Global Warming- How are Animals Affected by Global Warming

Global Warming- How are Animals Affected by Global Warming

It is not a secret that we humans have been destroying the environment for years. It is now that some of us are trying to make all people aware of the affects that our lack of care has had on the environment and what will happen if we do not make changes now and try to stop the progress of global warming. Our focus, or drive, is the thought of what type of world are we leaving our children. We also need to be looking at how global warming is affecting our animals now and in the future if we do not stop and make the needed environmentally safe changes.

There are numerous studies that are being conducted and have been conducted where watching animal behavior and traits to measure the status of the environment. These studies are showing that our Earth is changing in unnatural ways and it is disturbing. Think about the fact that right now as things stand, reindeer will no longer wander the places they currently do, they will disappear.

Marmots no longer hibernate the same amount of time that they used to. Actually compared to thirty years ago, they are ending hibernation three weeks earlier. The Canadian red squirrel is breeding 18 days earlier. Studies are showing that the red fox is moving north and invading the territory of its Arctic cousin. Polar bears are not as healthy as they were 20 years ago and they are thinner.

If we look at the sea and our creatures there we also see changes that should cause alarm. Coral reefs are expected to increase by up to a third in size. Elephant seal pups are thinner because their prey is migrating to cooler waters. Our turtles are changing behavior as well, the loggerhead is laying eggs 10 days earlier and the Hawkbill turtle hatchlings are having more females then males due to temperature changes.

Birds are changing their diets to insects that do not consume leaves that have been treated with high amounts of pesticides. What does all of this mean? It means that global warming is going to cause many of our animal species to become endangered if not extinct.

The melting ice, the warm seas, the spreading dessert are all threats to our animals. These changes, no matter how subtle have a dramatic influence on the lives of our wildlife. In the sea the disappearance of the tiny organisms that the larger creatures feed off of is causing the sea life to migrate northward.

Keeping in mind that global warming plays a huge part in our weather and climate, the increased storminess destroys the breeding colonies of the albatross that already battle the possibility of being captured and killed by fishing boats. The rise in sea levels wipe out the nesting sites of the sea turtles, seals and wading birds are also on the list of species to be affected by their habitats being destroyed.

Thought the very source of nature is change, and adaptation, the changes that are taking place in our environment due to global warming are just happening to fast. The speed is what makes it difficult for the animals to adapt effectively and this will cause us to loose a lot of our wildlife. Can you imagine a world with no reindeer? What about the day that the Sahara dessert covers all of Africa and makes migration impossible for birds?

These are changes that we can see everyday and we need to start paying attention to them. The predicted elevation of sea level by an amazing three feet coupled with the disruptions to the Earth life support systems should be our wake up call.

While you can look out your back window and see these changes taking place, the full effect will be seen by the year 2100 if the predictions of scientist come through and we do not change our ways. Think about is, 2100 is less then one hundred years away. You and I would probably not be here, but our grandchildren will and what will we have left for them? Help stop global warming, do your part to save the Earth, our children and our wildlife. They need us.

“The radical right is so homophobic that they're blaming global warming on the AIDS quilt.”

Nuclear Power

Is Nuclear Power Safe?

The Kashiwazaki Kariwa nuclear power plant in Japan discharged approximately 350 gallons of radioactive water into the sea today after an earthquake shook the Japanese town, which is 160 miles northwest of Tokyo.

Fortunately, the radioactive contamination levels fell well below legal limits. The power plant is the one largest nuclear facility's in the world and just one of fifty-five nuclear reactors in Japan. The incident, in light of the recent swarm of headlines regarding alternative energy use and the possible re-emergence of nuclear power as a primary alternative energy source, leaves many to wonder, is nuclear power safe?

Nuclear energy has both good and bad points. It creates a huge amount of energy without using valuable fossil fuels, but it also produces radioactive materials that can be extremely harmful to the environment. Consequently, nuclear safety includes actions taken to prevent nuclear and radiation accidents or to limit their consequences.

Workers at nuclear plants, and the larger environment, run a risk due to this radioactive material. Nuclear power plants must be run very carefully to ensure that there are no mistakes, which is why nuclear power plant operators promote a safety culture. The term "safety culture" is a term introduced by the International Nuclear Safety Advisory Group in a report published on the Chernobyl disaster in 1986. The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) defines safety culture as "an assembly of characteristics and attitudes in organizations and individuals, which establishes that, as an overriding priority, nuclear plant safety issues receive the attention warranted by their significance." Safety culture is about improving safety attitudes in people, but it is also about good safety management established by organizations with a holistic, whole community, whole of life approach. A good safety culture implies a constant assessment of the safety significance of events, such as earthquakes or other natural disasters.

Additionally, nuclear power plants possess both active and passive safety systems. Active safety systems are systems activated by a human operator, an automatic computer driven system, or even a mechanical system to respond to dangerous events in an appropriate manner. Passive safety systems rely on the laws of nature to ensure a reactor responds in an appropriate manner during potentially dangerous events. The laws of nature include for instance, incorporating the law of physics in engineered components of nuclear power plants whereby a nuclear reaction would slow versus accelerate during potentially dangerous situations or events.

Nuclear power plants also possess structural safety systems. Surrounding a nuclear reactor are certain containment structures, such as the fuel ceramic, metal fuel cladding tubes and the reactor vessel and coolant system. Finally, nuclear reactors are housed in containment buildings. Containment buildings, which are made of steel or concrete, enclose nuclear reactors to contain the escape of radiation.

Ultimately, human exposure to radiation, the primary contamination of concern at nuclear power plants, is more likely to come from exposure natural background radiation and from some medical procedures. In fact, studies exist finding no evidence of increased risk of exposure to radiation or occurrences of cancer in individuals living near nuclear facilities. For instance, in 1990 a study by the National Cancer Institute (NCI) of the National Institutes of Health, which surveyed over 900,000 cancer deaths in counties near nuclear facilities, found no increased incidence of cancer mortality in people living near 62 different nuclear facilities in the United States.

Regardless of the safety systems in place, which promote a culture of safety in nuclear power plant operations, no industrial activity is risk-free. Occurrences take place, which are completely outside our control, as evidenced by the earthquake, which impacted the Kashiwazaki Kariwa nuclear power. Any malfunction, accident or natural disaster at or near a nuclear power plant presents potentially devastating, long-term impacts to the surrounding community and environment.

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“The radical right is so homophobic that they're blaming global warming on the AIDS quilt.”

Global Warming Debate

The Great Global Warming Debate

Climate Change and Global Warming are indeed a huge debate topic in all its controversy and media hysteria. The majority of people are up in arms over the possibility of global warming and indeed they want the United States to sign the Kyoto Treaty and pledge to reduce our emissions of greenhouse gases.
We cannot say for sure how much the planet may be warming though, how much is down to human activities versus natural activities, or whether these changes in global temperature would be mostly good or mostly bad for the majority of people.
Recently in an online think tank one think tanker was berrated for placing a post in the Global Warming area of the website on a Chinese Flooding event which washed away 90 people and in another province killed 117 folks.

