Renewable Energy Archives - Foreign policy

10 Ways Businesses Can Reduce their Environmental Impact

Published on June 16, 2021

Business

If you think that the coronavirus pandemic had a dreadful impact on business worldwide, then you have another thing coming. The climate crisis is looming and its foretold effects on the world of commerce could be many times worse than COVID-19. As a result, businesses have to be prepared. Whether you are a business owner or just somebody interested in what people can do to reduce their impact upon the environment, this guide has been especially created for you. Read on now for 10 key ways that businesses across the globe can easily reduce their environmental impact.

Use Renewable Energy

Renewable energy can be one of the best tools to fight against climate change. While fossil fuels can prove devastating for the environment, renewable energies such as wind, solar and wave power are not only cheaper in the long run, but can drastically reduce the amount of emissions that companies use. If you are a business owner, you should think about whether or not you can use renewable energies or are even be able to produce your own renewable energy, saving money for your company in the long run.

Going Paperless

The world relies on trees to capture carbon dioxide and to help the earth breathe. As a result, using large amounts of paper can be devastating for the environment as it wipes out wide swathes of forests. To avoid the use of paper in your office, you can think about moving most elements to a digital format instead. With the rise of smartphones and tablets, information rarely needs to be printed out anymore. The other upside of this development is saving on printing costs, making it a win-win situation.

Implementing 3D Printers

3D printers are slowly rising to become the future in many different industries. Instead of having to order products from factories, thus creating a significant amount of emissions in terms of the transportation options needed, businesses can print their own products in-house. The other advantage of this for businesses is that they can save a whole lot of money. Additionally, while 3D printers are currently rather expensive, it is likely that the price of them will decrease over the coming years.

Using Green Website Providers

It’s not just about the physical elements of your office, but the digital elements as well. This extends to the type of website providers that you use. If you are working in a business that relies on the internet to survive, you can look at your existing website provider to see if they hold proper green accreditation. If they don’t have this commitment to protecting the environment, then there is no shame in switching to a more ecologically friendly provider.

Reducing Waste Water

Waste water is defined as any water that has been contaminated by human use and is something that can have a negative knock-on effect on the rest of the environment. That’s why it is very important for your business to make sure that it is minimizing the amount of waste water it uses. Thankfully, there are a whole host of companies that can help you to do this. For one great recommendation, check out the brilliant services available at Utility Bidder.

Using Smart Meters

One way that companies can be aware of the amount of energy that they are using and have automatic tools that can limit its use, is to install smart meters. Perhaps this is something that can work for your business. They will cost a fair amount of money to install, but due to the ways that they can help you to conserve energy, they can save you a whole bunch of money over a longer period of time.

Recycling

Recycling is a key tool to help make the world a more sustainable place. You may find that depending on the state in which you live, there are laws already in place that mandate that businesses should follow rules on recycling, making it a legal requirement for you. To help your employees adhere to recycling rules, it might make sense to have an especially created day for educating them on the best policies.

Virtual Office

As many businesses have found when adapting to the coronavirus pandemic, there might be no need for you to work in an office at all. This is especially true when it comes to white-collar work. If you think that it is possible, you could get your employees to work remotely, possibly boosting their mental health while minimizing emissions such as those that come from commuting and from overall office functions. As a business you might find that you will have an international community to choose from, saving you a whole lot of money in the process.

Four-Day Week

If you have employees in the office, or even if they are working remotely, one of the best tools you can have to reduce the amount of emissions coming from your company is simply by mandating fewer working days in your office. As many pilot projects have shown, a four-day week can often be more productive than a five-day week, as people feel rested after a longer weekend, all the while cutting down emissions from office use and commuting. Have an independent valuation to see if this is something that could work for your company.

Avoiding Cryptocurrencies

While using cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin or Ripple might seem like a great idea for a variety of business processes, as Elon Musk‘s recent reversal has highlighted, this can actually be incredibly devastating for the environment. This is due to the large amount of servers that are needed to mine these coins and make them work.

While the situation might change and a truly environmentally efficient blockchain-based technology could rise to the fore, it’s worth not investing in it at the moment. This is especially true as the rise of cryptos threatens to undo any strides previously made in reducing fossil fuel emissions worldwide.

Now you’re all set to go greener.

