Archive for the 'Environment' Category

The Booming Carbon Trading Market

Friday, January 29th, 2010

Carbon trading is a method adopted to reduce the carbon emissions by industrialized nations, and the method has received wide acceptance across the world in recent years. Carbon trading is essentially a trade in carbon credits in which every unit of credit certifies the buyer to discharge one tonne of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases into the atmosphere, and it is the fundamental trading principle governing the cap-and-trade system as formulated in the Kyoto Protocol.

The Kyoto protocol has put a cap on how much discharge can be permitted globally, which is later transformed into carbon credits, and each operator receives a certain number of these credits. Organizations that have extra credits due to their adoption of cleaner alternatives can sell credits to organizations that will fall into the high-emission category for going above their authorized limits. By having to pay an extra sum to be permitted to make those emissions, a de-motivating factor is created for high-emission operators.

So far carbon trading has been a success, with market reports indicating that several large companies across the globe are supporting this emission-lowering system. This is because carbon trading gives them flexibility in their short-term and medium-term strategies.

If the statistics of the World Bank’s Carbon Finance Unit are to be considered, then carbon trading is growing at a great rate with each passing year. There was a 41% rise in the market between 2003 and 2004, and a staggering 240% growth between 2004 and 2005. Growth in the London based carbon finance market has also been very remarkable, establishing the fact that carbon trading is turning out to be a profitable business strategy for a number of organizations. Even though the US did not participate in the Kyoto Protocol, many of its states and organizations have embraced the carbon trading practice. The EU too, with its own carbon trading system, has been actively engaged in carbon trading for a few years now.

However, there are some groups who have criticised this policy. Carbon trading is in fact targeted at making high-emission companies invest in more eco-friendly technologies and thereby promoting development of low emission energy alternatives, which is not materializing because errant organisations seem to be keener on buying carbon credits rather than choosing eco-friendly technologies. Hence, carbon trading has been a topic of debate in many parts of the world, and some experts are of the opinion that options like taxation on excessive carbon emissions is the more suited way to limit the greenhouse gas emissions.

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Things To Take Into Account Before Buying Carbon Offset

Saturday, January 23rd, 2010

With the threat of global warming looming large over our delicate environment, free market solutions like carbon offset and carbon credits that are succeeding as powerful tools for environment protection have been able to attract the attention of individuals as well as companies.

If you have been responsible for pollution and now want to set things right, then you can purchase an amount of carbon offset equivalent to your total amount of CO2 emissions. Your purchase of a carbon offset helps fund environment friendly projects such as power generation units making use of wind farms and solar energy.

Before purchasing a carbon offset, you have to understand how your activities and way of living are leading to greenhouse gas emissions. Typical activities that account for a substantial proportion of carbon emissions for most individuals are use of cars, air travel, and using home appliances.

Once you have identified these activities, you should plan to give up some of them and lower some as far as practicable. This would allow you to lower some amount of your carbon footprint through your own actions. You can reduce your energy consumption by making use of energy efficient lighting, by driving only as much as necessary and also by fitting proper insulation to save energy while making use of heating or cooling appliances.

After you have taken into account all the aspects where you can make improvements, you must get down to calculating your carbon footprint, which will be the entire amount of emissions resulting from all your remaining activities. The method of calculating this footprint varies from one action to another, but there are several online calculators which can be of great help in this regard.

Carbon offset providers counterbalance carbon emission from your actions by reducing emissions in any region of the globe through your offset purchase. Projects offered by offset providers for reducing emissions are abundant, and you can put your money in any one that seems suitable to you. But you need to exercise caution while making your selection. You must only put your money in well-known and authentic projects to avoid the possibility of the funds being misused. Numerous accrediting agencies conduct rigorous tests on authenticity and effectiveness to certify projects, and it is always a sensible idea to put money in a certified and recognized project.

Lastly, you should collect as much information as possible on the topic. It will help you identify who the most authentic offset providers are, what type of projects are most suitable for an investment, and how to monitor the performance of the scheme that you have invested in.

