CarbonFeet

There are a variety of reasons why you may like a hybrid car. You might like a hybrid car in order to cut your ever increasing petrol bill; in order to reduce your personal impact on the environment or you might just want the kudos of driving a car that is at the forefront of technology. Obviously, it could be for a mixture of all three reasons too.

Hybrid cars have been around for around ten years and so the technology is fairly well advanced. The thing to bear in mind is that hybrids are not performance cars in the traditional sense of the word. In the perspective of cars, the word ‘performance’ normally means ‘high speed’, but hybrid cars are performance cars because they save more than eight percent on the fuel bill.

They create this saving by in essence using two engines. The one engine is a conventional internal combustion engine (ICE) and the other is an electric motor. Both engines distribute their power through the same mechanical means to the wheels. The ICE generates electricity and delivers it to a battery, like any car does, however, a hybrid car can use this battery power to drive the car as well.

The electricity is generated by alternators and the braking system. Regenerative braking supplies a large amount of power to the batteries. In fact, so much so that under regular driving conditions, the batteries do not have to be charged from the national grid.

The ‘early’ hybrids used the electric motor just as an ‘assist’. In other words, while the petrol engine would usually require to be revved up to produce enough power to overtake or go up hill, the electric motor would jump in to assist it, thereby saving fuel, but the petrol engine is effectively running all the time. This a form of halfway hybrid. The Honda Insight was one of these.

However, a full hybrid will use one or the other or both of the engines, depending on how its computer best interprets the power needs of the driving conditions. The driver has no decisions to take, engines are turned on and off automatically and seamlessly by the car’s on board computer. Examples of this sort of full hybrid are the Toyota Prius and the Ford Escape Hybrid.

Although most individuals think of hybrids as new technology, the first hybrid car was made over a hundred years ago. Modern hybrids are about ten years old and the technology is improving rapidly. However, what actually has to happen now for hybrids to make a real impact on the amount of oil that the West consumes is for the prices to come down.

And I mean really come down a lot. Hybrid cars are far too costly for the average driver. If manufacturers reduced the price of the cars, more individuals would buy one which would stimulate the economy and aid the balance of payments deficit to say nothing of the effect of burning less fossil fuel would have on the environment.

If you are interested in the technology of Hybrid Cars And City Living, please go over to our web site on New Hybrid Vehicles

It has become more and more important to take care of the way in which we deal with waste disposal. As landfill sites are reaching capacity, we need to be initiating more responsible waste disposal techniques and helping the recycling process to protect our environment.

The best way to start is at home and by ensuring that the whole family is involved. This will make a huge difference and keep everyone motivated in sticking to the plan. It is very easy to give up when the effort seems futile if half the people are not responsibly disposing of litter.

Introduce different bins for the different types of materials that we throw in the trash can. You will need separate ones for paper, plastics, glass and metals and one for organic products. It is best to find a spot to put all the bins near the kitchen where most of the waste is created making it easier to do the job.

Plastics are the very damaging for the environment when they are not recycled as they are not made out of biodegradable material. So, it makes a huge difference if you buy less plastic products. One way to do this is to stop buying bottled water and invest in a water filtration system for the home.

To maintain an environment that is clean and healthy, it is essential for all of us to contribute to disposing of waste responsibly. It should be a daily part of our work to maintain this and encourage it in the younger generation so that we are all working towards preserving the environment around us.

There are many waste management companies that offer their services to residential communities and commercial buildings to help them achieve responsible waste management systems. They can advise you on innovative methods to reuse plastic and glass. To employ a waste management company and help recycle is a great way to make a positive contribution to preserving our environment.

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A buying group I’m associated with has helped 100s of food service businesses over the past several years push toward zero waste. Zero waste is a school of thought that encourages the reconstruction of resource life cycles so that all products are reused or recycled.

Businesses aiming for zero waste focus on decreasing waste as much as possible and then rerouting any remaining waste toward recycling & composting facilities. To accomplish zero waste, I have found these businesses combine 3 critical tactics:

1) Removing Non Recyclable And Non Compostable Waste – I have seen a variety of our generations green bistros and cafes effectively get rid of all waste that can’t be sent for composting or recycling. For outbound packaging supplies (the ones used by consumers), numerous businesses have shifted over to compostable food packaging (e.g., biodegradable cups, compostable plates, compostable forks, biodegradable containers). Note: Managers should make sure that any item labeled “biodegradable” meets ASTM D6400 for compostability in a commercial composting facility. Incoming packaging supplies are a little tougher to control (e.g., it’s harder to make sure that your supplier does not wrap your vegetables with cellophane), but still many restaurants have been able to ask vendors to avoid using product packaging which is difficult to recycle (e.g., Styrofoam).

2) Removing Trash Cans – I’ve seen several green minded restaurant owners dispose of or dramatically decrease the size of their trash can. This seems to be an incredibly powerful strategy assuming that you’ve already executed tactic #1 and switched a majority of your packaging to things like biodegradable cups and compostable plates. By getting rid of your trash bin, you effectively force consumers to stop and think before throwing away their food & packaging waste into a composting or recycling bin; and when coupled with compelling recycling & composting signage, this can be a very powerful tactic for getting customers to sort their own recyclables & compostables.

3) Staff Education – I have found that businesses that are the most effective at moving toward zero waste take significant effort to train their staff on effective recycling practices, composting practices, and the use of re-usables. Education is key when answering questions from customers (e.g., which bin does this fork go in?) and for the sorting of waste left on counter-tops or in the kitchen. Additionally, having employees that are excited about a business’ transition toward zero waste will definitely go a long way toward embedding that feeling into a restaurants’ culture and the minds of its customers.

I hope you enjoyed learning about the eco-friendly steps being taken by food service businesses. Best of luck on your green-minded journey!

Connect with organizations that are helping small businesses reduce their waste + get access to significant price cuts on biodegradable coffee cups and compostable plates.