Fireworks can be a lot of fun…or scary, depending on what neighborhood you live in. But they use some unhealthy junk in their mix, mainly potassium perchlorate, which has been linked to thyroid damage when accumulated in the soil, air, and water. They also contain heavy metals like barium and copper, which can be toxic. Ironically, green-colored fireworks are particularly toxic.

 

While you’re not in that much danger during the one or two shows most people see per year, it’s good to look at the bigger picture. So, to clean up fireworks, researchers in Germany have developed new formulas that use nitrogen-rich materials or nitrocellulose instead of the toxic junk, so you’re that much safer when enjoying flashing displays.

 

The new formulas produce less smoke and cut way down on the need for toxic heavy metals used for the bright colors. The new (and more expensive) fireworks are already flashing at circuses and rock shows. With lower toxicity, all the safety issues you have to worry about now is someone jabbing a sparkler in your eye “on accident,” or getting a little tipsy and forgetting to let go of that newly lit popper that's STILL in your hand.

 

Via Science Daily , zdnet , Popular Science ; Photo via Maurice

In a world of over-packaging, why not take the packaging and make something useful of it? An industrial design student at Sheffield Hallam University in the U.K. has built a cheap, ecological transport. Ta-dah! A cardboard bike. Phil Bridge doesn’t have a name for it yet, but if we can humbly suggest: the ReCycle. Bridge said he designed the bike after learning that a bicycle is stolen every 71 seconds in England, so he decided to make a bike cheap enough that it wouldn’t matter if it got lifted (Hey, bikes thieves should go green too!) and designed the bike as eco-friendly as possible. The prototype is made almost entirely from recyclable and recycled materials, using interchangeable mechanical parts. It costs about $15 pounds or about $30 U.S. to make. The body of the bike is environmentally-friendly and biodegradable industrial cardboard used in constructing partitional boarding. We’ve seen cardboard used in everything form Ferraris to laptops , but nothing that kept its construction so…apparent. “It does get wet in the rain,” said Bridge. “That is a problem.” But Bridge thinks the lightweight quality of the cardboard could actually be a benefit. A bargain bike is less susceptible to thives. Low-cost bikes at the moment are very heavy which can put potential riders off. Plus, it’d be easier to get it into a tree .

The bike can support anyone up to 168 pounds and the wheels and chains are standard for use on bikes.

Via Shu , BBC

Investment in 'green' energy surged in 2007 and early 2008 despite financial market woe, a report says.

Yes I believe that the insurgency will end. Why? Well let’s look at history. There is no doubt that some areas of the world, including Iraq and Afghanistan, have a history of endless war and violence. But if we look at the more stable parts of the world for example Europe and India (the largest democracy on the planet) we can see that they too have a history of violence and war both civil and with neighbours.

Looking deeper we see that Great Britain was scared for hundreds of years leading up to the industrial revolution with endless wars between the small countries that now make up the United Kingdom - Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland and England. From those desperate conflicts we saw the rise of democracy, social welfare and equality. Not I am afraid in a few weeks or months but arguably over hundreds of years.

I think that the Iraq question is about how outside powers can create the right environment for social, political (and perhaps religious) development. We cannot beat the insurgence unless we kill them all and then kill some more. So we need to create the right political, social and economic fabric in which the people of Iraq can build their future.

We have seen the rebuilding of many war torn countries and regions Germany, Japan, Vietnam and the surrounding countries, Poland and India. Lets try to stop thinking about how to beat the insurgence think more about how we can build a society that meets the needs of its people and is at peace with its neighbours.

We have been looking up how different wood burns. I would suggest experimenting before buying a lot of wood in. some types are very smokey and leave a lot of ash. My books says Oak is best but doh! where would we get oak from?

Any thoughts on what make...

Not sure about the mercury but I  guess they last longer. and they are getting smaller so more able to fit into sockets with shades.

We have heard that there maybe some problems with some goji berry bushes introducing a disease. anyone had any experience? we called thompson and morgan where we got them from they said they hadn't heard of the problem and would ring us back  - nothing...

A look at the issues surrounding plans for "eco-town" housing developments in England.

It’s not easy going green as they say but there are plenty of books to help you on your journey. We have listed four great books that contain detailed information from wind power to chickens.

Ground source heat pumps (GSHP) transfer heat from the ground into a building to provide space heating and, in some cases, pre-heating domestic hot water. For every unit of electricity used to pump the heat, 3-4 units of heat are produced. As well as ground source heat pumps, air source and water source heat pumps are also possible.