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How The Carbon Credits Trading Works And Its Effectiveness

Wednesday, January 13th, 2010

The words carbon credits and carbon trading often come up in seminars and meets on the perils of global warming, but these terms are still unfamiliar to most people. Carbon trading is a system whereby greenhouse gas emissions are capped under the Kyoto Protocol, and these limits are then allotted throughout the world market in such a manner as to promote lower emissions or lessen release of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases.

National governments and industrial units are allotted fixed quantities of carbon credits to regulate their emission levels, and the credits permit the owner to release a restricted amount of CO2 and other gases into the environment. One carbon credit is equivalent to the release of one ton of carbon dioxide. This implies that low-emission industries can sell carbon credits to high-emission industrial units, thereby creating a cap on the greenhouse gas emissions in the world.

The major benefit of carbon trading is that it leads to a situation where businesses tending to go beyond their emission allowances have to pay a significant amount to do so, as they have to buy carbon credits from the market. However, this is a reciprocal trade where selling and buying of carbon credits are done simultaneously by low and high emission companies. Hence the economy as a whole does not get affected at all, while companies with environment friendly processes make higher profits. This makes organizations move away from the carbon centric methods of manufacturing, and so the emission levels fall.

A company – big or small- that timely opts for a cleaner and greener approach to operating business is certain to be rewarded as carbon credits are traded on the open bourses and can be bought or sold by anyone. This trading system ensures instant and great rewards for organizations with a low emission history. Moreover, nation-wise allocation of caps makes national administrations more actively encourage local businesses to decrease emissions. This in turn improves the government’s reputation and makes it proactively work towards environment conservation, something that is immensely effective in encouraging green technologies.

Carbon tax is another alternative that may be advocated, in which organizations responsible for pollution are punished but eco-friendly entities are not rewarded for low emissions. The success of such systems is highly debatable and issue of contention in several discussions.

So far carbon trading has been most successful as a method and within a short period has been able to successfully address the problem of high carbon emissions. The carbon trading business has witnessed considerable growth in the past few years, and this evidences beyond doubt that the system is impactful.

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Green Energy Power!

Thursday, January 7th, 2010

Buyer Beware – Using Power Factor Correction and Transient Voltage Surge Suppression to Reduce Energy Costs.

Today’s energy conscious climate has motivated many to do what they can to become more efficient and conserve energy and money. Unfortunately this same climate has prompted others to take advantage of unsuspecting consumers’ wishes to save energy and reduce expenses.

Companies that tout power factor improvement (kVAR correction) and transient voltage suppression are a good example of this bad trend. Lately we are seeing more and more of these companies cropping up and feel it is time to set the record straight.

First, transient voltage surge suppression (TVSS) plays a valuable role in improving power quality to protect sensitive equipment inside a facility. However, TVSS does not save energy. TVSS’s are only active a tiny fraction of a second to protect against voltage surges which only last for less than a millisecond. To actually reduce energy consumption the TVSS would need to actually cut power consumption for an extended period of time which is not what they are designed to do. Again, TVSS is important to protect sensitive electrical equipment but buyers should avoid vendors promising, or even guaranteeing, that they will reduce energy consumption.

Now what about vendors who claim that improving power factor will save 15% or 20% or 30% of energy consumption and corresponding cost? This one is a little trickier.

For residential applications, power factor does nothing to save energy because the typical home already has an average power factor of about 0.97 which is almost the perfect power factor of 1 or unity. In addition, the device (called a capacitor) is placed at the main circuit breaker. According to IEEE 5.5.3.3 capacitors must be situated at or near the respective inductive loads to reduce power system losses by reducing heat and distribution losses known as I2R losses.

So what about commercial and industrial facilities using power factor correction to reduce energy costs? It is perfectly appropriate for a company that is incurring penalties or a kVA billing structure from the utility company to improve the facility’s overall power factor by employing a capacitor bank at the main service entrance or individual capacitors at or near the respective motor loads. Doing so will eliminate the power factor penalties and/or reduce the kVA demand charges on the utility bill which can save significant money and provide a significant ROI on the investment.

