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Changing Our Ways: A Case for Recycling and Sustainability
- 1. GLOBAL WARMING Desmond O’Neil
- 2. THESIS I find that our school does not do a very good job at recycling our student’s waste. We are not really what would be called a “green” school. Although we do small things like recycle paper and some plastic, I feel that we could be much better at it. Recycling is something that affects every person on this planet, either directly or indirectly. It is important for everyone to know of the importance of reusing products and disposing of them properly.
- 3. PERSONAL RELEVANCE This topic touches everyone in the world. Global warming is aiding our planet’s natural cycle and making it go faster and harder. I personally just want to get the message out about global warming and help skeptical see that it is real and it is happening.
- 4. CHANGING OUR TRASH Compostable tableware Greenliving. N.p., n.d. Web. 3 Mar. 2010. <http://agreenliving.org/wp-content/ uploads/2010/01/93057f05ebleafware.jpg>. Busytrade. N.p., n.d. Web. 3 Mar. 2010. <http://www.busytrade.com/common/ image.php?file=1212458&x=200&y=200&jpg=>. Photograph
- 5. Busytrade. N.p., n.d. Web. 3 Mar. 2010. <http://www.busytrade.com/common/ image.php?file=1212458&x=200&y=200&jpg=>. Photograph
- 6. PLANTS, NOT OIL Cutting down petroleum use 20% of oil used for plastics
- 7. GREENLAND
- 8. EFFECTS ON CLIMATE TheGreenGrok." TheGreenGrok. N.p., n.d. Web. 3 Mar. 2010. <http://www.nicholas.duke.edu/thegreengrok/graphics/greenlandiceflow>. GreenlandMelt. N.p., n.d. Web. 3 Mar. 2010. <http://origin.arstechnica.com/ journals/science.media/GreenlandMelt.jpg>. Photograph Greenland
- 9. UNDERWATER LAKES BlogSpot. N.p., n.d. Web. 3 Mar. 2010. <http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_vl82uG2c1XE/ Se6kFNcqIbI/AAAAAAAACEQ/iVds4xHH5NI/s400/New+York+under+water.jpg>. Photograph Smith, Kerri. "Climate Change Warnings from Greenland." NOVA science. Greenland's Glaciers Dissapearing from Bottom Up, n.d. Web. 3 Mar. 2010. <http://novascience.wordpress.com/category/climate-change/cryosphere/ greenland/>. World View of Global Warming. N.p., n.d. Web. 3 Mar. 2010. Increasing sea levels <http://www.worldviewofglobalwarming.org/pages/rising-seas.html>. Photograph
- 10. CAPS AFFECT US Why
- 11. THE STORMS Worse Than Ever
- 12. OCEAN CURRENTS Roach, John. "Global Warming Is Rapidly Raising Sea Levels, Studies Warn." National Geographic News. National Geographic, 2009. Web. 3 Mar. 2010. <http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2006/03/ 0323_060323_global_warming.html>. Greenland
- 13. SWIMMING WITH THE FISH Sea Levels on the Rise Science Daily. N.p., n.d. Web. 3 Mar. 2010. <http://www.sciencedaily.com/ images/2008/02/080220175223-large.jpg>. Photograph
- 14. RISE IN TEMPERATURE Sea Levels
- 15. OUR DRINKING WATER
- 16. Brown, Katrina and David W. Pearce. The Causes of Tropical Deforestation. Vancouver: UCB Press, 1994. Amazon Deforestation. N.p., n.d. Web. 5 Apr. 2010. <www.sitemaker.umich.edu/ sec005group6/local_problems>. A TREELESS WORLD
- 17. CIVILIZATION BREAKDOWN Easter Island "Easter Island." Places of Peace and Power. N.p., n.d. Web. 5 Apr. 2010. <http://www.sacredsites.com/americas/chile/easter_island.html>. "Easter Island." io9.com/assets/resources/2007/12/EasterIsland.jpg. N.p., n.d. Web. 5 Apr. 2010.
- 18. MAYAN DOWNFALL The Rise and Fall of the Mayan Empire. N.p., n.d. Web. 5 Apr. 2010. <http://science.nasa.gov/headlines/y2004/15nov_maya.htm>. Mayan Temple." Treasure Stories. N.p., n.d. Web. 5 Apr. 2010. <http://www.zimbio.com/The+Da+Vinci+Code/articles/52/ Tree Destruction MAYAN+TEMPLE+IN+ROSSLYN+CHAPEL>.
