Environmental Articles
Americans Get Serious About Recycling
(category: Environmental, Word count: 286)
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At home, at work and at school, Americans have successfully engaged in recycling programs-and one of the best success stories is paper.
In 2005, a record-high 51.5 percent (51.3 million tons) of all paper consumed in the U.S. was recovered for recycling. The American Forest & Paper Association (AF&PA) hopes to increase that number and has set an ambitious goal of 55 percent recovery by 2012.
Every American can do his or her part. Although each community's recycling programs may be different, you can generally recycle newspapers, corrugated containers (cardboard), direct mail, magazines and catalogs. Check with your local municipality to find out what you can and cannot recycle.
The AF&PA Recycling Awards were created to recognize outstanding individual, business community and school paper recycling efforts. In 2006, the program was expanded to include a category for schools.
This year's award winners are:
Ed Hurley Memorial Paper Recycling Award (for individual achievement)
(*) Joel Ostroff, Macon County, North Carolina
AF&PA Business Leadership Recycling Awards
(*) Small Business: Bluegrass Regional Recycling Corporation, Richmond, Kentucky
(*) Large Business: Brewer Science, Inc., Rolla, Missouri
AF&PA Community Recycling Awards
(*) Small Community: North-field, Minnesota
(*) Large Community: Seattle, Washington
AF&PA School Recycling Awards
(*) Classroom: Heber Springs High School, Heber Springs, Arkansas
(*) Schoolwide: Mountain Home High School, Mountain Home, Arkansas
(*) College & University: tie between the University of Colorado at Boulder in Boulder, Colorado, and the University of Oregon in Eugene, Oregon
"This year's Recycling Award winners have exhibited innovation and social responsibility," said AF&PA President & CEO W. Henson Moore. "Their accomplishments in recycling have set new precedents."
Kids And Trees Grow With The Environmental Three R S
(category: Environmental, Word count: 659)
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Every day in America, each man, woman and child generates nearly four pounds of trash. That's over one trillion pounds of solid waste or 365 trillion pounds each year. It's a staggering statistic when you consider the environmental effect that much garbage has on our fragile ecosystem.
As adults, it's easy to forget the importance of the 3 R's our world depends on-reducing, reusing and recycling-for the health and safety of future generations. It's those future generations-our children-that will bear the consequences of today's environmental mismanagement, unless an effort is made to improve upon current behaviors.
For the third year, one hotel company is stepping up to the task, helping kids to think globally and act locally by educating them on how to properly care for the environment. With help from The National Arbor Day Foundation, Doubletree Hotels is distributing an environmentally focused lesson plan that provides the framework for taking would-be waste and recycling it into artistic treasures to thousands of elementary school students in the U.S. and Canada.
The education initiative is an extension of the hotel's Teaching Kids to CARE program, a community outreach initiative that pairs hotel properties with elementary schools and youth groups to educate children about making conscious decisions about environmental care. This spring, Teaching Kids to CARE volunteers and children will create "litter critters," a reduced, reused and recycled representation of animals in the world hurt by litter, and will plant more than 10,000 seedling trees across the U.S. and Canada.
For those parents (and mentors) wanting to engage their kids (or nieces, nephews and grandkids) in environmentally conscious activities, here are a few tips:
1. Recycling is Fun-Pass it On-Recycling isn't all about aluminum cans and old newspapers. Encourage your kids to start their own recycling program in which they share old toys, books and games with their friends and classmates. One child's trash is another child's treasure and by "passing it on," kids will learn that they can reduce waste by recycling their old things so that others can reuse them.
2. Become a Habitat Hero-Challenge your children to gather up all their friends and classmates to help clean up a park or schoolyard (with parental supervision). Whoever collects the most trash wins the "Habitat Hero" award and prize (as decided upon by you).
3. Plant a "Family Tree"-Take your kids to a garden or home store and allow them to help pick out a young tree. (Make sure to check that it can survive in your climate region.) Plant the tree in a special location as a family, assigning a different task (digging, planting, watering) to each family member. Make sure to document the activity with a photo, so kids can remember how small the tree was when they planted it.
4. You CAN Make a Difference-Encourage your children to save empty aluminum cans, then take a weekly trip to a nearby "Cash for Cans" drop-off location. Decide with your kids how best to use the money they've collected from their recycling efforts to better the environment. Options to consider include volunteering for tree planting projects, adopting a local stretch of highway to be beautified and maintained or donating the money to a local environmental organization.
