Green Tips -
Computer Energy Savings
- The Compost Heap - Drive Green
Ditch the Car
Not
only is it much greener by far to go by train or bus but the motor car
has to be the most stressful way of getting to your destination. Travel
can and should be a pleasure, When comfortably seated on your train,
you can finish off that novel, prepare for that meeting with the boss
or important client, passengers. If your family or friends are with you
then the journey can be turned in to a low key party; an excellent way
to start your trip out or holiday. You can also stretch your legs at
any time, remember that DVT - deep vein thrombosis can affect drivers
as well as airline passengers.
Have you been in trains and
coaches lately? many have power sockets to plug in your laptop and a
restaurant or buffet car in trains can mean a welcome break. Ever taken
a 'sleeper'? - overnight trains where you wake refreshed at your
destination.
Your carbon dioxide generation
per mile when travelling in a full long distance coach is 14 to 15
grams per mile, by train it would be 70 to 80, taking the plane would
put it up to approximately 600 grams per mile. Flying is pretty bad,
only a single driver in a large SUV is worse. Your short aeroplane trip
generates more carbon dioxide than your body weight, a
translantic trip produces over a ton!
Block the
Chimney. If you have an older house you can save money
on your heating bills by blocking up unused chimneys. Plastic foam is
the best but I usually end up using old clothes -- Peter and
Thelma Jones Alicante Spain
Computer
Energy Use
~ Some simple ways to save energy (and money).
1. You
can buy a device that will switch off peripherals when you switch off
your main computer. Google 'Power down peripherals' and you will find
products for your country or region.
2. Buy
a Laptop; most laptops use less than half the energy of a desktop
machine.
3.
Sleep Mode, If you are leaving your computer for a while, perhaps going
to lunch remember to put it into sleep or hibernate mode. You can set
up the power options from the 'Control Panel'
4.
Get rid of your old monitor, the energy you save in two years will have
paid for a nice smart flat screen monitor.
5.
Finally, make sure that you recycle old computer hardware. Re-use of
good machines can be done through charities. If you are scrapping your
old machine why not remove the disk drive and put it in a housing and
use it for back up storage for your new machine. An additional benefit
is the security aspect; you will not have to worry that someone is
extracting your details.
Kind Regards - Maryam
Sabze
Raise a Compost
Heap
Use your food and garden waste
to produce high quality plant food and soil conditioner. You can simply
pile it up in a corner of your garden, buy a compost bin or make a
brick or wooden enclosure.
Whichever method you use, make
sure that all possible sources are exploited; vegetable peel, coffee
grounds, tea bags, grass and hedge clippings and food waste.
Surprisingly you can also use
tissues and shredded paper waste, egg boxes of the fibrous type will
all compost down nicely and believe it or not vacuum cleaner dust will
benefit your plants -- Roger Halliday
Gardening Tip.
Take a bucket into the shower with you to use the water for the garden.
You can then feel no guilt whatsoever when you use it for watering your
plants -- JB
Links: www.carboncalculator.co.uk
- www.atmosfair.com
- www.flikr.com/rllay...
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Life
is a shipwreck but we must not forget to sing in the lifeboats -
Voltaire
