Friday, April 1, 2011

This is Only to People Who Believe in Global Warming

We all have different opinions. Nothing can change that... good thing. But, global warming, if you don't believe in it, you can stop reading. I think that global warming is caused by humans, but not entirely by pumping alot of CO2 in the air. I'm not saying that CO2 has nothing to do with it. I think a big part of Global Warming is deforestation. I saw some evidence recently that said in the Spring, Co2 levels were down, but when it came to Fall, the CO2 levels rose. So because that trees are getting cut down, there isn't enough CO2 being absorbed. If you or anyone else wants to take evasive action, you should plant a bunch more trees to absorb the CO2.

Biofuels


by Ivy Long


Biofuels are made from corn and some other crops to make gas for cars. Biofuel are eco-friendly. Biofuels are renewable and can be regrown . A disvantage biofuels have are raising the cost of foods and for this reason people are try to see if they can make a biofuel that won't use our food.

CO2 Levels

With all the global warming going on, and CO2 levels rising a lot, most people think that it's a pollutant. But it's really not. CO2 is essential to the environment, because without it, plants wouldn't be able to live. So, maybe the soultion to the co2 increase is to plant more plants. The oxygen levels would increase, and the planet would be much more green.

Genetically ModifiedPlants

Crops can be grown for many reasons, and sometimes it takes a lot of them to get what you want. Growing all these crops takes lots of water, like cranberries. Other plants can conserve water for a long time, but are of no use for eating, like cacti. Now, what if there was a way to genetically alter the seed of, say, the cranberry, and combine it with the water conservation-like seed of the cactus. So, the result would be being able to grow the cranberry, using less water. If possible, another idea is to just take the seed and combine it with whatever seeds you want to suit your needs. You could, say, create a plant that was really tasty, or create other plants that don't have to be planted in such large quantities, or that grew more upward with less root space so you can use more planting area around it. The combinations and possibilities are endless.

Save energy on heating and cooling

5-20% of heating costs will be decreased if you watch your thermostat. Set it lower than 55 degrees or just turn it off when you leave home and during the day. At night keep it at a steady 55 degrees or lower and wear warm clothing. That should take care of some of your heating costs. As far as cooling goes, use ceiling fans instead of air conditioners. The blowing air could make you feel 5 degrees cooler without running a air conditioning system. Try these simple tips and the costs and energy use in your house should go down :)

Energy Saving Paint

by Tori Riggs Surprisingly, the most simple thing you can do to save energy in your home is to paint it. The right color and/or amount of paint can help heat or cool your home, saving you energy. There are a few things you need to keep in mind when choosing the right type, color and amount of paint:

  • dark colors attract heat and are the best for winter or cold times

  • more coats of paint can also attract heat

  • light colors are ideal for summer because they don't attract too much heat

You also need to change your painting ideas if you live in a regularly hot or cold area. Obviously, if you are normally very hot, then dark colors will hinder you more than they will help you. This makes normally cold areas perfect for dark colors because the heat isn't really a problem.


One last thing you need to keep in mind is that your home may have a very specific color that makes it unique, so you don't want to change your entire house's design and style just to be more energy efficient.

How do wind turbines work

BY MALLORY COATS Wind turbines are usually found in places with higher wind speeds or flat land. These places include Colorado, Wyoming, Iowa, Kansas, Arizona and Iowa among others.
Wind energy is similar to energy from water. When water or wind moves fast enough it creates kinetic energy. That makes the turbines move and then it generates electricity. Then the turbines store that energy for later use. To understand wind energy you also need to understand wind. Wind is created when the sun heats up the ground. Then the warm air around it rises and mixes with the cooler air to create wind.

Thursday, March 31, 2011

Weird Energy Conservation Tips

Rachel Skillicorn 1. A 6 -inch pan on an 8-inch burner will waste more than 40% of the stoves energy 2. Some water heater thermostats come at 140 degrees, which can cost you more money 3. About 90% of the electricity used by everyday incandescent is lost as heat 4. As much as half the energy used by heating and cooling 5. Electric devices draw in even more electricity when they are plugged in

Community Service/Litter Patrol

By: Davis Deussen



If every person in the United States picked up a piece a trash a day for one year, it would decrease pollution by 10%.

Heating Your Pool...Sun Style

Many pools are heated to keep the water at an ideal temperature during the summer months. Running a pool heater can be costly. A soloar heated pool system uses the pool itself as a thermal storage system and you can still use your original pump system which circulates the water through the solar collectors. This system can save you money and help reduce greenhouse gas emmisions.



http://www.builditsolar.com/Projects/PoolHeating/pool_heating.htm

Blogs!

As I was trying to think of a topic for my weekly blog I had an idea. I was having trouble and was looking over previous blogs to see if I could find an interesting topic. And then I thought.....look at all this information! There are 809 blogs on this website and counting. They all put across useful and good information! So what if we replaced newspapers with blogs? We could save so much paper! And money! It could be amazing! I'm not saying that there aren't any problems though. Many people would lose their jobs...but those same people could gain jobs too! I just think that this is something worth looking into. So lets stop the presses...start the blogs!

