How Does Gas Win An Environmental Debate

Well today in Washington the Senate was debating environmental legislation that will put natural gas in the forefront on generating enough electricity to curb a demand for electricity that has run rampant in recent years.
Coal is to dirty and wind and solar are not dependable enough according to their line of thinking.
There is no doubt coal is dirty as anyone can see simply by looking at a coal miner at the end of the day. At the same time companies are ramping production on photo voltaic cells that are more stream lined as well as more efficient. They should be more cost effective as well. Ampulse Corporation, Golden CO. has raised $8 million along with various partners to step up production of PV products.


“Ampulse has assembled a strong management team along with key strategic partnerships with two renowned laboratories to develop a low-cost, high efficiency, c-Si thin-film PV solution for the residential, commercial, and utility-scale solar markets,” said Daniel Leff.

Wind is well positioned in the market place simply because development has momentum and oil is beginning to be so volatile because of supplies needed in countries like China and India. The shear number of cars alone added to just one of these countries is scary indeed. China's demand for oil alone is to exceed a jump of 150% by 2020.

In any event, the Republicans, today, were clearly trying to either obstruct or derail any progress on environmental policy as the Senate struggles to put rose colored glasses on the rest of the world.

Diffusing Oils For Healthy Living

One of the most common things that are needed for aromatherapy is a diffuser. This is an accessory that is used to diffuse essential oils that are primarily consumed in an aromatherapy session. Today, there are so many kinds of aromatherapy diffusers available on the market. They come in various shapes, sizes, colors, styles, and types of materials.

However, not all diffusers are surefire hits in terms of safety. The following are just some of the most commonly used aromatherapy diffuses out there with their advantages and disadvantages.

1.Candle Diffusers.

These are considered as one of the cheapest and most convenient to use aromatherapy diffusers out there. It comes with a candle and a small plate where the essential oil should be placed. It comes in various sizes and colors.

- Advantages:

They are cheap. They come in many styles to choose from. They are available almost everywhere in health stores and aromatherapy shops. They do not consume electricity. You don't need to spend money to buy batteries.

- Disadvantages:

Utmost care is needed when using it because it can easily cause a fire. You need lots of replacement candles on hand to ensure sustainability. Candle diffusers can destroy the therapeutic properties of the essential oil especially when not used properly.

2. Fan Diffusers.

This is basically a small fan used to blow the essential oil into the air with the help of a pad or tray that is disposable. They come in different shapes, sizes, designs, and styles.

- Advantages:

You can choose from a wide range of styles and different brands. It is effective in diffusing the aroma of essential oils into large areas.

- Disadvantages:

They require large amounts of electricity. You need to replace pads very often. They are too noisy especially if it has accumulated lots of dust.

3. Electric Heat Diffusers.

This is quite similar to fan diffusers only it comes in a more convenient package.

- Advantages:

This is effective in diffusing fragrance in larger rooms. It can efficiently diffuse the aroma even of those hard to diffuse essential oils such as patchouli or sandalwood.

- Disadvantages:

You may not achieve the therapeutic benefits of the essential oil because heat can destroy some of its properties.

4. Clay Pot Diffusers.

They are made of terracotta and come in various. It comes with a cork and an opening for the essential oils.

- Advantages:

These are cheap. They are environmentally friendly. They are easy to use. You don't need electricity or batteries to operate them.

- Disadvantages:

The aroma is short lived. It can easily break if used too often.

Green Living Tips

Do you care about the environment and your health, but want to be stylish with your home décor at the same time? Luckily, there are plenty of green living options that can be implemented in your home in order to create a great look while remaining eco-friendly.

