tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-84522243537143302072023-11-15T08:37:56.122-06:00Stop Global Warming - SAVE THE PLANET FOR KIDSPlease stop by to take the survey on the right and to learn to act to save this planet so that our kids and future generation can enjoy the same benefits our fore-fathers did.Anil Shttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02565679622679324961noreply@blogger.comBlogger59125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8452224353714330207.post-40671516976177173512008-06-22T23:49:00.001-05:002008-06-22T23:51:00.906-05:00Improving lives in the 3rd world - A new perspective<object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/WIvmE4_KMNw&hl=en"></param><param name="wmode" value="transparent"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/WIvmE4_KMNw&hl=en" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" width="425" height="344"></embed></object><br /><br />In many countries, Girls do not share the same respect/significance as the Boys.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8452224353714330207.post-53049374922718572552008-03-27T17:23:00.002-05:002008-03-27T17:33:36.280-05:00Vegetarian is the New PriusInteresting read on how going <a href="http://www.organicconsumers.org/articles/article_3853.cfm">vegetarian </a>is eco-friendly.<br /><br /><blockquote><br />Last month, the United Nations published a report on livestock and the environment with a stunning conclusion: "The livestock sector emerges as one of the top two or three most significant contributors to the most serious environmental problems, at every scale from local to global." It turns out that raising animals for food is a primary cause of land degradation, air pollution, water shortage, water pollution, loss of biodiversity, and not least of all, global warming.</blockquote><br /><br />Interesting blog post about how Michael Huffington has become a <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/michael-huffington/my-new-years-resolution_b_37286.html">vegan</a>.<br /><blockquote>My life changed earlier this year when I was told I had prostate cancer. I couldn't understand how I had gotten it at such a relatively young age. My gut feeling was that it must have had something to do with my diet. About the same time a close friend of mine gave me a book called The China Study, by T. Colin Campbell, Ph.D. He is the Professor Emeritus of Nutritional Biochemistry at Cornell University. The China Study is the culmination of a twenty-year partnership between Cornell University, Oxford University and the Chinese Academy of Preventive Medicine. It is the best book I have ever read that discusses the relationship between diet and health, especially as it pertains to cancer and heart disease.</blockquote>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8452224353714330207.post-32705057578888954322008-02-02T11:17:00.000-06:002008-02-02T11:20:36.096-06:00Warming will harm crops in Africa, AsiaReading "<a href="http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Warming_will_harm_crops_/articleshow/2747653.cms">Warming will harm crops in Africa, Asia</a>", I should say that Global Warming has not only affected the temperatures that we endure on a daily basis, it has also reached out to potentially affect the food that we are going to raise for consumption. <br /><br /><blockquote>Relatively inexpensive adaptations like planting earlier or later in the season or changing crops could reduce the harm from climate change, but the biggest benefits probably would stem from more expensive steps like developing new crop varieties and expanding irrigation, the researchers said.<br /><br />"These adaptations will require substantial investments by farmers, governments, scientists, and development organizations, all of whom face many other demands on their resources," the researchers wrote.</blockquote>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8452224353714330207.post-32707973237223702552008-02-01T22:40:00.000-06:002008-02-01T22:42:47.113-06:00California goes SolarReading "<a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2008/02/01/technology/01solar.html?_r=1&oref=slogin">A Green Energy Industry Takes Root in California</a>", I have got to say that I am impressed that the Californian state has not only spurred technology and innovation, but also lead the way in Alternative Energy usage and the desire to be GREEN.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8452224353714330207.post-23976989777800173182008-02-01T21:51:00.000-06:002008-02-01T21:56:50.108-06:00Airbus A380 takes off with Green FuelThis is an amazing news. The Super Jumbo has taken off and finished its test flight with green fuel. <br /><br /><a href="http://news.sky.com/skynews/article/0,,30100-1303651,00.html">Super Jumbo Takes Off Using 'Green' Fuel</a><br /><br /><blockquote>"In our drive for cleaner fuels, GTL technology can help reduce local emissions and encourage sustainable mobility."<br /><br />Airbus president and CEO Tom Enders said: "Fuel and energy are key challenges aviation is facing and for which technology and international research collaboration open up new horizons.<br /><br />"Our alternative fuels roadmap requires innovation, diversity of ideas and options that need to be explored."<br /><br />Sebastien Remy, head of Airbus' alternative fuels programme, said: "The age of easy energy is over."