Save the Environment

Save Money And Help The Environment

2008-05-07T10:53:00.000-07:00

More and more people choose to use biodiesel as their alternative fuel for their diesel vehicle. There are so many reasons and incentives to use biodiesel instead of petrodiesel. The biodiesel is produced from vegetable oil or animal fat. The vegetable oil has to pass a simple chemical process that is called transesterification in order to become biodiesel.

You go to local restaurants and fast food branches, ask to speak with the manager and explain him or her that you would like to have their used vegetable oil before they through it away. Most of the restaurants' managers will be happy to supply it for you since you pick their "garbage". You can provide them the container that they will fill up with the vegetable oil and agree with them when is best to pick it up.

Most of the diesel engines do NOT require any modification in order to use bio-diesel instead of petrodiesel. Only diesel engines that have natural rubber parts instead of synthetic rubber parts cannot use biodiesel, but these engines are not as common as the engines that can use the biodiesel.

Using biodiesel is very cost effective and can save a lot of money. When you make the biodiesel yourself the average saving is more than 50%. Even though that using biodiesel is much more than just saving money, this reason alone is a great incentive to do so. An engine that runs on biodiesel is much healthier so the saving is not just by the biodiesel cost compared to petrodiesel but by the maintenance costs.

The ecological reason of using biodiesel is not less important than saving money. When powering diesel engines with biodiesel, the pollution is reduced significantly. Studies showed that several pollution parameters levels were reduced while using biodiesel as opposed to petrodiesel.

You can save money and help to reduce pollution as well. It is very easy to make biodiesel at home.

A Step To Save The World

2008-05-07T10:52:00.000-07:00

Nature serves humans and is the source of our bare necessities. Nowadays, the global trend is towards saving nature. In the light of this awakening, the trend is changing in textiles from manmade materials to eco-friendly ones. The demand of the consumers is also changing from polyester and conventional cotton to eco-friendly garments.

These kind of eco-friendly garments are made from different products like Lycocell, Ingeo, Organic cotton, Hemp, Bamboo and Soy. The fibre which is made of wool-pulp cellulose is known as Lycocell. This is a good alternative of rayon.

Hemp fibre does not need pesticides. Just a small quantity of water is enough for the production of this fibre.

Ingeo is a fibre made of bio-degradable material. This is a fibre made by man by converting corn into polymer. Organic cotton is the material which is made by using organic materials. No pesticides are used in its production. The amount of water being used is also 25% less than what is used in conventional cotton production.

The fabric being produced from bamboo is soft and has anti-bacterial qualities. The fabric made by using different soy products like soybean oil, soy-milk and others are similar to silk in look and even in feel.

All these eco-friendly materials are produced using less water than others. They are manufactured without using any pesticides and bio-degradable materials. So, even the working environment is good for the health of workers.

It is a common belief that natural cotton is the most environment-friendly. In reality only those cottons are environment-friendly in the production of which no pesticides and chemical fertilizers are used. Chemical fertilizers and pesticides pollute the soil and thus they harm the environment. When cotton is dyed using chemical dyes, it contains heavy metals. These heavy metals contaminate the soil and crops. Thus the cotton being produced by these kinds of materials is not eco-friendly. Only those fabrics and materials are known as eco-friendly ones which do not harm the environment in any way and do not pollute the air, water or soil.

Soy fibers are fibers obtained from soy plants. In the year 1999, soybeans were used in a different way. He made underwear from the fibers made from soy plants. It was a good and economical alternative to conventional cloth. This cloth was smooth to touch and was very popular in the U.S. and Europe. China is a leading exporter and manufacturer of soy fabrics in the world, which is growing day by day.

Use a Hybrid Car and Save Money

2008-03-31T11:47:00.000-07:00

For most of us these days there's so much publicity & news coverage over the Green House Effect that maybe you’ve been thinking about how much your car contributes to this and wish to help the environment. Or maybe you are sick and tired of paying high gas prices and want to buy a car that is better on gas. Whether you want to help the environment, or want to cut down on how much you spend on gas, the hybrid car is a great solution.

What is hybrid car?

Hybrid cars are autos that run efficiently on both fuel (normally gasoline) and electric energy. The combination of using fuel and electric energy makes hybrid cars both environmentally-friendly and cost-efficient.

