The Environmentally Friendly Way To Drink Tea
We at Consumer Utility Services are very fond of our gadgets, we're passionate about the environment and we love cups of tea. Combine all that together and you have one of our favourite gadgets on the market at the moment, The Eco Kettle.
The Eco Kettle, devised by British designer Brian Hartley, claims to save 30% of power usage compared to a standard kettle. An independent study by the Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) goes so far as stating that if all British households used an Eco Kettle the country would save 1,270,000,000 Watt hrs of electricity each year. The study can be found
here When one takes into account the fact that when a 3kW kettle fully boils it is using the amount of energy to power 50 standard light bulbs and we often fill the kettle with far more water than is needed, the standard kettle can be considered as pretty energy inefficient.
With the Eco Kettle you can fill the kettle up to a maximum, but the twist is that you can select how much of the water needs to be boiled. This works by the user compartmentalising an amount of water required by selecting, for example, a single cup worth and the exact amount of water will be siphoned off to a chamber for boiling. In addition, the chamber is well insulated to maintain a high water temperature over time. Very ingenious!
Go buy one and be safe in the knowledge that you can enjoy a cup of tea whilst being environmentally friendly.
Buy - Eco Kettle
Environmentally Friendly Motor Vehicles
I don't drive a car, never have done. In most part this has been due to an ideological dislike of gas guzzling motor vehicles and not the inability to pass a driving test (this is my view and I'm sticking to it).
Thankfully there are an increasing number of options open to the environmentally friendly would-be car owners amongst us with the introduction of eco-friendly cars into mainstream production lines.
On one end of the spectrum are vehicles that are powered by entirely renewable means such as solar power, however, these vehicles are largely prototypes and certainly not in mass production at this time.
The middle ground is inhabited by what are known as "hybrid" vehicles. These are cars that still contain a petrol engine, but they are also electric powered through the use of an electric motor, a generator and a bank of batteries. Hybrid vehicles are in mass production and seem to the tour de force of the image conscious (as well as environmentally aware) celebrity. Although hybrid cars still produce some pollution as they still have a petrol-burning engine, the petrol engine is significantly smaller than a traditional car and as such will produce a fraction of the emissions.
Alternatively, you could continue to run your existing car but convert it to run on Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) in addition to its existing petrol engine. The advantages of LPG are that the fuel itself burns substantially cleaner than petrol, the car will not suffer any significant degradation in performance and it costs approximately half the price of petrol.
If you are considering joining the green motoring revolution, you may want to consider one of the 10 most highly rated environmentally friendly cars as recommended by the Independent newspaper.
1. LPG Smart
The Smart is quite green anyway, but this conversion is cleaner and cheaper to run. £6,810 + £1,996; MPG 50+; Top speed 84mph; Range between refuelling 250 miles; CO2/km 90g
2. Toyota Prius (hybrid)
Favourite of Hollywood stars and a thoroughly reliable proposition. £17,545; MPG 65.7; Top speed 102mph; Range 104 miles; CO2/km 104g
3. G-Wiz (electric)
Two seater billed as "the greenest car available" and carbon neutral. £6,999 (special offer); MPG n/a; Top speed 40mph; Range 40 miles CO2/km: nil
4. Aixam Mega (electric)
Very odd-looking vans and pick-ups. £9,590 (pick-up version); MPG n/a; Top speed 30mph; Range 62 miles; Co2/km: nil
5. Volvo V70 Bi-fuel (petrol/CNG - Compressed Natural Gas)
Often sold to local authorities. £25,708; MPG 30.1; Top speed 127mph; Range 400 miles; CO 2/km 169g/km
6. Vauxhall Corsa Dual Fuel 1.2 (petrol/LPG)
Manufacturer's own conversion. £12,015; MPG 38.2; Top speed 109mph; Range 644 miles; CO 2/km: 119g
7. Morris Minor (petrol)
Greener than it looks and ready to go on and on and on. £400 to £5,000+; MPG about 40; Top speed 75mph; Range 260 miles; CO2/km not measured
8. Lexus RX400h (hybrid)
Proof that 4x4s don't have to be gas guzzlers. Technically similar to Prius. £35,485; MPG: 34.9; Top speed 124mph; Range 490 miles; CO2/km: 192g
9. Honda Civic IMA (hybrid)
Alternative to Toyota Prius. £15,230; MPG 57.6; Top speed 108mph; Range 640 miles; CO2/km 116g
10. Citroen C2 1.4 Diesel
Standard but with low emissions. £9,095; MPG 68.9; Top speed 103mph; Range 640 miles; C02/km: 107g
European Sustainable Energy Week
Coming to a close is the first European Union Sustainable Energy Week (Eusew) organised by the European Commission.
During the week over 40 stakeholders attended the event to discuss renewable energy solutions and measures on how to be more energy efficient.
By all accounts the conference was well attended a number of important issues were discussed. For more details see the European Union Sustainable Energy Week website at
http://www.eusew.eu and the programme notes
Conference Programme 2007
