There are days when I think the concept of “going green” is just too overwhelming. I feel that to make any sort of difference at all in the environment, I ought to sell my house, build some teeny-tiny, 100% sustainable, recycled wood hut in the mountains with solar panels for electricity and water gathered fresh from a mountain stream. That I should grow my own food and hunt for meat. And then when I realize that most of that is not feasible (or in my case, even smart right now), I get depressed. Like, if I can’t do it big, why bother? But then I remind myself of the truth: every little bit counts. Turning off the water when I brush my teeth does make a difference. Spending 12 cents a pound extra on local, does make a difference. Turning down my thermostat in the winter and up in the summer, it does count. Little by little, in the every single, seemingly non-life or earth-altering action, we are, at the very least, not making things worse. So, in light of fall’s gorgeous, cozy arrival and the imminent sight of winter, I’m all about the small, basic day-to-day energy savings.

Day to Day Energy Saving Tips

These tips I’m going to share might not alter the environment in a way that you will see. But they are making a difference. If you do them, you are making the difference. And over time, those little things make a really big thing. They make all the difference. So, join with me, make this the season where you grasp every opportunity, no matter how big or how small, to save and reduce your energy usage. Need some help getting started? No problem. I’ve got 10 starter tips so easy they’re three sentences or less, promise!

1.) Down Two: Knock that thermostat down by two degrees. Your body will adjust in no time and save a significant amount of energy over the next 5 months.

2.) Watch the Oven Door: Don’t open it until the food is done, really done! You lose precious heat you have to re-create every time you open the door to peek. But, when you are done? Leave that door wide open and take advantage of that heat!

3.) Change Your Filters: Replace your furnace filters monthly during the heating season to keep them dirt and debris free. It’ll make air movement easier, requiring less energy to push the hot air out.

4.) Change up Your Fan: When winter hits, make sure your fan is set to reverse. It’ll push rising hot air back down to where you can feel it.

5.) Sleep without the Heat: Turn off your heat altogether during the night. Use a small room heater or an electric blanket instead.

6.) Go Low Flow: Switch your faucets and shower heads to low flow to save the amount of hot water you power through in a day.

7.) Tinsel & Tinfoil: Decorate! Cover the wall behind radiators with tinfoil to reflect heat back at the radiator and make it more efficient.

8.) Dress for the Season: It’s cold out baby! Dress appropriately in layers and thick warm sweaters; keep socks and shoes on at all times. You’ll be able to get away with lower house temps easy.

9.) Create Your own Body Heat: Warm yourself up with exercise instead of a thermostat hike! You’ll get warm instantly, in addition to upping your metabolism to keep you warmer all day long.

10.) Adopt a Room: Instead of heating your entire home all day, turn off the central heat, plant yourself in just one or two rooms for the majority of the time and stay warm with a small, more energy efficient portable heater.

As you can see, none of these tips require you to spend hundreds or thousands of dollars to install something newer or “greener.” Nor do they require massive time investments on your part. They’re simple ways to reduce energy usage, but they matter and they really add up. They will make a difference, guaranteed!

Freelancer Jocelyn Anne works for Heater Home and helps families ensure they keep their homes warm with the least amount of energy and cost required, particularly with energy efficient electrical heaters.

Some rights reserved by K_Gradinger

Not only is riding one’s bike, as opposed to driving, an excellent way to stay in shape or lose a few pounds, it’s also environmentally-friendly. Many places are becoming increasingly bikeable, allowing for the option of a car free or mostly car free lifestyle. Rather than hopping in your car, closing that garage door, and rolling off to work, alone, in your vehicle, you now have the option to hop on a bike and achieve the same result – in some pretty surprising places. Some of the most bikeable places in the country might surprise you. If you are considering relocating to somewhere a bit more environmentally friendly, consider moving to a bike friendly location.

Most larger cities have alternative transportation such as buses, subways, and other forms of mass transit. Many also integrate bike lanes on major roads and bridges, as well as creating alternative bike routes that allow folks to get from point A to point B without having to use a car. Cities don’t have to be huge or well known for their eco-friendliness to have a great biking network though, as the following examples illustrate.

Boise, Idaho

The center of the country is, for the most part, ignored or stereotyped as one giant cornfield. And though Midwesterners will admit that we do have a lot of cornfields, there are actually cities interspersed here and there, and some of them are pretty progressive in terms of eco-friendly ways to get around. Idaho, best known for the potato, has one of America’s most walkable cities in Boise.

With breathtaking landscapes and trails aplenty, residents here have long enjoyed a biking way of life.

Minneapolis, Minnesota

I’m sure the first thing many think is that it is cold there, so who would want to bike there? Well, even Minnesota has nice weather and for those hardier among us, there are trails, bike lanes – even on major bridges – aplenty. This makes it possible to get to and from work, the store, and even around for leisure. Minneapolis has been honored a number of times by various cycling organizations for the level of bike friendliness in the city.

Even in the heart of the country it is now possible to live a car-free lifestyle, or at the very least, one that entails less use of the car than before. Some of the most bike friendly cities in the country are right in the heartland, coming as a surprise to many, but a secret gem to those who live in these places.

Chris Keenan is a green and general blog writer. He writes for many sites including Precision Garage Door. Chris also maintains a personal house and garden blog.

Some rights reserved by rosemarydukelow

Thailand – Another Deadly Flood Victim

Thailand, like much of Southeast Asia, has been experiencing an unusually long wet season this year. Thailand’s monsoon rainy season this year has been the most severe in 50 years according to weather forecasters.

According to Thai authorities, capital city Bangkok is still facing a threat of additional flooding if it is hit with more heavy rains. Intense relief efforts are underway after the worst flooding in decades swept two-thirds of the country, swamping farmland and factories and leaving 300 people dead.

Monsoon downpours that began in July have inundated two-thirds of the country, and some areas remain under more than 6 feet (2 meters) of water that is unlikely to dissipate for weeks. Provinces north of the capital and nearby cities and towns are protecting the city of 9.7 million people with sand bags and barriers.

Pracha Promnok is minister of justice and director of Thailand’s flood relief. He assured journalists recently that they can manage the situation, unless, he says, there is more rain.

He says as far as the risk of Bangkok flooding is concerned, they are working to build a defensive wall. He names three areas surrounding Bangkok’s north that he says are acting as protective barriers. He says they are confident they will succeed.

Flooding in Thailand Continues

Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra, facing the first major test of her two-month-old premiership, has expressed confidence that the low-lying capital will be spared from the deadly floods. But Bangkok governor Sukhumbhand Paribatra is warning the threat to the capital is not yet past. He says the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) will raise the floodwalls in the northern outskirts of the city by half a metre, using up to 1.2 million sandbags.

Currently about one third of Thailand’s provinces are affected by the floods, which reached several metres deep in places. The heavy monsoon floods in Thailand continue to create devastation on the population and the economy of Thailand.

The floods have disrupted production of cars, electronics and other goods in the kingdom, with factories and roads under water. The government estimates the disaster is likely to curb 2011 economic growth by 1.0-1.7 percentage points. The impact is greater than the tsunami [that struck Japan in March]. According to the Labour Ministry, 10,827 factories in 17 provinces are flooded, affecting 446,777 workers. The focus is now on the nation’s first industrial estate, Nava Nakorn Industrial Estate, which houses 227 factories and employs over 170,000 workers.

Agriculture is Destroyed

The agricultural and industrial sectors are the worst affected. 8.41 million acres of rice fields are flooded, cutting estimated annual output by 3 million tonnes at least. Of course, the precise extent of the damage to the industrial sector is impossible to ascertain.

Major flooding in Thailand and in different regions of the world are becoming a more common place scenario as we see the true effects of climate change taking place.

Written by Naseem Sheikh

How Will Energy Efficient Outlets Help Me?

