As the earth heats up and the ice caps melt, the sea levels start to rise - and what do we have - hose-pipe bans and a situation of “water, water everywhere and not a drop to drink”!
After every long winter, the warm and sunny weather finally arrives - together with hose-pipe bans for many of us. I am lucky to live in an area that has not banned the use of hose-pipes, but because I have a water meter, I am very conscious of how much water I use. I would like to be able to say that my concern is only for the environment, and that does matter to me, but the amount of my bills is a factor that is rather more important at the moment. I already have three water-butts and 2 plastic dustbins for storing rain water, but they do not last very long when you are watering thirsty runner beans. So I have started to save my shower water! Any recycled water is known as “grey water” and can be bath or shower water, washing up water or water from your washing machine. You can use this water in your garden for plants and shrubs, but it is not a good idea to water your fruit and vegetables with this water saving method because of the chemicals used in the various soap products. Also, if you want to save the water from your washing machine, then you need to change to non-bio washing powder or liquid. Washing up water needs to be filtered first - but this can be done by pouring the saved water into a watering can or bucket through an old pair of tights (is there no end to the use of old tights?)
So, my shower water is now collected & saved instead of going straight down the drain. My next door neighbour has been very helpful and put an extension piece onto the pipe that is connected to the outlet from my bath so it now empties into a large container. But he has done it in a way that means I can re-divert back to the drains during the winter. I should add that I live in a bungalow, so this has not been too big a job. The container was given to me and my neighbour had a piece of plumbing pipe in his garage, so there has been no cost involved in saving this water. I am managing to save about 50 litres of water per shower, which is enough to water my shrubs and plants that are not established and whose roots have not yet grown down far enough to obtain enough moisture by themselves. I have never thought it worth watering the lawn, although I realise some people want their grass to be green, not patchy and brown like mine.
If your drains are situated in a place that means you cannot put a container nearby, and you don’t want to carry watering cans through your home, there is a gadget now available from many gardening stores and on the internet. It is called a “drought buster” and is, basically, a length of hose-pipe with a “bulb” near one end and uses atmospheric pressure to draw the water up from the bath and through the hose pipe. A few squeezes of the bulb will start the water flowing and, if the pipe is long enough, you can put the other end out through a window into a container. The hose can be lengthened by using standard hose pipe connectors.
I know you can also purify water with certain plants, so after I’ve watered the garden with the saved water i think I’ll look up my books to see which reeds will clean up the water from my washing machine - then I’ll be able to top up the pond!
About the Author: Visit Mabels…Maintaining Bygone Times, containing numerous articles thoughtfully researched mainly for the older person. You may access these articles by visiting http://www.mabels.co.uk/” title=”http://www.mabels.co.uk/” target=”_blank”>http://www.mabels.co.uk/ - You will learn about the best money saving tips, latest news & advice to improve your health, fitness, finances & retirement as well as information on nostalgic topics, places to visit, leisure & lifestyle, mobility & helpful organisations to make the most out of life and much, much more to benefit “Your Quality of Life”.
Source: www.isnare.comhttp://www.isnare.com”>www.isnare.com>
1. What is a hybrid car?
A vehicle is a hybrid when it combines two or more sources of power. Hybrid cars almost always have a gasoline engine and an auxiliary electric motor system that runs off rechargeable batteries.
We normally assume that the point of hybridization is to save fuel, and that is definitely the case with most of the smaller compacts and sedans. But in fact some of the more upscale hybrid models are more concerned with boosting power and “performance” without the usual loss in fuel efficiency.
2. Do you have to plug your hybrid in at night?
You may assume because a hybrid car runs part of the time off its battery pack, that it is necessary to plug it in at night and recharge the batteries (like a golf cart!). But this is almost never the case. Hybrid cars recharge their batteries “on the fly” by making use of unused energy which is normally wasted during normal driving.
For instance, most have a system that captures some of the energy used while applying the brakes, and converts it to electrical energy to charge the battery. This is called “regenerative braking”.
If hybrids had larger battery packs that you could plug into the electricity grid, they would be able to transfer more of the vehicle’s power requirements over to the electric motor(s), and use even less gasoline. But most auto makers have been unwilling to go this route, arguing that today’s batteries could not take the extra load and more extensive usage.
3. Do you have to replace the batteries?
The short answer is No. Hybrid batteries typically have an 80,000 - 100,000 mile warranty. The U.S. Department of Energy tested them to 160,000 miles and stopped testing because they still performed almost like they were brand new. Some taxi drivers have gone more than 200,000 miles in a Toyota Prius without battery problems.
In any event, since hybrid battery packs have hundreds of cells, individual cells or modules could be replaced if there was a problem.
The best way to keep nickel metal hydride batteries performing at their peak is to keep their charge between 40% and 60% — never fully charged and never fully drained to zero power.
4. How long have hybrids been around?
Alternatives to the ICE (internal combustion engine) in automobiles have been around since at least 1900. The first patent for a gasoline-electric hybrid vehicle was filed in 1905. Alternative fuel sources were wiped out as a result of two things. First was the development of the electric self-starter (in 1913) that made gasoline driven cars much easier to start.
