Solar power installation has benefited homeowners by cutting their power bills and saving money. But do the savings that you get from using solar power outweigh the initial cost of installing a system?

Solar power installation fees also depend on whether you opt to use a ready-made solar panel or use a DIY one. Pre-made solar panels could cost you about $12 per watt which could add up up to $900 per panel. With this kind up front expense, the cost of powering a small or energy efficient home could reach to $25, 000 for a medium sized system. While large houses that uses solar power would require a budget of up to $50,000 for the installation of solar panels.  With government subsidies, however,  installation of small-scale sustainable electricity alternatives like the solar, hydro and wind electricity systems become much more affordable. A list of current schemes supporting the installation of solar power for homes and business is available from the website for The Office of Renewable Energy Regulator.

Alternatively you may consider making your very own solar panel! Many people think that a DIY solar panel is difficult to construct but actually it isn’t. Building one on your own would only need a few common tools and a bit of effort. Knowledge and step-by-step guides on how to build a solar panel can be found almost everywhere and there are a number of video tutorials available online as well as books and other resource materials s that will make your project easier.

Usually, people go for solar power thinking that it is more energy efficient than commercial electricity. While that may be correct, the reality is that moving to a renewable power source is only part of the solution: you still need to make your home as energy efficient as possible in order to reduce the amount of energy that you need. In this way not only is the initial cost of solar power installation reduced, but, if your home is energy efficient, it will require less electricity and therefore a smaller solar power system. Generally speaking, saving electricity is cheaper than generating it so invest in making your home energy efficient and install solar power system for you to maximise the benefits of saving energy.

It was during the 2^nd World War when religious organizations across Europe began to advocate Fair Trade as a form of charity. As time went by the movement radically transformed its approach, principles and perspectives. Today the proponents, products and distribution markets for fair trade have been widely revolutionised and diversified.

Alternative Trading Organizations (ATOs) emerged after World War II took its toll in the world. The ATOs are composed of morally-driven businesses that patronise the rules and principles set by Fair Trade. Through them, farmers can directly transact their products for a just price and in this manner local and small scale farmers are given opportunities to improve their lives.

Apart from the ATOs, the first organisations that developed fair trade supply chains in developing countries were the Mennoite Central Committee (1946) and the SERRV International (1949). The fair trade products sold by volunteers in “charity stores” were mostly handicrafts like jut goods and cross-stitches. The goods were merely considered as a donation and nothing more. But during the late 1980s, novelty products certified as fair trade slowly declined in popularity and so the ATOs began  to reconstruct their business strategies. It was then that fair trade supporters noticed the impact of the plummeting agricultural prices to the poor farmers and growers.

The movement saw its responsibility in addressing and remedying this crisis which in turn would contribute to the growth of the ATO and farmers. After the unsuccessful International coffee agreement, the growth of the fair trade coffee industry significantly increased. Coffee and tea became one of the first fair trade agricultural products in the market and the fuel to development of fair trade. Other products like cocoa, sugar, fruit juices, spices, nuts, rice and fruits eventually followed to become certified fair trade products.

At present, many governments have seen how the movement can make a huge difference and so they have added their support to the fair trade industry. Annually a World Fair Trade day is celebrated every second week in May to increase awareness and educate the public of the options and benefits that fair trade offers. Although this movement may have not been successful to some people, it has nonetheless contributed significantly to the welfare of primary producers in developing nations across the world. It has truly made a positive impact in the lives of the impoverished farmers making them more competitive and dignified in the market in which they participate.

As technology rapidly advances, the gadgets we once recognized become obsolete in just a short period of time. And as the technological demands of people changes and increases, previous models of phones, ipods, cameras, computers and other electronics are thrown away into the garbage bin even if they are still in a good working condition. Doing that is a big waste of money and a hazard to the environment’s well-being. As a responsible and mature citizen, there are countless ways to make these gadgets and electronics efficient and functional. Here are some environment-friendly tips on how to recycle or sell your old electronics:

• Turn your “trash” to cash. There are several companies that would buy your out dated gadgets. Gather all your phones, ipods, cameras, computer or other electronics that you would want to sell. Then search the internet for the companies on whose criteria your merchandise would fit. Set your price per gadget by searching it in the internet or electronic shops and comparing its current value. We think the best service for recycling phones is Mobile Muster: www.mobilemuster.com.au

• Repair and refurbish your computers for a cause. You can donate surplus computers and other information and communication technologies to schools, city libraries, and other charities that will need it most. Not only are you able to help save the environment, you can also take part in providing these individuals and institutions a better future.

