We can supply and install water tanks for boreholes, rainwater harvesting and extra storage of municipal water. We are authorized JoJo Water Tank Dealers. CONTACT US FOR A FREE QUOTE!
9 Steps to Saving Fuel, Saving Money and Saving the Environment
Hypermiling refers to a collection of driving techniques aimed at improving your car’s fuel efficiency by reducing the demands placed on the engine. Since it’s possible to improve fuel economy by 37% just by changing the way you drive hypermiling is gaining interest in light of high fuel costs. While some hypermiling methods are controversial and potentially dangerous, this article will focus on safer techniques that can still save you gas and money.
1. Drive as if you don’t have brakes. Stopping and starting kills gas mileage. Increase the amount of distance between you and other vehicles, don’t race to red lights or traffic obstructions. Coast as much as possible. On newer cars (Manual Transmission) if the car is in gear and your foot is off the accelerator, the injectors shut off completely, creating FREE mileage at the cost of some minor engine braking. Engaging the clutch and/or putting the car in neutral causes the car to idle, using up gas as opposed to using none. Continue reading How to Hypermile & Drive Green
Few people realize that washing our cars in our driveways is one of the most environmentally un-friendly chores we can do around the house. Unlike household waste water that enters sewers or septic systems and undergoes treatment before it is discharged into the environment, what runs off from your car goes right into storm drains — and eventually into rivers, streams, creeks and wetlands where it poisons aquatic life and wreaks other ecosystem havoc. After all, that water is loaded with a witch’s brew of gasoline, oil and residues from exhaust fumes — as well as the harsh detergents being used for the washing itself.
Commercial Car Washes Treat Waste Water
On the other hand, federal laws in both the U.S. and Canada require commercial carwash facilities to drain their wastewater into sewer systems, so it gets treated before it is discharged back into the great outdoors. Continue reading Eco-Friendly Car Washing
You probably already knew that beer is mostly water, but it’s also produced from several agricultural products, such as barley, wheat, and other cereal grains. And like most crops ,it can be grown in a natural and healthy way, as an organic product. Organic Beer is the result of a brewery and fermentation process which doesn’t involve synthetic fertilizers, pesticides, or herbicides. For beer to be considered organic, hops (the agents that give the beverage its flavor) must also be grown organically, without the use of fungicides. All these unhealthy chemicals are responsible for polluting our water and can cause soil degradation. Lots of beer lovers also maintain that barley and hops grown in healthier soil are tastier. So, with an organic beer in your hand, you’ll not only be making a positive environmental contribution by supporting organic agriculture, you’ll be enjoying your drink more.
Hops Hollow brewery near Lydenburg, Mpumalanga
Asking for local beers or finding homebrew shops is always a wise option when traveling. You’ll be preventing carbon emissions caused by transporting foreign beer, and you’ll probably be drinking an eco friendly beverage while your at it, as there’ll be no need for the preservatives normally used when bottles are shipped long distances. This will also help local producers, as fair trade beer boosts small farmer efforts. Local products may even entail a wider range of flavors. Continue reading Eco friendly drinking?
According to the World Health Organization, 1.2 billion people – or almost 1 out of 5 people in the world – are without access to safe drinking water. And even in areas with access, 70 percent of water withdrawn from fresh groundwater sources is used for agriculture. But using groundwater to grow crops and trees doesn’t make sense to Pieter Hoff, a Dutch inventor. Not only are traditional irrigation techniques inefficient because most of the water is lost to evaporation, Mr. Hoff says, but water can be easily captured from the atmosphere to grow just about anything.
To prove his point, Mr. Hoff retired from the lily and tulip export business in 2003, established his company, AquaPro, and devoted himself to the development of the Groasis Waterboxx, which he says will grow food crops and trees even in the driest places on earth.
The Waterboxx is a round device made from polypropylene and about the size of car tire — 20 inches in diameter and 10 inches high. An opening at the center of the box provides a space for a plant or tree to germinate and grow. Continue reading Water Batteries for Trees!