Ways to Live a More Sustainable Lifestyle in 2021

Published on February 5, 2021April 12, 2021

Lifestyle

Sustainable living is a kind of lifestyle wherein the individual attempts to lessen their use of natural resources. Most individuals who try to lead a more sustainable lifestyle focus on reducing their energy consumption, changing the mode of transportation they typically use, and altering their diet. If you’ve been searching for ways that you can start to live a more sustainable lifestyle, the following is a detailed guide that can help you reach your goals.

Tips on Saving Energy at Home or In the Workplace

If you want to save energy in your home or the workplace, there are a variety of small steps that you can take to lower your monthly energy bills. For instance, it’s highly recommended that you switch off artificial lights in the home or workplace as often as possible, which can be substituted with natural light from nearby windows. Using energy-efficient light bulbs can also significantly lessen the amount that you’re expected to pay with your monthly energy bills. Make sure that you purchase LED or CFL bulbs as opposed to incandescent bulbs.

Whenever you’re not using a computer or laptop in your home or office space, place the device on sleep or hibernation mode. Many other electronic devices come with energy-saving features that can lessen the amount of electricity that you use each month. There is also a wide range of devices and appliances that have more energy-efficient counterparts. Dishwashers, refrigerators, and similar appliances can be equipped with an Energy Star label, which denotes that the device is energy-efficient. When you’re not using individual pieces of equipment in your home or office, make sure that you switch them off to save a small amount of energy.

Eco-Friendly Things to Do for Your Home for a Green Lifestyle

If you want to live a green lifestyle and are searching for ways to make your home more Eco-friendly, the first thing you should focus on is how much water you’re using. If there are any leaks in your home, make sure that you get them fixed, which could significantly reduce the amount of water that you use each month. You should also avoid keeping the water running when you shave or brush your teeth. Consider installing low-flow showerheads in the bathrooms throughout your home, which can help you save well over 100,000 gallons of water each year.

There are also consultants that you can speak to if you want to obtain a better idea of how your home can become more sustainable and Eco-friendly. These consultants will take a tour through your home before providing you with recommendations on the changes that you can make. You should recycle whenever possible as well and focus on consuming natural products.

Ways to Save Energy During Hot or Cold Times of the Year

It’s well known that the average household uses much more energy during the coldest and hottest days of the year because of the heating and cooling needs that must be met to keep the interiors at the right temperature. One improvement that you can make to ensure that your HVAC unit doesn’t need to turn on as frequently is to add some insulation to your home. Good insulation will keep the heat in during the winter and the cool air in during the summer, which makes it easier to maintain your preferred indoor temperature.

It would be best if you also thought about using a programmable thermostat, which will give you the ability to change the temperature when you’re going out or to lower it by a few degrees during waking hours. Even a reduction by a few degrees can significantly reduce the amount of energy that you use each month. During the winter, consider naturally heating your home by leaving the curtains open during the day and letting sunlight in. If you find that a window in your home is drafty, seal it with plastic sheets that cover the frame.

According to the people at Electricityrates.com, during the summer, “You can still save money by keeping your thermostat as high as comfortably possible.” Furthermore, they state that “Many experts recommend keeping it at 78℉.” Ceiling fans are another great way to cool your home without needing to use the HVAC unit constantly. It’s possible to keep temperatures in the house low by keeping the drapes closed and the sunlight out. Whenever possible, it’s highly recommended that you stay away from taking a shower with hot water. Instead, it would be best if you tried to use warm or even cool water.

Alternative Forms of Energy

There are two highly viable forms of energy that you can use instead of standard electricity, which include solar energy and natural gas. Solar energy is taken directly from the sun, which makes it completely renewable. It can also get rid of your monthly energy bills if you use it properly throughout your home. As for natural gas, this alternative form of energy is becoming increasingly popular among homeowners. While natural gas will still emit greenhouse gases, the amounts are much lower than other fossil fuels.

Benefits of Using Solar Panels

Likely the best way to power your home is by using solar panels, which can be outfitted to the top of your home. If paired with the right battery, these panels can provide you with energy even when it’s raining outside. If you install solar panels on the roof of your home, you can also obtain the Solar Investment Tax Credit to cover some of the upfront costs. This energy source is entirely renewable, which makes it much better for the environment when compared to other forms of energy. Solar panel kits are easy to find and relatively simple to install, check out wholesalesolar.com to learn more.

