Posts Tagged ‘emissions’
Australia – One independent MP has strongly praised ALP for its NBN infrastructure project, noting it did not buy votes
September 7th, 2010 | 
Author: Speaking on ABC television overnight, Katter said he had to pay the former Rudd Government a “very great tribute” for its pursual of the NBN as example of a government not buying votes.
“I have watched for 20 years the corruption of government in the sense that all they spend money on is buying votes. There is no infrastructure, there is no development, there is nothing.
“I have to pay a very great tribute to the Rudd Government as for the first time in 20 years I saw a government – the broadband rollout, the national energy grid—there is no votes in either of those things.
“They are a good thing for this country, a great thing for this country and they undertook both those things knowing there were no votes in it for them.”
The comments follow similar remarks from Independent MP, Tony Windsor, at the weekend that he had been convinced of the veracity of Labor’s $43 billion NBN plan, following briefings from Peter Harris, the secretary Department of Broadband, Communications and the Digital Economy, as well as Communications Minister, Stephen Conroy.
In an interview on Sky News, available as a podcast through the Australian Agenda link, Conroy said Windsor and the other independents understood that the NBN would drive better healthcare, education and small business benefits in regional Australia, as well as enabling other technologies such as smart electricity grids.
In late August, the third ‘gang of three’ Independent MP, Rob Oakeshott also expressed support for better telecommunications in regional areas along with suggesting an Emissions Trading Scheme would be an important goal; indicating closer alignment with the Labor party.
Posted in Communications | 
Tags: business, Communications, Computer, Electric, electricity, emissions, Health, money, Network, small business, world | 
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Ferrari, the greenest car maker on earth?
Aston Martin sources engine, body and electrical parts from outside the main plant at Gaydon, as does Jaguar. Even Morgan, that most bespoke of car companies, sources one or two components externally, including quite a few trees.
Ferrari 599XX video, pictures and first drive review
At Ferrari, though, everything except the cows that provide the leather is now made at Maranello. Since November, in fact, they’ve even been generating their own electricity in order to power the Scuderia’s various tooling facilities – to the extent that in January Ferrari sold power back to Italy’s National Grid.
As a result, Ferrari now claims that its plant at Maranello produces between 25-30 per cent less CO2 than it did before its new “Trigeneration” system fired up in November – in which mechanical power, heat and cooling are produced by just one source. And that’s real world emissions, by the way, not ones that appear in EU approved documents, and which mean not a great deal in the overall scheme.
Imagine how much less angst would be displayed towards the car industry in general if all cars were created in the same way, with the same efficiency? The green meanies would hardly have a leg to stand on, and us car enthusiasts could carry on enjoying our cars (virtually) guilt free. Even ones like the utterly barking 599XX, on whose launch I discovered all of the above.
The Urgent Need for Alternative Sources of Fuel
You can start off your use of alternative fuels in your daily commute. If you use your feet to commute, either through walking or cycling, you are at a great disadvantage with the rest of the American populace. Not only will you be healthier and fitter, you will also save thousands of dollars on ever increasing fuel costs, while cutting down on your carbon footprint.
Of course, you cannot depend on walking or cycles to take you everywhere. You will require a motorized mode of transport sooner or later. If you can afford one, a hybrid car would be a great investment. Not only are hybrid cars more economical, they are also low polluting. You will also be at a distinct advantage with the rest of the population as fuel prices keep on increasing, and as the country makes the inevitable switch to cars powered by alternative sources of fuel.
Try to use public means of transport as much as you can, especially the local metro which runs on electric power, and thus, gives off zero emissions. Not only is public transport a cost effective means of travel, it is also a great way to do your little bit for the environment and keep at least one car off the already congested roads and highways.
It makes sense to switch over the alternative fuel sources sooner than later. We will all have to switch to greener energy sources one day, so why not today rather than tomorrow?
About the Author
John has been writing online for several years. His late blog is about picture scanners, and how you should go about buying a picture scanner
Posted in Cars, Green Fuels |
Tags: alternative fuel, alternative fuel sources, alternative fuels, blog, blogs, car, Cars, Electric, emissions, Environment, ford, fossil fuels, fuel prices, google, Health, hybrid car, Hybrid Cars, online, scanners, system |
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Europe: Commissioner Reding set out priorities for the future, including mobile payments, electronic invoicing and cloud computing
The commissioner was nominated for a third five-year term by her native Luxembourg earlier this week, although it isn’t yet clear whether she will be able to keep the telecom portfolio under a new commission formed in the autumn.
