The discovery and first extractions of Shale Gas are dated back to the late 1800’s but it was eclipsed by larger conventional gas reservoirs and its cheaper extraction costs. With global natural gas reservoirs running low and technological advancements to Shale Gas extraction which made it cheaper and more profitable, the gas is now high on the agenda of many Governments around the globe.

This Shale Gas Rush started in America after the development of an extraction process called “Fracking” which uses chemicals and millions of gallons of water to release gas trapped deep underground. Over the past decade American production tripled and Shale Gas accounts for 20% of all natural gas produced in the country and if analysts predictions are correct it could account for as much as half of the gas production in the US by 2020.

As expected other nations started to seek Shale Gas basins in their own territory. Right now there are 48 Shale basins in 38 nations to the EIA (Energy Information Administration), totaling 6,622 trillion cubic feet of technically recoverable Shale Gas resources worldwide.

The biggest reserves are located in China (1,275 trillion cubic feet), United Stated (862 trillion cubic feet), Argentina (774 trillion cubic feet), Mexico (681 trillion cubic feet) and South Africa (485 trillion cubic feet).

There is no doubt could will cause a stir on the global energy markets. Nations that have discovered such reserves will reduce or cut down completely their dependence on LNG and natural gas imports causing prices to drop.

But one of the biggest issues is extraction also known as “Fracking”. Many environmentalist advocate the procedure can contaminate underground aquifers and that the chemicals used are potentially hazardous to humans and wildlife. It is known that “Fracking” uses around 80 different chemicals that are injected on the ground the liberate the gas, these gases return o the surface as flow back, bringing with them heavy metals, radioactive materials and other substances harmful to life.

Recently in the UK, “fracking” was even associated with small earth tremors, earthquakes of low magnitude, but the claims were dismissed. We can be certain of one thing, mass scale shale gas extraction is on its early days and studies and regulations must be developed in order to create a safe and harmless extraction process.

Just like it happened with oil extractions Shale Gas extraction should be properly regulated by international bodies to guarantee that even though it proves to be a profitable “fuel” it doesn’t do more harm than good to global economy and above all to our environment.

I’ll leave you with the initial question: Shale Gas Rush: Good or Bad for the Global Economy? Share your views in the comments below.

About the Author

Energy broker specialised in business energy procurement with emphasis on business electricity and business gas contracts for UK businesses.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/6735655

The latest revision of the Waste Framework Directive, the primary legislation in Europe for waste focused on the waste hierarchy to ensure that waste is treated in order of priority and updated some aspects waste control.

Amendments to Directive have already been implemented in England and Wales with Waste Regulations 2011 announced in April 2011. The changes affect waste producers and waste companies and local authorities.

In summary, these were the main changes implemented in the new Waste Framework Directive:

• Require companies to confirm they have applied the hierarchy of waste management in the transfer of waste and to include a statement on its waste transfer note or consignment note;

• require a new hierarchy of waste permit allows state and, where appropriate, a condition on the mixing of hazardous waste;

• Introduce a system of two levels of support and registration of waste brokers, including those that use their own waste and introduced a new dealer concept of waste;

• Make changes to hazardous waste control and definition;

• exclude certain categories of waste control of waste, including animal products, also contain a small number of radioactive waste.

What is the hierarchy of waste management?

Waste management hierarchy determines the order of priority, a company with options for waste management should be considered. It requires that companies first trying to prevent waste in the case of waste, consider preparing the waste for recycling and then to identify reuse options before disposal options for recovery of energy should also be considered.

Since September 28, 2011, always move the waste to someone else, you must communicate the waste transfer note or consignment note for hazardous waste that have applied for the hierarchy of waste management.

The government has issued guidelines on the waste hierarchy of felling waste producers and small businesses and can be found in http://wrapwht.aeastaging.co.uk.

In short, so that the waste must be treated as follows:

• Prevention;

• Preparation for reuse;

• recycling;

• recovery of others (eg, energy recovery)

• Disposal

For a complete assessment of the waste produced by your company and how to comply with waste management hierarchy your local waste management company and they should provide cost effective waste management solutions in accordance with the rules of the new government.

