New Zealand’s Green Party Gets Punked
June 24, 2008
People, this is why you need to do research before you start jumping up and down hollering about dangerous chemicals. New Zealand’s Green Party got a little ahead of themselves when MP Sue Kedgeley received an email detailing all of the dangers of dihydrogen monoxide and spoke out against its use, saying she was ‘absolutely supportive’ of a ban on the chemical solution – otherwise known as water. This has one of New Zealand’s other political parties, the National Party, doing a merry little dance in their haste to point out how ignorant the Green Party’s response was.
From The Scoop:
“The Greens’ support for a ban on dihydrogen monoxide shows just how scientifically illiterate the party is. They would ban anything if it has a slightly scientific name, regardless of the fact that all life would cease without water,” Dr Smith said.
The email on dihydrogen monoxide points out it is a colourless, odourless, tasteless chemical used in all sorts of dangerous industries and that in gaseous form it causes thousands of burns; in liquid form millions of deaths from overdose (drowning), and in its solid state causes tissue damage.
Here’s an important thing we all need to know about the world: everything in and on it is made up of chemical compounds. Scary sounding chemicals are often extremely innocuous. It’s important for environmental activists especially to avoid making assumptions about chemicals and figure out what they are before getting worked up about their use. Scientific literacy, as Dr. Smith of the National Party rightly points out, is very important.
That said, we think this story is hilarious. We love seeing greenies get punked – it keeps us all on our toes.
Link [The Scoop]
Photo credit: Flickr user CTD 2005
Off-Grid Homes Save Electricity and Provide a Great Example for the Rest of Us
May 21, 2008
We can all learn a lot from the people who have decided to go off-grid – completely or just partially – using renewable energy to power their homes. When most people think of being off-grid, they imagine living like the Ingalls in Little House on the Prairie: using candles at night, spending hours doing back-breaking manual labor to keep your home heated in the winter and having no televisions or computers.
The fact is, using alternative energy sources for at least some of your home’s power isn’t just within reach, it’s not going to force you to sacrifice all that much. Your quality of life won’t be adjusted beyond feeling better about your energy consumption.
Charmaine Watts of New Zealand is a great example of making off-grid work while still living a modern life of convenience.
From the New Zealand Herald:
Her family of two adults and three children are one of hundreds around the country generating their own electricity.
With power prices on the rise, the $20,000 the Watts spent installing solar panels, a small wind turbine, storage batteries and wiring is starting to look like a good investment.
“I don’t need to worry about power cuts,” said Ms Watts. “It’s just like a normal house. I flick the switch on my computer or my DVD player and away I go.”
Watts says solar panels lasting between 25 to 30 years cost $25,000 , making them a good option even for city dwellers.
“Anyone with a roof has the potential to make their own electricity.”
$20,000 is definitely a lot of money, but many homeowners spend that much or more just on a bathroom remodel. Why not live with a smaller, vintage bathroom and spend that cash on something that’ll reduce your dependence on electricity and lower your carbon footprint? Seriously, watch those HGTV remodel shows – they spend exorbitant amounts on something that doesn’t even look all that great when they’re done. That money could be put to much better use.
Living smaller and keeping older stuff longer isn’t really the American way, and that’s part of what got us into this mess in the first place. Instead of focusing our consumerist drive on crap we’re going to get sick of in a few years and toss in a landfill, we could focus it on turning this country around for the sake of the planet.
You can learn more about going off-grid at Off-Grid.net.
Link [New Zealand Herald] + [Off-Grid.net]
Can a Power Company REALLY Be Carbon Neutral?
March 31, 2008
Yes, it can be done, and a New Zealand power company has been doing it for more than a year.
Meridian Energy generates around a third of New Zealand’s total energy demand (approx 12,000 GWh) exclusively from wind and hydro sources. The company has a history of advocating a carbon credit marketplace.
But not all New Zealand state-owned enterprises can boast the same carbon neutral certification.
Solid Energy is the largest coal mining company in New Zealand, and also state owned. It’s the company, I’m ashamed to say, that dig up and export New Zealand’s coal to be burned in China—and the ones that intend to create a new open cast mine in Happy Valley.
It sounds like a terrible place for a coal mine—even though I’m not certain what or where Happy Valley is (but then, what do Americans know about New Zealand really, except that it’s where the Hobbits live?). Before we all get too happy about this, I should note that Meridian Energy is carbon neutral in large part because they operate nine hydroelectric projects—big dams, that is, of the sort that would be considered an environmental disaster if they were under construction today, but are somehow okay if they already exist.
Meridian Energy also operate wind turbines—like the one in the photo above, in Wellington—on a really large scale.
Link [Worldchanging]
Photo credit: Wikipedia Commons
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