5. Pulp to Paper-This fun, hands-on project shows kids how old newspapers are recycled back into fresh newspapers. Have your child tear a half page of newspaper into small, one-inch pieces. Fill buckets or bowls with one-part newspaper and two-parts water and let soak for several hours. Using a hand mixer, "pulp" the fibers in the paper until the mixture looks like mush. Take a handful of pulp and place it on a piece of felt, molding it to the size of the piece of paper you want to make, and press it firmly to squeeze out excess water. Let the paper dry for one or two days and voil
Clean Vacationing
(category: Environmental, Word count: 414)
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Admit it. When the sun is out and you are at your favorite campsite or cottage on the lake the last thing you want to do is spend a lot of time cooking a meal. Often, when vacationing, the lure to purchase instant foods is strong. Unfortunately, these convenience foods often come over packaged usually including some type of plastic. As we can see when we come across trash in the wilderness, the plastics tend to linger the longest - other than maybe glass and metal. Nothing ruins the feel of a pristine, natural area more than a bunch of garbage. Numerous studies prove that tourists return to an area primarily for its cleanliness and greenery. In this era where the economy has come to rely more on tourism, cleaning up is truly a benefit for the community.
We soon realized that walking by these messes and complaining over such disrespect, we were behaving not much better than the polluters who left it. Now when we hike we pack a supply of plastic bags (grocery bags work well) to clean up as we go. Often we earn up to $10 in returnable bottles and cans in the process. When you take a bit of time to clean up some trash not only do you have a better trail or beach to come back to, you have helped to make it safer and nicer for the next user. This simple measure just might influence others to keep it clean, as well.
When on the water with the canoe we also clean as we go by diving for garbage below the surface using a mask and snorkel. It is amazing the finds we have from these excursions under water. One of the first times we did this, we found an expensive diving mask in about 30 feet of water - enough incentive to continue this practice! We have found antique bottles, jewelry, fishing lures and reels.
It feels very good to clear up a beach of shards of broken glass hiding just below the surface before an unwary swimmer splashes into it. It does not, however, feel as good to find a large fish hook by imbedding it in the bottom of your foot. Take heart in knowing you have done a good thing as your expletive echoes off the far mountainside. Imagine an innocent child stepping on that hook instead of you and decide if it is worth taking the time...
America S Beauty Is Everywhere You Make It
(category: Environmental, Word count: 331)
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Each spring, as Americans head for the great outdoors, millions of volunteers rally for the nation's largest annual community improvement program. It's a great way to enjoy some fresh air, spend quality time with the family, meet new friends and make a difference in your community's environment. Over 15,000 communities across the nation are rallying to clean up, green up and fix up their neighborhoods. Their combined efforts preserve America's natural beauty for all to enjoy.
Keeping America beautiful does not have to be a daunting task; there are many ways to lend a hand. People can get involved by joining in one or more of the 30,000 Great American Cleanup activities taking place throughout all 50 states through the end of May. Anytime of the year, you can follow these five steps for combating litter, reducing waste and beautifying communities:
(*) Recycle. Find out how to recycle in your area and do your part. Also, try to "complete the loop" by purchasing recycled products whenever possible.
(*) Reuse the products you can. There are hundreds of uses for everyday items such as plastic grocery bags, food and beverage containers or scrap paper.
(*) Properly dispose of cigarette butts. If you smoke, carry a personal ashtray and always use public ashtrays when smoking outdoors. Quitting smoking is good for both your health and the environment.
(*) Create a beautiful green space by planting trees, flowers and shrubs in an area in need of improvement in your community.
(*) Teach a child about personal responsibility, the environment and recycling. It's important that future generations understand and respect the environment. Hands-on community improvement events like the Great American Cleanup are a great way to spend some time with the kids.
America's companies are also dedicated to supporting and sponsoring the efforts for the 2006 Great American Cleanup. The 2006 Great American Cleanup National Sponsors are American Honda Motor Company, Inc., Firestone Complete Auto Care™ TiresPlus
Live And Let Live Nature S Message
(category: Environmental, Word count: 381)
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Both now-discarded Lamarckism (the supposed inheritance of acquired characteristics) and Evolution Theory postulate that function determines form. Natural selection rewards those forms best suited to carry out the function of survival ("survival of the fittest") in each and every habitat (through the mechanism of adaptive radiation).
But whose survival is natural selection concerned with? Is it the survival of the individual? Of the species? Of the habitat or ecosystem? These three - individual, species, habitat - are not necessarily compatible or mutually reinforcing in their goals and actions.
If we set aside the dewy-eyed arguments of altruism, we are compelled to accept that individual survival sometimes threatens and endangers the survival of the species (for instance, if the individual is sick, weak, or evil). As every environmental scientist can attest, the thriving of some species puts at risk the existence of whole habitats and ecological niches and leads other species to extinction.
To prevent the potential excesses of egotistic self-propagation, survival is self-limiting and self-regulating. Consider epidemics: rather than go on forever, they abate after a certain number of hosts have been infected. It is a kind of Nash equilibrium. Macroevolution (the coordinated emergence of entire groups of organisms) trumps microevolution (the selective dynamics of species, races, and subspecies) every time.
