Green Fingers = Green Future

Eco-Friendly Green Gardening

First Published Date: November 30, 2013 ADawnJournal.com

It is commonly held that global warming and other environmental concerns are far too big for humans to turn back. Some even believe that global warming is not man-made despite the large amount of evidence to suggest that it very much is. For such reasons, there are many people who decide not to do anything about it, and say “I’m only one person – what can I do, realistically?”. These people are missing the point. If no-one does anything, then there is no question that the problems will get worse. In order to turn back the tide, there are things that we can do. Although many may feel that it isn’t worth bothering, if enough of us take a lead, then at least we can set an example.

Setting a good example can be done in many ways, but the chances of it being taken up depend on several factors. Not least of these is the fact that people can specifically benefit themselves by taking a greener approach. This is best referred to as the “What’s in it for me?” factor. Although there may be little incentive for someone to take a greener approach to life if all it is going to achieve is a lessening in the global problems some years down the line, they will think differently if they feel that it might benefit them in the long term and the short term. One way to do this is to look at planting a vegetable garden.

Although gardening is seen by many as a pastime for older people, there is little doubt that it can benefit us all. Taking it on the most basic level, all of us need to eat in order to live. Inevitably, part of our diet is sure to come from vegetables. Now, we can get in our car and drive to the supermarket to buy veg there. The advantage of this approach is that it is convenient. But aside from that, there is little reason why we should do this. Supermarkets, for all their eye-catching green initiatives, are simply not going to take part in any approach that may hurt their profit margins. And the vegetables they sell will come with a healthy profit for the company – putting us, the consumers, out of pocket.

If we grow our own veg, then we immediately create a saving for ourselves. Instead of having to drive to the supermarket (spending money on fuel as we do so), buying the veg (and thus paying more than we would had we grown it ourselves) and putting it into a bag (we pay for that, too), we could be cutting out these extra costs and helping ourselves. Additionally, we are causing less pollution by cutting out exhaust fumes and unnecessary packaging.

By growing our own veg we will also ensure the utmost freshness, which is always a major factor in terms of taste. And although it takes an initial investment of our time, it saves us a lot more in the long run – how many people do you know who can take care of most of the ingredients for dinner just by popping outside for a few minutes?

To streamline and minimize blog maintenance, I will be discontinuing maintaining the Thegreenlivingblog.com website (however, I will still hold the domain). I will gradually move all articles from this site to A Dawn Journal. This article originally published on the above website on April 24, 2009.

Amazon Canada Rewards Visa Credit Card Review

A Visa Card That Saves You Foreign Currency Transaction Fees

First Published Date: December 5, 2013 ADawnJournal.com

Probably 90 percent of retailers have some sort of credit cards tied to some kind of reward points of their own, so why not Amazon Canada? Today, I will talk about some of the features the Amazon.ca Rewards Visa card offers.

The instantaneous benefit of this card is that once you are approved, Amazon.ca will take off $15 of your next purchase on the Amazon online store. And then there are ongoing reward points for each transaction you make (whether online or offline). For example, spending $1 at Amazon.ca earns 2 points (works out to be 2 percent cash back) and spending $1 anywhere else (where Visa is accepted) earns 1 point (works out to be 1 percent cash back).

There are also promotional financing offers on qualifying purchases of $199 or more. For example, you can take 6 months to pay without paying interest on $199+ or 12 months to pay on $499+ purchases. These can change any moment. So check at Amazon.ca before you make any large transactions to take advantage of promotional offers.

The best feature of the Amazon.ca Visa card is that it does not have any foreign exchange fees when you use your card outside Canada. All other major credit cards charge a 2.5 percent fee if you make any transactions outside Canada. If you travel a lot, saving 2.5 percent on each transaction can save you a lot of money.

Environmental Job Market To Expand

Green Jobs Will Flourish

First Published Date: December 7, 2013 ADawnJournal.com

The current financial situation worldwide has reached such a point that a number of industries are suffering from severe cutbacks, and experts in a range of areas are finding their job prospects marginalized, if not altogether blocked. This is not a situation that anyone is overjoyed about, but for the individuals who find themselves in such situations, public sympathy is pretty cold comfort. Trying to find a way of improving the situation is something that involves a lot of effort – both for the authorities whose place it is to create and nurture the circumstances where it will be less of a problem, and for the individuals who are currently in a position they would not have chosen.

In such a set of circumstances, you can hope that the efforts to improve the situation prove successful – which will inevitably take time – or you can take steps yourself to improve your situation. If you are currently unemployed this may mean taking on short term work in another field. Or you can take steps to increase your employment prospects by up-skilling. The latter is something you can even do if you are in a job at the moment, but fear that it may come under threat in the near or immediate future. And if you are seeking to take this step, one potentially very wise option is in the environmental sector. Although the credit crisis is biting in a range of areas, governments are still aware that they have responsibilities to the environment, and are wisely avoiding taking their eye off that ball.

Alternative energy sources and environmentally-friendly manufacturing – among a number of other things – are being looked at closely by governments and businesses. This is partly out of altruism – no-one really wants to have “I destroyed the planet” as their legacy, after all – and partly out of the fact that eventually, renewable energy sources and materials are going to be vital in terms of keeping a business afloat – the scarcer a product becomes, the higher a premium it will have placed on it. This makes f or opportunities in the environmental science sector, as there remains a lot to be discovered in the sector, and indeed a lot of current knowledge to be refined and put into practice.