<br /><br />Mr Remy said GTL was better than traditional kerosene jet fuel because it did not deplete the world's oil supply.<br /><br />It produces less emissions of local pollutants, like carbon monoxide, and hydrocarbons, and is virtually free of sulphur.</blockquote><br /><br />I think this is great great news, given that Air Travel causes Global Warming.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8452224353714330207.post-69938796345052088822008-01-23T11:42:00.000-06:002008-01-23T11:45:54.539-06:00Sunita Narain on Tata Nano<a href="http://www.ibnlive.com/videos/56973/.html">http://www.ibnlive.com/videos/56973/.html</a><br /><br />Ratan Tata will be a hero if he made a bus like Nano, according to Sunita Narain.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8452224353714330207.post-59614985612295857032007-11-18T07:34:00.000-06:002007-11-18T07:39:04.253-06:00Going Green to Save you Money : Establishing a Coffee ShopExcellent Tips to save money as well as go green from Dr.Martin Gibson, Director of Envirowise posted at <a href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/7061485.stm">Going green to save firms' money</a>.<br /><br /><ul><br /><li>Eliminate: avoid generating potential waste. For example, ask your suppliers to find ways of reducing the amount of packaging used or look at the possibility of employing re-usable packaging such as plastic crates.</li><br /><br /><li>Reduce: think about the quantity of products you buy e.g. coffee. Buy in bulk where possible, and you will reduce the amount of waste packaging you produce.</li><br /><br /><li>Re-use: there may be opportunities to re-use items normally thrown away after their initial use. Talk to your suppliers about supplying products in reusable containers.</li><br /><br /><li>Recycle: once the amount of packaging has been reduced and re-used as much as possible, consider recycling waste materials. Speak to your Local Authority or waste disposal contractor.</li><br /><br /><li>Dispose: you can even reduce the cost of disposing items that must be thrown away, by squashing boxes as flat as possible or breaking down bulky items.</li><br /><br /></ul><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />==========================Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8452224353714330207.post-56719991317650540202007-11-11T01:24:00.000-06:002007-11-14T11:58:03.620-06:00Next time you fly anywhereremember that you are burning fuel.... I know some trips cannot be avoided. But if you can avoid flying or combine multiple flying trips into one or can use technology to deliver that presentation (when your physical presence is not required), you will be doing a lot of good to the environment as well as the future.<br /><br />Just to give you a sense of how many gallons of fuel that a plane trip burns, I took this info from the ATA magazine for Oct/Nov/Dec 2007 in the CEO, Subodh Karnik's Welcome Message. According to him, a plane trip from California to Hawaii burns close to 5000 gallons of fuel (it is around 29 gallons per passenger). It is a welcome sign from CEO Karnik that ATA is trying to go green. But how much effort is really sufficient? Not very sure......<br /><br />Reference: <a href="http://www.atasights.com/">http://www.atasights.com</a><br /><br />How much of an impact on the global climate change is the Air Traffic responsible? <br /><br />According to the <a href="http://www.davidsuzuki.org/Climate_Change/What_You_Can_Do/air_travel.asp">David Suzuki Foundation</a>, it is around 5%.<br /><br />Apparently, taking a vacation closer to home and choosing other efficient means of transport (Bus/Trains) can be beneficial to your aspirations of going green.<br /><br />Look at this <a href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/7079795.stm">BBC report</a> which talks about how the European Car makers are balking on the proposed emission targets. <br /><br /><br /><br /><br />=================================Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8452224353714330207.post-85971867337959109572007-10-31T23:16:00.001-05:002007-10-31T23:20:55.578-05:00Now why would you not recycle your Water Bottle?Agreed that you found the need to drink bottled water with your lunch at the cafeteria. Now comes the hard part. What do you do with the empty bottle? You see two bins to discard it. The Thrash Bin and the Recycle Bin. Which would you choose?<br /><br />Well it all depends on the personality. I guess. If you are educated and knowledgeable about global warming, recycling etc. you will choose the recycle bin.<br /><br />But I have seen people dressed up in suits not flushing the urinals in the men's room. Go figure...... I think these folks have been pampered by auto flushing urinals in expensive bath rooms, that they forget at other places where manual flushing is necessary. ;)<br /><br /><blockquote>Plastic bottles can be made into rugs, fences and goggles.