Six Common Pollutants

“Criteria” pollutants coined by the EPA,  have shown to have dropped in numbers since the appearance of the 1990 Clean Air Act amendment. These 6 common air pollutants have been placed under surveillance and held to the National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS).

With the implementation of the NAAQS  the EPA has the ability to identify areas that have yet to meet the set standards. Areas such as West Oakland, CA, and Los Angeles California, are areas that do not meet standards also known as non-attainment areas. Non-attainment areas must work with the EPA, state, local and tribal air quality planning agencies to help fix the pollution. This article uses West Oakland, California as an example of Collaborative accomplishments that the city had implemented in order to help solve some of the pollution problem.

I am from the Bay Area and I thought it would only be fitting to take a picture of this area! I took this picture from my house. Oakland is in the left portion of this picture!

Posted By: Sade Mehdizadeh

Main Article source:

http://www.epa.gov/airtrends/2010/report/sixcommon.pdf

http://www.epa.gov/

http://www.epa.gov/air/caa/

http://www.epa.gov/air/criteria.html

Masdar City

Masdar City is a newer project based in the United Arab Emirates. It was designed to be one of the most sustainable cities in the world. They are using renewable energy, clean technologies, etc. to build something the world has never seen. There is a huge emphasis placed on building greener businesses within Masdar City. With a global increase in cities like this, we will definitely see a change in emissions within our lifetime.

http://www.masdarcity.ae/en/

Greenwashing and Business

As many know, greenwashing in something that has been around for years and has captured many people into believing false information. It is believed that two-thirds of consumers say that if price and quality are equal, they are likely to switch to a brand or retailer associated with a good cause. But can greenwashing actually help corporations become more like they say? Here is a way for us to look at greenwashing from a corporations view.

Some corporations may see greenwashing as a way to actually become green. Greenwashing may cause corporations who want to become green to actually do so. Getting called out on not doing something you say may cause these businesses to actually change their ways. And if they are able to become greener and please their clients, their business will get a positive reputation.

To read more information on how greenwashing might be seen as good for business look at:

http://www.grist.org/article/schendler

The Cost of Beef on this Planet

Many Americans are aware that what they drive directly affects this planet but many are not aware that what they eat has an even bigger impact.  We have become so accustomed to eating beef without a care in the world.  The amount of beef we eat is completely unsustainable and has irreversible affects on our planet.

The more beef we eat the more green house gases we produce.  Raising cow feed creates enormous amounts of CO2, cows themselves produce lots of methane and then shipping and slaughtering the cows produce even more green house gases.

The FAO report found that current production levels of meat contribute between 14 and 22 percent of the 36 billion tons of "CO2-equivalent" greenhouse gases the world produces every year. That a substantial amount of emissions!

This is not to say that we can’t eat meat or even beef for that matter, but eating beef twice a day like the average American does is a very unsustainable practice.  Even choosing another protein like chicken is a more sustainable choice.  Pound for pound, beef production generates greenhouse gases that contribute more than 13 times as much to global warming as do the gases emitted from producing chicken. For potatoes, the multiplier is 57. 

This only scratches the surface of the issue but now you know that eating beef is neither sustainable nor good for our planet.  Ignorance is not bliss!  To learn more visit: 

http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=the-greenhouse-hamburger

First Things First: Emissions & Sustainability

Webster’s defines sustainability as the ability to use something without it being completely used up or destroyed. It is the ability to last longer and continue on for as long as possible. Understanding that ultimately sustainability is necessary to our own existence, the EcoPol Project strives to create an informed, environmentally conscious community.

The name “EcoPol Project,” represents our group’s shared belief that private households and civic leadership are both necessary for the progress of global sustainability. Therefore, our ultimate goal is to create policy change through government legislation inspired by an educated and consistently thriving public involvement.

That’s where this blog comes in. To achieve a sustainable world, we will begin by narrowing down the broad challenge of reaching total sustainability by focusing on a single aspect of it. We will arrange information via this blog to propose solutions to sustainable dangers. It will be our hope that an informed public would then voice their concerns to those in government capable of implementing policy change.

According to the United States Environmental Protection Agency, emissions is the term used to describe the gases and particles which are put into the air or emitted by various sources. Their main concern is with emissions that are or could be harmful to people naming them "criteria pollutants.

1.     carbon monoxide (CO)

         2.     lead (Pb)

         3.     nitrogen dioxide(NO2)

4.     ozone (O3)

5.     particulate matter (PM)

6.     sulfur dioxide (SO2)

Emission sources of criteria pollutants have been grouped into four categories:

1.     Point sources include things like factories and electric power plants.

2.     Mobile sources include cars and trucks, of course, but also lawn mowers, airplanes and anything else that moves and puts pollution into the air.

3.     Biogenic sources are natural sources like plants or trees.

4.     Area sources refers to any given area or region.

The amounts of emissions change every year. These changes are caused by changes in the nation's economy, industrial activity, technology improvements, traffic, and natural causes. 

The National Air Pollutant Emission Trends report summarizes long-term trends in emissions of air pollutants and gives in-depth analysis of emissions for the current year. This is a good place to start looking at statistics and trends.

As a group, the EcoPol Project will be focused on exploring the causes, understanding the impact, and proposing solutions to reduce the harmful effects of emissions in our world.

More Info:

http://www.epa.gov/oaqps001/emissns.html