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Street Lights Contribute To Climate Change

The photo is a stunning portrait of Earth, as the light sparkles like scattered jewels. The creation of a network of fine webs that glow like embers across the night sky. These street lights are a beautiful sight and create the street climate we know today. They’re lighting empty parking lots, near-empty office towers, streets, highways, and commercial parks. These are humans shining their equivocal lanterns of life.

The idea to create an after-dark street climate originated in the fourth century from the city of Antioch. This city used torches to guide nightwalkers through the darkness and kept robbers at bay. Still, we assume street lights are necessary to keep us safe. Even though we’ve created revolutionary technology. We have cars to take us safely and security systems to keep us safer. Yet, people instinctively use the front porch light for peace of mind.

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Street Climate 2020

The population has increased and we’re lighting the night skies more than ever! Our antiquated street climate is misdirected, inefficient and not necessary. For instance, we light up parking lots in the middle of the night for security reasons. Yet, there are night vision security systems that can scan the scene. Motion-activated sensors will light up corridors, parking lots, or office spaces. Office towers have security measures such as card locks, elevator fobs, and concierge security. Yet street lights still remain on all night long.

What do you do when you have money to burn? Most would rather buy anything other than a utility bill! The majority of burglars look for alarms and many of them won’t break into a house with signs of one present. The chances of an intruder burglarizing a home increases three hundred percent.

Burglaries also happen more often in the daytime than they do at night. The light signals someone maybe home. Yet if there’s a Burglar who wants inside there is no light outside that will protect you. A “>home security system is in every family’s best interest and please turn off your lights before you go to bed… Lights give us a false sense of security.

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The cost to taxpayers

In Vancouver alone over fifty thousand street lamps are lit yet we have headlights to guide our way. Large stretches of main Highways do not use street lights. Yet the main streets of cities and towns are lit up like a pumpkin till dawn.  We’ve created a street climate which burns taxpayers dollars throughout the night.

Vancouver taxpayers pay  $6,530,000 to burn street lights each year. This expenditure is a fixed expense and if public funds are low we could see the sell-off of this public system. It happened in Toronto when out of desperation, the government sold its street lights in 2005. They sold their street lights to the Greater Toronto Electrical Contractors Association. So, for the next thirty years, they’re on the hook for a whopping 420 million dollars.

This works out to double what Vancouver pays on an annual basis. But Vancouver has 1/6th the landmass as Toronto so we generally will pay less. But, it’s easy to see how quickly our tax dollars are spent!

street climate

The cost to our planet’s climate

Moreover, Canadians produce eighty-one percent of Green House Gas Emissions  (GHG) from economic activity. We use gasoline for transportation and produce non-renewable electricity. This includes lighting buildings and street lights.

The good news? Over eighty percent of British Columbia’s electricity comes from non-GHG emitting sources. These sources come from Hydro dams, biomass, wind, and solar energy.

However, as of 2017, the majority of the world is still getting its energy from burning fossil fuels. Unfortunately, at this moment, the world’s dependence on fossil fuels is causing CO2 levels to skyrocket! Even though countries are having trouble transitioning away from fossil fuels. Cities can change the amount we depend on them by turning off street lights.

A plan to offset emissions

As of 2009 the Copenhagen accord composed guidelines for Canadians. Canada agreed to create a GHG emissions reduction plan to 30% below 2005 levels. The deadline? 2030! The mission is to keep the global temperature from rising less than two degrees Celsius. Can we do it?…

It won’t be easy. Between 2005 and 2018 over 5, 200, 000 Canadian babies were born. Canada is also a desirable place to live. Therefore, many people from around the world want to live here. In fact 700, 000 people have immigrated to Canada in 2019. For the sake of curiosity, I calculated the amount we’ve grown in thirteen years. I combined births and immigration and subtracted deaths. This number totalled 2, 129, 363 more people since 2005. Our population will most likely continue to rise. We are a stable country with resources and wide open spaces.

We’re growing in number and our economy has also grown significantly! A study conducted by the Canadian Government found that even though we’ve grown the GHG output per GDP has declined by 16.4%.

The implementation of new technology is the largest factor in this statistic. It’s wonderful to see that advancements have made a difference in creating a sustainable future. Canada is on track to help make an impact on the world’s temperatures.