If your home is under construction or if you’re planning to change your roof, visit here to know more about ready-to-install solar roofs.

Benefits of Using Renewable Energy

Using renewable energy comes with a wide range of tangible benefits, the primary of which is that there’s no danger in this energy running out. The primary sources of renewable energy include biomass, sunshine, and wind. Since energy is renewable, your overall energy costs should be much lower. This type of energy is also much healthier and is better for the environment when compared to fossil fuels.

There is a myriad of things that you can do to live a more sustainable lifestyle. Even small changes to your current lifestyle can help you save money on your monthly energy bill and do your part in helping the environment.

The Benefits of Renewable Energy Use

Published on July 26, 2019

Tips

Unlike fossil fuels such as oil and gas, renewable energy sources are unlikely to run out, so they are a more sustainable solution for generating electricity. By using these sources, you can help reduce our reliance on depleting supplies of fossil fuels. Renewable energy can be produced from various natural sources, including:

1. Wind – which uses wind motion to generate power
2. Solar – which uses heat from the sun to generate power
3. Hydropower – which uses the energy from moving water to generate power
4. Biomass – which uses organic matter to generate power, chemicals, or biofuel
5. Ocean – which uses the fall and rise of the tides to generate power
6. Geothermal – which uses natural heat from underground to generate power

In this article, you will be able to read about some advantages of using renewable energy sources. Let’s take a look:

1. It is Eco-friendly

Since it is a clean source of energy, it has zero or low greenhouse and carbon emission. Wind and solar power are considered to be Eco-friendly since they do not emit toxic gases that are dangerous for humans and our environment. It will significantly reduce our dependence on fossil fuels, hence it will cut back on air pollution. If you want to see more information about how greenhouse and carbon gasses affect our world, click here.

2. It is renewable

What this means is that they will not deplete over a period of time and there is zero possibility of it running out. Renewable energy can help countries stay away from fossil fuels which can save them a lot of money. The heat from the deep underground, powerful winds, moving waters, and the Sun can guarantee us a steady and huge supply of power for many years.

3. It is reliable

In the last decade, the use of fossil fuels has dramatically increased. This reliance has led to various security threats to a lot of countries. They cause trade disputes, spikes in energy prices, unnecessary wars, and political disputes. If wind and solar plants are distributed over a vast geographical location, there will be minimal electricity interruption since weather changes cannot be the same at all locations.

4. It generates more job opportunities

This form of energy is cheaper than the traditional sources of energy. Since the first time people used renewable energy, it has created various new and stable jobs that have been added to most economies.

5. Less maintenance in facilities

Once the infrastructure is laid down, there is low to zero maintenance required. What this means is that the owners of the plant will be able to generate bigger revenues while providing people with cheap electricity.

Conclusion

As you can see, there are various benefits that we can get by implementing renewable energy sources into our country’s infrastructure. It is Eco-friendly, cost-efficient, it will lead to better trading deals with other countries, and it does not require maintenance, meaning that you will also be able to save money here. Hence, do not waste any more time and start considering implementing solar panels to your home or business.

Main Benefits of Using Clean Energy Solutions

Published on April 4, 2019October 15, 2019

Technology

During the last few decades, we’ve been hearing a lot about renewable energy and clean energy. It is not only advisable but necessary for all of us to decrease our environmental footprint. Human impact on the environment is becoming deeper and more extensive each year and we need to start changing that. Wind turbines and solar panels are gaining popularity rapidly and have become a relatively common sight. What many have been asking themselves ever since renewable energy as a concept was introduced, is how does it affect our health, our economy, and the environment? Many have been researching the impact of renewable energy technologies for years, and here are just some of the main conclusions summed up. Energy Boom stated, ” As an example, nationwide the combined savings achieved due to energy efficiency programs during 2016 alone could power 20 million US households. Switching to renewables also makes economic sense given that these energy sources can help stabilize energy prices and avoid the fluctuations that characterize coal and natural gas markets, which are often affected by the changing geopolitical situation.”

Less CO2 is being released in the atmosphere

Less CO2 means less global warming. Human activity is filling the atmosphere with numerous gases that have detrimental effects on human health and represent a serious threat to all other living organisms. The gases are acting like a layer trapping heat on the Earth, not letting it disperse. That’s why the global temperature is always rising and will eventually become deadly. Already we can see the impact of global warming and it’s not at all negligible. If you wish to learn more about the benefits of clean energy, take a look at Clean Energy Ideas. They cover not only renewable energy but the topics of climate change and recycling as well.

