The funky and compact Aquapax is the result – a majority sustainable and wholly recyclable paper carton containing a premium quality pure mineral water that’s even suitable for infants (no nitrates). We had to look beneath a protected nature park in Germany to get our Aquapax packaged with suitable quality water. The Tetra Pak carton we're using is already accepted over there as the only one-way package that’s exempt from package deposit tax (because it’s environmentally advantageous) which made the alliance pitch with the packer a little easier. - Yes we have carbon balanced the business so there is less net carbon impact from food miles than with a comparable UK bottled water (if you could find one that tastes the same) and besides, I'm not aware of any plastic bottles starting their life in oil wells located across the home counties...

It’s all about customer service now, as more and more retail and wholesale customers give us space for a trial, we simply blow them away with a responsive and focused customer care that big business pays marketing consultants to talk about. It’s really not that difficult – just close your eyes every now and then and visualise who your customer is and what they want – that’s what customer service is fundamentally all about.

Aquapax are currently on sale throughout the UK and Ireland through independent minded wholesalers and retailers, with a loyal distribution base that keeps on growing encouragingly. In fact there's a great correlation between how our sales are going and the degree of take up for carton recycling across the UK. Carton recycling is currently up to 85% of all councils in the UK - not bad really despite the urban myth still suggesting they're impossible to recycle (wrong!).

If you believe strongly enough in something, sometimes, you just have to create the change yourself. I know there are others who understand – they’re the ones buying Aquapax and we’ve just encountered our first competition in the North American market…

Join the revolution why don’t you? Plastic is passé and glass is oh so pretentious...  :-)

1.Sukhoi Su-27

General characteristics

* Crew: One
* Length: 21.9 m (72 ft)
* Wingspan: 14.7 m (48 ft 3 in)
* Leading edge sweep: 42°)
* Height: 5.93 m (19 ft 6 in)
* Wing area: 62 m² (667 ft²)
* Empty weight: 16,380 kg (36,100 lb)
* Loaded weight: 23,000 kg (50,690 lb)
* Max takeoff weight: 33,000 kg (62,400 lb)
* Powerplant: 2× Saturn/Lyulka AL-31F turbofans, 122.8 kN (27,600 lbf) each

Performance

* Maximum speed: Mach 2.35 (2,500 km/h, 1,550 mph) at altitude
* Range: 1,340 km combat mission at sea level / 3,530 km combat mission at high altitude (800 mi at sea level / 2070 mi at high altitude)
* Service ceiling 18,500 m (60,700 ft)
* Rate of climb: 325 m/s (64,000 ft/min)
* Wing loading: 371 kg/m² (76 lb/ft²')
* Thrust/weight: 1.09

Armament

* 1x 30 mm GSh-30-1 cannon with 150 rounds
* 8,000 kg (17,600 lb) on 10 external pylons
o Up to 6 medium-range AA missiles R-27, 4 short-range heat-seeking AA missiles R-73
+ Upgraded Su-27SM is capable of using R-77 instead of R-27
o Su-27IB can be used to launch X-31 anti-radiation missiles, air-to-ground missiles X-29L/T (laser/TV guidance, which may be projected to helmet), KAB-150 and UAB-500 bombs with laser, TV, or IR guidance

Su-27S Armament:

* GSH-30 30 mm Cannon, 150 rounds
* 6x R-27R, R-27ER, R-27T, R-27ET
* 4x R-73E
* FAB-250
* FAB-500
* B-8
* B-13
* S-24
* S-25
The Su-27SK is a highly integrated twin-finned aircraft. The airframe is constructed of titanium and high strength aluminum alloys. The engine nacelles are fitted with trouser fairings to provide a continuous streamlined profile between the engine nacelles and the tail beams. The fins and horizontal tail consoles are attached to tail beams. The central beam section between the engine nacelles consists of the equipment compartment, fuel tank and the brake parachute container. The fuselage head is of semimonocoque construction and includes the cockpit, radar compartments and the avionics bay. The glove, i.e. the leading section of the wing root, on the starboard side houses a 30 mm GSh-301 gun with 150 rounds of ammunition.
Read More
*************************************AIRFORCE********************************

2.Mikoyan MiG-29

General characteristics

* Crew: One
* Length: 17.37 m (57 ft)
* Wingspan: 11.4 m (37 ft 3 in)
* Height: 4.73 m (15 ft 6 in)
* Wing area: 38 m² (409 ft²)
* Empty weight: 11,000 kg (24,250 lb)
* Loaded weight: 16,800 kg (37,000 lb)
* Max takeoff weight: 21,000 kg (46,300 lb)
* Powerplant: 2× Klimov RD-33 afterburning turbofans, 8300 kgf (approximate 81.4 kN) each

Performance

* Maximum speed: Mach 2.4 - 2,445 km/h (1,518 mph)
* Range: 700 km combat, 2,900 km ferry (430 mi / 1,800 mi)
* Service ceiling 18,013 m / 59 060 ft (59,100 ft)
* Rate of climb: initial 330 m/s average 109 m/s 0-6000 m [38] (65,000 ft/min)
* Wing loading: 442 kg/m² (90.5 lb/ft²)
* Thrust/weight: 1.13

Armament

* 1x 30 mm GSh-30-1 cannon with 150 rounds
* Up to 3,500 kg (7,720 lb) of weapons including 6 air-to-air missiles — a mix of semi-active radar homing (SARH) and AA-8 'Aphid', AA-10 'Alamo', AA-11 'Archer', AA-12 'Adder', FAB 500-M62, FAB-1000, TN-100, ECM Pods, S-24, AS-12, AS-14.

