For residents of Ontario and Alberta, there's now a way to put our environmental money where our mouth is, that doesn't consist of green paint and crystal balls. www.bullfrogpower.com . For Ontario it's the same as all the other electricity retailers. They make the electricity and give it to Ontario Hydro, who sends it on to us and reads our meter. Costs an extra 4c per kWh, for us that's $270 for the last year. Same reliability as your old supplier; it's just they promise to pour enough "green" electricity into the great big shared tank to cover our use. They source from wind-powered and low-impact hydro-electric, all audited and certified etc. to EcoLogo standards. Yes, the wind farms do cause some disruption, but it's less disruption than the same energy from other sources. And if we don't sign up, then others who might want to make even greener power, which is more expensive to generate than the older methods, will think there's no market for it. Besides, the welcome kit (as displayed by Grandma and Grandpa) is filled with cute magnets and such, guaranteed to make the grandkids ask questions. Cheers!

sounds interesting, I may forward the link to my parents who are into green power. They are installing solar panels and looking into getting a wind generator

They should check out http://www.guelphsolar.ca/news.html Basically, a guy put an ad in the local free paper asking if anyone was interested in going with him to buy the equipment, which is less expensive in bulk. The first meeting was ... crowded. Including a lawyer and an electrical engineer and lots more. They plan to do kits and instructions (or find them, no sense re-inventing the turbine), so us little guys who barely know what an Amp is can do it ourselves. Up till now, it's been a matter of designing it all yourself (not for the faint of heart), or finding a kit from some obscure firm light years away.

They are trialing wind farms over here to generate power, it is a green solution but people who live close to them don't seem to like them...

I drive past a wind farm as I head up to may parents. I believe there are 40-50 generators there. It is interesting the number of times I drive past and they are not spinning and yet I would say there was enough wind to make them go.

The house behind mine has installed solar panels on earlier this year. As for the wind farms, every time I see them on tell and in the film 28 Day later, I think they look nice.

I have watched shows on it an Aussie rural areas have had issues about them...I think they look nice, but then I don't live next door to one! I suppose we have to keep working on alternatives!

The issue with the wind generator is that you have to have wind in order to use them. And a large part from the mechanical energy id dissipated, so their efficacity is somehow low. I use solar battery lamps in my yard. They recharge at the daylight and don't require special maintenace.

With so many options for going green hopefully more things will become more accessible and available to people in general. In the UK you can get grants to instal green methods of obtaining power.

They are allowing water tanks in Sydney since we have been in a drought...they made people take them out a few years ago and farmers were going to be taxed on water volume in dams...(how stupid in a dry country like Australia! were water is needed so much by farmers, who began filling in dams because they could not afford the taxes.) So now the pollies had a change of heart when the drought hit hard... The wind farms are in Victoria and Tassie I think....but yeah Amy you need a windy place!

Either that or get a few people to eat bake beans all the time.

Originally posted by Metaliant Either that or get a few people to eat bake beans all the time.

Come to think, that would be an excellent biogas source.

Originally posted by Metaliant Either that or get a few people to eat bake beans all the time.

I thought it...but you posted it Meta ROTFL

Of course though, people would complain about the smell and noise pollution.

Would you blame them if you lived next door to that source?

So... I just heard on the radio the other day that a vegetarian group was saying that if people ate less meat then we would help global warming, because it would cut down on all of the methane gas produced by pigs and cows.

Huh. How can not eating pigs and cows cut down on methane gas? Were they drunk or on weed?

Originally posted by Metaliant Huh. How can not eating pigs and cows cut down on methane gas? Were they drunk or on weed?

I believe the idea was that if we didn't eat so much meat, there wouldn't need to be so many pigs and cows bred for farming...

I guess thats one way to look at it.

Originally posted by Transmute Jun So... I just heard on the radio the other day that a vegetarian group was saying that if people ate less meat then we would help global warming, because it would cut down on all of the methane gas produced by pigs and cows.

They're just dumb. If we'd eat less pigs & cows, they'd live longer to produce more methan gas!

I seem to remember a vehicle being designed a few years back that ran on methane gas.

There were biogas powered cars used here during the communiste regime. It was much cheaper than buying petrol from the arabians.

Originally posted by amyltrer They're just dumb. If we'd eat less pigs & cows, they'd live longer to produce more methan gas!

No, I think they mean, if we ate less pigs and cows, then we would not have to bred as many animals, so THAT would produce less methan gas.

But then we'd be healthier and we'd live longer to produce more methan gas

Originally posted by amyltrer

Originally posted by Transmute Jun So... I just heard on the radio the other day that a vegetarian group was saying that if people ate less meat then we would help global warming, because it would cut down on all of the methane gas produced by pigs and cows.

They're just dumb. If we'd eat less pigs & cows, they'd live longer to produce more methan gas!

AAAANNNNDDDDD, if we eat less pigs and cows, then they will just breed like rabbits, well not like rabbits but you know what I mean, and then what?

Originally posted by Firebird I seem to remember a vehicle being designed a few years back that ran on methane gas.

The Sinclair C5 was certianly a enviromental friendly vehicle.

