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Global Warming

rubikubism — Mon, 03 Aug 2009 22:53:10 CDT

Environment Pages: Global Warming | Green Tips | Green Talk

This page has been locked due to widespread disbelief about the subject of global warming.

Introduction

Imagine that you have been tied up by your parents and you are told that in order to get untied you have to pull a lever from the left position all the way to the right position. You think this will be simple. The lever’s path from left to right involves going up high at a slant very steeply, zigzags at the highest position, and gradually goes down. You still think it’s simple, and then a strange man tells you that you have thirty seconds to complete the movement of the lever or else you will be lit on fire. You don’t want to believe him at first. You begin to pull the lever up and you find it to be rather easy, but as you move the lever further you feel like you are warming up and you begin to consider the man’s warning. You get to the zigzags and the lever resists movement forward, you also feel confused as if you are both parts of an argument. One part of you feels calm and the other part of you fears what the man said about bursting into flames. You panic and try to move faster. As you force the lever further through the zigzag part of the path, movement forward becomes slowly easier but is still difficult to achieve. You feel less confused as you go along as well, but more fearful of the fire. When you come to the decline with the lever, it is hard at first but quickly becomes easy, and as you progress with the lever you are less and less fearful of the fire. When you make it to the end you feel complete relief and the fear of the fire vanishes entirely. Your mom seems joyful while your father looks displeased. Soon, though, his displeasure wears away and he looks grateful you did it. You hug and rejoice as the neglected stranger looks on and rejoices from the distance.
In this short story, the movement of the lever represents the rise and hopeful decline of the carbon dioxide content in our atmosphere. The hero in the story represents earth. If we deal with the problem of global warming too slowly we will begin to face consequences. Hopefully the consequences will be enough to get skeptics to help us in this issue. People may be disappointed they can’t do things the way they want to, but they will eventually, over time, like the father, like being green and having solved the issue of global warming.

How Global Warming Works

The earth is kept warm because the sun releases infrared beams that travel down and hit earth. The earth absorbs the infrared beams and therefore the earth heats up a little. After a bit, the infrared beams start to escape earth as radiation. The infrared radiation is caught by carbon dioxide and sent back to earth. This radiation “bounces” back and forth between earth and the atmosphere, but will eventually escape. This process is called the Greenhouse Effect. This is the process that makes life on earth sustainable.(1) Until now, that is.
Today we have cars that get us to places faster than walking does. We also have electricity surging through our house wires to power our washing machines which use many gallons of water to clean our clothes. Has anyone ever stopped to think where our modern conveniences come from or what they do? “Well, of course!” you say, “We get washing machines from Sears, cars from Ford, and electricity from the power company.” This is not what I am asking. What I am asking is, “Do you know from where the material required to make and use these things came?” To which you would answer, “A factory?” True. The factories that build things, like washing machines and cars, manufacture in such a way that gases such as carbon dioxide are emitted. Most electricity is made with fossil fuel burning power plants. When coal is burned, gases such as carbon dioxide are released. When you drive your car, you are burning fossil fuel. Burning fossil fuel releases carbon dioxide. So let’s organize what we know into nice bullets.

The manufacturing process releases carbon dioxide.(2)
Many items use electricity which comes from fossil fuel burning power plants.
Fossil fuel burning power plants release carbon dioxide.(3)
Burning fossil fuel uses oxygen.(3)

Can you see anything wrong with this? As previously discussed, carbon dioxide in the atmosphere reflects some radiation from the earth back to earth, thus keeping earth at a steady average temperature of 15° C(4). With more carbon dioxide in the atmosphere we have more trapped heat.(1) This presents a problem. This problem is called global warming.(1) As stated in the Columbia Encyclopedia, “Global Warming [is]the gradual increase of the temperature of the earth's lower atmosphere as a result of the increase in greenhouse gases since theIndustrial Revolution.”(5)

Effects of Global Warming

There are hundreds of speculated effects of global warming. Many of them are accepted as truth but have not been tested. Others seem logical based on observation. Many more are far from the truth. Some real effects include an increase in flooding and drought, changing weather patterns, and changing animal habitats. One fact is that the polar icecaps are melting.

