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China & the World's Forests

When it comes to having a small footprint on the planet’s resources, what may seem trivial really adds up. As China industrializes it uses more of everything, and even the increased use of toilet paper is becoming a problem. Wang Yueqin, vice-director of Shanghai Paper Trade Association said: “While I am happy to see many young people adopt paper tissue for its convenience, which is a sign to reflect our social development and has helped improve our industry to some part, I am beginning to worry about the large wood consumption. The 140,000 tons of tissues and toilet paper Shanghai uses every year consumes some 80,000 tons of wood pulp, equal to about 300,000 tons of wood.” Wang said the Association has been advocating using paper more economically. “We are also trying to encourage the application of new materials and technology to save wood,” he said.A factory in Jiangsu Province has invented technology to make toilet paper and tissue from straw, and another one in Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region can produce tissue from the dregs of sugarcane, said Wang. Wood pulp used to produce various kinds of paper has become the third largest product imported by China after petroleum and […]

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Financing Energy Efficiency through "Green" Mortgages

by Roddy ScheerWhen Caroline and Tommy Chang decided to refinance their 35-year-old home to take advantage of lower interest rates, their lender suggested financing energy improvements through their new mortgage deal as well. After having their home inspected and obtaining a green rating, they qualified for an energy-efficient mortgage (EEM), increasing the size of their loan by almost $9,000 to cover the costs of adding insulation, replacing windows and making various duct repairs.Once the loan came through and the upgrades were put in place, the Changs were living more comfortably, using less resources – and saving $230 a month. “We’re just amazed at the difference. We’ve hardly used the furnace all winter. The house is much quieter too,” says Caroline Chang.Resizing Your FootprintGiven that most of us spend as much as two-thirds of our time at home, our environmental footprints are largely determined by the efficiency of our residential heating and cooling systems and the resources we consume to keep our houses up and running. But what many homeowners don’t realize is that the benefits of improved energy efficiency extend beyond savings on utility bills and reduced resource consumption.A movement is afoot among real estate lenders to offer special mortgage […]

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