• Reuse your gadgets especially if they are still in good condition. Although they may be quite behind the new models, there may be several applications, hardware and programs that you can install to your gadgets to keep it as modern as its fresh counterparts.
You can make a big difference when you get involved and take your part in e-cycling. Advocate for it now and become conscious of the welfare of the environment and others. Support Australia’s government campaign for the control and elimination of toxic electronic waste.

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Plastic bags are popular with retailers and consumers because they are lightweight, cheap, tough and functional. However, there convenience is outweighed by the devastating effects plastic bags have on the environment.
The reduction of plastic bag use began in Bangladesh in March 2002. Its government banned the use of polyethylene plastic bags in the capital city, Dhaka, after discovering that it was the primary cause of the floods that immerse 2/3 of the country in 1988 and 1998. Sustainable and biodegradable alternatives were created and the jute bag industry was revived. Months and years later, European countries, Africa, China, USA, India and New Zealand followed. Most of the countries simply banned the use of plastic bags while New Zealand implemented a more sustainable and feasible approach.
In March 2009, New Zealand introduced the concept of retailer levy to reduce the annual use of one billion supermarket plastic bags. This was widely accepted by retailers like The Warehouse, Bunnings and Borders. They even set a goal of reducing it by 25% by mid 2009. 10cents of levy was introduced to retailers and within a year, some reported an 80% reduction in plastic bag use. Through time, people continue to advocate and abide by this program. New Zealand’s major supermarkets like Foodstuffs and Progressive Enterprises were encouraged to lead in this plastic bag campaign. It’s not only the environment who benefited through this project. The money collected from the levies was donated to community groups.

These anti-plastic bag use policies have persuaded consumers and retailers alike to eliminate the use of plastic bags and utilize the alternatives. Practically speaking, this action has brought humanity more benefit than loss. Through it, we are taught how to recycle, to save money and resources, to be resourceful and creative and most importantly to protect and value our environment.

This year, activists from the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society harassed the whalers by throwing rancid butter and paint on board the ‘research ships’ and tangled ropes in their propellers in the hopes of stopping or slowing down the Japanese’ hunt for 800 whales. And indeed, the Japanese government halted the annual whaling season and returned home with less than 200 whales. The success of the activists was due to the technological advancements they’ve acquired through the participation and help of Australian showbiz celebrities who offered financial assistance in support of their anti-whaling advocacy.

Another environmental organization, Greenpeace, is a strong activist against Japanese Whaling. For many years, they have been chasing fleets of whaling ships to prevent whalers from getting their prized catch. Although many have criticized their actions, the organization is firm in their belief that they exist to defend the whales and not to attack and cause harm to the whalers. Recently, Greenpeace has launched a public relations campaign in Japan to convince and empower the Japanese to also advocate against the whaling projects.

The Australian government also took its part in the issue. Australia attempted to make a portion of Antarctica as a whale sanctuary. But practically speaking, the no one is a legitimate owner of the ocean and therefore Australia cannot claim rights and control over it. That is why the best thing that they could do about it for now is to challenge the Japanese whaling industries in courts and influencing the decisions of the International Whaling Commission.

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Help support the anti whaling cause by supporting the World Wildlife Fund

Compost is a version of humus found in soil. The Australian gardener’s best friend, this is a mixture of recycled organic and household waste that you can use as a natural fertilizer to renew your soil’s composition and yield bountiful plant growth and harvests. Making compost for your garden is not as difficult as it seems. You can even create one at home using crude materials you may easily locate in your household. Here are the basic steps of making compost:

Step 1: Free the ground from debris and set-up three wooden pallets that are tied side by side.

Step 2: The two basic ingredients of compost is carbon (brown ingredients) and nitrogen (green ingredients). The former provides volume while the latter fuels the compost. A 1:4 carbon-nitrogen ratio is the standard being followed. Collect items which are potential sources of carbon like autumn or dry leaves, newspapers, vegetable wastes, sawdust etc. Nitrogen is found from organic and artificial types of activators. Organic types include soil lawn clippings, hair, weeds and blood meal. Although, artificial type of activator like commercial Nitrogen fertilizers is readily available, organic types are more effective since artificial activators do not contain protein which is essential for microorganisms’ use.