Energy efficient outlets are designed to help you save energy by automatically turning off after a set amount of time. Furthermore, once the set amount of time has been reached, the energy saving outlet cuts off any vampire energy effect by stopping the flow of electricity all together. Some electronics like coffee makers and DVD players are still consuming power even when they are in the off mode or standby mode. That seven segment display of time on your microwave or Blu Ray Player add up to a portion of your electricity bill from the utility company every month. Some of these electronics are simply left on 24 hours a day and 7 days a week because we never think twice about turning them off all the way or anything like that. Most of us simply don’t even think about the direct cost of using electricity at all, but thankfully, the environmental movement has helped us become more aware of that.

Save Energy Anywhere in Your Home

There are a multitude of ways to help save the environment and your energy bill by using energy efficient outlets. One way to utilize an energy efficient outlet is by using it to shutoff standby power as I mentioned earlier. Another way to use one is to shut off lights, fans, and heaters to avoid leaving them on indefinitely. Other uses include using it for safety by turning off curling irons or straighteners to save energy and prevent fire hazard. The power socket by Belkin has three simple settings – 30 minutes, 3 hours, and 6 hours. I use my energy efficient outlet on the microwave because to me, there is no reason to keep it on other than the rare times I use it to heat up my leftover lunch or dinner. I also love that eventually I will save some money in the long run and help spare the planet from energy induced greenhouse gases.

What’s Vampire Energy?

Vampire energy is the sum of all the electronics and appliances in your home that suck your energy bill dry. When you add it all up, it still amounts to a small percentage of your total energy budget…but hey, every little bit matters when it comes to saving. I have written up an entire post dedicated to vampire electronics. Be sure to check that out and leave some comment love. In summary, having some energy efficient outlets around the house will help curb your vampire energy issues and help you save a little money too. Let us know what you think about that.

Thoughts, Comments, Suggestions…

LED’s Poised to Take Over CFL’s

According to experts in the LED industry, the LED lighting market is strong and constantly changing as the technology evolves. Only one year ago some bulbs would have cost almost double what they are priced today. Since LED technology is advancing so rapidly, newer LED bulbs are coming out brighter and cheaper than they were before. LED lighting has continued to gain market share in 2011 as governments around the world have adopted policies in favor of LED lighting because of growing environmental concerns. LED light bulbs for the home are one of the easiest ways to save up to 90% on your home lighting bills if you are switching from incandescent bulbs.

Who isn’t looking to save money on your home lighting bill? There are so many benefits to LED Lights ranging from environmental benefits to wallet saving benefits.

I checked out some easy-to-replace LED globe light bulbs at superbrightleds.com and found that standard bulbs for an E27 socket run on 9 watts of energy. When you compare that to a 60 watt equivalent incandescent bulb, you are looking at some serious savings in your utility bill. I wanted to try one of these bulbs out, so when my bulb was delivered, I couldn’t wait to see how the lighting would look. I was replacing a 15 watt CFL bulb in my kitchen, and when I popped the new one in, I was pleased that the LED bulb was brighter than what I thought it would be. I chose the cool-white light bulb because I think it makes my studio look more modern, but they offer a warm-light option as well.

Your standard LED globe light bulbs twist into any normal light bulb socket that you currently have in your home. The size of the bulb is a bit smaller than a normal incandescent bulb and they are sort of built to look like one on the upper portion as seen in the picture above. I think the reason they call it a globe bulb is because the light emitting from individual diodes are too intense on their own. In order to spread the light around, a globe-like glass diffuses the light emitting diodes. Well, that’s what I think anyways, I am not exactly sure on that one…

The Pro’s…

Longer Lifetime

This particular LED globe light bulb from superbrightled.com (for indoor use only) is rated to last 40,000 hours of operation! Compare that to the average lifetime of a compact fluorescent bulb of 8,000 hours at best or an incandescent bulb of 1,200 hours at best. LED bulbs do not die out early in high usage areas such as a bathroom or kitchen, which means they are built to last. Depending on where you put these eco bulbs, such as in a low usage area like a closet, you may never replace that bulb ever again for the rest of your life. That means that you’ll be able to enjoy the savings these bulbs produce since your utility company will charge you less money for energy sipping LED light bulbs for the home.

LED Bulbs are Mercury Free

LED light bulbs by their very nature do not have any amount of toxic mercury in them. Even though the amount of mercury in CFL bulbs are very minimal, they still have to be properly recycled so that our landfills are not further contaminated by mercury leeching. Also, even though it has never happened to me or anyone else I know, I would not want to break a CFL bulb inside of my home. Obviously if it happens, it’s not the end of the world, and you don’t need to call a Hazmat team or anything, but special precautions are required if a CFL bulb does break in your home. With LED bulbs, you don’t have to worry about any of that because they don’t contain any hazardous material.

The Con’s…

The Upfront Costs

Unfortunately, the upfront cost of LED lighting is still pretty high compared to the standard bulbs on the market today. The good thing about LED bulbs, is that they have enough pro’s to outweigh the con’s. The 9 watt LED bulb I mentioned earlier runs for about $25 a bulb or about $2.78 per watt. If you shop around, you’ll find that price to competitive because some bulbs can run up to $45 a bulb for the same output of light. Don’t forget that you’ll likely have to spend a bit extra on shipping costs as well, so if you do decide to buy LED bulbs, try to order a few at a time to save on bulk shipping prices if they are offered. Luckily if you calculate out the cost savings in your utility bill every month, making an upfront investment in energy efficient LED light bulbs will eventually lead to a break even point. After you hit your break even point, you will smile for continuing to reap the benefits of a reduced lighting bill and the environment will thank you for due diligence in saving the planet. Use this free Energy Saving Calculator to estimate your break even point, and your total savings from then on out for the life of your bulb.

Are LED Light Bulbs For You?

The ideal buyer for LED lighting is someone who is an environmentally conscious individual who’d like to make as small an impact to the environment as possible through energy efficiency. An ideal buyer is also someone who is looking at the bottom line in terms of real cost savings and is not afraid to pay an upfront cost for long term savings. Are you off the grid? Do you work in one of those fancy Net Zero Living Buildings? Chances are that you have a strict energy budget and you require the best bang for your energy buck. The average home owner or renter also can benefit from the savings. Be sure to use that calculator link above to figure out how much you’ll save.

Let’s face it, not everyone can afford to pay $25 a bulb to replace all their bulbs in their home in the name of being green. If you can’t afford LED bulbs but you love the idea of their energy savings, check local non-profits or even your local utility company to see if they offer any incentives for you to become more energy efficient.

I’m Convinced Already! Where Can I Order?

If I’ve got you all excited about LED light bulbs and you want to know where you can get the best deal on them, I recommend checking out superbrightleds.com. It turns out that they offer more than just a variety of LED bulbs, they offer the mother load of various shapes, sizes, and uses including outdoor, indoor, for your vehicle, for your home, etc. They even offer LED light strips for commercial use if you own a business or have that sort of need. I also found that they had a 4 foot long LED tube to replace those traditional fluorescent tubes, of which, I have one in my bathroom I’m thinking about changing out. Anywho, let us know what you think.

Thoughts, Comments, Suggestions…

Today, as we continue to learn more about our negative impact on the environment, and the ways in which our lifestyles also contribute to poor health, many cities are making efforts to become greener, healthier places to live. The trend for cities is not to regress, but to progress. To create laws that are more conducive to healthy lifestyles and greener forms of living. However, defying these trends, and really, defying logic is a town in Wisconsin that appears to be regressing as a city.

Going Backwards in Wisconsin

I am not one to dog on cities, coming from a huge metropolis, filled to the gills with suburban sprawl; huge houses with SUV’s pulling out of garage doors each morning as folks make their extra long commute into the city for work. However, even in my neck of the woods, the idea that it would be good to actually ban walking and biking is just crazy. But this is exactly what Hull, Wisconsin is doing. This small city in the north wishes to ban biking and walking. Banning bikes outright seems pretty draconian and bicycle advocates in Hull, Wisconsin are hopefully aware of these happenings.

