EcoZine

  
Pale blue dot

 

Referring this photograph of the earth taken from the Voyager spacecraft about 6.5 billion km away, the late Carl Sagan said:

“Look again at that dot. 
That’s here. 
That’s home. 
That’s us.
On it everyone you love, 
Everyone you know. 
Everyone you ever heard of, 
Every human being who ever WAS lived out their lives there.
The aggregate of our joy and suffering, thousands of confident religions, ideologies and economic doctrines, 
Every hunter and forager, 
Every hero and coward, 
Every creator and destroyer of civilization, 
Every king and peasant, 
Every young couple in love, 
Every mother and father, hopeful child inventor and explorer, 
Every teacher of morals, 
Every corrupt politician, 
Every “superstar”, 
Every “supreme leader”, 
Every saint and sinner in the history of our species lived there 
On a mote of dust suspended in a sunbeam. 
The Earth is a very small stage in a vast cosmic arena. 
Think of the rivers of blood spilled by all those generals and emperors, so that, in glory and triumph, they could become the momentary masters of a fraction of a dot. 
Think of the endless cruelties visited by the inhabitants of one corner of this pixel on the scarcely distinguishable inhabitants of some other corner, 
How frequent their misunderstandings, 
How eager they are to kill one another, 
How fervent their hatreds.
Our posturings, our imagined self-importance, the delusion that we have some privileged position in the Universe, are challenged by this point of pale light. 
The Earth is the only world known so far to harbor life.
There is nowhere else, at least in the near future, to which our species could migrate. Visit, yes. Settle, not yet. 
Like it or not, for the moment the Earth is where we make our stand… There is perhaps no better demonstration of the folly of human conceits than this distant image of our tiny world. 
To me, it underscores our responsibility to deal more kindly with one another, and to preserve and cherish the pale blue dot, the only home we’ve ever known.”

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Think green when making purchases

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Air
We Australians have relatively clean air, but occasionally it is a problem. Don’t allow air pollution to go unnoticed, complain about the smog and industrial pollution. It requires an ongoing and concerted effort on our part to make the legislators sit up and take notice of our feelings. Complain to your local shire or council and write letters to your newspaper. Put up posters on your school and library bulletin boards, start a petition, stomp yer feet! 
 
Be aware of the known health risks associated with unflued gas heaters.
A report presented to Government by Len Ferrari, the President of The Clean Air Society of Australia and New Zealand (CASANZ) in October 2002, showed that unflued gas heaters were a source of toxic gases.  CASANZ represents the majority of air pollution specialists across Australia and New Zealand. 

Poor air conditioning systems are more prevalent in old office blocks than in the home but it is worth noting that even in the home breathing difficulties and asthma in children has been linked to home air conditioners.
Air conditioners with poor filtration or clogged and dirty ducting re-circulate stale indoors air containing dust particles, hair and skin fragments, dust mite excretia and many other air-born particles.

Cigarette smoke contains over 4000 chemical compounds, toxins and cancer causing agents.

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Here in Australia, a vast dry continent, we lack clean water. Drought, pollution and groundwater salination compound the problem. The farmer trying to survive till the next rains because the old river that used to run all year round is a mud pool, the land turning white from rising salt.
Maybe we caused that, you..me..our parents..the pioneer farmer clearing trees for more grazing land, anyway blame is futile.
It’s time to turn back the clock, restore the balance, it can be done. It will take a hundred years but it can be done.  
The rivers, waterways and lakes are part of an ecosystem so we must not allow them to become polluted. Fortunately the policing of the water systems has become a priority but if you notice cases of water pollution then report it to the authorities.

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Conserve water. It’s just common sense. Fix dripping taps, reduce the flow when washing your hands or doing the dishes. Any time you use water just use less.
Try to upgrade to water saving showerheads and toilet cisterns. Bucket the grey laundry water and bathwater and use it in the garden or install a grey water diverter to automatically divert it to the garden. 

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In the garden
Catch the rainwater from the roof by diverting the downpipe runoff to the garden or storage tank. You can even drink it, first allow the initial runoff to rinse the roof and flush out the pipes.

Use a watering can to water the garden, but if you use sprinklers then fit a tap timer and  set it to shut off after a while, in case you forget. Remember it’s better for the garden if you give a good soak twice a week, that promotes deep root growth and the plant becomes resistant to temporary lack of water.

