Shower nozzle uses air for water-savings

An “air shower” developed at Australia’s Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization allows one to take long leisurely showers without worrying about wasting too much water. The new Oxijet shower nozzle, developed by New Zealand company Felton in collaboration with CSIRO, uses up to 50 percent less water than a full flow shower. According to Dr. Jie Wu, a fluids specialist at CSIRO, the Oxijet nozzle...

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Marketing for a more fuel efficient society

A small amount of information could be all that it takes to encourage people to decrease their transportation fuel use, resulting in savings for the consumer and lower emissions for the world. This is the finding of a new paper from Rice University’s Baker Institute for Public Policy which proposes a national marketing campaign on measures to decrease fuel use in order to encourage consumers to adapt greener transportation...

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Winter tourism feeling the heat of climate change

As we head into the coldest season of the year, rising temperatures are starting to have an impact on what is usually the peak season of the winter sports industry. Winter tourism is largely dependent on predictable and heavy snowfall, but climate change is most likely to make winters warmer, snowfall fewer and snow seasons shorter, resulting in “economic devastation,” according to a new study co-authored by environmental group Protect...

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Smartphones threaten environment and communities in Indonesia - report

Thanks to smartphones, we can now take things we usually do in computers wherever we go. Indeed, they have become essentials in people’s everyday lives. While they provide us convenience, what we are not aware of is the fact that they actually hurt people and the environment, said Friends of the Earth, an international network of environmental organizations in 76 countries. A link between smartphones and island...

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Singapore moves forward ‘Greenprint’ initiative for eco-friendly neighborhoods

Singapore is moving along with an initiative unveiled earlier this year that the government said will bring sustainable and eco-friendly living to about 85 percent of its residents. Majority of Singaporeans live in apartment-type houses or flats developed and managed by the Housing Development Board. Now, with their Greenprint plan, the Housing Development Board will retrofit these existing public housing estates, transforming them into “green” living spaces.

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HOW YOUR GARDEN CAN HELP SAVE THE ENVIRONMENT

Everybody loves spending time working and relaxing in the garden. On a warm summer’s day what better way is there to do than spend your time sitting in your garden with a good book? But what if however, your garden could help save the environment as well as being stunningly beautiful? Here are some small and simple ways that you can help! Tackle pests the eco way Quite often when people find that their prized...

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Trading up and trading in gadgets for cash with the ecoATM

Gadget lovers aren’t the only ones eagerly anticipating the latest iteration of Apple’s iPhone, the iPhone 5. Mobile phone recycler ecoATM is looking to expand operations to meet the needs of consumers who want to trade up from their old phones. “There are going to be millions of people buying the new iPhone 5. When they do, we want there to be an ecoATM nearby for them to cash in or recycle their old phones,”

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Less meat sees less health risks, emissions

While recent studies may have found that going organic might not necessarily be better for you or the environment, going vegetarian could help shrink a country’s carbon footprint. This is the finding of a modeling study published by the BMJ-British Medical Journal, which found that reducing red and processed meat consumption could shrink Britain’s greenhouse gas emissions by 28 million metric tons a year.

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Organic farms, not that healthy for environment or people?

The green fields of an organic farm might bear fruit in a healthier ecosystem but that doesn’t mean what they grow is lower carbon. An analysis led by Oxford University scientists have found that while an organic farm is good for the surrounding area and wildlife, the products of organic farms generate greenhouse gas emissions that are similarly high or higher than their conventionally farmed counterparts.

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Iameco drastically cuts carbon footprint in personal computer use

An Irish computer company is cutting down the carbon footprint of that most familiar of devices, the personal computer, by 70 percent. MicroPro Computers Ltd.’s Iameco touch-screen computer has a carbon footprint of less than 360 kilograms of carbon dioxide equivalent over its full product lifecycle. Quite simply, it allows a computer user to say “I am eco.”

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