Avionics

* Phazotron N019, N010 radars

The MiG-29 is produced by the Moscow Aircraft Production Organization MiG (MAPO MiG) based in Moscow. The MiG-29,-30 and -33 are known by the NATO code name Fulcrum.
The mission of the MiG-29 is to destroy hostile air targets within radar coverage limits and also to destroy ground targets using unguided weapons in visual flight conditions. The aircraft's fixed wing profile with large wing leading edge root extensions gives good maneuverability and control at subsonic speed including maneuveres at high angles of attack.

Read More
*************************************AIRFORCE********************************

3.Mirage 2000 C

General characteristics

* Crew: 1
* Length: 14.36 m (50 ft 3 in)
* Wingspan: 9.13 m (29 ft)
* Height: 5.30 m (17 ft 5 in)
* Wing area: 41 m² (441.32 ft²)
* Empty weight: 7,600 kg (17,000 lb)
* Loaded weight: 13,800 kg (30,420 lb)
* Max takeoff weight: 17,000 kg (37,500 lb)
* Powerplant: 1× SNECMA M53-P2 afterburning turbofan, 95 kN (with afterburner) (64 kN (military dry thrust))

Performance

* Maximum speed: (Mach 2.2) altitude
* Range: 1,450 km (770 NM, 890 mi)
* Service ceiling: 18,000 m (59,000 ft)
* Rate of climb: 285 m/s (56,000 ft/min)
* Wing loading: 337 kg/m² (69 lb/ft²)
* Thrust/weight: 0.91
* Max sea level speed: 1,480 km/h
* Climb to 9,700 m: 1,75 min
* Climb to 15,000 m: 4 min
* Turn rate at 5 g: 12°/sec
* Turn rate at 9 g: 24°/sec.
* Max g: normal 9 g, overloaded 11 g, break 13,5 g.

Armament

* Guns: 2× 30 mm (1.18 in) DEFA cannons.

The Mirage 2000 is a multirole combat fighter by Dassault Aviation of France.
Mirage 2000-5 is the latest of the Mirage 2000 family, and incorporates advanced avionics, new multiple target air-to-ground and air-to-air firing procedures using the RDY radar and new sensor and control systems.Mirage is very similar in appearance to the Rafale with a delta wing configuration and the wing set low on the fuselage. It is slightly narrower in wingspan and slightly longer than the Rafale. The aircraft structure features low weight honeycomb panels and extensive use of carbon fibre and light alloy materials. The aircraft is rated to pull 9g gravitational force
Read More
*************************************AIRFORCE********************************

4.MiG-23MLD Flogger-L

General characteristics

* Crew: One
* Length: 16.70 m (56 ft 9.5)
* Wingspan: Spread, 13.97 m (45 ft 10 in)
* Height: 4.82 m (15 ft 9.75 in)
* Wing area: 37.35 m² spread, 34.16 m² swept (402.05 ft² / 367.71 ft²)
* Empty weight: 9,595 kg (21,153 lb)
* Loaded weight: 15,700 kg (34,612 lb)
* Max takeoff weight: 18,030 kg (39,749 lb)
* Powerplant: 1× Khatchaturov R-35-300 afterburning turbojet, 83.6 kN dry, 127 kN afterburning (18,850 lbf / 28,700 lbf)

Performance

* Maximum speed: Mach 2.4 2,445 km/h at altitude; Mach 1.14, 1,350 km/h at sea level (1,553 mph / 840 mph)
* Range: 1,150 km with six AAMs combat, 2,820 km ferry (570 mi / 1,750 mi)
* Service ceiling 18,500 m (60,695 ft)
* Rate of climb: 240 m/s (47,245 ft/min)
* Wing loading: 420 kg/m² (78.6 lb/ft²)
* Thrust/weight: 0.88

Armament

* 1x Gryazev-Shipunov GSh-23L 23 mm cannon with 200 rounds
* Two fuselage, two wing glove, and two wing pylons for up to 3,000 kg (6,610 lb) of stores, including:
o R-23/24 (AA-7 Apex)
o R-60 (AA-8 Aphid)
* also, upgraded aircraft may carry:
o R-27 (AA-10 Alamo)
o R-73 (AA-11 Archer)
o R-77 (AA-12 Adder)

According to the MiG-23ML manual, the MiG-23ML has sustained turn rate of 14.1 deg/sec and a maximum instantaneous turn rate of 16.7 deg/sec. The MiG-23ML accelerates from 600 km/h (373 mph) to 900 km/h (559 mph) in just 12 seconds at the altitude of 1000 meters. The MiG-23 accelerates at the altitude of 1 km from the speed of 630 km/h (391 mph) to 1300 km/h (808 mph) in just 30 seconds and at the altitude of 10-12 km will accelerate from Mach 1 to Mach 2 in just 160 seconds.
The aircraft is capable of a maximum speed of 1,800 km/hr at altitude and 1,250 km/hr with a normal mission missile payload flying at low altitude. With high altitude flight the aircraft's operational range is 2,100 kilometres, while low level flight gives an operational range of 1,080 kilometres. The aircraft is rated for a maximum g loading of 7g. The aircraft can be based on second category airfields and operate from unpaved runways with a soil strength of 8 kg per square cm.
Read More
*************************************AIRFORCE********************************

5.MiG-25P 'Foxbat-A'

General characteristics

* Crew: One
* Length: 19.75 m (64 ft 10 in)
* Wingspan: 14.01 m (45 ft 11.5 in)
* Height: 6.10 m (20 ft 0.25 in)
* Wing area: 61.40 m² (660.93 ft²)
* Empty weight: 20,000 kg (44,080 lb)
* Loaded weight: 36,720 kg (80,952 lb)
* Powerplant: 2× Tumansky R-15B-300 afterburning turbojets
o Dry thrust: 73.5 kN (16,524 lbf) each
o Thrust with afterburner: 100.1 kN (22,494 lbf) each

