This number shows Earth’s collective 3 trillion-plus metric tons of combined greenhouse gases in the atmosphere.
You’ll notice that it is a BIG number. And it’s already outdated. Look at the counter today on the web, and the number will be bigger.
The volume of greenhouse gases is constantly ticking upward. Much faster than a watch. Steady as an oil derrick. As ominously as a time bomb.
Palm Oil, an ingredient found in most processed food, has been the subject of much environmental debate in recent years over its role in deforestation. It is commonly found in cooking oil and as an ingredient in cosmetics, soaps, detergents, and some plastics. Palm oil also has been considered for use in the production of biodiesel.
There have been many attempts to make palm oil sustainable. The Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) was even established in 2003 to do just that. Unfortunately, six years later, there is still no system that can effectively trace palm oil beyond the processor to the plantation level. Companies that manufacture products using palm oil have little way of knowing where the controversial substance originated — which leaves unanswered the question of whether and to what degree palm oil is sustainably farmed.
The EPA says that the average US office worker uses 10,000 sheets of paper a year. The average American uses approximately one 100-foot-tall Douglas fir tree in paper and wood products per year. Here are some common rules for the workplace that will help you cut your consumption:
Map of CO2 emissions from fossil fuels (Image: Google)
As we drive deeper into our Orwellian future ala Google, where you can practically peer into your uncle’s windows in Toledo via Google Earth, it makes complete sense that we earthlings can now track how we’re corrupting the atmosphere.
Thus, today, you can view CO2 emissions, thanks to a new Google Earth application developed by Purdue University researchers and funded by NASA, the U.S. Department of Energy, the Purdue Showalter Trust and Indianapolis-based Knauf Insulation.
Frito-Lay’s manufacturing plant in Killingly, Conn., today inaugurated a new co-generation system that will generate almost 100 percent of the facility’s electrical requirements, company officials said.
The facility will utilize waste heat generated to produce steam to help with the manufacturing of snack products made there. Frito-Lay said the new system will not only reduce the plant’s environmental footprint, but also will help alleviate the significant load on the heavily congested northeast power grid.
Shall we have an omelet with vegetables and cheese for breakfast?
Let’s order a Caesar salad for lunch, with some chicken noodle soup.
And dinner – Who’s up for meatloaf, with macaroni and cheese on the side and some chocolate chip cookies to top it off?
Oh, while you’re at it, stop for a second and ask yourself: What impact does this food have on the environment?
Given the enormity of climate change, it’s not always easy to calculate how we individuals can make a contribution that matters. In honor of World Oceans Day (June 8), the Nature Conservancy has assembled a list of a few concrete ways we can help heal, or at least minimize the damage to, our marine world.
The list is a testament to our connectedness here on planet Earth — did you realize that the nitrogen fertilizer you dump on the yard could be part of the pollution overpowering streams and rivers; winding up in the ocean where it creates algal “blooms” that starve marine life of oxygen? Ah, right. That’s not what you were thinking of when you cracked open the bag of weed-and-feed. Heavy stuff, yes, but the sort of thing we humans need to think on. That lovely green turf comes with an environmental price tag — unless and until you find other ways to feed the lawn, like using lower nitrogen-content organic food.
Barbara Kessler
Other Voices