The vast majority of hybrid cars are powered by two different engines: a gasoline engine and an electric engine. The gasoline engine is responsible for starting and stopping the car, while the electric engine is responsible for actually making the car move. By using the two engines in this way, the car is not totally dependent on gasoline. This, in turn, cuts down on the environmental pollution & the amount & therefore cost of gas used.

Types of Hybrid cars

If you've done research on hybrid cars on the Internet, you've probably seen that there are two types of hybrid cars currently available. These are the Series hybrid car and the Parallels hybrid car. There are slight differences between the two types of hybrid cars, which we will go over here.

With the Series type of hybrid car, the gasoline engine is used to start and stop the car. Then, when the car reaches a specific speed, the electric engine automatically takes over. Also, in the Series type of hybrid car, the gas engine is used to charge the batteries of the electric engine. With the Series type of hybrid car, both engines never really work together as a team.

The Parallel hybrid, just like the Series hybrid, uses both a gas and electric engine. Even though the Parallel and Series hybrids are similarly configured physically, they are distinctively different in terms of operation. The big difference is that, in the Parallel hybrid, both the gasoline and electric engines can be used to start and stop the car. The other difference is that the electric engine in a Parallel hybrid is only used to boost the power of the vehicle when needed. Parallel hybrid cars are more fuel efficient than are the Series hybrid cars.

How does the hybrid car increase fuel efficiency?

Hybrid cars are made up of lightweight materials. Thus, the load on the hybrid car is greatly reduced. Because of the lightweight materials, the car doesn’t require as much fuel to move. Also, the tires of hybrid cars are firmer than are those found on regular cars.

Since the gasoline is burnt at a low level in hybrid cars, it produces lower toxic emissions than those produced by conventional vehicles. Green house emissions, as we previously mentioned, are a real threat to the environment. Hybrid vehicles, because they release less carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, cause far less pollution than regular cars do. In fact, some studies have shown that hybrid cars can reduce the greenhouse gas emissions by as much as fifty percent, and tailpipe emissions by as much as ninety percent.

To sum up, hybrid cars are much more economical because they consume fifty to sixty percent less fuel than regular vehicles do. Also, they are very environmentally-friendly. The only drawback to hybrid cars is that currently they tend to be a bit more expensive than traditional cars to initially purchase.. However, this will change over time because more people will purchase hybrid vehicles due to the benefits and the pressures placed upon Governments to reduce pollution.

Environmental Issues

2008-03-31T11:45:00.000-07:00

Environmental Issues

Pressure groups that campaigned for the environment, such as Greenpeace, started out on the fringe of society. Nowadays, environmental issues are high on the agenda of the major political parties. Has it all been left too late? Hopefully, the will to overcome problems will be strong enough and practical solutions can be implemented.

Politicians have realized that their voters are worried about carbon gas emissions, pollution and climate change and these environmental issues must be addressed. Traditionally, the political parties have been more focused on winning elections and introducing voter friendly policies with a quick turnaround. Tackling the environment is about finding long term solutions.

Big business has also joined the debate. Oil companies fund their own research into alternative energy sources. Of course, cynics will say, this is more to do with commercial reasons and not as a matter of conscience. The oil will run out sometime and alternatives have to be found.

Sometimes, the ordinary individual feels swamped in the face of such global problems. We are all urged to reduce our carbon footprint but it has to be a unified effort. Taking personal responsibility is the first step. It doesn't take much effort to recycle, buy long life light bulbs and leave the car in the garage for certain journeys. Everyone can get involved in environmental issues. If there is a problem, then there is a solution waiting. Wasted energy is a big factor. Heat escapes from homes with poor insulation, central heating is set too high and most people are guilty of leaving electrical appliances on stand by.

So what are the solutions? For people to be persuaded to leave their cars at home, there must be an improved public transport service. Some local authorities in the UK are piloting a scheme, whereby householders are fined if they don't recycle their waste. We all take our appliances for granted and it's inconceivable that people will do without their washing machines, fridges, TVs and stereo systems. Do we really need leaf blowers, garden heaters and electric carvers? Would civilization come to a halt if we got rid of dishwashers?

The other thorny subject is travel. Plane tickets get cheaper all the time and the British and Europeans particularly enjoy holidays abroad. Some people campaign for holiday airplane trips to be limited. Perhaps domestic plane journeys in small countries such as Britain could be banned. We all like to be mobile but there is a high price to pay. If we don't compromise, we will have to explain to our grandchildren, why we didn't stop constant floods, acid rain and other environmental issues.

