London Carbon Charm
by Scott Edward Anderson
The Green Skeptic
December 18, 2008
London has launched a Carbon Fund that supposedly will find way to make the cost of the coal trade less expensive and more readily available. While Europe has become comfortable with this program, nothing has been said about whether the U.S. plans to become a part of the Carbon Fund. Will Barack Obama bring us into the new Carbon scene?
Okay, so looking at this article my first thought is "wait doesn't carbon contribute to the environmental hazards the world is facing in this day and age...What about the pollution and how come nobody seems concerned with that anymore." Then I calmed down a realized I was overreacting; I had been thinking of coal. Carbon is an entirely different thing altogether. Anyway, carbon has been looked into as an alternative to gasoline. Personally, I think a hydro-car would a cool thing to have and I know that if it's helping the environment I'm all for it.
Until Next Time...
Sunday, December 21, 2008
Saturday, December 13, 2008
An Inconvenient Truth
So I was watching this movie in my AP Enviro class this past week; I don't know if you've heard of it. It's called An Inconvenient Truth...some guy named Al Gore decided that the world needed to know about Global Warming, so this documentary was made. Anyway, I guess if I had to ask myself three questions and respond to them for a grade I would choose:
1) What would be your overall review/rating of the documentary?
The documentary was sort of eye-opening. It was very pleasing to the eye; all those animations that were shown during his presentation kept the documentary entertaining. I wasn't bored at all, which is amazing! I don't usually like documentaries, the fact that I stayed awake for this one must prove that it was fascinating.
2) Did you learn something new by watching An Inconvenient Truth?
This documentary answered many of my unasked questions; for one: What the hell is Global Warming anyway?? I mean, you hear the phrase Global Warming thrown around frequently, but if you're like me, you never fully understand what it is. The documentary helped me grasp the concept a little better; who knew that polar bear and disease were affect by the climate change that's happening??? Seriously, the West Nile Virus spread rapidly inpart because of the rising temperature of the earth. That's crazy!
3) Based on the brief commentary we watched, what is your repsonse to the personal impact/role of Al Gore in the project/presentation??
It seems to me that Al Gore is deeply invested in this project. The fact that he went all over the world to present the same presentation about Global Warming for a slight chance that someone will be impacted shows more than just investment, it shows outright dedication. The scene where the director was talking about the plane ride to China, where Al Gore is seen working late at night on the slide show, show alot of his character. The director said that Al Gore wasn't putting on a show, that was him working on his own accord to make the presentation as good as it could be. This just shows how much he wants to impact the world, how much he wants to let everyone know that there is a threat. Not only that there is a threat, but that there's a way to fix it.
so...that's what I'd say if I had to write about it...
1) What would be your overall review/rating of the documentary?
The documentary was sort of eye-opening. It was very pleasing to the eye; all those animations that were shown during his presentation kept the documentary entertaining. I wasn't bored at all, which is amazing! I don't usually like documentaries, the fact that I stayed awake for this one must prove that it was fascinating.
2) Did you learn something new by watching An Inconvenient Truth?
This documentary answered many of my unasked questions; for one: What the hell is Global Warming anyway?? I mean, you hear the phrase Global Warming thrown around frequently, but if you're like me, you never fully understand what it is. The documentary helped me grasp the concept a little better; who knew that polar bear and disease were affect by the climate change that's happening??? Seriously, the West Nile Virus spread rapidly inpart because of the rising temperature of the earth. That's crazy!
3) Based on the brief commentary we watched, what is your repsonse to the personal impact/role of Al Gore in the project/presentation??
It seems to me that Al Gore is deeply invested in this project. The fact that he went all over the world to present the same presentation about Global Warming for a slight chance that someone will be impacted shows more than just investment, it shows outright dedication. The scene where the director was talking about the plane ride to China, where Al Gore is seen working late at night on the slide show, show alot of his character. The director said that Al Gore wasn't putting on a show, that was him working on his own accord to make the presentation as good as it could be. This just shows how much he wants to impact the world, how much he wants to let everyone know that there is a threat. Not only that there is a threat, but that there's a way to fix it.
so...that's what I'd say if I had to write about it...
Until next time...
Up and Running Again!!!!
Caulk Away
by Scott Edward Anderson
The Green Skeptic
November 20, 2008
Anderson went to a New New Economy Conference in New York and came away with interesting ideas. For example, instead of trying to create new solutions to the economy crisis and environmental concern, try using things that are already invented. There was a major emphasis on reusing and recycling.