Though Global Warming doesn't seem that bad, with many people's idea of it being that of a globe wrapped snuggly in a warm blanket, it's something that needs to be taken seriously and it's something that could greatly hinder, and alterthe future.
In a nutshell, Global Warming is the gradual increase of the temperature of the earth's lower atmosphere. Actually global warming is the increase of the earth’s surface temperature due to chemicals in the atmosphere. Some Global Warming Alarmists believe it is too late to stop the effects of man on our atmosphere and that these undesired effects will cause the triggering of super storms, freak weather and catastrophic events. In order to control and avoid the effects of global warming we must first agree with a fact that it is occurring, and take some steps to end or even reduce it. Maybe the whole world needs to rethink the level playing field rules over again and then we can get together and talk about Global Warming, CO2 emissions and the Kyoto Treaty or a more realistic version of it.
Luckily most of the Global Warming ideas are not based on very solid scientific evidence, but our Planet is going through a climate change cycle and this cycle, which is actually caused by a lot of inter-related cycles are warming areas our Planet among other things. There is no compelling scientific evidence that global warming is caused by anything other than ordinary, natural climatic cycles.Some Global Warming alarmists are now thinking it is time to invest their money in House Boat Stocks and pick out a big ship to live on?
So the debate of climate change battles on and whilst I see no end in site to it the doomsdayers will have you believe the sky is falling ,just like chicken little.So get yourself some scientific education on the subject because if you dont you'll end up becoming one of them.

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“The radical right is so homophobic that they're blaming global warming on the AIDS quilt.”

What is the best solution?

Recycling and Landfill

Production of waste is a global problem that won't just go away on its own so we constantly have to find convenient and suitable ways of disposing of it. Every area of our lives involves getting rid of something, whether it is household rubbish, plastic, paper, metal, commercial waste or anything else for that matter that we simply don't want or need and wish to discard.

Unfortunately today, most of our waste tends to end up in landfill sites, which is far from ideal. Landfill has an immediate advantage in that it is convenient, however, there are other more serious issues regarding landfill which are not so advantageous to human or animal health or for the environment despite the protection agencies, legislation and monitoring that is in place.

The introduction and steadily rising cost of The Landfill Tax is designed to reduce the amount of waste deposited in landfill by encouraging waste producers to produce less waste and to reuse or recycle mixed waste rather than to dump it. Landfill sites are heavily regulated and monitored by environmental agencies in an attempt to minimise the risk to health and the environment.

What is landfill?
Simply put, landfills are sites, sometimes old quarry sites, where waste is deposited into the ground in order to rot. As each new load of rubbish arrives for disposal, it is pushed down and compacted into the site and then covered with a layer of soil. In order to prevent leakage of toxic material into the surrounding earth and water, the landfill must first be lined in order to seal in the waste.

Once a landfill site has been filled to capacity, it has to be capped or covered and a new site must be found. Usual ways of covering are with a layer of plastic, more soil, a protective covering, sand, more soil and then something like grass. This helps keeps rodents away and minimises the risk of waste gases and other toxins being released into the surrounding land and waterways.

Problems with Landfill

Currently around 80% of our household rubbish ends up in landfill sites and as the amount of rubbish continues year after year, a major problem is that basically, we are running out of space. It isn't easy to find a new site for landfill either as no one wants to have it in their "back yard" so to speak. Apart from the risk of explosion, landfill sites also give off unpleasant odours and gases and contain volatile organic compounds (VOCs) which can have a negative impact on health even at low doses.

Greenhouse Gases

As the rubbish rots in a landfill site, Methane gas is given off and as Methane is a greenhouse gas, this is a major cause for concern. The liner in the landfill site helps to prevent the gas escaping. What often happens is that pipes collect the Methane and carry it to the surface where it can be burned off (a process known as Flaring) or it can be extracted and used as fuel elsewhere.

Leachate

Leachate is produced in landfill sites from water and liquid draining from the rotting rubbish and again, the liner helps prevent this substance from contaminating the surrounding land and water systems. Pipes will usually collect Leachate and pump it to the surface where it may be re-circulated but if a lot of Leachate is produced it will often be sent to wastewater treatment plants.

Time

Another major problem with landfill is that some non-biodegradable substances such as plastic bags for example, can take maybe hundreds of years to break down. There is no light or oxygen in landfill so rubbish cannot be broken down very quickly.

Health Risks

Despite all the measures in place, several studies have highlighted health risks in relation to landfill sites and the full impact on human, animal and environmental health is still not clear and is being widely debated.

Recycling – a solution

A large proportion of the rubbish ending up in landfill sites is not really rubbish at all as most of it could serve other more useful purposes with a far less damaging effect or could be recycled to produce new products. So, by far the best way to minimise the amount of waste going to landfill and reduce the impact on health and the environment, is to reuse or recycle as much waste as possible.

Currently, only around 7 or 8 per cent of household waste is recycled but if more people were aware of the risks associated with landfill they might be prepared to make more effort to sort and either reuse their waste or recycle it at one of the growing number of recycling depots. One mans trash is another mans treasure as they say so waste not want not.


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Recycle Your Old Film

Saving the World One X-ray at a Time

Just because medical imaging supplies are increasing in popularity does not mean that they have to ruin the environment at the same time. When it comes down to it, it is very important that supplies such as x ray film are recycled appropriately. As you can imagine, with so many x rays being taken every day, the number of films laying around for disposal is quite large. Luckily, there are many x ray film recycling programs that are meant to take care of this problem.

There are many reasons that you should look into using a recycling firm if you find yourself with a lot of x ray films that need to be disposed of. A few of the more popular reasons are listed below, and are sure to open your eyes to what this industry is all about.

1. A recycling program will come to your location, and in turn take the x ray films to the appropriate area. In other words, you do not have to do anything but work with them to ensure success. There is no hauling on your part.

2. Only EPA approved recyclers will be used. If you are going to look into properly disposing of your medical imaging supplies it is important that you do it right. With EPA approved recyclers you can be rest assured that the program you are using is going to help the environment.

3. Any confidential records will be appropriately destroyed so that your company does not get into any legal hot water. This is one of the most important things to consider in today's day and age. You have probably heard the horror stories of personal data getting into the wrong hands. Make sure that you work with a recycling program that ensures that they will destroy any confidential records.

Believe it or not, you can save the world one x ray at a time if you begin to recycle your old film. This is not to say that you are going to have a noticeable impact on the environment, but in your heart you can be rest assured that you are helping the situation.

The bottom line is that there is no reason to not recycle medical imaging supplies. If your company is not doing this, it is because you have yet to look into the process. Do yourself and the world a favor, and look into how you can set up a medical imaging supply recycling program.

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Genetically Modified Organism

On Genetic Modification, Don’t be so Negative
It might just do you some good!

A few years ago when I traveled to Europe for the first time, I was shocked at the debate of Genetically Modified crops, or GMO (genetically modified organism) crops. Huge page space was dedicated in newspapers there to a discussion of the pros and cons, causing readers to truly think about what was happening to their country's farm land and biosphere if GMO crops were introduced.

I thought perhaps this public debate had just begun during my travels, but when I got back to the US, I was equally shocked to see virtually no debate or discussion of the pros and cons of GMO crops. In fact, with a little research I was disturbed to learn that GMO crops were already wide spread in the US. Companies had spread them across America with virtually no public debate on the subject.

America's lack of debate on GMO issues struck me hard a few nights ago, as I was out with a couple of friends dining on Indian food. The subject came up when I remarked on a rumour I'd heard about human DNA being inserted into pigs, and another one I'd actually read myself about human DNA being inserted into rice.

My fellow diners got irritated by my negative view of Genetically Modified Organisms and its dire possibilities. I became frustrated with them because I felt they were willing to gamble with our future, and put way too much confidence in men in white lab coats.

I explained that in past decades less and less money is provided for pure research in our universities from the public fund, and more and more is coming from corporate funding sources who have an economic interest in profitable results. They replied, "Well the funding has to come from somewhere."

My concern is that if our media is supported by the mega corporations that profit from GMO , and our university research funding is provided by the corporations that profit from GMO . . . then who'd be looking out for the interests of the average citizen?

I struggled to find an image that conveyed my sense of bloated human hubris, to think we could outsmart thousands of millions of years of evolution. I suggested that our generation was playing the role of someone standing at a roulette table in a casino, putting everything on the line, and shaking the dice saying, "I feel lucky." My point was that once life forms are released into the biosphere they cannot be contained, and how they play out is anyone's guess. My friends felt that I was an old frightened, alarmist fuddy duddy.