Canadian Graph Of GHG Emissions

canadian carbon reduction from 2005-2015

Implementing Change

However, there is always room for improvement! The Copenhagen accord is a good initiative, but it falls short in effectiveness. It’s based on cooperation from every developing country. Leaders won’t guarantee that countries are going to do their part.

Therefore, cities must reduce consumption and reliance on energy in a different way. The biggest way for any city to contribute is by turning off useless street lights. In conclusion, reduce the light from the street lights and put money back into the taxpayer’s pockets.

Researchers have found that the city of Tucson had developed smart lighting technology. The city adjusts the illumination of the street light depending on the time of night. When dusk starts the lights are turned on up to 90%. Once midnight scones around they’re reduced down to 60%.

Check out the email address below which is dedicated to the City of Vancouver’s street light program. If you also believe this is a good idea please feel free to send them an email in support. outdoor.lighting@vancouver.ca

Sample letter:

To whom it may concern,

As a concerned taxpayer, I am writing to tell city officials it`s time for a change. City officials should analyze the street light systems further. It is our responsibility as concerned taxpayers to reduce Green House Gases. Moreover, by limiting the use of street lights between the time frame of 1 am and 5 am will make a difference. Also, the city should limit the lighting used throughout the city during nonpeak hours. Turn off lights that are serving empty parking lots, streets, and public spaces. We`re currently using Fifty thousand street lights on Greater Vancouver Streets. Therefore, the consumption and frequency of these street lights are very high. We must take action and reduce reliance for the sake of the future.

Sincerely,

Jane

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2 Amazing Ways Green-Tech Can Change The Future For Children

The nearly seventy-four million children growing up as the next generation want to change. They’re looking for amazing ways green-tech can change the future. Children growing up today have already seen their parents struggle from the “Great Recession”. In fact, they’ve seen how large companies and most importantly Banks can teeter on financial ruin. They’ve witnessed how corruption costs taxpayers dearly and war often plays out on television screens around the globe.

They’re tired of standing by and watching the world destroy their futures…and their children’s future.

Generation Z

Two studies have shown Generation Z is the kind of kid every parent hopes to raise. The first study done by the Annie E. Casey Foundation found overall that the people in this demographic are more conservative. They’re more responsible than Millennials with fewer teen pregnancies, fewer drugs and alcohol problems. Plus they’re more likely to finish high school on time. They are good kids.

This generation has found their voice and wants to be heard. In 2019 the Pew Research Center collected data to find their sentiment and their findings aren’t that surprising. It found seventy percent believe the government must put more effort into solving serious problems facing the world today.

Global Call For Action

The need for government intervention in issues such as climate change, recycling, and pollution has steadily increased through generations. But, this need has reached a fever pitch with the climate crisis we now face today.

In an attempt to get leaders attention schoolchildren have created a group called Friday’s For Futures. By March 2019, 1.6 million kids have taken part in a school strike every Friday in over seven continents. They’re leader Greta Thunberg has asked International Leaders to stop talking about goals and start taking action!

What kind of action are they asking for? The issue of growing greenhouse gas has warmed the atmosphere. Consequently, CO2 has driven temperatures to a breaking point. If it continues on growing this way life will be in peril.

The UN Climate change report states the world has twelve years to change our patterns of consumption!

Batteries

So the world has awakened and have heard their demands are for a real and tangible change.

Inventions are amazing ways Green-Tech can change the future of our children. If we invent we may have a better chance to continue life uninterrupted. But right now, wildfires, droughts, floods, and rising sea levels are disrupting communities and costing billions of dollars.

One of the problems that must be solved is our insatiable need for batteries. In the USA alone, three billion batteries sell annually! Batteries are made up of heavy metals which if not disposed of properly are destined to contaminate the environment. Who throws their batteries away? Yup, I’ve done it!

My son falls into Generation Z he’s 6 years old and can wear out batteries in a matter of hours. We go through over a hundred and fifty dollars each year. Double or triple that number if a household has two or three battery hungry children!

My boy can point out a Toy Store while moving 60 km’s an hour, strapped into a four-point harness. He can barely crane his neck enough to see out the window! Yet, his little internal compass spins if he comes anywhere close to a known toy store.

It would be a very different world if there were no batteries to supply the insatiable hunger for battery operated toys! The nagging appeals for these toys are tiring. It seems to be an unending quest to acquire them and it’s relentless. I’m sure that every parent gives in to the pressure too!

Amazing ways Green-tech can change the future of batteries

One of the most amazing ways Green-tech can change the future is the invention of the supercapacitor. It is a new way to tackle old problems. One person has dedicated her academic life to make the battery industry more efficient and environmentally friendly.