But what about power factor correction reducing kWh consumption? IEEE also tells us that I2R losses only account for 2 to 5% of the total load in a facility. Simple math tells us that it would be against the laws of physics to get the 15% to 30% energy reduction claimed by some vendors. Think about it. Even if your facility had 5% distribution losses and you could correct 100% of the problem via power factor correction at every load (which can’t be done) you would still only save 5% at the most. No where near the claims of some capacitor vendors and manufacturers.

All that said, power factor correction when done properly will eliminate utility penalties and kVA demand charges, improve facility power quality, increase electrical system capacity, and save a little energy when applied to the appropriate motor loads.

So make an investment in transient voltage surge suppression and power factor correction when appropriate and necessary. But caveat emptor!

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Windmill Energy And The Process Of Harnessing It

Sunday, November 1st, 2009

Energy that’s gotten from the wind is many times known as windmill energy. The reason is because mills are used to produce or to control the power. Windmill energy is reasonably dynamic and the key word is wind. It is significant to have a look at how this power is harnessed and the science behind it all. First, let us look at how wind comes about in the 1st place. It is sometimes described as air in motion. We see it all of the time particularly when trees and objects start moving. It comes about thanks to the uneven heating of the earth surface by the sun.

How It Works

The earth is made of different materials, surfaces or elements including land and water. For that reason, heat from the sun will be soaked up at different rates. Basically, when there’s a hot day, the air on land will glaringly become more heated compared to air on water. The air that may heat up will rise and the cooler air below will fill the space left and this is the basic way that wind comes about. Windmill energy has been recognized all around the planet as one of the most vital power sources. There are several advantages of wind power. Windmill energy was at first used to grind corn and wheat. Over the years, US citizens tapped into this power to first produce electricity in agricultural areas.

When windmill energy started becoming more popular, windmills were used to provide this power. These mill of wind looked like propeller blades and plenty still do even today. They have definitely been improved to become more effective to provide more windmill energy. People who have benefited the majority are people in the agricultural areas. One of the real reasons why this is so is better action or favourable action and movement of air in areas that are rustic. There are no environmental distractions like buildings to get in the way for simple or optimal production of energy.

In the harnessing of windmill energy, mills play a crucial role. The windmills are used to capture the kinetic energy of the wind. Fundamentally , windmills will slow down the rate of wind. As the windmill energy is produced there’ll be a lift which will have a corresponding effect as the wings of an aircraft. In the meantime , a generator will be hooked up to the blades to make certain that there’s capture and production of energy. It’s a fairly straightforward idea that continues to gain recognition over time. There are several sorts of turbines or machines that remain used for this process.

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Detox Your Home Using Eco Friendly Cleaning Tips

Friday, October 30th, 2009

The fact is that eco friendly cleaning makes for a healthier home. If you are cleaning with over the counter cleansers, your home is full of toxins. It is a must to use eco friendly techniques and products. You and your family will feel better and breathe cleaner air in your home.

There are many eco friendly products on the market today. One easy way to tell is to read the labels. If anywhere on the label it says warning, or this product is harmful to you, or anything like that then it is toxic to you and your family.

You can do a search on the internet to search for eco friendly cleaning products. Research those to see how they work, and what chemicals are in them. You can also make your own eco friendly products with just a few things in your pantry.

All you need is baking soda, lemons or lemon essential oil and vinegar. It is well known that vinegar kills germs, and is used as an all purpose cleaner when diluted with water. You can add a few drops of essential oil to the water and vinegar mixture for a natural air freshener. Baking soda can be used as a paste to scrub sinks and pots and pans.

While you are at the library, check and see if you can find natural cleaning recipes. When you make your own natural cleaners, it will give you a sense of really having your home extra clean, without the toxins or strong odors that come with using commercial cleaners.

Keep in mind that the cleaners that you get at the grocery store is expensive. You can make your own cleaners for literally pennies. You not only save money but you use less of the homemade cleaner than you would the grocery store cleaners. Cleaning this way will give you peace of mind, that you have a clean, non toxic home.