There is no way of putting this particular genie back in the bottle. Governments and businesses are now tied to legislation that makes environmental issues impossible to ignore. However much it costs up front, it will save in return when the situation is normalized. And for the individual who learns the ropes of environmental compliance, there will be opportunities to turn that knowledge into a secure job, an income stream and something they can really put into practice. It may even allow some of us to set up our own businesses, thus allowing thousands, even millions of us worldwide the chance to draw our own road map to a greener, brighter future. It’s a journey we are all going to have to take – isn’t it better to be in the driving seat?

To streamline and minimize blog maintenance, I will be discontinuing maintaining the Thegreenlivingblog.com website (however, I will still hold the domain). I will gradually move all articles from this site to A Dawn Journal. This article originally published on the above website on May 14, 2009.

D-Link Wireless AC1200 Dual-Band Router Review

D-Link Wireless AC1200 Dual-Band Router Review

First Published Date: December 17, 2013 ADawnJournal.com

D-Link Router Review

The last router I bought was probably ten years ago and so much has changed since then. What routers can do these days were unthinkable 10 years ago. So it was about time to upgrade my router.

When I hit Staples to check what kinds of routers are available, I was surprised to see so many different versions and different bands. For example, I did not know that computer maker Asus makes routers these days as well. After going through a myriad of choices, I picked the D-Link Wireless AC1200 Dual-Band Router.

Some of the Features

– Next generation 802.11 AC technology. It offers 3x speed than 802.11N.

– Dual band capability. You will have two different wireless Internet from the same router on two different bands at Up to 300Mbps (2.4GHz) + and 867Mbps (5GHz) speeds.

– There are apps to video monitor, control home network, stream digital files, and setup your router from your phone or tablet.

What I Like

– Initial setup is very simple and easy. If you install the smart phone app (QRS Mobile) and follow instructions, it takes about 3 minutes.

– Dual band comes very handy for different sets of tasks. For example, I use one for regular Internet use and the other band for streaming (to watch Netflix, TV, etc.).

What I Don’t Like

– All other smart phone apps (except QRS Mobile) are very user unfriendly and do not work properly.

– You need to go through a complicated registration process to use mydlink Lite app and most people will give up after going through half way.

Last Word

Although AC1200 Dual-Band Router is a pricey one, it’s worth its price. It provides a very powerful WiFi signal and you should not need to buy another router in at least 10 years.

Global Warming – G8 Nations Aren’t Doing Enough

Global Warming - There Is Work To Be Done

First Published Date: December 22, 2013 ADawnJournal.com

For environmentalists who look to the world’s established economies and governments to provide a positive lead on global warming, the news emanating from the World Wildlife Fund’s research looks gloomy, it has to be said. The news which has emerged this week is that none of the G8 – the group of eight nations which between them set the trends for much of the world to follow – has managed to do enough to curb global warming. Even worse news comes for the North American green movement with the revelation that sitting in spots seven and eight are the United States and Canada respectively. With this year seen as a pivotal moment in time for the purpose of reversing the global environmental trend, the outlook is decidedly frosty.

It cannot be doubted that Canada will feel it has the most to be embarrassed about. Although the United States recently elected Barack Obama to the presidency after eight years of the hugely Enviroskeptic leadership of George W Bush, President Obama has had less than half a year to turn things around, and Canada’s fall has as much to do with a shortfall of work on the part of the government to ensure that it is meeting its targets. With five months to go until the G8 leaders meet in Copenhagen, Denmark seeking to agree a new deal to replace the embattled Kyoto protocols of 1997, Stephen Harper’s government has not implemented a plan to curb emissions. According to the WWF, Canada is some distance off meeting its Kyoto agreements.

Although President Obama can feel personally proud that the report praised his efforts to prioritize cleaner, greener energy, he may reflect on the report’s conclusion that per capita emissions in the US are among the world’s highest and projected to increase. Pointedly the report mentioned that the Obama presidency had led to more action in the States in the last four months than in the previous three decades, adding that this trend “will hopefully continue”. A qualified thumbs up for Mr. Obama, then, with the caveat that his actions will continue to be monitored. He may be invited to start by taking action to limit the future temperature rise for the United States to a level two degrees Celsius above the levels pre 1900, action he is yet to take.

If Canada and the US are bottom of a poor grade, then the lukewarm congratulations must go to Germany and the United Kingdom. Both nations recently gave an improved share of the vote to their respective Green parties, but the real headline news for each is that Germany has promoted renewable energy and set a target of a 40% cut in greenhouse gases by 2020. The absence of clear implementation plans prevented them from getting full marks, while the United Kingdom’s success in not only meeting but surpassing its targets came with a small cloud attached in the shape of its markedly non-green record in transport. There remains work to be done between now and the Copenhagen meeting.

To streamline and minimize blog maintenance, I will be discontinuing maintaining the Thegreenlivingblog.com website (however, I will still hold the domain). I will gradually move all articles from this site to A Dawn Journal. This article originally published on the above website on July 7, 2009.