The retail trade is far more complex than what many people think. Customer behaviour, seasonal trends and the online threat are just a few issues retailers have to deal with. Another area that is extremely important and sometimes is not given the required attention by retailers is shop fittings and displays.

Just like analysing customer behaviour and trying to understand how prospects think are sciences that retailers spend thousands, maybe millions, of pounds each year to master them. The way products are displayed on a given shop is a science in its own way.

It is not just about organizing products in alphabetical order or by colour or even by brand. Products need to be displayed in a way that customers are enticed to buy them and that is when the science of shop fittings and displays come into play.

“We Shop with our eyes”

When it comes down to shop fixtures and display units in each case there is one rule that suits them all. Fittings and displays need to be gentle on the eye to draw customer’s attention without shading the product.

A common mistake made my shop owners is spending thousands of pounds in state-of-the-art fittings that instead of displaying their commodities in an appealing and inciting way it ends up drawing more attention than the product itself. Store fixtures and displays need to be chosen accordingly to theme and style of the shop.

In order to get this right you need to put yourself in the shoes of your customers and ask yourself the following questions. What would incite you to buy in a shop just like yours? How would you display products so customers can find them in the glance of an eye? What would incite you to walk into a shop like yours?

Sometimes to find the answers to these questions you will need to seek professional help from shop fitters or interior decorators.

Trained retail fitters not only realise how to put together shelving, displays, slatwalls, they also know the locations to put them in order to attract more attention.

Speaking of detail did you know the colour of your shop and fittings influences in your prospects decision?

It is not new that colours have their influence in people’s moods, actions and behaviour. Studies revealed that certain colours can influence costumers in their final decision. For instance an office space needs to use white an bright colours so workers don’t fell sleep and the other hand red and yellow are known to incite hunger, McDonald’s anyone?

So choose the colours of your fixtures and displays based on the theme of you shop and the products you are or will be selling. Not sure what colours will work best? Ask your shop decorator he or she will certainly be able to help you.

Finally but no least important is the your shop layout, again the best way to get this right is to sit down with your shop fitter or decorator to workout a layout that will pull costumers straight from the side-walk into your shop.

Shop Fittings and Displays are a complex science that must be mastered and well worth the money invested to get it right.

Article Source: Shop Fittings and Displays Are a Science in Their Own Way

Recycling commences at the waste disposal level with segregation and containment of individual waste streams. Segregation, containment, transportation and processing of waste streams are parts of waste management services. Each part of the waste management and recycling process requires adequate equipments to optimise the whole process making it even more profitable.

Segregation should start at the source with the use of recycling containers like for instance recycling bins or if you prefer segregated bins. Recycling containers range from the ordinary office recycling bins to rigid containers for warehouse or even specially designed containers for the containment of hazardous and clinical waste streams. Such containers facilitate the movement of waste to external containers or waste handling equipments.

There are certain production processes that don’t allow the waste to be segregated on-site. It is the job of the waste management company to provide containers for the containment of mixed recyclables and arrange for the wastes to be segregated off-site.

With commercial and industrial waste management and recycling services it is impossible to have a one-size-fits-all scheme due to numerous reasons which could clearly be the subject of another article. The ideal waste management provider should provide a tailor made service that minimises cost, increase recycling, eliminate waste to landfill wherever possible and maximise costs.

Waste audits are an important part of the process as they examine the whole production process and identify areas where cost savings can be made by the implementation of eco-friendly initiatives that rationalises and increases recycling levels.

These audits are conducted with the purpose of understanding each business process such as:

Types of waste
Volume of waste
Procedures of waste segregation and handling (if any)
Utilisation of recycling containers (if any)
Utilisation of waste handling equipment (if any)
Current service levels and service scheduling
Volume of recycling
Overall current waste management costs

Based on these findings waste management companies can tailor their services accordingly to each organisation.

To make the whole process even more profitable organisations can handle their own waste on-site by using adequate equipment like Balers, Compactors, Shredders, roll-packers, drum or can crushers, etch. These equipments can process recyclable waste materials in a resalable format turning a cost into revenue.

Among the most used waste handling equipments are Balers, Compactors and Can crushers.

