A to Z on Going Green!

Time for some radical change in our lives! I devised my personal eco-list of what I think are essential environmental facts for the Mr and Miss Fabulous. There are so many ‘green’ words flying around that I decided to cut through it all and give you my run down of A to Zee in going green…

A = Architecturally green. Green buildings / sustainable architecture focuses the efficiency of resource use such as water, energy, materials, while reducing building impacts on the environment  through better location, design, construction and maintenance.

B = Bamboo. Now the latest hot green item is to have bamboo material clothing, which is soft and comfy. Just divine!

C = Compost. Put your waste food, banana peel etc into a compost heat in the garden and hey presto you’ll eventually have your own great fertilizer that has been recycled and organic.

D = Disposal. A huge problem so how to be less wasteful with our disposal of trash? We can’t get away from waste, but the motto “Reduce, Reuse, Recycle, Replenish, Restore” is useful to adopt.

E = Earth Day. Celebrated on April 22, recognised by UN, this day is commemorated worldwide to inspire awareness and appreciation for the Earth’s environment.

F = Forest Stewardship Council (FSC). It’s the paper print to have! They promote the responsible management of the world’s forests, meaning that with the logo on your product, you ascribe to being responsible in your printing.

G = Geothermal. Ok so it’s not something you can do at home but it’s an important way of energy-saving and reducing carbon emissions. Basically power is extracted from heat stored in the earth. It’s got nothing to do with keeping your thermals (underwear) warm!

H = Hybrid cars. Ok so if you’re not ready to charge your electric car, meet half way and get the hybrid car like the famous Toyota Prius. In any case, you’ll cut down costs on petrol.

I = Inhabitat.com a great design website for everything green, featuring architecture, interiors, products, technology, fashion, energy and transportation. Check it out!

J = Jungle. Yes our jungles are being devastated. So maybe next time you’re on vacation, why not do some volunteer work with jungle conservation to help preserve the jungle’s biodiversity. A travel website I love is www.responsibletravel.com that can help you find the ideal volunteer responsible tourism vacation in every part of the world (incl Malaysia!).

K = Kiehl’s. My favourite high-end brand, men and women skincare range, Kiehl’s has committed to doing their part in saving the environment. From planting pear trees in New York to donating profits to several environmental initiatives, Kiehl’s has recently launched a new go-green campaign in Malaysia – “Make a difference”.

L = Light bulbs. By replacing a standard bulb with a compact fluorescent one you will get more light for less money and save a lot of energy, plus it emits heat. Now that makes sense!

M = Minimize. Ok sounds basic, but an effective way in being green is to minimize water use. For instance, many hotels offer recycling towels in order to cut down on washing and water usage.

N = Neal’s Yard Remedies. My old-time favourite organic skin and bodycare range from London’s Neal’s Yard. Love those blue bottles and the shop is straight out of an apothecary’s dream.

O = Organic. Anything organic or bio is a good alternative. Fromorganic cosmetics to organic cotton to organic food – try it! It’s painless.

P = Photovoltaic panels. These solar panels help us reduce carbon emissons by generating electricity using the sun’s heat, whilst the thermal solar panels help us save energy by heating water. Probably a little tough during rainy season but something’s better than nothing!

Q = Quota for carbon emissions. For example the EU has reduced its carbon emission quotas (which they can use to offset and trade carbon emissions). Basically it’s used to control pollution by providing economic incentives for achieving reductions in the emissions of carbon and other pollutants.

R = Recycled or Recyclable or Recycling. What else? Always check the symbol and make sure your area supports recycling processes because the trap is that your product can’t be recycled.  Also do put the appropriate items in your proper recycling bins.

S = Stella McCartney. She’s all about animal rights, fair trade and being environmentally friendly. Love her clothing, makeup and style! She’s the designer to have in your green wardrobe.

T = Tesla Roadster. If riding a bike isn’t practical then why not opt for the hot new Tesla Roadster that’s 100% electric powered? Cost pennies per mile, 0-60 in 3.9 seconds and actually doesn’t look half bad!