They said, why do you always have to look at things so negatively? Why couldn't it happen that these guys come up with something good, that can help humanity? Why do you have to see it as dangerous?

Since that night, the issue of GMO crops, and gene spliced animals, has rolled around in my mind. I needed a metaphor to explain why I was concerned. Last night, in my sleep, a metaphor came to me that illuminated my position, so I got up to do the math.

Life on planet earth began about 4,000 million years ago. Humans, or Homo Sapien Sapiens appeared about 100,000 years ago. This means that humans have been on the scene in Earth's evolution of life for about .000025 percent of the lifespan of our planet's biosphere. To see this in human terms, given that the average human's life expectancy today is 67 years, the time humans have been on Earth is equal to 50,073 seconds, or 835 minutes, or in other words we as a species are about 14 hours old in human terms.

It has taken 4,000 million years of evolution to create the complex web of life that involves thousands of species interacting to create a biosphere that is an interconnected net of highly sophisticated endless links of interdependent relationships. Small changes can have great effects. We know that as we scratch our heads and wonder why the bees are dying in huge numbers. According to an article in Germany's Der Kritischer Agrarbericht (Critical Agricultural Report), Albert Einstein once said, ""If the bee disappeared off the surface of the globe then man would only have four years of life left. No more bees, no more pollination, no more plants, no more animals, no more man."

It is as if the biosphere or web of life on our planet is now going in for surgery, and the nurse wheels in a 14-hour-old-infant, and places a scalpel in his pudgy little trembling hand. The infant's newborn eyes struggle to open in the operating room's bright light, and its hand recoils at the cold steel scalpel the nurse is forcing into its trembling hand, as she struggles to close those tiny infant pasty fingers around the scalpel, so that the infant can begin the surgery on the body of Earth's web of life.

The shocked patient, representing everything we know of as life, looks up in horror and disbelief, as the nurse pats the patient's colorless sweat beaded forehead and soothingly murmurs, "Calm down, don't be so negative, he might get in there and actually do you some good."

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Millions of tonnes of Metal are recycled

Recycling Metal
Millions of tonnes of Metal are recycled each year in the UK alone, generating billions of pounds in revenue. Just over half of the recycled metal is exported to meet foreign demand and the rest is reprocessed within the UK to make more metal. Metal is an extremely useful and versatile material that is used to make many items in every day use including cars, trucks, ships, aeroplanes, household appliances, railway tracks, cutlery, ovens and of course it is also used for packaging.

One major advantage in recycling metal is that it can be recycled over and over again without losing any of the properties of the metal itself. Metal is therefore a valuable commodity and as such, when a metal item reaches the end of its life, it can be used 100% of the time to make new metal. The most common metals in every day household use today are Steel and Aluminum - Steel is used to make food cans and Aluminum is used to make soft drink cans.

You can tell the difference between Steel and Aluminum using a magnet because Steel will stick to a magnetic whereas Aluminum will not. This makes the sorting of various types of metal at recycling depots a lot easier as opposed to say plastic recycling where sorting is a much more complex practice. When recycling metal, it is divided into Ferrous and non-Ferrous metals.

Recycling Ferrous Metal

Ferrous scrap metal is metal from Steel and Iron so this includes food cans, scrap metal from cars and household appliances etc. According to the British Metal Recycling Association (BMRA), over four and half million tonnes of Iron and Steel scrap metal was supplied to Steelworks in the UK in 2005 to make new Steel and over 6 million tones were exported. Ferrous scrap metal is in demand and growth has increased by approximately 5% each year for the past decade.

Recycling Non Ferrous Metal

Nonferrous scrap metal is waste from metals such as Aluminum, (so includes drinks cans, foil milk bottle tops, foil wrappers, baking trays, kitchen foil etc.) and also Copper, and other metals such as Nickel, Brass, Titanium, Lead and Chromium etc. Less non ferrous metal waste is available but it is more profitable than Ferrous Metal. According to BMRA, in 2005, over a million tonnes of non ferrous metal was processed and nearly half of this was Aluminum followed by Copper and then the other metals. Over 800,000 tonnes was exported representing an increase of 20% on 2004 figures.

Recycling metal at home

The most common household waste metal items generated are food and drinks cans. Recycling these cans is quite a simple process. After the cans are collected they are separated into Steel and Aluminum cans. Steel cans are melted down and the impurities (slag) are removed and will often be recycled back into the construction industry. The remaining pure metal is made into ingots or blocks of steel, which can then be used to make more cans and other products.

Aluminum cans are compressed and melted down, impurities are removed and again, the Aluminum is made into ingots which can then be rolled into Aluminum sheets before being turned into new cans or other products. This whole process is quite rapid and an Aluminum can is often back on a supermarket shelf in as little as 6 weeks.

Most local authorities now provide a means to dispose of empty cans either by roadside collection or at a recycling depot so make use of these facilities and encourage others to do the same as in this way you can help protect the environment and save energy.

Why it is important to recycle metal

Obviously it makes more sense to make use of available resources, particularly when it is easy to do so, rather than to continually deplete the earth's natural resources. The main environmental benefits involved in recycling metal are as follows:

• It takes a lot less energy to melt down waste metal and recycle it than it does to produce new metal
• Using recycled metal reduces CO2 emissions and air pollution
• Less water is used and less water is polluted
• Reduces the need to mine the raw materials required to make the metal such as Iron ore for Steel, Nickel for Stainless Steel and Alumina and Bauxite for Aluminum.
• Reduces the amount of metal going to landfill as despite a growing awareness of the value in recycling metal, a lot of household metal waste from cans is still ending up in landfill sites

Recycling metal is big business and although household waste makes up a small percentage of the total amount of metal recycled, it still makes an important contribution so it is important to recycle those cans as any metal ending up in landfill is simply a waste of valuable resources.

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Ink Jet Recycling

Ink Jet Cartridges Why You Should Recycle

Millions of inkjet cartridges are currently sold in the UK each year with over a billion cartridges being sold worldwide. According to available statistics, only around 30 percent to 40 percent of printer cartridges are currently being remanufactured or recycled so we are left with the question, what happens to the rest. Unfortunately, they are most likely to end up in landfill sites and this is definitely not the right answer.

Landfill

Each and every one of us produces waste; this is an unavoidable and indisputable fact of life. However, what we do with our waste collectively or independently is a matter of choice. Millions of tonnes of waste end up in landfill sites each year and this poses not only a risk to the environment, but is a direct risk to our health and wellbeing.

Landfill takes up space that we are fast running out of; in fact some say we will have no space left within the next few years. Some of the rubbish rotting beneath the earth in landfill sites can take thousands of years to break down, and meanwhile toxic gases are being released into the atmosphere and into the surrounding earth and waterways, and this is despite increasing legislation and measures to control landfill sites.

The problem with Inkjet Cartridges

Inkjet cartridges contain engineering grade polymers that can take maybe a thousand years or more to decompose. If they are incinerated they produce toxic gases that are released into the atmosphere. The manufacturing process involved in making new inkjet cartridges requires the use of natural resources including nearly 100mls of oil to make each and every one.

According to Waste Online, around 14,000 tonnes of inkjet and toner cartridges were sent to landfill in 2003. It stands to reason that as more and more people move into the technological age of computers and printers, there will be more inkjet printer cartridges to dispose of each year so the problem is likely to increase unless we all do something about it.

Ways to recycle your inkjet cartridge

Every single inkjet cartridge that ends up in landfill the first time it reaches the end of its life is a waste of a resource and a waste of money because an Ink jet cartridge is one item that can be reused several times over at least.