</blockquote><br />Source: <a href="https://tv.ku.edu/news/2006/11/15/americans-recycle-more/">Americans recycle more</a><br /><br /><br />====================================Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8452224353714330207.post-12402148953217853442007-10-31T23:06:00.000-05:002007-10-31T23:15:06.754-05:00Make use of technology to reduce flyingPeople fly regularly for business. Most of the time it is for meetings to make a presentation or two. In many cases, these trips can be avoided by making use of technology. Technological advances have made it possible to hold virtual meetings with participants dispersed geographical. Nothing beats a room with face to face interaction with attendees. But if you have to fill a meeting room with geographically dispersed people, then imagine the amount of CO2 that is emitted by flyers.<br /><br />An interesting take on greening flying by an exec of Boeing. <br /><br />A BBC News reporter at the Paris Air Show has written a nice article on the growing concerns about the environment by the Aircraft manufacturers. This is an extremely positive step.<br /><a href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/6223834.stm">Planemakers confront green issues</a><br /><blockquote>Carbon dioxide emissions from aircraft are a significant and growing contributor to harmful global warming. It is time for the industry to sort it out, says <span style="font-weight:bold;">Scott Carson, chief executive of Boeing's commercial planes</span> division.</blockquote><br /><br />Well, if you are rich and can afford one of the 12 private suites on a A380, then you should know that it is not recommended to have S*x in the air, as per a guideline issued by Singapore Airlines.<br /><blockquote>Singapore Airlines has taken the unusual step of publicly asking passengers on its new Airbus A380 plane not to engage in any s*xual activities.</blockquote><br />Read it all here: <a href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/7071620.stm">>>></a><br /><br />Now why don't you just stay at your home? ;)<br /><br /><br /><br />==============================Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8452224353714330207.post-28419009101306193502007-10-28T20:50:00.000-05:002007-10-28T20:53:38.714-05:00Scientists are looking beyond the planet to save the planet?It is quite interesting to learn that the Chinese scientists are looking at the moon to power the earth. Well, to get out of the mess that has been created on this planet, any research, any attempt is always a good thing.<br /><br />Read about this here. <br /><a href="Scientists look to Moon to power Earth">Scientists look to Moon to power Earth</a><br /><br /><blockquote> "When obtaining nuclear power from helium-3 becomes a reality, the resources of the Moon can be used to generate electricity for more than 10,000 years for the whole world," Ouyang Ziyuan, chief scientist of China's lunar programme, told state media in August.<br /></blockquote><br /><br />What do you think?<br /><br /><br /><br />========================================Anil Shttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02565679622679324961noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8452224353714330207.post-17367787158128874312007-10-28T20:33:00.000-05:002007-10-28T20:48:00.384-05:00Change in Lifestyle is necessaryThere is too much talk on the reliance on oil around the world. Well, there is no doubt that we need to look for alternatives to reduce the reliance on Oil.<br /><br />Same argument goes to the discussion on Carbon. Eamon O'Hara has written an excellent view point on the BBC Web Site.<br /><blockquote> Focusing on the need to reduce CO2 emissions has reduced the problem to one of carbon dioxide rather than on the unsustainable ways we live.</blockquote><br /><br />Read Here <a href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/6922065.stm">>>></a><br /><br />With the new push towards Biofuels, we see that the prices of Milk has been rising due to the shortage of corn (cattle feed) which goes into the production of bio fuels. The idea is not that price of milk/dairy is rising, it is the choice of corn as feed that needs to be looked at.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.dfamilk.com/newsroom/pr/070413_biofuel.htm">Iowa dairy farmer testifies to U.S. House Agriculture Committee on the effect of the biofuel revolution on dairy operation costs</a><br /><br /><blockquote>“As many of you are well aware, commodity grain prices, particularly corn, have dramatically increased over the past seven months to price levels not seen since the mid 1990s,” Wonderlich said. “Many economists are attributing this phenomenon to a growing demand from the ethanol industry, which uses corn as its primary feedstock. While this is great for U.S. grain farmers that have experienced several consecutive years of depressed prices, it is tragically affecting the financial viability of dairy farmers.”</blockquote><br /><br />An interesting take on the issue of bio fuels by a UN expert.<a href="http://www.hindu.com/thehindu/holnus/015200710271121.htm"><br />UN expert seeks 5 yr moratorium on bio-fuels</a><br /><br /><blockquote>"It is a crime against humanity to convert agricultural productive soil into soil which produces food stuff that will be burned into bio-fuel," he asserted.</blockquote><br /><br />Based on all this, I want to throw out a thought that it is impossible to solve global warming, environmental issues etc without having serious changes to life style, our choices and our intentions.<br /><br />According to the October 2007 issue of Conscious Choice, New Yorkers can expect to live 9 months longer than the average American, thanks to the fast city walking. :)<br /><br /><br />Now do your part!!!!