Solar Energy is a type of green energy

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Solar power is a green power source because it is a renewable energy source and it does not cause any harm to the environment as a whole. This is done by converting sunshine into electricity with the help of solar cells.

There are three basic approaches the way we can use this type of green power source namely passive, active and by using pv cells.

Whenever we refer to passive solar energy, nothing is being converted. Ultimately the building’s design helps avoid heat loss and gets the most out of the sun’s rays.

So people can easily see the awesome power of solar energy. Did you know that a kilowatt of solar energy can produce 5.5 hours of electricity per day. If you have more solar panels in place, naturally you’ll be able to produce enough power to last a few days.

Solar energy is just one form of green energy source around. Over time, we now have learned to tap other resources and these these include wind power, geothermal energy, hydroelectricity and biogas. These types of energy are all safe by with such more often, we don’t need to rely on oil the industry for nonrenewable resources.

To create this happening, we have to persuade our law makers to advertise the use of such resources. Even though you hear speeches left and right regarding their concern for the environment, it is all talk and never much action. It is something which has to change.

Two countries that have increased solar usage are actually Germany and Japan. Spain, France, Italy and Columbia are next on the list but where is America? Well, something is definite and that it’s not in the top ten even though it is an industrialized nation.

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Biofuels are good for the environment

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Biofuels are also a green energy source. It has been around for a very long time and lately, people are beginning to take notice.

Liquid biofuel which is the one used in cars is a natural and renewable domestic fuel that can only be used for diesel engines. This can be made from vegetable oils mostly soy and corn. The nice thing about it is that it contains no petroleum, is nontoxic and biodegradable.

By fueling up with biofuel, you decrease the pollutants in the air because it does not emit anything. Right now, it is the only fuel approved by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), passed every Heath-Effects Test of the Clean Air Act and meets the requirements of the California Air Resources Board (CARB).

One example of this is biodiesel which is made from alcohol like methanol and a chemical process that separates glycerine and methyl esters (biodiesel) from fats or vegetable oils. Aside from methanol, some countries have also experimented with corn and sugarcane to create their own version of biofuel.

Glycerine is a common products and this is used in making toothpaste and soap. Since it is quite new, the process of converting it is quite expensive and right now, this is still much more expensive per gallon compared to petroleum.

But if you look at what you pay for it, the returns are huge because you get to do your share to preserve a cleaner environment, an improvement in air quality and a reduction of cancer-causing agents.

A cheaper and primitive way to make bio-diesel is by collecting cooking oil and then processing it. This may not good your car’s engine so be careful if you decide to use it.

If you are skeptic about biodiesels, studies have shown that its performance on the road is just as good as petroleum in terms of power to efficiency, hauling and climbing. You can use this in its pure form or blend with petroleum fuel. The most common mix in the market is 20/80 and is referred to as “B20.” This means that 20% is biodiesel and the remainder is 80%. Another version is the E85 which is fuel composed of 85% ethanol and 15% gasoline.

The best part about using biodiesel is that you only have to make a few changes in your engine to be able to use it. Aside from making the car run, it also helps clean the engine. If you are concerned that this will void the warranty of your vehicle should there be a problem, don’t worry because it doesn’t. In the US, B20 is the most common one available but there are only a few gas stations that carry it.

When car’s first rolled out in the beginning of the 20th century, Henry Ford planned to make these vehicles especially the Model T’s run using ethanol. Tests have even shown that these may also run using peanut oil.

This never materialized because huge oil deposits were discovered and diesel was cheap. It was only when our demand for oil increased in the 1970′s, 1980′s, 1990′s and in the early part of this year that people began to realize that to reduce our demand for foreign oil that we should try using biodiesels and other forms of alternative energy.

Is it too late? Not yet because there is still time to use biofuels and others as green energy sources.

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Tar sands are a blot on Canadian politics – as well as the landscape | Felix von Geyer

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The money to be made from Canada’s tar sands has blinded its government to the risks to water, climate and the biosphere

[green blog festival + environment blog - to run Mon]

Felix von Geyer

Here in Canada our prime minister, Stephen Harper, seems hell-bent in exploiting our natural resources for economic gain, regardless of the environmental consequences.

Having oil or gas reserves, such as Canada’s tar sands, often brings a questionable benefit to the producer nation’s economy or society as a whole (Norway is one notable exception).

While much of the world seeks to avoid serious climate change, Harper and his tight-knit crew of ideologues and communications experts are instead lauding their Clean Energy Dialogue with the United States, which emphasises just how “clean” Canada’s tar sands oil is.

Canada claims that reducing its greenhouse gas emissions without Washington onboard is impossible as their economies are so interlinked. This argument was adopted publicly after Barack Obama’s election. Prior to this, Harper told parliament in 2007 it was widely accepted Canada could not reach its Kyoto target to cut emissions, and abandoned reducing any emissions at all. The country’s emissions are some 25% above 1990 levels, nowhere close to its 2012 target of 6% below 1990 levels.

