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Copenhagen needs consesus - 30 November 2009

A hotter planet means less on our plates

In the Sunday November 22, 2009 issue of Outlook in the Washington Post, Lester Brown discusses the significant implications of food security in the upcoming Copenhagen Conference. As the U.N. climate-change conference in Copenhagen approaches, we are in a race between political tipping points and natural ones

We need not go beyond ice melting to see that the world is in trouble on the food front. As the Greenland and West Antarctic ice sheets continue to shrink, sea levels will rise, threatening rice harvests around the globe. Recent projections show that the sea could rise up to six feet this century (if the Greenland ice sheet were to melt entirely, it would rise by 23 feet). According to the World Bank, it would take only a three-foot rise in sea level to cover half the rice fields in Bangladesh, a country of nearly 160 million people. Yao Tandong, one of China’s leading glaciologists, warned last year in the journal Nature that two-thirds of the country’s glaciers could be gone by 2050, and he has said that “the full-scale glacier shrinkage in the plateau regions will eventually lead to an ecological catastrophe.

Even a relatively minor increase in temperature will dramatically shrink crop yields. A 2004 study published by the U.S. National Academy of Sciences showed that for each 1 degree Celsius rise in temperature during the growing season, we can expect a 10 percent decline in rice yields. This appears to hold true for wheat and corn as well. In a world with limited grain stocks, a crop-shrinking heat wave in a major grain-producing region could lead to food shortages and political instability'.

As the number of hungry people has risen, so too has the number of failing states. How much hunger will the world be able to absorb before we have not just failing nations, but a failing global civilization?

 
Older & Wiser - 18 November 2009

 

 
Largest study of showering habits reveals over 55s shower for less time than other age groups
The older generation takes around 5 minutes less in the shower than youngsters aged 18 to 24, research launched by Waterwise today reveals.  Two recent surveys, with a total sample size of 4000, conducted online by ICM on behalf of Shower power, a campaign supported by 12 UK water companies, show people aged 55 to 64 only take around eight and a half minutes to shower. Young men on average spend 13 mins 30 secs in the shower while young women of the same age take 14 mins 52 secs.
‘The shower is a big contributor to a home’s carbon emissions and a big user of hot water. Less time spent in the shower means less water and less energy, leading to saving money on energy and metered water bills, and resulting in less carbon emissions to heat the water, which helps prevent global warming.’
Not all young people hang around in the shower, though. More than half (58 per cent) young men take 10 minutes or less, while 46 per cent of young women take 10 minutes or less.
Meanwhile entrants to Shower power competitions have pledged to take shorter showers – and given a fascinating snapshot of their morning activities.
 
US Watersense issue draft specification for Showerheads - 29 October 2009

The US body guiding water efficiency have issued the first recognised standards for the requirements for effective water saving showers. The US have had federal regulations since 1992 to set showerhead flows at a max of 9 litres per min ( 2.5 gallons per min) so are ahead of the UK in efficiency regulations and understandings. The Nordic Shower meet and exceed these new standards and look forward to future succes in the US.  View Watersense guidelines.  

 
Energy Costs could rise by 60% - 03 October 2009

Household energy bills could soar by as much as 60 per cent because Britain faces a bill of up to £200 billion bill to restore crumbling power plants and secure future supplies, Ofgem, the energy regulator, warned today.  Bills, certain to rise by at least 14 per cent, could spike as early as 2016 under a worst-case scenario laid out by the regulator.

The EST esimates 70% of a homes energy requirement will be for heating water in the most efficient homes.

 
Water on the moon - 25 September 2009

 

Since man first touched the moon and brought pieces of it back to Earth, scientists have thought that the lunar surface was bone dry. But new observations from three different spacecraft have put this notion to rest with what has been called "unambiguous evidence" of water across the surface of the moon. Finding water on the moon would be a boon to possible future lunar bases, acting as a potential source of drinking water and fuel.

 

 

 So it aint the solution to future demands!

The moon remains drier than any desert on Earth. One ton of the top layer of the lunar surface would hold about 32 ounces of water, researchers said.  

 
EcoShower Comparison - 21 September 2009

Daisy Green have reviewed three leading eco showers - Mira Eco, Eco Camel and Nordic Shower.  The review found  Nordic EcoShower to achieve 40% more savings than Mira Eco and 70% more savings than EcoCamel. 

 

 
Showerhead Hygiene - 16 September 2009

Showering may be bad for your health, say US scientists, who have shown that dirty shower heads can deliver a face full of harmful bacteria.

Tests revealed nearly a third of devices harbour significant levels of a bug that causes lung disease.

Levels of Mycobacterium avium were 100 times higher than those found in typical household water supplies.

M. avium forms a biofilm that clings to the inside of the shower head, reports the National Academy of Science.

In the Proceedings journal, the study authors say their findings might explain why there have been more cases of these lung infections in recent years, linked with people tending to take more showers and fewer baths.

 
Women are faster than you think. - 03 September 2009

 Despite the age old myth that women take ages in the shower, new research shows on average women spend just 39 seconds longer in the shower than men.

The vast majority of women (71%) take showers of 10 minutes or less; and a quarter of women (26%) manage to take showers of 5 minutes or less.   This is only slightly below the number of men who do so (75% and 30% respectively).
 
While the average shower time for women is 10 mins 40 secs, men estimate that it is 14 mins 59 secs and women estimate that it is 12 mins 14 secs.
 
For more information about Shower power, to calculate the amount of water you use in the shower and to enter a competition to win one of thousands of water efficient products visit www.waterwise.org.uk/showerpower
 
 
Plumbering trade No 1 for Efficiency Advice - 06 July 2009

 

 Plumbers are the most likely of all UK tradespeople to offer green advice to customers, according to a survey commissioned by the Energy Saving Trust. More than eight in 10 (81 per cent) of plumbers would offer energy efficiency advice compared to just 27 per cent of carpenters. Electricians came in second at 73 per cent with conservatory installers at 62 per cent, builders at 56 per cent and roofing/loft conversion specialists at 48 per cent.

The Nordic Shower has been reviewed and is recommended by UK Institute of Plumbing

 
Water Standard by AECB - 02 July 2009

AECB - the sustainable building association have now launched a Water Standard applicable to new homes, the refurbishment of existing dwellings and also to non-domestic buildings. The Standard sits alongside the AECB’s well-established CarbonLite Energy Standards. The Water Standard is aimed at architects, designers, house builders and specifiers and has two levels – ‘Good’ and ‘Best’ Practice, with a third ‘Experimental’ category.