|
| Eco-friendly - how your carbon footprint is affecting the world
Each day we’re producing greenhouse gases through burning fossil fuels for electricity, heating and transportation. All of these harmful gases have a negative effect on our environment and this is what is known as our carbon footprint which can ultimately lead to climate change.
Reducing these effects is simple and cost effective.
A global problem
The negative effects on the environment are becoming increasingly apparent and thus we have seen a rise in the political agendas for making our nations more eco-friendly.
Key scientists have encouraged an international agreement that action is essential to eliminate the dramatic changes to our climate.
In 1997 the Kyoto protocol was formed by the UN in Japan which is an international treaty aimed at achieving a balance in the atmospheric concentration of greenhouse gases. 187 countries endorsed the protocol which marked the first step towards tackling the problem of climate change.
In the UK
The UK committed to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 20% by 2010 and a long term goal of 60% by 2050 under the Kyoto protocol.
In 2008 The Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) was created to manage and combine both Energy and Climate Change Policy.
The DECC has taken three Bills through Parliament, called the Energy Act 2008, the Climate Change Act 2008 and the Energy Act 2010.
Some of the campaigns were designed to encourage businesses to do their bit for the environment such as the Carbon Reduction Commitment Scheme.
What is the Carbon reduction commitment (CRC) scheme?
The Carbon Reduction Scheme is the UK’s mandatory climate change scheme. The scheme was introduced in 2010 by the DECC under the Climate Change Act.
At the end of each tax year, participants are required to buy carbon allowances based on the total electricity consumption your business has made during that year, which is initially capped at £12 per tonne.
Organisations who qualify for the scheme have to monitor their greenhouse gas production and purchase allowances or permits to emit carbon dioxide. The more emissions each corporation produces, the more carbon allowance they will be required to buy the following year.
There are monetary rewards for reducing your emissions and likewise there are fines for businesses who do not make the required energy saving.
Both public and private sector organisations are covered by the Carbon Reduction Commitment scheme. It’s expected that approximately 5,000 businesses in the UK will be a part of the scheme.
If your business has an annual electricity bill of approximately £500,000 or uses more than 6,000MWh per year of electricity, then you are affected by the Carbon Reduction Commitment scheme.
You are also eligible for the scheme if you, and any subsidiaries you may have, have at least one half-hourly electricity meter (HHM) settled on the half-hourly market.
How to reduce energy consumption
Factors like turning off equipment when it is not in use and not leaving computers or televisions on standby rely upon staff being equally carbon footprint-conscious, but there are other techniques which enable you to monitor and control your corporation’s energy usage.
Motion-sensitive lights will save energy, but the key to effective energy management is monitoring and reducing. Electricity can be monitored with sub-monitoring equipment, and a voltage optimiser will ensure you only use the voltage your equipment requires.
| | |
| Many people lust over the airline industry. It isn’t surprising when you consider the wealth of experience, fun and excitement that the industry can bring, along with world travel and the chance to work with people with the same passion for life.
However, it isn’t necessarily an easy task to get a job in the airline industry. Despite the stereotype of “trolley dollies” the fact is that airline cabin crew are actually very highly trained and go through some thorough cabin crew training.
Plenty of people do get airline jobs without prior experience. Many airlines will conduct recruitment drives where they will interview both experienced and inexperienced people alike. It is possible then to take an airline job role. They will then provide you full and thorough training which is free of charge and will get you up to their required standard.
Airlines do like to recruit people with experience though. This can provide a problem if you have never worked in the airline industry before. It is a vicious circle. You need experience to get the job, but you can’t get experience because nobody will give you a job! It can be very disheartening and many people give up.
There are companies that have a solution to this though. They understand that there are plenty of people out there who are ideal for air cabin crew but simply don’t yet have the experience to get some of the better jobs. For this reason, they provide cabin crew training.
cabin crew training will allow you to pay a relatively small fee to complete a basic cabin crew training program prior to an interview. This means you can apply for a job with some training qualifications. Although you still won’t actually have any real life experience, the airline will see that you already have some of the basics covered.
Completing one of these cabin crew training programs helps you in two ways. The first thing is that the airline see you as having some experience and in need of less training which makes you much more employable than the next person who walks through the door who has no experience whatsoever. The second way it helps is that it shows that you have a drive to succeed. The fact that you have gone out and paid for training out of your own money prior to even getting a job shows true drive and determination.
Airlines love this quality in a person. It shows that you are prepared to get the job done and it shows that you are committed to giving the job a proper go. This makes you more likely to get the job than an inexperienced person. Believe it or not, it will even help you to stand out from some of the people who already have experience too.
Cabin crew training happens across the country. It normally takes place nearby to airports but not all the time. You will want to use a cabin crew training program that uses experienced teachers who are fully qualified. You will also want to make sure that they are going to award you an internationally recognised teaching qualification on completion. This will help to give more credit to your training and what you have achieved.
So, if you are thinking of getting into the airline industry then consider a cabin crew training program. It can seriously help you get a job as air cabin crew. | | |
| UXO abbreviates Unexploded Ordinance, a term used to describe unexploded grenades, bullets, artillery shells and mortars. A UXB is an Unexploded Bomb, and many UXOs and UXBs remain today on ex military training areas or areas targeted by air raids in World War II.
UXOs and UXBs are obviously a threat to health and safety; and they can also create unnecessary environmental damage and cost implications. A UXO survey will assess whether there are any UXO causes for concern, which may be more common than you first think. According to the Construction Industry Research and Information Association, over 15,000 UXOs were found between 2006 and 2009 on construction sites in the UK. A 1,000kg bomb was found in East London in 2008 which had the potential to cause considerable damage, thus highlighting the importance of a UXB or UXO survey.