After Obama’s election, one West Wing insider said turning to Canada’s tar sands for oil was the equivalent to turning your Prius into a 16-wheeler. The US Environmental Protection Agency rates Alberta’s tar sands as 14-17% more carbon intensive than so-called conventional crude from “well to wheel” – oil industry poetry for total CO₂ emissions from production to combustion.

Since at least 2007, US climate policy from George Bush to Obama has sought to cap the energy content of fuel against its carbon content, making the tar sands a sore loser, and Brazilian-style sugar cane ethanol an absolute winner. So the real sell for Harper to the US is that tar sands emissions are no more carbon intensive than conventional crude.

Canada could have cut its emissions without the US. Instead, the public climate debate is how Canada’s emissions comprise 2% of global emissions and the tar sands one-fifth of that, and that developing countries need to reduce their emissions as they will contribute the bulk of global emissions by 2050. But the reality behind Canada’s public energy and climate policy is the challenge of how to sell the tar sands.

Recently, new federal environment minister and former broadcast journalist Peter Kent even stressed the tar sands are “clean” and more human-rights friendly than oil from the Middle East. This of course is a unique selling point when your main customer, the US, has insisted for 40 years on its need to be independent of foreign oil, particularly that from the Middle East. “Clean” or not, about 80% of tar sands CO₂ goes into the air at the point of combustion – mainly in the US – giving the tar sands’ contribution to climate change an intergenerational human rights dimension.

But Canada’s ultimate problem reflects the dichotomy of industrial-capitalist society’s relationship with the environment as a whole. The biosphere serves as the source of economic production and exchange and becomes its dumping ground. The environment is a utilitarian resource for people and the economy. The reality is that the economy should be seen as a wholly owned subsidiary of the environment, where society helps the environment to flourish.

Canada’s 34 million people have seen a land of plenty ever since fur-trapping gave rise to the Hudson Bay Company. Seal culling is still defended as essential for livelihoods and the environment, because 10 million seals diminish fish stocks. But cod fishing already collapsed off Canada’s Atlantic provinces two decades ago from human overfishing.

Much of Quebec’s rivers are barraged for hydro-electricity, causing mercury build-up. Asbestos mining continues. Forest areas the size of European countries are eaten away in British Columbia by rampant pine beetles whose larvae now survives lower overnight autumn temperatures because of climate change.

Significantly too, thawing permafrost renders futile newly navigable Arctic maritime passages when trains to and from the deepwater port of Churchill frequently travel little more than 10-15kph as the soil softens beneath its tracks.

Perhaps worst of all, as part of the federal government’s highly utilitarian approach that frequently sacrifices the environment for the benefit of economy over society, water is an overlooked factor.

Canada’s tar sands are massively water intensive. The bitumen is washed from the soil in oil sands mining, using water from the Athabasca River at the rate of 1bn litres per day for every 1m barrels per day (MBPD) oil production. And that’s before a water intensive upgrade into synthetic crude. On average, one barrel of tar sands crude takes five barrels of water and the industry produces close to three MBPD, set to rise to five MBPD before 2020 as peak oil hits home and the oil price makes the tar sands ever more profitable.

The Peace River and Mackenzie River are also sources of tar sands surface water, the latter’s basin possibly reduced by one-third since the early 1970s according to some sources.

And the US also has its eyes on Canada’s relatively vast freshwater resources as it rapidly depletes its own aquifers.

But, as Harper seeks to sell tar sands crude and further contribute to anthropogenic climate change, Canadians should bear in mind as they count the cost of their carbon footprint that there are alternatives to fossil fuels but really no alternatives to fresh water.

• Felix von Geyer is a Montréal-based freelance sustainability and global affairs journalist

Environment: Energy | guardian.co.uk

Find Out How to Use Green Energy in Your Home

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V:0For a really long time, we have relied on fossil fuels. It offers heat to our houses, gas for our cars and electricity. Because we are now utilizing it much more than ever, there is truly a consequence. We are depleting our resources and slowly killing our planet. Fortunately, we can alter our methods and then shift our attention to green energy options.

But why green energy sources? Well simply because you can find advantages to utilizing them which we will in no way be able to obtain if we do not alter our methods. This really is also even if some will argue that the issue with green energy is that it’s sometimes hard to generate the energy we require. Whilst that might be true, that’s why you can find other green energy sources accessible and we just to know which ones are viable provided the geographic location.

The numerous green energy sources for example solar, wind, wave, hydropower and geothermal don’t produce something damaging which might have a negative effect about the environment. This may be the exact opposite of what you get whenever you continue to run a coal or nuclear energy plant.

Coal you’ve to keep in mind releases carbon dioxide into the air. On its personal, it might not cause that significantly damage but you can find currently 50,000 coal plants around the world and that amount is expected to grow.

Nuclear plants might not release something damaging to the air. The concern is how we dispose of the spend rods and if an additional nuclear accident ought to occur. We keep in mind Chernobyl and Three Mile Island. We now have most likely learned much better methods to prevent an additional incident from happening. Via the years, a few minor accidents have occurred and even though the leak was contained, just imagine if it wasn’t?

