Shake powered torch

Most of my travel accessories are old and dearly loved - I don't really like new things, I much prefer old objects with a story to tell. I was disappointed to realise that my ancient maglite didn't make it back from my last trip, but took the opportunity to replace it with something more sustainable. My new torch is powered by shaking it; I got it in Tesco but there's one just like it at shop.com. It's really very effective, you don't have to shake it for long to get a light and unlike a battery-powered one you can revive it very quickly if it does run out, even if you have nothing else with you.

Batteries

We're travelling with my friend Debbie and her family. She removes one battery from her camera when she's not using it - she tells me the batteries last much longer this way. My camera seems to use up batteries at an alarming rate, and definitely wears them out quicker if I use the screen feature to line up shots rather than the viewfinder. I'm using rechargeables, and have a great daysack with solar panels. It comes complete with a set of 4 AA batteries and a charging pod for them, plus a selection of leads to charge different devices. I wasn't sure how effective it would be, but it really does work!

Wind farms and peat cutting on the Isle of Lewis

Visiting the Outer Hebrides today I was struck by the conflict between old energy technologies and new. The islands are rich in peat, which used to be the islanders' main fuel source in the old days but had fallen out of favour. There's evidence now of new peat cutting, motivated by the recent steep rises in energy costs. Of course, peat is a carbon sink so a revival in peat burning will result in carbon emissions; I have no idea though whether substituting peat for conventionally-produced fuels will be better or worse in terms of carbon emissions.

There are three wind turbines on the hillside above Stornaway. I heard that a plan to build a major wind farm with 200 turbines elsewhere on the island was finally rejected in April 2008 after many years of wrangling. There will be more wind farms there, but none on such a massive scale. Of course they will change forever a wild and ancient landscape, but so did the building of the standing stones, brochs and blackhouses of which the islanders are so proud. Could wind farms eventually become the tourist attractions of the future?

Solar Powered Lighthouse

Even in August, the Western highlands of Scotland aren't the sunniest spot in the World, so I was surprised to see PV panels on the Rheu lighthouse. I'd be surprised if it ever gets enough sun to light the bulb, and given the wet and windy conditions we experienced there I think I might have been inclined to opt for a wind turbine.

Making plans for Nigel

I've just found Nigel's Eco Store, an impressive emporium of all things green. According to a profile I read in BT's customer newsletter it's a relatively new business, established (by Nigel!) in 2006 which has already grown to three staff and a half a million pound turnover.

I'm liking his green hints and tips page, although those who read my previous post will be interested to see that washing machine balls aren't much in evidence there!

Washing machine balls

Call me a cynic, but do those washing machine balls really work? You know, the ones you put in your washing machine instead of detergent to clean your clothes. I'd really like to believe it, but surely if they were that effective we'd all be using them already? The science seems plausible enough - something to do with ionising the water. It just seems a little bit too good to be true.

Japan adopts carbon footprinting methodology

News today that brewer Sapporo will be among the first companies in Japan to publish carbon footprint data on product labels. From next spring government approved labels will appear on food and drink, detergents and electrical appliances from around 30 firms in a project led by the Japanese trade ministry. The labels will show how much carbon dioxide is emitted during the manufacture, distribution and disposal of each product, following a methodology loosely modelled on the PAS 2050 standard being developed in the UK by The Carbon Trust and Defra.

According to a report in The Guardian, the companies involved in the pilot project will display their labeled items at an eco-products fair in Tokyo in December, and the products are expected to start appearing in shops at the beginning of April 2009.