Some companies offer a return scheme where you can take or send back your old cartridge so that it can be remanufactured or refilled and sold again.

There are numerous organisations that will take your old cartridge and will even pay you for it. Many will donate some of the money to charity.

You could have your old cartridge refilled at a mere fraction of the cost of what it would cost you to buy a new one

By recycling or refilling your old cartridge you make a valuable contribution to the health and wealth of the planet. Recycling cartridges allows you to help charities, reduce the amount of natural resources required to make new cartridges, helps reduce the amount of space taken up by landfill, reduces CO2 emissions and you even save money from your own pocket.

So why are so many inkjet cartridges still ending up in landfill. The simple answer to this question is that many people are still not making the choice to dispose of their cartridges in an environmentally friendly way and many others are still buying new cartridges instead of recycled ones.

Lets face it, it may be terribly convenient to just pop your old cartridge into the bin and buy a brand new one to replace it but in doing this, not only is the environment put at risk, so is the health and well being of the planet and each and every one of us who live on it.

Buying a recycled cartridge

One possible barrier to buying a recycled cartridge is that it is not often possible to tell if the recycled cartridge will be as good as a new one. However, when buying a recycled printer cartridge there are a number of important points you can clarify with the supplier first to ensure that you really are getting value for money and at the same time are helping to save the planet.

Has the cartridge been print tested first to ensure good print quality.

Will the recycled cartridge last as long as a new cartridge.

Does it show on the package that it is a recycled cartridge.

What happens if something goes wrong with it and is there a warranty or returns policy.

Is the supplier a member of any recognised trade associations.

Conclusion

Fortunately, attitudes to recycling are slowly changing thanks to national campaigns to raise awareness about the issues involved with landfill and the environment so more and more people are now waking up to the issue of waste in general.

Recycling or reusing our inkjet cartridges is something that all of us can do quite easily to make a difference and it neednt require a lot of effort, its simply a matter of choosing to do the right thing.

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Bio Diesels

Using Bio Diesel in your Car
Its likely that the farmers would not blockade the countries roads for starters as people come resigned to the fact that high prices are here to stay. Unfortunately, the high prices are unlikely to decrease and are becoming more and more likely with increasing tensions around the world in oil economies leading to decreasing oil supply and price volatility in the world markets. Fossil fuels are running out an alarming rate and people are starting to look seriously at other alternatives.
Needless to say, an increase in oil prices will create hardships to the economy and in every person's life. But some people state that the only way to get them to use public transport or to walk the 5 minutes to the local shop instead of driving is to price them out of using their cars for inefficient journeys. Increasingly people and making their own biodiesel fuel from used cooking oil to run their cars to reduce their dependence on oil.

Biodiesel is made from vegetable oil (including used oil) in a process called ?transesterification?, whereby the glycerine is separated from the oil leaving a clean burning fuel that will efficiently power any diesel engine with vastly reduced exhaust emissions this is good for the environment. People have been deserting their local petrol station in favour of using waste vegetable oil from large scale users such as pubs, restaurants, or pure oil off the shelf.

The government is becoming aware of this use of cheaper, alternative fuel and is targeting this eco method as they are not paying tax on this oil which they would be doing if they bought petrol. The government appears to pay lip service to reducing climate change as the small number of Bio-diesal users are being targeted for tax evasion instead of encouraged to use this eco friendly fuel. Where is the incentive for current Bio-diesel users and companies to invest in research and development?

For those of you that are thinking of making the change there are different process or kits available to convert car engines and these cost between £400 and £1,200. All you need to add is vegetable oil, methanol, a small amount of catalyst, electricity and tap water into this conversion and your ready to go! Oh-.. and don't forget to tell the taxman.

If you cant reduce your car driving why not offset the carbon that you are using. Carbon offsetting helps you to offset the carbon dioxide that you use when flying or driving etc by planting trees or installing solar panels and thereby removing your contribution to global climate change. You contribute to pollution by driving; you reduce the pollution by planting trees! You are carbon neutral!

Save energy by using renewable products available via companies listed in the eco directory.

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Solar Street Lights

Saving Energy Using Solar Street Lights

Street lighting is one of the largest single expenditure for many cities around the world. Staying up-to-date with new developments and adopting solar lighting technologies dramatically reduces electricity costs and green house emissions. Solar street lighting can be an economically viable option in many applications. Not only in areas where the cost of providing electricity is too expensive, but also in situations where reducing running costs is a priority.

Solar street lights are a judicious choice for parking lots, parks, highways, roads airports, area lighting and many other public, private and military sites. When installing solar street lights, there is no need for excavation to put cables, as power does not depend of the grid. Solar energy is used to charge the self-contained battery during daylight and at night, the power released by the battery powers the lights. A timer or a photocell controls the operation of the lights from dusk to dawn.

Set up is quick, usually less than a day per solar street light. It can be done by any experienced technician. The solar panel needs to be properly aligned to gather maximum energy during the day. There are few things to consider when planning using Solar street lights: It is very important to correctly size the different components (solar panels,lamp, battery, solar controller) according to the geographic area. Well designed solar street lights systems, provide adequate and low cost illumination for years, with minimum maintenance. LED lamps (Light Emitting Diodes) can work up to 50.000 hours.

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Recycling Waste Materials

Top Ways to Recycle
Throughout history, people have been recycling waste materials in some way or another. The main reason that recycled materials were used, rather than new was that second hand material was cheaper to use. Today, we have other reasons for recycling our waste materials, such as preserving our planet, reducing waste materials being buried in the earth in landfill sites, and saving money by using second hand materials, rather than producing new materials.

The first real recycling started out in pre-industrial times when scraps from precious metals were recycled, and melted down for further use. Around this time, Britain was also recycling ash, and dust as the base materials used for brick making. In 1921, Britain also began a waste paper association, which was created to encourage the recycling of used paper. Another example of early recycling was that during the world wars when the governments encouraged citizens to recycle by donating their metals, and conserving fiber to do their part for the wartime effort.

Recycling And its Benefits

Recycling has two main benefits, which are reduction of both energy, and virgin materials needing to be collected, as well as reducing the amount of waste that is disposed of in landfills. Recycling also reduces the negative impact that waste has on the environment, and reduces the space needed to keep refuse sites functioning, it is estimated that in the UK, by the year 2010, almost all of the landfill sites will be full.

By recycling, we are not only helping our planet, we are decreasing the money spent on raw materials, and their production. Currently, the UK is recycling around 17% of their waste, which is a small amount considering that some neighboring countries are recycling up to half of their waste, that would ordinarily end up in a landfill site.

What Are The Recyclable Materials

For recycling to really work, households must be made aware of what is a recyclable. Many people are still throwing materials that could be recycled into their regular rubbish bins. Some of the materials that can be used for recycling are:
- Asbestos,
- Batteries,
- Building Materials,
- Cars,
- Clothing, and material,
- Compost matter,
- Computers,
- Electrical equipment,
- Furniture,
- Glass,
- Metals,
- Mobile phones,
- Paint, and oils,
- Paper,
- Plastic,
- Printer cartridges,
- Wood

Criticism Of Recycling

Recycling is a great thing, and has a positive impact on our long-term economy, living standards, and health of the planet we live in, although there are some factors surrounding recycling that are not ideal. All recycling uses energy of some type whether it is fuel for transportation of the materials, or the processing that takes place to reuse the materials. Additionally, many recycling plants use large amounts of water while preparing, or cleaning the materials they will reuse.

The only way to really benefit from recycling, and reducing the waste that is being produced is to use fewer materials where possible, and reuse materials in their current form.