Polar Icecaps

The melting of the icecaps is one of the most tragic events occurring right now in the world. Heated conditions are causing the glaciers to melt at an ever-increasing rate. The rise in the rate of glacier melt is due not only to increased activities that result in carbon dioxide emissions, but also because of a unique circumstance in which global warming causes further global warming.(1)
The glaciers are melting because of global warming and this results in lakes of melt water collecting on the surface of the glacier. These lakes act as a magnifying glass for the bottom of the lake. This means the sun beams down on the lake and the rays get intensified when they hit the water. The beams travel down to the bottom of the lake and melt the ice there. Eventually the glacier cracks and a hole opens up because the weight of the water is too great. A giant hole beneath the surface of the lake means the water is going to drain down into the hole. An entire lake could be drained in a short amount of time. The water from the lake travels down until it hits dirt. The water then carves a downhill tunnel called a moulin. The moulin forms a layer of water between the glacier and the earth. The moulin acts as a lubricant for the glacier to slide faster toward the ocean.
Moulins can also form when melt water from the surface of the glacier forms streams that diverge into large flows of water. At the same time, movements of the glacier can cause large cracks called crevasses to open. These crevasses are giant holes in the surface of the ice. They can be deep enough to reach the earth below the glacier. The big flows of water “look for the quickest way down” and can end up flowing into the crevasses. The water travels to the bottom and forms moulins. People who have seen these moulin beginnings have often been in awe when they see the massive amounts of water just disappearing into a giant, dark hole.
In both of these moulin cases, the moulin carries the glacier to the ocean much faster than it would travel without a moulin. The problem is that when the glaciers get to the ocean chunks fall off as icebergs and melt. With less ice it means warmer temperatures. With warmer temperatures we also have more melting. More melting means more moulins. This is a unique case in which global warming causes global warming.(1)(6)

Extreme Weather

Recently storms like hurricanes and typhoons have been getting stronger. Global warming is causing the oceans to heat up. As the water temperature increases, the wind velocity and moisture in storm clouds increase as well. Moisture evaporates from the ground faster because of increased temperature, and this contributes to stronger storms as well. Warmer oceans make the ocean water evaporate quicker, and it makes the wind harder and faster. This all comes together in a large, fierce storm. As we see an increase in storm ferocity we see the same amount of previous precipitation occurring in less frequent occurances. We are having more precipitation in big, one-time events and less frequently. If we continue to contribute to global warming, the oceans will heat up more and cause larger storms.(1)

Skeptics

There is widespread skepticism of global warming. This skepticism is caused by ignorance of the true facts of global warming. The arguments put forth seem ridiculous to the people who know how global warming works. If only people would educate themselves on the subject, maybe they would less skeptical. The top ten arguments skeptics give against global warming are:

The temperature of the sun is increasing and causing global warming.
Climate has changed before.
There is no proof.
The earth is not warming, it is cooling.
Models developed to prove or disprove global warming are unreliable.
Surface temperature changes.
An ice age was predicted in the 1970’s.
We are heading into an ice age.
Al Gore is wrong.
It hasn’t warmed up since 1998.(7)

Despite what the skeptics say, there is evidence of global warming. For example, a later start of winter and an earlier spring results in shorter winter. It is also known that changing patterns of warm and cold oceanic currents are due to global warming. Changing inland weather patterns due to global warming are creating drought, flooding, and other problematic changes. This results in problems with our natural resources, our food supply, and interferes with the habitats of regional animal populations. Skeptics need to make the connection between these results and global warming.
As said by Al Gore, “Two thousand scientists, in a hundred countries, engaged in the most elaborate, well organized scientific collaboration in the history of humankind, have produced long-since a consensus that we will face a string of terrible catastrophes unless we act to prepare ourselves and deal with the underlying causes of global warming.”(8) In other words, we can’t ignore global warming and deny its existence because we don’t want to change life styles. Global warming is too destructive to ignore. Millions of people will probably die from extreme weather consequences before skeptics actually start to see that global warming is real. It takes a sudden jolt for people to recognize and do something about a problem like this.