Making Sustainable Choices

Making sustainable choices are an important component of green living. Making sustainable choices means purchasing products that don’t cause a negative impact on the environment and that will not make it more difficult for future generations to continue to sustain themselves. Making sustainable choices during the design process is referred to as 'green design' or 'sustainable design'. Some great sustainable choices to consider when decorating include:

• Natural stone counter tops
• Cabinets and other products made from woods such as bamboo, eucalyptus, or recycled wood
• Carpet made from natural fibers, such as wool and cotton, or made from recycled materials
• Green-friendly paint and home wallpaper, which is being offered by a growing number of manufacturers
• Antiques – after all, they are being recycled!

You don’t have to create a bland and boring home décor in order to enjoy green living. In fact, there are numerous options out there that will allow you to make your home look great while still protecting the planet.

Appliances for Green Living

When it comes to green living, a great place to start is in your kitchen. Remodeling can add a great deal of value to your home, can make it more functional and attractive, and can help you make your home more eco-friendly.

When buying for your kitchen, look for modern appliances to help bring your home up-to-date. By purchasing those appliances with the Energy Star rating, you can potentially cut the amount of energy you use to power those appliances in half. Adding faucet aerators to your kitchen and bathroom faucets will also help reduce the amount of water you use while still providing you with a high pressure stream of water.

Obtaining Green Products

Fortunately, green living is rapidly growing in popularity. In response, many manufacturers are offering lines of eco friendly products that can be used for decorating purposes. In addition, a growing number of online and offline stores that are dedicated solely to green living are becoming a more common occurrence.

Although it may take a little more time and effort to find and purchase eco products for your home, the effort will be worth it. Not only will you be doing your part to help conserve and protect the environment, green living is better for your health and can save you money in the long run.

Renewables; Should We care??

With a vital need for the world to review its method of electricity generation, the topic of renewable energy is high on the environmental agenda. Indeed, the last ten years has seen the issues of global warming and sustainability brought to the fore, with both businesses and the public now playing an active role in trying to find alternative ways of producing, and using energy.

Currently, much of the world’s energy supply is produced by burning fossil fuels like oil, gas and coal. However, not only does this method emit a lot of carbon dioxide (CO2) which is harmful to the world’s atmosphere, but resources are also finite, meaning they will eventually run out.

One of the biggest concerns scientists and environmentalists have is that of rapid climate change; and with temperatures increasing around the globe, the effects are already noticeable. For example, polar ice caps are melting and environmental habitats are changing.

Consequently, there has been a huge global drive to find alternative natural resources that can provide humans with the electricity and power they require, and which won’t become depleted over time. An additional requisite of this task is to use natural, environmentally-friendly sources that won’t harm the surrounding environment.

Due to the increased interest in the subject - coupled with rising oil prices - there are now numerous research projects and trials dedicated to finding the most cost-efficient and clean sources of energy. As a result, the energy from natural sources like sunlight, wind, rain and the tides is being harnessed to replace the more traditional methods of energy creation.

In fact, according to research, around 18 percent of the world’s final energy consumption came from renewables in 2006. Thirteen percent of this was extracted from traditional biomass, like wood-burning, whilst hydroelectricity contributed towards 15 percent.

Wind power is also growing by 30 percent year on year, with European countries and the Unites States using it widely. In fact, as of 2008, global wind farm capacity reached 100,000 megawatts and produced 1.3 percent of the world’s energy consumption. In the US alone, this provides enough energy for around five million households! Whilst in the UK, approximately three percent of all electricity comes from renewable energy resources. However, it is hoped that by 2010, 10 percent will be produced sustainably with this figure reaching 15 percent by 2015.

What's more, the major power companies in power and Scottish Power have played a big part in the research of alternative energy sources, particularly as they seek more sustainable solutions to customers. It is believed that in the near future, the switch to using renewable energy will serve to improve the surrounding environment and make for a more positive future.

Andrew Regan writes for a digital marketing agency. This article has been commissioned by a client of said agency. This article is not designed to promote, but should be considered professional content.

Is There A Pattern Forming Here?

"Green Building" is a broad term used to describe the design and construction of sustainable and environmentally conscious buildings.