The second development was the advent of the age of cheap oil that started around the time of the first World War. This completely removed the economic incentive to look for alternative fuel sources. This is only starting to change now, 80 years later.
5. Are hybrids expensive to purchase?
In January, 2006, there were 10 different hybrid models available from $19,000 to $53,000. The most popular models — the Insight, Civic, and Prius — are less than $30,000. According to auto maker announcements there should be more than 50 models available by 2010. As sales and production increase the prices should not be significantly more than for standard ICE models.
Even with the slightly higher average cost for a hybrid — usually around $3,000 — these additional initial costs can be offset by federal and state tax incentives, lower maintenance costs, and exceptionally strong resale values.
6. Are hybrids small and underpowered?
Initial hybrid models emphasized fuel economy, so were much lighter vehicles, and had smaller engines. The objective was to offset the loss of power in the ICE with additional power from the electric motor. This would result in essentially the same level of power while burning less fuel.
But this principle does not have to result in underpowered vehicles. In fact the Lexus Rx400h and Toyota Highlander Hybrid both have a 270 horsepower power system. And the Lexus GS 450h hybrid sedan is expected to have more than 300 horsepower and go 0-to-60 in less than six seconds. Taking the quest for hybrid power even further, the Toyota Volta concept venicle has a 408 hp power plant.
7. What is the main reason people buy hybrid vehicles?
Saving money on fuel is the first thing most buyers think of. But, in fact, the amount saved on fuel over the life of the vehicle may not equal the extra purchase cost of the hybrid.
There are obviously other factors at play in the gradually building popularity of hybrids. Some people want to make a “green” statement, others simply want to be the first on the block with a new and promising technology.
8. Will hybrid technology save the environment?
There’s no doubt about it. Hybrids are becoming more popular. In the past five years hybrid sales in the U.S. have grown 2000 percent. Sales in 2000 were 9,500, and by the end of 2005 had grown to over 200,000.
But even this larger number is just 1.2% of the 17 million new cars sold last year. If every hybrid gave double the current fuel economy, from an average of 20 mpg to, say, 40 mpg, that would save roughly 100,000 gallons of gasoline a day. But that amount pales in comparison to the total daily gasoline consumption in the U.S. — 400 million gallons! The savings of 100,000 gallons would bring that number all the way down to … 399,900,000 gallons.
Not very significant. Obviously governments and auto makers will have to start getting very serious about hybrid technology before it will make a significant difference.
9. Does that mean hybrid technology is only a fad?
No it does not. Because the only way towards a sustainable future is to find a combination of fuels that will reduce our almost total dependence on oil. Hydrogen fueled vehicles will be part of that future, as will fuel cells, deisel, and alternative fuels such as ethanol.
But what is almost certain is that every promising solution will involve some kind of hybrid combination of technologies. So today’s hybrid vehicles are an important and necessary step towards a much more promising and sustainable future.
About the Author: Rick Hendershot can give you 100 Links a Month | California Traffic School | Freesms in deutsche handynetze versenden
Source: www.isnare.com
* It is estimated that between 80-90% of cartridges are simply thrown in the trash.
* The number of cartridges ending up in landfills increases by more than 10% annually.
* A brand new laser cartridge requires 3/4 of a gallon of oil to be produced.
* Discarded cartridges still have small amounts of ink in them which can leak into the ground.
In addition to environmental benefits, there are also economic benefits to a consumer when they recycle. In general, if fewer ink cartridges are thrown away and more empty cartridges are available for remanufacturing or refilling, then prices will go down. There is an increased economic benefit to customers if they keep the cartridges and recycle or reuse them themselves. The best way for consumers to save on ink is to refill their own cartridges. You can typically refill an inkjet cartridge three times before it fully wears out. If you use a refill kit, it usually works out to be about $3 or $4 per refill. Add up those numbers over the course of six months or a year and you realize what a huge savings refilling can be. Then, once the cartridge is worn out and cannot be refilled anymore, you can have it professionally recycled.
There are other options outside of just throwing your printer cartridges away:
* You can have them professionally refilled for you through the mail.
* You can take them to your local office store, as most should accept them and many even have a promotion where they give you something in exchange for your cartridge.
* Many times local schools will collect empty cartridges for fundraisers.
* If all else fails, you can contact your local sanitation department to see if they have a special recycling location where products like ink cartridges can be dropped off.
Hopefully after reading this you will realize that there are plenty of alternatives to throwing away empty ink cartridges. If you don’t want to reuse them yourself, then there is always somebody out there who will accept them from you. And as you can see from the statistics we quoted, with that much potential environmental damage happening every year, it really makes sense to make some kind of effort to keep these cartridges out of the trash.
About the Author: Karl Smith has devoted every waking moment of the past six years to ink. To learn more about ink and printer solutions and wayts to recycle, visit http://www.pacificink.com/.
Source: www.isnare.com