My first thought after reading this is, why doesn't anyone ever listen to the little people? I've been saying for a long time, why not use what we already have. You can come up with as many new way to preserve the economy and environment as you want; the majority of people may not follow those. But if people realize that simple things, such as turning down the heat a little or turning off the lights when you leave a room, can be just as effective as using a 'green car'. Simply put, "Don't waste stuff." If everyone in the country did just small things like that, their bills would decrease allowing them to spend that money elsewhere. Personally, I think that this could take great stride to stabilize the economy.
by Scott Edward Anderson
The Green Skeptic
November 20, 2008
Anderson went to a New New Economy Conference in New York and came away with interesting ideas. For example, instead of trying to create new solutions to the economy crisis and environmental concern, try using things that are already invented. There was a major emphasis on reusing and recycling.
My first thought after reading this is, why doesn't anyone ever listen to the little people? I've been saying for a long time, why not use what we already have. You can come up with as many new way to preserve the economy and environment as you want; the majority of people may not follow those. But if people realize that simple things, such as turning down the heat a little or turning off the lights when you leave a room, can be just as effective as using a 'green car'. Simply put, "Don't waste stuff." If everyone in the country did just small things like that, their bills would decrease allowing them to spend that money elsewhere. Personally, I think that this could take great stride to stabilize the economy.
Sunday, November 16, 2008
Fighting fire with...Chemicals?
November 15, 2008
The New York Times
by William YardleyTo prevent wildfires from spreading in California, the Department of Forestry and Fire Protection uses a red chemical fire retardant. While it stops the spread of some wildfires, it also is very dangerous to aquatic animals and watershed. The state has been searching for an alternative control, so they will be able to use less of the retardant. So there's a decision to make wildfires or toxic watershed?
My first thought after reading this was: why are they even using the chemical retardant???! I'm mean, wildfires are natures way of clearing out the old to make room for the new? Why would anyone want to mess with mother nature? But then I calmed down and realized that there are actually a lot of people who live around the most common areas for fires. I guess it's the fear of the fire spreading far enough that it starts destroying houses and killing people. Luckily for me my family doesn't live in any part of the country that has problems with wildfires. On top of that, I almost didn't read the article because what do I care about wildfires? I live in Michigan. I read it anyway and it turns out that this retardant messes with the watershed and aquatic species. The mix of chemical is highly toxic. Now I know I don't live anywhere near California but seriously who would want to be so naive to say aww it doesn't matter. There's enough environment to go around. I think taking care of the environment needs to be a priority in everyone's life. Finding an alternative to the retardant would be a good way to start.
Until Next Time...
Sunday, November 9, 2008
New Man on Campus
November 7, 2008
The Green Skeptic
by Scott Edward Anderson
To be honest with everyone, I am a semi-skeptic of this claim... creating 5 million jobs focused on keeping the environment clean doesn't seem reasonable. Not the green aspect of the jobs but the number. America as it is, is in a recession; if Obama is trying to create a job program like President Roosevelt during the Great Depression, that's great. But will it really work? Obama's proposition should stimulate the economy by stabilizing banks and raising the money circulation. Even better if this plan works, we will be out of the recession and defending the environment at the same time. This would be awesome for my family, and for most of America. Connecting the end of the recession to the environmental jobs might just be the boost environmental awareness needs.
Until next time...
Sunday, November 2, 2008
Sheep or Weed Whacker?
SHEEP!
Sunday October 26, 2008
New York Times
By Pamela J. Podger
Sheep are becoming the new pesticide; they are the new nontoxic way to battle weeds. They are considered "a natural low fossil fuel", that can control invasive plants. Only, there's another side to the sheep herding; their hooves can cause erosion and the wool can carry seeds of the evasive plants.
My first thought when I read this article was that it was extremely interesting, but I didn't think it was real. I knew it was an article from the New York Times, so it's obviously reliable, but I still couldn't believe it. It seemed like it could be one of those options in a "two truths and a lie" game. Animals acting as a toxic free pesticide is a great idea. whoever thought of this should be patted on the back. Personally, seeing sheep on my front lawn would kind of freak me out. I wouldn't count on seeing them here in Michigan any time soon. It's starting off in Montana and New Mexico, that's a long way from affecting my family. The only concern I would have with this new "weed whacker" is how the animals are treated. I would have no problem with this, if they were treated like animals. It would be awful to find out the the sheep are being abused. Hopefully, that won't happen.
Until next time...
Sunday, October 26, 2008
Car, car, car diesel!
