Environment & Ecoliteracy

WHAT WE CAN GET FROM SOLAR ENERGY

Source: http://www.solar-energy-advantages-blog.com/catego...

There are numerous advantages that solar energy offers however; most people hesitate to use this kind of energy. One main reason that some people does not want to use solar energy is the lack of idea on what we can get and the benefits that it offers us.

Some people have tried to get acquainted with solar energy and failed to use this kind of system

knowing that it would be an expensive investment. On the other hand, you control the flexibility of your expenses and create long term savings for you and your family.

Some of the opportunities that solar energy offers are as follows:

1. Lesser electric consumption.

Solar energy can provide you with a simple amount of energy that can be used to brighten the basic corners of your house. In full context, it can also provide you with a minimum amount of energy that is needed to warm water and heat the house when its too cold.

2. Huge savings for the environment.

Taking advantage of the sources available at your doorstep not only reduces global warming effects but also make use of the sun’s energy that never runs out. This can craft large amount of savings for the entire family. Not only that you can spend more of the necessary things that calls for your family, but it also caters different investments that even your kids can appreciate.

3. Enjoying nature is an more convenient way

It can be hazardous and disadvantageous at times if you rely your electricity to electric company. Since you are in control of your own power source, wou will nere run out of energy when you are using solar power system.

If you are concerned about the ever increasing and unpredictable energy bills, the effect of unanticipated blackouts, power outages and future energy shortages, now is a great time to explore and plan your strategy to transition to solar energy.  Moving to an energy solution is a multi-stepped process and will take some time and careful planning. Explore and discover your choice.

 

Source:

http://www.solar-energy-advantages-blog.com/catego...

There has been bluster and rhetoric for over 30 years about dependence on foreign oil, though there is good reason. Ethanol is one of the many substitute fuels that have been suggested. Over the last few years, gas suppliers have been mixing gasoline and ethanol, in a solution called E10, or 10 percent ethanol. Currently, the EPA is considering whether to approve use of E15 for late or older models. Since the amount of evidence isn't ample enough to really decide, auto producers are urging the Environmental Protection Agency to hold off.

Resource for this article - EPA urged to mull over ethanol by automakers.

The EPA weighs in on E15

Currently, the EPA is finding out what it can concerning the launch of E15. E15 is the next step up from the already widely sold E10. It has a mixture of 15 percent ethanol to 85 percent gasoline. The Department of Energy is testing the effects of E15 on vehicles that are no older than 10 years, according to Popular Mechanics. However, about 88 percent of all cars within the United States of America in use are 10 years old or older. The Auto Alliance, a consortium of vehicle manufacturers, has advised the Environmental Protection Agency not for making any ruling on E15 until Auto Alliance studies have been completed. At least one study, by engineering group Ricardo, Inc., found that E15 has no harmful effects on cars older than 10 years.

Driving under the influence now has a whole different significance

Ethanol also goes by another name, which is moonshine. The energy potential of a chemical is determined by its combustibility, and ethanol is certainly combustible. However, there is a hitch. According to Wikipedia, ethanol has 34 percent less energy by volume than gas does. As result, an ethanol-only engine uses 50 percent more fuel than a gasoline engine. With greater compression, ethanol engines can produce more power and become more efficient. That said, ethanol still doesn't have quite the exact same power as gas does. A rise of mileage cannot be achieved, even with a larger ethanol engine.

Unintended consequences

Use of ethanol isn't likely to be totally curtailed. Grain has been a gasoline crop for a while, and will continue. However, ethanol will never be able to supplant gasoline as a fuel. Grain will become more scarce, and therefore increase in price should much more of the grain harvest be converted to fuel. Cheap and abundant grain can't be discounted, as that is the very thing which made, and still makes, civilization itself possible.

More on this topic

Popular Mechanics

popularmechanics.com/cars/alternative-fuel/biofuels/renewable-fuels-association-urges-epa-to-approve-e15-for-older-vehicles?click=pm_news

Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ethanol_fuel

We are finishing our film, Urban Roots, about the urban farming revolution in Detroit, and we are discussing the role that small, individually-owned urban farms have in "saving a city." We've run into some opinions that say that the thought that urban farms could save a city is somewhat naive, that, in fact what is needed are large-scale efforts to turn a city around.  "Scale" is needed, and "big profits."  The problem with this thinking I think is that it is stuck in the same mindset as the thinking that created the problem in the first place.  And the problem of saving a city is found in diagnosing the problem correctly. 

The problem of cities like Detroit is that the effort to preserve and grow big entities like corporations requires actions like what we witnessed - moving manufacturing overseas because labor was cheaper, cutting costs where-ever possible to bolster the bottom line and profits. Cutting costs and making profits, growing companies fast and big are what is heralded to be the goal and these things are rewarded by the stock market and by our culture in general.  Now, we are not against profits, but what is not helpful is to run a company, city or country with the bottom line/profits only in mind.  What is left out is the human element, the vitality of a company and a city and a country is the well-being of the people, the humans that live and work in it.  The mindset of our companies and country has so shifted to devalue the human element and value profit and size that we have run the very thing that makes the whole thing work - people - away. Look at Detroit, half the population has left, neighborhoods are empty, weeds grow in the playgrounds, schools have collapsed.  The mindset has killed off the community, has driven the people away. 

