Archive for the 'Environment' Category
July 19th, 2010 -- Posted in Environment |
Do you really want to help clean up the spill in the Gulf of Mexico and join the party of the oil spill volunteers? Many online articles have been documented regarding the numerous health hazards resulting from the oil spill that many experts have warned us, and now CNN has announced that the vast majority of cleaners that of the Exxon Valdez in 1989, Alaska, are now dead. In fact, an expert guest on the sets of CNN had said that the life expectancy of oil spill volunteers of the Exxon Valdez was only about 51 years. Since the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico is now immeasurably worse than the Exxon Valdez one, do you really want to volunteer to join the team of cleaners out there? After all, the American dream, not to enrich a few months in helping BP to clean up their mess and then drop dead 20 or 30 years earlier.
This topic in CNN is absolutely amazing. If it approaches the truth, then why would you participate in cleaning up the oil spill? The truth is that what we have in the Gulf of Mexico is a “toxic soup” containing oil, methane, benzene, hydrogen sulfide, and other noxious gases that dispersants very toxic as Corexit 9500. Breathing this stuff is harmful to health but the reality is that it will be decades before knowing the actual record of the impact of this accident on health. However, recent reports are not positive based on the work done by the oil spill volunteers.
A large number of oil-spill volunteers cleaning up the disaster of BP in the Gulf of Mexico are already reporting they suffer from symptoms similar to influenza. According to another new report, the result of exposure to the oil disaster in the Gulf of Mexico caused 162 cases of illnesses reported to the Ministry of Health in Louisiana. In addition, according to local news station in Pensacola, Florida, “400 people sought medical care for upper respiratory tract infections and low, headaches, nausea and irrational eye after trips to the beach Escambia County”.
This situation deserves to be watched carefully by everybody. However, it is not that the oil-spill volunteers cleaning up the spill and going to the beach that have reported these threats to health. So what can we deduce from all this? Well, it is perhaps too early, but once this crisis is over, it could be that the greatest tragedy of the story is havoc on health has caused the spill. If the spill of the Exxon Valdez is an indication in itself, many oil spill volunteers will eventually die early. It is high time the oil spill volunteers were given some kind of protection for the hard work that they do.
June 16th, 2010 -- Posted in Environment |
Today is the fifty-fifth day oil flows unabated into the Gulf now effecting four states. The politicians, president, local leaders, residents, Congress, and Tony Haywood CEO of BP have weighed in on the enormity of the spill, the lasting effects on the environment and wild life, and the extinction of people’s way of life. President Obama is returning to the region next week to visit the states involved. Congress invited the families of the eleven people killed during the oilrig explosion to testify, and they stated BP was making it difficult coming to an equitable compensation for their loss. Tony Haywood is spinning the disaster with TV commercials detailing the amount of equipment, booms’ deployed, skimmer boats, tankers, number of workers cleaning up; BP will be here for the long run, and he could not wait to get his life back.
Local leaders and officials are constantly complaining about BP’s incompetence and they can do a better job. A Florida official wants BP to put 20 billion dollars in a trust fund they can draw from to begin the cleanup in the Panhandle. The national news reported BP is one of the richest companies in the world, holding eight billion dollars in cash reserves, and will not be ruined by this disaster. The president’s moratorium on offshore deep drilling has closed down a number of oil wells resulting in more unemployment filings.
The people in charge have forgotten the citizens in four states who depend on the Gulf for their livelihood – fisherman, oilrig workers, and all support services for the oil industry, tourism, and their ancillary services. Their suffering has just begun; the media has pushed them to the wayside, and all they want is their lives back. BP should compensate them for their lost wages now, instead of blowing smoke up their butts, telling them they will be here no matter how long the cleanup takes. When the well is capped, BP will drift away and the affected citizens will be forgotten. Washington’s press secretary can hold up a bill for 2 billion dollars, which is going to be sent to BP, but what guarantee do the citizens have it will be paid? The oil is spreading like the Black Plague affecting people daily, while the government and BP continually give them rhetoric. People cannot live on words: they need the resource called money, which will enable them to keep going till they can decided how, and if necessary where to go to get their lives back – as their way of life is gone forever.
May 11th, 2010 -- Posted in Environment |
Many people when needing something typically will go to the store and buy the item brand new. While this is one option, there are some alternatives to consider as well. Many times, there are other options besides just buying brand new. These can be done to save money or for other personal reasons. Recycling and having a small environmental footprint is a common reason given.