The driving force behind this is to lower our negative impact on the environment and, at the same time, make the buildings we live and work in safer and healthier for us.

According to the United States Green Building Council (USGBC) statistics,`buildings are responsible for all of the following:

* 39% of US carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions

* 70% of US electricity consumption

* 15 trillion gallons of water consumption



Even though there is still some controversy over the effect of greenhouse gases on the environment, the last two statistics are very important for those of us living in urban areas experiencing continuous growth, especially the American Southwest. With our population expansion, aging water and electrical infrastructure, and shrinking landfills, designing and constructing green and sustainable buildings makes practical sense from a utilitarian perspective.

In fact, USGBC data shows that green buildings use 36% less energy, require fewer raw materials, and divert less waste to our landfills. Furthermore, the "increased" cost of green building is only one or two percent more expensive than a conventional building. This minute difference exemplifies the tangible and long-term benefits of sustainable design, primarily due to the fact that green buildings conserve water and electricity. Thus, while they are more expensive to build, green structures will save money by conserving more energy over time.

Another push towards the green build movement is by local governments. More and more municipalities
are adopting the USGBC LEED® (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) guidelines for new
and renovated buildings. In 2006, at the USGBC Greenbuild expo, the Mayor of Denver challenged other major cities to see who can have the most LEED® certified green buildings. They are accomplishing this by offering tax breaks to private corporations and mandating sustainable construction for city-financed projects.

This has led to a dramatic increase in the number of sustainable projects built by LEED® Certified general contractors. However, this growth has not come without challenges. Currently, the following issues are restricting the number of green projects being built:

* Increased demand for green products has lead to long lead times

* New and unspecified materials are labeled “green” products which are not necessarily certified

* Building officials are struggling with a steep learning curve on how to evaluate these new products and sustainable building techniques



Despite these difficulties, the USGBC, sustainability advocates, and green building construction management firms are meeting to overcome these challenges.

The LEED® process is constantly under review and continues to adopt the latest codes and products. This includes Standard 189, a new minimum standard for green building. The USGBC is currently developing LEED® 3.0 and working with national code writers to include new products and techniques.

The American Institute of Architects (AIA) has even rolled out a new initiative called "Sustainability 2030," which at its roots, is looking to design all buildings by the year 2030 as carbon neutral. The USGBC has even initiated the Green Advantage Builders Certification for contractors to certify their knowledge in green building
techniques.

So what does green building mean at the end of the day? It's simple yet profound: Do the right thing for you, the environment, and the next generation. While most companies are concerned with their bottom line, they ought to embrace the idea that energy and water conservation, green building, and the use of "green materials" in construction stands to increase their savings over time while positioning them as a leader in environmental stewardship.

According to the USGBC, we spend 90% of our time indoors. Due to this fact, scientists have identified an increase in allergies, asthma, absenteeism from school, and even work. There have been numerous studies done on post occupancy productivity levels, which have increased within "green" built facilities. Not only does
green adaptation result in less sick days taken, but also shows an increase in productivity, job
satisfaction, and in the case of schools, better grades.

Sustainability in the News

It has been no secret that the nature seems to be bearing the brunt of human existence and that the state of the environment has slowly been degrading as time went by. Environmentalists have long championed environmental sustainability as the solution to this dilemma and its concept has slowly been spreading and being accepted in different parts of the world. In order to help increase awareness and understanding of sustainability, a lot of news websites has been created and maintained diligently by different environmental groups and concerned individuals who want to contribute to this good cause.

Such is http://www.sciencedaily.com/news/earth_climate/sustainability/ which presents lots of news related to the environment and natural science but still has a nice section focused on environmental sustainability. News on human health and on the political and social aspects of science is also included in the site. It is well maintained and up-to-date with pictures and illustrations to enhance browsing experience. There are also videos on scientific matters and subjects.

