The Compost Project

By Daggermouth John

In NYC, a group of people called Snug Harbor Cultural Center & Botonical Garden are working on a project known as the compost project. What is the compost project, you ask? The compost project is when people take scraps of food and bury them in the ground as soil. you can use orange peels and other more natural foods. Many schools across America are all doing the same thing, from elementary schools to high school. You to can save the environment by using your left over foods as homemade soil for your school or home. SAVE OUR PLANET, DON'T LITTER, AND SAVE A TREE!!!

Fruita 8/9 composting project

The students at Fruita 8/9 school in Colorado are making the steps to go green. The composting project at Fruita 8/9 school started on the Earth's birthday. We are taking food products left from lunch to turn into compost. The program will both save money for the school and will be more environmentally friendly. The food compost will reduce the amount of waste and energy we produce. However you can only compost certain things such as grains, egg shells and greens. You can not compost things like meat, bread, and milk.

School Composting

Our school is starting a composting program . Anything like fruits, vegetables, and napkins can be composted, and we are going to use the compost in the green house that we will soon be constructing. It will also be used in the gardens around the school. When we begin to have excess compost we will make it available to the community. It will not cost as far as i am aware.



By:

Lanae

Burying Global Warming

by Hezikia

There is a new way that Carbon Greenhouse emissions are being saved from being put into the atmosphere ...it is by, burying it. Not only will this cut down on greenhouse emissions but it will also help us get more trapped oil in the ground. When mixed with water and put into the ground it creates a chemical reaction that frees oil that has stuck onto the rock. This way we can get thousand of more gallons of oil from the ground with a positive side-effect This method has been used is many oilfields in Texas and Canada with varying success. For more info visit www.hydroexpert.com/hxpnews/news.php?action=fullnews&is=10

Music and Environmental Awareness

Are you a big music fan? How often do you listen to music? What kind of music do you listen to? These questions are often asked by friends and family, but one question you might not hear nearly as often is: How many times have you heard a song about the environment? No one has ever asked me this question before. However, there are several songs that come to mind when I think about it. The first one that I think of is Michael Jackson's Earth Song, as well as Big Yellow Taxi by Joni Mitchell. There are several more, but even as I'm typing this, I can't recall their names! I'm pretty sure that Bob Dylan, Neil Young, and The Beatles probably have songs about this subject, but, again, I can't think of any at the moment. And that's the thing! Music is a huge part of culture all around the world, even if it isn't a big part of life for everyone. Music is a huge influence in my life, and if I could I would listen to music 24/7. But the point of this mini-article thing isn't to share my opinion on music (even though I'm going to take the chance right now to say that Michael Jackson is one of the greatest musicians to ever walk this Earth!), the point of this article/mini-article/blog is that there are many, many, many songs out there in the world that talk about the environment and the effect that we are having on it every day, and I think that there is definitely a reason why we don't really know these songs. I think that because listening to these songs would force us to actually think about the current state of the world, and what we are doing to contribute to it, that we don't want to listen to these songs. We don't want to accept the fact that even if we ignore the consequences of mass consumerism across the globe, that if we just pretend that there isn't a problem there, we can go on living our lives, and there really won't be a problem. Humans are actually quite good at this. We take what we want, and we pay for the consequences later on. Pretty simple concept, right? The question is, when are we going to pay for these consequences? When are we going to fix the problems we're causing? I say, we can't start soon enough! Even if we were to start right now, we couldn't take all the plastic out of the oceans, we couldn't clean all the excess carbon dioxide out of the air, we couldn't patch the holes in the ozone layer... and the list goes on and on. But that doesn't mean we shouldn't start. Just because it could take our lifetimes, it doesn't mean we shouldn't do it now so that later on, people just like us don't have to spend their lives cleaning up our mess. And that is what music tells us! That is the exact reason we should listen more, broaden our horizons, and give our time and effort to what really matters.

The Beginning of Earth Day

40 years ago this Thursday was the start of a movement that is now burning on the front lines of both political and civilian debate worldwide: the matters of energy efficiency, environmental awareness, and the importance of Global Warming in our time. And all of it was sparked by one man, a Senator from Wisconsin by the name of Gaylord Nelson.
Elected in 1962, Senator Nelson was one of the first politicians to really begin to take action and protect the Earth and the amazing natural resources provided by it. As soon as he was elected in office, and upon finding that there was no "environmental political agenda" , his fight for environmental awareness really began, and is now recognized worldwide by one day out of every year, Earth Day.

