Build A Kinder Earth

Want your children and their children and so forth to be able to experience coral reefs?

Climate change is having an enormous effect on our planet. If no action is taken, coral reefs will disappear from the Coral Triangle by the end of the century. This will greatly influence the region’s ability to feed it’s people and the livelihoods of these people will be either lost or severely damaged.

The Coral Triangle accounts for just one per cent of the earth’s surface, yet includes 30 per cent of the world’s coral reefs, 76 per cent of its reef building coral species and more than 35 per cent of its coral reef fish species as well as spawning grounds for other economically important fish such as tuna, sustaining the lives of more than 100 million people.

However, there is still hope. Economic growth, food security and natural environments can be spared by significant reductions in greenhouse gas emissions

Read more…

Thinking of switching to solar energy? Take these steps first.

Looking to make the switch to Solar Energy? Start-up costs may be discouraging, but they don’t need to be. The primary reason a solar power system can be so expensive is because of bad energy usage habits. People often don’t realize how much energy they are actually consuming before they take a good, hard look at it. So, before you make the admirable switch over to solar energy, try to lower your energy consumption with a few simple, life-style changes.

1. Check insulation
Gaps under doors or in windows can greatly increase heating and cooling costs.

2. Replace old appliances
Older appliances are not as energy efficient and should be removed or replaced.

3. Unplug anything you aren’t using
Anything that is plugged in will use energy, so make sure to unplug any items not currently in use.

4. Wash only full loads of dishes and clothes Read more…

American Apparel has always been one of my favorite stores, and now that they’re offering several organic options, I no longer feel guilty for my online shopping.  My personal favorite is the Organic Baby Rib Cross-Back Summer Dress.  It comes in black, ultraviolet, and galaxy (featured below) and is 100% Organic Baby Rib cotton construction. This dress can be worn for numerous occasions and is a steal at $39.00! Be sure to check it and all the other organic styles out!

American Apparel Organics:

Finished without the use of optical brighteners (bleach)
Scoured for necessity to remove excess contaminants (dirt, natural waxes, oils)
4.3 oz. 100% ultra-fine combed organic ring-spun jersey
Made in America (downtown Los Angeles)

Could sea-based nurseries be a solution to developing alternative energy sources?

Like coffee, algae is currently being explored as a biofuel.  Recently, NASA has been getting in on the act. NASA wants to farm algae at sea for multiple reasons. Benefits to this plan include the fact that algae is oil-rich and easy to grow, that ocean nurseries leave land free for food production and that process should take out more carbon than it contributes from the environment. Another benefit is that this process purifies waste water pumped into the ocean.

Algae is typically grown in a bioreactor. NASA is currently exploring other environments in which to grow algae.

Algae is typically grown outdoors in large tanks of moving water, or inside bioreactors. The plants produce far more oil per acre than other biofuel products as soybeans. One problem, however, with algae farming is efficiently draining the water in which the algae grows.

Jonathan Trent, a researcher at NASA’s Ames Research Center in Moffett Field, California plans to to grow freshwater algae in nutrient-rich waste water inside semi-permeable plastic membranes. The membranes will keep salt water out so that it cannot kill the plants. The waves will keep the algae mixed and thriving. This process also treats sewage water. The plastic bags are recycled once the algae has been harvested. Read more…

Overwhelmed with plastics? Don't be! Recycling plastics is easier than once thought.

Do you often find yourself wanting to recycle but not knowing which types of plastic can be recycled? If so, you are not alone. There is a lot of confusion in regards to which plastics can be recycled and which cannot. However, recycling plastics does not have to be difficult, in fact, there is a simple trick to help you determine if a type of plastic can be recycled.

There exists a symbol code with a single digit ranging from 1 to 7 and surrounded by a triangle of arrows. This symbol was designed by The Society of the Plastics Industry (SPI) in 1988 to allow consumers and recyclers to differentiate types of plastics while providing a uniform coding system. 39 U.S. states now require to be imprinted on all eight-ounce to five-gallon containers that can accept the mark.

1.
The easiest plastics to recycle are made polyethylene terephthalate (PETE) and is classified as “1″. Examples include soda and water bottles, medicine containers, and many other common consumer product containers. Once recycled this plastic can be used for fiberfill for winter coats, sleeping bags and life jackets, bean bags, rope, car bumpers, tennis ball felt, combs, cassette tapes, sails for boats, furniture and other plastic bottles. Read more…

Coffee fuels you every morning, could it fuel your car as well?

Most of us drink coffee daily. It wakes us up and helps us start our day. Could it help us start our car too?

According to theAmerican Chemical Society used coffee grounds can be used as sources of bio fuel. The grounds contain a huge amount of oil, and can be used further after the oil has been extracted. The dried grounds can become fuel pellets for stoves, be converted to ethanol or be used as compost, therefore eliminating all waste. The antioxidants in coffee help to prevent the coffee-based bio fuels from going bad, giving the grounds a longer shelf-life than most bio fuels.

Growers produce nearly 16 billion pounds of coffee each year, providing ample supply of the potential bio fuel. As of now, most of this ends up in the trash or being used as a soil conditioner. Bio fuels have become increasingly popular. The idea is that making fuel from plants, which absorb carbon dioxide as they grow, will produce fewer emissions than burning fossil fuels. Production of bio fuel from used coffee grounds would be best suited to large scale production rather than individual production. Read more…

Stay cool this summer while reducing energy costs and climate change.

Want to stay cool this summer and help the environment? Read below for more details!

With summer on its way, expenses for cooling are bound to increase. With this comes a higher rate of greenhouse gas emission.The Environmental Protection Agency has just released several tips to help Americans reduce both energy bills and greenhouse gas emissions by one third through Energy Star. Summer cooling is both costly and wasteful. Following these tips will help you reduce expenses and benefit the environment.

Here are several helpful tips to save energy and fight climate change released by the EPA:
* Set your programmable thermostat to save while you are away or asleep. Using it properly can save up to $180 per year in energy costs.

* Run ceiling fans in a clockwise direction to create a wind-chill effect that will make you “feel” cooler. Remember that ceiling fans cool people, not rooms — so turn them off when you leave the room.

* Inspect your duct system for obvious signs of leaks and disconnections (most houses leak 20 percent or more). Seal any leaks with foil tape or a special sealant called “duct mastic.” Also consider insulating ducts in unconditioned areas (like the attic, basement or crawlspace). Read more…

Many believe that overpopulation may be a contributor to environmental issues such as resource depletion and global warming. The Human population is currently recorded at over 6.6 billion and is expected to exceed nine billion by 2050 (1).

According to Population Connection, population growth since 1950 is a key force behind the destruction of 80 percent of rain forests, the loss of countless plant and wildlife species, an increase in greenhouse gas emissions and an upsurge in commercialization of up to half the earth (1).

What can be done to counteract the harm our growing population rate is having on the earth? Can anything be done to curb population growth? By providing contraceptives such as birth control to developing countries, the increasing population rate could be slowed. Developing countries such as India and Africa tend to have high population counts due to a lack of access to birth control and cultural practices and traditions that encourage women to have many children. Making birth control available to these women could help control the growth of population and therefore have a positive effect on the environment.

High consumption is another cause of resource depletion and other environmental problems. Americans, who represent only 4 percent of world population, consume 25 percent of all resources (1). Industrialization also adds to an increase in greenhouse gas emission, climate change, etc.

By better managing our consumption of resources and our population rate we will be able to contribute positively to our world, rather than causing harm to it.

1.http://environment.about.com/od/biodiversityconservation/a/population_grow.htm