Meghana Bollimpalli is an eighth grader who has invented a solution. She has developed a Supercapacitor using tea leaves and molasses. A supercapacitor is an electronic device. They store massive amounts of electrical energy and also have the potential to give us clean energy!

This invention earned her second place at the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair last October. The Science behind the supercapacitor has been around for almost seventy years and is still in its market infancy as it claims only a small niche in comparison to battery sales.

This alternative could see the ability to recharge a single cell up to thirty thousand times without showing signs of aging. This invention is so brilliant for more than one reason!

The demise of batteries

Furthermore, what would happen if one day the raw materials vanish? The supply will begin to dwindle. Consequently, this would cost consumers a fortune to own a single battery!

The Energizer Holding’s Annual Report states,

 “Our business is vulnerable to the availability of raw materials.”

The Energizer company relies on only a few raw materials suppliers and sometimes only one.

” There are concerns about supply disruptions due to shortages in critical materials.”

Energizer is the leading brand for Alkaline batteries sales and it’s an industry-wide issue as raw materials are finite.

Moreover, the volatility in production costs, including raw material prices, will inevitably make the cost of batteries rise. As parents, we have to use another approach for the sake of our wallets and also for the environment. Could the Supercapacitator be the answer to the problem?

The Plastic Revolution

Most people that practice waste reduction do it behind closed doors rarely talked about. The low tech solutions people are using to reduce waste may be the most amazing ways Green-Tech can change the future. But overall the past and present haven’t had a huge emphasis on environmental protection. Was it because there was very little education for the consumer… probably.

I remember someone told me that plastic bags were better for the environment because we didn’t cut down trees to make them! Sigh…

I think we can all agree with the fact that plastic is widely accepted… it’s a huge problem! It’s tossed in the air on land and overseas. In fact, 91% of the world’s plastic is actually NOT recycled. A figure that shines a spotlight on how the world’s waste management system is broken!

A byproduct of the food and drug, automobile, and numerous other industries. Once it’s released to be forgotten nature will have its way. The natural process of degradation slowly breaks down plastic. The result? 700 years of microplastics.

Today we’re seeing the deadly effects of microplastics in the bellies of sea birds, whales, and mammals. What makes us think it will stop there? It actually impacts our children every day! Did you know that according to the University of Newcastle we eat a credit card size amount of microplastics each week? That works out to be one full dinner plate a year!

Amazing ways Green-tech can change the future of plastics

The truth is plastic can only be recycled once or twice in its lifetime. Plastic doesn’t react well when it’s melted. Thus reducing the quality and therefore limiting the effectiveness of recycling itself.

But it’s not all lost for good! We can still try and right a wrong. There is no time like the present it’s now time to discover new ways to deal with plastic. Up until now, Chemists haven’t been able to develop new technology to replace recycling. Recently the Chemists from the University of California have come up with a way to recycle plastic differently. These scientists are looking at plastic on a molecular level.

Plastic is made up of chains of carbon when combined in different ways can make different types of plastic. So instead of melting down the plastic, they’re chopping up the carbon strings. They can do this using a process that uses very little heat. Therefore, it won’t release nasty emissions or thick gooey sludge back into the environment.

Susannah Scott wrote about the new research in the academic news website called the conversation. She described the process as a process that depends on a catalyst which contains a metal that removes a little hydrogen from the polymer chain. The catalyst uses this hydrogen to cut the bonds that hold the carbon chain together. thus breaking them into smaller pieces and turning the plastic into liquid.

At this point, the research is in its infancy but it is hoped that wide-scale production can take shape in the next few years! Plastic is set to grow another 4 billion tonnes! By 2050 the world’s environment will contain 12 billion tonnes of plastic. GROSS. Seeing the success of seed projects like this is what could help save the future of the economy!

When times get tough and we have large global issues such as the pandemic. We can see that if enough people put their heads together and enough people dedicate their lives to common causes. These ideas from the Green tech industry can save the future of the economy. In the meantime, while we’re waiting for a miracle we should do our part. After all, we’re all in this together! There are plenty of ways that you can make a difference.

Time for Change

What can the consumer do now before it’s too late?  Single-use batteries shouldn’t even exist if there is technology out there that allows one to charge them again. We’re continually buying into the single-use products over and over again!