<br /><br /><br /><br />===========================================Anil Shttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02565679622679324961noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8452224353714330207.post-18216834612226056442007-10-28T20:11:00.000-05:002007-10-28T20:49:46.169-05:00I want to do online statements and online bill payAccording to the October 2007 issue of Conscious Choice (http://www.consciouschoice.com), some interesting statistics/tips on the topic of online statements and bill pay.<br /><br />* 18.5 million trees will be saved annually if all Americans viewed/paid bills online.<br />* 18 percentage is chances of identity theft reduced with online bills.<br /><br />You may have noticed that the credit card companies have been coaxing you to switch to online statements. Well, there is their hidden agenda of saving costs (of paper statements). But if you look further, it is beneficial to the entire world.<br /><br />How does online statements and online bill pay help the world?<br /><br />Let us first start with your own home:<br />- It will save you from clutter.<br />- When the time comes for you to discard them (say in few years), you will need to ensure that you shred them (lest you fall victim to identity thefts).<br /><br />Please enroll right away in online statements and online bill pays.<br /><br />A very nice blog entry on the paper clutter in your homes > <a href="http://www.seacoastnrg.org/2007/10/04/five-steps-toward-impact-awareness-paper-clutter/">Five Steps towards impact-awareness: Paper Clutter</a><br /><br />Now if you receive all those paper catalogs at home, you can stop them by using this organization called as <a href="http://www.catalogchoice.org/">"Catalog Choice"</a>.<br /><br />If you use a PC or a Laptop, then please download this tool called as <a href="http://www.localcooling.com/">"Local Cooling"</a>. It can help in saving energy.<br /><br /><blockquote>More than 30 billion kilowatt-hours of energy is wasted because many of us simply forget to shut down our computers when we’re not using them. If we could just improve the efficiency of how we use our PCs, the savings in energy costs would be over $3 billion dollars! The CO2 emissions from just 15 computers are equivalent in energy terms to the gas consumption used by one car.</blockquote><br /><a href="http://www.localcooling.com/facts/">Read more on PC Power Consumption</a>.<br /><br /><br /><br /><br />==============================Anil Shttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02565679622679324961noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8452224353714330207.post-90331500124897278192007-10-24T16:27:00.001-05:002007-10-24T16:29:10.554-05:00Drive against global warming: Solar taxi comes to India<span style="font-weight:bold;">Drive against global warming: Solar taxi comes to India</span><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://in.yimg.com//i/in/mov/indiabroadcast/20071023/09/1951079152.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px;" src="http://in.yimg.com//i/in/mov/indiabroadcast/20071023/09/1951079152.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><br />Mumbai: The world's first solar taxi is on a trip around the world and has made a stop in India. It’s a car that is spreading awareness about global warming, the fun way.<br /><br />It’s a taxi with a difference. There is more to this sleek three-wheeler than what meets the eye. The compact electric car runs purely on solar energy.<br /><br />And how do you get a solar powered car? It’s simple. Just attach a solar cell panel to the car. This ingenuous idea took birth in the mind of taxi driver Louis Palmer a long time ago and he decided to stretch it to the limits by travelling around the world. He drives his electric car which runs purely on solar energy around the world to spread awareness about global warming and its causes.<br /><br />He says, "This idea came to me when I was 14. I wanted to travel the world and not pollute it so I designed this taxi.”<br /><br />The car's gearless electric motor runs on twin 380 volt batteries that are charged from solar cells that allow it to accelerate up to 90 kms per hour.<br /><br />And that's not all. If the driver is tired he can just slide the steering wheel to the passenger.<br /><br />Palmer says, “I hope that with this car people realise that they can use alternative sources of energy.”<br /><br />Louis, who has driven from Switzerland through Turkey all the way to Dubai has also been posting his experiences on the we and the solar taxi is now all set to conquer India's tough roads.<br /><br />Read Here <a href="http://in.news.yahoo.com/071023/211/6m9w1.html">>>></a><br /><br /><br /><br />===========================Anil Shttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02565679622679324961noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8452224353714330207.post-51176221001885894582007-10-22T15:05:00.001-05:002007-10-22T15:06:51.347-05:00Virgin Atlantic to test biofuel in 747 in early 2008<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://i234.photobucket.com/albums/ee274/biopact3/biopact_biobutanol_virgin.jpg?t=1192541944"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px;" src="http://i234.photobucket.com/albums/ee274/biopact3/biopact_biobutanol_virgin.jpg?t=1192541944" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Virgin Atlantic to test bio fuel in 747 in early 2008</span><br /><br />British entrepreneur and serial investor Richard Branson has revealed more details about his Virgin Group's hopes to produce clean biofuels by around the start of the next decade and said early next year will test a jet plane on renewable fuel.