa Hot Springs (a location which also  doubles as a great picnic spot) or alternatively volunteers can simply  chill-out and take in the scenery from the NEW Coffee Tree Hotel ? (no doubt  taking it?s name from the fantastic locally produced coffee) which offers  first rate views of the mountain.  Volunteers are also free to  spend their afternoons having an energetic kick  about on the makeshift football field with the kids, leaving the evening free to check out  the local bars and Moshi?s live entertainment. (?795pp + local payment from  ?304pp with year round weekly departures).  The price includes all tour highlights as listed on the website, transport, road tolls and taxes, camping and cooking equipment, most meals, services of tour leader and driver, transfers to and from the project site and shared accommodation at the Amani project (based on two people sharing). Excludes return international flight, visas, departure taxes, transfers, and flexible local payment excursions.  

Highlights on the 8-day Tanzanian Trail include, Lake Victoria, the Serengeti, the Olduvai Gorge and the Ngorongoro Crater.

 


 
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