Many cities are concerned about pedestrian and cyclist safety, but they put into place far different mechanisms than that which Hull, Wisconsin is proposing. To protect pedestrians and cyclists, their idea is to ban these activities entirely. While this is certain to reduce the number of injuries and issues associated with non-motorized transportation, this seems a pretty extreme way to go about dealing with the problem.

The biggest problem with regard to pedestrian and cyclist safety is sharing the road. In many cities, bike lanes are employed to denote the area of the road reserved for non-motorized transportation. In areas that do not have bike lanes, cars are still generally expected to share the road. This puts a lot of one’s safety on oneself as a cyclist, as you take a risk by commuting in this fashion in an area where it just isn’t safe to do so. As more people are looking towards these healthier, greener ways of getting from point A to point B, more cities are creating bikes lanes, or completely alternate paved routes meant to be used by non-motorized transportation.

Banning Bikes – Not Everywhere Though

The proposed rule in Hull would not ban the use of bicycles or walking in all areas of the entire town, but it would ban these activities on many main roads. The main problem with this is that, for those who use non-motorized transportation to get themselves to and from work need to use these main thoroughfares in order to make efficient use of their time and get to work in a timely manner. What makes this proposed ban most interesting is that this town doesn’t have a big problem with injuries related to non-motorized transportation. There hasn’t been a pedestrian or cycling-related accident for a number of years. Perhaps city officials simply do not want to share the road.

Photo Credit: Some rights reserved by markhsal

Chris Keenan is a green and general blog writer. He writes for many sites including Precision Garage Door. Chris also maintains a personal house and garden blog.

How many people do you know reference the yellow phone book when they are trying to look up a business they might need to go to? The answer is probably ZERO. In our day in age, the famous yellow pages phone book is outdated and obsolete. This is the 21st century after all, not the 50′s or 60′s, or 70′s, or 80′s, or even the 90′s. The invention of the internet and major adoption of it in the 2000′s has basically reduced the yellow pages phone book to a really good door stop, or worse, a source of paper for the fire place.

Stop receiving that darn Yellow Pages phone book every year by going to Phone Book Opt Out today. Once you visit the website, you’ll enter in your zip code to find out what types of phone books could be sent to your home. It gives you a list of the which phone books you are elegible to receive. You then select all of the options, for me there were seven different phone books, then you register your name and address with the website. They will then contact those companies and attempt to remove your name from their lists.

Enlisting Yellow Pages Opt Out services might not stop every phone book from appearing at your door. If you still receive them, place a call to the contact numbers on the actual phone book and talk to someone in person for removal. Want to stop more than just unwanted phone books from coming to your home, visit our post on how to reduce junk mail by up to 90%.

Online Business Directories

The best phone book replacement service to find business online is Google’s free telephone-based GOOG-411 service. Call 800.GOOG.411 and follow the directions.

There is also the gamut of yellow page websites:
yellowpages.com – this one is probably the most well known online business listing due to its brand name, they also have an mobile App for smartphone users including iPhone, Android, Blackberry, and PALM users.
yellowbook.com – this alternative has local coupon deals, in my opinion, has a better website interface, and also has mobile apps for smartphone users.
superpages.com – this other alternative also has local coupon deals, mobile apps galore, and a very friendly user interface.

Recycle Your Old Phone Book

If you’re currently receiving curbside recycling, chances are, you can toss your yellow pages phone book right into the paper recycling. Check with your local recycling company to be that you are allow to recycle your phone book though.

1-800-RECYCLING.COM is a free, comprehensive recycling database that lists local information about how to recycle plastics, electronics, paper, glass, metal, automotive, and household hazardous materials. It also lists state recycling guidelines throughout the US.

Download the Yellow Pages Sustainability Report 2011.

Photo Credit: ianbell.com

About three-quarters of the anthropogenic emissions of carbon dioxide to the atmosphere during the past 20 years have been due to fossil-fuel burning. Activities consuming fossil fuels include power generation, industrial/manufacturing processes, transport. The rest of carbon dioxide emissions are predominantly due to land-use change, especially deforestation.

The main drawback of fossil fuels is pollution. Burning any fossil fuel mainly produces carbon dioxide, which contributes to the “greenhouse effect”, warming the Earth. It produces more carbon dioxide than burning oil or gas. It also produces sulphur dioxide, a gas that contributes to acid rain. We can reduce this before releasing the waste gases into the atmosphere. It is a leading cause of smog, global warming, and air toxics.

Coal is Nasty

Coal is particularly nasty. The attraction to coal is powerful and obvious. According to the World Coal Association, it has been estimated that there are over 847 billion tonnes of proven coal reserves worldwide. This means that there is enough coal to last us around 118 years at current rates of production. In contrast, proven oil and gas reserves are equivalent to around 46 and 59 years at current production levels. Unverified sources have claimed Pakistan has one of the largest coal (lignite) deposits in the world, consisting of 184,123 billion tons, which can produce 1,000,000 MW of electricity for next three hundred years.

Microscopic particles like sulphates and carbon released from coal-burning power plants and automobiles can reflect sunlight back into space, producing a cooling effect. This can in turn influence global wind circulation patterns that underlie the monsoon system.

One 500 MW power plant generates about 3 million tons of carbon dioxide every year. Other toxic byproducts include fine particulate matter, heavy metals like mercury, lead, chromium and nickel, trace elements such as arsenic and selenium, and various organics like dichloroethane, benzene, carbon tetrachloride, chloroform, and trichloroethylene.

Oxides of nitrogen and sulfur are common pollutants from coal, and are found at higher levels in anthracite than in bituminous coal.

Coal mining produces methane, a potent greenhouse gas. Methane is the naturally occurring product of the decay of organic matter as coal deposits are formed with increasing depths of burial, rising temperatures, and rising pressures over geological time. A portion of the methane produced is absorbed by the coal and later released from the coal seam and surrounding disturbed strata during the mining process.

According to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, methane has a global warming potential 21 times greater than that of carbon dioxide on a 100 year time line. While burning coal in power plants is most harmful to air quality, due to the emission of dangerous gases, the process of mining can release pockets of hazardous gases.

Air Quality Isn’t Getting Any Better

The World Health Organization estimates more than 2 million people die every year from breathing in tiny particles present in indoor and outdoor air pollution. PM10 particles, which are particles of 10 micrometers or less, can penetrate into the lungs and may enter the bloodstream, can cause heart disease, lung cancer, asthma, and acute lower respiratory infections.

The WHO air quality guidelines for PM10 is 20 micrograms per cubic meter (µg/m3) as an annual average, but the data released today shows that average PM10 in some cities has reached up to 300 µg/m3.

The Ozone Layer, which is so essential for life on earth, is unfortunately being depleted due to different kinds of pollutions. The global community, especially the developing countries are now facing the challenge of the elimination of Hydro-chlorofluorocarbons (HCFC) in the foam and refrigeration industry. It is a second kind of Ozone Depleting Chemical Substance which has low Ozone Depleting Potential (ODP), yet possesses high Global Warming Potential (GWP).

The Cost of Coal Power

The true cost of coal power is evident in the known health consequences of this toxic brew of air and water pollution. They contribution to health conditions are many, and include nervous system problems in infants and children, asthma, chronic bronchitis, lung cancer, a suite of cardiovascular problems and kidney disease. The environmental impacts are well documented, and are not pretty either.