I couldn't be a vegetarian, I like my steak...my in-laws kill a cow every now and then for meat, but the are dairy farmers, not beef cattle farmers. They only have a small %age of beef cattle. But from what I see our farming methods are very different from England. It must be hard on your farmers with the diseases that have gone through your livestock again recently. My in-laws had just a sign of Q-fever in one cow, and they could not show any for 10 years at the local Agricultural shows. And they had to be tested etc for it for years, no other cow showed to have though. They have only just started showing cattle again recently. Their Dairy Friesen won the overall category at the Sydney Royal Easter show this year, and since my father in-law was retiring(how does a farmer retire..he is still figuring it out.He is banned from the dairy...) it was a big moment for him. He actually had tears in his eyes as they presented the ribbons, and then my brother in-law lead the Grande parade in the main arena, leading the prize cow...It is a big thing for people who rarely leave the farm to come to Sydney. If any of you don't know, the Royal Easter Show is the big event of the year in Sydney... But my father in-law says we don't have the problems that they have over in England, they didn't have to destroy a whole heard of cattle over it...(my mother in-law had tears in her eyes when we watched a program on with them, it must be heartbreaking to have to do that.) Well now that I have had a ramble...steak anyone?

I use to think that way Ebony, but I have really cut down on my red meat consumption. Still eat lots of chicken and fish, but not as much beef. There are times I do crave a good steak though.

I tend to eat more white meat than red I have to admit. I also eat a lot of vegetarian stuff though I am not actually vegetarian. There was no particular reason for it I just found my tests changed as I got older. Ebony, yep with foot and mouth they do cull the whole herd, just to try to prevent it spreading further. The farmers are compensated to a degree though I doubt it covers the full cost. Hopefully it will be eradicated again soon and the research facility that caused this outbreak fined heavily and made to sort out its problems.

LOL... I'm obviously a meat-eater... I even made a whole thing out of Mark and Princess ordering steak in Snowbound... and I think Jason had chicken!

Big herbivores do produce a significant amount of biogas, but that's not all. By the time you grow the grain that you feed to the animal, you've used 10x the land you'd have used just eating it yourself. So says "Diet for a Small Planet". Also, there's shipping the food to the animals. (LOL, our old chemistry prof, Swedish accent, would talk about a box of "ideal biogas", which got progressively less ideal as we learned the math and theories to model it under heat and pressure. As for foot and mouth, I'm a fan of James Herriot. He makes it quite clear what would happen if some of those diseases were missed. If not for the fast and drastic actions, the industry would have been wiped out very quickly. The lab that let the germs escape should be compensating the farmers and the government for all the destruction and extra work. One case on one farm means all the surrounding farms have to be inspected as well; it's a lot of work.

Originally posted by Ebonyswanne But from what I see our farming methods are very different from England. It must be hard on your farmers with the diseases that have gone through your livestock again recently. My in-laws had just a sign of Q-fever in one cow, and they could not show any for 10 years at the local Agricultural shows. And they had to be tested etc for it for years, no other cow showed to have though. anyone?

Q fever? Do you have 26 types of fever that goes around in alphebetical order? Well at least you cattle don't have to put their foot (excuse the pun) in their mouth. Also a famous company (forgot the bloody name) that keeps a farm of turkeys was in trouble with dieased turkeys or something like that.

Most cattle in Australia graze in open fields, there is very little grain fed cattle and sheep farms, thats for chickens... But then we don't have issues with winter and snow, our snow fields are small, and only in a few areas. But the methane gas thing...THERE SHOULD BE A BAN ON MEN EATING BAKED BEANS!!! Thats the real methane gas problem!

Originally posted by Ebonyswanne But the methane gas thing...THERE SHOULD BE A BAN ON MEN EATING BAKED BEANS!!! Thats the real methane gas problem!

And just think of all of the agricultural land that would be saved if we didn't have to grow those beans!

At least it could be used to launch rockets into space.

Originally posted by Metaliant At least it could be used to launch rockets into space.

Way to go meta -use it for good and not to serve Galactor... Well there are four males on the SNT, it could be another weapon rejected by the ISO! I could see it now... The Eagle corners Berg Katse in an elevator...He looks at the Condor and smiles."Are you ready Joe." "You bet...I had a double serving of baked beans this morning for brekkie, my bum is ripe and ready to go...just say the word." Katse whimpers in the corner."NOO...you ninjas aren't using chemical weapons now...not the baked beans."he cries.."Spare me please..."as the Condor lets one rip... "Lame Joe that was lame..."The Eagle shook his head."Try this for a triple serve Jinpei gave me for brekkie this morning...Jun didn't look happy with him..." The Eagle levels a knockout fart at Katse....

lol Ebony that would be really mean of them though guess at least there doing it to Katse and not Ego

Okay Ebony, you've got it going... where's the rest of the story???

ITA TJ we want the rest Ebony!

I saw the rest!!!! WTG Ebony!!!!!!

So when you sharing Ebony?

Oops, I thought she already had... sorry for letting the cat out of the bag, Ebony!

OK, Ebony just told me that she has uploaded it to the fic section, and is just waiting for Cep to approve it.

ooh! *sneaks over to the fic library*

I think you'll especially enjoy it, FB!

I did!