Let’s kick the habit and start using rechargeable batteries until we can buy supercapacitors. Rechargeable batteries currently have a life span of three to five years.

If every family switched they’ll save hundreds of dollars a year and reduce the pressure on companies to keep up with demand thus maintaining a more sustainable future.

There are also plenty of ways to reduce plastic waste! I have come up with four easy habits you can incorporate into your conscious living lifestyle

Have no fear! This generation is shining brightly. The beacon of light we needed to awake the consciousness in the cause to fight environmental disasters. The student researchers at the University of Central Florida have finally created a supercapacitor battery prototype. People like them and Meghana Bollimpalli together will help facilitate the growth of an industry! An industry we hope will benefit the world for generations to come!

Thank you for your support

This year has been a rollercoaster of emotions and the end of a normal way of life. I’ve found it’s actually hard to concentrate when It comes down to sitting down to write. I have a young son and he’s kept me busy with home school and daily entertainment. This new life has pretty much drained my creative energy! However, someone like me used to routines has found beauty in this new way of life.

Writing doesn’t pay the bills. It is actually just a labor of love and most writing happens when everyone has gone to bed. I summon the creative juice that flows from my head to my fingers. Not really knowing what I’m going to write. But knowing that if I don’t write it could be the very last time I have the chance! Life is short and our time is only a short story. Please take the time to go through my website and support a small business. Supporting the Eco shop not only supports a small business but is the beginning of conscious living.

Thank you

Rachel xoxo

See the links below to learn more about this topic:

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How To Bring a Great Find Home.

Society has been able to accomplish some fantastic inventions that have made life pretty darn comfortable. The most mundane features such as furniture we take for granted every day.

It’s a basic comfort and today there’ s an overabundance of supply. If you can’t find something suitable on the showroom floor in your local furniture store. Then look no further because online stores are just a mouse click away.

A great find.

The furniture changes with each new trend or style to keep consumers interested and this is a cause for concern. It’s concerning because we’re constantly cutting down trees to fill the need. Manufacturers are making more plastic, creating foam and producing the fabric.

What are we thinking? The fabric, foam, and plastic don’t biodegrade and the continuous production contributes to landfills. There’s an alternative approach to furniture shopping that I’ve been lucky enough to experience.

Antiques are old pieces of vintage, retro or old fashioned pieces of wood. Did you know the majority of antiques are actually not that expensive?

The same brand new styles that we find in stores was once before a modern trend that dominated our relative’s homes for years. The furniture from our parents, grandparent, and great-grandparents are still out there and often lovingly maintained.

Furniture pieces with a soul

One-piece that I’ve found had been with a couple for as long as they could remember. I believe that furniture with a history quickly becomes a part of its character. It has a soul. These people had to downsize from the home they’d lived in for fifty years and now it was time to let their things go.

The online world is a good place to start use sites such as Craigslist, Kijiji, Facebook Marketplace and Varage Sale as prices are decent and often negotiable. Yes, that’s Varage sale with a V! It’s a community-based app that connects Buyers and Sellers that live in the same neighborhood. You’ll save soo much money in every category from appliances to cars. 

The best furniture finds are usually in original condition and colors are often dark cherry, reddish oak or yellow. This piece did not initially look like they’d belong in a modern townhome but I had a plan to breathe new life into it. All it takes, elbow grease, sandpaper, well-placed stain and a coat of paint! Finally, you’ll have a sense of satisfaction when it’s all done. Friends and Family will appreciate a vintage piece.

Click here to see if varagesale is in your community https://www.varagesale.com/

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Save Money And Don’t Buy Wet Wipes


I’ll admit it. I’m that person who flushed one too many poopy papers down the toilet. How many new Moms have flushed a few of these gooey little-wet wipes down the drain? In this article, I will show you that by undoing this one deed will save you money.

A brief history of napkins

A New Yorker first produced sanitary napkins in 1963. The first sales were from Colonel Sanders. These napkins helped to clean greasy fingers while dining at Kentucky Fried Chicken.

The napkins didn`t begin to take off as baby wipes until 1990 when Proctor and Gamble picked them up as pamper wipes. Since their invention city workers have cursed them. They’re clogging the pits of the local pump station. Plus, the massive globs of tissue are clogging pipes across Canada.

Why taxpayers will save money

The report from the Vancouver Sun states it’s costing taxpayers millions of dollars a year to clean up! The combined costs are massive and adding up across the country. In Ontario alone, the Canadian Taxpayer spent 250 million dollars a year to clean up the sewers.

