A sun room is generally attached to the house and is made out of a lot of floor to ceiling glass panels. To be able to get the whole effect of the heat, these rooms are usually situated so they are facing the morning sun. Everything in the room becomes heated up by the sun light as the sun shines through the glass into the room. The heat doesn’t escape through the glass, and stays within the room. As long as the room is constructed the proper way, the heat is very efficient, along with being natural.

Some of the other kinds of solar power heat include such things as thermal mass, which holds in the heat after it absorbs it. It does this as the sun is intense, keeping in the heat and then dispersing it after the sun goes down.

Then there’s the trombe wall, a natural solar heating and ventilation system which functions by the use of air channels which retain the heat. A thermal mass and a glass object are placed to face the sun, and the heat is trapped between them. The heat is kept in a wall and subsequently radiated by it, moving through appropriately situated vents. A different one that also utilizes a wall facing the sun is a transpired collector, which warms the air with the captured sunlight, as it is distributed through the ventilation system.

Solar is not just for warming, you also get solar cooling systems for ventilating buildings. This innovative method has a steam engine run by solar with an attached cooling device. This assimilates the heat from the steam and transforms it to ice.

One other solar ventilation system is the solar chimney, which is constructed from a hollowed out thermal mass. Air in the chimney is heated and as it rises it is distributed to where it is needed. From the foregoing it is clear that many ways exist by which residences, schools and businesses can be heated. These are just some of the ways where you can use the heat from the sun in addition to natural materials. Only renewable resources are used and the heating is entirely natural.

If you’re looking for ways to heat up your residence without making use of non-renewable resources, then many of these examples might be of interest to you. The sun powers each of them. You might need to live in an area where the sun shines on a consistent basis to fully make use of any of these systems. Everyone requires a source of energy for heating up their house.

No related posts.

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.

There are a wide range of pollutants we are using  to pollute our planet, the worst are probably the chemicals, but we have heat, light and noise pollution to add to the list.
Pollution with a point source is one form of source of pollution and the other is non point source.   An individual source of pollution that can be detected quite easily is referred to as point source.   Smaller, single areas are affected by this type, while non-point source is noticeable in bigger areas. Water bodies are impacted quite often by non point pollution, and nothing will reverse the damage done, since it is so serious.

If you think we can reverse pollution by returning to a natural way of life, then I’m afraid it’s too late.  Pollution has existed since fire was first discovered, along with grinding metal. Throughout history human endeavour has created as a by product pollution.  At first the effects were trivial compared to the vastness of nature and the damage due to human action could be arrested.  With time, pollution increased slowly as society developed.

A study of history finds that pollution increased whenever the use of metals shot up, and that there was a slowing in pollution during the middle ages when social advancement was very little. Wherever there were large numbers of people, though, like in urban centers, there was still pollution. The effect of population growth and industry advances was a growing negative impact on nature. Pollution became even worse, and its effects more visible, so it was only a matter of time before people began to pay attention. One of the legacies of the industrial revolution is environmental pollution.

Between the ninth and thirteenth centuries, Arabic writing already showed that pollution existed. It is not simply a product of the last few centuries, as many people assume. Pollution became an increasingly popular reason as the negative effects of nuclear tests following World War II became extensively known. In excess of eight thousand men and women were killed when London was the victim of a great smog in 1952. This triggered legislation which targeted coal and other sources of power which caused pollution.

Our relentless yearning to use energy, and the pollution that comes with it, made people realize it could be the ruin of nature.   Eventually, the search for sustainable energy sources started, in the hope that it was still possible to clean up the environment. Other energy sources are avidly being searched for since people are basically enslaved by energy. The energy sources that are being sought will be benign in regards to the environment and in unlimited supply.

No related posts.

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.

The average cartridge takes between 1 and 2 liters of oil to manufacture.

Considering that most cartridges could easily be used again three or four times – it’s quite a waste I’m sure you’ll agree. The reason that the companies don’t want you to refill them is simply it’s much more profitable for them to keep selling you replacements. Many years ago most cartridges were easily refillable with a little plug you unscrewed to fill up with toner just like photocopiers. Unfortunately nowadays the companies invest heavily in ways to STOP YOU RECYCLING – fitting chips on the side of cartridges and updating printer software to try and force you to replace them.

They could quite easily make printing much more eco friendly but profits are the driving force. Fortunately for us despite their efforts nearly all printers can be refilled relatively easily.  I mean take a look at this laser cartridge – does it really look like it should be used once and then discarded?

No of course it doesn’t, even if you deliberately manufactured it to be substandard it would still last a few runs if you refilled with new replacement toner. There is only one reason that they are not refilled as standard and that’s the printer companies bottom line – there is no other reason.  Hence the scare tactics about possible damage to printer  or quality issues and also why they promote elaborate recycling schemes to put them into a better light – environmentally speaking.

