Top 5 Items to Recycle (Recycling Pt. 1)

Mixed paper-example

By this point, I'm sure most of us are familiar with the concept of recycling. Certain items can be recycled into new products, lowering the amount of material in landfills and the amount of new materials we must put into products. But which materials can be recycled, and which cannot? Let's find out.

http://www.positivepotential.com.au/blog/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/Plastic-Bottles4.jpg

#5: Plastic Containers (PET and HDPE) 

 PET is the most common form of plastic bottle and is used for bottled water, while high-density polyethylene (HDPE) is a denser plastic used for detergents, bleach, and milk jugs. These plastics are more commonly used than other forms of plastic and are usually the easiest to recycle, and yet of the more than 25 billion bottles Americans used in 2012, only about 25 percent were recycled, according to the Container Recycling Institute. Recycling one ton of plastic would save seven cubic yards of landfill space. A report (http://www.ecologycenter.org/ptf/misconceptions.html) from the Ecology Center in Berkeley, Calif., states that processing recycled plastic costs more than using virgin plastic resins. They recommend reusing plastic bottles yourself, as each bottle may be used about 25 times without any ill effect on the consumer, and using alternatives to plastic bottles such as glass containers and metal water bottles.

#4: Glass Containers 

Over 41 billion glass containers are made each year, and all of them can be reused an infinite number of times. Recycling glass increases its efficiency: recycled glass creates 20 percent less air pollution and 50 percent less water pollution and overall take 50 percent less energy to create. One ton of glass made from recycled materials saves 250 pounds of mining waste. 

www.aeconline.org

#3: Magazines, Newspaper, Cardboard, and Mixed Paper

Paper products are among the most common items we produce as a society, and it just so happens they are also among the most recyclable.  Unfortunately, according to the Environmental Protection Agency, paper comprises up to one-third of the waste created in the United States, with cardboard making up a majority of that percentage. Recycled paper saves 60 percent of the energy needed to create new paper, and the process of recycling paper creates 74 percent less air pollution and uses 50 percent less water. One ton of recycled paper saves 17 mature trees, 7,000 gallons of water, three cubic yards of landfill space, two barrels of oil, and 4000 kilowatt hours of electricity. 

#2: Steel canshttp://www.aeconline.org/sites/default/files/mixed_paper-example.jpg

Just like glass, steel products can be recycled repeatedly without affecting the quality of the product. Steel cans are perhaps the most numerous of steel recyclables, but steel appliances and auto parts may also be recycled.  More than 80 million tons of steel. Recycling steel saves 74 percent of the energy used to make items, and using recycled scrap steel reduces water pollution, air pollution, and mining waste by about 70 percent Recycling steel saves the equivalent energy to power 18 million households a year.

www.recyclingredefined.com

#1: Aluminum

Aluminum secures the Number One spot on this list because it is 100 percent recyclable and can be used infinitely, just like glass and steel. Whenever a person throws away aluminum, it can waste as much energy as if someone had will the can half full of gasoline and then dumped it out. Recycling aluminum consumes 95 percent less energy than making new aluminum, recycled aluminum saving enough energy to run a 100 watt light bulb for 20 hours, a computer for 3 hours, and a TV for 2 hours. 

 

To learn more, visit these links:
T0p 10 most important items to recycle

-Steel Recycling Institute

Metro Transfer Center

Energy Costs and conservation facts/

Climate Change and Global Food Supplies

By John Simmons 

As briefly referred to in my last post, climate change has a significant impact on global food production. There are actually some benefits to certain areas of the world, as the higher temperatures result in a longer growing season and lead to increased food production, but overall climate change negatively effects food production worldwide.

greenpeace.org

The accelerated climate change of the last few decades has resulted in increasingly sporadic rainfall patterns around the world, which affects not only the supply of fresh water but also the amount of water crops receive. Areas that normally receive an adequate amount of rain now receive less rain less often, resulting in poor harvests and an overall decrease in the amount of food produced. In extreme cases, water scarcity leads to drought and famine. For example, the 2011 drought in the Horn of Africa led to mass starvation and increased violence in the area. The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that by the 2090s, climate change will likely greatly increase the toll of droughts, widening the area affected by drought, doubling the frequency of extreme droughts, and increasing their average duration six-fold.

environmentandsecurity.org

On the opposite end of the spectrum, too much water may also cause serious problems. Floods are increasing in frequency and intensity, contaminating water supplies and heightening the risk of waterborne diseases. These health effects impact the people tending and harvesting crops, lowering their efficiency and potentially preventing them from being able to gather all of their crops. In addition, floods directly damage farmlands, causing soil erosion, root rot, and otherwise destroying crops. In 2011, flooding in Australia led to increased food prices, creating additional hardships for affected peoples.