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Carbon Offset – An Effective Way To Improve The Environment

Friday, October 23rd, 2009

Carbon offset is helping to save the world from the damaging effects of ecological deterioration and global warming by its mission to reduce carbon emissions in big industries and manufacturing entities, as well as at an individual level.

The release of hazardous greenhouse gases into the atmosphere is counter balanced by the carbon offset system through the use of renewable and alternative energy resources, reforestation schemes and various other green initiatives. The carbon credits scheme of the 2005 Kyoto Protocol, an international environmental treaty ratified by 170 countries in 2005 lays down the emission limits for countries, which then determines allowable emissions by industrial entities.

The Protocol makes it mandatory for commercial entities emitting more than the allowed limit of carbon dioxide to cut down their emissions to safe levels, or they should purchase carbon credits certificates which can be transacted in the market, or alternatively pay a penalty for the emissions, which is known as carbon tax. Carbon credits, which were conceived prior to carbon offset, are the most preferred and cheap option for manufacturing businesses emitting more than the allowed limit of greenhouse gases, with one credit equivalent to one tonne of carbon dioxide released into the atmosphere. Both multinational and regional firms, to make their activities carbon neutral and enhance their image before customers and investors, are increasingly buying carbon credits.

Ambitious ecological projects throughout the world that are working towards the overall decrease of CO2’s hazardous influence on the environment are now also being helped by the carbon offset system, which finances several of these projects. It immensely helps in promoting renewable and green energy alternatives like tidal energy and wind energy, and in funding projects on nature conservation and reforestation.

Even individuals are more and more making use of the carbon offset scheme to reduce their carbon footprint and are advocating this method to others as well. Purchasing carbon offset is straightforward and can be conveniently executed online through one of the various carbon offset provider websites; but it must be ensured that your money is making real influence through proper projects.

However, we should remember that buying carbon offset does not take away our responsibilities, and that all of us can play a vital role in decreasing our carbon footprints by making minor modifications to our daily lives. Minor steps like switching off electrical devices and appliances when not in use, substituting fossil fuels by cleaner ones like biodiesel, and using LED lighting and low-energy bulbs can actually help a lot in reducing overall emissions.

Carbon offset is still an alien word for ordinary people. Mass awareness on the issue through widespread education is required to bring us some steps closer to a clean and green planet.

Discover more about carbon credits and carbon trading and get a deeper understanding on how you can help in saving the environment. Get a totally unique version of this article from our article submission service

categories: carbon information,carbon offset,carbon trading,carbon credits,environment,business,marketing,business management consulting

Things To Keep In Mind Before Tiling Your Home

Saturday, April 26th, 2008
by Leroy Calstard

Selecting a new floor can be daunting. It is challenging to zero in on the right tile flooring even after you have made your final selection, because there are so many different varieties to choose from. Even after you have purchased your new tiles, there are quite a few things you have to remember before you actually start laying the tiles. Listed are the five must things you have knowledge of before you lay the tiles.

1. Are Ceramic Tile Suitable for Your home?

Ceramic tiles have many advantages they are very strong and easy to maintain. Ceramic tiles can really contain the cold, especially during the winter months. Keeping this in mind the basement might not be the right place to place them. Some of these tiles can be slippery too. Hence it is always better that for the entryway at least; you should select a variety that is more slip-resistant.

2. Select the right Size, Style and Texture

There are various shapes and sizes for ceramic tiles, ranging from one inch to two feet. Choosing the right size is actually easier than you might think. Figuring out the size of your room is the key to the right selection. These days there plenty of ceramic tiles that you can choose. Once you decide about the type of look you want, it becomes easy to narrow down your options. If you want a rustic, natural look then you might want a rugged, natural type of tile instead of a more polished finished. Always choose a tile which matches the texture of your rooms theme the best.

3. Decide on Grout Width and Color

The cement mis called grout is colored in such a way that it matches the color scheme of the tiles. It is the filler between the tiles, so choose a grout with width and color suitable to the atmosphere of the room.