<br /><br />Virgin hopes to provide clean fuel for buses, trains and cars within three or four years, he told a Mortgage Bankers Association meeting in Boston. Earlier this year, Virgin Trains launched the first scheduled passenger service with a train operating on biodiesel (more here).<br /><br />In the meantime, Virgin will be conducting a test jet flight on renewable fuels. "Early next year we will fly one of our 747s without passengers with one of the fuels that we have developed," Branson told the annual conference. The fuel in question is likely to be biobutanol which can be made from lignocellulosic biomass (more about this biofuel here, here and here). Earlier, a company spokesman said the test will certainly not involve the use of synthetic biofuels, because these have already proven to work in jet engines.<br /><br />Virgin is developing biofuels for aircraft in conjunction with Boeing Co and engine-maker GE Aviation, a unit of General Electric Co. Previously, Branson had said the company would test the fuel sometime next year and that some people had said it would be late in the year.<br /><br />Read More <a href="http://biopact.com/2007/10/virgin-atlantic-to-test-biofuel-in-747.html">>>></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />==============================================Anil Shttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02565679622679324961noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8452224353714330207.post-56430135730666074112007-10-22T15:01:00.000-05:002007-10-22T15:03:29.996-05:00Scientists warn for acid oceans - could erode Great Barrier Reef<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://i234.photobucket.com/albums/ee274/biopact3/biopact_ocean_acidification_coral.jpg?t=1192636346"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px;" src="http://i234.photobucket.com/albums/ee274/biopact3/biopact_ocean_acidification_coral.jpg?t=1192636346" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Scientists warn for acid oceans - could erode Great Barrier Reef</span> <br /><br />The world’s oceans are becoming more acid, with potentially devastating consequences for corals and the marine organisms that build reefs and provide much of the Earth’s breathable oxygen. The acidity is caused by the gradual buildup of carbon dioxide (CO2) in the atmosphere, dissolving into the oceans. Scientists fear it could be lethal for animals with chalky skeletons which make up more than a third of the planet’s marine life.<br /><br />Acid oceans will be among the issues explored by Australia’s leading coral scientists at a national public forum at the Shine Dome in Canberra tomorrow.<br /><br />Read More <a href="http://biopact.com/2007/10/scientists-warn-for-acid-oceans-could.html">>>></a><br /><br /><br /><br />======================================Anil Shttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02565679622679324961noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8452224353714330207.post-18713313291712670912007-10-22T14:58:00.000-05:002007-10-22T14:59:44.882-05:00President Putin encourages farmers to produce biofuels<span style="font-weight:bold;">President Putin encourages farmers to produce biofuels</span><br /><br />For those of us who thought energy exporters are not interested in biofuels or feel threatened by them, think again. The world's largest oil and gas exporter, Russia, has called on its farmers to join the global transition to biofuels.<br /><br />During his televised conversation with Russians last Tuesday, Vladimir Putin told farmers they stand to benefit from capturing part of the emerging market for bioenergy. Few countries have as large a biofuels potential as Russia, he said, given its gigantic territory which stretches across 11 time zones.<br /><br />Read More <a href="http://biopact.com/2007/10/putin-encourages-farmers-to-produce.html">>>></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />=======================================Anil Shttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02565679622679324961noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8452224353714330207.post-74486824175101845022007-10-22T14:56:00.000-05:002007-10-22T14:57:53.225-05:00North Atlantic slows on the uptake of CO2<span style="font-weight:bold;">North Atlantic slows on the uptake of CO2</span><br /><br />Further evidence for the decline of the oceans' historical role as an important sink for atmospheric carbon dioxide is supplied by new research by environmental scientists from the University of East Anglia.<br /><br />Since the industrial revolution, much of the CO2 we have released into the atmosphere has been taken up by the world’s oceans which act as a strong ‘sink’ for the emissions.<br /><br />This has slowed climate change. Without this uptake, CO2 levels would have risen much faster and the climate would be warming more rapidly.<br /><br />A paper in the Journal of Geophysical Research by Dr Ute Schuster and Professor Andrew Watson of UEA’s School of Environmental Sciences again raises concerns that the oceans might be slowing their uptake of CO2.