Bombs and some other artillery items travel laterally, so they are often buried under the ground; which is why aUXO Survey is important. A Geophysical UXO survey will typically detect large UXBs up to 5 metres, and smaller items which are buried up to 2 metres deep. Because of their targeting in World War II, London and Portsmouth are where most UXBs have been discovered.
The identification and location of harmful artillery is often essential at the design stage of construction projects, and an UXO survey may be of particular relevance to the redevelopment of brownfield sites. To choose a type of UXO survey, a number of factors will need to be assessed. The ground type, proposed use, likely UXO in that area, and its likely depth will all need to be considered. The survey may be used to ensure health and safety, or for use in archaeological exploration. There are three main types of UXO survey. Non-intrusive surveys involve the sensing of items from the surface, intrusive surveys involve data collection from sensors inside the ground, and marine surveys detect UXOs and other metallic objects under the sea.
Magnetometry is one of the more common techniques used in non-intrusive surveys, which uses Electro Magnetic Systems. Intelligent software manages the findings of UXO Surveyinto a comprehensive set of data, filtering out any ambient magnetics. This data is then assessed and demonstrated in a way which the client will understand.
Buried fuel tanks and air raid shelters are another reason why a geophysical survey may need to be carried out, as they can create construction problems. The prominence of badger sets also show up in these surveys, and as they are a protected species, they must be considered during construction works. Geophysical surveys can also be used to show the characterisation of land forms, which can be done on a big scale. Other uses for these surveys are reinforced concrete mapping, used for locating foundations and such, when more foundations or a borehole are required; and high frequency structural radar, used for showing features within a building, such as hidden flues and chimneys, historic features and voiding.
When an UXO is discovered, specialist disposal experts may need to be contacted. Once the area is declared safe it will be possible to continue development. It is important to carry out UXO surveys to ensure work is carried out in a safe manner under general health and safety guidelines.
| | |
| As a regular energy and electricity consumer, you may not concern yourself with the workings of your electricity supply. As a business owner, relying on large amounts of electricity to run, you may be more inclined to think about ways you could reduce your monthly bills, but many business owners mistakenly believe achieving this would be costly and complicated. You could actually save a huge 20% on your electricity bills, just by using a voltage optimiser.
What is Voltage optimisation?
Voltage optimisation is a method of managing the voltage used by your electrical system so that it is most suitable for the equipment used. In the UK, for example, electricity is usually supplied at a rate of about 242 volts, but most electric equipment is equally suited for running at 220 volts. A voltage optimiser is installed on the system, between the energy supply and the equipment using it. This then reduces the amount of electricity used by providing the equipment with a different and more suitable voltage than the one supplied by the grid.
But what difference does that make to me?
A voltage optimiser reduces electricity usage so reduces the cost of the electricity. Savings of up to 20% in electricity bills are easily achievable and can recuperate the cost of the device.
For businesses looking to become greener, this saving is important not only for the money it saves, but also for the fact that it reduces consumption of electricity as much as possible, meaning only such consumption as is necessary for the day to day running of the business is allowed to occur. While normal consumption is often wasteful in terms of electricity (and therefore natural resources) used, using a voltage optimiser is an effective way of saving without having to cut back on any essential electrical equipment used in the running of the business. It can significantly reduce carbon emissions, which is important for companies that need to cut these in order to meet government targets and remain in business.
Protection of equipment
Power received from the grid is not as even as you may assume. Power dips, sudden increased voltage bursts and “overvoltages” are all things that can and do happen quite regularly and can shorten the lifetime of electrical equipment. These erratic energy levels can lead to equipment failure, which many people just put down to wear and tear. Using an optimiser can protect equipment from such voltage related hazards and significantly lengthen the life of the machine.
But is it expensive?
Any good Voltage optimisation will make back the money invested within only several years. In the UK, a government initiative means loans are available for businesses wanting to cut carbon emissions by installing such devices. Loans are dependent on the amount of possible saved carbon emissions. The loans are handled by the Carbon Trust and businesses that provide volume optimisers can register with them. | | |
| Years ago, camera technology was different. Now with the advent of digital camera technology there is a lot more. You now own the camera but you also own camera software on CD for your laptop, chargers, plugs and a variety of cables. It can all be a bit daunting if it is the first time that you have ever purchased a digital camera.
Usually it is the USB cable that is likely to be mentioned most. A USB cable can be associated with a vast variety of products. It allows for easy connection to other USB ports. Typical products that contain a USB port are computers, laptops and even TV’s. It is designed to fit a USB port on one end and your device on the other. In the case of your digital camera, you will have a generic USB plug on one end to fit a USB socket. The other end will fit your camera.
Most digital cameras now come with a digital camera USB cable included. Some do not. In this case, you may need to purchase a digital camera USB cable separately. Always get a replacement if you have lost the original.So why do we need digital camera USB cables? The main reason is connectivity. This connectivity will allow you to easily transfer photos on to your laptop for storage. This lets you view your photos on your computer. This will also allow you to easily edit your photos. Then you can easily share everything with friends and family. For example, by having them on your
computer you can upload photos onto Facebook, share videos on YouTube and so on. This brings a new lease of life to your photos. You can of course also opt to print them out. This way you can also have your photos professionally
printed.
A digital camera USB cable will often also allow you to use your cameras software. Most packages include a CD containing camera software. These software packages will allow you to edit your photos. They will often have plenty of tools to improve your photos with ease. The digital camera USB will also possibly allow you to download updates for your camera. This could mean improved editing software or even an updated version of the software actually used by your camera. This allows you to keep everything up to date.
Essentially, if you have a digital camera then you will definitely want to have a digital camera USB cable. It is important if you want the best from your camera. It will help you to keep your camera up to date, improve your pictures and share your videos. In other words, it will help you to do everything that your digital camera was designed for! | | |
|