Now, out of this situation the remaining people have a choice and some of them have said they want to empower themselves by growing their own food and in some cases selling it to others. These farms are an acre or under, not thousands of acres.  How they benefit the city is that the empower a community, they give people ownership in their lives and each other, it gives them an income stream that cannot be taken away.  Some say scale is needed, but that brings in the same old mindset, put thousands of acres under cultivation under one group and the individual is yet again at the mercy of decisions beyond their control. And if the scale is too large, then yet again, the only way to sustain the size will be to minimize the human element and increase through non-human efficiencies like chemicals, and low wages.  How can small farms save a city?  They can do it one neighborhood at a time, slowly and hopefully with the help of city regulators who so often seek a quick fix and so often end up right where they started or oftentimes they end of worse off. Small farms bring in a new mindset, one of cooperation, barter, community, well-being, slowness but happiness perhaps.  It remains to be seen, we will be watching and we are open to the discussion!

Cfo gas destroys the ozone layer by reacting with the ozone forming gaps in the ozone layer. thus, dangerous ultraviolet rays reach us, increasing the risk of skin cancer. therefore it is not dangerous if you breathe it but dangerous to the environment and our health indirectly. So what i prefer to use instead of fridge is the Indian earthen pot.Honestly telling you all that i never used a fridge since childhood..

I recommend the Indian Earthen pot because of the following reasons-

> I have used it since childhood and am still using it...

>It is 100% pure way of keeping water cold..

>No electricity is required and It is pureky an effortless way to keep liquids cool...

>It is a fully scientific way of keeping water cool...

So i thought that what better way to save environment and electricity simultaneously than the earhen pot...it is really high time that we do something otherwise there won't be anything left to do except awaiting death of mankind and other precious species... will come back with more practical and eco-friendly ideas shortly...

thanks to all of you for giving your valuable time...

A local environmental group invited the public to hear a different side of the biomass argument -- the cons.

The Northern Michigan Environmental Action Council (NMEAC) held a public forum tonight in Traverse City.

 Environmental Group Talks Cons Of Biomass

The sixth edition of EcoVision Festival will take place in Palermo, Italy, in June 2010.

All fiction and documentary feature films, short films or videos will be accepted by EcoVision Festival 2010.

The Festival aims at exalting and promoting cinematographic and environmental productions dealing with subjects such as man-environment problems, environment protection, human rights, deforestation, the relationship with the city and new technologies, radioactive experiments in various areas of the world, sustainable development, how the concept of environment in rich countries differs from that belonging to poor countries, but also mere descriptions of meaningful environmental areas, as well as all the productions concerning any aspect of environment and nature.

Works from any country, realized from 2008 to 2010, can take part in the EcoVision Festival 2010, having as topic the object of the Festival: the “environment”, considered both as natural and cultural environment, with all questions correlated with it. The Festival will consider as a preferential title, the unpublished films presented.

Fiction and documentaries, reports and animation films, which last no more than 30 minutes can take part in the competition. However, we will accept films longer than 30 minutes that can be screened in or out competition at the discretion of the Jury. Films produced in the following formats: 16 and 35 mm films, Betacam SP, NORMAL or DIGITAL, DVC Pro 25 or 50, HD Cam or DV Cam must be re-recorded on DVD  only in PAL standard for the preselection, the copy sent will not be used for the screening at the Festival. It is therefore necessary to send copy of the film in the format required at point 20, penalty the exclusion. In addition, the festival will not accept Mini-DV copies for the preselection. There will be four thematic areas in the Festival:

- Environmental

- Sociological

- Eco Tourist

- Panorama (works concerning any subject)

The works will be judged by an international Jury, composed by eminent personalities of the artistic, scientific, cultural and cinematographic world, as well as journalists, university teachers and directors. The Jury’s decision is final.

The Jury will award to the Best Film of all categories the following:

Great Prize Best Film “EcoVision Festival 2010”

And other Cash Prizes for the Films judged more meritorious by the final decision of the Jury.

The Jury could indicate, moreover, with especial mentions, films in competition with a particular value.

DEADLINE FOR SUBMISSIONS: MARCH 5th, 2010

www.ecovisionfestival.com

I am Richard ROBINSON an independent eco activist from Erode district a small town in the state of Tamil Nadu INDIA, since my infancy I found myself attached deeply towards nature and species this further led me to learn while I walked, without knowing those scientific facts and terminologies, I started from mimicking to the black bird’s ringing, which I lately studied as Asian Koel (Eudynamys Scolopacea) and the imitation I did was bird Ringing and birding, And along with my friends we started to plant trees, further after years in 2004 and likeminded naturalists we formed a non profit organization named JEEVAKARUNYA TRUST, with a motto to Train and implement youth In Sustainable Development work promoting environmental, ecological and humanitarian values and importance,

 

And now, still learning educating and training the younger generation’s to involve individually and collectively in all eco-development activities and decision makings  I have individually conducted hundreds of seminars and converted them to eco-actions,

24 hour x 7 days Snake Rescues along with a trained team,

Free seminars, slid shows and movie for the all local and surrounded educational institutions,

Conservation based weed removal action for Tribal livelihood development trainings

Clean renewable energy solar lamp implementation to rural and tribal those not accessed with power,

And many innovative initiatives like craft from the plant lantana camera which is considered as a weed destroying native forest and farm lands, GREEN CROSS eco action clubs, and more to bring a change in the un-mind full living of the most populace   even though we find very tuff and hard to move every step without any support, I believe that we can make it, I also swear that what ever happens I am not going to quit my duty towards nature, of conserving the only home at least in this 11 hour... 

 

It has been, and it is now, China is now the world's fastest growing economy. WIth an estimated population of 1.3 billion people, It is a one hell of a consumer. It is now number one in carbon emissions since 2006, now its people suffering the consequences. I just watched the news and I was really shocked when I saw mainland Beijing covered in smog with almost 0% visibility on ots major roads and highways. In this panic, the Chinese' cannot argue no more about their carbon emission problems. And I also known that It was the first time for China to release its first pollution index since then and it was scary. By this time, I hope that the Chinese Government will do its part in mitigating the severe problem. It is not a matter of decision but its a matter of choice.