So if you want to help the environment and save yourself a significant amount in printer costs, I urge you to check out the many refilling kits you can buy.  Most of them involve creating a little hole to pour the replacement toner into, and then sealing with a little stopper.  On some printer cartridges the companies have fitted  a ‘killer chip’ which is designed to decommission the cartridge after so many prints – if you have one of them you’ll need to buy a replacement chip.

All being well it saves  around 70-80% of the printing costs of a brand new toner cartridge even with a killer chip, the refilling process takes about 10 minutes.  It’s very straight forward and as long as you’re careful and don’t try and refill it on a beige lounge carpet – you’ll be fine.

Look for firms near you who specialise in these kits, they’ll also be able to advise you on whether your printer is suitable to be refilled.  There are a few models which have problems – so it’s worth checking out first.

The company I use is based in the UK so it’s fine for Europe but not really suitable for the USA with shipping charges (although it still works out much cheaper). Better to have a look for a more local firm – you can use the printer checker on this website though to ensure your printer can be refilled – Toner Refilling Compatibility  Checker.

The vast majority can be refilled with ease, the cost and environmental benefits significant.  The only loser is the balance sheet of the printer companies, who deliberately sell low cost hardware in order to trap consumers into buying expensive consumables for their printers.   In many instances the cost of a replacement set of toner cartridges is more than a new printer.  It’s such a wasteful industry and designed simply to maximize profits.

No related posts.

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.

We need more green spaces for the environment and for wildlife and there’s a place that’s almost completely unused on many of our houses.  If only a very small proportion of people planted a living roof it could potentially make a huge difference.

Some of the Benefits of a Green Living Roof

There are actually quite  a few benefits in a number of areas.  Probably the most important is that of water drainage, a living roof will on average absorb 75% of the rain that falls on it.  The advantages are that they allow slower drainage and evaporation reducing the risk of flooding.  The water that flows into our drains and sewers is much more gradual and is less likely to cause damage and importantly reduces the flood risks.

Some of these roofs are very beautiful to look at and when you admire one just remember how that extra little piece of green is helping the environment.   If a city or town has a lot of these ‘living roofs’ such as in Berlin, there is a significant impact on air pollution and carbon dioxide – both of which are absorbed by these roofs.

Wildlife also love these roofs, of course not all animals can get access but birds, insects and butterflies in particular can use these as a successful habitat.  As we slowly reduced the amount of gardens and green spaces for wildlife in general these can offer a lifeline.

Another important benefit to creating a green roof is due to insulation – on average this can be increased by up to 15%.  This green layer will also help protect from the effects of frost and also ultraviolet light.  There are lots of people who can help you get started with a simple search on the internet, in fact there are many green home builders who have vast experience in this area.

Industrial Living Roof

You don’t see that many living roofs unfortunately, however industrial living roofs are much more  common.

Look at this wonderful living roof on a detergent factory owned by a company called Ecover in Belgium.  It’s effectively created a 6000m2 green area literally out of nothing.  There are many more across the globe although it has to be said not nearly enough.  If you’re interested – check out the Ford Motor company in Michigan which also has a huge living roof on it’s factory there.

Related posts:

1. Don’t Pave – Try a Green Driveway If you walk through somewhere like London or Chicago, you...

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.

So what’s with this Starbucks example and how does it help my carnations?

The answer is simple – it lies in a waste product produced by any coffee shop – coffee grounds.

They are extremely rich in nitrogen and can provide a huge boost for any garden soil.   Normally coffee is far too acidic to put on the soil but the brewing process actually removes this.  In fact the coffee grounds are almost neutral having an average pH of about 6.9 depending on the type of beans used.  They also have a carbon nitrogen ratio of about 20 – 1. 

You can apply these grounds directly to your garden but they are especially useful when put around nitrogen loving plants.   There are many gardeners who suggest that using coffee grounds produces wonderful carrots, melons and vegetables too.  In fact there won’t be a problem using on almost any plant in your garden as long as you don’t over do it.

Another use, although I have to admit I have never tried this is to use coffee grounds to deter slugs and snails.  Many gardeners swear by this so it might be worth a try.  The idea is though, coffee grounds sound like waste but in reality they have as much value to a gardener as buying an expensive bag of compost or fertilizer from your local garden center.

So save your coffee grounds, reuse them in your garden.  Next time you’re having a coffee somewhere ask the proprietor what he does with his coffee grounds.  If he throws them away remind him of the garden benefits, you could even suggest that he uses it as a promotional tool.  Give away bags of used coffee grounds when you buy a coffee, should help attract  more customers and help the environment too.

If you search around the internet you’ll find much, more detailed information on what sort of plants and vegetables benefit from the nitrogen high coffee grounds.

Related posts:

1. Eco Friendly Weed Killer is an Effective Alternative to Chemicals You’d love to look outside your window and see a...

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.