Lightbulb denial in the Daily Mail

Cheaper bulbs have some of the problems attributed in this article to all Compact Fluorescent Lights, but to pretend they all do is as lazy and shortsighted as they're accusing the politicians of being. Better quality CFL bulbs (the ones from Philips are highly recommended) light up as fast as incandescents, have a pleasant colour and, even with normal switching on and off, last far longer then old style bulbs. And they pay for themselves within a year in normal useage.

Most of the people I know have houses lit with low energy bulbs and not a one of them has ever commented on problems fitting the lights. Now that everyone else is into CFLs I'm thinking of moving to LEDs, which are even more efficient.

As for China, so what if they're not making changes right now? They will in the future. If your neighbour told you they hadn't fitted smoke alarms, would you endanger your family by removing the ones in your house?

Technorati tag: EcoHouse

Taking your top off for the environment

Keeley Hazell, the Sun's top Page Three model has been name checked by David Cameron as a Green icon and, the Independent finds, she has the credentials to back this up.  Sex sells and if if it makes Sun readers invest in low energy bulbs that's cool.

Keeley Hazell on Fleshbot (NSFW)

Keeley Hazell products at Amazon

Technorati tag: Sexy

Going Green in the bedroom

Canada.com on environmentally aware sex toys, picking up on some issues raised by Treehugger and the growing trendiness of all things Green.

via Fleshbot (NSFW)

Technorati tag: Sex, Sex Toy

The Green capital

The capital will reduce its carbon emmissions by 60% within 20 years if Ken Livingstone's plans work out.

Technorati tag: EcoHouse, London

How Green should Gore be?

Do Green campaigners have to be absolutely pure? The question arises from the fuss caused by snide naysayers who are attacking Al Gore's lifestyle to turn attention away from his message.

By all accounts Gore and his family have gone beyond carbon neutral.  No matter how much energy his mansions consume he's planting the trees or making the investments to write that off and then spending a bit more.  Of course, the antis know this but don't bother to mention it because that would destroy their argument.

It's time for Gore to slap solar panels and windmills on his properties and ask what the rumour mongers are doing to reduce their carbon footprints.

Technorati tag: Al Gore

Wood- the once and future fuel

Wood pellet stoves may not have the romance of a log fire or solid fuel stove (my parents just got a Rayburn, which I haven't seen yet, but they're surrounded by a near free supply of downed trees and off cuts), but they could be as near to carbon neutral as an energy solution gets.

A few thoughts-

How are the factories making these pellets powered?  If they can close the circle and have a combined heat and power system on site powered by some of the pellets produced that will be brilliant.

The fuel will never be entirely carbon neutral until the chainsaws are powered by ethanol and every vehicle used runs on biodiesel.  But that's being picky, it's still a hell of a lot closer than anything else, and they could always plant excess trees to offset production costs.

How clean do these stoves burn?  A lot of Britain is now smoke-free zone, which has to hinder the uptake of solid fuel.  I imagine as they become more efficient the stoves create less smoke.

Technorati tag: Biomass, Renewable Energy, Wood

The denial business is still going strong

I think the title says it all "All those Scientists may still be wrong". All those thousands of intelligent, highly educated people, experts in their fields, who have spent billions of hours examining the data, testing theories and extrapolating alternatives might, just possibly, not be absolutely 100% correct in their predictions. So we should do nothing and hope they're not right.

The question should be, what's so wrong with reducing carbon dioxide output? What's being called for is an increase in efficiency and a reduction in reliance on limited resources. It's a winning combination for everyone and a great way to alleviate poverty. Even without global warming this should be the aim of every person on the planet. Or do the deniers not want to see poorer people leapfrog ahead of them into the future?

Technorati tag: Climate Change

Shell's Biomass to Liquid biofuels

Shell are investing in a technology to convert wood chips and straw to biodiesel, to take the strain off food crops.

Technorati tag: Biodiesel