 

 

The main elements of a GSHP are:

Ground loop - comprises lengths of pipe buried in the ground, either in a borehole or a horizontal trench. The pipe is usually a closed circuit and is filled with a mixture of water and antifreeze, which is pumped round the pipe absorbing heat from the ground.

Heat pump - although we may not know it heat pumps are very familiar to us - fridges and air conditioners are both examples. A heat pump has three main components:

1. Evaporator - (e.g. the squiggly thing in the cold part of your fridge) takes the heat from the water in the ground loop;

2. Compressor - (this is what makes the noise in a fridge) moves the refrigerant round the heat pump and compresses the gaseous refrigerant to the temperature needed for the heat distribution circuit. Condenser, (the hot thing at the back of your fridge) gives up heat to a hot water tank that feeds the distribution system;

3. Heat distribution system - consists of under floor heating or radiators for space heating and in some cases water storage for hot water supply.

Three options are available for the ground loop: borehole, straight horizontal and spiral horizontal (or ’slinky’). Each has different characteristics allowing you to choose the most suitable for your property. Horizontal trenches can cost less than boreholes, but require greater land area. For slinky coil, a trench of about 10m in length will provide for about 1kW of heating load.

The installed cost of a typical 8kW system varies between £6,000 and £10,000 plus the cost of the distribution system. Naturally costs are dependent on property and location so the cost for a system for your home may different to the estimate above.

The efficiency of a GSHP system is measured by the Coefficient of Performance (CoP). This is the ratio of the number of units of heat output for each unit of electricity input used to drive the compressor and pump for the ground loop. Typical CoPs range between 2.5 to 4. The higher end of this range is for under floor heating, because it works at a lower temperature (30-35C) than conventional radiators.

Based on current fuel prices, assuming a CoP of 3-4, a GSHP can be a cheaper form of space heating than oil, LPG and electric storage heaters. It is however more expensive than mains gas. If grid electricity is used for the compressor and pump, then an economy 7 tariff usually gives the lowest running costs.

You should consider the following issues if you are considering a ground source heat pump. An accredited installer will be able to provide more detailed advice regarding suitability.

· The type of heat distribution system. GSHPs can be combined with radiators but under floor heating is better as it works at a lower temperature.
· Is there space available for a trench or borehole to accommodate a ground loop?
· Is the ground material suitable for digging a trench or borehole?
· What fuel is being replaced? If it is electricity, oil, LPG or any other conventional fossil fuel the payback will be more favourable. This makes heat pumps a good option for off gas grid areas.
· Do you want to be 100% renewable? If so, purchase green electricity, or install solar PV or some other form of renewable electricity generating system to power the compressor and pump.
· Do you require a back up heating system?
· Is there also a cooling requirement?
· Is the system for a new building development? Combining the installation with other building works can reduce costs.
· Can you incorporate insulation measures? Including wall, floor and loft insulation will reduce your heat demand.

Visit the energybook marketplace to find great wind power products, books and more. Place you products on the marketplace.

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I love go-go-gadget thinking and multimillionaire vacuum cleaner king James Dyson has it coming out his ears with his hopes to use his vacuum cleaner engine technology to run a solar powered car. Skreeeeeech.....no he isn't. I like talking about what is happening, rather than what isn't. But this is too good to pass up. The inventor made his millions with his light-weight bagless vacuums and high-powered hand dryer. And he believes that this same technology can help electric vehicles go faster, farther, and on solar charges. “Electric cars are seen as city cars and to go 30mph is quite enough, but in the future that will change. An electric motor can go to very high speeds,” he said. This much is true. However, reporters got a little carried away by jumping to the conclusion that it means he IS developing a motor for cars. Dyson has a green lining to his thought process, knowing that clean running electric vehicles are critical to decreasing our impact on the climate, and his team of developers are working on a version of their vacuum motor strong enough to power a car in their UK home base. But it does NOT mean he is looking towards big name car makers such as Honda to partner with in the development of the vehicles, as reported in several places. Perhaps the future of alternative fuel is pairing up solar power with sucking up street debris and converting it to fuel while you drive. Er, maybe not. But Dyson's vision for how EV motors could be made more light weight and more efficient are realistic, and I for one would look forward to a prototype should he decide to go on this phantom venture. Via Gas2, DailyMail, AutoblogGreen, Autocar; Photo via Laust