For the full story, please visit: http://nelsonearthday.net/nelson/index.htm


Below is a picture of Senator Gaylord Nelson, overlooking the St. Croix River.

This is a picture of Senator Nelson giving a speech in Denver, Colorado.

The notes of the speech can be found here: http://nelsonearthday.net/collection/422-denverspeech.htm



By Ninja

Toyota: Moving Forward.... to what?

Now, you may say that Toyota would be a strange company to look into for future cars after the issues that some models have had with sticky pedals, but I find their concept cars not only original, but also extremely interesting and attractive for hybrid cars. Toyota's concept cars are not as compact and, frankly, ugly as other cars on the market. Obviously, as these cars are only concepts at the moment, I really believe that they could easily sell to anyone searching for an efficient car if they were to sell today. But, really, don't take my word for it! Here are the pictures of several different models currently known to the public.


Toyota PM Toyota FT-HS

Toyota Fine-S

For further information, and the rest of the cars, please go to http://www.toyota.com/concept-vehicles/fines.html

P.S. The pictures above aren't the only cars, just my favorites from the bunch! : )

Rising CO2 Levels

This is an article by David Adam, written on Monday, May 12th 2008, entitled "World CO2 Levels at Record high, scientists warn", and posted on www.TheWe.cc For further information, please go to :
http://www.thewe.cc/weplanet/news/air/co2_record_high_levels_in_the_atmosphere.htm

"The concentration of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere has reached a record high, according to new figures that renew fears that climate change could begin to slide out of control. Scientists at the Mauna Loa observatory in Hawaii say that CO2 levels in the atmosphere now stand at 387 parts per million (ppm), up almost 40% since the industrial revolution and the highest for at least the last 650,000 years. The figures, published by the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) on its website, also confirm that carbon dioxide, the chief greenhouse gas, is accumulating in the atmosphere faster than expected. The annual mean growth rate for 2007 was 2.14ppm – the fourth year in the past six to see an annual rise greater than 2ppm. From 1970 to 2000, the concentration rose by about 1.5ppm each year, but since 2000 the annual rise has leapt to an average 2.1ppm. Scientists say the shift could indicate that the Earth is losing its natural ability to soak up billions of tons of carbon each year. Climate models assume that about half our future emissions will be re-absorbed by forests and oceans, but the new figures confirm this may be too optimistic. If more of our carbon pollution stays in the atmosphere, it means emissions will have to be cut by more than currently projected to prevent dangerous levels of global warming. Martin Parry, co-chair of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change's working group on impacts, said:

Despite all the talk, the situation is getting worse. Levels of greenhouse gases continue to rise in the atmosphere and the rate of that rise is accelerating. We are already seeing the impacts of climate change and the scale of those impacts will also accelerate, until we decide to do something about it."



Isn't this reason enough to try to do something? Awareness of the Global Climate Change Crisis is becoming more relevant in America due to pushes by President Obama for the United States to become a greener, more efficient country. An article about this subject was posted on the CNN website. For the full article, please click on the following link:
http://www.cnn.com/2010/POLITICS/03/05/obama.energy/index.html?section=cnn_latest

The article is about the push by President Obama for Americans to become more efficient in their homes. It's being called the Home Star program, the plan first outlined in the State of the Union address. Rebates of up to $3,000 would be provided for homeowners if they made energy-efficient improvements to their homes. However, for simpler upgrades like the installation of better water heaters, insulation, windows, doors, etc. could bring in a smaller rebate of up to $1,500.

Isn't this incentive enough? Even if you don't believe in Global Warming/Global Climate Change, the switch to more efficient improvements in your household would not only be payed back in rebates, but the bills you once had for things like water heaters and the like would drop significantly! That is as good a reason as any to take part in becoming more efficient not only as a nation, but as a world.

By Ninja

New Drilling on Coastlines for Oil

by: Capa Tpeuj



The Obama Administration wants to get into a very large energy resource that thrives along the coast of the Atlantic Ocean, and the Gulf of Mexico. But there is minor likeliness for there to be a change in gas pump prices. It could likely take years just for the drillers to know how much oil can be pumped from the places and where they can go. There is even a possibility that that the data they have is not even right for making maps or providing layouts for drillers to use. President Obama says that he will try to open the offshore areas in the Gulf of Mexico and off the mid and Southern Atlantic Coast. Oil and Gas resources would be formed off the Virginia coast and more than 125 miles from the coast of Florida in the Gulf. But Obama doesn't support drilling in Bristol Bay off of the coast of Alaska due to environmental concerns. If drillers are able to get as much oil out as they believe they can pump enough to cover a 15- year supply of oil, and a 23-year supply of natural gas according to Minerals Management Service. In the Gulf it is believed that there is over 41.5 billion barrels of recoverable oil that hasn't yet been discovered, and 161 trillion cubic feet of undiscovered natural gas.



http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/36121239/ns/business-oil_and_energy/

The World's Top 10 Polluters

The information for the data to be given was collected from statistics in 2006 and compiled in 2007 by the CDIAC for United Nations. If you would like to see the complete list, please go to http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_carbon_dioxide_emissions

(The number that comes after the specific country is measured in thousands of metric tons. The percentage shown afterwards is the total percentage of the world's emissions that the country makes up.)