Performance

* Maximum speed:
o Mach 3.2[6] (3,490 km/h, 2,170 mph)
o Mach 2.83 (3,090 km/h, 1,920 mph) continuous engine limit[6]
* Range: 1,730 km (1,075 mi) with internal fuel
* Service ceiling 20,700 m (with 4 missiles) (67,915 ft)
* Wing loading: 598 kg/m² (122.5 lb/ft²)
* Thrust/weight: 0.41
* Time to altitude: 8.9 min to 20,000 m (65,615 ft)

Armament

* 2x radar-guided R-40R (AA-6 'Acrid') air-to-air missiles, and
* 2x infrared-guided R-40T missiles

Avionics

* RP-25 Smerch radar
* A RV-UM or a RV-4 radar altimeter

The MiG-25 (code-named "Foxbat" by NATO) made its first public appearence on 05 Oct 67, though the first prototype is said to have flown in Apr 61 and set various records. The MiG-25 was inducted into the IAF in 1981 and is also the fastest aircraft in the IAF's inventory (cross-check??). It is a single seater, supersonic intercepter and reconnaissance fighter. The MiG-25 is one of the fastest combat aircraft in the world, capable of flying at Mach 3.2 at height. Five variants of MiG-25 have been produced. The current height record (for fighter planes) was set by E-266-M version on 31 Aug 77 when it climbed to 37,650 m (123,524 ft).
Read More
*************************************AIRFORCE********************************

6.Jaguar A

General characteristics

* Crew: One
* Length: 16.83 m (55 ft 3 in)
* Wingspan: 8.69 m (28 ft 6 in)
* Height: 4.92 m (16 ft 1 in)
* Wing area: 24 m² (258 ft²)
* Empty weight: 7,000 kg (15,400 lb)
* Loaded weight: 11,000 kg (24,250 lb)
* Max takeoff weight: 15,700 kg (34,600 lb)
* Powerplant: 2× Rolls-Royce/Turbomeca Adour Mk 102 turbofans, 32.5 kN (7,305 lbf) each

Performance

* Maximum speed: 1,593 km/h or 1055miles/h (Mach 1.6)
* Range: 535 km combat, 3,525 km ferry (335 mi / 2,190 mi)
* Service ceiling 14,000 m (46,000 ft)
* Rate of climb: m/s (ft/min)
* Wing loading: kg/m² (lb/ft²)
* Thrust/weight: 0.60

Armament

* 2x 30 mm ADEN cannons or DEFA cannons with 150 rounds per gun
* Five underwing hardpoints for 4,500 kg (10,000 lb) of disposable stores
* Option of two Matra R550 Magic or AIM-9 Sidewinders on overwing pylons (Jaguar International and RAF Jaguars only)
* LAU-5003B/A CRV-7 rocket launchers
* Joint Reconnaissance Pod

Produced to meet a joint Anglo-French requirement in 1965 for a dual-role advanced/operational trainer and tactical support aircraft, the Jaguar has been transformed into a potent fighter-bomber.

A variety of weapons including cluster, free fall, retard and laser guided bombs, as well as rockets can be carried on the four wing and one fuselage stations. Two 30mm cannon are mounted internally. To mark targets for laser-guided weapons, the aircraft carries the thermal imaging and laser designation (TIALD) pod. For self-defence, overwing Sidewinder infra-red missiles are carried and the aircraft is fitted with a comprehensive suite of electronic countermeasures. Perhaps the Jaguar's most impressive feature is its navigation and attack system. With mission data fed into the computer, all the necessary information for a pinpoint attack is relayed to the head-up display. From the display, the pilot knows exactly where the target is located and precisely when to release his weapons for maximum effect.
Read More
*************************************AIRFORCE********************************

7.Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-21bis

General characteristics

* Crew: One
* Length: 15.76 m including probe (51 ft 8 in)
* Wingspan: 7.15 m (23 ft 5 in)
* Height: 4.12 m (13 ft 6 in)
* Wing area: 23 m² (247.5 ft²)
* Empty weight: 5,350 kg (11,800 lb)
* Loaded weight: 8,726 kg (19,200 lb)
* Max takeoff weight: 9,660 kg (21,300 lb)
* Powerplant: 1× Tumansky R-25-300 afterburning turbojet, 55 kN (12,370 lb)[17] dry, 70 kN (97 kN with maximum afterburner) (15,700 lbf)

Performance

* Maximum speed: 2230 km/h (1385 mph) (Mach 2.1)
* Range: 1160 km ()
* Service ceiling 19,000 m (62,300 ft)
* Rate of climb: 225 m/s (23,600 ft/min but with 50 per cent fuel and two AA-2 "Atoll" missiles, the MiG-21 can reach 58,000 feet [17,600 meters] in one minute which results in 293 m/s average at different altitudes, under favorable weather circumstances)
* Wing loading: 379 kg/m² (77.8 lb/ft²)
* Thrust/weight: 1.02 at max. takeoff weight, 1.13 at loaded weight with max. afterburner

Armament

* One centerline twin-barrelled GSh-23 23 mm cannon (PFM, MF, SMT, and bis variants) or one single-barrelled NR-30 cannon (F-13 variant).
* Up to 2,000 kg (4,400 lb) of air-to-air and air-to-ground weapons on two or four underwing hardpoints, depending on the variant. Early machines carried two Vympel K-13 (AA-2 'Atoll') air-to-air missiles under the wing pylons. Late models carried two K-13 and two fuel tanks under the wing pylons or combinations of four K-13 infrared- and radar-guided missiles. The Molniya R-60 (NATO reporting name AA-8 'Aphid') was also used on multiple pylons and six of them could be carried. Most aircraft carried a single 450 L (119 US gal) fuel tank on the centerline pylon.