- 19. Traffic. N.p., n.d. Web. 5 Apr. 2010. <www.jimmorganonline.wordpress.com/ .../>. Deforestation. N.d. Deforestation. Web. 5 Apr. 2010. <www.actnow.com.au/files/ 123/deforestation.jpg>. HISTORY REPEATS ITSELF Our Own Demise reenliving. N.p., n.d. Web. 3 Mar. 2010. <http://agreenliving.org/wp-content/ uploads/2010/01/93057f05ebleafware.jpg>.
- 20. THE WILDLIFE "Impact Zone." The Actic Circle. N.p., n.d. Web. 5 Apr. 2010. <http://globalwarming.house.gov/impactzones/arctic>. The Arctic http://www.theclimatescam.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/05/polar_bear_kills_seal.jpg
- 21. DEAD ZONES
- 22. REUSING TRASH http://greatgreengadgets.com/gadgets/wp-content/ uploads/2009/09/whiteadirondack.jpg greenhomeguide.com/.../original
- 23. NATURAL GAS Out of Time
- 24. OUT OF RESOURCES The first problem
- 26. CHANGES IN COST The Years to Come
- 27. "Solar Energy." U.S Department of Energy. N.p., n.d. Web. 6 Apr. 2010. <http://www.energy.gov/energysources/solar.htm>. http://indolinkenglish.files.wordpress.com/2009/04/solar-energy.jpg SOLAR ENERGY
- 28. WIND POWER http://www.coal-is-dirty.com/files/images/blogentry/wind-power.jpg "Wind Power." Siemens. N.p., n.d. Web. 6 Apr. 2010. <http://www.energy.siemens.com/hq/en/power- generation/renewables/wind-power/ ?stc=usccc021710>.
- 29. HYDROGEN FUEL CELLS
- 30. WHY PEOPLE DO NOT USE THE CELLS http://auto.howstuffworks.com/fuel-efficiency/alternative-fuels/fuel-cell.htm
- 31. CYCLES
Notas del editor
- The first step to wasting less, is changing our trash. A lot of things are only recyclable once or twice and it is a long process to recycle. A lot of companies think that it is not worth the time and money to recycle they&#x2019;re waste. If we can change our plastic and styrofoam trash to compostable materials, it makes our waste much easier to handle.
- Tableware made from plants is a new and in my opinion, exciting discovery that helps take our trash and make it as decomposable as fruits and vegetables. When you eat a banana or an apple you can just throw the core or the peel on the ground and a few days late it will be black and then a few days after that it will be almost completely gone. This is because the soil actually soaks up the nutrients in the fruit or vegetable and gives it to the growing plants around in the ground. Tableware made from plants follows the same rule. When you are done with the paper plate or silverware, you can put it in a trash can and it will then be taken to a landfill. There it will be deposited like any other waste. However, the utensil will completely decompose in a matter of days. This helps keep the ground healthy and also stops the use of unrenewable recourses.
- Most plastics are made from oil or petroleum. The oil is molded into long thin strands that are woven together to form the polymer. About 20% of our oil consumption is used to make polymers. We are slowly investing in ways to cut down that number and use alternative resources to make our plastic based products.
- One of the leading causes for global warming might not be what first comes to mind. A giant glacier to the northeast of Canada called greenland is a huge impact on our earth&#x2019;s global warming situation. Greenland is a huge glacier with ice as thick as two miles deep. Because of the increasing temperature the average ice melting in Greenland has drastically increased. As the ice melts, it creates giant lakes in craters in the ice. The increasing temperature creates enormous caverns in the bottom of these lakes that the water drains through. Millions of gallons of fresh water get drained out through these caverns. http://www.uci.edu/features/2010/02/feature_glaciermelt_100217.php
- These huge ice lakes drain into the holes and millions of gallons of water come flowing through down to the bedrock below the miles of ice. This is a terrible event that is drastically increasing global warming, however, maybe not for the reasons you think. http://www.uci.edu/features/2010/02/feature_glaciermelt_100217.php
- The water from the surface gets stored under the ice in lakes and rivers that flows out towards the ocean. This increases the movement of the ice sheet and aids it in sliding into the salty ocean water. As the ice slides into the warmer ocean water it melts and raises sea levels. http://www.uci.edu/features/2010/02/feature_glaciermelt_100217.php
- When the ice caps melt, they release moisture into the air. This in turn creates heavier and more clouds. These clouds can actually alter the wind currents and make the storms more violent. We have not had any more storms though which helps to prove that it is global warming and not just a few bad seasons. The moisture in the air creates different high and low pressures which clash a lot more now because there are so many and these create the violent storms.