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Recycling the Mobile Phone

What Should I Do With My Old Mobile Phone?
As the ever growing pressure to save our planet continues to rise, the need to recycle our unwanted produce becomes more important. Most people now have recycle bins at their home and there are lots of local points nowadays where unwanted items can be deposited for environmentally safe disposal. It’s becoming more apparent now that one of contributors to the high levels of landfill comes from electronic goods, one of these being mobile phones. Recycling mobile phones is a growing industry due to the huge numbers of unused or unwanted phones gathering dust in drawers and cupboards. In the UK, the average mobile phone user changes their phone every 18months, which means that more than 18 million phones are purchased each year. The amount of these which get recycled is reported to be less than 15%, meaning the unwanted ‘mobile phone mountain’ is growing everyday. This vast amount of waste has led to the number of unused phones in the UK to 90million phones at an estimated value of more than £1Billion



Why should I recycle my mobile? The answer is quite simple really. Firstly, recycling an old mobile will reduce landfill enormously. Some batteries in mobile phones contain precious metals such as cadmium and mercury amongst others, which if sent to landfill can cause soil contamination. The leakage from one battery would be enough to contaminate 600,000 litres of water. Secondly, anyone that wants to recycle their mobile phone has the option to take cash or voucher payment for their phone. This is great news for individuals, clubs, schools or small organisations looking to earn a bit of extra money for themselves.

The process of recycling a phone could not be simpler and works in the following way. The user signs up for FREE to the recycling company, with no obligation to trade a phone. A welcome pack will be sent through the post containing all the necessary details and packaging to send your phone in. Use the website to find your phone from the lists provided and determine its trade in value. If you wish to trade or donate a phone, simply follow the instructions and post the phone in the FREEPOST packaging provided. Once the company has received your phone, they will check it over and would then contact you and inform you that payment will be made to you. Every person that signs up will have online access to check the process status of their mobile. Having an account means you can simply log back in next time you have another phone to trade and repeat the process. It’s easy and above all it’s totally free of charge.

What happens to my phone? The phones are assessed by the company, which will then decide what to do with each individual phone. Some will be reused in developing countries, some will be broken down into spares and others will be recycled for future products.

This is a win situation for all involved in the process. The user gets paid for something they don’t want and the levels of waste and pollution are reduced due to the recycling process.

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Air Conditioners

Central Air Conditioners

Almost eighty percent of the new U.S. houses are installing central air conditioning units while construction. While it may not have been necessary to have air conditioning several decades ago, it is quite uncomfortable not to have it now. But those having existing homes do not need to worry, as the central air conditioning units can even be set up in houses that have already been constructed!

If you are looking for the best central air conditioning unit, you need to keep certain points in mind.
The best way and most important thing when buying central air conditioning equipment is to have it installed by a qualified contractor.
When one talks about saving money through efficient air conditioning systems the topic of SEER usually comes up. SEER or seasonal energy efficiency ratio, rates the central air conditioning unit. You can actually save quite a lot in your electricity bills if you substitute your old and ineffective air conditioner with a new SEER rated central air conditioning set up. Heating, ventilation and air-conditioning (HVAC) manufacturers are responding to the challenges of increased energy costs by offering homeowners air-conditioning units that deliver new energy efficiency standards and reduce your energy usage.

Always consult a specialist engineering company, who will specify, design and install the correct air conditioning system for your needs. There are many reputable contractors specializing in the installation of air conditioning systems for both small and large homes. Large houses usually require a centralized air conditioning system and its installation is more complicated and labor intensive. There are various kinds of air conditioning systems depending on your needs, your home size and your budget.

Choosing Your Air Conditioner And Installer

There are a number of reasons why you should go for central air conditioning.
It is the most effective way of heating and cooling the entire home because it can supply the conditioned air directly to the rooms whether the internal doors are open or closed. Having said that, which brand or manufacturer should you consider? Good question, but in reality it depends on your budget and your expectations. It would be recommended that you retrieve at least 3 quotes from reputable businesses (not outlets like Home Depot) which specialize in air conditioning supply and installation.
These companies will have ties to certain manufacturers and as a result will push a brand they will make more money from. But if you are aware beforehand which brands you are interested in you will be more assured of getting a good deal on a system you have chosen not what they want you to have.

The back yard is the most common place to find a central air conditioning unit condenser unit (outdoor section). This information is important because a house's structure, window area, sun exposure, and climate will affect your central air conditioning needs. Again this is where you need specialist guidance from experienced installers. Make sure they look all over your home checking each room you want diffusers (ceiling outlets) in and note whether they check out the ceiling space, this small check is important as seasoned quoters / installers with experience will tell you that some ceiling spaces do not accommodate the ducting very well and can cause all sorts of difficulties during installation, you do not want the installer cutting corners (so to speak) trying to fit ductwork.
The electrical load on your home will be increased dramatically as a central A/C system is a large electrical user, some homes cannot accommodate this requirement and therefore need to have their mains upgraded. This can significantly increase the installation cost.

Maintenance Of Your Air Conditioning System

For your home central air conditioning system to last as long as possible, proper maintenance is a must. You probably recognize - as most homeowners do - that keeping your heating and air conditioning units running well is important. We tend to take our air conditioning for granted, and wonder how we ever got along without it, but we rarely check the system until it begins to blow out hot air.
Proper care of your air conditioning system like scheduled cleaning will also make it more efficient for a long time. If you have central air conditioning, it is important to keep the outside compressor compartment (condenser) as clean as possible. And of course the indoor return air filter must be kept clean also to improve the air flow throughout the home. There are not really many things the homeowner must do to keep their A/C happy other than cleaning and keeping the outdoor condenser free from debris and plant foliage.
If you do these you should receive many years of faithful service from your new central air conditioning system.

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Chemical Pesticides

Old Pesticides Never Die, They Just Won't Even Fade Away

Most of us don't know a whole lot about the pesticide DDT other than it almost caused the extinction of bald eagles and it was banned decades ago. Well, the first part is true—and we can thank the US ban on DDT, the Endangered Species Act, and the efforts of scientists and volunteers for bringing the eagles and other affected species back to a state of robust health. But the second part of the statement—that DDT was banned decades ago—is only partly true. DDT was banned in the United States but it is still used in a number of countries around the world.

Now, promoters of this toxic pesticide are linking DDT and malaria as a means for getting DDT un-banned. They argue that people in areas with malaria problems are being unfairly denied access to DDT, picture of mosquito biting which the flacks claim is the only solution possible for areas infested with malaria-carrying mosquitoes.

Is this true? Or is it just a ploy by corporations and their front men to restart the profit stream from the pesticide DDT? We'll find out in today's guest article, which was authored by Pesticide Action Network North America (PANNA).

DDT and Malaria: Setting the Record Straight

DDT is in the news again, promoted by a handful of aggressive advocates as a silver bullet solution to malaria in Africa. The DDT promoters' story goes something like this:

Malaria is killing people in Africa, but environmentalists care more about saving birds and are blocking the use of DDT to save people. DDT wiped out malaria in the US, but is now being denied to Africans. DDT is the best way to fight malaria. There are no health effects from DDT exposure, and its use should be widespread.

The only accurate part of this story is that malaria does kill millions of people in Africa every year, a preventable public health tragedy of catastrophic proportions. The rest of the story is false, but it is being pitched aggressively and effectively by well-funded sources to mainstream media outlets and members of Congress. A New York Times columnist even titled a recent article "What the World Needs Now is DDT."

Hold your horses, says Paul Saoke, M.D., Director of Physicians for Social Responsibility in Kenya: "DDT is a short-sighted response with long term consequences. While it may be effective in some cases where mosquitoes haven't yet developed resistance, it won't solve the malaria health crisis. Technical expertise and better malaria control methods already exist in Africa. It's only resources and political will that are lacking."

