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Scott Bird

Household waste, that is *.
Here are 10 quick ways to reduce the amount of garbage that goes into your bins every week. Even if you’re not thinking about the environmental impact of doing this; it’ll be less to carry.

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CFLs and Mercury

by Scott Bird on March 30, 2008

The other day, Rob pointed me to an article on a topic which has been in the news quite a bit lately – the concern over the mercury contained in compact fluorescent (CFL) lamps. The original piece is here.
That article – and many others – gives the reader a somewhat inaccurate impression of the situation. [...]

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Having access to any sort of information – in real time – can help make almost anything more effective. A car’s speedometer, a wristwatch; that thin red line you see on televised swimming finals.
When it comes to energy use around the house, this idea certainly holds true. Having an idea of the amount of electricity, [...]

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The other day I noticed a solar-powered lighting system beside a main road, connected to a set of school-zone warning lights *. Once I began looking, I noted several solar-powered devices around the streets. Here are just a few of my favourites.

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This is the sixth and final article (part I, II, III, IV and V) in our series on Saving Water. Living in Sydney, Australia I’m acutely aware of the value of this precious resource.
Designing a new house? Great. This article looks at the many things you can do at this point which will radically reduce [...]

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This is the fifth article in a 6 part series on Saving Water. See part 1 on measuring your tap water, part 2 on benefits of a water tank, part 3 on gutters and drains and part 4 on saving water around the house. Living in Sydney, Australia I’m acutely aware of the value [...]

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This is the fourth article (part I, II, III) in a 6 part series on Saving Water. Living in Sydney, Australia I’m acutely aware of the value of this precious resource.
No matter where you live, there are a number of ways you can save water in the house you already have. There are many excellent [...]

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This is the third article (see Saving Water Part I and Saving Water Part II)
in a 6 part series on Saving Water. There are many environmental benefits of saving water of course, but for the end consumer, saving money seems to be the key. Living in Sydney, Australia I’m acutely aware of the value [...]

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This is the second article in a 6 part series on Saving Water (see part 1 on saving water). Living in Sydney, Australia I’m acutely aware of the value of this precious resource.
Today we’ll be looking at something for home-owners worldwide – the benefits of using a water tank. A rainwater tank, that is.
When I [...]

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This is the first article in a 6 part series on Saving Water. Living in Sydney, Australia I’m acutely aware of the value of this precious resource.
To start with, here’s a look at something which underlies all efforts to save (and re-use) water – measuring your current water usage.

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Following a brief piece on electric cars I’ve received several emails about the idea of converting or purchasing them. I’ll look at the many aspects of converting existing cars in a future article; for now though, here are 10 Electric cars you can buy right now.
There are pro’s and cons of course [...]

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A friend of mine asked me a question this morning which definitely has the wheels turning. Although electric cars have been around for decades, is it reasonable yet to drive one on a regular basis?
In coming weeks I’ll be looking at the various ‘conversion vs kit‘ options available; as well as the occasional progress report [...]

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This two-part article looks at the many ways to freeze food (including specifics for common food types), as well as a few suggestions for getting the most out of your freezer itself. It can be a wonderful piece of equipment.
In Part I we looked at the basics of freezing, and how to freeze vegetables, fruit [...]

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Yesterday I came across a comment to an environmental story which seems to sum up a very popular opinion – namely that it costs money to ‘go green‘. It said :

‘My biggest gripe with “going green” and all the nonsense that comes with it is that it costs so much money to be “green,” causing [...]

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One of the simplest ways to be kind to both your wallet and the environment is to reduce the amount of packaging you collect. Ultimately, less wrapping equals lower costs for everything you buy. Definitely a good thing.

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