Replace those silly alien plants with hardy Australian plants. Consider removing that water guzzling, nineteenth century anachronism called the lawn if you live in a low rainfall area.

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Make conservation  your career
Get an environmental job

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Ecopia eco shop’s main objective is to promote an environmentally friendly lifestyle

Ecopia’s main focus is to promote genuine green products that will have minimal impact on the environment.
We concentrate on promoting solar power to reduce greenhouse gases because solar energy is probably the most viable green technology available today. Solar panels, along with wind turbines, are now accepted as practical clean energy alternatives to conventional power.
You'll love our popular eco gadgets like the  soldius solar charger because they are really useful alternative to throw-away batteries and  the inconvenience of finding an AC power outlet, plus they allow you the freedom to use clean free energy to recharge your phone or personal device in remote areas.
It's also important to use less grid-fed electricity so we also provide energy efficient lights, commonly called eco lights,  electrical timers and LED lights like the popular Dot-It lights from Osram.
We advocate domestic water conservation by installing grey water diverters, rain water diverters, tap timers and low flow devices.
Another important aspect of conservation is using recycled products, we have a beautiful range of greetings cards and gift cards  made entirely from recycled paper and vegetable-based inks . Our most innovative recycled product is a  fly swatter
In order to reduce toxic waste we advocate the the use of non-toxic household consumables, and  to minimise kitchen waste there are odourless kitchen composters like the popular bokashi bucket.
contact ecopia If you do not find the parcicular eco product you want and we'll try to get it for you, by finding a new eco product  you will be helping us to provide a better service.

A green shop or eco store is a retailer who endeavours to sell only eco friendly products.

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Led Light Bulbs save Energy and Money
By Jeff Kin
Light Emitting Diodes, usually know as LED light bulbs, are small, energy efficient and are rapidly replacing standard Incandescent bulbs because  they only use a fraction of the electricity used by tradional light bulbs.

Biodegradable Products - Understanding the truth
By  Matthew Hick
Biodegradable products are the anwer to the pollution caused by  chemically-derived  products, but there are other facts you should be aware of. 

Recycling is a way of life
By  Bob Carper 
Recycling should be thought of as more than just a option to the householder, it must become a way of living.

Top ways to recycle 
By Derek Both
Throughout history, people have been recycling waste materials in some way or another. mainly because recycled materials were cheaper to use.  This still holds today, plus we have the added incentive of reducing pollution and cleaning up the earth.

Is Recycling a waste of Time, Money and Energy?
By Davinos Greeno 
How useful is recycling and can it really solve the waste crisis, or are we deluding ourselves.

Computer Monitor Recycling 
By Chad M
You may be alarmed at how much pollution is caused by the old computor equipment you throw out.

Use Your Imagination to Help The Environment 
By Aaron Vaughn 
A little imagination and some thought before disposing of you old used goods will benefit you and help the environment.

Save Environment with Corrugated Boxes
BY Amitsharma
You should reuse cardboard boxes or recycle the material because they are made from natural renewable resources and easily recyclable.

The Different Types of Natural Energy
By James Bratley
There are many different natural energy sources out there, some of which are more powerful than others, whereas others are more reliable in delivering a much greater output. We shall now take a look at some of the main renewable energy sources.

Ocean Tidal Power as Renewable Energy 
By Matthew Hick
One of the Earth's great renewable energy sources is actually the energy that can be found in all the waves of the ocean.

Geothermal Renewable Energy - The Earth
By Matthew Hick
Geothermal energy, the heat of the Earth, has been used as a source of heat for many years, now Deep boreholes are being trialled as an alternative source of energy to produce electricity.   

Offshore Wind Farms 
By James Bratley
Offshore wind farms are in wide use right across the world and the benefits of constructing wind turbines out at sea are being recognised. This article explores why several countries are beginning to see the benefits of constructing large scale wind farms out to sea.

How Solar Panels Work
By James Bratley
Here is a simple guide as to how a solar panel is able to convert energy from the sun into electricity.

Introducing Your Family to Solar Energy 
By Jim Fritz  A look at a natural alternative energy source for your energy needs. Solar energy is a renewable resource that one has more control over than traditional sources.