The MiG-21 (named "Fishbed" by NATO) is one of the most the most widely used fighters in the world outside Western influence. It first flew in 1955. This delta wing, all-weather fighter has a cantilever mid-set monoplane wing, with about 60° sweepback and slight anhedral.
Read More
*************************************AIRFORCE********************************

8.Tejas

General characteristics

* Crew: One
* Length: 13.20 m (43 ft 4 in)
* Wingspan: 8.20 m (26 ft 11 in)
* Height: 4.40 m (14 ft 9 in)
* Wing area: 38.4 m² (413 ft²)
* Empty weight: 5,000 kg (11,200 lb)
* Loaded weight: 12,500 kg (29,700 lb)
* Max takeoff weight: >15,500 kg (>32,558 lb)
* Powerplant: 1× General Electric F404-GE-F2J3 or -IN-20 or kaveri(under development and trials) turbofan, 80.5 kN (18,100 lbf) / 85 kN In case of IN-20 (>19,000 lbf)/around 100-125 KN as per revised iaf requirements ()
* Internal fuel capacity: 3000 liters
* External fuel capacity: 5×800 liter tanks or 3×1,200 liter tanks, totaling 4,000/3,600 liters

Performance

* Maximum speed: Mach 1.8 / supersonic at all altitudes
* Range: 2,000 km/2.30 hr (without refuling) (1,242 mi)
* Service ceiling 15,950+ m (50,000 ft(Engine re-igniter safely capable))
* Wing loading: 221.4 kg/m² (45.35 lb/ft²)
* Thrust/weight: 0.69

Armament

* 1 × 23 mm GSh-23 cannon internally mounted twin-barrel cannon with 220 rounds of ammunition.
* Eight external stations: three hardpoints under each wing, one fuselage centreline hardpoint, and one station beneath the port-side intake trunk for a pod (FLIR, IRST, laser designator, or reconnaissance).
* Maximum external payload: >4000 kg.
* Air-to-air missiles include Astra BVRAAM, Vympel R-77 (NATO reporting name: AA-12 Adder), and Vympel R-73 (NATO reporting name: AA-11 Archer).
* Air-to-surface munitions include anti-ship missiles, laser-guided bombs, unguided bombs, cluster bombs, and unguided air-to-surface rockets.

The HAL Tejas is a 4th generation lightweight multirole fighter aircraft being developed by India. It is a tailless,compound delta wing design powered by a single engine. Originally known as the Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) – a designation which continues in popular usage – the aircraft was officially named "Tejas" by then Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee on 4 May 2003.

Read more
*************************************AIRFORCE********************************

9.Marut Mk.1

General characteristics

* Crew: 1
* Length: 15.87 m (52 ft 1 in)
* Wingspan: 9.00 m (29 ft 6 in)
* Height: 3.60 m (11 ft 10 in)
* Wing area: 28 m² (300 ft²)
* Empty weight: 6,195 kg (13,660 lb)
* Max takeoff weight: 10,908 kg (24,048 lb)
* Powerplant: 2× Bristol-Siddeley Orpheus Mk 703 turbojet, 21.6 kN (4,850 lbf) each

Performance

* Maximum speed: 1,128 km/h (609 kn, 701 mph)
* Range: 800 km (430 NM, 500 mi)
* Service ceiling 13,750 m (45,100 ft)

Armament

* Guns: 4× 30 mm (1.18 in) ADEN cannon
* Hardpoints: 4 with a capacity of 1,800 kg (4,000 lb),
* Rockets: 48× 2.65 in (67 mm) rockets
*************************************AIRFORCE********************************

10.Sukhoi PAK FA(Future aircraft)

General characteristics

* Crew: 1 (pilot)
* Length: 22.0 m (72 ft 2 in)
* Wingspan: 14.2 m (46 ft 7 in)
* Height: 6.05 m (19 ft 10 in)
* Wing area: 78.8 m² (848 ft²)
* Empty weight: 18,500 kg (40,786 lb)
* Loaded weight: 26,000 kg (57,320 lb)
* Useful load: 7,500 kg (16,535 lb)
* Max takeoff weight: 37,000 kg (81,571 lb)
* Powerplant: 2× Saturn-Lyulka AL-41F turbofan
o Dry thrust: 9,800 kgf (96.1 kN, 21,605 lbf) each
o Thrust with afterburner: 15,500 kgf (152 kN, 34,172 lbf) each

Performance

* Maximum speed: Mach 2+ at altitude (2,100+ km/h, 1,300+ mph)
* g-limits: 9 to 10 g)
* Cruise speed: 1,300 km/h (807.8 mph)
* Ferry range: 4,000 to 5,500 km (2,485 to 3,418 mi)
* Service ceiling 20,000 m (65,617 ft)
* Rate of climb: 350 m/s (68,898 ft/min)
* Wing loading: 470 kg/m² (96.3 lb/ft²)
* Thrust/weight: 0.84 (dry thrust)
* Minimum thrust/weight:
o With afterburner: 1.19
* Runway length requirement: 350 m (1,148 ft)
* Endurance: 3.3 hrs (198 mins)

Armament

* Guns: 2× 30 mm internal cannon
* Hardpoints: 8 total, 4 on each side of the aircraft.

Avionics

* Radar: N050(?)BRLS AESA/PESA Radar (Enhancement of IRBIS-E) on SU-35
o Frequency: 3 mm (0.118 in)
o Diameter: 0.7 m (2 ft 4 in)
o Targets: 32 tracked, 8 engaged
o Range: 400 km (248 mi)
+ EPR: 3 m² (32.3 ft²) at 160 km (99.4 mi)
+ RCS: 0.01 m² at 90 km (55 mi)
+ Azimuth: +/-70°, +90/-50°
o Power: 4,000 W
o Weight: 65 to 80 kg (143 to 176 lb)
Read More

Last weekend Hagar manned the stand (ok it’s a gazebo) at the St Mary Bourne village fete and a sunny old affair it was too. If only more villages were as community minded as the folk in St Mary Bourne, the world would be a nicer place.