Green energy options might not be maintenance free of charge but at least it doesn’t require that significantly to preserve them compared to conventional means. Within the end, we save cash simply because such facilities do not price that significantly to operate.

The next benefit of utilizing green energy sources is that we will in no way run out of them. For centuries, the sun’s rays have reached so has the wind which is blown from the sea. By utilizing it, we decrease our dependence on oil which is really a nonrenewable resource.

Should you think about it, numerous of us have taken these green energy options for granted. If we do the correct point now, future generations won’t need to face the mess that we could have handled on our personal many years prior to.

In short, the energy is in our hands. We now have the technology and we know what to accomplish with it. The only point we require would be to do would be to put our cash where our mouth is simply because despite the amount of conferences on global warming and climate alter, little has happened.

It’s simple to talk about how concerned we are about the surroundings but you’ve to ask yourself when will much more solar panels or wind turbines will be erected? When will the amount of coal or nuclear energy plants be reduced?

Green energy options may be the solution to the environmental, political and social difficulties of this lifetime. By spending much more on these technologies, no country will need to depend on an additional or even a corporation for their energy needs simply because they’re self dependent and free of charge of charge.

Are you worried about global warming? This is a very serious matter that has many worried. For more global warming articles, see GlobalWarming-Articles.com.. Check here for free reprint license: Find Out How to Use Green Energy in Your Home.

General Facts Regarding Palm Oil Production And Its Effects

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Palm oil production happens almost exclusively in Indonesia and Malaysia. It creates a red oil high in saturated fats and used mostly in southeast Asian and African dishes. It’s a relatively cheap cooking oil, however, and for that reason it’s becoming increasingly popular around the world, thus increasing its production.

The oil comes from the fruit of the oil palm and harvesting it can be a real issue due to human rights violations and environmental damage. Producing this oil causes severe deforestation, habitat destruction for endangered and other species, and contributes increasing greenhouse gas emissions.

Workers on these production farms have also suffered inadequate wages and poor treatment from their employers. The communities around these areas also suffer because of the negative impacts on their land and economies. For these reasons it’s critical that sustainable production be achieved.

The Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil, a group founded specifically for the sake of more sustainable oil production, has put together a list of rules and regulations to help improve the situation. They’re a coalition of local concerned communities, non government organizations, human rights groups, and others who want to improve the situation.

What they’ve established are rules that call for, among other things, full transparency in the way things are run, having long term viability both environmentally and economically, obedience to general laws and promotion of sustainable methods of growth and harvest. Those who control and operate the facilities are also being called upon to be more environmentally aware and to employ conservation.

Sustainable palm oil production must also take into consideration the rights and needs of workers and other human beings impacted by the presence of production plants. New trees must continually be planted so as to reduce the effects of deforestation and to provide a sustainable business. And most importantly, everyone who is involved with the oil production must always been on the lookout for ways to improve harvesting and methods of producing the oil.

Palm oil production is mainly done in Indonesia and Malaysia. Palm oil production does not require much and it is not expensive. It comes from the oil palm. Would you like to know more?

Searching For Sustainable Production Of Palm Oil

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Palm Oil is a particular type of cooking ingredient. It comes from the tropics, from the oil palm. Due to the popularity increase, this product has had a damaging impact on our environment. Many environmentalists have been fighting for the sustainable production of this oil.

As it is being produced now, this oil is causing a number of bad reactions to the planet. It is being cited as contributing to deforestation, and as as consequence, green house effect. These are only two concerns that have been found due to the production of this oil as it is now.

Environmentally conscious individuals claim that soils are being disrupted, and cash crops destroyed by the building of plants that are to help make this product much faster, and distribute it faster to where it needs to go. Farmers are losing out on money because of the loss of their crops.

Also in jeopardy is the biodiversity of the area where these trees are being taken away. Biodiversity if all about the different lifeforms in various parts of the world. Because of the trees being gone, animals are being forced to migrate to other regions. This is leading a lot of animals on the endangered list to disappear all together.

Not surprisingly, habitats of endangered species are becoming sparse. This is causing great concern with animal rights individuals. Some animals that are being affected include the Sumatran orangutan, Sumatran tiger, and the Asian rhinoceros. There are animals that are also being affected. Many of them have already become extinct.

Progress is slowly being made to rectify these concerns. The quickest, and most practical solution is to re-plant what is taken.

Cutting down on pollution can be achieved by making sure that the factories are run with energy efficiency. Use pure resources to power it. Great care should taken before picking out how to power the factor. Wind power is one way to go. There are many other options available that could be researched.

Sustainable production can also be accomplished by limiting the amount of places this oil is produced and sold. Plant an oil farm somewhere, and keep the farm to that purpose. That way trees do not have to be taken from the forest. This will save problems for the animals, and still allow farmer to grow their crops.

Looking for comprehensive information on the sustainable production of palm oil? Get the ultimate low down instantly in our complete green palm overview on http://www.greenpalm.org/en/what-is-greenpalm/why-choose-greenpalm

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