<br /><br />Results of their decade-long study in the North Atlantic show that the uptake in this ocean, which is the most intense sink for atmospheric CO2, slowed down dramatically between the mid-nineties and the early 2000s.<br /><br />A slowdown in the sink in the Southern Ocean has already been inferred, but the change in the North Atlantic is greater and more sudden, and could be responsible for a substantial proportion of the observed weakening.<br /><br />The observations were made from merchant ships equipped with automatic instruments for measuring carbon dioxide in the water. Much of the data has come from a container ship carrying bananas from the West Indies to the UK, making a round-trip of the Atlantic every month. The MV Santa Maria, chartered by Geest, has generated more than 90,000 measurements of CO2 in the past few years.<br /><br />The results show that the uptake by the North Atlantic halved between the mid-90s, when data was first gathered, and 2002-05.<br /><br />“Such large changes are a tremendous surprise. We expected that the uptake would change only slowly because of the ocean’s great mass,” said Dr Schuster.<br /><br /><br />Read More <a href="http://comm.uea.ac.uk/press/release.asp?id=796">>>></a><br /><br /><br /><br />====================================Anil Shttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02565679622679324961noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8452224353714330207.post-70432415125632203552007-10-22T02:04:00.000-05:002007-10-22T02:08:36.558-05:00Environmental Hazards<span style="font-weight:bold;">Asbestos</span><br /><br />From Wikipedia,<br />At the turn of the last century, asbestos was considered an ideal material for use in the construction industry. It was known to be an excellent fire retardant, to have high electrical resistivity, and was inexpensive and easy to use.<br /><br />The problem with asbestos arises when the fibers become airborne and are inhaled. Because of the size of the fibers, the lungs cannot expel them. They are also sharp and penetrate tissues.<br /><br />Health problems attributed to asbestos include<br /><br />** <span style="font-style:italic;">Asbestosis </span>- A lung disease first found in naval shipyard workers, asbestosis is a scarring of the lung tissue from an acid produced by the body's attempt to dissolve the fibers. The scarring may eventually become so severe that the lungs can no longer function. The latency period ( meaning the time it takes for the disease to develop) is often 10-20 years.<br />** <span style="font-style:italic;">Mesothelioma </span>- A cancer of the mesothelial lining of the lungs and the chest cavity, the peritoneum (abdominal cavity) or the pericardium (a sac surrounding the heart). Unlike lung cancer, mesothelioma has no association with smoking. The only established causal factor is exposure to asbestos or similar fibers. The latency period for mesothelioma may be 20-50 years. The prognosis for mesothelioma is grim, with most patients dying within 12 months of diagnosis.<br />** <span style="font-style:italic;">Cancer </span>- Cancer of the lung, gastrointestinal tract, kidney and larynx have been linked to asbestos. The latency period for cancer is often 15-30 years.<br /><br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Carbon Monoxide</span><br /><br />From Wikipedia,<br />Carbon monoxide, with the chemical formula CO, is a colorless, odorless, and tasteless gas. It is the product of the incomplete combustion of carbon-containing compounds, notably in internal-combustion engines. It has significant fuel value, burning in air with a characteristic blue flame, producing carbon dioxide. Despite its serious toxicity, CO plays a highly useful role in modern technology, being a precursor to a myriad of products. It consists of one carbon atom covalently bonded to one oxygen atom. It is a gas at room temperature.<br /><br />Carbon monoxide, though thought of as a pollutant today, has always been present in the atmosphere, chiefly as a product of volcanic activity. It occurs dissolved in molten volcanic rock at high pressures in the earth's mantle. Carbon monoxide contents of volcanic gases vary from less than 0.01% to as much as 2% depending on the volcano. It also occurs naturally in bushfires. Because natural sources of carbon monoxide are so variable from year to year, it is extremely difficult to accurately measure natural emissions of the gas.<br /><br />Carbon monoxide has an indirect radiative forcing effect by elevating concentrations of methane and tropospheric ozone through chemical reactions with other atmospheric constituents (e.g., the hydroxyl radical, OH.) that would otherwise destroy them. Carbon monoxide is created when carbon-containing fuels are burned incompletely. Through natural processes in the atmosphere, it is eventually oxidized to carbon dioxide. Carbon monoxide concentrations are both short-lived in the atmosphere and spatially variable.