According to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCG), rising temperatures and variable precipitation (both droughts and floods) will likely greatly effect food production in many of the poorest regions of the world. The IPCG estimates that in some African countries, food production will be reduced by as much as 50% by 2020. This will inevitably increase occurrences of malnutrition and under-nutrition, which currently cause 3.5 million deaths each year. The impact that climate change has on the production of staple foods is significant, and by educating ourselves and others about the real consequences of climate change, we can begin to create change for the better.

For a more in-depth look at the affects of climate change on global food production, I recommend reading "Potential Impact of Climate Change on World Food Supply," published by Nature Publishing Group.

The Top Ways Climate Change Affects Your Health

By John Simmons

People often have a hard time grasping exactly how climate change affects them. While many of us are aware that the ice caps are shrinking, temperatures are rising and water levels are going up, these are all things that the average person does not come up against in their daily life. It is hard to be concerned about something that does not seem to affect our lives in any significant way. Yet, as it turns out, climate change affects a very significant part of our lives: our health. Here are the top ways climate change affects your health: 

hexdoctor.com

Higher risk of respiratory problems

Higher temperatures lead to higher levels of pollen and other airborne allergens in the air. While this may seem like a mild side effect, these allergens can trigger asthma, which affects around 300 million people. Higher temperatures can also lead to higher levels of pollutants such as ozone in the air, which not only are harmful to breathe but also intensify the effects of cardiovascular and respiratory disease. These can have deadly effects, as our next section will discuss. As temperatures continue to increase, these health impact are expected to increase as well.  

Higher death toll 

Extremely high air temperatures are a large contributor to deaths from the aforementioned cardiovascular and respiratory diseases, as well as heat stroke and dehydration. According to a climate change fact sheet  published by the World Health Organization (WHO), higher levels of air pollution due to climate change in cities causes about 1.2 million deaths every year. The elderly are especially susceptible to higher temperatures, as their bodies are less able to compensate for changes in temperature and they may be less able to find ways to cool down effectively. A study published in US National Library of Medicine found that in Europe during the summer heatwave of 2003, more than 70,000 excess deaths occurred, many of them the elderly. 

Increased risk of infection

animals.nationalgeographic.com

Climate conditions also greatly affect waterborne diseases and diseases spread by cold-blooded creatures such as snails, mosquitoes, and other insects. Rising temperatures lead to longer transmission seasons for several vector-borne diseases—such as schistosomiasis, a disease carried by snails—as well as broaden the range of these diseases. Malaria and Dengue Fever, two diseases transmitted by mosquitoes, are very dependent on proper climate for effective transmission. Studies examining Dengue Fever alone suggest that over the next 60 years an additional two billion people will be infected with the disease due to climate change.

Increases occurrence of natural disasters

The largest way climate change affects our daily lives is by increasing the intensity and frequency of weather-related disasters. This includes hurricanes, tsunamis, and floods, but also droughts and famine. For those living near the coast, this often results in loss of property, increased risk of health effects such as the ones listed above, and potentially death. According to WHO, disasters such as these dislocate populations as well as ruin food supplies and farmland, all of which lead to increased risk of negative health effects such as communicable diseases.

All of these effects of climate change impact people just like you and me, all over the world. In an assessment published in 2009, WHO concluded that the global warming that has taken place since the 1970s has already caused more than 140,000 excess deaths per year. These risks are serious, and only stand to increase if climate change continues to be accelerated by human action.

How much do you REALLY know about climate change?

By Anna Bertrand

Climate change is such a broad subject that it’s difficult to know where we, as individuals, stand on our knowledge of the subject. Here is a link to NASA's quizzes so you can find out what you know!

http://climate.nasa.gov/interactives/quizzes

I’ve put my own results underneath, because I was curious what I knew, too!

Quiz 1: Warm Up

Result: With an 8/10, it considered me an expert, but I have to say the quiz was much more difficult than I originally thought it would be. This really quizzes you on the state of Earth’s temperatures, and every question taught me something new.

Quiz 2: Freeze Frames

Result: While focusing on glaciers and ice caps, I found out that I am not exactly knowledgeable on this subject! A 4/10 score shows me that I have lots to learn on this topic, and it is especially important considering the great loss of ice around the world and the impact this will have on rising sea levels and mountain habitats as glaciers and sea ice melt

Quiz 3: Sea Change

Result: Another 4/10 tells me I need to read up on the relationship between sea and climate change… I learned just how extreme in some cases and just how surprisingly mild in others that climate change will have on seas. Also, there were some interesting facts about previous periods in Earth’s history… this quiz definitely provides valuable information to help understand how the sea is affected by climate change.

Quiz 4: How’s Your Energy Level?

Result: With a 6/8, I scored a little better on this quiz, but honestly this was with a little guessing. Even though this quiz didn’t have explanations with each answered question, it teaches relevant facts that are important for understanding the state of energy in our society, such as how the sun makes energy, scientists’ opinion on this energy, how nuclear power plants create energy, and how much we rely on this form of energy.