• 3,700,000 tons of carbon dioxide (CO2), the primary human cause of global warming–as much carbon dioxide as cutting down 161 million trees.
• 10,000 tons of sulphur dioxide (SO2), which causes acid rain that damages forests, lakes, and buildings, and forms small airborne particles that can penetrate deep into lungs.
• 500 tons of small airborne particles, which can cause chronic bronchitis, aggravated asthma, and premature death, as well as haze obstructing visibility.
• 10,200 tons of nitrogen oxide (NOx), as much as would be emitted by half a million late-model cars. NOx leads to formation of ozone (smog) which inflames the lungs, burning through lung tissue making people more susceptible to respiratory illness.
• 720 tons of carbon monoxide (CO), which causes headaches and place additional stress on people with heart disease.
• 220 tons of hydrocarbons, volatile organic compounds (VOC), which form ozone.
• 170 pounds of mercury, where just 1/70th of a teaspoon deposited on a 25-acre lake can make the fish unsafe to eat.
• 225 pounds of arsenic, which will cause cancer in one out of 100 people who drink water containing 50 parts per billion.
• 114 pounds of lead, 4 pounds of cadmium, other toxic heavy metals and trace amount of uranium.

Pollution from coal mining may have a negative impact on public health in mining communities, according to data analyzed in a West Virginia University research study. Miners in coal companies are on higher risk rather than people living away from mining areas. According to Hendryx, main researcher, the data show that people in coal mining communities:

• Have a 70 percent increased risk for developing kidney disease.
• Have a 64 percent increased risk for developing chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) such as emphysema.
• Are 30 percent more likely to report high blood pressure (hypertension).

October is Children’s Health Month, and it’s a good time to focus our attention on cleaning up hazards that affect kids as they grow and develop.

Photo Credit: Asia Society
Photo Credit: World Coal Association

Written by Naseem Sheikh

The shot above was taken in a city called Linkou in Taiwan. It is in a industrial business park that my work sent me to for training. Linkou is a suburb of Taipei and has a lot of manufacturing facilities and factories around.

This is a shot another shot of Taiwan that showcases the inherent problem with smog in the country. You can see the effect of industrial air pollution as well as smog issues from cars, motorcycles, and trucks. This city has got a serious smog issue.

The shot above was taken when I was volunteering with Oregon Toxics Alliance. I was tasked with taking pictures of the railyard scene in Eugene, Oregon. This one is obviously my favorite snapshot that portrays the industrial portion of west Eugene, this railyard is owned and operated by Union Pacific I believe.

The shot above is in Utah, it was taken on a road trip to Moab, Utah to see Arches National Park and Canyon Land National Park. I’m not sure what it is exactly, perhaps a coal power plant or some woody biomass plant.

If you just can’t get enough pics, check my other page, Environmental Pollution Pictures.

The World Wildlife Foundation in Canada performed a study of renewable energy that reported that 100% of our energy needs could be met with renewable energy sources by the year 2050. If you’re a little on the younger side, like in your 20′s or 30′s, that means that we could live to see the day when the full transition occurs to 100% clean and pristine energy.

Transitioning to full renewable energy obviously seems like a daunting task, but doing so could relieve the world’s anxiety over greenhouse gas emissions or toxic air pollution contributing to health issues. Another great benefit to renewable energy is all in the name, it’s a renewable resource, meaning that it is not required to be mined, to be collected, nor to be extracted. Renewable energy also does not produce a dangerous byproduct, such as radioactive spent nuclear waste, that needs to be stored away from humans and the environment for thousands of years.

The Energy Report by the WWF, in collaboration with energy consultants Ecofys, rightly outlined the strategy that would be needed achieve the goal of 100% renewable energy. Part of that strategy requires everyone to adopt energy efficiency through buildings, energy efficient vehicles, and energy efficient industry. Renewable power would need to be delivered via a smart grid, a type of electrical grid which attempts to predict and intelligently respond to the behavior and actions of all electric power users connected to it.

Speaking of That Smart Grid Thing

The Smart Grid, according to smartgrid.gov, is a developing network of transmission lines, equipment, controls and new technologies working together to respond immediately to our 21st Century demand for electricity. Having a smart grid has the benefit of shedding the old way of logging people’s utility usage of physically sending a utility technician to log meters at individual’s homes, and instead sending monthly data usage via a secured wired or wireless network. This new method of collecting energy data will reduce vehicle miles traveled by utility companies worldwide if deployed as a global model.

Ultimately, having a smart grid system can benefit the consumer of electricity because such a system would be developed to allow the user to login online and analyze daily usage patterns of electricity. Google did a pilot project with IBM and the City of Dubuque, Iowa, which showed strong engagement by residents and energy savings of up to 11%. The conclusion that I drew from the pilot project is that users who actively engage in a system that reports energy usage leads to an awareness that reminds people to turn that light off after using it, or to shut off the printer when not in use, etc. I know this to be true in my own life, even though I don’t participate currently in a smart grid program due to lack of availability; I actively make sure that the coffee maker is unplugged, I unplug my cell phone charger from the wall, etc. I even purchased the latest energy saving gadgets like a smart strip, conserve socket, and led light bulbs to replace all my sub-standard CFL’s.

Facts

• Energy efficiency and renewable energy can reduce our reliance on fossil fuels by 70 per cent by 2040
• By 2050, we will save nearly $5.5 trillion per year through energy efficiency and reduced fuel costs
• If 0.3 per cent of the Sahara desert was a concentrated solar plant, it would power all of Europe
• By 2050, more than a third of building heat could come from geothermal sources

“The Energy Report shows that 100 percent sustainable, renewable energy is possible and economical by 2050 if we start the transition today. To protect the future of our planet, these are the steps we need to take.” Gerald Butts, President and CEO, WWF

Furthermore, the WWF Energy Report argues that switching to 100% renewable energy worldwide is not an option, it is the only choice. The three main fossil fuels used today: coal, natural gas, and oil are depleting and are finite resources. The world is expected to grow to over 9 billion people by the year 2040, and the demand of energy from that generation will likely be more than that of our current demand. The cheapest sources of oil have already been tapped, leading current oil giants to deep sea oil drilling, extraction of oil from Canadian tar sands, and expensive processes to extract natural gas, petroleum, or coal seam gas through fracking.

Global Mandate For a Successful Transition

Public entities all over the world and at all levels of government have major roles to play. Some sort of mandate for performance standards such as mandating utility companies to have renewable energy requirements by a certain year and innovative solutions such as Portland Oregon’s curbside composting plan. On the federal level, governments could do more to level the playing field with fossil fuel energy sources by cutting subsidies to oil and promoting subsidies for renewable energy sources. Governments need to utilize their vast resources to make serious investments in large infrastructure projects including public transportation, like national high speed rail networks, and power grid infrastructure to pipe in energy from far away solar plants and wind farms. They could also provide funds for early stage research and development projects to ensure continued sustainable innovations.

The private sector has its role to play in the transition as well. Buying green or energy efficient merchandise fuels demand and innovation by private companies to provide those types of end products. For example, once the hybrid electric vehicle came out as an efficient gas saver, environmentally conscious consumers and people wanting to save on gas chose to buy that vehicle over existing conventional automobiles. Consumers can vote with their dollars which can help spur the eventual transition to a sustainable economy. Now that the popularity of hybrid vehicles are a widely known phenomenon, the transition to full electric vehicles has already begun. Big car manufactures have put their money where their mouth is to promote EV technology with the Tesla, Nissan Leaf, and with the Mitsubishi i.

We are well on our way towards the transition, but no where near where we need to be. Help us move closer to the 100% renewable energy goal … the environment will thank you for it.

Download the Full Report Here: WWF Energy Report 2011^{(7.8 MB)}

^{Photo: some rights reserved by chrisbb@prodigy.net}

In over 200,000 years of his existence, man has conceptualized and created some of the most amazing and fascinating devices to make life easier and more comfortable for him. From fire to primitive tools, from wheels to the modern day motor, from paper to Microsoft word, man has outdone himself with every progression of his. Surely, man is the most intelligent animal to have populated this planet. Or is he?

