Don't be a Litter Bug!

                 

       Sorry guys but today I'm going to go on a little rant. The other day I was driving back to Maryville from Kansas City and couldn't help but notice all the trash on the side of the road. I know it's annoying having a bunch of trash in your car but its really not that hard to just grab it when you get arrive at your destination and put it in a trash can. We have trash cans for a reason, and that is so we don't have trash laying around everywhere! Not only is littering bad for the environment and cause harm to wildlife, but it also just looks trashy (pun intended). If saving the lives of animals isn't incentive enough to not litter, maybe the fact that you can get fined for it is. 

                                  

Solar Panels

Solar panels are a great way to cut down on utility bills by making the most out of one of our most prevalent natural resources, the sun! Solar panels use photovoltaic cells to convert photons into usable energy. The photovoltaic cells are arranged in grid like pattern on the panels which collect sunlight during the day and convert it into electricity. The maximum amount of power that a photovoltaic cell 1/5m in diameter can produce is about 2 amps at 2 volts but that is if it is in direct sunlight at the equator. The amount of power solar panels can produce is affected by the quality of the panel, the materials and technology used to produce the solar panel and the length of time the panel has been in use. Solar panels decrease in effectiveness as they get older so it is important to take good care of them and replace them when necessary. Some of you may be wondering what exactly solar energy is and I have the answer to that. The sun experiences a never ending stream of thermonuclear explosions as hydrogen atoms are fused into helium atoms which results in radiation that strikes the earth. Solar panels then convert the radiation into usable energy and stores it in batteries until we need it. It has been proven that every day, enough solar radiation hits the earth to satisfy our energy needs for an entire year!

Organic Farming

Organic farming is a way to produce food without the use of chemical pesticides and genetic engineering. However, certain pesticides derived from natural sources may be used. Not just any farm can say its organic and you cant convert your farm into an organic one overnight. The requirements for a farm to be considered organic are as follows:

1. You can not use any of the prohibited substances on your land for at least three years before the harvest of your first organic crop
2. Genetic engineering, ionizing radiation, and sewage sludge is prohibited
3.  Soil fertility and crop nutrients will be managed through tillage and cultivation practices, crop rotations, and cover crops, supplemented with animal and crop waste materials and allowed synthetic materials. 
4. Preference will be given to organic seeds and other planting stock, but a farmer may use non organic seeds and planting stock given certain conditions
5. Crop pests, weeds, and diseases are to be controlled primarily through management practices including physical, mechanical and biological controls
6. When the above practices are not enough, botanical, biological or synthetic substance that has been approved on the National list can be used

The Smartest Home on the Planet!

This is a picture of the Smart Home located at the Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago. I was lucky enough to have the chance to tour the home when I went to Chicago in November with a class.

Pretty much everything about the house is green, which is amazing. The home wasn't built like most homes today, it was manufactured in modules at an off-site location. Everything the house is made of is sustainable; including its bamboo floors, Forest Stewardship Council certified wood and recycled glass tiles. The energy efficiency of this place is insane! There are solar panels on the roof and a wind turbine that produces most of the energy the house needs. Other things that contribute to the energy efficiency of the home are its huge windows, sliding doors and sunshades that help with heating an cooling. All of the appliances in the home are Energy Star certified which also helps save energy. Even the toilets in this house are green, the water used in the toilets is from either rainwater or water waste from the washing machine and shower.

The house has so many green components it is almost impossible to name all of them, and frankly, most of us wouldn't understand them anyways. There are however a few things I remember from the tour that I thought were especially cool. Throughout the house there are pieces of furniture that were made from a giant bur oak that fell during a severe storm. Another awesome thing I saw was the counter top in the kitchen made from recycled glass oven doors, who knew you could turn old oven doors into a counter top! But that wasn't the only cool thing about the counter top, there is a certain spot on it that will power small appliances like a blender just by sitting it there, no plug-in needed! Below are a few pictures from inside the smart home...
         

  

"Cotton, from blue to green."