Ways to Become Green

People can help stop global warming by doing simple things that are really common sense. Most things that can help save the environment are also money-savers! Web sites such as The Big Cool Down[1] are helping people become green by giving tips. To quote The Big Cool Down, “You can help stop pollution by doing simple things like these:

When you wash your car, use biodegradable car wash that dissolves in the water.
When you see trash, pick it up and put it in the trash can. Better yet, if possible, recycle it!
Don't dump!
Recycle all recyclables.
Don't burn your garbage, it releases bad fumes.
Use a reusable water bottle. It saves plastic!
Print on both sides of paper.
Use one less paper napkin a day then you usually would.
Reuse wrapping paper and greeting cards.
Before you throw something away, consider if someone else you know would use it.
Use paper bags instead of plastic. Even better, bring your own cloth bags!
Use rechargeable batteries.
Maintain your car so its exhaust contains fewer pollutants.
Use energy efficient electronic appliances. They require less electricity, which is commonly generated by coal burning power plants!”(9)

These are only a few things you can do to be green. There are many more ways to help the earth. Websites such as The Big Cool Down and stopglobalwarming.org[2] are trying to inform people of the causes of global warming to stimulate change in their behavior.

Conclusion

Global warming is a destructive force that has many causes and results. If we continue to harm the earth by contributing to global warming we are destroying our home. Earth is our only home. What will we do if we don’t have Earth? We cannot currently dwell on other planets. We need to keep our home in good shape. We need to keep earth clean. We need to stop polluting our atmosphere with greenhouse gases that cause global warming. Essentially global warming is the human race causing its own demise. We are putting the gases up in the atmosphere that are causing us to suffer. People can’t ignore the facts and claim that global warming is a hoax any longer. “The Era of Procrastination, of Half-Measures, of Soothing and Baffling Expedients, of Delays, is coming to a close. In its place we are entering a Period of Consequences,” said Winston Churchill.(1)
As citizens of the world, we need to keep our earth clean and not litter. The litter never “goes away”. It will always be somewhere, so if trash has to be somewhere, it would be better to reuse it. We must recycle to cut down on our waste production.
As Americans, we consume 26% of the world’s energy.(3) “We’re going to have to be more efficient in the way we use this energy,” Energy states.(3) If we don’t become more efficient with our use of energy, we will enter a “Period of Consequences” in which we, as humans, will suffer greatly. We started this mess and we can end it, too.
Ending global warming begins with the individual. If we all do our part to be green and keep the earth clean, we can start to reverse the damage done to our beautiful planet. Everybody should start to be green by following the tips listed in the Ways to Become Green section. This will be difficult but the results will be worth our efforts. Are you up to the challenge?

[1] http://thebigcooldown.wetpaint.com

[2] http://www.stopglobalwarming.org

Bibliography

1. Guggenheim, Davis. An Inconvenient Truth. Paramount, 2006.
2. Human-Related Sources and Sinks of Carbon Dioxide. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. [Online] [Cited: December 7, 2008.] http://www.epa.gov/climatechange/emissions/co2_human.html#industrial.
3. Clift, Jon and Cuthbert, Amanda. Energy. White River Junction: Chelsea Green, 2007. 978-1-933392-72-1.
4. Elert, Glenn. Temperature on Earth. Hypertextbook. [Online] [Cited: December 7, 2008.] http://hypertextbook.com/facts/2005/JudyTang.shtml.
5. Global Warming. Columbia Encyclopedia. 2004.
6. Discovery Project Earth. s.l.: Discovery Channel, August 24, 2008.
7. Arguments. Skeptical Science. [Online] [Cited: November 20, 2008.] http://www.skepticalscience.com/argument.php.
8. Gore, Al. Speech At National Sierra Club Conventions. September 9, 2005.
9. Pollution and Contamination. The Big Cool Down. [Online] [Cited: December 10, 2008.] http://thebigcooldown.wetpaint.com/page/Pollution+and+Contamination.

See how flooding, caused by global warming, will affect the United States.

Center Of The World

rubikubism — Mon, 03 Aug 2009 22:52:30 CDT

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Species Extinction

Global Warming

World Water Crisis

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Contests and Games

moviemaker63 — Thu, 28 May 2009 13:18:56 CDT

Contests:	Quizzes
How you are green	Democrat or Republican Quiz

Animals

Soupy! — Sat, 11 Apr 2009 11:17:06 CDT

This Page is Under Construction

Back to Home
The warming of our planet is threatening many animal species across the world. Frogs are expected to be completly extinct in a couple of years, and many mammals are threatened including the hard-hit Amur leopard, __________. The link below leads to a more detailed page on animal extinction. The link's name is what animal it covers.