Public health experts, government officials, and environmentalists around the world support the approach to DDT taken by the Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs). The treaty targets DDT (along with eleven other dangerous chemicals) for global phase out, but allows exemptions for malaria control in countries that request it. This approach recognizes that in some cases, DDT can be an effective temporary tool for malaria control. Most importantly, the treaty also mobilizes desperately needed funds for malaria control and prevention, with an emphasis on safer, more effective strategies that don't further jeopardize the health of current and future generations.

DDT - Dichloro-Diphenyl-Trichloroethane

Malaria had been largely eliminated in the US by the time the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) first used DDT in spray campaigns in 1947. CDC's four-year spray effort was designed to prevent the reintroduction of malaria from troops coming home from World War II. Almost twenty years earlier, in 1928, the Public Health Service had already noted the decline of malaria in the US. The pockets that persisted in the South until the late 1930s were controlled by the Tennessee Valley Authority's efforts to:

* cut down on mosquito breeding sites by draining swamps, and
* protect the population by building well-screened houses.

According to one journalist investigating the issue, "About the best one CDC physician involved in the campaign could say about [the DDT campaign] was that 'we kicked a dying dog.' "

Both human health and the environmental impacts led to the 1972 DDT ban in the US, and we know even more today about DDT's human health effects than we did back then. DDT is classified by US and international authorities as a "probable" human carcinogen, and exposure is linked to human developmental disorders. Reproductive disorders associated with DDT are well documented in animal studies (which are scientists' primary tool for predicting human effects).

Recent studies have also linked DDT exposure to reduced breast-milk production among nursing women, and US researchers have found that the DDT breakdown product DDE is associated with increased risks of premature delivery and reduced infant birth weight. DDT and its breakdown products have also been found in human blood and breast milk in dozens of studies around the world.

The World Health Organization (WHO) tried to eradicate malaria worldwide with a massive DDT spraying program in the 1950s and '60s. While the program helped to control malaria in many places, wiping out malaria with DDT was an unrealistic goal that could not be met. One of the many reasons for the failure of this ambitious effort was resistance to DDT among malaria-carrying mosquitoes. Resistance was identified in Africa as early as 1955, and by 1972 nineteen species of mosquito worldwide were resistant to DDT.

DDT intended for public health use is often diverted to illegal agricultural use, hastening the development of resistant mosquito populations. More effective and safer approaches to malaria control are now being used in many countries. For example, Mexico uses an integrated approach that combines:

* early detection of malaria cases and prompt medical treatment,
* community participation in notification of malaria cases and cleaning of streams and other sites where mosquitoes breed; and
* low-volume chemical control with pyrethroid pesticides.
When DDT is used for malaria control, it is usually sprayed on the walls inside homes, so risk of exposure is very high. Researchers in Mexico and South Africa found elevated levels of DDT in the blood of those living where DDT was used to control malaria, and breast-fed children in those areas received more DDT than the amount considered "safe" by WHO and the UN Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO).

Evidence also shows that long-lasting residues from DDT house spraying seep into nearby waterways, creating additional pathways of exposure. For example, elevated DDT levels have been found in cow's milk in areas using indoor DDT treatments. In many countries, this adds to exposure from old stockpiles of DDT that are not properly contained or controlled. FAO estimates there are more than 100,000 tons of obsolete pesticide stockpiles in Africa, mostly older chemicals such as DDT.

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LED lights for Energy Saving

Improving Our World One LED Light at a Time
LED lights are a wonderful invention that has changed the way the world is lit. Not only are they long lasting, they have many environmental benefits. LED lights are four times more efficient than a regular incandescent light bulb and last 10 times as long. LED lights also use between 50 and 80 percent less energy than an incandescent bulb.

LED lights are considerably less expensive to operate, however are a little more expensive to purchase. LED home lighting requires only one third of the energy that an incandescent bulb will use. A single 18-watt LED light can replace a 75-watt incandescent and in the lifetime of the LED light, will save 570 kWh of energy. At a basic eight cents per kilowatt rate, that equals $45 dollars in energy bill savings.

By switching to low energy LED home lighting in your home, even one bulb will keep one half of a ton of carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere through the lifetime of the bulb instead of using incandescent bulbs. Switching also keeps sulfur oxide and nuclear waste out of the atmosphere as well, leading to a cleaner world and one that will last much longer. By simply switching, our environment could easily revitalize itself without having to deal with the excess carbon dioxide, sulfur oxide and nuclear waste emissions that are currently being released into the atmosphere every day. Even changing one lonely bulb in every home to LED home lighting would make a significant impact on the environment.

If every home in the United States were to switch to LED home lighting, 90 power plants could be retired, a potentially powerful impact to the long-term health of the environment. Being energy efficient and environmentally conscious doesn’t have to disrupt your entire life. The switch is as difficult as changing one light bulb in your home, the results of which would save you money on your electricity bill each month. Just one home lighting fixture, one light bulb can be a positive step forward for your household. Take a look around your home and count how many bulbs you use and consider how often you change them. Say, for example that you change a bulb every two months. Now, consider that by changing them all to LED lighting for your home, you could leave them and not have to replace them for 20 months. The slightly higher upfront costs of LED lights make sense.

LED lighting is finding its way into many niche markets. You can get a LED flashlight that also uses less battery energy, ensuring that the next time the power goes out in your home, you can be confident that your batteries will last. There are also LED lanterns that you can choose from that are ideal for camping or hunting. They last for considerably longer than other lanterns because they use 10 times less energy to run than standard incandescent bulbs and even less energy than a kerosene lantern.

For LED home lighting, there are many options available other than just bulbs. You can find LED light fixtures for your home, indoor and out, that will provide low energy, environmentally-friendly lighting that can save you money on your energy bill.

We all are challenged to do our part to conserve energy. By making small adjustments to the way we live, we can begin to make an impact on our world. One small change we all can make is to switch our home and outdoor light fixtures to LED light options. There are a large number of options for LED home lighting and LED camping and hunting outdoor equipment available on the market, all of which provide the energy efficiency benefits inherent in LED products. The benefits can become apparent very quickly as we begin to see our energy bill costs reduce over a period of a few months.


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Nuclear Power

Nuclear Power becomes Popular Again

Construction of nuclear power plants declined following the 1986 disaster at Chernobyl. Lately, there has been renewed interest in nuclear energy from national governments, the public, and some notable environmentalists due to increased oil prices, new passively safe designs of plants, and the low emission rate of greenhouse gas which some governments need to meet the standards of the Kyoto Protocol. A few reactors are under construction, and several new types of reactors are planned.

As of 2006 there are 442 licensed nuclear power reactors in operation in the world, operating in 31 different countries. Nuclear power plants currently provide about 17 percent of the world's electricity, yet how much of the world's current and future environmental problems does Nuclear Power contribute to? Nuclear power has both powerful enemies and friends but does the bottom line come down to costs? The December 2005 World Nuclear Association report The New Economics of Nuclear Power states that "Nuclear power is cost competitive with other forms of electricity generation, except where there is direct access to low-cost fossil fuels". The need for cheap energy can not be argued when every week price increases are announced from all the gas and electricity suppliers in the UK. The Ukraine recently had their gas supply stopped by Russia, how long is it before this happens to the UK? Do we not need to be self-sufficient when it comes to the generation of power? Can renewable energy not begin to take a larger role in this supply? See GuideMeGreens green directory for renewable energy companies and recycled products in the UK.