Balers are compactors that can produce bales of 25kg to 650kg in weight and are one of the most cost effective equipments an organisation could own. Because they can cater for a wide range of recyclable waste materials including cardboard and plastic.

Compactors are very similar to balers are they can compact waste streams from ratios of 4:1 to 10:1 dependent upon the compaction force and type of wastes being compacted.

Can crushers also know as drum crushers are designed to reduce metal waste to a fraction of their original size reducing costs with disposal.

To sum things up to verify the quality and standard of waste management and recycling procedures companies should have their processes and procedures in accordance with ISO 9001 and 14001 accreditation and other quality management bodies.

Article Source: Cost Effective Waste Management and Recycling Services

People say that during a crisis new opportunities arise; while some loose it all others find an opening to increment their profits. Sometimes that happens unexpectedly which was the case of the shop fittings industry. The UK is slowly moving out of one of its worst economic recessions and high street shop owners are rethinking their sales strategy with a special focus on shop fittings and displays.

Shop owners learnt that their shop displays and fittings should be easy on the eye, attract the prospect attention without shading the product and above all be reasonably priced. Finding this balance is essential to any high street store seeking to stand above the crowd.

A silly mistake that is often made by new shop owners is to invest big in state-of-the-art shop fittings and displays forgetting that their main use is to display their products in a way that catches prospects attention inciting to buy. Easy rule of thumb here don’t go for posh displays, put yourself in the shoes of your customers and think what would incite you to shop in a store similar to yours.

Shop fitting is a science of its own; it goes way beyond shelves and gondola isles. Shop fitting involves displaying products in a way that attract more costumers to enter your shop and help them find what they are looking for at the glance of an eye. Hence the importances of seeking professional help from a shop fitter or shop interior designer.

Professional shop fitters not only know how to put together shelves, displays, slatwalls, they also know where to put them in order to attract more attention. Speaking of attention did you know the colour of your shop fittings might influence your prospects?

Studies revealed that certain colours incite costumers to take certain actions. For instance red and yellow incite hunger and you thought that McDonald’s picked those colours because they looked nice. You will also want the colours of you displays to blend with your products.

So before choosing your shop fittings arrange a meeting with your shop fitter to discuss these matters. Show him or her your products and explain a little about your trade and your prospects behaviour. Based on all that shop fitters can come up with an unique shop layout that will attract more costumers and increase sales.

To sum things up, in order for the trade high street shop owners to catch prospects attention, drive them into their shops and incite them to purchase they must first get their shop layout right.

Source: Shop Fittings: Improving Sales and Attracting More Costumers

The British commercial cleaning industry has become especially competing with several, maybe thousands and thousands of cleaning businesses operating all through the nation. Evidence of this is by doing a simple search on Yahoo maps for office cleaning services in London and you get thousands of results. So how to choose which of these is the most accomplished out of them all?
With any market capable education is what differs pro’s from amateurs. But I’m not only speaking about seasoning to become a skillful professional I’m also implying to continuous training to keep employees up to date with the latest trends and techniques of the trade.

In office cleaning services its just the same, companies that administer ongoing training with their employees tend to offer higher quality services for the simple fact that better skills affiliated with the cleaners knowledge results in faster and more efficient services.

Incorrect are those who think you don’t need training to administer a simple feather duster or to wash a carpet. Well I would agree that there are no secrets to brushing a floor but office cleaning goes way above that.

Did you know that there are Health and Safety procedures for Office Cleaning and a risk assessment must be concluded before any cleaning job can start?

Each type of floor must be cleaned in a specific way. Ceramic tilling must not be cleaned with rough abrasive cleaners; vinyl floors need appropriate attention and defined products. To clean carpets is a complete new science; each stain must be cleaned in a specific way with a different chemical.

Speaking of chemicals that is another zone that needs special attention. All cleaners must be experienced to handle the products they work with for two simple reasons. First to prevent accidents like the one that occured in a McDonald’s restaurant in late 2010, when an employee was left partially blind due to the use of an acid-based cleaner. Second, so they don’t use the wrong product on the incorrect area.