Step 3:  Compost pile consists of layers of carbon alternated with nitrogen. Place larger materials at the bottom of the heap. Putting it at the bottom of the heap increases the chances for it to breakdown and it also allows the air to move through it.

Step 4: Continue layering the materials. Water the heap as it grows and in every additional layer of nitrogen. Ensure to keep the heap moist.

Step 5: As decomposition commences, the heap will begin to subside. Smother the pile with fresh lawn clippings and water it again. You can also install a piece of PVC pipe in the middle of the heap to maintain airflow. Add additional food scraps over time and leave it for 2 weeks.

Step 6: Turn the compost pile. Fork and transfer it to 2 or more bins.

Step 8: After turning it, leave it again for another week. However, turning it more often hastens the decomposition process.

Step 9: You know it’s done when after 4-6 weeks of continuous turning, the organic materials are unrecognizable and the heap looks like organic soil.

Now that your compost is ready, you can use it in many different ways to enhance the soil with the appropriate amount of nutrients for the plants to thrive at its best!

Winter is coming so now’s the time to start preparing your soil for growing delicious Australian winter root vegetables.

Man was made to rule over and take care of His creations. But religion is not the only aspect in our life that calls us to be concerned of the welfare of the environment. Our health, happiness and the future generations likewise depend on how we use and manage the Earth at present.

Caring for the environment begins from the basic unit of society, the family. It is through the awareness of the responsibility of each member of the household to protect and nurture the planet that you are able to globally participate towards the achievement of a better life. It doesn’t require much labor for you to be earth-friendly. There are so many simple ways that when done consistently the right way, can make a significant and huge difference. Here are some suggestions on easy ways to make a greener home and living:

1.       Replace appliances to energy-efficient models. Check for the “Energy Star” logo when you use or purchase appliances and gadgets because they consume up to 10%-50% lesser energy and water compared to typical ones. Use energy-efficient lights. Standard incandescent light bulbs consume more energy compare to Compact Fluorescent Light Bulbs (CFL). The latter can last 10x longer and consumes about 66% lesser than the former.

2.       Water conservation. It doesn’t require products for you to implement the wise use of water rather it only needs some behavioral change on your part. Simply turning off the faucet every time that it’s not used can make a great difference. Installing a low-flow toilet or adjusting its float bulb can greatly minimize 2 liters of water used to flush the toilet. Save up to 80 liters of water when you use the broom instead of using the garden hose every time you clean the driveway. .

3.       Use less paper. Paper comes from trees. Whenever we recycle or use a post-consumer paper, we save money, trees and the environment.

4.       Minimize plastic use. Polyethylene plastic is usually found in grocery, trash and sandwich bags. Throwing plastics away to the landfill increases greenhouse gasses which in turn contribute to the occurrence of global warning. Additionally, burning and processing plastics is a major contributor to global warming since they are made from petroleum.

5.       Organic gardening. Instead of using fertilizers and other chemicals to grow plants at home, use compost. Not only does it contain the right amount of nutrients, but also a good degree of soil organism is present to keep the soil fertile and healthy for plant growth.

It’s a cliché but as a matter of fact, recycling and cutting down on what you consume are the basic means for living a green and earth friendly life.

While cultivating soil can be a tedious and messy job it gives you the opportunity to transform your yard into a prolific home garden. Aside from the nutritional benefits you get from eating fresh and naturally grown fruits and vegetables from your own backyard, maintaining a vegetable garden at home can also be a good physical activity to help you stay in shape. Calories are burned when you plant the garden, sow seeds, water the plants, remove weeds, mow the lawn and, of course, it also saves you money that would otherwise be spent buying fruit, vegetables and even flowers from stores and markets.

Beginning a home garden requires a lot of planning. First, you have to decide what plants you would like to grow in your home or backyard. The next thing to do is to prepare the soil which is an essential factor to the survival of outdoor and container plants. To determine a healthy and safe soil, have it checked for water, nitrogen and phosphorus content as well as its alkalinity and acidity. In addition to that, you need to have an excellent mixture of clay, sand and silt. You can test its quality by compressing it and assessing if it can hold its shape or whether it falls apart easily when an external force is applied to it. You can then be certain that you’re close to the standards of a good soil composition. But if you think it lacks one ingredient or another you can remedy that. Peat moss or compost is used for soil that contains too much silk or sand. For too much clay, a mix of peat moss and sand should do the trick.

