Are you getting bored by all the posturing from politicians and various interest groups about global warming, carbon and carbon trading? I certainly am and I am passionate about the subject. I should think most people are totally “over it”.

Thank goodness Copenhagen came and went. Hopefully the Australian Government will now allow us to have a rational national debate about the issue. They were elected largely on a “green” vote to help prevent global warming and to fix the Murray Darling water problems and in my opinion they have done little that is effective about either.

So what can we do to reduce our carbon emissions? There are three practical suggestions.

1. Increase the size of the renewable energy target and start building gas-fired power stations on the sites of the existing brown-coal power stations. Get brown coal out of the system as soon as possible.

2. We should start taking energy efficiency seriously, in homes and commercial buildings.

3. Help the small to medium business sector to understand the problem and take action to make savings in their businesses.

Then there are other things like sorting out some of the tax subsidies that actually encourage some industry sectors to consume fossil fuels. It certainly makes sense to stop paying polluters before we implement a polluter pays scheme.

My observation of the Australian Government’s proposed scheme is that it will push up prices, subsidise some households so that they have no incentive to change behaviour, leave small to medium business badly squeezed in the middle and have little if any impact on the amount of greenhouse gas emissions from Australia.

On a global scale, we need to help developing countries like Indonesia retain their forests because trees are one of the very best ways to absorb carbon dioxide. At present deforestation globally has the same impact as all the global vehicle emissions every year. If we reduced vehicle emissions AND prevented deforestation that would really make a difference.

What a contrast from the Chinese approach where they are closing the dirtiest power stations, building enormous renewable energy installations, producing most of the world’s solar panels and limiting cars to only drive on alternate days so nearly halving vehicle emissions. They have a huge population so their total emissions are huge but they are miniscule per head compared to ours. And they have set very substantial targets for emission reductions. I don’t see anything sinister in Chinese reluctance to be monitored as I think there would be a huge resistance to international monitoring of US or Australian emissions. I see this as a dignity and trust issue.

A recent survey conducted for BankSA found 69% of business owners and 68% of consumers preferred direct or voluntary action – rather than an enforced emission Trading Scheme – to cut carbon emissions by 5% by 2020.

The survey on sustainability also found that while consumers have embraced targets for mains water conservation, the plastic bag ban 5that is in place in South Australia and bottled water consumption cuts, they reject change in areas that affect quality of life, as shown by a reported rise in power consumption for air-conditioning.

And business owners are yet to be convinced about the selling power of sustainability, with 55% saying they do not believe green credentials attract customers. Only 15% are promoting their environmental efforts and only 13% have any formal environmental certification.

In spite of what they say, almost one-third of consumers are actually using more electricity and gas, as well as fuel for vehicles.

Seeking greater sustainability seemed to be off-limits in other key areas, with 75% of consumers rejecting a switch to toilet paper made from recycled paper and I am with them on that – my bottom does the voting there; and preferring to use their own vehicles instead of public transport. My observations with the transport is the inconvenience of waiting because the services are not a frequent, they are uncomfortable and also dangerous as with no seat belts people get thrown about. Certainly when I fly into Sydney and especially Brisbane, I always catch the train in preference to taxi because it is convenient, faster and much cheaper so even carrying luggage, the train is a better choice.

BankSA Managing Director, Rob Chapman says the results show commitment to sustainability is both price-sensitive and influenced by the desire for comfort and convenience.

“More than 90% of the businesses we surveyed were actively seeking to reduce the amount of waste they sent to landfill, while 69% of consumers said they were prepared to pay more for grocery items produced using better environmental practices,” Rob says.

“However, we also found that lifestyle and cost can be deal-breakers.”

Jean Cannon helps small to medium businesses become truly sustainable with simple and effective management systems. She has now taken her business online and world wide as part of reducing her own carbon footprint.

Jean is both a highly qualified scientist and a business person and she is a true leader in sustainable business.

Get past the hype and confusion and get my Free Report to “Discover how YOU can quickly and easily get your Quality, Safety and Environment ISO accreditation so you increase profits, reduce your risks and attract more clients.” at http://www.enviroaction.com.au and opt-in to get my regular newsletter

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A Really Intimate Look At Wind Turbines And Deciding What You Might Opt For

Most regions understand that the timing of these actions is speedily sneaking away from us; we see now that we are at the “we need to get it done now stage”. Sooner rather than later, the timing will quickly start to be; we had better get this done and then we wish we had gotten our energy usage under command.

In most respects, the entire problem can be intimidating and to a certain degree dejecting. Luckily, there are solutions to the world’s power issues if they are simply applied and developed to their fullest and most efficient possibility. Solar power is beginning to make excellent headway in technology and execution as are other alternative energy solutions. One of these alternatives is wind turbine energy, a source of uninterrupted clean energy that is actually making great strides in reducing coal power energy point source where it is being utilized.

What is a wind turbine?

A wind turbine used for producing electrical energy is not all that difficult a thing to comprehend. It is almost exactly like the water wheels that centuries of people have used to make their flour. The only difference is that instead of using water to turn the water wheel wind is used. The wind makes the blades of the wheel turn which; with the help of some gears, magnets and resistance creates electricity which turns a motor to send the electricity along power lines. Unfortunately, at the moment the energy generated from the turbine cannot be stored in batteries so there is a need for back-up systems but, for the most part, it is a fairly efficient system.

Location, location, location

This last point about not being able to store the generated energy in batteries for later use puts quite a bit of emphasis on where the wind turbines are placed. Since the energy that is generated needs to be sent along the power lines and used right away, the turbines need to be located in a place where the wind is always blowing. One might think, well that shouldn’t be that difficult. Well… yes and no. The turbine needs to be located where there is a constant and steady wind most of the time, but it also needs to be located in a place where quite a few turbines can be located.
The current issue is that one turbine generates quite a bit of energy, but not enough energy to make it economically feasible. Several hundred turbines need to be in place to make this happen. There are many places around the world where this is possible, but the overall concept is regional in nature. In other words, the power made in Vegas, stays in Vegas. The power generated in West Texas, stays in west Texas. This is not generally a bad thing since larger cities in Texas are deriving a nice chunk of their power from the wind turbines which lessens the need to use coal power needed for other places like Los Angeles.

Not in my back yard

The particular problem of people not wanting to look up at or listen to wind turbines all day every day has become a bit of an issue. At the larger more rural sites in West Texas there is a bit of an undercurrent about the wind turbines, the sound they make (constantly) and their future when they are outdated and need to be removed, but since the entire concept is so new the legislature is in a bit of a learning curve. Where the issue is likely to be resolved is in more urban areas where the use of wind turbines is just beginning to creep in. As vocal suburbanites hear about proposed “turbine farms” they all-of-a-sudden decide they are fine with wind power but don’t want to look at 100 turbines within their sight on a mountain top, coastal sound or back yard.

Reading in the dark

People may become vocal about not wanting to see or hear wind turbines on a daily basis but they may need to better understand that alternative power sources are coming. They had better think about the need and how they are going to deal with the issue on a personal basis. Power up with solar, wind, water of nuclear because choosing a source sooner rather the later may be the best way to keep; not in my backyard, not in my back yard.

Please Note... All links within articles are placed by their author-owners and not by this blog.Products with in those links may or may not be the best in the world.If it sounds too good to be true it could be a scam.Articles are posted for their info,ideas and or entertainment value only.

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