Speaking at a gathering organised by Brussels-based thinktank The Lisbon Council, Reding said her first priority for the next commission would be to create a legal framework to make it easier for consumers to access digital content wherever it is produced in Europe. This would include an E.U.-wide licensing system for copyright and other intellectual property rights in online services and E.U. rules to encourage the digitalization of books, she said.
Another priority would be the creation of a safe system for mobile payments.
“We have more than 500 million mobile users in Europe. This means Europe has the economies of scale that will allow transforming the mobile phone into an electronic wallet,” she said.
Consumers would be able to buy tickets at a train station, sodas from a vending machine or flowers in a shop, she added.
In addition, Europe should encourage small businesses to go digital by creating an E.U. “cloud computing” system, similar to systems that exist in the U.S.
“In Europe we have 23 million small and medium-sized businesses accounting for 100 million jobs,” Reding said. “But only 9% use electronic invoices and only 11% have technology-based human resources management.”
Cloud computing would mean small businesses could download business software from the Internet for a small monthly fee rather than buying it outright and having to upgrade and maintain it.
Another priority, Reding said, was for companies to make better use of digital technology so as to cut their carbon dioxide emissions, for example by using video conferencing instead of air travel.
During her speech, the commissioner also urged E.U. countries to speed up their switchover from analog television broadcasting to digital as a stimulus for economic recovery.
“I call on all EU governments: Don’t wait until 2012, the EU-wide deadline for the final digital switch-off to bring these benefits to businesses and citizens act swiftly now,” she said.
The commissioner has long been an outspoken supporter of the switchover, as it frees up airwaves to be used for other business ventures such as mobile broadband.
The switchover would increase the value of the spectrum by between EUR150 billion and EUR200 billion, she said.
Posted in Communications |
Tags: amp, blog, blogs, business, car, Communications, Computing, consumers, digital technology, emissions, Free, Internet, jobs, Mac, Management, Mobile, mobile broadband, mobile payments, mobile phone, mobile users, online, small business, small businesses, Software, system, Technology, upgrade |
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Bio fuels – Are they good?
Difference between bio-fuels and fossil fuels
Bio-fuels are different from fossil fuels in the following ways:
* Fossil fuels take a million years to build whereas bio-fuels can be made extremely fast, in a matter of days.
* Fossil fuels generate huge amounts of pollution. Bio-fuels are comparatively safer.
* Bio-fuels are renewable sources of energy unlike fossil fuels.
Different types of bio-fuels
Bio-fuels have been categorized into four types: first generation, second generation, third generation, and fourth generation.
The first generation bio-fuels are derived from vegetable fats, starch, and sugar, which are in turn derived from food-crops. The first generation fuels are also derived from animal fats. Biogas, bio-diesel, and vegetable oil are some examples of this type of bio-fuels.
The second generation of bio-fuels is mainly derived from waste biomass, thus making it a more balanced option compared to the first-generation bio-fuels. Different kinds of alcohols and diesel generated from wood fall into the category of second generation bio-fuels.
The third generation comprises of bio-fuels derived from algae. Algae are farmed on large scales for creating these bio-fuels. The algae fuels are extremely environment-friendly as they can easily decompose into the soil without harming it.
The bio-fuels in the fourth generation are derived by a method in which micro-organisms are raised to work with carbon dioxide to generate fuel.
Advantages of bio-fuels
Bio-fuels prove advantageous in the following ways:
* Bio-fuels lessen the burden on gradually-vanishing fossil fuels.
* Bio-fuels are environment-friendly. They help reduce carbon emissions into the atmosphere.
* Bio-fuels, especially, bio-diesel prove to be very cost-effective for consumers.
Disadvantages of bio-fuels
Bio-fuels are not bereft of criticism. Though beneficial for the environment, bio-fuels have its disadvantages, paradoxically in the environmental purview. Bio-fuels have received criticism for many reasons, a couple of which are stated below:
* Economists have long debated on the usefulness of first generation bio-fuels when compared to the lack of food they cause. Generating fuel from food crops makes food crops unworthy of human consumption. Some people believe that being a higher priority than fuel, food should not be farmed for making fuels but for human consumption.
* Making bio-fuels require acres of farming land, thus encroaching upon the natural habitat of plants and animals.
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About the Author
If you enjoyed reading this article, you can read more great articles on living a greener life that will benefit you, your family and the whole world we live in at Living Green Solutions
Posted in Cars, Green Fuels |
Tags: amp, blog, blogs, car, carbon emissions, consumers, diesel, emissions, Environment, fossil fuels, renewable sources, sms, third generation, vegetable oil, world |
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