The New Green Economy

For over half a century now, linear product life cycles have dominated the marketplace and come to define the value sets that characterize modern economics.  The average consumer has unwittingly invested untold amounts of time, energy, and income to ensure that the Materials Economy remains a driving force throughout cultures around the world.  Product marketing incessantly bombards consumers in an effort to dupe them into believing that happiness and peace of mind are to be found in the latest product trends.

An April 2009 article published on The New Green Economy, entitled Transforming the Materials Economy, examined the outright unsustainability of the Materials Economy.  The article aimed to promulgate the devastating impact that linear product life cycles have had on the both natural and built environments, as well as the bleak future they may lay ahead if these cycles are not radically modified to mirror the circular life cycles as found in the natural world.

Source: The New Green Economy

Copenhagen

From what I can tell, not a few companies are a tad upset about political developments over the past week that suggest major world leaders are basically ready to renege on their promise to work toward halving global greenhouse gas emissions by 2050.

I mean, here they are (at least some businesses) busting their own business models to figure out how to live up to the industrial end of the bargain while the politicians are defaulting to be political all over again heading into COP-15, the UN Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen from Dec. 7 to Dec. 18.

Source: Smart Planet

Solar roof tiles

What is the true cost of solar power? The answer to this question may determine whether or not you decide to install solar panels on your home or business. In fact, in the current economy, everyone is worried about investments, and whether they make sense long term.

How does the cost of solar power factor in?

In order to accurately determine solar energy cost, you’ll need to consider a range of factors. Get your pencil out… you should write these down:

1. Current utility bills, averaged on a monthly basis
2. Projected future utility bills, over your estimated years of ownership of the property
3. Amount you may save annually in electricity bills
4. State and provincial solar energy tax rebates and other incentives, such as no money down
5. Type of solar panel system you want to install: PV Panels or Solar roof shingles
6. Other potential energy savings, through energy efficient bulbs, shutting off lights, adjusting thermostats
7. Other potential energy retrofitting measures, including windows, insulation, Energy Star appliances, etc.

When you consider the fact that solar power is free, once you install the panels, it may be worth it to consider converting now.

Case in point

Let’s say that your solar panel system will cost you R20,000.  Now, consider that your monthly electricity bills average R600 a month, which is R7,200 a year. That alone would be about a 3-year return on investment, but wait! What about the increase in value of your home? If you can save the entire R7,200 a year, multiply that figure by 20 which is the typical loan period you get R144,000.   That’s right: R144,000 in additional property value!

Eskom tarif hike

Now, add in the rising electricity rates that you won’t have to worry about. Oh, and the cost of continued global warming – you are doing your part you know… priceless!

You see, it just takes some focused arithmetic to determine the true cost of solar power. Think beyond your initial investment/outlay, and I’ll bet you will soon see that solar energy is the way to go, without requiring you to break the bank.
Source: Solar Panel | Green Power

Those in search of renewable energy or renewable energy financing should go and knock on First National Bank’s door.

The bank has just received the approval to disburse N$6 million, in a revolving credit guarantee scheme to solar energy technicians and rural communities in search of solar financing.
Source: New Era

According to a new report published by the Worldwatch Institute, global emissions caused by the “lifecycle and supply chain of animals raised for food” are much higher than previously thought. Environmental advisers Jeff Anhang and Dr. Robert Goodland, report previous estimates of greenhouse gases caused by livestock were in fact, underestimated.

An earlier report, Livestock’s Long Shadow – Environmental Issues and Options, released in 2006 by the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), took an in-depth look at the impact the world’s livestock had on the environment.

Based on a simple model of the carbon cycle, the report concluded that annual emissions from cattle, buffalo, sheep, goats, camels, pigs and poultry were 18 percent, “The livestock sector is a major player, responsible for 18 percent of greenhouse gas emissions measured in CO2 equivalent. This is a higher share than transport.” Dr. Henning Steinfeld, senior author of the Long Shadow report and FAO official said that livestock is “one of the most significant contributors to today’s most serious environmental problems” and urged immediate action.
Source / more: Simply Green