WWF outlines worrying overuse of planet's resources

The WWF, long a commentator and assessor of man's impact on the planet, has recently unveiled the latest very worrying report in their 'Living Planet' series that identifies that we continue to use the equivalent of 1.5 planets worth of Earth's resources every year. The report also outlines that if we don't change our ways we will require the equivalent of two planet Earths by 2030. In essence we are asking for more than the Earth can provide...

The report, launched from the International Space Station by astronaut Andre Kuipers, makes for sobering reading but the introduction from Andre is pretty inspiring....


Whilst the UK compares well with other countries in terms of our environmental impact, we still have work to do...hopefully this will be a rally cry rather than a lone voice. More can be found here:http://www.panda.org/lpr

The full report can be downloaded here:http://awsassets.panda.org/downloads/lpr_2012_final_120507.pdf

Honda Unveils Smart Home System

Honda are at it again, this time showcasing a whole-house solution that goes beyond a few efficiency measures and the retrofitting of some renewables. They recently unveiled their Honda Smart Home System which controls the in-house energy supply and demand, helping to manage both consumption and generation of energy and integrates with recharging of electric cars.

A combination of technologies are integrated into the home including solar pv panels, a rechargeable battery system for generated energy storage and a gas chp cogeneration unit that tops up the electricity and heat demand, all managed by their new Smart eMix management system. The home can theoretically cope when blackouts occur and take care of the recharging of the ev parked in the garage. Honda hope it will see real-world carbon savings approaching 50% of the level of emissions seen from homes in 2000.


It is encouraging to see more companies entering this field as addressing the ‘whole home’ will be critical in reducing the high level of emissions from this sector. The more miniCHP systems that come to market the better, especially as EVs become more common place and the lure of being able to generate our own power from within the home is a tempting one. Sadly the wide scale availability of the necessary technology is still lacking.