Former Vice President Al Gore
explores the dangerous consequences
of global warming in an examination
of the effects of climate change on
the planet. Using a wide range of
materials to illustrate his point,
Gore documents the effect that
pollution has had on the earth's
environment over the past several
decades.
This movie has won an Oscar for the
Best Documentary Feature and
Best Music Written for Motion
Picture
Energy Saving Tips
Replace
your standard light bulbs (incandescent
globes) with
Fluorescent or LED lamps.
Fluorescent lamps uses up
to 80% less energy for the same
amount of light. See the energy
usage comparison on the back of
all fluorescent light
packaging. It comes in various
sizes and shapes. ::
more ::
Install LED lamps in your garden
and in places where you don't
need to much light. The
LED's use about 0.7 watt of
energy per lamp. They
come in many shapes, sizes and
colours. (Enquire at your
nearest Lighting Shop)
Turn off lights and electronic equipment
if not in use. Don't just switch it of
via the remote control. The devices
(TV, Hi-Fi, DVD players, Monitors, etc) is only in
standby mode and is still using power.
Switch it of at the wall socket.
Unplug your cellphone, iPod, PDA, GPS
etc. chargers from the wall socket when
not in use.
When you leave it in it is still using
power.
Switch off your computer monitor if not
in use.
Turn down the geyser's thermostat to
between 50°C and 55°C. The water
is
still hot enough but the geyser use less
energy.
Shower rather than taking a bath. It
uses less water and less heating
required.
Replace your standard shower head with a
Slow Flow shower head. You will use
less water per shower and save on your
heating bill. Enquire at any
tile or hardware outlet.
Reduce the time the pool pump is running
per day to 4 hours or less. Let
the pump run during off-peak hours.
Wrap your
geyser in a geyser blanket to
keep the water hot for longer,
especially during the Winter
months, and save on your energy
bill. ::
more ::
Install a timer on your geyser.
It only need to run for an hour
in the morning and an hour in
the evening in off-peak time.
You will use much less energy
and save money.
Insulate
water pipes in the roof. It
will keep the water in the pipes
warm or cold and could prevent
the water from freezing in
Winter time. ::
more ::
Insulate
your ceiling. It will keep your
home cool in Summer and warm in
Winter.
::
more ::
Buy Energy
Star rated appliances.
They use less energy.
::
more ::
Join or start a
lift club to and from work. Let's
reduce the amount of cars on the roads
everyday. ::
more ::
Try to use more
public transport, busses, trains,
taxi's, shuttle services. If you live
close to work use a bicycle. (The
Gautrain will be here soon) ::
more ::
Install a Solar
Water Heating System and have free hot
water for life. All new homes should
have a Solar Heating System installed
instead of a normal Geyser. ::
more ::
Install a Solar
Pool Heating System and enjoy the pool
for longer periods. ::
more ::
Install a Solar
Under Floor heating system. This system
is perfect for new homes or renovations
in existing homes. ::
more ::
Running your home on solar
power. More and
more people are beginning to ask the
question: “can I run my house entirely
from solar power and be
independent from grid electricity (ESKOM)?
The answer is YES!
::
more
::
Plant a new indigenous tree in your
garden or housing complex. Talk to your
local nursery. Protecting forests
is a big step.
Planting
shade trees around your house will
absorb carbon dioxide (CO2),
and reduce your air-conditioning bills.
Water your garden after the sun has
set. Less water will evaporate
Nature is one
large composting system. Living
organisms "eat" organic material and
turn it into a rich, crumbly soil called
humus. Food scraps and yard waste can be
recycled through composting. Visit the
Smart Gardening
program for
helpful composting tips and other garden
conservation ideas.
General Tips for when your area experience a Power Failure
Keep a Cadac or
similar gas cylinder and accessories at
hand for when your area experience a
power outage. You can still prepare hot
meals without to much inconvenience.
::
more ::
Cook / braai with
gas. It's easy and save. It's
available even when there is no power.
It comes in a wide range of stand alone
to build in stoves / braai's. ::
more ::
Buy yourself a gas
heater. You don't have to sit in the
cold during a power outage. Also
available in a wide range of products.
You will need a 9kg gas cylinder,
available at your nearest hardware store
or gas station.
::
more ::
Buy a torch that
does not use batteries. There is a
whole variety on the market. No more
struggling to find new batteries or
globes. (Enquire at your nearest
camping / outdoors centre) ::
more ::
Buy a radio that
does not use batteries. It's nice to
have some entertainment during 'n power
failure. (Enquire at your nearest
camping / outdoors centre) ::
more ::
Buy a power
generator to run some basic functions
during a power outage. Lights, TV's,
Radio's, PC's etc. Make sure the
generator has AVR (Automatic
Voltage Regulation) (Available at
Builders Warehouse
and many other
suppliers)
You can buy a Power Box UPS
(Uninterrupted Power Supply) to run your
PC's and Audio Visual equipment for a
couple of hours during a blackout. These
units are quiet and will recharge the
moment the power comes back on.
Click on the image on the right for more
info.
Help scientist
analyse climate data by donating your
computer processing time. Read more on
www.climateprediction.net