The waste authorities have asked us to throw them in the garbage! But, this advice is still not a responsible way to handle an epidemic!

These handy wipes consist of plastic fibers which last longer than the lives of our children. Take this statement to heart. We have to stop using them.

They’re man-made material and the reason it’s not biodegradable. Material such as cotton. rayon, plastic resins like polyester, polyethylene, and polypropylene. What is the responsible way to deal with wet wipes? It’s best to use an alternative because it cannot be recycled and will save you money.

The effects of production

The problems of plastic run deeper then baby wipes. The creation has cost taxpayers massive amounts of money to cope. But can we clean up a worldwide environmental disaster?

Annual world production of Polyethylene is approximately 80 million metric tonnes. Since 1950 the world has made the weight equal to one billion Elephants!

Many Polyethylene products such as wet wipes are floating in our oceans. Washing up on beaches and there’s a guarantee they’ve only used They’re washing up on beaches around the world and only used once!

The solution

They’re super handy and there’s no way demand for them will slow down.
In the future governments must address the issue by banning these kinds of products. Forcing manufacturers to come up with a biodegradable solution. Babo Botanicals 3-in-1 Calming Wipes, French Lavender & Meadowsweet, shouldn’t be a product that’s an alternative to a wet wipe. It should be the only available wet wipe!!

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Save $14,000 For Retirement when you do this!

Working towards creating a better future should be budgeted into every family plan. If we establish what retirement looks like we’d imagine the same standard of life indefinitely.  But, there now needs to be a symbiotic relationship between us and the environment. Caring for our home and considering nature is now more important than ever!

Statistics show that sixty-five percent of Canadians are contributing some of their earnings towards retirement each year. When we come to the crossroads later in life we understand the value in saving once it’s time. It`s nice to have eggs still left in the basket for ourselves and our children.

The decision to make ONE change can give you a huge payback that many people will miss in a lifetime. There are currently 7.7 billion people on Earth and only four million people have bought all-electric cars so far.

Novelty and how it affects retirement plans

Ordinarily, brand new car purchases are a popular choice for many Canadians. The thrill of the drive and that new car scent is alluring and attractive and the temptation is real! Statistics show over two million brand new cars were sold in 2018 in Canada. Yet, once a new car leaves the dealership’s lot everyone knows the car depreciates significantly in value. But, we still buy them anyway!

The next best model, a faster motor, larger towing capacity, fully loaded, or even the basic package. People want it! Our brains are hard-wired to seek new and unfamiliar. The reward chemical dopamine injects us with happiness and fuels the need for new and different things. But, what do you think would happen if everyone decided to save their money? Just keep the car they had or buy used?

The people of Cuba keep the cars they have and so far have kept them going for close to seventy years! The cars are now pretty rare and car collectors consider them desirable so keeping your car could be beneficial. If we wore our cars out before buying another the world would be a very different place. We would all be a little richer.

How To Make An Environmental Friendly Investment And Save Money

Conversely, what we need now is an alternative motor for the future. One that can solve the rising CO2 emissions. The Lithium reserve in the world holds enough for four billion people to use one electric vehicle. Presently, electric car sales are on the rise every year. Canadians have bought nearly thirty-five thousand units in 2018 alone. A rise of 158% compared to 2017!

I’ve done some research and found the Nissan Leaf is super affordable. It is also the second most popular all-electric vehicle behind Tesla. The all-electric vehicle is traditionally less harmful to the environment. Plus, statistics show a consumer will save $860.00 in fuel each year! The 2012 Nissan Leaf’s average costs are an affordable $14,000.

A new all-electric vehicle will take thirty years of fuel savings to pay off the original cost of the car. Therefore, it doesn’t make much sense for those trying to save money. The reduction of petroleum consumption will reduce the carbon footprint for each household. Thus, reducing Canada’s reliance on oil from foreign countries.

The car companies have come up with all the bells and whistles a commuter could ever need. The carbon footprint from the manufacturing cost of one car is equal to twelve tonnes of CO2. This is equal to the weight of two elephants!! Canadian consumers have bought two million new cars last year. This is equal to four million elephants sized puffs of CO2 released into the atmosphere every year.

Electric cars are on the rise as a reliable, environmentally friendly option. Buying it used, makes the most sense for the average person’s pocketbook. Save money for retirement and give our health and the health of the environment a break.