Renewable energy sources produce a very small amount or none at all, of those emissions. CO2 is considered the main greenhouse gas, but there are others that contribute to global warming as well.

Solar panels can significantly reduce your energy bills

As you already know, electricity is not at all cheap and the prices are not going to fall. By installing solar panels, you’re installing a source of clean energy for your home. This will help you reduce your electric bills a lot. It’s no surprise that as the prices of electricity go up, more and more people will decide to install solar panels. Even though the installation of solar panels can be expensive, it will pay off as you will reduce the amount you have to pay to your local utility company.

Using solar panels will also help us reduce fossil fuel consumption. As we switch to renewable energy, we reduce the need for burning reserves of fossil fuel such as coal, oil, and gas. For more information visit Action Solar.

More jobs are being made

Many people work in renewable energy jobs. There are around 10 million of them around the world to be exact, of which around 3 million found jobs concerning solar power, 1.5 million hydropower, and 1.2 million wind power. These are not small numbers. The truth is that renewable energy has the potential to open many more jobs in the future. Meanwhile, the US coal industry employees around 76,000 which is a lot less than the number of people employed in museums, breweries, or travel agencies.

The benefits of renewable energy on the economy, health, and environment are not at all negligible and should be understood and taken into serious consideration. How long can we keep ignoring the facts?

Renewable Energy is the Future for Mankind

Published on March 19, 2019

Technology

Today, mankind still relies on fossil fuels to cover its global energy demand, but given the fact that the pollution produced by these nonrenewable energy resources is severely affecting the environment and are causing global warming and climate change, mankind is bound to increase the generation capacity for renewable energy.

The most developed renewable energy source on the planet today is hydroelectric power, but to replace the fossil fuels with a cleaner source of power, which would make the air cleaner for us, we need to develop all the renewable resources available on the planet.

Solar and wind power represent intermittent sources of energy because solar power can be produced only during the day when the Sun is shining, and wind power can be generated only when the wind blows with enough speed to spin the turbines.

However, to be used in the grid, the clean energy produced by a solar power plant or a wind park is usually paired with energy produced from fossil fuels such as coal or natural gas.

Renewable and Nonrenewable Energy Resources

Fossil fuels can produce energy 24/7, which means that when the demand for energy in the grid increases, both sources of energy (renewable and nonrenewable) will be used to cover the energy demand in the grid.

In order to make renewable energy the main source of power in the energy mix of the planet, scientists are working on a clean technology which is more efficient and more affordable.

Many governments in Europe and Asia are massively investing today in solar and wind power because they are aware of the fact that we need to reduce the level of pollution on the planet and stop the climate change effects.

While the U.S. government is more concerned to increase the production of fossil fuels in the country and is less interested in supporting the renewable energy sector, many private investors have decided to invest in renewable energy because they realized that clean power could produce money out of thin air and sunshine.

Alternative Energies recently posted an article about the largest solar power plants on the planet today, and the fact that India and China are competing against each other on who is developing the solar farm with the highest output of clean power in the world.

While solar power is mostly developed today in Asia and the Middle East, the capacity to generate wind energy increases in Europe.
Besides developing new materials to make solar cells more efficient and more affordable, scientists are working hard today to make nuclear fusion a reality for humankind.

The nuclear fusion reaction is considered renewable because the fuel used to power the reaction is hydrogen, which is very abundant on our planet and in the universe. The nuclear fusion reaction has been already used in the lab of different universities around the planet to produce clean power, but to make nuclear fusion commercially available, it seems that we need to wait a few more decades because the entire process is way more complex than we thought.

With or without the nuclear fusion reaction, humanity moves forward by developing all the renewable resources available today on the planet because, besides solar and wind, we can use water, geothermal energy, biomass, and tidal power to increase the presence of the renewable energy in the energy mix of the planet.

Conclusion

Only by replacing the share of the dirty fossil fuels (coal and oil) in the energy mix of the countries with low-carbon energy sources (natural gas) and renewable energy, we can reduce the air, soil and water pollution on the planet, which will help the environment to recover and ourselves to live in healthier conditions.

General objectives that guide the activities and relationships of one state in its interactions with other states.

Renewable Energy