Baking and moderation
While baking with my friend, trying to come up with an awesome recipe to make a profit from, I asked her “If it was not necessary to gain nutrition from what you ate, would you eat sweets all day?”
“Hell yea, she said.”
But my friend runs and works out, so she enjoys sweets, but she also enjoys staying healthy. As long as we are not overloading on things, we could enjoy many things. Everything in moderation.
Given that I feel the need to constantly throw in an environmental concern, I want to stress the importance of all those things that could eliminate waste. For instance, wouldn’t it be better if we could just go and refill our bottles of soap, be it to wash dishes, clothes, or our bodies, with the bottles we already have? We could make it convenient, just drop off your bottle, let the person behind the counter know what you want, and when you’re finished shopping for everything else, you just go by and pick up your soaps.
Too many plastics being used and dumped. One major one is the reduction in water bottle movement. In fact, I went ahead and signed myself up for the filter for good pledge. Water is free! Let’s keep it that way and keep the bottles from the landfill! So if you can’t reuse, reduce, and recycle!
Algae as a biofuel
Algae, or seaweed, range from single cell to multi-cellular organisms. Recently, the interest has been in the type of liquid fat (oil) that can be extracted from certain species. Algae takes its energy from the sun and converts carbon dioxide to oxygen in a process called photosynthesis.
Several obstacles need to be taken into account with this new biofuel: a different way for the algae to collect sunlight; several ways to extract the lipid that are cost efficient; more political support.
It seems as though the political arena doesn’t see renewable energies as a viable source right now because many of the technologies are not established and it would be difficult to depend on something that is not reliable, since we live in a world of instant gratification. However, it also makes sense that huge oil companies continue to lobby their cause, since their pockets can only get fatter, in spite of the benefits renewable energy sources like algae may bring. The electronic cars were certainly closed down by big oil.
In order to extract a large amount of lipid, large amounts of algae are grown in photobioreactors, a closed vessel, that integrates a light source needed for photosynthesis. I’ve read of algae that can be grown in plastic bags that would float close to the ocean’s surface. The ocean’s waves would help to circulate the air and water inside the bags, thus eliminating the need for bioreactors to pump carbon dioxide into the bags. I’ve also read of technologies that would increase the amount of biomass produced, thus increasing the amount of lipid (oil) extracted from the algae. Different technologies, all competing for the most cost efficient and stable method.
It seems every company has a different angle. Which technology will end up being the most stable, the most efficient, have the least environmental impact?
Read MoreA bleak present
I had a nightmare last night. I was in the future, I think, and I was running away. I couldn’t be caught because I wasn’t a local inhabitant. It was a bleak future, one where even computers couldn’t be used. They were out by the trash. One where owning a piece of land was one of the few things that would allow you to keep your life; a place where the fish was inedible, despite its abundance.
Maybe this nightmare isn’t so far off. I recently spoke to someone who used to work for the oil industry in Britain. He thinks ‘green’ initiatives are just delaying the doom. We’re making progress, but, is it fast enough? Will our efforts repair all the damage and chaos?
According to the Environmental Protection Agency, nearly half of the nation’s waters are unsafe for fishing and swimming. There have been over 20,000 oil and chemical spills in the United States every year since 1991. The federal government has declared over 1200 “SuperFund sites,” EPA’s program to identify, investigate, and clean up uncontrolled or abandoned hazardous waste sites throughout the United States.
On the other side of the planet, the livelihood of the inhabitants along the Niger Delta is being destroyed. The purchase of these lands by oil companies results in the installation of pipelines which cause deforestation and water pollution. One of the solutions to decrease poverty in Africa would be for oil companies to leave and restore the mangroves, which provide income via fishing and serve as a protective barrier for the inhabitants against storms and coastal erosion.
It doesn’t help that the big oil companies are persuading their employees to rally on their behalf, i.e.: Energy citizens. As much as we try to move forward with green initiatives and a reduction in energy, too many people presently depend on the living that working for oil provides and on the fuel that feeds our cars’ tanks. Fortunately, renewable energy may generate many more jobs than traditional energy creates. According to the Solar Energy Industries Association, more jobs can be created within the renewable energy field than those created for the same investment in the oil and coal industries.
What can we do? For one, we can cut down our energy consumption by taking public transportation, installing energy efficient appliances, building with eco-friendly materials. We can also educate others and volunteer to clean the coast or help other environmentally friendly organizations. Finally, if you’re an investor, begin investing in renewable energy technologies.
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What I've learned while researching environmentally friendly efforts
- Biodegradeable plastics biodegrade in 1-5 years; if they are properly managed in a landfill.
- Millions of dollars can be saved by applying the correct lighting technologies.
- Just because something is produced organically does not mean it was produced sustainably.
- If we are buying less expensive goods for China, we are paying for those goods with the effects to the environment that jet fuel releases.
- Approximately $300 million is spent on women’s bath gift sets in the US, which means that a ton of plastic is dumped in landfills, none of it biodegradeable.
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