The first thing you need to consider doing is to buy items used online. There are many things online used that are in great quality that you can get at a good price. The reason is that many people are buying new things before the old ones are actually broken. You can get these at a discounted price that still have quite a bit of life left in them. For example my mother in law is currently looking a used backup refrigerator online using Craigslist and Freecycle. She is looking at paying perhaps $25 in stead of several hundreds of dollars, a very significant savings.
Get refurbished products when you can. These are normally electronics but can be other things. It basically means that you can get something that at one point was in a customer’s home but needed to be fixed. After the refurbish it’s like new but cheaper. Computers are often available refurbished and can be great deals sometimes.
Consider buying the broken version of an item and repairing it yourself if you have the skills. Of course you can often get broken items for free as well, often saving them from occupying landfills
Instead of buying news things yourself, try to trade and borrow items with a group of friends. This not only saves money but can give you access to more things that you could if you had to buy it all on your own.
One option is to just keep what you already own longer. If you have an item that is still useful, just use that instead. You don’t have to always have the latest things. Be happy with what you have.
Learn to enjoy living with less. At times you can skip buying things at all and enjoy the things that you already own. There isn’t always a need to buy things used or brand new especially if you really don’t need them. It is amazing how many new items we collect, often claiming we “need” them, when that isn’t the real case at all!
Harry writes on many topics including safety and the environment. See his latest at Rubber Stair Treads and Hardwood Stair Treads.
April 7th, 2010 -- Posted in Environment |
Oil spills are a big problem, whether they are big or small. Fortunately, there are spill kits available to clean them up fast. Read on for a guide to the available oil spill kits, and which ones might be right for your situation.
Oil spills come in all sizes. Maybe it’s just a drum that toppled over or sprung a leak. Maybe it’s a tractor trailer that flipped over and spilled its content. And maybe it’s an oil tanker that had a spill near the coastline. Either way, clean-up is essential.
The kinds of spills you need to deal with are probably of the smaller variety But still, they can vary in size. So it’s best to assess what the potential for spills are in your facility and on your equipment and choose spill kits accordingly.
1) What Type of Spill Kit Should You Get?
First of all, you need to determine which type of spill kit to get. There are three major types, Universal or general purpose, oil only, and hazmat.
You may think that obviously you’re going to get the oil only one. And the oil only spill kit is indeed an excellent choice. It is perfectly designed to deal with the exact substance you’re trying to handle. And if you have a spill on water, it is able to clean up the oil while repelling the water.
However, if the oil gets mixed up with other fluids, especially water-based fluids, the universal kit might also be a good option. It does work on hydrocarbons, so it will get the job done.
And you might even consider the hazmat kit, depending on your situation. That’s because hazmat kits will also absorb hydrocarbons, which include oil, along with other, more aggressive fluids.
2) What’s the Maximum Size of any Potential Spill
Next, you’ll need to consider the size of the potential spill. After all, oil spill kits come in small, mobile, drum size versions.
So you should try to figure out how big of a spill you could possibly encounter from any single container. Not that you need to be able to handle all of it with an absorbent right then and there. there are other tools that can help you contain the spill, from spill containment berms to drain protector covers. You can then even vacuum up the spill and use the spill kits to take care of the rest.
3) What Type of Container Is Best?
You can use bucket or bagged spill kits to handle small spills. But if you have larger spills, you’ll need a drum kit, or a mobile kit, possibly one with wheels.
4) Insist on High Quality
Finally, you’ll need to make sure you get good quality supplies. Don’t just get the cheapest one you can find. Look for quality, how many socks, pads, and pillows are included, and whether the absorbent pads are heavy or light weight.
You should also insist on safety items for your employees, for example gloves, goggles, and such. Still, those high quality kits don’t have to be expensive. If you check online, you can find oil spill kits of excellent quality at very reasonable prices.
December 13th, 2009 -- Posted in Environment |
Who said that it is not possible to make a bit of money at the same time that you do a bit of good for Mother Nature? Whoever they were, they were most certainly wrong! There are many different ways to help out the planet that can also help out your own bottom line, and some of them are quite novel and useful indeed. Take, for example, the kinds of services budding up all over the internet offering modern electronics consumers the ability to cash in on their old gadgets; such companies are not only providing today’s tech-bedecked digital era citizens the possibility of gathering a bit of spare change to direct towards their next hardware purchase, but furthermore there is a crucial environmental concern which is being positively addressed here. Believe it or not, by selling your old gadget instead of merely heaping it into the trash can, you are doing the planet a solid, solid favor.