They turned out in force to support their local community event in the gloriously sunny weather. It made a change to not have to explain what an Aquapax is to people as well, considering The Village Shop (run by the community for the community) is supporting our quest and selling Aquapax to thirsty residents and visitors alike. It is quite amazing how people with taste will always find a way to get hold of our wonderful water and thanks must go to Diana for the particularly amazing support she has shown for Aquapax...

Hagar had 'the long straw' on this occasion as I got to do store merchandising in Brighton on Saturday, followed by a long over due family BBQ on the Sunday. Both of these have potential to be a real pain, but fortunately, the BBQ went down really well and despite a lot more smoke than usual – the weather held out and the food was very tasty. My family seemed to enjoy themselves and the Brighton shopkeepers showing support were happy with their POS material promoting our recent QATRAH award win.

This weekend we’ll be making an appearance down at Newquay for the ‘Unleashed Music Festival’ in Watergate Bay – our friends at Good Mood Food will be manning the Chickpea Chariot and helping revellers quench their hunger and thirst with Aquapax and the best falafals outside of London (where they’re normally based). Falafals and water (perhaps a little wine too) it’s the only way to dance – or is that trance?

We’re also planning our mission for this year’s Cowes sailing week where we have a fabulous speedboat for the Monday and Tuesday and are hoping to tie in with a yacht to further promote Aquapax to the crowds thereafter. Aquapax is proving a hit with the sailing fraternity, as they have to take water for hydration on board their boats, but are fed up with the fact that empty plastic bottles take up as much space as full ones.

We were on board 3 of the first 4 yachts in the around Ireland race in June and should be on a few more boats for the Cowes to Madeira race taking place later in August. There’s at least one boating and marine safety retailer satisfying the demand so far and the intention is to find some more during the week ahead.

As if that all weren't enough, the new Aquapax design (remember the guy named Tom) is coming together very nicely, thanks to him and his friends Nina and Susie, and the trip to the USA to take Aquapax over there with Robert and his boss Terry - haven't met him, but Robert says he's cool, is coming together with the passport office having returned my new passport today.

So it's all looking very rosy indeed one way or another - stay tuned for further up-dates…

we waited at my void deck

it was my birthday. i had spent the bulk of the night before staring at myself in the mirror

watching myself leave my 20s behind

we sat next to a lone traveler on the plane

was he going to bali on holiday? did he have a south east asian love child to vist?

was he there to escape?

we arrived at denpasar airport.

there was a scare - we thought we had lost j's luggage

no matter.the luggage was found.

the journey

continues

we ended the day with a bottle of champagne.

i had by then forgotten that it was my birthday.

at this point, my black and white hungarian film ran out

we spent the rest of the holiday in colour...

Perfect for a nice conversation about energy with Ken Traynor, a consultant with TREC (Toronto Renewable Energy Cooperative) and the West Toronto Initiative for Solar Energy (WISE). Ken has a colourful background in activism and trade unions. Too bad I wasn?t as alive and awake by then as I would have preferred. I guess coffee might have been helpful (sorry Ken!). I just wanted to know what the power situation was like in Ontario. (grins)

POWER SITUATION IN ONTARIO

?So what was the current situation,? I asked him to start things off.

Ken?s straight reply: ?Rocky.?

?There are a lot of economic, technological and manufacturing interests who are interfering with the whole process of reforming Ontario?s energy system.? Not only that, we?re still reeling from the cut back ?legacy of the Harris government?. So the Liberal government inherited the mess and coal fired power plants that may or may not be going out of business. What we?re going to do after they do (if at all) is still a mystery.

According to Ken, there?s a huge public debate on energy like nuclear and not enough debate on the enterprising alternatives.

Energy prices are about 12 cents/kWh in Ontario. Compare that to New York at 20 cents/kWh and it doesn?t seem so bad. Energy prices have been and are likely to keep on going up. We?re already feeling the pinch at the pump.

The price shoots up through the roof during peak use hours. ?Between May and September, 75% of that time is where the energy use is biggest,? said Ken. ?We?re paying $1.60/kWh for the top 3 mega watts (MW) of capacity, anything we can do to shave off some of that is valuable.? That?s one more reason why people are scrambling to find ways to lighten the energy load.

THE NUCLEAR FOLLY

?The problem with nuclear is that it can?t deliver,? Ken said as a matter of fact. Its been shown in studies by think tanks like the Rocky Mountain Institute. It takes at least 10 years to get a nuclear plant going and they have a history of cost overruns. As Ken might say, ?... the nuclear road just ain?t productive.?

Yet they?re still going to add more reactor units to the Darlington nuclear power station in Ontario. It seems like some badly planned insanity doesn?t it? Think AECL (Atomic Energy Corporation Limited) and Chalk River with the medical isotope catastrophe.

?The real world cost figures for nuclear may not be acceptable in the future? according to Ken. Mining is one of the most polluting and high energy industries in the world (only the cement industry could be worse). With rising energy costs, mining and transporting uranium really looks bad. It?s hard to justify greenhouse gas reductions by using nuclear if you release a huge amount of it just to get the uranium fuel out of the ground.

Worse still, ?scientists estimate there isn?t enough uranium for nuclear power worldwide? according to Ken. Certainly nothing that is cost effective and environmentally friendly to get to that is. (chuckles)

Of course powerful lobbying by some not very nice ?people? is keeping the 400 nuclear plants (plus some) going worldwide. Yes, those people know who they are. Whose paying? Hard working people like you and I are footing the bill for nuclear power plants that either a) don?t work, b) take too long to make or c) cost too much to make and run.