<br /><br />Anthropogenic CO from automobile and industrial emissions may contribute to the greenhouse effect and global warming. In urban areas carbon monoxide, along with aldehydes, reacts photochemically to produce peroxy radicals. Peroxy radicals react with nitrogen oxide to increase the ratio of NO2 to NO, which reduces the quantity of NO that is available to react with ozone. Carbon monoxide is also a constituent of tobacco smoke.Anil Shttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02565679622679324961noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8452224353714330207.post-61812391916362897992007-10-22T01:48:00.000-05:002007-10-22T01:50:47.984-05:00TreeHugger : How to Green Your Furniture<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://i.treehugger.com/files/th_images/green-furniture-3.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px;" src="http://i.treehugger.com/files/th_images/green-furniture-3.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><br />Original : http://www.treehugger.com/files/2007/01/how_to_green_your_furniture.php<br /><br />What’s the Big Deal?<br />Some people obsess over furniture. Others hardly even notice it’s there. One way or the other, making environmentally savvy choices in furnishing your home or office can make a big difference in your impact on the planet and your health. The modern sustainability movement has attracted such a large number of innovative designers that it’s hard to know where to start. In this article we won’t be listing every green furniture company or designer under the sun but rather give a rundown of basic concepts that might guide your search. Of the specific products and brands we do mention, not all will be budget-friendly for everyone—at this point, a lot of the green design is still specialty stuff, and thus pretty high-end. But don’t worry. There are always cost effective ways to go green. We’ll list some of our favorite brands and stores at the end, but we suggest digging through the TreeHugger archives. This could keep you going for hours, if not days, and the library is always growing.<br /><br />Read More <a href="http://www.treehugger.com/files/2007/01/how_to_green_your_furniture.php">>>></a><br /><br /><br /><br />===============================================Anil Shttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02565679622679324961noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8452224353714330207.post-26280791351843281862007-10-22T01:39:00.000-05:002007-10-22T01:41:33.256-05:00In many countries, cement is crucial for growth but an enemy of green<span style="font-weight:bold;">In many countries, cement is crucial for growth but an enemy of green</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style:italic;">By Elisabeth Rosenthal</span><br />Published: October 21, 2007<br /><br />PARIS: In booming economies from Asia to Eastern Europe, cement is the glue of progress. The material that binds the ingredients of concrete together, cement is essential for constructing buildings and laying roads in much of the world.<br /><br />Some 80 percent of cement is made in and used by emerging economies; China alone makes and uses 45 percent of global output. Production is doubling every four years in places like Ukraine.<br /><br />But making cement creates pollution, in the form of carbon dioxide emissions, and the greenest of technologies can reduce that by only 20 percent.<br /><br />Cement plants already account for 5 percent of global emissions of carbon dioxide, the main cause of global warming.<br /><br />Compounding the problem, cement has no viable recycling potential, as the abandoned buildings that line roads from Tunisia to Mongolia demonstrate. Each new road, each new building, needs new cement.<br /><br />Read More <a href="http://www.iht.com/articles/2007/10/21/business/cement.php?page=1">>>></a><br /><br /><br /><br />==============================================Anil Shttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02565679622679324961noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8452224353714330207.post-55174054847857329722007-10-22T01:33:00.000-05:002007-10-22T01:35:55.809-05:00World's Richest Self-Made Woman: A Paper Recycling Entrepreneur<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://i.treehugger.com/files/paper.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px;" src="http://i.treehugger.com/files/paper.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><br /><br />Observant of the trend for Europeans to show keen interest in all things green, Financial Times has just introduced us to a world-scale female Tree Hugging entrepreneur, Ms. Zhang Yin, who is described in the article as "worth an estimated $3.4bn." Remarkably, Ms Zhang, after starting up Nine Dragons Paper just a few years ago, has become "the world's richest self-made woman, surpassing US talk show host Oprah Winfrey and J.K. Rowling, the Harry Potter author". Now here's the "kicker" as we say in the US. "Ms Zhang's listed company, of which she owns 72 per cent, buys scrap paper from the US and processes it in China for sale". Incredible in so many ways. North-American pulp producers clear cut Boreal and Piedmont forests to produce virgin fiber for paper making, hitting, at best, a recycled content in the 10 to 20 percent range in final products. A good part of your paper recycle bin contents, then, goes to China, where the Boreal gets "hugged" into products we might buy back. The other possible market scenario (we don't know which market view is correct) is that China, having devastated native forests and failed to create a sustainable forestry program, has forced its paper industry to scavange what they can, pulliing North America into a scrap cellulose depletion mode to serve non-American markets. Hold your temper now. The "real" scenario, whichever that might be, is driven by other less visible forces that you, our readers, are partly responsible for.