2007-06-08T12:04:00.000-07:00

***update***

Be a Better Planet

Congratulations, Hastings, NE!
Hastings won Yahoo!'s Greenest City Challenge. Thanks for all you did to make our planet greener.
» See how your city ranks

Just because the contest is over doesn't mean you have to stop being green! And who knows, maybe one day they'll have another contest and your town will win! so keep on making your world a better place!

***original post***

WANTING A BETTER WORLD

Heads up! America's looking to find and reward the most eco-friendly city. Here are some tips to make your world a better place:

. People put garbage cans there for a reason. Use them, don't litter.

. Read my post about global warming. Not only do those emissions warm the polar ice caps, but they pollute the air around us as well.

. See if you can use different sources of energy, like the wind, water or sun, to power your utilities, instead of electricity.

. Walk to work, school, the super market, etc. if you have the opportunity.

Together we can make the world a better place. And if we get a reward at the same time, too, why not!?!

Be a Better Planet
» Join now

Special thanks to yahoo for the contest information and link.

2007-05-23T07:48:00.000-07:00

GLOBAL WARMING

WHAT IT MEANS AND HOW TO STOP IT

Global warming is the increase in the average temperature of the Earth's near-surface air and oceans in recent decades and its projected continuation.
Global average air temperature near the Earth's surface rose 0.74 ± 0.18 °C (1.3 ± 0.32 °F) during the past century. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) concludes, "most of the observed increase in globally averaged temperatures since the mid-20th century is very likely due to the observed increase in anthropogenic greenhouse gas concentrations," which leads to warming of the surface and lower atmosphere by increasing the greenhouse effect. Based on modeling results, natural phenomena such as solar variation combined with volcanoes have probably had a small warming effect from pre-industrial times to 1950, but a small cooling effect since 1950. These basic conclusions have been endorsed by at least 30 scientific societies and academies of science, including all of the national academies of science of the major industrialized countries. The American Association of Petroleum Geologists is the only scientific society that rejects these conclusions, and a few individual scientists also disagree with parts of them.
Climate models referenced by the IPCC project that global surface temperatures are likely to increase by 1.1 to 6.4 °C (2.0 to 11.5 °F) between 1990 and 2100. The range of values reflects the use of differing scenarios of future greenhouse gas emissions and results of models with differences in climate sensitivity. Although most studies focus on the period up to 2100, warming and sea level rise are expected to continue for more than a millennium even if greenhouse gas levels are stabilized. This reflects the large heat capacity of the oceans.
An increase in global temperatures can in turn cause other changes, including sea level rise, and changes in the amount and pattern of precipitation. There may also be changes in the frequency and intensity of extreme weather events, though it is difficult to connect specific events to global warming. Other effects may include changes in agricultural yields, glacier retreat, reduced summer streamflows, species extinctions and increases in the ranges of disease vectors.
Remaining scientific uncertainties include the exact degree of climate change expected in the future, and how changes will vary from region to region around the globe. There is ongoing political and public debate regarding what, if any, action should be taken to reduce or reverse future warming or to adapt to its expected consequences. Most national governments have signed and ratified the Kyoto Protocol aimed at combating greenhouse gas emissions.

The greenhouse effect was discovered by Joseph Fourier in 1824 and was first investigated quantitatively by Svante Arrhenius in 1896. It is the process by which absorption and emission of infrared radiation by atmospheric gases warms a planet's atmosphere and surface.
Greenhouse gases create a natural greenhouse effect, without which, mean temperatures on Earth would be an estimated 30 °C (54 °F) lower, so that Earth would be uninhabitable. Thus scientists do not "believe in" or "oppose" the greenhouse effect as such; rather, the debate concerns the net effect of the addition of greenhouse gases, while allowing for associated positive and negative feedback mechanisms.
On Earth, the major natural greenhouse gases are water vapor, which causes about 36–70% of the greenhouse effect (not including clouds); carbon dioxide (CO2), which causes 9–26%; methane (CH4), which causes 4–9%; and ozone, which causes 3–7%. The atmospheric concentrations of CO2 and CH4 have increased by 31% and 149% respectively above pre-industrial levels since 1750. These levels are considerably higher than at any time during the last 650,000 years, the period for which reliable data has been extracted from ice cores. From less direct geological evidence it is believed that CO2 values this high were last attained 20 million years ago. "About three-quarters of the anthropogenic [man-made] emissions of CO2 to the atmosphere during the past 20 years are due to fossil fuel burning. The rest of the anthropogenic emissions are predominantly due to land-use change, especially deforestation."
The present atmospheric concentration of CO2 is about 383 parts per million (ppm) by volume. Future CO2 levels are expected to rise due to ongoing burning of fossil fuels and land-use change. The rate of rise will depend on uncertain economic, sociological, technological, natural developments, but may be ultimately limited by the availability of fossil fuels. The IPCC Special Report on Emissions Scenarios gives a wide range of future CO2 scenarios, ranging from 541 to 970 ppm by the year 2100. Fossil fuel reserves are sufficient to reach this level and continue emissions past 2100, if coal, tar sands or methane clathrates are extensively used.
Positive feedback effects such as the expected release of CH4 from the melting of permafrost peat bogs in Siberia (possibly up to 70,000 million tonnes) may lead to significant additional sources of greenhouse gas emissions not included in climate models cited by the IPCC.

WAYS TO STOP IT

Don't smoke; use enviormentally safe fuels; in the summertime, instead of turning on the AC, open your windows; in the winter, don't crank the heat to 80. 68 is fine. Simple acts like this can change the world for the better and stop global warming.

Special thanks to Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia for letting me use this information.

2007-04-07T13:27:00.000-07:00

VEGETARIANISM

A NEW MEANING

Not only does vegetarianism save the animals, but it saves your body. Think of all the fat that was on your bacon this morning or on the hamburger you ate last night. All of that grease can make you fat and really sick. If you eat too much of it, it can clog your arteries and that guarantees you'll get a heart attack. Okay, I know what you're thinking. I want to stop eating meat, but I love the taste and would miss eating it. Even if you aren't thinking that, I have a solution. Morning Star. Boca. Just two brand names of many companies that all produce vegetarian meat products. And the best part is, they taste like the real thing! Plus, you're cutting the fat by 67%!!!!! WOW!!! Food that's better for you and the environment! Vegetarianism. A new meaning. Think about it.

Earth: A home