ENDLESS CLEAN POWER

The way Ken sees it, renewable long lasting energy sources are a ?parallel stream?. You can setup a renewable energy system faster than a nuclear power plant that?s for sure. There may be indications that solar energy systems for example could be grid competitive by 2012-2013 (i.e. able to compete with other sources of energy cent for cent).

Solar panels last 30-35 years. Right now the Ontario Power Authority offers only 42 cents/kWh for solar power that?s put into the Ontario power system. Unfortunately it?s a 20 year thing and it ignores the fact that solar panels last 10-15 years longer. ?So are we ignoring the value of solar after the contract is over?? says Ken. The whole policy is still being worked out.

There are some forward thinking people and businesses that aren?t waiting for the policy to catch up. West Toronto Initiative for Solar Energy (WISE) is a community of early adopters who are investing in a solar system for their homes. ?Think of it as a Canada savings bond for your kid?s education,? explains Ken. The way I understood it, it was investing in a cleaner energy for your kid?s future. Some of the people in the neighbourhood even saw the values of their houses go up as a result.

Another interesting business called Sky Power (run by Sun Edison) are building and testing a large number of solar panel solutions somewhere out of sight. These are huge projects which they want to ramp up and expand. The way I see it, they want to master renewable solar technology before the clean energy future becomes a necessary reality. That would put them ahead of the the game.

WHAT STANDS IN THE WAY?

Ken mentioned 3 general areas that were making the path to clean energy rocky.

The first one is mindset, the second is policy and the third is labour. People in the government are slow to change and adopt new ideas especially ?if they think things don?t need to change.? (fingers were pointing toward old school engineers in an un-named government department)

Secondly, we need policy that pushes a solution, takes action and brings everyone on board to make it happen. This is linked to problem #1. Ken talks vehemently about one example - the Ontario Building Code. ?Every year the code isn?t updated [to reflect current realities] is a year wasted.? Ken suggests that we should be building new homes with energy producing or saving technology from the get go. Retrofitting takes a lot more time and money so it makes sense to get it right from the start.

Thirdly, we don?t have the trained specialists to build these energy systems. How many wind turbine engineer specialists do you know or wind turbine builders? I haven?t met anyone yet. Who?s churning these people out or do we just import them from Germany (not that that is a bad idea)?

CHANGING THE SYSTEM

Ken really stressed transformation. ?We?ve got to transform use, production and distribution of energy. We need to change the culture required to get energy use down.? ?Depending on diesel as backup generation certainly isn?t going to cut it,? jokes Ken. ?We?ve got to have local, distributed generation with built in redundancy [extra back up systems] to handle any disruptions.? Think of the blackout in 2003 (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Northeast_Blackout_of_2003).

Ken?s absolutely right - we know it - we?ve probably known for a long time. There?s no magic bullet. We?re going to need new investment, a mix of energy types and use everything we have reasonably and creatively.

Energy research and technology development is moving fast (Makower et al. 2007). Just googling the terms ?energy technology? alone gets you 57,700,000 hits (solar comes out at 14,000,000 and wind at 11,500,000 hits; just for fun, energy blog comes out at 23,300,000 hits). There?s research into air conditioning and chillers that use solar energy to power them.

There?s running electric cars on wind and solar power to make base load generation (energy generation you can?t turn on higher to meet peak demand) go the extra mile - literally. You?d use the cars as batteries to hold onto the energy when there?s no wind and no sun for example.

Solar water heaters let you use the sun and keep your natural gas system as a backup.

The list could probably go on. ?A new technology is adopted if it beats out an old technology in at least 5 of 8-10 key factors.? Perhaps the timing of crises helps?

So what?s the verdict? Now is definitely a ?hot? time for transformation and I dare say ?revolution? of power and culture. Welcome to the edge that could make or break it all.

References
Lam S. 2008. Personal Interview with Ken Traynor, TREC and WISE Consultant. 21 Jul.
Makower J, Pernick R and C Wilder. 2007. Clean Energy Trends. CleanEdge.

Keywords
community, power, clean, solar, wind, renewable, culture, change, greenhouse gas emissions, LCA, lifecycle analysis, nuclear, mining, Ontario, OSEA, TREC

This is essentially an extract paragraph from an earlier blog I wrote about becoming a successful ethical business and it’s something that came back to me at the weekend when we were promoting Aquapax at the Horsham eco-fair in Horsham Park AND at the Lambeth Country Show in Brockwell Park. [Not bad going for a company with limited resources and not possible without the heroic efforts of a certain ‘friend called Hagar’ who a number of new Aquapax customers are meeting at events across the country this summer.]

By and large, the majority of people who we meet at these events are open minded and wanting to learn, after all, that’s why they presumably left their homes on any particular day to venture out to a fair.

Irrespective of whether these people ever buy an Aquapax from us or from one of our retail partners, the fact they enquire about our less carbon intensive production process, the recycling options, the reasons why we chose the very particular Fläming Felsenquelle source water, how we actually carbon balance our business and ensure the thinking is all joined up, is done with genuine interest and sometimes with humorous challenge and fun along the way.

Then there are the frustrated comedians who talk about water coming out of the sky and laugh heartily as they reference only drinking tap water while simultaneously carrying an overpriced (and well known) brand of flavoured tap water in their rucksacks (I don’t mind them – at least they’re cheerful) or the third type – the energy sappers…

These people wander around at shows without any apparent joy; they attack with energy and robust (loud) rebukes as if we were peddling something outrageously illegal and then walk off rapidly without giving any opportunity to engage at an intellectual or any other level.