Amur leopards

World Water Crisis

Soupy! — Sun, 05 Apr 2009 21:27:30 CDT

About 1 billion people lack access to a clean water supply, that's 1 out of 6 people on earth! About 3 billion people lack access to improved sanitation. A person can live weeks without food, but days without water. A person needs at least 4.5 gallons of water a day to survive.
The average American person uses about 100 gallons of water a day, the average African family uses about 5 gallons of water a day. Think about that. We use more water one day than the average African has in a week!
Every 15 seconds a child dies from water related diseases. For example, Jardia is a infection that can come from dirty water. Water and sanitation deaths claim more lives than a war does with guns.
If you would like to donate, click the link below, http://www.water.org/waterpartners.aspx?pgID=1104. For $25 you can give a person enough water for life, for $150 you can meet a families water needs.

Green Tips

moviemaker63 — Fri, 27 Mar 2009 19:09:51 CDT

Environment Pages: Global Warming | Green Tips | Green Talk

Information taken with permission from thebigcooldown.wetpaint.com.

Maybe some people think one un-environmental thing won't hurt. They are wrong, almost every little thing helps or hurts our fragile planet because everything adds up. Look at the huge positive difference being made by many small acts, as documented by a grassroots Canadian movement called One Million Acts of Green. This page may be able to help by giving green tips and ideas to make change in your lifestyle. They may be small adjustments, even an eighth of the population changed, our planet would be much cleaner and healthier. I hope these tips help you! Thanks!

Grocery Tips Tips that will help you when you are shopping for groceries!		The 4 R's Reduce, Reuse, Recycle, Rebuy!		Saving Water A guide to help you cut down on your water usage!
	Composting Tips Tips to help you with your composting!		Saving Energy A guide on cutting down on your energy costs!

Issues

moviemaker63 — Fri, 27 Mar 2009 19:07:27 CDT

AIDS

Animals

Global Warming

World Water Crisis

Electricity

InuyashaGirl01 — Sat, 31 Jan 2009 15:56:58 CST

Have you ever left the light on after leaving the bathroom? Sure you have. How about after leaving your room? Trust me, everyone does. Here are some tips on how to save electricity and cut down on the bill.

Before you leave a room, shut off the light. After you leave the John, turn off the light. If you really want to cut down on the bill, then turn to solar power. It's difficult to put up, but the benefits are extraordinary! After you are done using a kitchen appliance, unplug it. That is one way to really save energy. If you're watching T.V. and you're finished with your show, turn off the T.V. Just turning off the T.V. isnt enough. Switch the main power button "OFF," or just unplug it. Appliances left on standby use 85% of the energy they would use if they were fully turned on!

If you leave your house for prolonged periods of time, turn down the thermostat a couple of degrees. The ideal temperature for a house is 68*F. For my family, when the time is around 10:00 pm, we turn down the heat to about 65*F. If you do this you can save about 10-30$ a month! Well, if you look outside durning the summer months, you should see EXTREME heat. Ya, a lot of heat. Have you ever wondered what you could do to save electricity on heating your house WITHOUT using electricity to do it? Well, in the summer, keep your curtains closed during the day, to let the coolnes stay in your house, then open your curtains during the night, to let the night's cold air come in and cool your house. You look outside and watch a blizzard. You also wonder how you can save electricity and Money ($$) by using a non-electric way to heat your house. Here's how. During the day, open your curtains to let the sunshine warm your house. During the night, close your curtains to retain the heat you gained during the day.

If you have a yard, and your windows face south, consider planting a leafy tree. During hot seasons the leaves will provide shade and help keep your house cooler. During the winter (if you live far enough north), the tree will drop its leaves and let in the light - keeping your house warmer. You might be surprised by how much money you'll save on heating/cooling costs just by providing a little shade for your house. Flower gardens with tall plants help retain moisture, and gardens require less water (and energy to mow) than your lawn. Low-growing evergreens planted around the basement help keep warmth in and wind out. A trellis draped with vines or climbing perennials can cool ground floor windows facing west.

Electric Tumble dryers use up the 2nd most energy in the household, apart from the fridge. Instead of using a dryer, go outside and hang your clothes up.

These tips should help you become greener and cut down on the electricity bill!