Why Hornets and Eels Make Us Little Green Men

The very man that invented the motor-vehicle and the GPS to guide him on his travels, wasn’t farsighted enough to find a renewable, non-toxic, cheap and permanent fuel to power his vehicle, at least not until very recently. He erected nuclear power plants in his backyard to fuel his hunger for power, while the world’s largest nuclear power plant hovered over his head for 12 hours a day, every single day of his existence. He destroyed forests to mine coal but didn’t consider harnessing the wind blowing in his face. And today, he doesn’t even think twice before shelling out a huge chunk of his earnings to buy energy, a truly bizarre act considering that energy is the single most omnipresent commodity available in nature. So, when the question of man’s intelligence is posed again, it makes us wonder, is man really the most intelligent creature to have ever lived?

The Oriental Hornet, More Than Just a Fly on the Wall?

The oriental hornet, a bee of sorts found in western India, by virtue of its anatomical design, is most active during the brightest time of the day. Its body is designed such that it harnesses the sun’s energy instead of reflecting it. The next time you see an oriental hornet digging away in the scorching sun, don’t cover it with an umbrella.

The Electric Eel, Shockingly Out-of-the-Box!

Plants utilize the sun’s energy to carry out various bio-chemical processes. They were the inspiration behind the first photovoltaic cells, an example of biomimicry. The first documented instance of man’s interaction with electricity is found in ancient Egyptian scrolls. The Egyptian fishermen would often be shocked by electric eels swimming down the Nile. These slippery fish might not rank among the world’s most beautiful creatures, but what they lack in looks, they make up for in watts. Ionic exchange in the eels’ somatic or body cells leads to the generation of a range of voltages. Scientists are emulating these cells in labs to explore their potential as a future source of renewable energy. Perhaps eels could be the solution to all the pollution.

In the recent past, man has taken a cue from his animal brothers and come up with some great alternatives to the conventional, albeit limited, energy resources. Wind farms, solar power plants, geothermal plants, hydroelectric plants and tidal power plants are just a few of the more responsible and renewable solutions he has managed to come up with to prevent any quarrels among the future generations over the energy resources handed over to them. The progress made by him is truly commendable. From a solely fossil-fuel fed existence, man has managed to vanquish some of his lost pride by showing the world that he can explore greener avenues and still flourish without a compromise in sight. Today, man meets 18% of his energy needs from renewable sources.

Thoughts, comments, suggestions…

Written by Guest Blogger Kashyap Swaroop

^{Photo by The Environmental Blog}

Are You Ready For the Switch?

On October 15th, 2011 Portland, Oregon will join ranks to ban plastic bags with Californian cities/counties: San Francisco, San Jose, Palo Alto, Malibu, Fairfax, Santa Monica, Manhattan Beach, Calabasas, Long Beach, Marin County, and unincorporated Los Angeles County.

Many, many other cities (which you are welcome to let me know about via the comment section below) across the United States and across the world have existing bans on single use plastic bags, are in the process of banning, or are seriously considering banning the bag.

It all started when San Francisco lead the nation in 2007 stating that plastic bags lead to litter, increased demand on oil (needed to make plastic bags), and for not being able to break down in the environment including in landfills nor the ocean.

Plastic Industry Displeased with Movement

The plastics industry is starting to lose ground by every municipality that adopts anti plastic bag policies. The town of Fairfax, population 7,000, was threatened with a lawsuit by the plastics industry for unfairly implementing a ban on plastic bags saying that such an act could harm the environment by increasing paper bag usage. The city then made the ban voluntary which many supermarkets voluntarily follow.

Everyone knows that plastic bags are harmful to the environment. Environmentally conscious shoppers already carry around reusable bags when they head to the supermarket in cities and towns far and wide. Having a ban in place forces people to remember to bring their bags, thereby, reducing waste that does not easily decompose.

The ban in Portland targets supermarkets with $2 million or more in gross annual sales and stores with pharmacies and at least 10,000 square feet of space, such as Target and Walmart. Mayor Sam Adams considers those types of retailers the biggest source of disposable plastic bags in the city of Portland. Several chains that fall under the new rules, such as Fred Meyer and New Seasons, already don’t use plastic checkout bags in Portland. I’ve already noticed from shopping at Safeway that they’ve already begun transitioning out their usage of plastic bags and have substituted using more paper bags. It’s unclear if these supermarkets will start charging a fee for paper bags or not, but they are allowed to do so yet not required to do so.

Portland wanted to ban the plastic bag much sooner, but decided to wait and see if a statewide ban in Oregon would make it through the legislative process. When that attempt failed, Portland acted on its own and voted to ban the bag back on July 21, 2011. Now the ban will officially begin on October 15th. It will be interesting to read on twitter if people remember to bring their bags and if any snafu comes of it.

Plastic Usage

It’s estimated that 500 billion to 1 trillion plastic bags are used worldwide every year. 380 billion of those plastic bags are in the U.S. and governments have been slow to accomplish anything to remedy the situation.

Hopefully, people in these plastic bag banned towns will be the change that is necessary and lead by example to help with just one more thing the environment will thank you for in doing.

Does your city/county/state have a ban on the evil Plastic Bag? Post it in the comments section and let us know how that ban is working out.

When talking about pollution in general people usually refer to air and water pollution neglecting the global threat of noise pollution. They seem to forget or are not aware of the fact that noise pollution is disturbing life of all biota present in ecosystem.

Generically, the term ‘noise’ is used to refer to any unwanted sound. This may range from the sound created when you hammer a nail into a wall, to the sound created by an aircraft overflying your house. Noise pollution describes any sound created by people, animals, and machines that disturbs the environment.

Urbanization, economic growth and motorized transport are some of the driving forces for environmental noise exposure and health effects. Environmental noise is defined as noise emitted from all sources except industrial workplaces.

The response of the human ear to sound depends both on the sound frequency (measure in Hertz, Hz) and sound pressure, measure in decibels (dB). The WHO guidelines for community noise recommend less than 30 A-weighted decibels (dB(A)) in bedrooms during the night for a sleep of good quality and less than 35 dB(A) in classrooms to allow good teaching and learning conditions.

The WHO guidelines for night noise recommend less than 40 dB (A) of annual average (L night) outside of bedrooms to prevent adverse health effects from night noise.

_{*dB Decibel ? units used to measure sound pressure levels on a logarithmic scale.
dB(A) A-weighted decibel ? a measure of sound levels as experienced by humans, calculated using a spectral sensitivity factor (A-filter) that weights sound pressure levels by frequency to correspond to the sensitivity of the human ear.}

Decibel Levels of Environmental Sounds

_{*Source: dBA SPL}

_{*Franks JR, Stephenson MR, Merry CJ. Preventing occupational hearing loss. A practical guide. DHSS (HIOSH) pub. No. 96-110. And National Institute of Deafness and Other Communicative Disorders: Noise Induced Hearing Loss.}

Noise Pollution Health Hazards

Noise has become a very important “stress factor” in the environment of man. The term “noise pollution” has been recently used to signify the hazard of sounds which are consequence of modern day development, leading to health hazards of different type.

Continuous exposure to high decibel noise can result in some adverse effects on your health. One of these hazards is acoustic trauma to the ears caused when they are subjected to the sound of an intensity of 85 dB or more without respite.

The health hazards of noise pollution can be categorized into physiological and psychological hazards. While the former includes hearing loss, hypertension, disturbance in sleep patterns etc., the later includes problems such as annoyance, aggression and stress.

Noise induced hearing loss is one of the most harmful effects of noise pollution. More importantly, these harmful effects of noise pollution are not just restricted to human beings, even animals has to bear the brunt of the same. Studies reveal that the increase in the noise levels beyond a certain extent tends to interfere with the communication of the animals, thus resulting in disturbance in their various life processes which is also true for us.

