HOW many Jamaicans are aware that there are several cost-effective, energing-saving and environmentally-friendly alternatives to sustaining our, otherwise, self-destructive lifestyles?

Today, environmentalists and conservationists, talk about renewable or alternative energy, while others remain oblivious to the fact that the discussion is really about using such resources as the sun, wind and water as sources of energy that can be used over and over again.

The fourth biennial staging of Green Expo, Jamaica’s only environmental exposition, will have as one of it’s major themes Renewable Energy and Energy Conservation.

Sponsored by the Petroleum Corporation of Jamaica (PCJ), the display will portray and explain the main types of renewable energy, with a focus on those being used and developed in Jamaica.

The display will occupy four 10′ x 10′ booth spaces. Information will be provided on pilot solar energy street light projects

But how can these streetlights, that are utilised only at nights work off solar energy?

According to PCJ, the panels on these devices gather and store solar energy during the day by way of photovoltaic cells and then use it up during the night. Other aspects of the display include wind energy, with specific reference to a wind farm to be established in Manchester; energy-efficient buildings, these, in response to the need for conservation of energy in the workplace. There will be a model of a solar oven used for drying/preserving foods.

Along with the PCJ display, there will also be other displays from participating companies focusing on energy conservation products and services that they offer. One such company is Ecotech. With three booth space, the Westmoreland-based company intends to introduce many energy-saving solutions to Jamaica.

The Ecotech will also feature water purification solutions for houses and small industries; building blocks that are stronger and provide more insulation, hence reducing cooling costs by as much as 40 per cent; the Radian Barrier, a special white paint for roofs that reduces the heat absorbed in buildings by at least 25 per cent and recycled roof shingles that have been proven to withstand wind speeds of 110 miles per hour.