Species Extinction

InuyashaGirl01 — Sat, 24 Jan 2009 18:03:32 CST

Tropical plant species face an inherently high extinction risk due to small populations and restricted ranges relative to temperate species, reports research published in PLoS ONE. These traits leave them vulnerable to habitat disturbance and climate change. Analyzing databases for the number of plant species at risk in each country of the world as well as human factors including GDP, population density and deforestation, Jana Vamosi and Steven Vamosi found that human activity was not the primary cause of the increasing risk of extinction in the tropics. "Our findings differ from previous ones in that factors tightly linked to human activity were not particularly important in determining how many plant species were threatened with extinction. Instead, the most important factor seemed to be simply latitude. So, extinction dynamics may be very different between plant and animal species." said Steven Vamosi, a biologist at the University of Calgary. "Plant species near the equator may persist at naturally low population sizes or have small ranges, making them intrinsically more susceptible to a given amount of disturbance." Vamosi says that 20 to 45 per cent of species in the tropics are at risk. The tropics hold 60 percent of Earth's plant species despite making up only 12 percent of its land mass. "This is not to say that human activities are not underlying contemporary risk of extinction; instead, it implies that plant species in a tropical country will, on average, be more sensitive to a given amount of human disturbance than those in a temperate country," he added. Today, human activities are causing a massive extinction of animals. The rising ocean temperatures dont let the plankton reproduce, therefore, undermining the entire ocean ecosystem. Commerical fishing today is threatining to empty the entire ocean of fish in the next few decades. http://news.mongabay.com/2008/1210-biodiversity.html
Modern agricultural practices strip the Earth of its thin layer of topsoil through water and wind erosion, destroying this precious micro ecosystem that takes centuries to form and supports all life on land. Furthermore, bee populations are plummeting as a result of mite infestations and a mysterious problem called Colony Collapse Disorder. Over 70% of our food is pollinated by bees; if bee populations fall too far, our food supplies will be seriously threatened.

The Amur Leopard

The Amur Leopard is the single most critically endangered species of cat in the world, with an estimated 30 individuals remaining.
The threats against these cats are high, including poaching, deforestation, negative impacts of inbreeding, development projects, and lack of political comment to conservation.

Poachers of this magnificent breed consist of poor local villagers desperate for financial support, and Russian hunters placing traps and snares for deer. Amur Leopards are commonly caught and killed in the snares that the hunters leave for other various prey.

Frequent fires are demolishing the forests where the Leopards make their homes. Locals are unintentionally causing this in their attempts to stimulate the growth of ferns that are popular ingredients in many Russian and Chinese dishes.

Loss of genetic diversity in the population of the Amur Leopard may be the cause of inbreeding depression (reduced numbers due to reduced reproduction and lifespan and increased vulnerability to diseases). This is, however, a hypothesis, for extensive research is prohibited due to the drastically low number of population among the leopards.

A key threat to the species is human technology and development. Their environment is located close to Russian borders with China and North Korea, making it an attractive location for railways and gas and oil pipelines and ports. Currently, the Zoological Society of London is campaigning against the plan to construct an oil pipeline terminal on the Sea of Japan's coast, within the Amur Leopards' range.

In recent years wildlife in Russia has suffered from a lack of political interest in conservation. Negative developments since 2000 include the abolishment of the State Committee for Nature Conservation, revoking the law enforcement rights of Inspection Tiger (an anti-poaching brigade for protection of tigers and leopards), and a reduction of 80% in the number of field inspectors for protection of forests and animals.

These leopards are drastically close to extinction. To help the conservation of these animals, show support to

Anti-poaching
Forest fire-fighting
Compensation for livestock killed by tigers and leopards
A comprehensive education and public awareness programme
Population monitoring (Snow-track counts and camera trapping)
Ecological and biomedical research
Support for protected areas and hunting leases
Lobbying for improved conservation policies and regulations
Amur leopard conservation in China

AIDS

rubikubism — Sat, 10 Jan 2009 16:43:58 CST

Aids starts with HIV or Human Immunodeficiency Virus. The disease is transferred by sexual contact or contact with an infected person's blood. It then damages the immune system, the system that fights disease. This causes the body to slow down, keeping the body from fighting the HIV infection. Eventually the immune system becomes so weak that diseases and infections begin to attack the body. Aids or Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome is then diagnosed. Aids can be treated not cured. Some statistics are: 6,800 people are infected with Aids everyday, most of them under 25. Women are 3 times more vulnerable to Aids then their male partner. 2 million people died of Aids-related diseases in 2007(That's 2,000,000 people!). 2.5 million people were INFECTED with Aids in 2007(Add 2,5000,000 people! That's 4,500,000 people!) 96% people are infected in developing countries. HIV is spreading every day, and is present in almost every country. When 8% of a country is infected the economy slows down, due to supply and demand. You think about it. Make that next donation. Click here to support a child.