It is generally accepted that the link between excess noise and hearing loss is obvious. But this fact is supported by epidemiological studies that compared the prevalence of hearing loss in different categories of occupations, or in particularly noisy occupations. Although other factors may also contribute to hearing loss, such as exposure to vibrations, ototoxic drugs and some chemicals, the association with noise remains robust after accounting for these influences.

Noise Pollution Effect on Public Health

• Globally, more than 20 million people are estimated to have hearing difficulties.
• More than half dozen people in EU countries are living in noisy soundings; a third expensive level that disturbs sleep.
• In EU countries about 40% of the population is exposed to road traffic noise at levels exceeding 55 db (A); 20% is exposed to levels exceeding 65 dB (A) during the daytime; and more than 30% is exposed to levels exceeding 55 dB (A) at night.
• Approximately 30 million Americans are exposed to high intensity noise above 85 db in their workplace in one in 4 of these workers (or 7.5 million Americans) a permanent hearing loss will develop, compared more than nine million people in 1981.
• In Germany and other developed countries as many as 4- 5 million that is 12- 15 % of the employed people are exposed to noise level of 85db or more.

Although most developed nations have government agencies responsible for the protection of the environment, no nation has a single body that regulates noise pollution. Transportation noise is usually regulated by the relevant transportation ministry, health-related work noise is often regulated by health ministries and worker’s unions, and entertainment noise such as loud music is a criminal offense in many areas. Little is currently being done to reduce noise pollution in developed countries.

Impact of Noise on Aquatic Animals

Some scientists believe that noise pollution could have a negative impact on the entire marine food web chain. One of the latest studies by the Technical University of Catalonia in Barcelona showed that dolphins and whales are not the only marine animals seriously affected with noise pollution. It has been found that squids and octopuses are also experiencing massive acoustic trauma because of increased noise pollution in our oceans.

Impact of Noise on Birds

Some people just want some peace and quiet, and apparently, so do birds. The University of Colorado at Boulder has conducted a three-year study that proved in July 2009 that noise pollution affects birds and their habits. The biggest problem that birds face when there is too much noise is their ability to communicate. Birds that vocalize at lower frequencies are easily drowned out by noise pollution, affecting their ability to attract a mate and socialize with the other birds in their community. But finches and other birds that vocalize at a higher frequency appear uninfluenced by the hustle and bustle of noise pollution–apparently ignoring the mass exodus of their fellow, winged friends.

When bombarded by noise pollution, some male birds begin to sing higher tunes and that tonal shift makes them less attractive to females. It could very well be that noise pollution is interfering with reproductive decisions by females. Previous studies have shown that a variety of birds can suffer when they change their songs, according to Erin Bayne, an ornithologist at the University of Alberta. The new study is one of the first to explain why.

Writting by Naseem Sheikh

According to the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization, 2.2% or about 1,687,000 hectares (about 4,168,667 acres) of Pakistan is forested. Pakistan had 340,000 ha of planted forest.

There has been a significant change in forest cover between 1990 and 2010. Pakistan lost an average of 42,000 hectares or 1.66% per year. In total, between 1990 and 2010, Pakistan lost 33.2% of its total forest cover or around 840,000 hectares.

Biodiversity and Protected Areas

Pakistan’s forests contain 213 million metric tons of carbon in living forest biomass. Pakistan has some 1027 known species of amphibians, birds, mammals, and reptiles according to figures from the World Conservation Monitoring Centre. Of these, 3.5% are endemic, meaning they exist in no other country, and 5.5% are threatened. Pakistan is home to at least 4950 species of vascular plants, of which 7.5% are endemic. 4.0% of Pakistan is protected under IUCN categories I-V.

Khurshid Ahmed, an environmentalist from Peshawar University, says most of the logs illegally cut from Pakistan’s forests have been washed away by the recent high speed rains that not only caused habitat damage but also hindered the smooth flow of rainwater in streams, canals, and the rivers.

“The same logs, when taken along in the flood waters, blocked the low clearance of concrete bridges and diverted the flow of water from the main stream towards the nearby population,” said Ahmed.

Illegal human encroachment onto river banks, and even into river beds, also hindered the flow of water, as did the houses built along the path by the river, which were blown away.

Pakistan lacks adequate resources and expertise for climate protection, so some experts have suggested the government to seek assistance from the Green Climate Fund for implementing climate change measures.

In August, the southern parts of the country received 270 percent above-normal monsoon rains. And in September, the monsoons rains were 1,170 percent above normal, says Dr. Qamar-uz-Zaman Chaudhry, Adviser Climate Affairs.

The Sindh province, where six million acres of land were inundated in current floods, had experienced severe drought conditions before the monsoon season and had not received any rainfall at all during the past 12 months.

Millions Affected by Pakistan’s Flooding

Almost 5.3 million people were affected by this year’s rains after the drastic flooding which began falling in late August.

• 370,000 people estimated to still be living in camps in Sindh.
• 200,000 people made homeless.
• 300 people were estimated killed in three months
• 1.7 million acres of arable land affected.

Government and relevant authorities need to take serious action to control the rate of deforestation. Without action, survival in Pakistan will become very difficult and possibly seen in the same light as poorer African countries like Ethiopia. Ethiopia has lost three quarters of its remaining trees in the last twenty-five years. Forest cover is now down to just 3% of its total land. This land, the birthplace of all humanity, has grown barren. (It’s the usual story: the greed of the former dictatorship; unwise land policies; the desperate poor cutting trees for fuel.) Since 1985, the year of the “Live Aid” concert, food production has declined by two thirds, and twice as many Ethiopians are going hungry.

Written by Naseem Sheikh

A controversial wind turbine project was recently approved by the Washington Energy Facility Site Evaluation Council and now requires a signature from Governor Chris Gregoire in Washington State for final approval. The site location is in the Columbia Gorge on private forest land in Skamania County. The wind farm project, called Whistling Ridge, originally planned for a total of 50 wind turbines, but was reduced by 15 to protect views in the Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area.

The wind turbines would stand 420 feet tall and be visible from the Columbia River, I-84, the Lewis and Clark National Historic Trail, the towns of Hood River and White Salmon, and the Historic Columbia River Highway. At maximum capacity the project will produce 75 megawatts of energy, enough to power roughly 75,000 homes if you assume the average household uses 10,000 KW hours a year.

Nearby landowners have opposed the project since its application in 2008. Landowners are concerned about their view being obstructed and are also worried about the noise generated from the turbines.

I have a couple colleagues who live in Washington State, so I decided to ask them what their feelings and opinions were on the wind turbine project. One coworker who lives in Amboy, Washington in neighboring Clark County thought the project was a good idea for the region.

“I actually like the idea of seeing those turbines being put up around here – I mean why not? It’s a good place for them. I like knowing that they’re generating clean power” he said.

When asked about what he thought of the view obstruction, he replied that he didn’t mind how they looked and thought they aren’t that ugly.

Another one of my colleagues who lives in Vancouver, Washington said “my only issue with wind turbines in general is due to the fact they require a lot of subsidies and they never fully recoup the cost because of all the maintenance required for them…so I sort of just think its a waste of money.”

Friends of the Columbia Gorge were also opposed to the project because of their concerns over the northern spotted owl.

The proposal, located within a designated “Spotted Owl Special Emphasis Area,” would harm eagles, hawks, bats and the already endangered spotted owl.

They are also quoted as being concerned about the visual impact of the turbines. Friends of the Columbia Gorge are collecting names for a petition they’ve started although it’s unclear how many people have signed the petition.

The $150 million project was first proposed by a nearby lumber company, SDS Lumber Co. of Bingen and its partner, Broughton Lumber Co., in 2008. The companies proposed to develop the wind farm on 1,152 acres immediately north of the National Scenic Area boundary.

