What appears to be a breakthrough in technology by Go Sun Solutions in New Zealand could make solar power an attractive prospect for every household. Current solar panels are based on silicon which is an extremely common element within the earth's crust, however, refining it into a form useable for solar panels is a very energy-hungry process and gives...

Sometimes the sustainable living ideology gets taken too far - the idea of eating roadkill isn't likely to persuade many people to live in a more sustainable way. I think that the push for locally produced food is a good idea, not only in terms of the environment but in terms of taste. I remember the first time I tasted a watermelon immediately after...

I've just found out that the sun is directly responsible for global warming!Apparently solar energy originating from the sun penetrates the earth's atmosphere where it warms the planet to just the right level for it to sustain life. However, it doesn't warm the earth equally across it surface, some areas receive more solar energy than others, meaning...

Okay, so I'm not setting any records for exclusivity here, this is last weeks news, but the EU have pledged to phase out the use of traditional incandescent lightbulbs, to be replaced by the energy efficient type.Apparently this follows similar decisions by the Australian government and the State of California in the US.The switch to the new lightbulbs...

The latest advertisement on UK television for a KFC "meal" (how anyone can describe rubber chicken, batter and a spoonfull of coleslaw as a meal I'm not sure) not only encourages people to eat a meal of dubious nutrition, but patronisingly tells us that by throwing all the packaging - boxes, large plastic bucket, plastic wrappers, cutlery and napkins...

Easter eggs are in the shops already; the supermarket I work in has a whole aisle devoted to them and I'm sure that extra packaging has been used just to annoy me.This is quite a tricky issue, no-one wants to suggest that children shouldn't enjoy receiving their easter eggs, I for one used to get quite excitied about it, but this shouldn't be an excuse...

Previously I wrote about the supermarket effect on food miles, and how users of supermarkets might reduce their food miles and consequently reduce their carbon footprint. Fortunately, for those of us that break out in a rash at the very mention of a supermarket there are options. One of my favourites, although not neccessarily the best, is to go for...

The concept of food miles (or kilometres if you prefer) is one that is gradually growing in public awareness and some supermarkets (at least those in the UK) are attempting to cut down on the number of products that are supplied by plane. Of course, the country of origin has been displayed on virtually all products for many years and by selecting home...

The reluctance of UK government and industry to invest in "green" technology is rapidly becoming a major annoyance to me. Al Gore wrote as early as 1991 that Japan was leading the way in the development of energy efficient appliances that are rapidly taking over as leading sellers from competing products from the US and Europe. It seems to me that...

Last year I wrote an essay on Waste managment in the UK for college, and I was thinking about this issue again the other day. Much is made of recycling, everyone seems to be getting on the bandwagon; lots of supermarkets now have plastic bag recycling bins and the bins for glass are now ubiquitous. I recently read some interviews with leading business...

Winter arrived in the UK a couple of days ago and it is freezing. In fact it feels colder in my flat than it does outside! I live in an old building that has been converted into a couple of flats and it seems to be almost completely uninsulated. Unfortunately, it is a rented flat and I don't expect to stay here much longer so there isn't much I can...

I have written on previous posts about how I always (well nearly always) use my reusable shopping bag when I go out. When I mentioned this to my grandmother, she just rolled her eyes and said that she'd been a "green" in this particular way since the 1930s. I guess that these sort of bags were (and maybe still are) the norm for older people, but younger...

It sounds nice doesn't it? Owning your own piece of rainforest, so that it can never be cut down sounds like a wonderful prospect. Shame you can't have it in your own back garden though. However, it is possible to protect a piece of rainforest, to conserve the species within it ,by supporting one of a number of charities that have negotiated deals...

Energy saving lightbulbs have become much easier to find over the last few years and anyone with any green pretensions has probably at least got a few in their house. I have used them for some time now and recently replaced the remaining few normal bulbs still in use in my flat.Much is made of their energy saving qualities, but I began to wonder how...

So far I'm doing pretty well with my resolutions; I bought some rechargeable batteries and energy saving light bulbs; every time I've been shopping I've used the "bag for life" and I've walked to the shops - good so far; I've been very careful with putting the right amount of water in the kettle, but as yet I haven't bought any locally produced food,...

My green resolutions got me thinking hard about what small things I can do to minimize my impact upon the environment without really having to make any significant changes to my lifestyle; there must be loads of things. Birdwatching close-by is one of those that I have already taken to (Birdwatching near Beverley).Boiling the kettle this morning got...

All day at the supermarket today was like shaving pieces off of my brain, but at one point I was asked if I'd made any new year's resolutions. I never do make any, but it got me thinking a bit today; it was either think about this or drive myself to frustration thinking about the amount of packaging I was throwing around like confetti. So, for the...

Working in a supermarket drives me mental! Not only is the work sensationally dull, but the amount of waste created makes me mad. It's very stressful.I don't believe it!One box this evening was particulaly irritating. It was about 50cm square by about 40 cm high and made of some of the thickest, densest cardboard I've ever encountered. Inside was a...