This delicate and self-correcting balance between the needs and pressures of competing populations is manifest even in the single organism or species. Different parts of the phenotype invariably develop at different rates, thus preventing an all-out scramble for resources and maladaptive changes. This is known as "mosaic evolution". It is reminiscent of the "invisible hand of the market" that allegedly allocates resources optimally among various players and agents.
Moreover, evolution favors organisms whose rate of reproduction is such that their populations expand to no more than the number of individuals that the habitat can support (the habitat's carrying capacity). These are called K-selection species, or K-strategists and are considered the poster children of adaptation.
Live and let live is what evolution is all about - not the law of the jungle. The survival of all the species that are fit to survive is preferred to the hegemony of a few rapacious, highly-adapted, belligerent predators. Nature is about compromise, not about conquest.
Do You Realize You Already Use Biomass Fuel In Your Vehicle
(category: Environmental, Word count: 400)
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The call has gone out from President Bush to kick our oil habit. For many people, the mention of biomass as a fuel source was a new concept. Little did they realize they have already been putting it into their cars. Nope, that isn't your dad's gas anymore.
There are Plants in My Gasoline?
In his State of the Union speech, President Bush made much of the alternative fuel sources available these days. While he should be commended for promoting their use, he perhaps was a bit vague in regard to how far along we are in using biofuels for cars. Most people don't realize that most government vehicles are already using bioethanol and have been doing so for a number of years. Yep, the government has already switched to bioethanol to improve vehicle performance and reduce air pollution. Now, how often does that occur?
Ethanol is the most widely used biomass fuel for cars these days. In excess of 2.8 BILLION gallons of bio ethanol were used as a gasoline additive in the U.S in 2003. Ethanol is a form of alcohol. It is produced through a process strikingly similar to the beer you find in your local tavern or store. Cellulosic biomass [plant pulp] is turned to mush. The mush is converted to base sugars and those sugars are fermented just like wine and beer. The ethanol is then separated from the sugars giving you instant fuel. This process is considered a biomass production because the starting point is a plant. , and most is made using a process similar to brewing beer where starch crops are converted into sugars, the sugars are fermented into ethanol, and then the ethanol is distilled into its final form.
In 1990, numerous cities and states were suffering massive pollution problems. Politics being what it is, nobody at the state level was doing much about the problem. Enter the Clean Air Act Amendments of 1990. These acts included language mandating the sale of oxygenated to cut down on carbon monoxide emissions from cars. The oxygenation was produced by adding bioethanol to the gasoline.
When you're filling up your car, have you ever notice the patch on the pump with oxygenation language? If so, you were using gasoline with bioethanol in it. And they didn't even tell you.
Uses Of Wind Turbines
(category: Environmental, Word count: 615)
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Wind is a powerful source of energy that has been harnessed for different uses for centuries. More and more scientists and researchers feel that wind can be used effectively as a renewable energy source and this can be done only when power within the moving air can be harnessed properly.
The Wind Energy Industry has grown rapidly since the 1990's and is considered as one of the fastest growing sectors in the power generation industry. Some of the European countries have even installed wind turbines that have been in operation for almost 20 years now and this entire operation has been extremely successful as well. Using wind turbines to harness wind power to create energy have brought down the production costs and are viable option for the coal fired power stations.
According to a study, the UK has the largest potential wind energy resource in the entire Europe and hence wind is being regarded their most promising future source of renewable energy technologies. As of today the wind turbines in the UK are producing electricity that is being delivered to almost 390,000 households and reaching around 1 million people. A salient point of the use of wind energy is that it has reduced carbon dioxide emissions by almost 1.46 million tones per annum.
The question is how can wind be converted into energy? The answer is: by using a wind turbine. The wind turbine is basically a type of rotating device just like a huge fan that can convert the kinetic energy present in the wind into mechanical energy. When this mechanical energy is used by any type of machinery like a pump then such a machine is known as a windmill. If the same mechanical energy is converted to electricity then the machine that does the conversion is called a wind generator or a wind turbine. It is also known as a wind energy converter (WEC) or a wind power unit (WPU).
Surprisingly the first use of the wind machines was for grinding grains as early as 200 B.C in Persia. It was also introduced in the prosperous and powerful Roman Empire in 250 A.D. The year 1900 saw the maximum number of windmills being used in Denmark. Almost 2500 windmills were installed to provide the much needed mechanical load to pumps and gave a peak power of 30MW.
Why Wind Turbines should be used?
Wind turbines can effectively help in creating mechanical energy, which can be used for multiple purposes including assisting in the generation of power and electricity. Some of the other uses include:
* One of the salient points is that there is only a one time installation cost after which the electricity that is produced using a wind turbine will be free.
* It is a source of clean renewable energy that will not generate any greenhouse gases or emit carbon dioxide or even produce any dangerous wastes.