Factors For Significant Environmetal Hazards

2008-03-14T22:42:00.000-07:00

Greek philosophers commenced theorizing about the nature as composed of elements like water, earth, ether etc. This nature or environment has always been a jamboree for the inquisitive souls. This is precisely the reason that man has left no stone unturned to explore it. In talking about nature and environment related issues, the foremost question that comes to my mind is that what is environment? Have you ever pondered over the fact that it is not just the foliage and fauna but also the air you breathe, water you drink, things you touch and perceive and even the food you eat that constitutes your environment! You are encased by environment everywhere and anywhere. This environment has friends as well as foes. In case of opponents, the rational selves inject most of these. For instance factories produce and introduce many toxic compounds in the environment that are hazardous for the entire mankind. This article will shed light on some of the significant environmental enemies that envelope us all round the clock.

1. The harmful pollutants like carbon monoxide, lead, sulphur dioxide etc constantly pollute the air around us. Carbon monoxide is a poisonous compound, excess inhaling of which can be unexpectedly detrimental. Studies have revealed that CO enters into our bloodstream and causes breathing disorders and even cardiac arrest.

2. Lead is another fatal element that attacks the nervous system and is largely responsible for causing evils like anemia and high blood pressure. Lead can be threatening to life. So it is better to keep a check on the release of lead in your surroundings. Reducing the consumption can do this and judicious use of lead based products and like paints, batteries and radiators etc.

Other pollutants too that enter the air and water we consume and destroy the sanctity of environment (like depletion of the ozone layer) are very dreadful. They can result in usual minor problems like common cold to major ones like asthma, bronchitis and conjunctivitis etc.

In order to avert the infection due to these pollutants or germs it is better to built up a strong immune system. Although much of immunity is genetically inherited yet it can be significantly improved by intaking nutritious and balanced diet and exercising regularly.

3. When we talk about pollution, noise pollution is also quite disturbing and annoying. A surge in the noise pollution level due to the escalating traffic, industries and factories leads to hazards like insomnia and lack of concentration.

4. The sun that enlightens the whole world can even be damaging at times. The excess of sun’s heat and ultraviolet rays that creep into the earth’s atmosphere due to the exhaustion of protective ozone layer, cause many dermdisorders amongst individuals. To avoid these perils as much possible, wear sunscreen lotion, sunglasses and covered clothes while moving out in the sun.

5. Apart from the pollutants like smoke and other toxic gasses, the pesticides that are sprayed in the fields and on the crops have an injurious outcome. Through the vegetables and fruits we eat these pesticides composed of poisonous chemicals like DDT, Methanol, carbon monoxide etc. enter our body and harm it. Therefore it is advised to wash the fruits and vegetables thoroughly prior to eating or cooking.

6. The radiations that are released in the atmosphere due to nuclear reactions, nuclear tests, mobile phones, computers and the like are also a source of danger.

7. The enhancement of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere has resulted in global warming which has turned out to be a massive threat to life on earth. Planting more trees and plants that enrich the air with oxygen can prevent global warming.

Safeguarding oneself against the environmental rivals is also a way to cease the damage we do the environment...think about it.

Campaign To Save The Forests And Environment

2008-03-14T22:36:00.000-07:00

In rural areas, usually of tropical developing countries, houses and shelters are mainly build of wood, bamboo and leaves and not very durable. When there is some money to spend, bricks are preferred as building material. Bricks are made in kilns, which requires wood for operation. Wood is becoming limited as these countries hardly have replanting projects, or “wood-growing industries”, that keeps this circle going.

Firewood is mostly taken from natural forest. In the past, these tropical countries had abundant natural forests. Unfortunately, their forest resources have significantly declined, due to civil wars, illegal logging or over cutting, population growth, etc.

Deforestation has economic and environmental consequences. It leads to firewood shortages, and adversely effects living conditions, especially of those in the rural area. Every day more forest and bushes are disappearing. The wood prices have increased significant over the past years and is becoming alarmingly expensive for the poor.

If rural people want to go for bricks, the road conditions are poor and transport doesn’t guarantee the fragile bricks to be delivered in one piece.A key feature of most of the UNDP conservation projects is encouragement of community engagement in forest protection and wildlife conservation. In this way, those that live in natural resource areas become part of the solution for their sustainability. UNDP projects also link these countries to actions under the Kyoto protocol to reduce emissions of harmful greenhouse gases, CO2 from combustion processes (wood), being one of the major ones.