The report goes on to say that fuel costs for nuclear plants are a minor proportion of total generating costs, though capital costs are greater than those for coal-fired plants. At the NIA 2006 launch of the Commission's position paper on the role of nuclear it confirmed "that nuclear is a low carbon technology with an impressive safety record in the UK" and "Nuclear could generate large quantities of electricity, contribute to stabilising CO2 emissions and add to the diversity of the UK's energy supply." While we have an impressive record of safety in the UK, Chernobyl has proved that a nuclear accident thousands of miles away can effect the UK for decades to come. The Tsunami also caused problems at Nuclear Power plants around Asia as the plants are built near the sea due to the large amount of water needed to cool the rectors. Greenpeace has always fought vigorously against nuclear power because they believe that it is an unacceptable risk to the environment and to humanity and that the only solution is to halt the expansion of all nuclear power, and for the shutdown of existing plants.

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Stop Global Warming

Three Things You Can Do to Stop Global Warming

If you wish to prevent further global warming, you must be willing to set aside the cultural norms by which you currently live, and accept that you and everyone you know must sooner or later learn to live on a fraction of the energy you currently consume. By all counts, there is no other way.

The earth is large but finite. The result of the enormous human population and the environmental impact of our current way of life is that we are rapidly extinguishing the Earth's biodiversity and degrading most ecosystems, creating a bleak future for ourselves.

There are numerous ways in which our learning to live with less will take place; there is no single, magic button solution that will solve the problem of global warming. The following tips discuss some of most potent possibilities, in that implementing them will cut out or reduce some of your most significant personal contributions to global warming:

Global Warming Prevention Tip #1: Sell your car

Yup, the past century of personal motorized travel has been a very convenient, luxurious, and enjoyable demonstration of grossly unsustainable human activity. According to the Energy Information Administration (http://www.eia.doe.gov/), the transportation sector overtook industry as the biggest US producer of carbon emissions in 1999, and motor fuel accounts for 60% of total US production of carbon emissions over the past 20 years. You probably contribute to these emissions in a variety of ways, but you have the greatest ability to reduce the role you play in this by changing how you relate to your car.

One of the best alternatives to owning your own car is to join a car co-op. In fact, car co-ops now operate in a growing number of cities around the world. Go here to find the closest car sharing option to you: http://www.carsharing.net/where.html

No care sharing going on in your area? You can start your own--check out http://www.relocalize.net/guide/carcoop for a primer.

If you cannot yet relinquish your car, make mileage efficiency the top deciding factor in choosing a vehicle, and start working now on any changes you need to make in your life to let you get rid of your car as soon as possible.

Public transportation is the only reasonable, long-term solution to the majority of our transport needs. It is slowly improving as US cities confront the impacts of an infrastructure built around cars and trucks. It will only get better when you demand adequate services; vote with your feet (and bring all your friends!) to demonstrate the need.

Global Warming Prevention #2: Buy local, eat local

You may have noticed the proliferation of farmer's markets around the country over the past decade or so. This is not just a quaint fad, but rather a vital, direct-action opportunity to reduce your global warming impact and increase local food security. When you buy local (and this goes for anything, not just produce), you support local, sustainable economic growth by keeping farmers and other primary producers at work, and your money working to bolster your local economy instead of supporting executives and corporate investors.

The long-distance transport of food and other goods comes with a heavy ecological cost;the average meal on your plate in the US has traveled 2000 miles to get to you, which helps to explain why every calorie of food you consume costs an average of ten calories of energy to produce it. That imbalance is a major contributor to global warming, pouring carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases into the atmosphere at a far greater rate than the oceans and vegetation can store or reprocess them.

One great resource to help you buy and eat more locally is: http://www.localharvest.org/

A partial change is better than no change; you probably can't eliminate processed and imported goods from your life tomorrow, but the more needs you can meet locally, the more you reduce your carbon footprint and contribute to the prevention of further global warming.

Global Warming Prevention Tip #3: Make your local government part of the solution

No politician interested in reelection is going to sponsor the kind of legislation required to alleviate our massive responsibility for global warming without an organized citizenry pushing for better climate legislation. Only when citizen activism shifts this topic into the mainstream will the government move to act on it substantively. Influcing the federal government on this issue may seem daunting, but pushing your local government to take action on global warming may bear fruit quickly (for help, check out http://www.coolcities.us).

Your personal action matters. Sell your car, buy your food from local sources, and pressure your governments to act. Most important of all, be vocal with friends, family, and strangers alike about why you're making these changes, and what is at stake.

Many people are making changes to combat climate change, but we need you to join us right away. Start here and now. It can be done.

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Going Green In Your Office

Going Green In Your Office The Easy Way

Many of us want to be responsible citizens of the Earth. We think about the effects our lifestyles have on the environment. We are concerned about global warming. We want to ensure our children's future on this planet is one that still has clean air to breathe, an abundance of trees and wildlife, and clean water to drink. However, many of us also think that the sacrifices might be too great to "go green" in our own office. Good news. It's not as difficult as you think.

There are 3 areas where you can make a significant impact without significant expense or inconvenience: paper, lights, and electronics.

The average American office worker throws out about 150 pounds of paper per year. Paper manufacturing contributes to the deforestation of the planet and in America is responsible for 35 million tons of CO2 a year. So what can you do? Buy recycled paper. Make full use of that paper by printing on both sides and/or using paper that is only printed on one side for scratch paper. Do your proofreading and edits on your computer before printing to reduce the number of prints you make. Re-use file folders by placing new labels over the old ones. All of these changes are easy to make but have a big impact. Pretty painless, right?

Another way you can go green in your office is as easy as changing a light bulb. In fact, it is changing a light bulb. Incandescent bulbs use 4 times more energy than is necessary to produce light. Halogen lights can get as hot as 1,100 degrees Fahrenheit. That's hot enough to cook an egg! Alternately, Energy Star certified compact fluorescent lights (CFL's) use 75% less energy to produce the same amount of light, last 10 times longer and produce less heat. If you feel like you need even more reason to switch to CFL's, consider that you will also save money over the lifetime of the bulb. Once you have made the switch to energy efficient bulbs, make sure lights are turned off when they are not needed. A great way to ensure that this happens is with motion sensors that will turn the lights off when everyone has left the room.

38% of all of the carbon dioxide emissions come from the electricity we generate. That electricity is used to power all sorts of things. A major drain on our electricity is all of our office equipment such as computers, copiers, printers, and fax machines. When going green with your electronics, you need to look at 3 factors. You need to consider the waste that is created in the manufacturing of the products, the effects on the environment when you use the products, and the waste that is created when you are done with the products. That may seem like a lot to think about but if you follow these simple guidelines, you will be able to minimize the negative impact your office equipment has on the environment.

The manufacturing of electronics uses a lot of resources including electricity, raw materials, and water. Electronics also account for billions of pounds of municipal waste each year. Just a few of the contaminants that electronics create are toxic heavy metals, lead, PCB's, mercury, and various acids. To lessen your office's affect on the number of new pieces of equipment that are manufactured, as well as end up in land fills, buy all-in-one machines that combine multiple functions into one. Whenever possible, get rid of machines completely by using services such as Internet fax. With an Internet fax service you get rid of the fax machine completely, as well as reduce the amount of paper and ink that gets consumed. Another way to decrease waste is to recycle machines that are no longer working and donate those that do to charities where they will stay in use.

25% of the total electricity used by all commercial buildings in the US is consumed by office buildings. When buying any new office equipment, look for Energy Star certified machines. This will make a huge difference in the amount of electricity that is used to run your office. For example, an Energy Star certified computer is going to be 52% more efficient than a standard one. Laptops also use a lot less energy than desktops, so consider whether this is a viable option for your office. Energy efficient machines are also going to have stand by options that will power down or go into sleep mode to conserve energy when not in use. Once the office is closing for the day, make sure that all equipment is powered off.

Taking these steps will get you on your way to going green in your office. And as I promised, they will help you make a significant impact without significant cost or inconvenience to you and your employees. And you thought going green was going to be hard.