* Each unit of electricity produced by a wind turbine displaces one from every conventional power station. Wind turbines have been commissioned in the UK and have been extremely successful in prevent the emission of almost one and a three-quarter millions tonnes of carbon dioxide every year.
* Wind is a reliable and abundant source. UK being the windiest country in Europe has abundance of wind energy that can be used for making electricity.
* Wind power contributes significantly to the overall energy generation in any country. Denmark is one of the countries that gets almost 20% of its electricity from wind power
* Wind turbines use an extremely robust technology that is designed for operation locally as well as remotely and requires only periodic maintenance.
Goku Friends The Invasion Of Dragon Ball Z
(category: Environmental, Word count: 411)
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Dragon Ball Z is an anime show that has gone from cult following to smash sensation in the United States. What started out as a cult following among high school and college students has spread to enjoy a more mainstream popularity among these younger groups, while continuing to expand through other demographics. A Japanese creation, this show in many ways opened the door for others to follow.
Dragon Ball Z is the middle instillation of a three part anime trilogy. The whole thing started out with Dragon Ball, then went to Dragon Ball Z, and finally ends with Dragon Ball GT. While Dragon Ball had a cult following, it was Dragon Ball Z that really caught mainstream popularity in the United States. Dragon Ball Z started as a Japanese manga comic in the 1980's. Since then it has exploded into a truly international phenomenon spawning over 500 episodes, 17 movies/features and generating over $3 billion in merchandise, making it perhaps the most successful anime/mange in history. Dragon Ball Z has hit number one internationally, including the United States, Japan, France, Spain, Hong Kong, and Mexico.
Dragon Ball Z follows the adventures of Goku, who along with the Z Warriors, defends the Earth against evil. Their adventures are extremely action packed, sometimes with an entire episode being nothing but one amazing fight scene. This makes the show very entertaining, and the story line reinforces the concept of good versus evil. Dragon Ball Z teaches valuable character virtues such as teamwork, loyalty, and honor.
Akira Toriyama, the creator of the Dragon Ball franchise, was involved in the concept, approval and character designs for Dragon Ball Z, as well as Dragon Ball GT. Dragon Ball Z, the second part of the Trilogy, consists of 291 episodes. Dragon Ball Z arrived in the U.S. in 1996 and still continues today. The Dragon Ball Z DVDs are the highest selling anime DVDs, and Dragon Ball Z clothing has become very fashionable for teenagers and college students.
Dragon Ball Z is not going to fade away any time soon. Its good versus evil epic story line, fantastic animation, and intense battle sequences promise to keep the show popular for years to come, and after the sale of a million DVDs, it is safe to say that Goku and the Z team have made an impact far beyond what the original magna creator could ever have dreamed.
Global Warming Fact Or Fiction
(category: Environmental, Word count: 516)
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Some people who have studied global issues would say there was no such thing as global warming and it is all a big hoax. However, others disagree and believe that since the industrial revolution, we are having a negative affect on our environment.
The best place to start is to look at what we have already been led to believe.
The Greenhouse effect is the relationship between the earth and the sun. The sun provides the earth with the heat and energy it needs and the earth releases back that energy into space.
The greenhouse effect comes into play as the gases in the earth trap that energy so that it cannot be released back into space therefore, warming the earths environment.
The greenhouse effect is a natural process and vital to our survival, without it, the earth would be cold.
Gases such as Methane, Carbon dioxide and water vapour all trap energy from the sun and enable the warming of the earth.
It is commonly known that plants provide Carbon dioxide (C02), but not so commonly known that plants also remove carbon dioxide.
This is because, when a plant dies and is buried into the earth, these plants become fossil fuel which is coal and oil.
When coal and oil is burned, this then removes the carbon dioxide from the air around it.
200 years ago, before machinery was invented and cars filled our streets, global warming wasn't an issue.
The natural gases which came from the earth would trap energy to warm the earth, however, since the industrial revolution, more gases are being produced, which means more energy is trapped and result is global warming.
Activists and researches cannot agree as to whether or not humans are causing global warming, but I think we can all agree that when something unnatural occurs, it affects the natural.
If we are producing more gases than what is known as natural, then you would expect that this would have an affect on our environment, but whether or not this affect is causing global warming, well, we will have to leave that down to the scientists.
It is said that in the last century the earth has warmed by 1%, although this is not a massive amount, it still could be an unnatural 1% which would have an effect on the earth's climate.
The truth of the matter is, the earth works in a certain way that even the best scientists in the world cannot fathom it. We can never assume we know it all just as we cannot 100% rely on what we already believe we know as there could be many unknown factors that have not been taken into account.
It is natural to believe that we are having some kind of affect on our environment in comparison to 200 years ago, but is the cause of global warming? I guess we couldn't say either way, but what we do know is that we need to keep it in mind and do what we can to help our environment.
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