- Have you noticed the increasing violence in all types of weather storms this year? Particularly the snow storms have been much more violent this winter than they have been for years. And now that the weather is warming up we are seeing much stronger rain storms also. Overall we have had about 10 feet of snow this year and already over 5 feet of rain. The melting of the caps is having an effect on the weather patterns.
- The ice cold glacier water drains into the ocean and raises sea level. However, that is not the end of the story. The icy water hits the warmer ocean water and starts to warm up. It then sinks to the bottom and pushes the warmer water back and up towards the glaciers. The warm water that hits the ice increases the ice melting. The glacier then slides faster into the ocean and increases the ice melting and the process continues to get worse and worse as time goes on.
- At first people did not think that the raising sea levels would have an impact on our society for hundreds of years. At first, the idea was that sea levels would raise about a meter every hundred years or so. Most people are not concerned with future generations that will have to deal with this problem. Until they learned that it could effect them. In the last two years, the prediction for the raising sea levels changed from one meter, to two meters, to three meters, and is increasing every few months. At the moment 33 countries are below sea level and dozens and dozens are within 4 meters of sea level. The lowest point in Manhattan is about 2 meters above sea level. So within the next one hundred years all of the city will be submerged in water. www.nationalgeographic.com
- The average global temperature is on the rise. Within the next 100 years the world will be at least 6 degrees higher overall. This does not seem like a lot but when you think of all the places that have snow and glaciers that would melt at 6 degrees higher temperature that is a lot of water. This will raise sea level higher and would cause sea levels to flood all of the rivers along the coast.
- With the rise in sea level, our drinking water is going to become saturated with salt and will make it undrinkable. As the melting fresh water drains into the ocean it will cause river flooding with sea water. With a few meters increase worldwide most of the drinking water will be salty. This is a huge problem because almost all of our drinking water comes from the melting glaciers and rivers and the when the glaciers are gone the rivers will be salty and we will be out of fresh water.
- Trees are the best way to save our planet. They saved the Earth 125,000 years ago when CO2 levels were on the rise and they could save us now. Plants are the only living things on our planet that absorb CO2 and give off oxygen. As were are increasing the amount of carbon dioxide in our atmosphere, we are destroying the only thing that could save us. This is doubling the chance of us being wiped out by climate change.
- Many civilizations before us were wiped out by climate change. The people of Easter Island completely destroyed all the trees on their islands to build giant statues that served no purpose but to show off. The islanders formed groups or clans on the island and started building statues to claim their lands. Each clan made their own type of statue that was used to show territories. Eventually, this because a competition to show off who could make the most and the best statues. After a few years of this competition, the islanders used up all the trees on their island. They used the trees to build carts to cary the statues all over their territory. The only problem with using wood to carry stone is that the carts would often break or become overused. This made the islanders cut down more trees until eventually, there were no trees left to cut down. The lack of trees on the island completely messed up the ecosystem on the island because many plants could not grow because of the lack of shade and also many animals died due to the heat. The Easter islanders destroyed themselves by destroying their environment.
- The mayan demise was very similar to the fall of the Easter islanders. The reason, trees. The Mayans build some of the strongest temples and buildings known to man. How could they do this with suck primitive technology? The answer is also trees. The Mayans used a special coating on their stone that they discovered could be made from trees. They used this coating to give their stone a very white touch. The paste also helped to preserve the stone and kept them standing much longer. However, they build so many buildings that they used up all the trees in the area and similar to the Easter islanders, the ecosystem failed and they were wiped out.
