Solar Power and The 5 Top Reasons It’s Outstanding

On May 14, 2012, in Solar Power, by Elen
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Imagine if your electricity was free, never had any sort of down time and could be depended on as the sun is depended on to rise tomorrow. Add in the fact that there is a practically limitless supply of it, and you've got a fairly decent idea of what solar energy is.

Solar energy is free energy that will continue to be free for another ten billion years or so. The way converting electricity from the sun's mass of exploding hydrogen works is by making use something the sun emits. Amongst the various rays and heat that the sun produces, photons are also emitted. These people essentially see as light.

These photons are also what allows electricity to be harnessed directly from the sun.

In order to get a better grasp of why solar energy is so great, take a look at the following top 5 reasons solar power beats out old fuel alternatives like fossil fuels and coal.

5. Solar Energy is Portable.

You don't have to be connected to the nearest power grid by a long set of cables. Solar energy can be harnessed from anywhere that there is sunlight. This simple fact makes solar energy more beneficial depending upon where you are trying to use it as a source of power. It can also supplement generators to make gasoline supplies last longer.

4. It's Simple to Setup and Easier to Maintain.

The necessities for converting solar power into electricity are easy to install. They're so easy that you can purchase solar panels, wiring, inverters, batteries and whatever else you would need in kits that come complete with step-by-step instructions. If you're looking for a larger scale solution, it's relatively simple to expand your solar infrastructure and a skilled hired hand or two can install as many solar panels are you'd need in a day.

Solar panels are easy to maintain. They only time they need to be replaced is when they are actually physically damaged. There are no moving parts, so there's nothing inside of it to break down. All that you need to do is wipe the panels one or two times a year in order to keep them at maximum efficiency.

3. It's Environmentally Friendly.

Unlike most methods of energy production, solar energy does not produce a harmful byproduct. That means there are no carbon emissions, noxious gasses, greenhouse gasses or otherwise harmful materials to worry about.

2. Solar Power Can Last Forever

Solar energy can last several thousand lifetimes. It's as reliable as the sun coming up the next day. What's more is that solar panels themselves can last indefinitely so long as they remain undamaged and are maintained properly.

1. Solar Energy is Free.

The most attractive part about electricity from solar energy is that it's completely free. The only investment you have to toss in will be with the initial setup and perhaps some here and there to maintain it. So long as your solar panels continue to function, you'll continue to make electricity.

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Three Tips on How to be an Eco-Friendly Traveller

On May 14, 2012, in Travel and Holidays, by Elen
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For many people, travelling frequently involves the appreciation of nature in other countries. And typically people travel from richer countries to poorer ones. These two things can combine to create a significant environmental burden on the countries tourists are travelling to. One reason is that often poorer countries do not have significantly developed or enforced policies to protect their environment. As mentioned before, with tourists travelling to wilderness attractions, this can create a recipe for rapid degradation of said wilderness attraction.

Here are some tips on how you can avoid degrading the ecology of countries you travel to.

Feeding Wildlife

A common practice on dive boats, particularly with snorkelling tours is that the boats will carry large amounts of bread or other food types to attract the fish. While this may seem like a good way to see a lot of fish up close and personal, it is both unnecessary and very damaging to the environment. The first reason for this it alters the behaviour of the animals. For example, in areas where prolific fish feeding occurs you can observe the way fish are attracted towards boats that are full of tourists. In these areas, dipping your hand in the water will cause fish such as the Sargent-Major fish to come to you. This also causes the fish to not feed on the coral in the same way as normal, and hence disrupts the balance of the entire ecosystem. There is also direct damage done to the animal in that the food may not be healthy or ideal for them. It is the equivalent of feeding yourself a Macdonalds meal every second day. It’s simply something you should not do.

Illegal Camping

It is possible in some countries to bribe authorities to camp in areas that would normally be preserved. This is not only potentially dangerous, but also unethical.  Camping can be fun but also will damage the environment if you leave a mess. If you do camp, make sure that every single bit of rubbish is removed, and that no trace is left behind. Ideally, camping should be done in specific camping areas. This ensures the total damage to the environment is lessened.