For all those iPhone users out there that can’t wait to get the latest version of the product, this means a great way to get cash for iPhones that one no longer needs-and how many old iPhones do we have laying around the house or the car in this country?! As more and more people realize that it is possible to easily and quickly get cash for iPhones via a handful or quality sites specifically catering to the used iPhone market, the (positive) environmental impact will only grow, until, ideally, reaching the point where people never again even consider chucking out an old bit of electronics such as an iPhone, always making the best of the opportunity to get a little cash for iPhones that are no longer being used.
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October 26th, 2009 -- Posted in Environment |
Looking closely at biodiesel, we find that its physical and chemical properties are very similar to petroleum based diesel fuel in terms of operation in compression ignition engines (diesel engines). Therefore, biodiesel can be used in diesel engines without expensive alterations to the engine or fuel system.
When it comes to listing the advantages of biodiesel, there are many and advocates say these include low emissions, better scent, and higher lubricity. According to a DOE report, biodiesel has a lower energy content than regular diesel, but performs as well as diesel when mixed with diesel in blends of up to 20 percent.
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March 10th, 2009 -- Posted in Environment |
The term recycling refers to the processing of used manufactured products in such a way that the materials are turned into new products, ready to be re-used. Most materials can be recycled, although harder substances may cost more to process, making their re-use inefficient. Paper, plastic, glass, tin, and many textiles are all relatively easy to process for recycling. Despite the similarity in purpose and process, when organic materials such as foods and plants are re-used the process is known as composting rather than recycling.
Recycling is done for a number of reasons, the most obvious of which is to reduce the amount of natural resources which are consumed for new products. It is also done to save energy, prevent water and air pollution, and to prevent the build up of garbage and the proliferation of landfills.
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February 24th, 2009 -- Posted in Environment |
If you’re one of the millions of people in the world that still comes home from the store with plastic bags full of groceries, you should reconsider your methods. Have you ever wondered about all of the waste that accumulated when all of us use 10-20 plastic bags every week? If not, here’s some food for thought…
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) says that US citizen generated over 250 million tons of garbage in 2006. Most of that trash was the kind of stuff you throw out every week, but it also included things like lawn clippings, old tires, and freezers. That number does not include commercial waste.
And while we recycled over 82 million tons of municipal solid waste (saving the energy equivalent of 10 billion gallons of gasoline), we still discarded 3 pounds of waste per person per day. The EPA further estimated that 55 to 65 percent of all municipal solid waste was residential waste, while 35 to 45 percent was commercial waste from schools, hospitals and businesses.
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February 11th, 2009 -- Posted in Environment |
We’ve all heard about conserving water on the evening news. Water shortages and drought conditions in several counties across the country and local municipalities invoking rate hikes and water restrictions that can affect you and your family. Whether or not you live in an affected area, there are several easy steps families can take to reduce their water consumption just in the kitchen alone.
Here are 8 easy tips to get you started.
1. Only run the dishwasher when its completely FULL. Half loads waste water and your machine runs more efficiently when fully loaded.
2. When handwashing dishes only fill the sink half full of water. You don’t need to completely fill the sink to scrub the dishes or pans. Don’t run the water as you wash the dishes. And don’t rinse the dishes until you are done. Then rinse them all at once.
3. When cooking with water ( boiling eggs, pasta, or vegetables ) don’t throw it out when you are done. Let it cool and use it to water your plants. The nutrients in the water are better for your plants and then you don’t have to use fresh water from your faucet.
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February 7th, 2009 -- Posted in Environment |
Browsing the web today I’ve found this excellent article written by BL Hill regarding recycling and reducing paper use.
After reading it I’ve seen some point in there and I thought I’d share it with you, my reader. Here it is :
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Just about everyone has heard about the benefits of recycling. It’s nearly impossible to read a magazine or newspaper, or watch TV without seeing or hearing some news about the various forms of recycling. Recycling paper was one of the first types of recycling to be introduced to the general public and is still one of the most often practiced kinds.
Continually cutting down trees to make paper is depleting the resources we have out there despite re-planting done by some companies. When too many trees are cleared away the natural habitat for animals and plants is destroyed. This can have a very negative effect on our society as a whole. In addition, the trees that are cut down can no longer remove the carbon dioxide from the air we breathe.
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