- History has a strange way of repeating itself. No one seems to learn from others&#x2019; mistakes. War throughout history has repeated itself several times. Generals have made the same mistake countless times that others have made before them. Even now, hundreds of years later, we still do not have enough sense to stop what will untimely destroy us. The Mayans, the Easter islanders, and now us. We are destroying our planet at an increasingly large rate. This time it could be for good. We need to stop destroying and start rebuilding. From the ground up we need to establish new technologies to save ourselves. It is almost comical how the greatest minds in the world will come together to kill others and destroy countries and take land. However, in the fight of our own existence. No one seems to have an answer. The world needs to know, now.
- Habitats are being destroyed by global warming. As everyone knows, the poster animal for global warming is the polar bear, and for good reason. Polar bears are the most threatened animal on the planet. On most endangered species they just make strict hunting laws in act and maybe save a few in shelters but they can&#x2019;t really do that with polar bears. For one they weigh hundreds of pounds and that makes it extremely difficult to transport and shelter. They are huge animals and need a huge amount of space to live in. Unlike most animals the government can not just put hunting restrictions on the bears because it is the climate that is endangering them. The melting ice is destroying their habitats and the pollution is killing the fish and other animals that they eat.
- As the warm ocean water flows north it evaporates and leaves behind heavily salted water. This salty water kills off all the life in the areas and we now have spots in the ocean that are similar to the dead sea. This is causing all sorts of problems with the ecosystem because it is killing our food and other animals&#x2019; food. It is also causing the water to become more acidic because of the released CO2 from the dead fish.
- Reusing trash is a huge topic now that is starting to emerge. One of the new technologies we have is to take plastic and reform it to make raw materials for furniture. Currently the Acme has benches they made from recycled shopping bags outside their store. We can not continue to just burry and burn our trash. With 6 billion people on the earth trillions of pounds of trash is thrown away every day. It is time we start using all of those materials instead of wasting them.
- We use natural gas and nonrenewable recourses for almost 80% of our fuel. We need to find another alternative recourses because the gas and petroleum is running out. With what we have now it will last maybe a hundred years, maybe a little more and then we are going to be without any fuel.
- The biggest problem we have right now is the fact that we will not have any fuel to run our very costly lives. We use so much petroleum every day that it is going to run out very soon. The fuel we have will last a hundred years and then we will be out of it forever.
- The fuel that we have is going to run out, that is obvious. However, that is not going to be the thing to get us first. It is the cost of the oil. Prices of oil fluctuate from year to year and season to season. In the summer about 90 dollars a barrel and about 45 dollars a barrel in the winter. As the production of oil increases and decreases the price changes also. When the production is high the cost is obviously gonna be lower.
- As years pass oil prices will increase because of the decrease in production. The production will decrease because it will much harder to find oil and there will be a lot less of it. Within maybe 50 years or so the prices will get so high that no one will be able to buy it, then we will be forced to find alternative energy sources.
- Solar panels are made from Photovoltaic cells which convert sunlight into electricity. The cells are made from semiconductors like crystalline silicon. The energy used from the cells is used to power a generator that creates electricity. Solar panels are very good because you can use them for everything from calculators to powering cities.
- Wind power is one of the least used alternative recourse because of the amount of land needed. Each one of the wind towers is hundreds of feet tall and takes up huge amounts of space. In order to have effective wind energy supply you need a lot of towers and to have all those towers you would need acres and acres of land.
- Hydrogen fuel cells are very good energy source. They run like batteries and burn a combination of hydrogen and water. The solution burns clean and only emits water vapor. It is very cheap and there is a lot of it. The only reason that people have not started to use them yet is because of the cell stations. There are only a few stations around and it is very inconvenient to drive to a station to fill up your car. If there were more around they could be sold and we would solve this problem today.
- Number one reason, the oil companies. The oil companies are doing everything they can to stop the production of hydrogen cells. The second reason is because people think they are dangerous and they will blow up their cars. A lot of people refer to the Hindenburg accident when thinking of hydrogen. However, it was not the hydrogen that caused the accident, it was the static electricity and the explosive powder coating on the blimp that caused it so peoples&#x2019; reference to that is not valid.
- One of the worst cycles we are going through is the melting of greenland. With the melting ice it causes the warmer water to cycle back and melt more ice as i explained earlier. Another cycle is in Siberia. As Siberia melts it will become more swampy, and swampy areas have a lot of decaying organisms which release more CO2 which causes more melting.