24 Season 6 Review – The Best Yet?

While this is a green blog we like our entertainment (Heroes being our favourite – see our guide here), and 24 has consistently been entertaining. But the past few seasons haven’t been great and have even been formulaic at times, something that it certainly couldn’t be accused of when the show launched in 2001?

The real time format works better on DVD than it does weekly (I watched the original run on TV). In fact they could do away with the time as you can tell when an episode is coming to an end as there’s normally a big explosion or a death. And this season is no different, but somehow it’s better than all the previous seasons, except the first.

The fact that Jack (Kiefer Sutherland) is in a Chinese prison at the start helps, we get to see something a bit different and the thread continues throughout the series. Jack’s father, brother and his family are introduced to mix things up a bit. Traditional things like a mole inside CTU are turned on their head, major characters die (is no-one safe? Except Jack of course) and there’s a new love interest as well as an old one. Even the idea of a traditional terrorist is turned on its head.

It’s a fun ride and a fun watch – I do advise you to watch as many as you can at once. While it’s not quite “I can’t wait until the next episode” like season 1 was or Heroes is, it’s much better watching it like this. The only negatives are that it play on having to have something big happen every hour (well 45 minutes without the adverts) and the President Palmer is unconvincing in my eyes. That said it’s the best season for years.

You can buy it here.

The Big Green Energy Guide

Using energy is like breathing – we can’t live without it. Reducing your energy use and buying green gadgets is all well and good, but even just using electricity is consuming coal and other non-renewable resources and harming the earth. There are many ways to reduce the energy you use or consume but there are also ways to use energy that has come from a renewable, green source. Life Goggles aims to cut a swathe through the complexities of all this and give you a guide to using energy, the green way.

Renewable resources can be wind power, solar, wave, hydro, geothermal or biomass power. Below is a table from The Independent newspaper which compares green energy tariffs from providers in the UK to help you make an informed choice. Scroll down beyond the table to find helpful links if you live elsewhere.

So which do you choose? Well that’s up to you but the clear winner seems to be Good Energy as 100% of their supply comes from renewable energy. Although what they’d do if everyone suddenly signed up with them is anyone’s guess. A website that will help is greenelectricity.org . It also helps you to choose green tariffs if you live outside the UK. For example:
If you live in Canada try here.
America: here.
Japan: here.
Australia: here.
Ireland: here.
Switzerland: here.
Belgium, Germany, Netherlands, or Sweden: here.

If you know of another provider or tariff that will help people make a green choice, please let us know.

Environment And Exercise – The Tree-Athlon

The Tree-Athlon takes place in London (Battersea Park) and Leeds (Temple Newsam) in September. A bit different to an actual triathlon as the exercise is only one part of it. There’s a 5km run, an urban tree wish (!) and a fashion swap.

The tree wish is something that you put on your running bib to share with everyone else. And all participants are invited to reduce their carbon footprints by recycling garments and other articles they no longer need. If you bring a t-shirt or even a dress on the day that you don’t want anymore you’ll be able to swap it for something you will definitely wear or donate it to charity if you can’t find something else.

The one in London takes place on September 15 and Leeds on September 23 – registration is open now.

Free DIY Planet Repair Toolkit

Once again, unfortunately only available to Londoners, there is a great looking free “DIY Planet Repair Kit” for those who want it. The kit apparently contains:

- A booklet – a practical guide with simple and money saving ideas.
- A 4-minute shower timer – to help you take shorter showers, saving both water and energy.
- A DIY Planet Repairs Mug – a helpful reminder to only boil the amount you need when making a a cup of tea or coffee.
- Stickers – to help remind you to unplug, switch off and turn down.
- A window sticker and badge – to show your commitment.

I’ll update you when I receive my kit, until then please let us know if there is something similar available in your area.

100 Ways To Save The Planet – Part 9

Some more ways to be environmentally friendly. Numbers 1-69 can be found here.

70. Time yourself in the shower. The shower coach is just like an egg timer but designed you to keep your water use to a minimum and speed up those lengthy showers. Try www.nigelsecostore.com.

71. Star ’swishing’. Allegedly that’s the term for swapping clothes with your friends. Easy way to get a new wardrobe, especially if you just want something one-off for a party. Saves a lot of energy and CO2 production – around 60kg for every bag of clothes.

72. DIY is tricky enough without struggling to do it in an environmentally friendly way. Try www.ecomerchant.co.uk for peace of mind. You still have to put the shelves up yourself though.

73. Don’t use laundry powder. Using an Eco-Ball (or three) in your washing machine instead of detergent will get most clothes fresh and clean without the need for any detergent. They work by producing ionized oxygen to lift dirt. They even soften fabric in hard water so no need for fabric softener either. Each can be used about 1,000 times – working out at 3p a wash.

74. Light a match in the bathroom to get rid of bad smells. It’s better for the environment than using (and making) a spray.

75. Use a drain sieve. Keeping food and other bits out of your drains will mean they won’t become blocked and lead you to pour chemicals down it to unblock it. Also never pour grease or fat down there as it will solidify and block your drains and the main sewage system.

76. Go creased. Give up ironing for a while and see if it changes anything. Well you might need to iron your shirt for work but sheets, pillowcases and clothing like jeans don’t really need ironing. Try it, you might like it and you’ll not only save energy but time too. Who enjoys ironing anyway?

77. Get a solar powered mouse for your computer. Well maybe not yet, but Delft University of Technology are testing one and finding out “willingness of the user to adapt his behaviour to favourable light conditions by regularly charging the unit with daylight from the window, and the computer usage pattern. With solar energy, under ideal circumstances charging can occur a factor of five times quicker than in the current situation. Over time it is estimated that several hundred million batteries could be saved annually on a global scale.”

78. Beat draughts. They can be fixed easily with draught-proofing, secondary glazing or double glazing – the UK’s most popular energy saving measure (although you’ll save more money by installing cavity wall insulation, which is cheaper). Specify ‘Low-e’ glazing, which has a special heat-reflective coating that reduces heat loss through the window by nearly half. Find out more at www.nef.org.uk/energyadvice.

79. Be gentle with your boiling. A pan gently boiling and a raging cauldron will actually be the same temperature, so turn down the heat a bit and save some energy. You can actually turn the heat off after boiling with vegetables and pasta. Just keep the lid on the pan and check after a few minutes to see if it’s done as you like.

Song of the Day – Goo Goo Dolls, Iris

Iris by the Goo Goo Dolls, from their album Dizzy Up The Girl. Enjoy!

Is Organic Food Better For Your Heart?

According to the BBC and researchers in the USA, organic fruit and vegetables may be better for you than conventionally grown crops.

“A ten-year study comparing organic tomatoes with standard produce found almost double the level of flavonoids – a type of antioxidant. Flavonoids have been shown to reduce high blood pressure, lowering the risk of heart disease and stroke.”

Read more at the BBC.

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