THE SOLUTION

Bricks can be made without burning and the use of sun-dried bricks of soil is practiced since thousands of years, called adobe. In modern times, also rammed bricks are made, by compressing soil and then sun-dry them. These bricks however are not very strong, nor durable and tend to crack on drying, especially if so called "black cotton soil" is used.

It is therefore proposed to mix soil with sand and cement, while adding some water and then compress this material in a form giving mould, which results in strong and durable bricks, that do not crack. This can be done with simple and yet innovative manually operated brick presses, to produce interlocking soil bricks without burning from the freely available soil around (any kind of), allowing the rural population to build their own durable houses.

This fits well in environmental programs, that aim to reduce rural poverty and sustain economic growth, ensuring that future generations will be able to benefit from the rich environmental resources of the country, while reversing the loss of them.

Feasible, affordable and environmentally friendly, including significant cost savings and on-going environmental benefits, building with soil bricks is one of the most environmentally-sound building technologies in the world today, utilizing on-site available soils, as the main ingredient of the soil bricks.

The environment is protected in several ways:

* It lessens the environmental impact of building construction. The need for lumber is substantially reduced, thereby curtailing deforestation, drought, soil erosion, flooding, species displacement as well as the greenhouse effect

* It saves money. On-site manufacturing of brick eliminates a large portion of transportation, middlemen and breakage cost. This is because the soil bricks that might get broken for one reason or another, can be recycled through the manufacturing process.

The structures made with soil bricks are as beautiful and durable as housing made from conventional bricks. The higher acoustical qualities of these houses shut out exterior noise for less stressful living. The interlocking blocks are more thermally radiant than conventional bricks and reduce the need to heat or cool the interior.

When the bricks leave the machine, they are already strong enough to be handled for storage and they reach there final strength about a day later, when the cement has cured.

There is hence no need to burn the bricks, which makes this process a very low-energy requiring one. The soil is thought to originate for free from the building site itself and constitutes between 70 and 80% of the total mass of the bricks.

The press delivers bricks that are interlocking and thus don’t require jointing cement. This process uses 75% less cement than the conventional method. The bricks have cavities, that are filled by pouring thin cement, as to seal the bricks over their whole length and between the vertical joints, keeping small insects (ants) and rain water (drought) out. If required, steel or bamboo rods can be placed in the cavities as well, which would provide for earthquake resistant structures.

One of the main features of this brick type is, that it has more resilient strength than its fired counterparts. The secret of its success, is the composition of materials and the forming under moderate pressures. The soil brick is suitable especially for use in multi-storey buildings, due to its durability and robustness. It allows to abandon the inflexible and costly steel supported concrete column construction.

The bricks' cell interlocking system, eliminates the need for a horizontal mortar bed and anchoring reinforcements in wall corners and joints, thus reducing the demand for highly skilled brick layers, all together cutting the costs of construction considerably. Apart from the environmental benefits, the expected price of a pressed brick versus a conventional, burned brick, is at least 1:4 lower.

Brick presses allow rural people to create independently their own affordable bricks to build houses themselves and not have to rely on salesmen and production in towns, bad roads, transport problems and fluctuating prices. A brick press can be operated by the house builder himself or somebody can make a business of it, by serving other members of his community.

This simple, yet innovative technology can generate income when used as service to other villagers, which alleviates poverty and saves the forest at the same time. Most rural inhabitants are farmers who are often only busy for 6 months of the year and look for other employment during the remaining 6 months.

Though the idea of pressing bricks from soil is far from new and many have made an effort, for some unknown reasons this technology doesn't seem to have made its brake through. In my view it must have to do with wrong management, because the demand, or at least the need is there and the technology is simple (once you know how to do it).

Improvements To Practice Environment

2008-02-25T00:27:00.000-08:00

Piano students can improve their progress by making improvements to their practice environment. Making some simple changes to the practice environment can help students learn more, especially young beginning students. Too often students compare themselves to experts they see on television and their teacher without considering what went on behind the scenes to make that happen. Parents can help their beginner gain a more realistic perspective about what needs to go on behind the scenes at home so that students make the progress they want to make and feel good about their lessons.

The practice environment will do one of two things.