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Global Warming vs Climate Change

The Important Differences Between "Climate Change" and "Global Warming"

Global Warming — The Heat is On

Many people in the media (and elsewhere) use the terms "climate change" and "global warming" interchangeably, as if they were the same thing. But there are differences between the meanings of the two terms. Getting a better handle on the definitions of and differences between "global warming" and "climate change" will help us understand why the threat caused by continued warming of the planet is so serious.

Planet Earth's current warming trend is based largely on natural warming and cooling cycles that have been happening for eons; as well as human-caused additions to greenhouse gases, which are boosting the atmosphere's ability to trap heat in the biosphere. Minor factors like an overall increase in the sun's solar intensity play a smaller role.

While greenhouse gases are an essential component of a livable planet—they're what keep Earth from being a lifeless ball of ice—humans are causing greenhouse gas levels to increase so quickly that it's causing the average global temperature to rise much faster than it would naturally.

This warming is predicted to lead to a variety of negative effects, including:

* Melting (and possible disappearance) of glaciers and mountain snow caps that feed the world's rivers and supply a large portion of the fresh water used for drinking and irrigation.
* A rise in sea levels due to the melting of the land-based ice sheets in Greenland and Antarctica, with many islands and coastal areas ending up more exposed to storm damage or even underwater.
* picture of hurricane Increasingly costly "bad weather" events such as heat waves, droughts, floods, and severe storms.
* Lowered agricultural productivity due to less favorable weather conditions, less available irrigation water, increased heat stress to plants, and an increase in pest activity due to warmer temperatures.
* Increases in vector-borne infectious diseases like malaria and Lyme Disease.
* Large numbers of extinctions of higher-level species due to their inability to adapt to rapidly changing climate and habitat conditions.

The first two of these effects are mostly related to increasing average temperatures. Items 3-6 are related to heat too, but also playing a role are non-temperature factors—i.e. "climate-change factors.

Definition

Global Warming — An overall warming of the planet, based on average temperature over the entire surface.

Climate Change — Changes in regional climate characteristics, including temperature, humidity, rainfall, wind, and severe weather events.

How Does Your Garden Grow ... In a Desert?

Beyond mere "weather," we can also think of a region's climate as a place in which things live—a la, "a hospitable climate." Therein lies the real danger of global warming—climate change will affect the success or failure of how plants and animals live in a given geographic area, including food crops.

We think of the Central Valley of California as a lush, agriculturally productive landscape, but central California's climate is actually quite dry. Without intensive use of irrigation, the land would not produce the volume or variety of food it does now. So, what if increasing temperatures cause less snow pack to accumulate in the mountains each year, leading to lower river flows and less water available for irrigation in California's agricultural areas? What if changes in rainfall patterns make central California's climate even drier? How much would crop output fall?

This is just one example of how global warming could lead to a regional climate change that would cause a big difference in local economics and the national food supply.

Wrap-Up

There are important differences between global warming and climate change, but the two are closely intertwined in determining the climate futures for the regions where we live. Predictions of regional impacts are beginning to emerge from climate models. There are regions that will get some benefits, but most of the predicted effects around the world are bad—bad enough that we need to quickly start fixing our greenhouse gas emissions.

There are solutions, but most leaders today are offering only low-impact solutions that will not truly solve the problem. We need to be talking about how to cut greenhouse gas emissions by 50%-80% over the next few decades, not dithering over minimalist efforts like how to get back to 1990 levels by the year 2020.

Some leaders just offer excuses about why no action is possible, citing "the economy" as a reason to continue ignoring the problem. But a recent report from the British government about the economic damage that will be caused by inaction on climate change makes it clear that continued delay is unwise, even from an economic standpoint.

Many of the actions necessary to solve the global warming problem must be attacked at the national and international levels. But in the US, states and cities are thus far in the lead on implementing solutions. In the end, total success will have to be built on our actions as individuals (regardless of country), from energy conservation to vehicle choices to what we demand of our leaders.
You too can be part of these global warming solutions!

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Green Planet!

Go Green or Go Home
Local, city, county, state and the federal governments should be first to "go green." Politicians should not be elected to public office unless they agree to convert every government building and vehicle to renewable energy. There are at least three reasons why this should be so.

When all levels of government are taken into account, they control 40% of the economy. With that kind of economic incentive anyone who wants to sell to the government will hasten to meet the demands of its largest single buyer. Government will no longer have to pass laws to enforce cafe standards for instance. Rather the Government will simply tell auto companies, we want to replace our fleet of vehicles but will not buy anything that does get at least 50 mpg if it is gasoline based, or it must be a hybrid, or it must be fueled with renewable fuels.



Another reason Government should go green first is national security. Part of every oil dollar paid for Middle Eastern oil goes directly into the pocket of terrorists. If we convert to renewable fuels that we control, we defund terrorism and protect ourselves simultaneously.

Yet another reason to heed Al Gore’s clarion call on global warming is economic security. OPEC can not ruin our economy if we convert to renewable fuels that we control.

And finally, suppose Gore is right? When anyone hypes anything as much as AL Gore hypes global warming, I have my doubts. But I can’t see what is harmed by going green so why not? The military is doing some research on alternative and renewable energy. Whoever is the next president of the United States should institute a “Go Green or Go Home” policy for the military. Those who come up with energy saving devices or methods as well as those who implement alternative or renewable fuels should rise quickly through the ranks. Those who don’t should be encouraged to seek employment elsewhere. As resourceful as marines are, for instance, I would bet they could make surprising advances in fueling everything from jeeps to an entire base through alternative means if left to their own devices. The military has through it’s contractors developed the most effective weapons in the world. If this same level of effort is turned toward greening the military we will be a safer, more secure, and more independent nation. We will create new jobs and industries and the air and water will get cleaner as a benefit.

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Solar Energy

The Alternative Source of Energy

The fact is that the cost of energy keeps rising, and alone is forcing people to look the other direction for cheaper alternatives to energy. Solar energy has been one of the alternatives that people have found to have cheaper energy. Solar energy offers one more than one advantage, but it also has its limitations.

Solar energy is controlling the sun to create energy. The sun is a renewable source of energy. It is available to everybody around the world, and through research people have found a way to capture the energy of the sun and put it to use.

To use solar energy, one has to find a way to capture energy. This is where solar panels come in. Solar panels collect the energy of the sun. That energy that is collected may be converted to power or it may be stored and used later.

If you are collecting the sun's energy, it is important that you have a storage unit. The reason being is that the sun is not around on rainy days to produce energy for those that require and depend on it. At night and also on cloudy days, the sun and also its power are not always available. In order to have an effective and efficient energy unit it is important that there is a way that the energy that it collects is stored and not used immediately, but may be used later.



There will definitely be times that you will require a backup source. One needs to have constant energy supplied by the sun if they are dependent on it. Again, it is important to have an energy unit that is able to collect and store energy. This will require when the sun is available but is not strong enough to produce the required amount of energy that is needed by those that depend on it.

A known reason why people use solar energy is to provide heat. The transformation that involves heating is little energy, and this means it is a perfect way to use solar energy. A common use for the energy is for cooling. However, using solar energy for this can be expensive. This method involves phases and changes that consumes the energy and then cools it down.

Another reason people are using solar energy is that it can be converted into electricity. There are many countries that suffer from blackouts, and instead of using a generator they have turned to solar energy. Solar energy can power any electrical device just like electricity.

Photovoltaic cells converts solar energy to electricity. Photovoltaic cells are able to generate 32.3% electricity, and this generation rate is better than the generation of ordinary electricity. The thing is that the technology that is available to allow the generation rate of an average photovoltaic cell is 15%, and this makes its efficiency quite low compared to the way electricity is generated normally.

Technology will improve and the use of solar energy and being used for electricity will be a real idea. Solar energy will soon be playing a major part in the generation of electricity.


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