Nature is our biggest asset and a gift of God to us. But unfortunately we are slowly losing it due to our ignorance. We do not give much thought when we through litter pollute our air or make too much noise. All these and other factors are the main reasons which are damaging the nature. And the sad part is that none of us is taking responsibility of this act. There are only a few organizations who are working towards preserving the nature. Most of the organizations that are working towards preserving the nature are doing so privately. But there are few like Natural England who is backed up by Government as well. This shows that the organization is really committed towards achieving its goals.Environmentalists are becoming more and more concerned about the decrease in the greenery around the world. We all know that we need greenery as much as we need water. Recently, governments from around the world have also started taking steps to protect the environment.
Several cities across the US are noted for their progressive city governments and citizenry in regards to environmental issues. Known as "green cities", they not only initiate and practice policies that promote clean air and water, but often promote other programs and practices such as alternative energy systems and construction methods.
Austin, Texas consistently places in the various lists of the greenest cities in the US and the world. The Green Guide, affiliated with National Geographic, chose Austin as number 2 on its list on Top Green Cities in 2006. Criteria for its choices included air quality, electricity use and production, environmental perspective, environmental policy, green space, transportation and water quality.
A commitment to solar energy and green building is what won Austin its place on Green Guide's list. The city offers some of the most generous rebates in the country for customers who use solar energy. It also buys significant amounts of wind energy from wind farms in West Texas and plans to meet 20 percent of its energy needs with renewable sources by 2020. Austin also has established high standards for energy efficiency for its central business district and has initiated progressive policies to preserve water quality, ensure proximity to mass transit, and maintain a pedestrian-friendly urban design.
But it's not just the city government that promotes green urban living. Many of Austin's creative citizens are becoming known around the country and the world for their initiative and success in creating local, community based projects that promote green lifestyles and a more healthy, cleaner urban environment.
The Rhizome Collective was founded in 2000 as a center for community organizing and urban sustainability education. The collective took an old warehouse with an asphalt parking lot and have turned it into gardens, ponds and greenhouses that support tilapia, catfish, turkey, ducks and chickens. They host weekend workshops and seminars to teach people from around the world that they don't have to wait on governments and corporations to go green, but they can start implementing their own projects with little background in engineering or the sciences.
Austin has permitted a number of private individuals to employ alternative construction methods to build homes inside the city limits, notably straw bale construction. In 2001, there were about a dozen homes in the Austin area that were built from straw, including at least three inside the city limits. In addition to such progressive construction methods, the city has also permitted some people to recycle old buildings, such as warehouses into condos and upscale or innovative commercial properties.
Another citizen-initiated project that has contributed to the eco-quality of the area is the Carshare initiative. This company allows members to pick up a car for a day at various locations around town. In this way, members can save money by not having to pay for their own private car (and consequently not having to pay for insurance, gas, maintenance and parking!). It also helps reduce the amount of air pollution in the city by reducing the amount of automobile traffic in the city.
Finally, there is Good Common Sense, an online store founded by well-known and highly respected Austin musician Chris Searles. Formerly a drummer for such notable artists as Alejandro Escovedo and Shawn Colvin, Searles founded Good Common Sense in an effort to help consumers make the kinds of choices that will help make the world a greener, safer place to live and work. His store offers products that are environmentally friendlier than many products consumers might find in regular stores and shops. Consumers can find home weatherizing products, compostable dinnerware, fuel enhancer devices, and all kinds of recycled products.
Solution free energy Solar Energy:
The energy radiated from the sun should not be under estimated; despite our perceptions of a rain drenched and clouded isle, we actually receive about 60% of the amount of solar energy that is received on the equator. In the UK alone this is the equivalent to the output of approximately 1,000 power stations.
On a global scale, the amount of energy that falls on the earth from the sun in just one hour is equal to the amount used by the worlds population in a whole year.
The fact that we are being bombarded by this free and abundant energy source is of little or no use unless we can capture it.
Solar Panels
There are two main ways of collecting solar energy:
1. Solar Photovoltaics (solar PV)
2. Solar Thermal (or Solar Hot Water)
Solar Photovoltaics
There are many applications for solar PV ranging from solar powered calculators through to fully integrated systems supplying electricity to the grid. Without the application of solar power, remote technologies such as satellites simply would not be feasible and for these types of application the use of solar cells is accepted as the norm. However, mainstream use of solar panels at a domestic and commercial scale is still not widely apparent in the UK.
Sunnier regions of the world are switching on to the opportunities, and large solar PV arrays are now installed in areas such as Spain and California. There are two main reasons for the slow uptake. The first is that solar power is a relatively weak concentration of energy compared to the fossil fuel bonanza that we are all used to and the second is cost.
The lower concentration of power compared to fossil fuels requires a change in mindset of the end user; energy efficiency must go hand in hand with renewable energy. As the use of renewable energy becomes more prevalent, so too hopefully will our awareness of wasted energy and the need for greater energy efficiency.
Cost
The cost of solar cells is becoming progressively less of a barrier as the technology is more widely applied. Indeed some predict that the cost of solar power will be cheap enough to compete with fossil fuel generated electricity within five years. The flexibility (quite literally in some cases) of the new solar cells being developed also means that installation is easier and cheaper and that the technology can be adapted to fit virtually any building.
Payback time at current values is still not great for solar PV and as a result the technology is best suited to remote applications where grid connection is likely to be expensive or impossible. Remote applications rely on the storage of collected energy in batteries and can range from a single electric light bulb in a garden shed through to much larger systems for residential properties, farm buildings, communications facilities etc.
Solar panels can also be very effectively used for charging 12 volt battery systems on boats, barges, caravans and recreational vehicles which may be subject to energy drain. Solar PV offers an affordable, dependable and practical way of keeping 12 volt batteries topped up and ready for use without the need for a diesel generator or mains electricity connection.
As the cost of solar comes down there is growing interest in systems for domestic use and some householders are investing in them because of the environmental benefits that they offer. Larger systems for domestic or commercial use tend to be ‘grid tied’ and are able to import and export electricity to the grid according to power supply and demand.
So, finially it is up to us as well to ensure that these and other such organizations keep working. We can also contribute towards their cause by helping them. You do not need to do much even planting a small tree is more then enough. It is also our moral duty to ensure that our future generations are able to enjoy the nature as we are able to do today.
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