It's Salsa Time
Friday October 3, 2008
By Margaret on Eco-Friendly Transportation
Apparently Margaret gets to test drive cars for a living... or at least for this post. She test drove a Volkswagen Jetta TDI, which (for those who really don't know cars like me) is supposed to be a very fuel efficient car. This car is marketed as a transportation alternative, and uses diesel fuel.
The post really talks about it's use with diesel and the concerns surrounding it. I'd never heard, but one of the major concerns is that diesel is dirty... all oil is dirty isn't it? This didn't really make sense to me, but then again cars don't really make any sense to me... I guess it uses "clean diesel", which is low-sulfur.
I know that the cars my family owns aren't nearly as fuel efficient as I would like them to be. This car seems to be reasonably priced, ($21,990) and runs smoothly enough to have Margaret comparing is to a salsa partner. It may be a perfect match for my family. One of the features of this car I think is pretty cool is an energy monitor. It shows you the mpg you are getting and helps you balance out the efficiency of the car. Personally, I think that every car should have this, it would help people understand the effects of their driving on the efficiency of the car. Margaret gives the perfect example. "At one point with my foot off the accelerator I was getting 102 mpg. Then I abruptly jabbed the pedal which immediately reduced the fuel efficiency to 22 mpg."
Until next time.
Friday, October 17, 2008
The Welcome Wagon
So you've stummbled across my lovely little corner of the internet, that's great. I couldn't be happier that you decided to spend 15 minutes reading my thoughts about everything and nothing.
So if you really plan to read this, let me just say it will be interesting. My mind is a mass of choas, and most of the time this is where it will spill out onto. Please excuse any craziness or randomness, that's how my brain works.
As you can see my blog is currently the colors pink and pink. I am not normally a pink kind of girl, but then again I'm not really an any color kind of girl. I change my mind frequently so the layout may change with that...maybe not. Only time will tell.
As to what to expect from this blog...a once a week intelligent response to something evironmental...and then some rather less inteligence response to everything else...although I do believe I have great musical taste so I may grace you with music every once in a while or maybe a quote...
Most importantly, I connect everything to music some way so if I brake out into song lyric, never say I didn't warn you.
By the way, I am pretty awesome so you better believe it...
A quick story before I go....Yesterday, after cross country practice, the team was waiting for everyone to come in...it was a long wait and some of the guys started coming in. We decided it would be super awesome if we made a tunnel for the guys to run through. Actually, we were waiting for a specific guy, Carl, the german foreign exchange student. Apparently, he is gorgeous. I do not dissagree, but I don't agree either. Anyway, he came running through and one of my super intelligent friend, Sam, decided to say Ich Bin Gut, rather not say but yell as loud as she could to him. If you don't speak german, it means I'm good, but to native germans it means I'm good in bed. Well, obviously he turns around because who wouldn't if they had someone yell that at you. But he was still running. And a car was coming...this almost didn't end well. Luckily for him the car had super awesome brakes.
The moral of this story? Don't yell I'm good in bed to anyone let alone the german foreign exchange student.
the end.
I shall write again later.
So if you really plan to read this, let me just say it will be interesting. My mind is a mass of choas, and most of the time this is where it will spill out onto. Please excuse any craziness or randomness, that's how my brain works.
As you can see my blog is currently the colors pink and pink. I am not normally a pink kind of girl, but then again I'm not really an any color kind of girl. I change my mind frequently so the layout may change with that...maybe not. Only time will tell.
As to what to expect from this blog...a once a week intelligent response to something evironmental...and then some rather less inteligence response to everything else...although I do believe I have great musical taste so I may grace you with music every once in a while or maybe a quote...
Most importantly, I connect everything to music some way so if I brake out into song lyric, never say I didn't warn you.
By the way, I am pretty awesome so you better believe it...
A quick story before I go....Yesterday, after cross country practice, the team was waiting for everyone to come in...it was a long wait and some of the guys started coming in. We decided it would be super awesome if we made a tunnel for the guys to run through. Actually, we were waiting for a specific guy, Carl, the german foreign exchange student. Apparently, he is gorgeous. I do not dissagree, but I don't agree either. Anyway, he came running through and one of my super intelligent friend, Sam, decided to say Ich Bin Gut, rather not say but yell as loud as she could to him. If you don't speak german, it means I'm good, but to native germans it means I'm good in bed. Well, obviously he turns around because who wouldn't if they had someone yell that at you. But he was still running. And a car was coming...this almost didn't end well. Luckily for him the car had super awesome brakes.
The moral of this story? Don't yell I'm good in bed to anyone let alone the german foreign exchange student.
the end.
I shall write again later.
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