1. It will detract from learning; or
2. It will support learning.

Make a list of things in the environment that support learning. Make another list of things in the environment that create distractions. Since kids tend to self-distract a lot, the environment needs to be as helpful as possible. Here are ten examples of factors that detract from the learning environment. You can probably think of more.

Practice Environment Distractions
1. No routine practice time established.
2. Busy running errands with parents so no time is left for practice.
3. Television is on in the piano practice room.
4. Friends coming to play at practice time.
5. Eating snacks at the piano during practice.
6. Music books scattered around the floor, they get lost or "misplaced."
7. Pets or younger siblings demand student's attention.
8. No routine practice time established.
9. Busy running errands with parents leaving no time left for practice.
10. Keyboard is moved to student's bedroom where they isolated during practice.
Supportive Practice Environment
1. The television is turned off during practice.
2. Student is undisturbed during practice, but not isolated.
3. Music books are kept in a piano bag with a lesson assignment book.
4. Student follows teacher's directions in assignment book, finds appropriate books in their music bag.
5. Student uses a timer at the piano so they don't have to keep wondering, and stopping lessons to ask how long they've been practicing.
6. Parents politely thank their student's friends for wanting to play and give assurances that after piano practice you will call them, and not during or before.
7. Younger siblings are kept occupied during practice and pets are outside.
8. Parents give positive encouragement and help with basic knowledge, but student is encouraged to practice independently.
9. Parent's make sure students nailed are kept trimmed so student learns to play with ease.

It's a good idea to talk about these things with your child and get their input as well. Ask your child to help make a list of what creates distractions during practice and what supports their learning at home. This will make your beginner feel that their opinions are valued and that you trust them to be responsible. Once you have your child's agreement on the list, it's a whole lot easier to get them to buy into it because it makes sense to them.

To learn the best way to share the gift of music with children visit Amazon.com for my Piano Bears Musical Stories for Children The exciting Piano Bears Musical Stories for children ages 5 to 11 feature the loveable characters, Mrs. Treble Beary and her new piano student, Albeart Littlebud. Children love following along with Albeart to Mrs. Treble Beary's piano studio in Musical Acres Forest. Here they learn what piano lessons are all about in a fun way that kids readily understand and appreciate! Piano students laugh and giggle while reading "Little Bear's Musical Garden" and "Little Bear's Piano Goals."

Campaigning For Environment

2008-02-25T00:23:00.000-08:00

Pressure groups that campaigned for the environment, such as Greenpeace, started out on the fringe of society. Nowadays, environmental issues are high on the agenda of the major political parties. Has it all been left too late? Hopefully, the will to overcome problems will be strong enough and practical solutions can be implemented.

Politicians have realized that their voters are worried about carbon gas emissions, pollution and climate change and these environmental issues must be addressed. Traditionally, the political parties have been more focused on winning elections and introducing voter friendly policies with a quick turnaround. Tackling the environment is about finding long term solutions.

Big business has also joined the debate. Oil companies fund their own research into alternative energy sources. Of course, cynics will say, this is more to do with commercial reasons and not as a matter of conscience. The oil will run out sometime and alternatives have to be found.

Sometimes, the ordinary individual feels swamped in the face of such global problems. We are all urged to reduce our carbon footprint but it has to be a unified effort. Taking personal responsibility is the first step. It doesn't take much effort to recycle, buy long life light bulbs and leave the car in the garage for certain journeys. Everyone can get involved in environmental issues. If there is a problem, then there is a solution waiting. Wasted energy is a big factor. Heat escapes from homes with poor insulation, central heating is set too high and most people are guilty of leaving electrical appliances on stand by.

So what are the solutions? For people to be persuaded to leave their cars at home, there must be an improved public transport service. Some local authorities in the UK are piloting a scheme, whereby householders are fined if they don't recycle their waste. We all take our appliances for granted and it's inconceivable that people will do without their washing machines, fridges, TVs and stereo systems. Do we really need leaf blowers, garden heaters and electric carvers? Would civilization come to a halt if we got rid of dishwashers?

The other thorny subject is travel. Plane tickets get cheaper all the time and the British and Europeans particularly enjoy holidays abroad. Some people campaign for holiday airplane trips to be limited. Perhaps domestic plane journeys in small countries such as Britain could be banned. We all like to be mobile but there is a high price to pay. If we don't compromise, we will have to explain to our grandchildren, why we didn't stop constant floods, acid rain and other environmental issues.