1. China 6,103,493 21.5%
2. United States 5,752,289 20.2%
3. Russia 1,564,669 5.5%
4. India 1,510,351 5.3%
5. Japan 1,203,409 4.6%
6. Germany 805,090 2.8%
7. United Kingdom 568,520 2.0%
8. Canada 544,680 1.9%
9. South Korea 475,248 1.7%
10. Italy 478,148 1.7%

Also listed was the European Union, placing after the U.S. and before Russia. As it isn't technically a country, I'll give you the statistics here:

European Union 3,914,359 13.8%

However, this data is only based on the burning of fossil fuels in 2006, not on any other form of carbon emission. Other pollutants like methane or emissions from activities like deforestation and fossil fuel exporters, etc, are not included in this data either.


By Ninja

ECO FRIENDLY DUCT TAPE!

By zim?

Have you ever ripped something such as a folder or a bag? When most people do they reach for the greatest invention in the world, duct tape. For the Eco Friendly connoisseurs there is now a green version of this wonderful device.
The tape is made up of an Oxo-Biodegradable Film that actually 100% degrades back into completely organic material over a period of 15 years. It is also made of cloth that is 38% polyester fibers of recycled materials such as plastic bottles.
Since the "green" version is almost identical to it's "non-green" counter part there is no large difference in quality other than the fact that the "green" tape begins the degrading process after a year from date of application. So for you people who are turning your life "green" or just love duct tape the green option is there for you!

Save Energy and Money

by Grace and Julie
There are many things we can do to save energy.
~Use compact fluorescent light bulbs. They cost a little more that regular light bulbs, but you can save about $25 dollars in the life of each bulb.
~Insulate your home. This saves energy and money, helps maintain a regular temperature in your home, and makes ceilings, roofs and walls warmer in the winter and cooler in the summer.
~Unplug appliances that aren't in use. Even when they are off, electronics that are plugged in still pull energy. This saves energy and can save $5.00 to $10.00 on your electric bill each month.
~ Use energy efficient appliances. Energy efficient washing machines, dryers and T.V.s are available. Although they may cost a little more, the energy and money savings will pay them off over time.
~Use solar energy. Solar power is one of the best ways to save money and electricity. Solar panels are generally pretty expensive, but they usually pay for themselves within 15 years.

Magnetism

Magnetism is the attraction or repulsion of the poles of magnets. There are two poles of a magnet, the north pole and the south pole. They react according to the magnetic fields of the earth, this is how a compass works. A freely moving magnet will always have the same end pointing North and have one end indicating the North direction. Magnets will attract the opposite pole of another magnet while repulsing a like pole.

Xcel Energy

Xcel Energy is offering three ways to save money. One of the ways is to pay an extra $19.99 and you get to select six appliances to get repaired which is a savings of $60 for the first year. You can add more appliances for $4 each. For an additional $9.99 a month per appliance you can get them replaced. Another way for you to save money through Xcel Energy is to get your appliances reviewed. The appliances are; Carbon Monoxide Alarm, Central Humidifier, Central Air Cleaner and Purifier, Water Heater-Tankless and with a Tank, Central Air Conditioner, Gas Boiler, and Gas Furnace. For more ways to save money through Xcel Energy go to http://www.homesmartcolorado.com/.

Energy Star Appliances

By Xena



The U.S. Department of Energy and the U.S. Environment Protection Agency created the Energy Star symbol. These appliances with the energy star symbol on it helps reduce air pollution and helps you save money at the same time! Isn't that amazing? It's a deal that no one can easily refuse.



The energy star symbol can be found in many different appliances, such as...



1. refrigerators



2. dishwashers



3. clothes washers and dryers



4. room air conditioners



5. and many more to come!

These appliances can be rewarded energy efficient stars, or the energy star symbol if they are miraculously more energy efficient than the government's standards. But the average amount of energy used per each kind of appliance is different. Appliances with energy stars are the most efficient today.

