The world and many businesses are adopting green methods in a stride to contribute to a greener and more environmentally conscious planet. A green business is one that reduces their carbon footprint and limits the amount of impact they have on the planet. A fundamental way to do this is by using video conferencing. Apart from this being the greenest way to conduct business with overseas or even interstate clients or employers, it is also incredibly economical and in the current volatile economic climate, this counts for a lot.

The HSBC Malta Foundation has just recently announced that it will be renewing its support for the Eco Schools environmental education programme. The ceremony took place at the Xrobb l-Għagin Nature Park and Sustainable Development Centre.

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Eco Schools run many initiatives throughout the year and there is a great sense of environmental awareness because of its efforts. In addition to these, they managed to run a competition that saw 12 Maltese schools win funding for projects that encouraged innovative ideas with an environmental focus. The competition was mainly about Eco-Schools encouraging learners to think green and work towards sustainable development. No Lawyers in Malta were needed to verify any terms and conditions for this one. Students from all over Malta entered the competition and the individuals that won would receive an award from the Eco School, which saw them secure the funding to implement the projects for their respective schools.

When former prime-minister Tony Blair promised a greener Olympic Games in the summer of 2012, a lot of people were sceptical about the follow-through of such a mandate. Looking at the progress of the construction efforts, a bigger, beautiful and more sustainable sporting event is definitely in the mix for London this year. The head of the UK branch of the environmental organisation Greenpeace, John Sauven, has been very impressed by the eco-friendly infrastructure being developed for the occasion.

While we all use wireless technology on a daily basis, often without even realising it, the technology has not yet been used to its full potential. American company Qualcomm is currently testing wireless uses for electrical car technology that may change the way we look at this environmental form of power for our commute. The technology company aims to allow motorists to charge their vehicles while they drive, therefore negating previous issues of long charging times and unreliable systems. Currently testing on electric race vehicles around tracks, the wireless technology is showing great promise, but would require massive infrastructure investment.

While one wouldn’t consider that winter would be a good time to be on holiday anywhere let alone an African safari; however as strange as it sounds winter tends to be the dry-season in the lowveld where more of the safaris take place. How this actually helps will be revealed as well look at a few reasons winter time is the best time for African safari holidays.

Green, green, green. We’re pretty used to the phrase, but it usually relates to household and business practices. Then men and women’s fashion started to get in on the act. Now we’ve moved onto kids clothing, and even fashion for babies in some cases.

Brands are jumping on the bandwagon and encouraging their consumers to buy trendy, eco-friendly clothing that will assure a clean conscience and contribute to a cleaner environment. Kids clothing for boys and fashion forward dresses for girls are all becoming features in ranges dedicated to this new set of best practices.

China is currently at the forefront of construction news. Considering the sheer size and density of Chinese cities and the growth of the population there has been cause for concern for China’s lack of green building ethics. However these extreme cities that have been designed and constructed in extreme time frames have come under the scrutiny of Chinese authorities who believe that a green concept has its place within their construction ethos. China has confirmed that it will be developing a green building sector that will account for 30% of all Chinese development by 2020.

During a recent press conference highlighting the Malta government’s efforts over the past four years, Minister for Resources and Rural Affairs George Pullicino announced that an official proposal had been submitted to the European Commission for the funding of a €30 million Malta green energy research project for a deep offshore wind farm. The green energy project has been in various development stages for some months now, but the submission of the proposal is a major step forward and is welcomed by Malta company executives and the public alike.

The construction industry is one of the main culprits for the dumping of waste in landfills and disposes of a mammoth thirteen million tons of rubble and unwanted building material each year in the UK alone. Fortunately, with the help of the software SmartWaste, the construction industry is beginning to take more responsibility for the amount of waste it produces, saving not only the environment but also time and money.

SmartWaste is a free software programme developed by the UK’s Building Research Establishment (BRE) to measure and report waste. Those in construction work shoes for men and women agree that construction companies need to be encouraged to reduce, reuse and recycle construction waste and that BRE SmartWaste is the perfect tool to do so.

Is your drain cleaner toxic? Clog removers like Drano, despite being regarded as conventional cleaning solutions, contain sodium hydroxide. Proven skin irritants and harmful if accidentally consumed, commercial drain cleaner products are not the only answer to a clogged waste pipe.

Plumbers Cape Town usually advise a good maintenance regimen to prevent the hassle of a clogged drain. If, however, your pipes get blocked, the best drain cleaners are usually those that don’t include any chemicals. Alternatives include baking soda drain cleaner; the eco-friendly house-hold recipe of choice for DIY enthusiasts. Pouring a handful of baking soda mixed with half-a-cup of vinegar followed by boiling water has proven to be a successful clog deterrent. Aside from eliminating harmful chemicals from your cleaning product shopping list, this home-made drain cleaner is also surprisingly cost effective in comparison Other useful methods include using mechanical drain snakes or plungers and elbow-grease.