Environment Issues

At its simplest, waste management is taking care of unwanted byproducts, usually of human activities, and ensuring they do not cause any lingering problems. As in many other spheres of human activity, the devil lies in the details. There are arguments over the cost-effectiveness and actual effectiveness of recycling compared to storage, methods and techniques that work well for rural situations are different from those that work well for urban situations, and what is considered reasonable in the developed world is very different from what is considered reasonable in the undeveloped world.

Car manufacturers tout their efficiency. Consumer advocates dispute claims of 60-plus miles per gallon gas efficiency. Amidst the controversy, environmentalists still claim, in the absence of anything better - that hybrid vehicles are still better for the environment than their traditional gas-guzzling counterparts.

Hybrids, known for the way they combine both gas and electric power to offer a cleaner ride, have come under fire in recent months for their inability to reach gas mileage milestones set by the manufacturers.

Kitchen cabinets, furniture, perfume, even candles and air fresheners - they can all contribute to the air pollution in our homes.

Dr. Bernard Hamel, former Director for the Institute for Environmental Studies at Drexil University, estimates that the levels of potentially deadly toxins in the average American home may be five times greater than the level of toxic pollutants found in the dirtiest city air.

Indoor air pollution poses a far greater risk to our health than outdoor pollution.

Biodegradable products should be good for the environment, but that's not always the case.

What Is Biodegradable?
To be classified as "biodegradable", a product must be able to be broken down naturally into the raw materials of nature and disappear into the environment. Truly biodegradable products will break down into:

-Bacteria
-Fungi
-Simple organisms
-Carbon
-Hydrogen
-Oxygen - Carbon dioxide Co2 and water H2O

Just because a product says its biodegradable, doesn't mean it's good for the environment.

Hemp is one of the most misunderstood and underutilized plants grown in the world today. One of the first plants cultivated by man, and maybe the most versatile one ever grown, Cannabis Sativa l. Cannabis (Hemp), has been used for thousands of years in China and Egypt as a medicine.

Criticized for the indulgent use of higher tetrahyclrocannabinol concentration plants by some to dry or compress into marijuana and hashish, hemp attempts to gain respect in the worldwide market have been thwarted by its critics.

On March 31, 2007, people and businesses in Sydney, Australia turned off their lights for one hour. The city streetlights and traffic lights were left on for safety purposes. Can you imagine a city like New York in the dark? Maybe some New Yorkers wouldn't care to go dark since it was not that long ago when they had a blackout. Well, can you imagine your own town in the dark for an hour some night?

This seems like a really good idea. Why not try it here in the United States. Or, why not just periodically turn off millions of lights every night.

Rising prices of energy fuels have prompted companies and individuals to search for low-cost sources of fuels for their machines and automobiles. One of the most popular alternative fuels is biodiesel, a fuel derived from vegetable and animal fats.

Biodiesel, in the strict chemistry sense, is made from alcohol esters that are processed from the oils of veggies such as soybeans, mustard seeds and rapeseeds. Tallow is also sometimes used.
Making biodiesel is actually quite simple when you think about it.

The energy challenge certainly ranks at the top of the world's agenda. What makes it particularly difficult to deal with is that it is created by two forces.

Though not usually put in these terms, one is globalization-and, in particular-the success of globalization. High growth rates, the emergence of large middle classes in countries like China and India, the continuing integration of the global economy-all this is powered by energy. To keep it going requires energy, lots of it.

But the second is the flip side, the consequence of the use of energy.

At the conclusion of last year's G8 summit in Scotland, Russian President Vladimir Putin said to the other leaders of the G8 industrial nations, "We cannot ignore the question of overcoming poverty and the fight against terrorism." But "the key issue for the next summit" would be energy security. Setting the agenda was certainly his prerogative as the incoming "president" of the G8. Moreover, he did it from a unique perspective.

The majority of the population are living in homes who's energy efficiency is very poor and it is costing them money and hurting our environment. Over 21% of all the carbon dioxide pollution in the U.S. comes from energy used in homes. Most of that carbon dioxide is created by your local "dirty" electricity plant, in fact, your home is generally responsible for more co2 emissions than your car. There are many different things you can do to increase your homes efficiency to cut down your emissions and your monthly utility bill.