by Sunny Lam on September 23, 2009
Photo via The Wind Power database
Denmark is the leader in wind energy. Not only do they have a country full of powerful breezes they also have the vision, foresight and willpower to pull it off. An amazing 19% of Denmark’s electricity power comes from wind.
Denmark’s Wind of Change – TIME: “But technology, like the wind itself, is just one more part of the reason for Denmark’s dominance. In the end, it happened because Denmark had the political and public will to decide that it wanted to be a leader — and to follow through… As a result, wind turbines now dot Denmark, the country gets more than 19% of its electricity from the breeze (Spain and Portugal, the next highest countries, get about 10%) and Danish companies control a whopping one-third of the global wind market, earning billions in exports and creating a national champion from scratch. “They were out early in driving renewables, and that gave them the chance to be a technology leader and a job-creation leader,” says Jake Schmidt, international climate policy director for the New York City-based Natural Resources Defense Council. “They have always been one or two steps ahead of others.”"
(Via Time Magazine.)
Denmark’s people are a bright example of where words and ideas are backed up by committed action and execution. After all, what is an idea without action?
VN:F [1.8.1_1037]
Rating: 0.0/10 (0 votes cast)
VN:F [1.8.1_1037]
Technorati Tags: alternative, Energy, renewable, turbines, wind power
by Sunny Lam on July 12, 2009
(Photo via Smart2begreen)
Global consumers want the best of both worlds
WHAT THEY WERE WILLING TO DO
When asked what actions they are likely to take in the next six months to protect the environment, people from around the world were most likely to say:
1. They would re-use jars and containers
2. Buy products with recyclable packaging
3. Use dishcloths and sponges instead of paper towels
4. Reduce their usage of paper plates, plastic cups and single-serve plastic bottles.
That’s unfortunate because recycling, re-use only scratch the surface of what could be done. The often missing piece is reduction – preventing waste from going to landfills and wasted power from the start.
WHAT THEY WEREN’T WILLING TO DO
Global consumers were less likely to:
1. Cut down use of dishwashers, washing machines and dryers
2. Cut back on their use of individual-size packaging and plastic bags
3. People the world over only somewhat liked ideas of buying less bulky packaging if it was less convenient to use
4. Looking for alternatives to cleaning products that use toxic chemicals
5. Using economy-size packaging
These are the more serious issues in terms of packaging (reduction would be really good here) and chemicals (that need a huge amount of power to create, run off into our drinking water and also kill important animals in the environment like fish).
Ipsos Marketing views. (Via Plumbline Newsletter by Elbert van Donkersgoed)
RESOURCES
Saving the Environment without Sacrificing Convenience: Global Consumers Want the Best of Both Worlds
VN:F [1.8.1_1037]
Rating: 0.0/10 (0 votes cast)
VN:F [1.8.1_1037]
Technorati Tags: alternative, consumerism, convenience, energy use, lifestyle changes, packaging, plastic, recycling, trash, waste
