Too much said, not enough action

So much has been written about the Kyoto accord and what it represents to our earth, our home. So many scientific studies in agreement of the issues are continuing to promote unerstanding and support of the general populus. Going green isn't about buying the latest gadget or bamboo flooring, it is about making choices that are sustainable - period.

When will we as a collective conciousness actually change streams from filling up all the servers with opinion and suggestions to real personal accountibility in our actions.

All the issues distill down to this simple question. How do we make a significant change in our lifestyle that is sustainable rather than temporary? You can choose a life of denial, inconvenience or **** but will this lead to long lasting satisfaction? As the frustration over inconvenience rises, will you say 'to heck with this green facade, I want some convenience of my old lifestyle back'.

So, here are some suggestions of simple adjustments for a sustainable (and fulfilled) lifestyle.

1. Participate in a youth education programme regularly to understand the recycling initiatives within your own community. certain of these waste streams are profitable and must be maintained to offset the others that are not yet breaking even.

2. Educate youself clearly with regard to energy saving practices and products rather than just responsing to marketing hype. This will save you a ton of money in the long run (and save tons of energy from marginal manufacturing practices and incorrectly specified durable. For example, energy saving compact flourescent bulbs have a voltage and current rating printed right on the base (a requirement by local law). Simply multiply these two together to determine the actual wattage for rate of consumption of energy. This will be different to the equivelency to incandescent rating (usually higher).

3. Be aware of packaging - both content and abundance. Display and accesory containers should be of a recyclable nature so that they can be reclaimed, reused or remanufactured with a minimum amount of energy requirement. This means a reduction in polycarbonate plastics unless someone will take the initiative to determine other uses for the recycled or remanufactred material.

4. Adopt the 'cradle to cradle' attitude. Insist on products and packaging that can be infinitely reused or recycled. This is the TRUE simple definition of sustainable lifestyle. Find second 'life' for items that are in good shape by donating to a second hand shop or local artisans to be remanufactured.

5. Think carefully about buying a locally sourced product instead of an exotic sustainable item because it would have to be shipped to you still using non-renewable fossil fuels.

In a nutshell, consider all sources of products you use - the materials they are made from, where they were made, the fuel used to transport them to you, how long they will last, whether they can be reused for something else after their useful life has ended and how much energy it will take to recycle them.

Consider a commitment to lifelong education in conservation methods. The rewards will be realized by our children.

Illumination - Fact or Fiction?

More green babbel still asking the question 'Are we being responsible in our use of natural resources?'. This is a simplified dicussion about technical specifications of compact flourescent lighting devices.
For the non-technical, we must depend upon a source that we trust. the government has produced guidelines about how we should live our lives and how to be responsible to our respective resources and communities. In this case the explanation is confusing at best.

the sci guy - Eric Berger writes:

"I guess this is no big deal, and I certainly applaud the message of trying to do right by the planet. And don't get me wrong, it is a good idea to switch to compact fluorescent lightbulbs and take other steps to reduce our consumption of energy. Make that a great idea."

Complete Article - November 17, 2008

Thanks Eric for your views on the initiatives by concerned individuals. But, The specifications on the products themselves are conflicting. (We have seen this kind of deception before. ... they told us smoking was good for you and the municipal water was safe ...)

Further to this, let's be practical. Compact fluorescent lightbulbs also offer some misdirection by being mislabeled. Without exception, if you will read the specifications on the base of each bulb, you will see the wattage, voltage and current (amperage) listed.
For example, a 13 watt unit is listed at 120 volts and 205 milli-amps (0.205 Amperes). By simple electrical calculation W = E * I (wattage = voltage times current). If you do the math 120 x .205 = 24.6w . That is almost 25 not 13.
This can be verified by using an electrician's induction type meter (amp clamp) for measuring the exact current on one lead of a 'pigtail' style socket on an extension cord.

When I questioned one manufacturers representatives, he stated

"... this is a luminousity equivalency rating for full size and compact flourescent tubes
and not the real output rating (of the unit) ...".

This is not the answer required by the conservation conscious individual.
Simple power savings is 25 watts rather than the power consumption of a 60 watt incandescent lightbulb.

The recent safety concerns that were raised about UV radiation because individuals were using these for hoddy wok lights, close reading lights, etc. The rule of thumb is to keep them away from your skin about 12 inches (30 cm) and the ultraviolet rays will ont adversely affect you. I would suggest further away and use a reflector to concentrate the lgiht if you need that kind of light intensity.

A huge caution - the mercury contained in flourescent produts is more toxic than the phosphor coating in the incandescent bulbs. A specific recycling proceedure needs to be put in place for the bulbs that no longer functon. If you break one of these when it is hot - ventilate. DON'T BREATHE the MERCURY VAPOUR! I'm not convinced that this 'green' product has been carefully thought through.

So please, manufacturers and legislators lets use this imposition of 'green consciousness' to support truth. Extend to us as consumers and common people the indication of intelligence and reality that we deserve rather than fiction that is continually perpetrated upon us. We will be able to experience more 'basics' in the standards to which we become educated rather than constant confusion.

I commend each individual that has taken personal initiative to be proactive in becoming green aware - one person at a time. I salute educators that tirelessly promote responsible behavior with the young and old alike. I identify with those that lead by example.


I believe that it is simply a matter of the classic light bulb joke.
Q: 'How many psychaiatrists does it take change a light bulb?
A: It really only takes one but - the lightbulb has got to WANT to change.

note: The author has over 25 years of direct experience in carefully specifying support equipment for modern 'off grid' installations for both residential and scientific communities where reliability and balanced load accuracy is paramount.