Quiz 5: Sea Salt

Result: On this quiz, I achieved a 6/10… that 100% eluded me! However, this final quiz also gave me some good information that will help me understand how oceans will be affected because of their salinity.  I learned about the consistency of salt levels of the ocean, just how much salt is in the ocean, and how much salt content varies by depth and region.

Final Reactions:

In the 20 minutes it took me to take all of these quizzes, I have to say I learned quite a bit. Even though not every quiz corresponds directly to climate change with every question, the knowledge I gained from each quiz will help me as I read and hear about climate change in the future. They gave me valuable background knowledge that will give me a good basis for understanding our changing environment, and although the expert will have an easy time with these quizzes, I think that for the every-day person these are a great tool for learning more about climate change and the environmental aspects that it impacts.

Take them and see where you stand!

What is the most persuasive evidence for climate change efficacy?

By Joe Munoz

     In the debate regarding climate change, the quest for the most convincing bits of evidence is often akin to the quest for the “holy grail”. The two sides of the discussion work to persuade others to come across the aisle, to either fully embrace the idea of anthropogenic climate change or deny it. Regardless of the side of the debate, most individuals are concerned with the act of persuasion and not simply digging up evidence. This begs the question: which evidence or other piece of information is most persuasive, from either perspective.

     One article took this question on and found that out of a sample of climate skeptics, out of those swayed, the consensus of scientific professionals was attributed as being the most persuasive. To clarify, the idea that the majority of climate scientists agree about the concept of anthropogenic climate change: that human-environment interaction is the leading cause of global climate change. The article used an estimate from research, claiming that roughly 99 out of 100 climate scientists agree on this matter (Andregg et al., 2009).

     There has been some debate over this number, with a couple studies citing possible inaccuracies. Hypothesized corrections, however, range no lower than 90% of climate scientists in agreement at the highest level of opposition. This is an important statistic as it may prove to be vastly more persuasive than other overwhelming, but potentially more complicated, evidence.


Sources:

Andregg, W., Prall, J., Harold, J., Schneider, S. (2010, September). Expert Credibility on Climate Change. Proceedings of the Natural Academy of Sciences. Retrieved from http://www.pnas.org/content/107/27/12107.full.pdf

http://news.yahoo.com/climate-skeptics-swayed-consensus-not-evidence-233150461.html

Recycling: Endless Opportunities

by LaFreda Ceaser

Recycling is a simple way for anyone to participate in fighting against climate change.  Waste prevention and recycling reduce greenhouse gases associated with these activities by reducing methane emissions, saving energy, and increasing forest carbon sequestration. 

Finding out how to recycle is simple as well.  Completing a Google search with key words such as “Find out ways to recycle” one would be greeted with a list websites to learn from.  Anyone can find out how to recycle items such as light bulbs, household furniture, glass, paper, etc.  

Recycling is everyone’s responsibility and it is easy to start taking responsibility by starting a recycling program at work.  One can start recycling at home by simply separating your food waste from your paper waste.  Needless to say there are endless opportunities to recycle. 

The means to recycle almost anything is catching the attention of so many people especially with the increase awareness and concern regarding climate change.  Who would think that music would be impacted by recycling?  Recycling has become a musical art form for band members Recycled Percussion.  This band is a power percussion group that uses alternative ways of making music.  They use ladders, pots, pans, and buckets.  They were inspired by a musician who made music by drumming on a bucket.  Since then the group has used everything from the kitchen sink to power tools to construct musical instruments. 

Finding ways to recycle is actually easy and is everyone’s responsibility.  Finding what works for you is where you can start to make a difference.  Perhaps musical instruments are not your thing, but you might enjoy candle making or building tables from recycled furniture.  Whatever interests you it is important to find a cause and enjoy the endless opportunities around you to address climate change.

To find a recycling center near you go to http://search.earth911.com/.  Also, enjoy music by Recycled Percussion!

 

Sources

http://www.epa.gov/climatechange/waste/index.html

Nissan Leaf Eco-friendly Electric Car!

By Meshal aljabir

The scientists have been warning of the dangers to the environment from car usage but very little seems to have been done about it. While more eco-friendly cars have been produced but these have been a little bit expensive. Manufacturers have come up with a variety of solutions of finding more environment friendly car. Honda and BMW believe that hydrogen is the future, but the majorities believe that electric cars are the best way forward. Nissan has recently introduced the Nissan Leaf, which is a huge step forward for the electric car industry. It has a range of over 100 miles on one recharge and a top speed of 90 mph, making it far more practical than its predecessors. The fact that it is almost as practical as a normal road car makes the fuel cost savings far more attractive. The average driver covering 12,000 miles annually could save over $1,500 a year through owning the Leaf in fuel costs alone. The only problem remaining is the availability of recharging outlets, which would limit you to 50 mile journeys to ensure you had the power to get home. Nissan Leaf has taken the first step towards rectifying this by pricing their new model aggressively at $32,780. But government tax breaks mean that the price of the Leaf will drop to $25,280 when you purchase it. Overall Nissan Leaf is good for environmental! 

 Sources: http://www.greenercars.org