Another similar site is http://www.ecoearth.info/ which is maintained by the Ecological Internet Inc., a nonprofit organization focused on promoting environmental conservation through the creation of online portals, search engines, and blogs. The website is comprehensive in the sense that it collects environmental sustainability news from all over the world. It is a good site to visit for those interested in knowing about developments and policies being formulated in foreign territories to protect their environment. There are also excellent links to related websites for comprehensive searching and knowledge collection.

For some local news, there’s the http://sustainability.ucsb.edu/news.php maintained by the University of California, Santa Barbara campus. Though most of its news items are related to the university and its efforts toward the practice of environmental sustainability, there are still several articles on local activities promoting sustainability.

Those interested on knowing about sustainability and its impact on the business world should visit http://www.greenbiz.com/. Furthermore, it promotes environmental responsibility among business enterprises, be it big or small. It is maintained by the Greener World Media Inc., which maintains other related websites such as http://www.greenerbuildings.com/ and http://www.greenerdesign.com/. The former focuses on developments regarding designing commercial and industrial buildings to be environmentally sustainable while the latter presents news on the efforts of companies to come up with product designs that are also environmentally efficient and sustainable. Other websites presenting news on the efforts of different industries to attain environmental sustainability include http://www.climatebiz.com/ and http://www.greenercomputing.com/.

Still yet another good website to browse for sustainability news would be http://www.conservationvalue.org/news.shtml which collects news and developments on a regular basis. What’s good about this site is that it also collects blog entries on issues related to sustainability and on the environment in general. It also dedicates a portion for green products and companies offering related services.

The website http://www.naturalnews.com/sustainability.html brings more than sustainability news, it also focuses on living the natural way. There are also videos, podcasts, and cartoons on environmental issues and its impact on human health and nutrition.

There are definitely more environmental sustainable news websites found in the internet and there is no doubt that more will be created and maintained because of the increasing interest and awareness of the general public. It is worthwhile to consider these websites as front liners in the fight against environmental degradation and damage that could hugely impact the very existence of humans in the planet.g

What's In Your Tap Water

One of the consequences of being "one nation under drugs" is being exposed to toxic, prescription drug metabolites via your tap water! Fortunately, with the right water filter, you can avoid it.

Drug giant Merck recently warned that "There’s no doubt about it, pharmaceuticals are being detected in the environment and there is genuine concern that these compounds, in the small concentrations that they’re at, could be causing impacts to human health and aquatic organisms." To wit, officials in Philadelphia identified 56 pharmaceuticals or by-products in tap water. Such medications included pain meds, cholesterol lowering drugs, birth control pills, antidepressants and blood pressure meds! None of which belong in little Johnny’s "sippy cup."

Don’t expect your city to be any different. The federal government doesn’t require any testing or safety limits for drugs in tap water. Protect yourself with the right water filter!

The market is flooded with various types of water filters - microfiltration, ultrafiltration, nanofiltration, reverse osmosis, electrodialysis reversal, membrane bioreactors, and combinations of membranes in series. For about $180, you can rest assured that your water is free and clear of "other people’s drugs.

Sustainability Works in Rural Mid-West Town

Imagine A whole town living off the grid. This is the Sci Fi stuff you see on TV. Maybe an episode from Eureka or something. Think again!
There is a small mid-west town in NW Missouri doing just that. Welcome to Rockport MO. This little town in wired to 4 wind turbines in the area. The excess is sold back to the electric company. No fossil fuels no nuclear waste . . . just wind power. The local farmers get income from the leases and local workers maintaining the towers and turbines make a living in small town America. It is a win-win situation.

Jim Crawford of the University of Missouri extension office says,

“We’re farming the wind, which is something that we have up here,” Crawford said. “The payback on a per-acre basis is generally quite good when compared to a lot of other crops, and it’s as simple as getting a cup of coffee and watching the blades spin…Anybody who is currently using Rock Port utilities can expect no increase in rates for the next 15 to 20 years…”

Take a look for yourself. The title to this post is a link to another article about this phenomena.