Democrat or Republican Quiz

bedding7 — Sat, 10 Jan 2009 14:01:02 CST

Are you unsure about whether you are a Democrat or a Republican? Well, here with this quiz, you can find out if you have the same general beliefs as Democrats or Republicans. This quiz won't take long and is fun. Once you are done you can have your friends do the same. It will help you decide whether to vote for a Democrat or Republican when you don't know much about the two candidates.

The Quiz works like this: If you give a Republican-like answer, you get 1 point. If you give a Democrat-like answer, you get 0 points. There are 16 questions. So naturally, if you get a score closer to 0, than you are a Democrat. If you get a score closer to 16, you are a Republican.

If you don't see the question under the header that says how many points you have, scroll down. In some browsers, the question doesn't show up where it was intended to show up. Sorry for any inconvenience.

Are you ready? Then Take The Quiz!

Green Talk

bedding7 — Sat, 10 Jan 2009 13:59:36 CST

Environment Pages: Global Warming | Green Tips | Green Talk

This is a chat room for talking about going green ONLY.

If you don't obey these rules, this room will be deleted.

No cussing

No racial discrimination

No personal questions

No intimate questions

No pictures of nudity or any pictures of people

ONLY TALK ABOUT GREEN TOPICS!

If you follow these rules, you should be able to stay in the chat room as long as you want.

Editorials and Columns

bedding7 — Sat, 10 Jan 2009 13:56:30 CST

A Weekly Column by Bedding7
Israel at Stake?
Have you heard? Hamas? Israel? Well, since you did, who are you siding with? I'm going for Israel. I do support the Gaza War. Israel and Gaza had a 6 month cease fire agreement, and Gaza sent over 2000 rockets into Israel during that time. The cease fire ended about a week ago, and Israel attacked. Israel kept the agreement and Gaza did not. Israel sent fliers into Gaza telling innocent civilians to leave. They did not. Hamas used them as a human shield. Hamas is using the civilians as a human shield. So, after Israel warned them several times to leave, they did not leave and Israel attacked. Israel has been putting up with Hamas for decades. Israel even opened up their border for the civilians to come into Israel. I am siding with Israel. Remember, Hamas is a terrorist organization that has killed hundreds of thousands of innocent people for the heck of it and has not done anything for the world. Israel, on the other hand has save millions of people instead of killing them, invented solar panals, the cell phone, many international life saving health discoveries, distroyed many terrorist organizations, and way to more to recall. They even provide Gaza with Water and Electricity! I hope you all will side with me and lets ruin Hamas, not innocent civilains! Make a thread below telling me if you agree!

Green Picture Contest

moviemaker63 — Fri, 09 Jan 2009 21:41:36 CST

Green Picture Contest? What could that possibly be about? Well, First make a picture on how YOU save energy or help stop global warming. If you have the best picture we will put it on the homepage! Please one picture per user.

This contest is to Promote green living. You don't have to be artistic to be in this contest, we are looking for the "inner beauty" of the picture.

Voters will choose the best picture.

The last day for submissions is February 1st, 2009. Voting ends February 28th, 2009.

If your picture is done, email it to contact@wikiworldissues.com with the subject "Picture Contest" and we will post it so viewers can vote.

This contest ends February 1st, 2009

Maxxhits.com

rubikubism — Thu, 08 Jan 2009 19:26:41 CST

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The 4 R's

rubikubism — Tue, 06 Jan 2009 22:23:41 CST

Around the House: Recycle, Reduce, Reuse, Rebuy

The 4 Rs

You probably already knew about recycling but did you know there was more to it? Here are the 4 R's of Being Green!

