Real lawn grass or synthetic
April 13th, 2009
Real versus synthetic grass
Increasingly, eco-conscious Australians are laying down synthetic turf instead of the real stuff in the hopes of reducing water use and mower impacts, but Helen Tuton of Sustainable Gardening Australia argues that, while fake turf requires little maintenance, water or fertiliser, it can also reduce the duality of underlying soil, is energy and resource intense to produce, and is not yet recyclable.
She also notes that real lawns act as ‘carbon sinks’, absorbing carbon dioxide, as well as producing oxygen and reducing the average temperature A the nearby urban environment. Indeed, a US study once found that while built-up urban areas typically experience higher temperatures due to a high concentration of heat-retaining materials like concrete and brick, a neighbourhood with just eight average-sized lawns experienced a significant cooling effect, with summer temperatures reduced by up to 10 degrees Celsius.)
So what are you to do? Rather than ditching the benefits of a living lawn for a plastic one, you can reduce your yard’s impact by opting for native ground cover instead. Native species typically require less water, fertiliser and other chemicals than other grasses, as they are better suited to local conditions.
Making your home water efficient
April 6th, 2009
By now, most of us know that the most precious resource we possess is water. Nowadays, there is a myriad of water saving options available for the home and garden, including the use of greywater and rainwater. To help reduce your water consumption in and around the home, the following options are available:
Toilets
- low flush toilets
- dual flush toilets (3 / 6 litres)
- vacuum or compressed air toilets
- cistern displacement devices
- waterless toilets
- composting toilets (heated or unheated)
- incinerating toilets
- hand basins
- push taps
- flow control, self closing taps
- tap flow regulators
Showers
- shower mixes
- water saving showerheads
- self-closing shower systems
- water-saving washers
- correct wash cycles
Water Supply
- auto shut off and pressure regulators
- rainwater tanks or water bladders
- greywater recycling or diverter systems
- tap timers
- rain sensor on automatic irrigation systems
- energy-efficient appliances
By choosing the most energy efficient appliances, we can reduce our energy bills and reduce greenhouse emmissions. To help us make the correct choice, it’s currently mandatory for the following electrical products to carry an aproved energy label: aiconditioners, clothes dryers, washing machines, dishwashers, refrigerators and freezers.
Maldives to become carbon-neutral
April 6th, 2009
The president of the Maldives – Mohamed Hasheed recently announced that the Maldives will become carbon-neutral within 10 years by making a complete switch to renewable energy sources such as wind and solar power.
The President said the Maldives understood better than most what would happen if the world failed to tackle climate change. The Maldives is one of the lowest-lying countries on Earth and so is extremely vulnerable to any rise in sea level. He said he hoped his plan would serve as a blueprint for other nations.
The President announced the plan formally a couple of weeks ago, after the screening of a new climate change film, The Age of Stupid.
The Maldives is made up of a chain of nearly 1,200 islands, most of them uninhabited, which lie off the Indian sub-continent.
None of the coral islands measures more than 1.8 metres (six feet) above sea level, making the country vulnerable to a rise in sea levels associated with global warming.
“We understand more than perhaps anyone what would happen to us if we didn’t do anything about it or if the rest of the world doesn’t find the imagination to confront this problem,” said Mr Nasheed.
The Maldives will become carbon-neutral within a decade by switching completely to renewable energy sources like wind and solar power, its leader has said.
President Mohamed Nasheed said the Maldives understood better than most what would happen if the world failed to tackle climate change.
His tiny country is one of the lowest-lying on Earth and so is extremely vulnerable to rises in sea level.
He said he hoped his plan would serve as a blueprint for other nations.
Mr Nasheed was due to announce the plan formally after the screening of a new film on climate change, The Age of Stupid, on Sunday.
The Maldives is made up of a chain of nearly 1,200 islands, most of them uninhabited, which lie off the Indian sub-continent.
None of the coral islands measures more than 1.8 metres (six feet) above sea level, making the country vulnerable to a rise in sea levels associated with global warming.
“We understand more than perhaps anyone what would happen to us if we didn’t do anything about it or if the rest of the world doesn’t find the imagination to confront this problem,” said Mr Nasheed.
“So basically, we don’t want to sit around and blame others, but we want to do whatever we can, and hopefully, if we can become carbon-neutral, and when we come up with the plan, we hope that these plans also will serve as a blueprint for other nations to follow.
“We think we can do it, we feel that everyone should be engaged in it, and we don’t think that this is an issue that should be taken lightly.”
It is estimated that the Maldives, which has high levels of poverty, will need to spend about $110m a year to make the transition to renewable energy sources.
Asked how it could afford this, the president said the country was already spending similar sums on existing energy sources, and he expected to recover the extra cost within the decade.
“We start almost from scratch, we are having to go for new investments in almost all areas and it is quite pointless for us to go to yesterday’s technologies,” he said.
The Age of Stupid stars British actor Pete Postlethwaite as an old man living in a devastated future Earth, watching archive film of the planet and asking why more was not done to combat climate change.
The film’s producer, Franny Armstrong, told the BBC the Maldives had set a good example to the developed world.