4. Installation Materials and Methods

With the help of different installation methods and a successful installation really depends on the materials used as well as the energy and patience behind the work. Do ensure that your preparation is proper and you have all the materials you need ready and at hand. The material that you purchase should be of high quality, grout (as discussed above), a sealer, bonding material, and the right equipment so that the project goes off smoothly.

5. Maintenance

These tiles are very easy as floors to clean and if well maintained, they usually retain their shiny, new appearance for many many years. For cleaning these tiles, all you really need is water or any household cleaning solution. Start off by removing the dirt and grime with a broom or vacuum cleaner after which, use a sponge or mop for applying the mixture of water and cleaner to the tiles. All very simple indeed!

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How to Read and Understand Plans

Saturday, April 26th, 2008
by Ray Walberg

You may have always dreamed of creating a wonderful wooden project. Maybe you want to build a nice bed frame with storage or a bookshelf to hold your favorite books. Whatever you plan on making out of wood, you have to have a good plan. Woodworking project are always much easier if you plan them out and make patterns. They will look more professional this way.

The Making of a Plan

To get started with your plan you need some essential elements. You will need to list supplies, make time estimates and list the steps in the project. Your plan will allow you to evaluate your project and make sure you have the time, money and skill to do it. You will also need patterns. You can make your own, find them online or buy them in a store. Patterns will teach you and guide you in making things. They will offer suggestions of what supplies to use and give you an idea of extra things you may need, like hinges and knobs. Your tool list is going to ensure you have all the tools you will so when you get started you are not looking around for a tool or, worse, having to stop and go buy a tool. Your plan should also have measurements. It will make your actual project go smoother and quicker because all you will do is refer to the plan for the proper measurements.

Reading Ready Made Plans

If you are using a ready made plan, then you need to know how to read it. Most are designed to be easy to read and understand. They often include pictures as guides which are very easy to understand. Written instructions usually come in various languages. Plans are as easy to understand as toy instructions, so if you have ever put a toy together then you can read a plan.

Completion

Plans will also include the final picture. Seeing the final product can be a great way to make sure you have done everything correctly. It will also give you ideas on the finishing touches you can do like painting and finding. You will also be able to tell if this project is really what you had in mind. For more creative woodworkers, it can also give you the chance to think about how you can add your own personal touch to the project. A plan should be able to take you from start to finish easily.

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Perfect Brick Ideas

Saturday, April 26th, 2008
by Ken Morris

There are a lot of people who feel the need to remove or replace the bricks on their home. You will find that there are some bricks that are severely damaged. The renovation to rebrick can be devastating to your budget, but you will also want to think about who is going to perform the labor. You will find that there are some parts of the home that will be easy access, like the doorframes or window frames. You will also want to consider a few other things before you call a contractor.

For those who are living in a brick home you will find that there is much to add to the renovation cost. When it comes to the age of the brick, you may have to replace all the wood which may include purchasing a router table. This will significantly increase your budget for the rebricking.

You will also find that if your home as any arches like about the doors and windows, you will need to go the extra mile in order to maintain the original integrity of the arch and of the design. You will need to add on at least an extra twenty dollars for each arch. Then you have to consider the masonry labor. Basically, you will need to budget about $400 for each thousand bricks when it comes to the labor.

You will need to note that there are a lot of contractors that have their own masonry people; however, you may need to accept the contractors to sub out the job. You will need to think about all the labor that is involved in this process so that you can keep yourself in the budget. You will also want to consider the fact that there are many people who can do the job.

When it comes to the tearing off the old trim work, you may want to consider doing it yourself so that you can keep the costs down a little bit, however, you will want to consider the fact that you won’t have to pay them to prepare the job site. Keep in mind that you will also need to add the digging of the foundation to the list of things needed to be done. Basically, you will need to rebuild the entire wood frame of the house and the main walls of the house. You will want to make sure that you hire those who are within a close bid to the other contractors, because you don’t want to have the cheap materials for such a job. You need to make sure that your home is physically sound.

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