Watching or Paying for Animal Shows

Animals being taken captive specifically to display to tourists is an unpleasant reality of a seemingly harmless activity. If you did not have your photo taken with that monkey and pay the monkey’s owner, there is a chance that that monkey would be living free. He’d be off in the jungle, doing monkey things, but instead he is declawed, sedated and forced to live a life of posing with tourists. This is a problem that can be directly solved by you, the traveller, by not partaking in exploitation.

This article is provided by Jacob Walker, a blogger and writer for BathroomRenovationsPerth.net, a site connecting bathroom renovators and the people who need them.

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Eco-friendly Toothbrushes

On May 8, 2012, in Health and Hygene, by Elen
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Conventional toothbrushes made from plastic and should be replaced approximately every three months - according to dentists. Although they are small, they still contribute to the amount of non-biodegradable material placed in landfill sites each year. Happily, there are a number of alternatives available, ranging from bio-degradable toothbrushes to hi-tech solutions to help you maintain your teeth and reduce your carbon footprint.

Wooden Toothbrushes
In the early 1900’s toothbrush handles were commonly made from bone or wood and boar hair used as bristles, before they were gradually replaced by synthetic materials. But now the wooden tooth brush is making resurgence as an eco-friendly alternative to the plastic variety.

There are number of different wooden toothbrushes available today, they often have natural boar bristles and handles made from sustainably forested wood. Disposing of a wooden tooth brush is simple; it can be placed in an open fire or wood burning stove or shredded and put into a compost bin.

Recycled & Recyclable Toothbrushes
The Preserve Toothbrush was first launched in 1997 taking a revolutionary eco-friendly approach to the complete lifecycle of the toothbrush, from manufacturing to disposal. The handle is made from recycled yoghurt pots and is curved to enable improved cleaning of the back teeth.

The lightweight packaging doubles up as a ‘Mail Back Pack’ which can be used to return the toothbrush to the manufacturers who then pass it on to a partner company for recycling.  The whole toothbrush is ground up and turned into plastic lumber which is then used in park benches, picnic tables and boardwalks.

There are far from enough companies who take responsibility for dealing with what happens at the end of their products life, so a big thank you to Preserve for coming up with an extremely environmentally friendly toothbrush.

Low Waste Toothbrushes
The Clip by Monte Bianco is a good example of a low waste toothbrush. It is a simple, functional and has a replicable head that clips firmly onto the handle, with an option of either nylon or boar hair bristled heads. Although, not completely eco-friendly; just throwing away the head greatly reduces its environmental impact when compared to regular plastic toothbrushes.

The Source toothbrush by Radius is another interesting eco-friendly option. It has an ergonomically designed bio-plastic handle made from either renewable wood or flax or recycled US dollar bills combined with recycled polypropylene. The handle itself is designed to last forever and it has a nylon head which is replaceable.

Ionic Toothbrushes
The Ionic Soladey Toothbrush offers a new innovation in eco-friendly tooth care which virtually does away with the need for toothpaste. They appear very similar to conventional tooth brushes but have the addition of a metallic rod which runs through the handle and replaceable bristle head. The rod is made from a material which converts light into a natural energy to eliminate plaque.

This new patented technology is said to work as a result of light activating the photosensitive titanium rod which in turn converts the light into negatively charged electrons known as ions. The ions then combine with saliva and attract positively charged ions from the acid found in plaque. This neutralizes the acid in the plaque and causes it to disintegrate. The Soladay toothbrush requires little or no toothpaste to be used and has replaceable heads which helps to reduce the amount of plastic thrown away.

Mark Green is a freelance writer of dental articles. He takes a keen interest in environmental issues and all aspects of the dental industry. This article has been contributed on behalf of a UK based provider of tooth implants - Dentalcare Plus.

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