A final environmental impact statement paid for by the applicants and released in August said the Whistling Ridge project would provide a temporary boost to the Gorge economy of about $13.2 million during construction. Eight or nine permanent employees would be needed to operate the wind farm, which would have a projected life of 30 years. Skamania County would see an increase in its annual property tax revenue of approximately $730,000 due to the increased assessed value of the wind farm property.

It’s unclear if the project will receive tax credits or subsidies to build the project from the feds or state government.

^{Some rights reserved by Thomas Guest}

Everyone must have thought at some point of time of ways to help the environment. It’s easy to get confused or intimidated by all the advise out there online and in the news. Not to worry, it turns out there are so many simple things anyone can do to help the environment and your wallet too.

Cut Down on Junk Mail

Ever go to your mailbox and its overstuffed with junk mail and useless catalogs? And then you go through your mail and one by one toss it all in the garbage nearby. Well suppose you could do the environment a big favor by reducing the amount of junk mail you receive by 90%. Cut down on junk mail you receive today to save energy, natural resource’s, landfill space, tax dollars and a lot of personal time.

This is a very low cost solution, for the cost of an envelope and a stamp, you can reduce a lot of annoying junk mail and reduce your impact to the environment at the same time. Go to OptOutPreScreen.com and print the form and send it in.

Beware of Vampire Electronics

Vampire electronics are those electronic devices in all of our homes that we never turn off, thus sucking energy away. These are devices that we never usually turn off because they are in stand by mode but happens to make up a significant portion of our energy bills. Examples of vampire electronics would be the coffee maker, the microwave, the dvd player, or even your computer. These devices are not in use but something as simple as the the time display on your DVD player or old VCR player are sucking energy like a blood thirsty vampire. In fact, vampire electronics suck more energy than you think.

This is a no cost solution to you if you can remember to unplug some of your devices including your cell phone charger. Although, if you are too forgetful to remember to pull the plug on your devices, you can purchase a smart strip or a conserve socket to help you stop that vampire energy from running your electricity bills up.

Green Your Morning Routine

When you wake up in the morning and you are getting ready for school or work, people often follow a repeated pattern much like that of a robot. There are some easy things to green your morning routine and help you save a little green too.

• Check your thermostat on the water heater. If you lower it to 120 degrees instead of 140, you could lower your electricity bill by as much as ten percent.
• Use less water. If you make a point to take a 5 minute shower instead of a 15 minute shower, you’ve just scored eco points and if you can do it for a full month, you’ll save money on your utility bill too
• If you’ve got long hair, consider letting your hair air dry instead of blow drying it. Blow dryers consume a ton of energy, so if you can get by without, more eco points for you.
• Ditch the disposable razors. 2 billion disposable plastic razors are purchased each year. Eventually they get tossed into the landfill. A more permanent razor with changeable razor heads would be a better choice to help reduce waste.
• Your cup of coffee – Fair trade Organic is the way to go. Carry a stainless steel mug with you to work or school.

Most of these things are pretty simple to do at no cost or low cost. If you set a goal of reducing your monthly electricity bill, it could be as fun as playing a game.

Energy Efficient Window Upgrades

Do you have single pane windows? Unfortunately, windows are the number one source of energy loss from buildings. Not to worry, a new startup in Portland called Indow Windows makes a thermal window insert that just presses into place on the inside of a window frame to upgrade the thermal performance of a single pane window to almost be equivalent to a standard double pane. If you live in a noisy neighborhood, the inserts also have the benefit of reducing sound transmission by up to 50%.

This moderate cost solution is cheaper than paying for the installation of brand new double or triple pane windows and will be a long term energy saver for your home.

Energy Efficient Light Bulbs

If you haven’t already done so, check ALL your light sockets and make sure they are energy efficient. I prefer the new LED light bulbs but they are kind of expensive. CFL’s have come down in price from a few years ago and are fairly inexpensive. Even a couple weeks ago I noticed that I hadn’t converted 4 bulbs that were all running at 65 watts. As soon as I noticed they were energy hoggers, I went online and bought LED light bulbs that run on 7 watts of energy, although they were $18 a bulb.

This is a low cost solution that will help you reduce your electricity bill and reduce demand from energy companies that are most likely burning fossil fuels to power your home.

And there we have it. We’ve listed five ways you can help the environment (actually a little bit more than five) that anyone can do with little to no cost.

Some rights reserved by Theodore Scott

On October 5th, 2011, the White House announced it will fast track grid modernization projects around the country. The Obama Administration said it would accelerate the permitting and construction of seven proposed electric transmission lines in Arizona, Colorado, Idaho, Minnesota, New Mexico, Nevada, Wyoming, Utah, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Oregon, and Wisconsin. This move is expected to create thousands of jobs for workers in those states, while also beefing up the electrical grids that will benefit domestic energy companies.

The American Wind Energy Association responded to the statement put out by the White House by saying, “…An expanded transmission grid is critical not just for renewable energy, but also for our economic and national security by improving reliability and providing access to lower cost energy for consumers,” said Tom Vinson, AWEA senior director of federal regulatory affairs.

For details and maps on the proposed transmission lines go to the Federal Permitting Transmission Tracking website. Two of the projects listed are in Oregon and Idaho and should provide hundreds of jobs during construction.

Boardman-Hemingway Line powering Oregon and Idaho:

The new 500 kilovolt (kV) transmission line proposed by Idaho Power would create an approximately 300 mile long, single-circuit electric transmission line from a proposed substation near Boardman, Oregon to the Hemingway Substation near Melba, Idaho—known as the Boardman to Hemingway Transmission Line Project or B2H Project. According to the developer of this project during peak construction, this project is estimated to create about 500 jobs in Idaho and Oregon.

Oregon to get additional transmission from Cascade Crossing Line:

Portland General Electric’s proposed Cascade Crossing Transmission Project includes approximately 210 miles of 500 kV transmission line from Boardman to Salem, Oregon—for the construction of four new substations, expansion of three existing substations, and upgrades to the existing transmission systems near Salem. According to the developer, Cascade Crossing is expected to create about 450 jobs during peak construction.

The American Wind Energy Association released a statement that said the three biggest barriers to achieving a grid needed to support the nation’s future energy needs: federal siting, cost allocation, and transmission planning for power lines. They seem to strongly believe that more transmission lines across the country are needed to help spur the renewable energy industry, particularly for wind energy.

“These lines are needed for more than integrating renewable energy. They’re necessary to improve reliability and provide consumers with access to lower priced power…”

With so much going on in the wind energy industry it seems like the stars are aligning for it. An offshore wind conference kicked off in Baltimore a few days ago just as a couple of offshore wind projects are moving forward on the east coast of the United States. Meanwhile, wind power continues to surge across the globe. Between 2000 and 2010, world wind electric generating capacity increased at a frenzied pace from 17,000 megawatts to nearly 200,000 megawatts.

In the Pacific Northwest, transmission lines are sometimes at capacity during high peak times. Production has reached such a critical point that BPA operators and producers worry that lines will become overloaded. That could mean blackouts. More transmission capability will open the door to additional turbines. In fact, construction of new turbines in the area already has slowed because of the lack of transmission.

Thanks to the White House support of the fast tracks in these grid modernization pilot projects, all domestic energy projects, including renewable energy, will be able to benefit.

^{Photo: The Environmental Blog}

Vestas, which has their North American headquarters located in Portland, Ore., announced a major sale to our neighbor to the north. They received a 178 megawatt wind turbines order for two wind farm projects in southwestern Ontario, Canada.

The wind energy contracts include delivery and commissioning along with five-year service and maintenance agreements. Delivery for both wind farm projects is scheduled for the second half of 2012 and commissioning expected by late 2012.