<br /><br />Read More <a href="http://www.treehugger.com/files/2006/10/worlds_richest.php">>>></a><br /><br /><br />The original article is available at the <a href="http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/4e44f4ba-58c4-11db-b70f-0000779e2340.html?nclick_check=1">FT</a> website.<br /><br /><br /><br />===============================================Anil Shttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02565679622679324961noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8452224353714330207.post-37353910948294017642007-10-22T01:30:00.000-05:002007-10-22T01:31:09.525-05:00Offices Going Green - Or are they?Lexmark Research Reveals Home Environmentalists Go Green at Work<br /><br />The ‘green’ revolution is truly established across households in the UK which is having a ‘knock-on’ positive affect on environmentally sound behaviour in the office, according to new research from Lexmark, with a massive 85% saying their behaviour in the office is environmentally friendly. <br /><br />A new study by the printing solutions provider of over 500 office workers in the UK reveals that thinking about the environmental impact of day to day tasks is fast becoming habitual with 93% recognising that printing at work has a big impact on the environment. <br /><br />Time for more action<br />It’s clear that office workers are keen to see greener workplaces but they also claim that their companies are not helping – 38% claim that their company does not care about paper wastage and 35% don’t think energy waste is on their employers’ agenda. In response to this, over a third, 39% felt that the best way to ensure that companies care about the environment was for governments or the EU to pass laws forcing companies to change the way they work. A further 30% feel manufacturers should play a larger part in educating office workers what to buy and why. <br /><br />Read More <a href="http://www.lexmark.co.uk/uncomplicate/sequentialem/home/0,7070,252735_1037402_922770274_en,00.html">>>></a><br /><br /><br /><br />===========================================Anil Shttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02565679622679324961noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8452224353714330207.post-74552037710595537532007-10-22T01:28:00.000-05:002007-10-22T01:29:32.742-05:00IT Professionals in Paper Pile-UpIT professionals are straining under the weight of thousands of tons of unread documents as we print out and pile up more paperwork than ever before, according to new research from printer experts Lexmark. The profession came second in a poll of the untidiest desks in Britain.<br /><br />Lexmark conducted the research as part of a campaign for more responsible printing in the workplace. £230million worth of printed paper is wasted in British businesses every year, with one in five sheets lost on desks, left on the printer or binned within five minutes.<br /><br />Compared to other professions IT professionals have the second most untidy desks in the<br />country. They are also the most likely of the professions to eat at their desks.<br />The ‘paperweight pile-up’ adds up to 2,354 million sheets of wasted paper in offices across the UK and a 2.5 kilometers tall in-tray, weighing almost 12,000 tons, as much as 800 doubledecker buses. *<br /><br />A spring clean is urgently required. Just 4% of IT professionals claimed to have a clutter-free desk, despite almost half of them (40%) acknowledging that an untidy desk leads to high levels of stress.<br /><br />“Paperweight pile-up means businesses are wasting a fortune and losing productivity.” Said Giovanni Giusti, managing director, Lexmark UK.<br /><br />Read More <a href="http://www.lexmark.co.uk/uncomplicate/sequentialem/home/0,7070,252735_1037402_477081571_en,00.html">>>></a><br /><br /><br /><br />=================================Anil Shttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02565679622679324961noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8452224353714330207.post-39637892835902453332007-10-22T01:22:00.001-05:002007-10-22T01:27:20.279-05:00Reduce Paper Wastage at OfficesWhen you go to a bank to apply for a new <span style="font-weight:bold;">loan</span>, a new <span style="font-weight:bold;">credit card</span> or get a <span style="font-weight:bold;">second mortgage</span>, you may have noticed that you are required to sign papers that range anywhere from 2 pages to 20 pages. Many of these sheets of papers are <span style="font-style:italic;">recycled paper</span>, which is better than nothing. Also each time, the mortgage rates have gone down, so has the tendency to get mortgage refinanced.<br /><br />Lexmark has conducted a study on the paper wastage in Europe and according to their report, UK businesses top in paper wastage.<br /><br />You can get a copy of the report from:<br /><a href="http://www.lexmark.co.uk/uncomplicate/sequentialem/home/0,7070,252735_1037402_730585776_en,00.html">UK businesses top European paper-waste league</a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />==================================Anil Shttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02565679622679324961noreply@blogger.com0