Latest ‘Green’ Cruise Ships

In the latest ‘eco-friendly’ move by governments to reduce carbon emissions from various modes of transport, the cruising industry has been put under the microscope and asked to invest in more sustainable and cleaner ship developments in the coming years. A number of damming environmental reports that showed cruising to be one of the most eco unfriendly forms of transport helped many cruise companies to reassess their operations. Add to this the fact that many governments are now charging cruise companies extra in tax for high carbon emissions, and cleaning up cruises suddenly seems like a good idea to companies. Below are details of three great innovations in making cruise ships more eco-friendly.

Improved Ship Efficiency. Old ship designs really didn’t have their environmental impact in mind, but the latest ships are built from sustainable materials and put together using eco-friendly techniques. The materials are getting lighter so less energy is needed for propulsion, soft sails are often being included, and a company in Ireland have pioneered a biogas-powered engine, set to soon be used by Cunard Cruises. A very clever hydrodynamic hull that turns the energy from waves into propulsion energy is also the brain child of the same Irish company.

Hybrid Engines. A number of cars and trucks have been developed with hybrid fuel-battery engines now and have integrated very well with the more traditional vehicles. Now ship builders such as those making boats for Silversea Cruises are getting in on the action and making boats that couple the traditional diesel power with electrical power. When a ship comes into harbor it is connected to the shoreside power source and gets a quick charge up of its huge batteries

Sharing Cargo. A great idea being trialled by Oceania Cruises is ?cargo sharing?. When a cruise ship has spare room onboard, they effectively rent it out to companies wishing to transport cargo to the destination on the ships path. A few extra bucks are earned by the cruise companies who would have otherwise wasted space, the company who are shipping the cargo massively save on costs and less pollution is released into the environment. Everyone’s a winner.

The Best Sustainable Material To Use In The Future

OK, so the Bamboo PC it was a gimmick. The laptop version of the bamboo PC launched last March at a computer fair in Hanover. It featured a laminated bamboo casing which was around a standard laptop, meaning that no less plastic was needed in making it.

Despite not having any major eco benefits to the bamboo computers, they did give a good demonstration of what can be done with a material that versatile.

Bamboo must be the only raw material that can be used as food, clothing and building materials. Even one of Edison’s original light bulbs had a bamboo filament. Because the material is so string, resiliant and cheap to use, it is used widely in building throughout Asia. Fibres from bamboo poles are extremely strong, it both tension and compression terms. Bamboo has almost the same tensile strength to weight ratio as steel, plus it has roughly twice as muhc compressive strength as concrete. And now there’s a bamboo laptop!

Products made of bamboo ticks most boxes for anyone buying green home furnishings. To start with, it’s hightly sustainable. There are some species of bamboo that grow more than a metra each day. Local people can cut down as much as they need for carving, weaving, sawing or splitting and still have as big a forest at the end of the year as they had at the start. As for the global warming problem, because bamboo is a plant, all products made out of the sustainable material contains a large amount of atmospheric carbon. The plastic equivalent of a bamboo product is worse for the environment as it actually adds to the levels of carbon in the atmosphere!

Another point is that because bamboo is a plant source, there are many variations between two plants, these variations make it a difficult material to use in a mass production process. What this means is that you can be almost positive that a skilled craftsman has built the bamboo product you buy. If you choose to buy from a reputable source, you’ll also have the peace of mind that the craftsman has earned a fair wage from their work and not been exploited. The final thing is that you’ll be sure that the item you bought hasn’t gathered any air miles during its creation.

With eco credentials this strong, it’s a surprise bamboo built products are so beautiful. Picture a skilfully made bamboo box, lovingly lacquered with 15 layers of natural shellac. All natural and really stylish. I myself bought a fantastic, hand-crafted bamboo knife block and now I’m considering buying more bamboo bamboo knife block like salad bowls. Stylish and ethical. Win.

A Happy Home Is An Eco-Friendly Home

Having a eco-friendly home doesn’t necessarily mean switching the heating off and sitting cross-legged in a circle. In fact, an eco-friendly home is far from the traditional, hippy image it’s often painted with - an eco-friendly home is all about being practical.

After all you don’t need to be living in a treehouse to be concerned about the environment. Global warming is a problem that affects every one of us and we all have to make the changes to our lifestyles if we want to see a difference.

Of course, an eco-friendly home isn’t just about saving the environment, it’s also about saving you money, something which can’t be ignored in this economic climate. Cutting down on energy usage within your home really is a win-win situation for both you and the environment.

One of the easiest ways in which you could cut down on your energy usage is to switch to energy efficient lightbulbs. Although it may seem like you’re getting a raw deal in terms of the amount of light you will be getting, energy efficient lightbulbs actually produce just as much light as a normal lightbulb whilst using less energy.

Tumble driers are another big energy hog and one that can easily be replaced with a proper drying system. While you might feel likes a clothes horse takes up to much space and takes too long to dry things, you could always opt for a clothes airer. A clother airer is basically a drying rank which is lowered for you to put the clothes on and then hoisted up to the ceiling (the warmest part of the room) where the clothes are hung to dry. These airers mean there is more space on the ground and the clothes dry faster than with a regular clothes horse.

Of course if you have a garden or even a small back yard, you can always set up a clothes line which will dry the clothes much faster and save you a lot more money.

Switching your energy supplier is yet another way in which you can make your home more eco-friendly. There are a growing number of energy suppliers which generate electricity from wind farms, hydro stations and other eco-friendly methods to choose from. Online comparison sites will allow you to compare just how much using an eco-friendly energy supplier will cost you allowing you to weight up the ethical benefits against the financial.

Aside from switching your energy supplier, there are other companies that you might consider choosing based on their green and ethical credentials. Bank accounts are one example of this and while you may wonder what difference this makes, the main difference is where the banks invest their money. You see banks, aside from charging you interest on loans, mortgages and home insurance, often make their money through external investments.

Although most banks like to keep their investments private, in recent years a lot of these investments have been made public, with the most unethical thrown into the spotlight. Ethical banks on the other hand generally have a transparent approach to their external investments, only investing in companies who meet their rigorous standards and allowing those who bank with them to see exactly where their money goes.

So creating a more environmentally friendly home isn’t about creating a commune, it’s all about creating small changes that will make a big difference to the environment and your wallet.

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