U = Urbanism. It’s the study of urban cities and  their geographic, economic, political, social, cultural, and environmental impact. It’s important today as we have to restructure our urban cities to be more ecologically friendly.

V = Velib. Take Paris’ free bicycles and get around on the most greenest of transports. Plus you lose weight at the same time and get fit. It’s a win-win!

W = WWF (World Wildlife Fund For Nature). No not wrestling. Of course if you’re a friend of Mother Earth than you’ll be supporting our friendly panda. WWF is an international organisation for the conservation of nature.

X = Xtra effort. Ok so I’m cheating but you try and find some ecological word beginning with X! So my green friends, to state the obvious, we have to make extra effort. Each little contribution and change does help!

 

Y = “Yes We Can”. Obama’s refreshing change compared to Bush on environmental policy. President Obama wants to create more green jobs for further sustainability.

Z = Zero carbon emissions. Problem is that a lot of people talk about zero carbon emissions and the reality is that to be zero you have to reduce AND offset your carbon emissions, which means you’re always emitting some carbon.  But we can all try to aim for zero carbon emissions. Look at Disney’s targets for zero waste and zero carbon emissions!

Plug in Hybrid Cars

With gas prices going out of the roof, it is no wonder people are looking toward hybrid cars for their saving grace. Hybrids have been on the market for years and are extremely popular in California and other eco-aware states. However, the average person likely knows very little about hybrid cars, trucks, and SUVs.

The biggest reason most people have bought hybrid car models in the past is because they are so much better for the environment. In fact, they let off much fewer pollutants than the average vehicle. With global warming being a big issue, those who are environmentally concerned are turning to hybrids for part of the answer to the problem. A bigger reason people today are drawn to hybrid car models however is because they really do get better gas mileage. Since they run partially on electric battery, they burn less fuel both in the city and on the highway. In fact, they can get about 11 mpg more than a traditional identical model of the same car. So, as the world is not likely to see a break in gas prices anytime soon, the hybrid car models are looking better and better each day.

If you are interested in learning more about hybrid car models, hop on the Internet and start researching different models. Almost every major car manufacturer is offering several hybrid models, with more expected to be on the market in the next few years. You can even find big trucks and SUVs made as hybrid car models, so there is literally something for everyone.

2008 Mazda

The stylish Mazda, includes:

- Redesigned grille, front and rear bumpers, 16- and 17-inch alloy wheels, and gauges
- Standard side and curtain airbags
- New five-speed sport mode automatic transmission replaces four-speed automatic
- New LED taillights on GT model
- Front mud guards standard on GS model
- Side sill extensions deleted from GS model
- Automatic climate control and outside temperature gauge standard on GT
- New second-row cool air vents with fan speed control (with a/c)
- Front passenger seat includes inner armrest; second-row seats include outer armrests
- Standard auxiliary audio input
- Bluetooth hands-free phone system standard on GT model
- Integrated navigation system with touch screen and six-CD changer available on GT model
- Interior colours: Sand and Black added, Espresso Brown leather deleted

For 2008, the Mazda5 enjoys a mild facelift, with new exterior styling cues, new instrument gauges and trim changes.

Porches in Canada

The resurgence of the Canadian dollar has led to a price break for Canadians interested in purchasing a Porsche.

Porsche Cars North America is the first automaker to announce that it will be sharply reducing the prices of its vehicles sold in Canada. Overall, the price of a 2007 Porsche model compared to a 2008 will go down a full 10%, so a 2007 Cayman that cost $69,600 in Canada last year will cost $63,500 today. Unfortunately, a 2008 Cayman in the U.S. still only starts at $49,400, but at least it’s something.

Peter Schwarzenbauer, President and CEO of Porsche Cars North America, Inc., said yesterday in a press release:

“We cannot ignore our customers and dealers in Canada who can look to the U.S. and recognize a substantial price difference.”

With the Canadian dollar currently sitting around $1.02, it should quite interesting when, and if other carmakers follow suit.