Recycle- Recycling is putting things that are able to be recycled (manufactured again) into a bin that takes them to recycling plants to remake the contents you recycled. Some recyclables include paper, plastic, glass, and cans. Here are a few examples of recycling:
If you recycle paper, it is combined with other paper to create sheets of paper or other paper products ready to be resold at stores.
If you recycle glass, it is melted back down into liquid, combined with other recycled glass, and made into products again.
The good thing about recycling is that you really never have to get more natural materials to create more products. For example, if you recycle paper, no more trees need to be chopped down to make more paper until paper is trashed, thereby breaking the cycle. Hopefully, the cycle will continue and recyclables will never be trashed.

Reduce- Now, don't misunderstand us, recycling is great but takes up energy when things are being recreated. If you don't buy an excessive amount of things and only purchase as much as you know you'll use, that means less waste to be trashed or recycled. For example, if you use cloth towels, that eliminates the use for disposable paper napkins or towels. No trash to lay in a landfill and no recyclables to gobble up some energy.

Reuse- Also to prevent gulping energy, rather than recycling, try to find another use before putting the recyclables into the bin. Also, not everything is recyclable or decomposable so instead of trashing it, reuse it.

Rebuy- Buy the recycled products in the store. Who knows, maybe the recycled paper, glass, or plastic has something you have used in it...

***Odd fact- Did you know that if you go too close to a fire wearing fleece, the fleece may start to melt? That is because it is made of recycled bottles! You may get a little glimpse of how recycling looks when everything is melting down!***

Water

bedding7 — Tue, 06 Jan 2009 19:07:09 CST

Have you ever let the faucet water run while you were brushing your teeth or soaping your hands? Everybody has. Have you ever flushed the toilet after peeing or accidentally flushed twice? Everybody has because things happen. Here are some tips to help prevent these things because it lowers your water bill as well as the amount of water wasted. Did you know all of that water can add up to the point where it is enough to flood the average house and probably more?

First things first: toilets. We have received many potty stories about flooding, clogging and sometimes even exploding, (uncommon,) but here is the main thing you have to know about using the potty (it is not about exploding): If it's yellow let it mellow and if it's brown flush it down. That is the rhyme that could save tons of water and all you must do is remember it.
Of course, after going to the bathroom we wash our hands. The most common problem is this: leaving the water on while soaping the hands. I will make this solution concise and to the point: skip a step. The order for washing hands is wet, soap, rinse, dry. All you have to do to solve the dilemma is soap your hands dry, skipping the first step.
Later, we take showers (hopefully) and this is where a lot of aqua is wasted. People think showers are supposed to be long and luxurious but the primary purpose is to clean. The average shower should take about five minutes so in order to do this, maybe you should install a water-proof clock or where a water-proof wrist watch. If you extremely adore your showers, though, you could have one long a week or every other week. Temperature is also an issue because when people are dissatisfied, they tend to turn on the water full blast. For example, if the water is too hot most people would turn on the cold. How about you turn down the hot water? Less of what you don't want, not more of what you want. An additional shower-saving tip is to turn off the faucets while you are washing, shampooing, or shaving.
After a nice shower we brush our teeth. Many leave the water running after they wet their toothbrush. The solutions are simple: do the same as washing your hands and skip a step or pour a shallow cup of water and dip your toothbrush into it to wet it if you just cannot remember to turn off the faucet.

Composting

bedding7 — Tue, 06 Jan 2009 19:04:46 CST

Around the House: Composting

Have you ever looked into your garbage and found that it smelled disgusting? Well of course you have! Do you know why it smells so bad? It is because if you throw food into the garbage, it starts decomposing and rotting. A way to prevent that is by composting. The good thing is, your garbage will not stink and it makes your soil richer and fertile. Here is how to do it!

Step #1- Dig a deep hole.
Step #2- Put all the food, egg shells, peels, or cores that you want to compost into a bowl.
Step #3- Dump all of the contents into the hole.
Step #4- Put plants (alive or dead) onto the compost.
Step #5- Make that a routine. After every meal, if you have any leftovers, put them into a bin or bowel and put dump them in the hole.
Step #6 (optional but helpful)- To speed up the process, buy worms and put them into the hole.
Step #7- Enjoy healthy plants, nice smelling garbage, (though you would think that's an oxymoron,) and think about how you made food, that would have been in a landfill, useful!

