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UPDATE

It should be noted that many people in recent years have installed wood-burning stoves because they don’t want to add to climate change, but now, after a government consultation, the sale of wet wood fuel, such as the bags of logs sold in DIY stores, garden centres and petrol stations, is being banned because wet wood (ie wood that still has moisture in its cell walls) produces twice as much pollution and smoke as dry wood.  The government said wood burning stoves and coal fires are the largest source of fine particulate matter (PM2.5), small particles of air pollution which find their way into the body’s lungs and blood.  But they are not banning wood-burning stoves, they just want to make sure people only burn thoroughly seasoned dry wood which is much less polluting.

What action has already been taken?
As a first step we [the government] have been raising consumer awareness of the issue and developing quality standards for fuel; we are working with industry to launch a new industry-led Ready to Burn standard for dry wood because wet wood can have over twice the emissions of dry seasoned wood.

We have also developed guidance to help inform consumers of what they can do to reduce their impact when burning solid fuels at home such as burning less often, switching to cleaner fuels or moving to a cleaner burning/more efficient appliance. We are working with Local Authorities to ensure this message is available for householders at a local level.

We have worked with chimney sweep organisations to provide advice to consumers in their own homes. They have developed an informative guide which provides clear advice on the procedures to follow when lighting a stove to minimise smoke emissions.

We welcome proactive initiatives already taken by industry such as the Ecodesign-ready brand launched earlier this year which enables consumers to identify which stoves are tested to the emissions standards of the Ecodesign Directive due to be introduced in 2022. There are now over 300 Ecodesign ready stoves available and retailers are working hard to promote awareness of the benefits.

However more needs to be done if emissions from domestic burning are to be reduced.

And of course another brilliant way to reduce pollution is – put another jumper on!   Hats are good too!  You’ll be amazed how warm you can get before turning the heating on 😀

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Return to the Venus Aqueous page for more episodes 🙂

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This story is available in paperback from our little shop:

Venus Aqueous:  Beginnings – the first four episodes

Sources:

http://www.umces.edu/cbl/release/2014/oct/13/assess-impacts-offshore-wind-farms-marine-specie

http://www.heraldscotland.com/news/13214533.fears_raised_of_damage_to_seals_hearing_from_pile_driving_for_offshore_wind_turbines/

https://dosits.org/animals/importance-of-sound/why-is-sound-important/

https://dosits.org/animals/animals-and-sound-summary/

https://www.eagles.org/take-action/wind-turbine-fatalities/ :
“A 2013 study published in The Wildlife Society Bulletin found that wind turbines killed an estimated 573,000 birds annually in the United States. … An even more alarming fact is that the data on the number of deaths is gathered by paid consultants to the wind industry. That’s the fox guarding the chicken house. At the infamous Altamont Wind Resource Area alone, more than 2,000 Golden Eagles have been killed by the wind turbines there.

“The size of each traditionally designed industrial wind turbine is staggering. An average tower is 212 feet (but can go well over that), with arms 116 feet long – that’s an enormous area that is covered as the blades rotate.

“During construction of a wind turbine, roads often have to be widened or built from scratch; mountain tops are sometimes blasted away to create a level area of at least 3 acres, so that the platform can be stable enough to support the enormous weight of each turbine assembly.

“Alternative energy is not ‘green’ if it is killing hundreds or thousands or millions of birds annually,” said Dr. Hutchins. “Our wildlife should not be collateral damage in our effort to combat climate change, nor does it have to be.”

A Refreshing Alternative:  http://gdonna.com/living-like-the-past/before-electricity/

And if there must be electricity, maybe the following windy ideas might be more animal friendly? (let’s hope this time they’ll make sure before installing them)

https://endalldisease.com/bladeless-wind-turbines-tesla-technology-energy/

NYT. Turbine-Free Wind Power from Vibro-Wind Piezoelectric Pads. from YKER MORENO on Vimeo.

https://inhabitat.com/vibro-wind-piezoelectric-pads-harness-wind-energy-without-turbines/

https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/the-nature-conservancy-installs-bird-safe-wind-power-300116111.html

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2558377/The-future-wind-turbines-Bizarre-looking-funnel-produces-SIX-times-energy-traditional-designs.html

(Thanks to Lloyds of Rochester for that info 🙂 )

How about some cleaner, greener, cheaper solar panels?  Try these:

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/science/breakthrough-in-solar-panel-manufacture-promises-cheap-energy-within-a-decade-9563136.html

But even more important, our best chance to save the planet, the animals and ourselves, is to plant more, many many many more, trees

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pollarding

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coppicing

https://www.thewillowbank.com/firewood-info-page/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Forest_gardening

http://sustainableforestgardenfarmproject.weebly.com/

http://www.aidforafrica.org/blog/african-farmers-creating-forest-gardens-planting-forward/

https://trees.org/ –

“We train farmers in agroforestry and sustainable land use – so that they can grow vibrant regional economies, thriving food systems, and a healthier planet.”

Water and Forests: The role trees play in water quality

Grow your own trees

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Venus Aqueous is a vegan superhero created by Violet’s Vegan Comics

Violet’s Vegan Comics creates funny, enlightening and sometimes action packed vegan children’s books for readers of all ages.

Since 2012