A dirt cheap and 100 percent ecological house that has all the comforts of an ordinary home, without being connected to the electricity grid, waterworks, sewer system or the natural gas network. It does exist, but in most countries, building one is not allowed.
An Earthship is a completely self-sufficient house that has a natural temperature regulation, without the use of a heating system. The building also generates its own electricity, collects and filters its own drinking water and cleans its own effluent water. The house is partly buried into the earth and is constructed mainly with waste materials; car tyres, aluminium cans and glass bottles. This low-tech building approach is ecologically as well as economically advantageous. Continue reading Heat your house with car tyres and earth
Rain gardens are one way of reducing and managing stormwater runoff. When planning one, contact your local nursery and explain what conditions the plants will have to deal with. Wherever possible, choose indigenousspecies.
See an earlier rain garden post that contains a written explanation of how to build a rain garden. If rain gardens are not suitable for your particular situation, you can still help to reduce stormwater runoff by harvesting rainwater. Water Rhapsody supplies and installs rainwater systems, water tanks, greywater recycling systems and other water systems that save water and money without the need for changing your lifestyle. See our product demo. Water Rhapsody Mpumalanga/Limpopo offer free assessments and quotes for all our water systems and we are authorized regional JoJo Water Tank dealers. We source, supply and install other types and makes of tanks as well as water tank stands.Contact us now for a free quote!
Ever thought of where stormwater ends up? Poorly-managed stormwater can damage your property and the wider environment – but, managed properly, it can be good for your garden.
Stormwater is the water that runs off surfaces such as houses, roads, driveways, footpaths. In urban areas, it runs down drains into stormwater pipes or channels and is carried to rivers, lakes or the sea.
Stormwater on private property is the responsibility of the property owner. When it’s not properly managed, it can cause flooding, erosion and pollution of waterways. Properly managed, it can help keep your garden lush. Continue reading Managing Stormwater
Making human flesh unappetizing to mosquitoes, ticks, flies, and fleas is an age-old preoccupation. The earliest insect repellents included smoke, mud, and various plant substances. Our contemporary contribution is DEET (N, N-diethyl-meta-toluamide), a powerful insecticide found in over 400 repellents. DEET can peel paint, damage rayon and spandex, and melt plastic. Up to 56 percent of DEET applied to the skin enters the bloodstream, and reactions to it include skin rashes, lethargy, muscle spasms, nausea, and irritability. An extreme reaction can cause seizures and even death. So it’s hardly worth using DEET to deter insects unless you’re someplace with high rates of insect-borne disease or you experience severe allergic reactions to bites and stings.
There are natural alternatives to DEET, made primarily from plant essential oils, that can protect you in less threatening circumstances. Continue reading Natural Insect Repellents
The sun’s energy can be harnessed to cook your food. Watch the short video below to see how anybody can save energy by building a simple solar oven.
Variations of the above are possible; you can use a bigger box so you can fit a large potinside. Try to use materials that were going into the trash can in the first place. Used aluminium foil is fine for this application. The black paint should be non-toxic or, if you have a black piece of paper/cardboard/material laying around, rather use that if it can be made to fit. A solar oven is great for eco-friendly camping tripswhere it would be a waste of firewood to build a fire just to cook lunch.
For both the expert and the novice, camping is an amazing adventure vacation—living in nature, observing and exploring a pristine world so apart from the busy, modern lifestyle that many are accustomed to. In order to preserve the ecosystem that is being enjoyed, it is important to follow these simple green camping tips. Make the effort to have an environmentally-friendly vacation, which benefits everyone.
Green Camping Guidelines for Building Fires
Campfires are an important part of the camping experience. They can also pose a risk to the environment.
Against a global rainfall average of 870mm per year, South Africa receives a pitiful 450mm, making it the worlds 30th driest country. Water Rhapsody, with 16 years experience in water conservation, is number 1 in South Africa in Grey water recycling systems and Rainwater harvesting systems.
WWF Green Trust Award Water Rhapsody a WWF Green Trust award winner can save us up to 90% of our municipal water bills.”
