There have been several recent innovations in solar technology that has have brought everyone to the brink of affordable solar power. Now flexible film solar can be built into most things, including awnings and bikinis. New advances by an American company has made the prints of solar cells onto a substrate at super fast rates.

Another solar product on the horizon is solar paint, Swansea Solar Paint project at Swansea University in Wales by Dave Worsley and his team who have looked into ways of getting energy from the sun. Soon you will be able to purchase solar paint from your local hardware store.

The next step to getting solar everywhere is advances in storage technology, and then cheap solar power electricity will be for us all.

It often goes under the radar of overloaded North Americans, the more developed nations give a great deal more of direct and indirect aid to foreign nations. Much of the development has taken the form of sustainable development initiatives. This invaluable source of money has really improved the lives of many people throughout the world when human suffering would otherwise foment conflict.

While some efforts are more effective than others, the concepts of sustainable development have been brought to some of the poorest places on Earth, thanks to the wealthier nations. While some may argue that it’s paying bargain basement prices for the luxury of using resources and wealth that could be shared more equally, such nations may be better equipped to handle a resource poor future than the developed nations that funded the aid in the first place.

There has been loads of good press about sustainable bio-fuels in the media, so is it any wonder that it’s taken a while to investigate the carbon emitted from these fuels.

Believe it or not the bads news is that some of these fuels are worse than actually burning oil. The government in the US has thrown it’s weight behind the ethanol blend before even checking whether it was actually better.

It depends a lot on the fuel and where it was grown, Brazil grows sugar cane that emits hardly any carbon, but the sugar cane grown in Florida is on a par with petrochemicals. Bio-fuel is being talked about as a cure for climate change when really in some cases this is not true at all.

Good Question!

You can now find out in our updated Sustainable Development section, packed with very useful guides.

Please take a look, you’ll find the answer at the top of the page.

Over the coming years supplies and quality of fresh water will come strained, which is due in part to climate change and an ever increasing population. It’s in the interest of everyone to do there best for conserving water and sustainable development looks to save water through the design of buildings and educating people.

One way to save water is to use a water butt to collect water to irrigate your vegetables or lawn. In the home you can install low flow taps and showers. If you operate a business you can hire a professional to do a water audit, or you can undertake this job yourself. Doing this simple audit can save a good deal of water and save money for your company too, just by making simple changes or tweaks.