 The Gap and Cotton have recently launched an amazing program that converts old denim into insulation. Everyone has had that favorite pair of jeans in their life that they just cant bear to part with, holes and all. Now, saying goodbye to those jeans can be a little easier knowing that they will be helping to keep people warm. 

The process of converting denim to insulation consists of ten steps, starting with the the cotton seed. Cotton is planted from February to May and harvested from September through December. Next, the cotton goes to a spinning mill where it is cleaned, blended and straightened into what is called a sliver. The spinning process reduces the weight of the sliver and twists it into a yarn that is then sent to a weaving mill. The yarns are then combined into a rope and dyed in indigo baths. After the ropes have been dyed, they are separated back into yarns and are ready to be put on a loom for weaving. After weaving, the denim is sent to apparel manufacturers and then eventually to retailers. After a few years or so when it is time to update your denim wardrobe, the denim can be converted into insulation. 

The first step in converting the denim into insulation is removing all zippers, buttons and all other non denim parts.  Next, denim is returned to its natural cotton fiber state. The cotton fiber is then treated to make it flame retardant and resistant to mold and mildew. The final step is compacting the fibers into sheets of insulation and cutting them to size. The sheets of insulation are then shipped all over the country to be used as insulation in residential and commercial buildings. Pretty cool huh? 

So next time you are forced to part with your favorite pair of jeans don't just throw them away, recycle them so they can be put to work keeping people warm!

Electric Cars: No gas, Less Pollution!

Mercedes BlueZero

Electric cars came on the scene a few years ago as a green alternative to gasoline powered cars. Electric cars get their energy from a controller, the amount of power it puts out is controlled by how much pressure the driver puts on the accelerator. Electric cars are also know as Electric Vehicles or EV's for short. An electric car's energy is stored in a rechargeable battery which you can charge with your household electricity. There are all different types of batteries available. As with most things you get what you pay for, the cheapest batteries store the least amount of energy and will need to be charged often.

When it comes to EV's versus gasoline vehicles, there are five major differences. The first is that EV's don't produce the tailpipe emissions that gasoline vehicles do. Secondly, gasoline powered cars rely on OPEC for their supply of energy and electric cars rely on a utility company. Mileage is also a major difference, gasoline powered cars get about 300+ miles per full tank where as electric cars only get about 100 per fully charged battery. Another issue that some view as inconvenient is the time it takes to recharge an EV's battery. You can fill up your gasoline powered car in a few minutes, however an electric car can take hours to recharge. The final major difference is cost per mile, EV's only cost about two cents per mile and gasoline cars cost about 12 cents per mile.

Electric cars are a good choice for a number of reasons, including  reducing harmful emissions, reducing our dependency on oil and they are overall cheaper to operate. EV's haven't been widely accepted yet mainly due to the need to be recharged, long recharging times and limited availability. However this will hopefully be changing soon as scientists and engineers are working to increase energy storage for batteries and reduce costs.  Here are some pics of upcoming electric cars.

Chevy Volt

  

BMW Megacity

Wind Energy and Utililies

Wind energy is one of the fastest growing sources of generating new, clean energy. It is also one of the fastest growing sources of new electricity. Recently, 40% of all the newly generated electricity in the United States was created by wind energy project,s and more and more electric utility companies are adding wind energy as a source of clean, renewable electricity.

There are many benefits of using wind energy for utilities. One reason, the reason that this information is going on my blog, is that it reduces the risk of environmental harm (it's green!!). Wind energy doesn't create any carbon dioxide or pollution to the air. It doesn't require water, drilling, mining, transportation, or fuel; and doesn't produce any harmful waste products.

Another benefit of generating electricity from wind energy is it's good for the business's bottom line. Wind energy projects can be built and put into action very quickly. Also if you own the wind, additional rate based and tax related benefits are added to the utility as well. A third benefit of wind energy is stable pricing. turbine costs have recently increased, but that is only a short term thing. Long term price decrease are expected which will enable wind energy to compete with the costs of other forms of utility generation.

Those are just some of the major benefits; other benefits include regulatory treatment (utility regulators look kindly on wind energy), economic development/job creation, and customer satisfaction with green pricing options.