Vestas will manufacture 99 V90-1.8 MW wind turbines to meet the total 178MW for the two wind power projects in Canada. The contracts include delivery and commissioning along with five-year service and maintenance agreements. Delivery for both projects is scheduled for the second half of 2012 and commissioning expected by late 2012. Everything will be manufactured in Vestas factories in Colorado.

The projects will be built under Ontario’s feed-in tariff (FIT) program, which offers stable prices under long-term contracts from renewable-energy sources such as wind. The projects’ names and specific locations will be disclosed at a later date.

In a press release on the subject, Martha Wyrsch, President of Vestas-Canada said, “We look forward to bringing more clean energy to the grid. These projects will provide construction and maintenance jobs in Ontario and even more clean energy to the region. The V90-1.8 MW, which is designed for areas with medium wind speeds, will provide enough electricity to power 60,000 Ontario homes.”

Since 1997, Vestas has supplied more than 1,000 wind turbines in all 10 Canadian provinces, equating to 1,710 MW of installed wind capacity. This provides enough electricity to power more than 500,000 Canadian homes. Vestas, which has a sales office in Toronto, had its first wind turbine installed in the Ontario market in 2001. In 2011, Vestas has sold 431 MW in Canada.

Vestas is the world leader in providing high-tech wind power systems. Since 1979, Vestas has supplied more than 44,000 wind turbines in 66 countries. Vestas sold its first wind turbine to North America in 1981 and since then has provided more than 12,000 turbines to the United States and Canada. It appears that Vestas is helping the world meet renewable energy goals. According to the WWF Canada, it may be possible to be on 100% renewable energy by the year 2050. These sales by global wind companies are a step towards that goal.

This marks the second major order this week, with another major sale just announced for Texas with 55 V100-1.8 MW turbines churning out a total of 99MW of renewable energy.

Although it may be a little too early to start thinking about Christmas gifts and all that, all the buzz around Amazon’s new Kindle Fire eBook/tablet is taking center stage. All the hype around it and other tablets like Apples successful iPad, signify a coming of age in a new breed of technology and information. Some people think that these so called tablets are nothing more than fancy eBook readers or web browsers. To many tech savvy folks out there, these gadgets are so much more than that. We live in a digital age, a modern day era of access to any and all information. Anything you could possibly want the answer to is available for you to search on the Internet with a quick Google search. Technologies such as crowd sourcing, cloud computing, and open source software are enabling the most creative technological advancements at an ever increasing speed.

Was The Kindle a Disruptive Technology?

The humble paperback is struggling to stay alive in this technologically hip day in age. Sales of paper books have been on the decline for years, no less thanks to Amazon and their innovative push to go digital with books. Amazon’s sales of eBooks now surpass those of sales of the paperback all the while brick and mortar Border’s files for bankruptcy. So was the Kindle a disruptive technology? One could argue that is the case. However, Amazon realized that they could capitalize on a market by selling digital content and saving on resources and ultimately costs by not having to deal with physical inventory and logistics for a portion of their business.

The benefit to the environment by the sale of digital assets are quite clear. All those millions of readers that are purchasing digital books and sparing thousands of trees could be viewed as modern day heroes. It’s really hard to quantify the amount of trees saved by people opting for eBooks rather than traditional paper books because of the different processes used to make paper. However, saving trees are saving trees. People sometimes buy books that barely even get used, or are read only once and then left on a bookshelf for years. For some people, especially environmentally conscious ones, that doesn’t make any sense. You wouldn’t buy a brand new pair of jeans only to wear it once and put it away to make your closet look full…right? That it is why it makes sense in this day in age to go green by choosing to go digital. Prices for eBook readers have never been cheaper since companies have been getting competitive with their offerings and prices. You don’t have to buy an expensive fancy iPad for $400 or anything like that, but rather a simple, cheaper offering is an Amazon Kindle that’ll run you a modest $79.

Books vs eBooks

The debate on whether or not eBook readers are greener than their paper versions are still being debated. Some say the carbon footprint of an iPad, Kindle, or Nook need to be taken into consideration. Sales of eBooks are still a low percentage of total paper book sales, although are gaining rapid ground. Reports in online media increasingly say that eBook sales are doubling year over year while paper book sales suffer double digit losses. Even so, paper books will most likely never fully disappear from the picture. Everyone does seem to agree that we will all convert to our technology more and more, while we forget about the traditional paper book. Books vs eBooks – sounds like the title of D-List nerd alert cinema film, but is more like the reality of the information age in which we live. The battle of the books is one fight the paper back is sure to lose by looking at the increasing sales of ebooks and the declining sales of paperbacks.

What are your thoughts on the transition to eBooks? What is your preference?

Asia is one the worst hit regions by sudden impact disasters; including floods, earthquakes, tidal waves, tropical storms, volcanic eruptions, and landslides. Floods are a type of natural disaster most frequently associated with sudden migration of large populations and food shortages. Earthquakes cause the greatest number of deaths and overwhelming infrastructural damage.

Asian countries including Pakistan face the greatest risk from severe climate change, which could force millions of people to flee their homes and trigger environmental migration, according to an Asian Development Bank report. The report titled “Climate Change and Migration in Asia and the Pacific” says Bangladesh, India, Maldives, and Pakistan face the greatest risk, but Indonesia, the Philippines, Thailand, Vietnam, Japan, China and South Korea are also especially vulnerable.

Global Warming Refugees?

Over 42 million people across the world and 30 million just from Asia were forced to flee due to Natural hazard’s disasters in 2010, according to a new study by the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC)’s Geneva?based Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre (IDMC). In 2009, 17 million people were displaced by such disasters, and 36 million in 2008. Considering that figure, projections that 50 million people will be displaced by climate change globally by 2020 seems an optimistic projection. Reports from the International Organization for Migration say by 2050 there could well be 1 billion people driven from their homes.

The number of natural disasters reported has doubled from around 200 to over 400 a year over the past two decades. In 2010, over 90 per cent of disaster displacement within Asian countries was caused by climate?related hazards, primarily floods and storms.

Asia Hit Hard by Natural Disasters

In 2009 major floods of India and China which covered a huge area of the southern provinces, as well as some in central and even the north displaced over 15 million people. And in 2010 flood of Pakistan. In Pakistan in mid?2010, at least 11 million people were forced to leave their home areas, and had their homes and livelihoods destroyed by the flood waters.

“The scale of displacement is enormous. Every single number in this report is a person whose life is severely affected, and it is vital that those women, men and children who are being displaced by the impact of climate change and natural hazards receive the assistance and protection they need”, said NRC Secretary General Elisabeth Rasmusson at the launch. “This report provides us with evidence of the extent and urgency of the problem that we cannot ignore. We must increase collaborative efforts to prevent displacement by natural disasters, and do a better job of protecting those displaced”.

“Globally, eight to 10 countries with the largest number of people living in low-elevation coastal zones are in the region,” the report says. Bank warns that migration driven by environmental factors is emerging as a serious concern. “It’s not just a threat. It’s something we’ve already seen,” said Bart Edes, director of ADB’s Poverty Reduction, Gender, and Social Development Division, stressing the need for policymakers and leaders “to take action now in order to help address the problem.”

Some 26 million people worldwide currently live in situations of internal displacement as a result of conflicts or human rights violations. They were forced to flee their homes because their lives were at danger, but unlike refugees they did not cross international borders. Although internally displaced people now outnumber refugees by two to one, their plight receives far less international attention.

Data Shows Environmental Disasters Increasing

Heart breaking data results shows that natural disasters are all increasing with time. More refugees are moving from affected areas to safe places for their survival. In these disastrous conditions of flooding, storms, and earthquakes, a large number of contagious and epidemic diseases are spreading due to sanitation and water contaminations.

The need of the hour is to sensibly utilize energy resources and pre-plan for coming disaster changes. As many countries face already such destructive hazards, sometimes they learn nothing from their past experiences.

Written by: Naseem Sheikh