I actually got accused of being an irresponsible cause of the well publicised credit crunch by one ‘gentleman’ and it’s sad that following a weekend of great positivity, the venomous comments of ‘a nutter (in my humble opinion) who wouldn’t engage’ hurt the most. I don’t feel in the slightest bit responsible for any crunch in the credit market, but it’s always sad to see someone growing old without learning anything…

But oh well. Life moves on. I'm back in Sydney tomorrow night, and I'm not too excited about it now. For one thing, the weather hasn't been great, or so I've heard. I have this feeling I'm not going to enjoy the rest of winter. Another thing, I'm really really going to miss being online all day long. Idiot Australians don't do unlimited downloads or uncapped Internet, for some fucked up reason (which I'm sure won't make sense to me anyway, because no one should be charged so fucking much just to access the world today). Also, not forgetting the gradually increasing interest rate. I was just told that prices on petrol, food (living expenses, really) will increase at 16%. I don't know if this is really true, but Carlos' (oh, rapper friend from Sydney who I've known from Year 7, ish) is into his politics and whatever, so I trust his word.

Looking at the positive things though: I get to see my mates again, Ew-Jun (who I've missed liekwtfbbq), Genesis (my dearest shopping guru) and Carlos (om nom nom nom, hehe); freedom to go anywhere (everything within arm's reach); cooler (if not freezing) weather... and uh, I can't think of anything else I'm looking forward to. Oh, the Biennale of Sydney. I'm looking forward to that. Genesis talked me into applying for some volunteer work for the festival, so here's hoping that I get the opportunity (if not, I'm going to finish up that résumé and look for a job!).

Nevertheless, I've had a great time back here in Malaysia. I've had lots of rest, lots of time to download as much of the WWW onto my harddrive, eaten all the local food that I'd been dreaming of before coming home. It's time I got back to my studies, back to Sydney. Sigh, I'm feeling slightly torn about this :\

Oh, which reminds me -- there could only be one person who failed their first English literature course (39%) who doesn't feel the slightest guilt about it... ;P, of course.

I better go finish up my packing. I haven't got much to pack, but I'm kind of hoping to sleep a bit before leaving for the airport in 6 hours or so. Oh and hey, have I ever mentioned how much I fuckin' hate flying? ARGH.

PS. the Canon EOS 450D is mine, betches! It's amazing (see above). I got a 75-300mm telephoto lens with it too, and I'd been taking heaps of photographs with it. Portraits galore! (oh, and mum gave me a supposedly unwanted iPod Nano, which she got from her credit card reward points -- I are ftw)

PPS. I'm HIGHLY bothered about this retarded World Youth Day thing. It's taking up a whole week, and being in the very heart of the city doesn't help. GRR.

Ferrari with Green Mods: Ferrari FFX Millechili

Summary: The Millechili is a hybrid concept model using the electric drive train to boost power and efficiency. What makes it special is the stuff that went into making it - light carbon fiber, plastic and cardboard (okay so it?s not entirely cardboard - haha). That?s the stuff that?s used in F1 racing cars now. On the side, it throws in an ?advanced aerodynamic undercarriage system that uses jets of air to keep whirlpools of drag from forming beneath the car.?

Reference: http://www.ecogeek.org/content/view/759/69/

Cardboard Bike: So Cheap You Won?t Have to Worry About Thieves

An industrial design student (Phil Bridge) from Sheffield Hallam University (UK) built Ta-dah! a cardboard bike which might later be called ReCycle. He figured it?d help turn some of our over-used packaging into something useful.

?Bridge said he designed the bike after learning that a bicycle is stolen every 71 seconds in England, so he decided to make a bike cheap enough that it wouldn?t matter if it got lifted (Hey, bikes thieves should go green too!) and designed the bike as eco-friendly as possible.?

Phil says the prototype is made ?entirely from recyclable and recycled materials, using interchangeable mechanical parts?. It costs about $30 US to make. ?The body of the bike is environmentally-friendly and biodegradable industrial cardboard used in constructing partitional boarding.? Of course the issue is that it does get pretty wet in the rain and I?m not sure people like riding soggy bicycles (I know I wouldn?t).

?... Bridge thinks the lightweight quality of the cardboard could actually be a benefit. A bargain bike is less susceptible to thives. Low-cost bikes at the moment are very heavy which can put potential riders off. Plus, it?d be easier to get it into a tree.?

The bike can support anyone up to 168 pounds and the wheels and chains are standard for use on bikes.

Reference http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/EcoGeek/~3/325490967/

Asus Eco-Laptop: Bamboo Exterior

Apparently, ASUS has come out with a line of laptops to reach out to the eco-minded consumer. The case is covered in bamboo (alas not made entirely of it). The real show is the fact that:
a. all of the plastic is labelled and recyclable
b. it?s lined with cardboard
c. there are no paints, sprays or electroplating
d. it looks like it?s made to be easy to take apart and fix (something laptops usually are bad at being)
It?s supposed to be out 2008 and the cost is MIA. It?s amuses at first though I?m not sure how it will really pan out. I suppose it might be the step in the right direction if you assume that having all this technology is inherently a good thing to begin with.

Reference http://www.ecogeek.org/content/view/555/64/

Overall, I definitely sympathize with the bike idea more than the other two. (grins) Of course it?s important that the other products become more environmentally and socially friendly in their design - preferably using lifecycle analysis to help determine what?s using too much energy as well as ethical considerations. If we can?t go back then we might as well make sure we?re going forward the right way.

Originally Posted:
Ffenyx Rising
http://ffenyx.wordpress.com

Keywords: ASUS, bamboo, cardboard, automobile, ferrari, laptop, bike, recycle, plastic, design, lifecycle analysis, LCA

On Thursday 12 June, I had a call from Dubai asking if I was planning on attending the Qatrah awards we had entered Aquapax for. The Qatrah awards are the Arab world equivalent ‘beverage industry shindig’ and to be honest, I’d entered Aquapax on a whim because of the interest I’ve noticed from middle-eastern customers whenever I do my store demos.