Monday, March 28, 2011

Artificial Leaf That Turns Sunlight into Energy



Allana Bochmann


Scientists have created a practical artificial leaf that has the ability to turn sunlight and water into energy as efficiently as a real leaf could. The artificial leaf looks nothing like a real one, and is made of stable materials that produce the same energy. It is made of silicon, electronics, and catalysts that create chemical reactions which produce the energy. Scientists believe that if the leaves were left in a gallon of water with sunlight, then they could , after a while, provide a home with basic energy for one day.












Information from,


DUSTING

By: Davis Deussen



Some people change their lightbulbs when they get the slightest bit dim or really dim. This is bad. If you just dust off your lights, you will get more time and save more energy and more lightbulbs, glass, and other pollution/other harmful things.

Coal for Energy

Coal...Why Not? Coal has a bad reputation because of the way it is utilized. With new developments in technology, we can burn coal with very minimal emissions. Coal has the capability to produce tons of heat and is more abundant than many other resources. We need to utilize this resource. A perfectly functional coal plant in Cameo, Colorado was shut down.

The "Uno"


This is a new motorcycle that could save you money and gas. It has only one wheel and it is much smaller than a regular one. It is also different in the way that you steer it because it has no controls and is controlled by the way that you lean. To make it go faster you lean forward and to make it slow down you lean backwards.



E- Readers Going Green!

Rhyan Montgomery

A product has come out that is perfect for people who are book lovers and have green ethics. It is called a Biblio Leaf E-Reader and is solar powered. It can connect with 3G and Wi-fi. It has a touch pad and is equipped with a rechargable solar panel. It is also the same size as the Amazon Kindle, which makes it easily portable. This solar powered electronic reader is a way to take baby steps to becoming evironmanetallly friendly. The Biblo Leaf E- Reader help you do your bit towards renewable energy.

Ethanol Fuel

Ethanol is a clean burning, high octane, renewable fuel that is made in America. The use of ethanol reduces auto emissions and offers a cost cutting alternative when filling up at the gas pump. Ethanol is produced at over 175 different facilities across the United States. It is most commonly retailed as E10 ( 10% ethanol and 90% gasoline) but is also available as E85 which is 85% ethanol and 15% gasoline for use in flexible fuel cars. Ethanol is also helpful to our economy. It is predicted that ethanol will produce an additional 19.6 million dollars in household income and nearly 700 permanent jobs will be created in areas near ethanol plants. Since ethanol is made mainly from corn and other argricultural products, an inncrese in demand for these products will ooccur. One place where gas is an essential part of what happens is Nascar. Nascar is doing their part to go green by partnering with American Ethanol. Maybe someday we can all run our cars on ethanol but untill then, look for ethanol fuel or E10 in your city. http://www.ethanol.org/index.php?id=8&parentid=8

Western Colorado Carbon Neutral Bioenergy Consortium Project

WCCNBC (Western Colorado Carbon Neutral Bioenergy Consortium) is a project to explore using local plant material and processing them for local use at a small scale power plant built by Colorado Mountain College. The project is said to test the capacity of the region to grow low input, high-biomass bioenergy crops. So as a result of this project, grasses and cacti will be grown in Fruita, carbondale, and Rifle. These crops do not need the space that normal food crops need. The material will be converted to butanol, and butanol can be pumped into your car immediatly. Butanol is no more efficient than ethanol. This project is appealing because these grasses and cactiu can easily be replicated in other desert areas. -Info gathered from sustainability article by Adele Israel in the Grand Junction Sentinel

Sunday, March 27, 2011

Alternative car powering methods

by Corey Brown Cars run on gas right? Not always. Here is some info of alternative fuels with some information and pros on each.


Biodiesel: is a mix of diesel gas and vegetable oils. The pros of using this fuel are that it produces less carbon emissions and harmful particulates than standard gas. It is an increasingly easy choice for car buyers to make since there are many biodiesel-fueled models on offer. In terms of fuel availability, while biodiesel outlets may still show short supply nationally, drivers retain the choice of filling up with standard diesel gas.Finally, Biodiesel is more energy efficient in production than gas.


Ethanol:ethanol-fueled vehicles run on a mixture of gasoline and a propellant derived from grain. On the pro side, there are an increasing number of alternative fuel cars now being supplied for this market. The most popular ethanol fuel brand is E85. The name reflects the proportions of 85 percent ethanol to 15 percent gasoline used in the fuel. This makes it an emissions-friendly fuel. It also provides another potentially large and profitable market for arable farmers.


Hybrid Cars: Hybrid cars operate by using a combination of gasoline power and electric power. In addition to the gas tank they have an electric battery that stores energy during the speeding and slowing parts of a typical journey. The pros of this type of vehicle include the substantial saving in fuel costs through the engine's efficiency.


Hydrogen Cars: Hydrogen is a fuel that appears to have enormous possibilities. The pros begin with the fact it comes from water and is, therefore, a renewable fuel with inexhaustible supplies and benefits in fuel cost. The exhaust from a hydrogen-fueled car is totally environment-friendly. Hydrogen cars also give the driver excellent mileage compared to regular gasoline cars.