HYBRID CARS

Going Green: How Tomorrow’s Cars Will Be Kinder to the Environment



The car industry is currently undergoing a green revolution, with a number of exciting new technologies vying to challenge the predominance of petrol and diesel and put an end to the internal combustion engine’s negative effects on the environment.

For many years now, private cars have been a favourite target of environmental campaigners, mainly due to the harmful emissions that all internal-combustion engines release into the atmosphere. Their effect was illustrated starkly several times in the 1970s when ‘car-mad’ cities like Los Angeles and London were frequently shrouded in a thick, polluting smog. Car manufacturers have been working on improving their products’ environmental credentials for quite some time now. The most significant developments of the last quarter of a century include the rollout of unleaded fuel, as well as the mandatory fitment of catalytic converters, which remove many of the most harmful elements of vehicle exhaust fumes, to all new cars. But as the 21st century dawned, talk of diminishing oil supplies and the ongoing threat of global warming has incentivised both carmakers and governments to accelerate development of the technologies that will one day take over completely from those in the cars for sale today, which remain dependent on fossil fuels.

 

Hybrid cars, as the name suggests, represent a half-way house between traditional petrol- and diesel-engined models and the next generation of electrically propelled vehicles. Essentially, a hybrid car is one that combines an internal-combustion engine with an electric motor, powered by large batteries, to provide propulsion. There are two distinct forms of hybrid drivetrain: parallel and series. In a parallel hybrid, both the combustion engine and electric motor are connected to the transmission. Both engines are capable of powering the car, either at the same time or separately. In a series hybrid, only the electric motor is connected to the transmission, and it is solely responsible for propulsion. The combustion engine is connected to a generator to recharge the electric motor’s batteries; it is not responsible for any motion. There are already a number of hybrid cars for sale right now from various manufacturers, with the most popular and recognisable being Toyota’s Prius, now in its third generation. Japanese rival Honda has recently launched its second-generation Insight hybrid, and Toyota’s upmarket brand Lexus offers hybrid versions of its luxury SUVs and executive saloons. These are all parallel hybrids, but General Motors in the US is currently developing the Chevrolet Volt, which should be among the first series hybrid cars to go on sale to the general public.

In the longer term, however, it is likely that hybrids, which still require some fossil fuel, will be superseded by exclusively electric-powered cars. Many governments worldwide are undertaking initiatives to get electric cars for sale to the public as soon as possible. Indeed, a Norwegian minister has proposed banning the sale of all new petrol and diesel cars from 2015! The main obstacle to the growth of electric cars is the fact that their batteries need to be recharged with mains electricity, but seeing as they cannot yet store enough energy for long-distance travel, extensive recharging infrastructure will have to be put in place before the use of electric cars becomes widespread. This is something governments will have to make happen, while the manufacturers concentrate on prolonging the life of batteries and improving their recharging speed. Governments will also have to ensure that their national power grids produce electricity using environmentally friendly resources such as water, wind or the sun.

But electric cars won’t have the roads of the future all to themselves. A rival technology has emerged in the shape of hydrogen fuel cells, arguably the most groundbreaking method of alternative propulsion currently being developed. A hydrogen-powered car has a fuel tank that is filled with hydrogen in the same way a petrol-engined car’s tank is filled with petrol. The hydrogen reacts with oxygen inside the engine to produce electricity and water, which in turn power the car’s electric motor. The Honda FCX Clarity is probably the most widely known hydrogen fuel-cell-powered car, as it has been on limited trial sale in the United States and Japan since late last year. It’s powered by a 134hp, 57-litre hydrogen fuel-cell stack, and also uses a 288-volt lithium-ion battery. On a full tank of hydrogen, the Clarity can travel up to 280 miles, and, most importantly, the only waste product it produces is water. As with electric vehicles, the growth of hydrogen-fuelled cars is dependent on a network of suitable refuelling points being rolled out.

With development of all these innovative technologies currently proceeding at breakneck pace, it looks likely that it won’t be too long before none of the cars for sale on dealers’ forecourts have internal-combustion engines under the bonnet, something which will make a massive difference to the impact humans currently have on the planet’s environment.