Author Archives: Joony

50W solar panel was only 35 watts

By Joony | Published: July 23, 2010
A 50 watt solar panel that a friend recently bought to charge to his battery once connected up only produced 35 watts.  He was feeling cheated because the sticker on the solar panel clearly said it was a 50 watt solar panel.
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Solar lights for bikes are great!

By Joony | Published: February 19, 2010
Yesterday afternoon I was out riding and it took fairly long as usual for me, I don’t like to speed along especially as the dual-use cycleways along the coast are very popular with the evening strollers. As darkness fell fell I switched on my front and rear Solar bike lights and continued riding. My ride [...]
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Be the first kid on the block with a Solar Charger

By Joony | Published: January 9, 2010
One of the simplest ways to keep your mobile phone charged is with a solar charger...
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I’m not really an environmentalist

By Joony | Published: December 29, 2009
Today I was considering an answer to the question “why are you such an ardent environmentalist?’ I surprised myself by answering, ” I’m not really an environmentalist ” No, what I really primarily care about is the future of my children and on more general level the future prospects for the human race, so my [...]
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How to cycle in comfort

By Joony | Published: June 28, 2009
If you are a novice rider then then its important to be comfortable while riding. There have been many articles written on how to adjust your saddle and handlebars for comfort, but I feel the best method is trial and error. Firstly you must have the right size frame. If you are tall then a [...]
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Safe cycling rules

By Joony | Published: June 24, 2009
Here in Western Australia we are blessed with a great network of cycleways so I am always perturbed when I see recreational cyclist chancing their lives in the streets amongst the cars and jaywalking pedestrians. Even when cycling along the cycleways you have to be careful because they are usually dual-use pathways with dog-walkers and [...]
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5 points to identify green cleaning products

By Joony | Published: June 24, 2009
The range of eco cleaning products grows every day and this is a good thing but their increase in popularity has made the identification of genuine eco friendly consumer products harder. The following checklist will make your task easier: Is the packaging recyclable? Does the label clearly identify the ingredients? Is the manufacturer labelled? Does [...]
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Is the sun going down on solar energy

By Joony | Published: April 19, 2009
Now that BP has decided to cut back on manufacturing solar panels, added to Shell’s reneging of solar energy expansion in favour of carbon capture and storage (CCS) it appears the momentum for large scale solar-voltaic installations is diminishing. This a great shame because CCS is not the answer, regardless of what the companies with [...]
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Just add oil for the perfect greenwash

By Joony | Published: April 2, 2009
Royal Dutch Shell has reneged on its promises to pursue the implementation of renewable energy such as wind and solar, instead deciding to placate shareholders by increasing its stake in bio-fuels and carbon capture and storage (CCS) Why are we not surprised by this late turn of events? because investing in bio-fuels allows the oil [...]
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The Other problem with Oil

By Joony | Published: March 15, 2009
The oil spill along Queensland coastline has reminded us that there are other bad aspects to using fossil fuels. Not only has it polluted the coastline, killing the wildlife, but has reportedly contaminated the underground drinking water on Moreton Island and the explosives lost over board will probably cause algal bloom.
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