How we can go green

The new term is going green. What does this mean? To me it means doing what I can to reduce or reuse.

The great thing is that many companies are going green as well. Including BCCC Bristol which is a green campus. When it was being designed a Friend of mine was on that team, and she would tell me about all the new things they were doing to go green at Bristol campus.

Another company going green is Best Buy, where I work. We offer electronic recycling, battery recycling, and now send correspondence via e mail and no longer through the mail.

So if "going green" is going to work we all need to do our part. So support business that do their fair share and show the others that to get your business they need to help the Earth!

How the Government is Dealing with Climate Change

The energy committee and Chairman Waxman are trying to get a bill passed for new clean energy laws.

These Laws would help fund new clean energy programs, reduce oil dependence, and create clean energy jobs that cannot be shipped overseas.

The issues arise when big oil and large companies with interests in oil get involved. They can spend million lobbying to try and stop these clean laws.

In order to further these bills we need to contact or local representatives and say we want them passed, that we will not allow BIG business to ruin our Earth any longer.

So do what you can and help push these bills into law and lets get cleaner faster!

Economic Development

While our current economy flounders about, trying desperately not to keel over and die, many argue that going green will turn America back into a powerhouse once again. Thomas L. Friedman, New York Times op-ed columnist, feels that by the United States leading the way in clean, efficient energy, we will spur innovative breakthroughs in technology while redistributing power from oil producing countries.

He also believes taxing oil use will deter people from utilizing it as opposed to cleaner options. He also suggests that we look at our utilities in a different light. What if we were charged based on energy saved instead of energy used? Apparently scenarios like this have already begun in California and Idaho.

President Barack Obama has said that creating a green economy will also create more jobs. Heck, in my opinion it will create a whole new industry! We will require manufacturors of wind and solar power machinary, mechanics to work on them, workers to run them, as well as many more scientists and engineers.

Will we be able to keep 6 billion people happy without destroying our planet? Only time will tell.

Climate Change - The Real Deal

Hypothesis-Global warming may cause the destruction of the human race and/or the world as we know it.

We have been hearing so much lately regarding climate change and the passing of a clean energy bill by our current government. Despite the statistics, many people choose to believe that there is no issue with the environment. Never underestimate the power of denial. Nobody wants to think that the way they live their life is harmful to themselves, others, and the planet. That is a difficult idea to swallow and it is much easier to live in ignorance. Even worse, many people that I have talked to about this subject matter tell me outright that they just don't care. This is because they believe it will not effect them in their lifetimes. In my opinion, that is the ultimate in selfishness. Let's talk statistics.

"Globally, it is ‘very likely' that the 1990s was the warmest decade and 1998 the warmest year in the instrumental record, since 1861. Eleven of the past 12 years are among the dozen warmest since 1850.[2]"

"Average temperatures have climbed 1.4 degrees Fahrenheit (0.8 degree Celsius) around the world since 1880, much of this in recent decades, according to NASA's Goddard Institute for Space Studies."

"The rate of warming is increasing. The 20th century's last two decades were the hottest in 400 years and possibly the warmest for several millennia, according to a number of climate studies. And the United Nations' Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) reports that 11 of the past 12 years are among the dozen warmest since 1850."

"The Arctic is feeling the effects the most. Average temperatures in Alaska, western Canada, and eastern Russia have risen at twice the global average, according to the multinational Arctic Climate Impact Assessment report compiled between 2000 and 2004."

"Arctic ice is rapidly disappearing, and the region may have its first completely ice-free summer by 2040 or earlier. Polar bears and indigenous cultures are already suffering from the sea-ice loss."

"Glaciers and mountain snows are rapidly melting—for example, Montana's Glacier National Park now has only 27 glaciers, versus 150 in 1910. In the Northern Hemisphere, thaws also come a week earlier in spring and freezes begin a week later."

"Coral reefs, which are highly sensitive to small changes in water temperature, suffered the worst bleaching—or die-off in response to stress—ever recorded in 1998, with some areas seeing bleach rates of 70 percent. Experts expect these sorts of events to increase in frequency and intensity in the next 50 years as sea temperatures rise."

"An upsurge in the amount of extreme weather events, such as wildfires, heat waves, and strong tropical storms, is also attributed in part to climate change by some experts."

"The world has less than a decade to change course. No issue merits more urgent attention-or more immediate action." (HDR 2007)[1]

"The consensus of scientific opinion is that global temperatures must be stopped from rising to more than two degrees above pre-industrial levels, which means more than 1.4 degrees above the current point. Even a one degree rise in temperature, however, could result in further serious droughts, water stress, increased hunger and species extinctions.[7]"

"According to calculations extracted from Met office figures by the environmentalist George Monbiot, rich countries need to cut emissions by an average of 90 percent by 2030 to prevent a two degrees rise in global temperatures."

From all of the statistics available, the big picture truly falls into place. The funky weather patterns we have been experiencing for the last 10 years, as well as all the catastrophic storms in recent years is high cause for concern. During my own short lifetime I have noticed changes in our environment. Not to mention the glaciers are quite obviously melting at a rapid pace. There is so much evidence for global warming, it is difficult to ignore! What if we, as a race, did not decrease emissions at all? We can predict that there will be more frequent and violent storms, hurricanes, floods, typhoons, tsunamis, tornados, etc. Due to the ice caps melting, water levels would quickly rise, destroying coastal cities all over the world. Some entire areas may even disappear forever. This would also effect our fresh water supply as salt water would mix into our fresh water. Wind patterns and ocean currents would alter, and many animals that could not survive these extreme and quick changes would become extinct.

These are horrible predictions of doom that no one wants to face. It is also so much work to make the changes necessary to prevent or delay these possibilities. Let us ensure the survival of our race. If we don't do it, who will?

Sources:
http://www.stwr.org/climate-change-environment/key-facts.html
http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2007/02/070202-global-warming.html

Legislation Gone Green

People and governments around the world are pushing for legislation that will make our planet greener. Unfortunately the economy is down and hampering the worlds efforts to make these bills a reality. So the U.S. is trying to help both situations at once. The first is the amendment to the Fuel Mileage Bill that would increase the current standard of 25 miles per gallon to 35 miles per gallon by 2020. This not only will help the environment but also help us spend less money on fuel.

The next bill is "The American Clean Energy and Security Act." This bill's purpose is to create millions of jobs in the clean energy production and research fields. This step forward for creating more clean energy and becoming less dependent on oil is a huge leap forward for Going Green. The sudden in flux of jobs in these fields will boost the economy and hopefully help to right the economic crisis in the U.S. There are many other bills and initiatives that support Going Green. Here's to a clean and long life for our planet.

Have a Green Heart

Have a Green Heart

By Chris Norfleet

The world is dying, what can we do?

Lets use less water, toilet paper too.

Switch to clean power and fuel,

Hydrogen, ethonol, and bio-diesel rule!

Stop cutting down the rain forest's trees,

And get the environment off its knees.

Lets everyone do our part,

Please Go Green and show some heart!