My green journey! I will be doing my bit in stopping climate change. Read all about the ways I try to be eco-friendly and live a little greener every day while I try to combat global warming. Join me on this green journey in an effort to achieve zero emissions and doing away with the effects of greenhouse gases. Read more about the journey
Monday, 25 July 2011
Australia has announced a controversial plan in a bid to cut carbon emissions and help fight global warming.
The government recently revealed details of its new pollution tax, with Treasurer Wayne Swan also promising help for households struggling to afford higher energy bills.
The country is one of the worst global culprits when it comes to carbon emission, mostly due to its reliance on coal-fired power and resources, and the new tax will apply to the country’s top 1 000 polluters from the middle of 2011.
Friday, 22 July 2011
Our story on Eskom’s free solar-powered heaters generated quite a bit of feedback with some asking who and where they could go for more information.
We contacted Eskom and were given the following list of numbers for customers to call.
Let us know if it helps!
Don’t Be A Passenger Team
Eskom’s IDM help desk:
Tel: (011) 800 4744
Eskom Customer Contact Centre:
Call 08600-ESKOM(37566) for an Eskom Energy Advisor to contact you.
Solar Heating Contact Information:
Tel: (011) 800-4744 (during office hours)
Friday, 22 July 2011
The city of Johannesburg is planning on installing solar-powered traffic lights.
The Johannesburg Roads Agency (JRA) announced the initiative on 21 July and said traffic lights across the city would be fitted with uninterrupted power supply units.
This would improve traffic conditions for motorists, the JRA said on www.news24.com.
Spokesperson Thulani Makhubela said more than R11m would be spent on modernising traffic lights and monitoring systems at significant intersections.
Main intersections would be fitted with uninterrupted power supply units so that should there be power cuts in the area, the lights would continue working.
Almost a third of the city’s traffic lights now sport light-emitting diodes, which are much brighter than normal globes and therefore improve visibility.
Many recently-upgraded traffic lights have been vandalised and Makhubela says theft and vandalism cost ratepayers and the city an additional R14.5 million.
Cape Town was the first South African city to install solar-powered traffic lights back in 2007.
At the time, the National Energy Efficiency Agency said that an eight-pole traffic light set used the same amount of electricity as a family of four in a three-bedroom house. Wow!
Back in 2008, it was reported that the Central Energy Fund announced a huge campaign to install solar-powered traffic lights at important intersections across the country to fight the congestion caused by power cuts.
The power outages were said to cause chaos and to impact negatively on the country’s economy.
So even though the project started out to be more about relieving traffic congestion and making it easier on commuters, the added benefit of reducing electricity consumption and raising awareness about solar power has definitely been a positive spin-off for the environment.
Thursday, 21 July 2011
Diébédo Francis Kéré is an architect with a difference. He is a man with a vision, who serves as an inspiration to others. He believes not only in constructing physical buildings – but also in creating hope and making a real difference in people’s lives – especially to those who need it the most.
This West African architect builds with the environment – not against it or in spite of it – and has gained international recognition for his work. Most recently, he has won the prestigious Marcus Prize for Architecture, which acknowledges emerging global talents.
(Source: www.kere-architecture.com)
Friday, 15 July 2011
Even though the UN warned back in 2007 that global warming would lead to more natural disasters, floods, droughts, hurricanes and typhoons, there are still some people – and governments out there who doubt the severity of the situation.
But as this video shows – climate change is something we should all be very concerned about.
Wednesday, 3 August 2011
If you were fortunate enough to be in Cape Town in the last week you may have noticed that the city was dressed in yellow. You may also have seen that Table Mountain was also illuminated by a yellow glow at night rather than the usual white lighting. If you were thinking that it is the latest advertising campaign by a big cellular service provider, you would be wrong. This was all done as part of Cape Town’s bid to become the World Design Capital for 2014.
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Wednesday, 3 August 2011
The propulsion debate has been highly emotional part of the automotive industry ever since Karl Benz argued that his internal combustion engine was more efficient than a horse. For decades we had the petrol vs. diesel debate and now its electric vs. hybrid. On one hand there are companies such as that argue in favour of electric/ICE hybrids and others arguing in favour of pure electric. Chris Moerdyk digs deeper…
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