Another sort of training that must be conducted with office cleaners is individual relationship. No man likes a bad-tempered cleaner that goes around in a bad state of mind without speaking to anybody at all. Most of the time, office cleaning tasks are carried out in non-working hours but if the job is done during office working hours the office cleaner must be amenable and always try to have a smile on his or her face.

Commercial cleaning companies that supply regular seasoning to its staff tend to provide faster and more effective cleaning services than those who completely ignore it.

As you can see commercial cleaning goes way above the carpet sweeper and rag and the finest organisation’s are those who are up to date with the latest trends of the trade.

Do you offer periodical training for your cleaners?

A recent study by the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy listed ten programs that spurred businesses and customers to save energy. The findings certainly show that behavioural programs can be astonishingly effective.
Developing energy efficiency is an important topic on the schedule of most companies these days. The benefits are numerous, from decreasing carbon footprint to the most outstanding of all cutting down on costs with energy. So million dollar question is: How to enhance business energy efficiency?

There are many ways to do so but this is not quite what I want to talk about in this column. I won’t be suggesting you change all the lights in your business to LED lights, even though that is one the most cost effective ways to enhance your business’ energy efficiency.

In this column I’d like to discuss what is more effective consumer education or infrastructure updates. One could say that by combining both you could achieve greater results but that you will have to adjudge once you have finished reading this article.

Purchaser education has proven to be an effective way to improve energy efficiency of households and businesses alike. When combined with programs that apply social science to energy conservation it can incite individuals to beat down consumption and make choices that will enable their organisations to save as well.

Such programmes are an attractive way to reduce energy consumption since they have low upfront cost and require little change to existing business processes / lifestyles.

However, simply relying on consumer/employee education might not be enough. There is a real danger that energy efficiency gains seen from consumer/employee behaviour will go away over time.

That is when infrastructural upgrades come into the picture. Even though they demand a greater upfront investment if evaluated properly and done accurately such upgrades could generate better benefits. The down side is that most of these benefits will only be noticed in the long term.

But there isn’t a better time to start upgrading your organisation with more energy efficient machinery. With many governments around the globe offering funds to subsidise these changes. For instance here in the UK the Government is creating the Green Investment Bank.

If you are in doubt of which route to take in order to save energy. Why not ask for specialist help. Hire an energy consultant or an independent energy broker to inspect your premises and suggest the best and most effective options for you company.

A clean and organised employment environment is constituent to increase output. How would your clients react if they entered into your business to be faced with clusters of files and papers all around, filthy carpets and disorganised desks?

If I entered into such an office, I would turn around and evacuate immediately and I gamble you would too. With that mind set I’ll share with you some effortless to administer office cleaning tips to assist keep your business sparkling clean at all time, be it a town business or a home office.

Almost always city offices are cleaned by professional authentic cleaning companies but there are certain things that can be done to help enhance the cleanliness of these work places.

This initial advice could sound obsolete but you would be taken aback how many business units still haven’t applied it to their work environment. Reduce paper disarray by bringing in a digital filing system.

It’s likely your company already has a network, and that’s a great opening point. Next comes a complete overhaul of the network’s file structure. This will take some time and cautious consideration. A general rule-of-thumb is that an effective digital file system - when compartmentalized - reflects exactly how the company is organised and leaves room for future revision and likely change.

Create a cleaning and organisation inspection group, the idea here is to designate two or three employees, determined on the amount of your workforce, to go around the office inspecting tables and drawers.

This examination team should report directly to the office administrator or to you. They should give out warnings for those who don’t keep their workstation organised and then issue penalties. That way you will provoke your team to keep their desks and drawers organised at all times.

For home office workers you will have to be your own inspectors, even though you might not get anyone visiting your office. Remember what was said in the beginning of this article - A clean and organised workplace boosts productiveness.

Instigate recycling by adding recycling bins in your office’s kitchen and around the office. Choose a day of the week to do a “paper recycling day”. You can use the cleaning and organization inspection group to go around the office asking for people to dispose of old paper work that can’t be filed.

Premium help

My final piece of advice, I would suggest you request specialist help to enhance even more the cleanliness and hygiene of your office. Hire an office cleaning company and get them to do the dirty work for you.