If your soil is deficient in nutrients you can add fertilizers one to two weeks prior to planting your seeds. Continue adding the same amount of fertilizer a week after the seeds have been sown to be certain that there is an adequate supply of the nutrients that are essential for the plants’ growth.

Garden pests can be your number one enemy in home gardening. Eliminating them totally will be close to impossible but there are ways of controlling their existence in the garden. Planting herbs like chives, coriander, basil and mint can help you with pest control. Insects are deterred by eliminating weeds, leaves and decaying matter where they could possibly reside.

There are so many things that a gardener should consider in home gardening. Spare some time and effort in learning about it and you’ll see that even without a green thumb, you can grow a garden of abundance and freshness.

Hybrid cars show promise as a solution to the problem of fuel scarcity and environmental destruction. Although this kind of car is quite similar with petrol-powered cars, they differ by having two or more power sources. Petrol is generally one of the power sources used while others (although not commercially available as yet) are solar energy, LPG, pressurized air, fuel cells, electric batteries, hydrogen, liquefied nitrogen, wind energy, biofuels and even manpower (and we may never see that last one in the showroom!).

Car companies have been working through different combinations of power sources to come up with the most efficient, cost-effective and environment friendly hybrid car. The technicalities of how to come up with such a vehicle can be mind boggling but we are certain of the environmental benefits we can get from this pursuing this  technology.

In comparison to petrol-powered cars, hybrid cars help preserve the environment in several ways:

1. Burning gasoline emits plenty of harmful chemicals, pollutants and byproducts that destroy the Earth’s atmosphere and adversely affect our health. By comparison, hybrid cars produce less and cleaner emissions and thus minimal environmental pollution.
2. Aside from reducing air pollution, hybrid cars run silently. Even when operating on electric power mode, there is significantly less noise pollution and hence less impact.
3. Fuel efficiency is another advantage in using hybrid cars. The mileage of hybrid cars exceeds that of petrol-powered cars by up to 30-40%. Other features include reusing energy used for braking, and improved economy through the use of better tyres and advanced aerodynamics.

Even things as simple as washing your clothes can create a huge impact on our environment. The power that washing machines and dryers use produce carbon dioxide that we know is harmful to the environment. On top of this detergents used when washing clothes contain chemicals which may remain behind within waste water as it is washed through our water system. But, even if it sounds like the negative effects of washing clothes outweigh the positive ones, it doesn’t entirely mean that we have have to have limited access to clean and fresh clothes!

Here are some sustainable and environmentally friendly things that you can do when washing your clothes.

1. Lower your washing temperature! Many detergents nowadays work well with lower temperature settings. You can save about 40% on your electricity use  if you switch from 40 to 30 degrees and you still get the same results!
2. Wash in bulk! Don’t do small loads of washing but wait until you get a full load of laundry before washing it. Although it may sound like a huge job, it can save you a lot of power, detergent and water. If you can’t wait for it to be full, hand wash smaller washes.
3. Never leave the machine on standby. This does not only apply to washing machines but to every appliance you own. Even on standby appliances continues to draw power so turn it off and unplug your washing machine and other appliances when not in use.
4. Use a washing machine that has an energy saver feature. Look for the energy saving labels and do some research to identify recommended models. Energy efficiency not only lowers your energy consumption, but it also emits less carbon dioxide making them more eco-friendly.
5. Replace chlorine bleach. Choose environment friendly detergents. As an alternative to bleach, you can use ½ cup of baking soda as an ordinary or eco-friendly detergent. It produces similar whitening and cleaning effects to your clothes. You can also try soaking your clothes overnight in a mixture of 1 part white vinegar and 6 parts warm water. The sour odor of the vinegar will just evaporate and leave unnoticed. Another alternative is oxygen bleach. Although it works slower than chlorine bleach, it has gentler effects on your clothes and environment as well.

As much as we want to keep our clothes clean and fresh, we should not forget to protect our environment too. Utilise these environmentally friendly washing tips and see how far they go in saving you money and the environment.