“Do you believe it would be a good thing for my business?” I asked the project manager in a call back the following morning. “Definitely” came the reply – he explained the awards are the crowning pinnacle of success in the Arab beverage industry and that because Aquapax is so different, we had a great chance of qualifying as one of the finalists. This would guarantee publicity in the largest bottled water market in the world (based on per capita consumption) and there might be a good chance of me speaking at the conference if I was prepared to attend.

My spontaneous self said “go for it” and following discussion with my wife, I booked a carbon-offset air-ticket Sunday morning, for travel that evening down to Dubai via Bahrain with Gulf Air. I’m not familiar with that part of the world and despite my formative years in Africa, nothing quite prepared me for the 35 degree heat at 09:00 in the morning – it was apparent my shirt per day + one spare packing discipline, wasn’t going to suffice on this particular trip.

Summarising the trip – because I get bored reading long blogs - I got to meet some truly sincere and lovely people from the bottled water and wider beverage world, representing New Zealand, the USA, South Africa and from all corners of the Arab world. The contacts I’ve made are all very worthy and we now have potential access to co-packing partners in 3 countries, along with some genuine connections with ‘friends of my future’.

The speech I’d prepared on the flight down was delivered from my heart and really well received by the attendees at the Almiya (bottled water) forum. The Qatrah Awards evening was spectacular, with entertainment from whirling dervishes, dancers, plus an incredibly talented illusionist; to cap it all, we qualified as a finalist in the 2nd Annual Qatrah Awards as Best Bottled Water of the year 2008.

It was a really proud moment hearing Aquapax being listed as one of the top 3 finalists in the best bottled water category for 2008, along with big budget Evian and local favourite Al Ain (purified water) – and you could have knocked me over with a feather (quite literally) when Aquapax was then announced as the Winner of the Best Bottled Water of the Year 2008…

How did that happen, I asked myself, while silently giving thanks to the entire universe as I walked up on stage to take the spectacular glass trophy. Thank goodness I’d taken a suit along for the occasion; the chap from Red Bull hadn’t bothered, but I would have felt so embarrassed meeting the President of the Arab Beverage Association wearing anything less than a suit and tie.

To cap the whole trip off, I got to swim in the Persian Gulf for the first time – heck if I’m going to fly that far, there’s got to be some R&R time.

I haven’t exactly stopped since getting back, but that’s for another blog if I can squeeze one in tomorrow…

So my lca finally returned shiney and feeling new! (thanks lomo god)

Lets hope all is working well! ...
visit my flickr site if you would like to see my current pictures

www.flickr.com/photos/skgcreate

 time

all we know is time

we mark the days with the people in our lives

people we love

to make sense of

days

Their sales pitch includes the following ridiculous (imho) statement that “Voyeurism has achieved a level of acceptability and marketers need to meet consumers' needs for accessibility and information on celebrity endorsee”.

The scope of the report apparently includes “Insights into how and why celebrity remains a powerful tool in a marketing context, along with assessments of its limitations and challenges.” And most importantly (please forgive my sarcasm) “Strategic conclusions and actionable recommendations on effectively harnessing the power of celebrity endorsement and branding”.

To me, celebrities who endorse goods for cash are often prostitutes by any other name; degrading skills or any ability they may have unworthily for incongruous personal financial gain.

To me, a product's integrity has to be the hero and that’s the stance we’re taking. Aquapax is ‘one of the purest natural mineral waters on the planet’ - our brand communicates honestly and stands up on its own as ‘a pure thirst for the environment’ referencing its more ecologically aware package and light (carbon balanced business) footprint on the planet. Having to support an inadequate product proposition by using someone else with no real connection to the product is not somewhere I really want us to go.

SO what else happened Thursday? Well it was world environment day, but you had to look really hard to find anyone who knew… We sent out press releases full of anticipation, referencing how we’re carbon balancing our business impact and the amount of energy a carton of water saves versus an oil based plastic bottle or a pretentious glass bottle (complete waste of carbon) – generally highlighting how we’re working at making a real difference.

A baby emu made the no. 2 item on BBC national TV news on Thursday! Not only was our PR not picked up, I didn’t notice any others on the world environment day subject either. Maybe I should have dropped Mark Corbett’s recent reference to me as ‘swimming against the flow like a returning salmon’ into the press release – I like the noble analogy and that may even have caught a research assistant’s eye.

I find it quite sad – not because our genuine ecological efforts didn’t make the news; journalists appear to have moved on from a subject they don’t really understand or want to spend time researching to more familiar ‘journalistic’ territory of sensationalistic drivel. Where is the next Kate Webb? We need you to write and stir our conscience on this very real subject – not just on world environment day, but constantly, until the message gets through!

A few other things happened on Thursday – some are only shared with those who know me personally – I am SO happy (and exhausted) right now :-) . I also did another in-store demo at Whole Foods Market in High Street Kensington, where we had a few export enquiries from North American visitors and 2 more interesting people wanting to understand the ‘potential investment opportunity’. Who needs trade shows – people are people first and if you’re in their frame of reference, they seem to find you.

The final thing I’ll mention was the beginning of something I foresee as a potentially wonderful future with a design guy named Tom. He and his fellow designers had spotted Aquapax in the Sunday Times Style magazine – they ‘get it’ and they’ve approached us to help others ‘get it’ too. Following my intuition makes decisions relatively easy, so watch this space – we plan on helping them (& us) become famous… oh yes, when we are, I promise not to do any celebrity endorsements without all the proceeds going to charity.

Keep smiling – even a lemon tastes good after tequila.