Here is another way to do your hole:
Instead of a hole, use a tomato supporter and stick it into the ground. Then, put a very small one into the center of that( you might have to have the first one be very big). Now, use the pattern of food, dead plants/ yard waste, then soil(insert the matter in the gap between the small and big supporter). Do this every night, and you will have bugs and dirt that is perfect for growing plants within a week. This is a big money saver, because now cow poop(the normal dirt) is very expensive. You might want to use the other method for corn cups though.

Groceries

bedding7 — Tue, 06 Jan 2009 19:03:17 CST

Around the House: Groceries

These are pretty general but are the ones that matter the most. Global warming didn't start to worsen until the 1970s, the time when washing machines became more common, more cleaning sprays with chemicals were produced, plastic really got big, and you know the rest. Here are some tips we use that can help. Thanks and happy greening!
(source: The Green Book by Elizabeth Rogers and Thomas M. Kostigen. Thank you to the authors of the book!)

Groceries

Here is a list of the things to buy and how to buy them:

***Shopping tip- Try to Buy as much of your groceries as you can in one trip. If you use this tip, it might save you a lot of gasoline used to drive to the store and back.***

***Shopping tip- But your produce locally. Do you know how much your food has traveled by the time it gets to your plate? Thousands of miles. If you buy locally, it does not take up as much gasoline to be shipped to your store and does not take up as much energy to freeze or refrigerate.***

Bags- when the cashier asks if you want paper or plastic, say neither and bring your own canvas bag or say paper and take it with you the next time you visit the store. This will be useful to you in the future, because people predict that plastic bags will cost money in the distant future, and you should get the totes before they are on high demand.

Canned food- buy larger cans rather than many small ones. Cans are made from materials that can be harmful when the waste is dumped into natural areas. The savings would build up, as well, and you would save so much money!

Cheese- buy a block of cheese at a time rather than the pre-sliced kind because of all of the plastic to wrap the slices. You wouldn't imagine how much energy it takes to make the plastic; the equivalent of 13.8 million gallons of gasoline or enough for all of the people in Milwaukee to carpool to California!

Organic food- try to buy organic food for it is much healthier and if you buy organic food, it lowers the amount of pesticides damaging our food from the environment.

Milk- by one large gallon of milk rather than several smaller containers of it because of all of the energy wasted to make the numerous containers. Also, try to buy it organic and locally. If not, try soy milk. Cows emit a gas that harms the earth.

Paper towels- buy the kind of rolls with the smaller sheets so you do not use more paper than you need and run out quickly and have to buy more paper towels that came from trees. Though, the super eco-friendly thing to do is to not use paper towels at all, and use rags.

Trash bags- buy the kind that have been made from recycled materials if you can.

Vegetables- try to buy fresh vegetables rather than frozen or canned. Even though some frozen vegetables are equally as healthy for us, how healthy is it for the planet? It takes very much energy to can and to freeze and there are emissions in the process.

Not Just a Win-Win, a Win-Win-Win

The "Tree-Way-Save" idea is, what some think, the best way to save. It saves gasoline, paper and plastic, and money. Look up the closest grocery store near you (within seven miles at the most) and bike there with either back-packs or canvas bags which are reusable. When you get to the store, buy everything you need (preferably little at a time to prevent back injuries) and when the cashier asks, "Paper or plastic?" You reply, "Neither." and put your things in your bags. Do not buy a lot, though, for it is hard to bike with heavy materials on your back. It is also better to buy little at a time because biking more often is a healthy activity. Try purchasing a basket to go on your handle bars to make your ride smoother. With this plan, you will save gasoline, money, and chemicals from being emitted.

Profile Page Contest

rubikubism — Sun, 04 Jan 2009 21:05:49 CST

The purpose of this contest is to have members work on their profile page and possibly have their profile page featured on the home page. You must have a profile image and be a member of this wiki in order to be eligible. It would be hard to have a profile page otherwise!

So, Get To Work!

When you are done working on your page, you may wish to vote for the best profile page. Knowing that you will think your page is the best, you can vote twice. The second vote is for the "next best".

Polite reminder: Don't just randomly pick another member to vote for. You should actually find a cool profile page. You could do this by looking at what other people have voted for and go to look at the top rated pages. You may work on your profile page up to the last day of voting (don't procrastinate). Voting ends on December 31, 2008.

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