Green Gizmos

“Green” and “gadgets” are not two words that you would immediately place together. It’s fair to say that the impression that people get when they hear the word “gadget” is somehow more to do with shiny little boxes that make life easier for the owner, helping them to switch on their stereo or TV (or both at once). Convenience is a fashionable thing, and given that the latest mobile phones allow the owner to not only make calls, send texts and take photos, but now allow you to download music and get directions to a postcode in another part of the country, it’s safe to say that many people either don’t view Green issues as a major influence on their gadget purchasing, or if they do put it quite low down on their list of priorities.

There is, however, a completely natural synergy between convenience and ecology, perhaps most succinctly summed up in the phrase “saving energy”. The benefit for the user is that they can perform a task with a minimum of fuss, while the environment benefits due to the decreased demand on resources. One gadget doing an excellent job for the consumer and the planet is known as the Bye Bye Standby, a motherboard into which all household electrical equipment can be plugged and, at the touch of a remote allows you to power these items down in one go.

There is also a new generation of solar rechargers which allow you to top up the energy required to use a number of gadgets. Very often you’ll encounter someone who has their mobile phone constantly plugged into a charger running from the wall socket. Some people don’t realise just how much energy is being used by such a small piece of equipment, but given that an hour a day of charge will be more than sufficient to keep the average mobile phone running, a solar-powered recharger will cut down on senseless waste. Along with a reappraisal of the use of wind-up technology – chargers, media players, torches and digital radios among other items are all available in wind-up form – these innovations in renewable energy makes waste more avoidable every day.

Household Clean with Green

The average person uses up to two thirds of their total energy consumption while at home, which is a huge chunk of your carbon footprint before you’ve even set foot near a car. A lot of this usage is due to electrical appliances – and the great news is it is possible to save on your energy consumption in this area without buying a new appliance.

For some time now small products, which go by a range of names including “Machine Balls”, have been available for use when doing laundry. The main washing product lets you wash clothes thoroughly but without using any washing powder. These products usually contain various minerals and salts and genuinely are as effective as standard powder but without the chemicals. There’s also a version available for tumble drying, a necessity in winter, which work by helping separate fabric and allowing clothes to dry quicker and therefore the machine is in use for less time. Brilliantly, these products are also infinitely cheaper than washing powder or running a tumble dryer for a long period of time and they work just as well.

There’s plenty of items available for general cleaning, too. There are substitutes for your usual, chemically harsh products that reduce the damage to the environment while still remaining effective. Look around the internet and you’ll find an eco-friendly version of every type of product you currently use, from washing up liquid to furniture polish, and there is little or no difference in price. As well as this, there has been recent innovations for products that require no water or cleaning product at all, as the fabric used is designed in such a way that it cleans even stubborn stains by itself.

The key to household cleaning and being eco-friendly at the same time is looking for products which use natural ingredients only. Some products may also biodegrade quickly, reducing disruption to aquatic life when you’ve washed them away. The growth in the popularity of eco-friendly and natural cleaning products has made all of the well-known manufacturer’s take notice and all are now bringing out their own ranges, meaning you can match the relibility of a well known brand with being kind to the environment. However you do it, using eco-friendly cleaning products will have a dramatic effect on your energy consumption and the overall effect you have on the planet.

From A to B via G

When it comes to calculating a carbon footprint, nothing has such an effect as the usage of transport. One thing guaranteed to send your rating through the ceiling is daily car use, which of course most people rely on for commuting to work. The general suggestion to lower this aspect of your emissions is to use public transport instead, but often – such as for night shift workers or people living in remote areas – this isn’t viable. The only other alternative is eco-friendly cars, and luckily, car manufacturer’s are beginning to see the need.

The most obvious solution is the electric car. Various types are available, including some that run on rechargeable batteries, some that need charging before use and some that charge during use. The hybrid car is the most popular, which requires a conventional propulsion system but uses a rechargeable energy storage system for it’s power. The hybrid has become the most popular eco-friendly car due it’s relative similarities to a standard car in design and price. Pure electric cars are often troublesome, have low average speeds and can only drive for a small amount of miles at a time.

Even the hybrid, however, has experienced problems. These vehicles tend to be more expensive than their environmentally non-friendly counterparts, while design initially suffered in terms of aesthetics. These problems are being fixed constantly, so the hybrid is still a good option if you are purchasing a new car and wish to keep it as environmentally friendly as possible.

But what about those of us who aren’t buying a new car? Well, you can convert your current petrol or diesel car into one powered by natural gas. This will drastically reduce your carbon emissions as well as money in running costs. Alternatively, if you have a diesel car you can start using bio-diesel instead, a type of fuel which is made from transesterification of animal fat and can be used in unmodified engines. It, like natural gas, tends to be cheaper than standard petroleum or diesel. However, if your car was made before 1992 there is a chance that bio-diesel will have a bad effect on the engine, so check with your manufacturer to ensure you’re safe to use it.

There are also small changes you can make to your current vehicle and fuel type that cost nothing. Check your tyres regularly, as under inflated tyres reduce fuel economy, and the more fuel you use the more emissions and the greater damage to the environment. Even if you can’t make the leap to a non-petrol car, small changes will make all the difference.

Alternative Energy: The Future’s Bright, The Future’s Green

The unfortunate truth is that when green energy was first pioneered, it was introduced to the marketplace before all of the glitches were ironed out, such was the excitement at it’s invention. Unfortunately, those glitches caused malfunctions and very quickly green energy sources got a terrible reputation, one which they are still struggling to recover from.

The truth is, nowadays, green energy is just as reliable as the standard sort – if not more so, when you consider huge price rises aren’t going to be part of the package. What you see it what you get and while installing may seem expensive, the benefits to your budget and the environment is infinitely worth it.

The most commonly known type of green energy is solar power, where the light from the sun is turned into electricity using specially designed solar panels. These solar panels are becoming more and more visible, as the world cottons on to the need to protect the environment and find renewable energy sources.

Then there is wind power. So-called ‘wind farms’ are springing up everywhere, both on land and in the sea. These generate a huge amount of electricity and are probably the best hope for a truly sustainable energy source. The power is harnessed by wind turbines, specially built three-blade windmills. A huge development is currently in place off the Norfolk coast to build turbines actually in the sea, which harness the power of the incredible sea wind. That annoyance that blows sand in your face while sunbathing could soon become what heats your home.

There are other methods, too. Water has been used to create power for years and new ideas for utilizing it are becoming more prevalent. There is a system in place in Northern Ireland which is harnessing the power of the tides, called the Marine Current Turbine, which though still in a developmental phase is doing extremely well. It essentially works like a wind turbine, but underwater.

New ideas for green energy are being invented all the time and some may soon be powering your kettle soon. For the first time, inventors are not creating things to ease human lifestyle, but to possibly save the planet. This is only the beginning for green energy.