Convinced about getting one yet? Here are some benefits that could help convince you.

1. They get along with you better than a normal appliance. For example, their noise is reduced, plus they have a better design so they can withstand more without getting destroyed.

2. They have a lower utility bill. Everyone knows we are going through a crisis everywhere with the shortage of money, so with an appliance with an energy star will help you!

Energy Star Appliances help you, and they help the world go green!

Planting Trees

by Grace

While planting trees helps to improve air quality and help decrease pollution, if you plant them in the wrong place, they can interfere with power lines, causing powere outages during storms. Keep these things in mind when planting trees near power lines.





~Tall growing trees should be planted more than 50 feet away from power lines.





~Low growing trees (20-25 feet or under at maturity) should be planted within 35 feet of power lines.





~Don't plant trees withing 10 feet of the power lines that connect your house to the pole.





~Plant vegetation more than 10 feet away from ground-level electrical boxes.





~Call 8-1-1 before planting trees to locate any underground utility lines.

Earth Day as a Nation!

By Chaaya



This week on Thursday, April 22 is the one and only day known as Earth Day. As a community, a country and a nation we come together to celebrate our home, the thing that is most precious to us. Though nowadays it doesn't seem like it because our seas are polluted, along with the air. We are getting better though, by turning to "green" appliances and equipment. Even the little things can help...if one person did something to help out our Earth, our home, it would make a huge difference. Ever heard big things come in small packages? Well this applies to everything we do to help. Gather friends and family on Earth Day and do something to aid in our mission to make Earth a better place to live.

Earth Day 2010

Earth Day is THIS Thursday, April 22! If you're not already aware of the issue of Global Warming, maybe this year you can pretend to care.. at least a little bit! It really isn't that hard to recycle your cans and bottles instead of just throwing them away, and the few steps it may take to the recycling bin won't hurt you a bit! Recycling is good for the Earth, and the extra exercise you get for taking some inconvenient little steps will help you!

Maybe this year, instead of sitting at home griping about the Earth Day commercials running on TV all day, stepping outside to enjoy the sunshine and the wonderful springtime weather sweeping across the country may just bring a smile to your face! Hey, while you're outside, why not go plant a tree? Then you'll be able to say that the pollution in the air isn't your fault, that you're environmentally aware, etc. After all, you did plant a tree didn't you? I think not! Now, trees are some of the biggest contributors to reversing the damage being done by pollutants in the air, but they can't be expected to clean up the whole mess! And why not? Well, here's why not:

• A single adult tree can absorb an average of 48 lbs. of carbon dioxide a year and supply enough oxygen for two human beings.

As of 2005, there is an estimated 400 billion+ trees throughout the world, according to NASA. And that is a lot of trees! But, check this out:

• Each person in America is estimated to dump 2.3 tons of CO2 into the air every year!
• There is a ratio of about 61 trees to each person.

However, not all of these trees are located in the U.S. But, for argument's sake, let's say that all trees are located in the United States:

• Since there are over 300 million people in the United Sates, our estimated carbon output would end up being around 690 million tons every year.
  
• If all the world's trees were located in the U.S., we'd be covered!! We would have the freshest air in the entire world!
• But , if all of the trees in the world are in the U.S. , what would happen to other countries? Countries like China, Russia, India, and Japan that are some of the top contributors to global CO2 pollution? In fact, China alone is responsible for 21.5% of annual CO2 emissions worldwide! What would happen then?

Can you imagine the horrifying conditions that the rest of the world would be in if our imaginary situation was real? Try to think about the condition that the world is already in, and then clean up the U.S., and spread our emissions out to every other country in the world. Doesn't look good, does it? Even now, air pollution isn't a pretty thing.



Beijing after a rainy day (left), Beijing on a regular, sunny day (right)


This is only one example of air pollution in the world! Things can change, and you can help!
Go to www.earthday.net to find out what you can do to help out this Earth Day.
Personally, I think that every day should be Earth Day, but since that isn't the case, why not take a little time this Earth Day to help everyone around you? Little actions like recycling any paper, aluminum cans, or plastic bottles that you would usually throw away is an easy thing to do, and the service is often provided by your local waste management companies. It isn't reasonable to plant a tree every single day of the year, but maybe a tree every month, or every other month, whatever you can do! The economic recession that we are in does limit what we can do to benefit our environment, but it can only last for so long, while the damage being done to the Earth can end up being for generations and generations to come. I say, try to stop it while we can, because isn't that the right thing to do?


By Ninja