url
stringlengths 15
1.48k
| date
timestamp[s] | file_path
stringlengths 125
155
| language_score
float64 0.65
1
| token_count
int64 75
32.8k
| dump
stringclasses 96
values | global_id
stringlengths 41
46
| lang
stringclasses 1
value | text
stringlengths 295
153k
| domain
stringclasses 67
values |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
https://27milesmalibu.com/blogs/blog/sustainable-cashmere
| 2023-12-01T15:50:02 |
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2023-50/segments/1700679100290.24/warc/CC-MAIN-20231201151933-20231201181933-00674.warc.gz
| 0.93738 | 1,625 |
CC-MAIN-2023-50
|
webtext-fineweb__CC-MAIN-2023-50__0__99857052
|
en
|
At 27 Miles Malibu, our commitment to sustainability goes beyond a label and marketing; it's a way of life. We cherish the beauty of California and the Earth, and that's why we are dedicated to making every step of our journey as ethical and eco-friendly as possible. We're proud of the strides we've taken, from sourcing organic and recycled materials for our sweaters to supporting local artisans who share our passion for quality and responsibility. But we know there's always more we can do. We're excited to embark on this sustainability journey, eager to reduce our environmental footprint, enhance transparency, and educate our cherished customers on the vital role of sustainable fashion. Together, we'll celebrate the beauty of California and the Earth in every stitch and every choice we make.
The Sustainable Cashmere Standard
We aim to meet the high standards set by ABT Foundation’s Good Cashmere Standard® and the Sustainable Fibre Alliance. Both groups have the mission of transforming the cashmere industry by ensuring the welfare of cashmere goats and improving the working conditions of farmers. By creating an ethical, cruelty free environment on goat ranches, these groups are creating a sustainable product and future for our planet. We take pride in unequivocally adhering to both organizations policies and standards.
What is the Good Cashmere Standard?
Good Cashmere Standard® is the first independent wool sustainability standard for high-quality cashmere. The Good Cashmere Standard® has been developed with input from animal welfare specialists as well as industry experts. An advisory board composed of cashmere producers, non-governmental organizations, retailers, and brands regularly reviews the standard and its verification system based on the results of the audit process and any new scientific findings. Their standards are a set of regulations that covers animal welfare, the protection of the environment, and the management of farms.
What is the Sustainable Fibre Alliance’s Mission?
The Sustainable Fibre Alliance (SFA) is on a mission to revolutionize the cashmere industry, collaborating with shepherds, farmers, traders, processors, manufacturers, brands, and retailers to champion sustainability. We recognize the critical importance of sustainability in this industry, as it addresses the challenges faced by shepherds and their livestock, from overgrazing to land degradation and the impacts of climate change. Our comprehensive approach ensures sustainability throughout the supply chain, integrating social-ecological research and traditional knowledge to bring about responsible grazing management, regenerative land-use practices, and humane animal husbandry. Through our initiatives, we not only foster positive change within the cashmere industry but also make a significant environmental impact, reducing overgrazing, mitigating land degradation, and lowering the carbon footprint, all while supporting the livelihoods of local communities and preserving vital ecosystems.
27 Miles Malibu and Sustainability
At 27 Miles Malibu, we believe in the transformative power of sustainable and ethical practices in the fashion industry. We recognize that choosing the right yarn for our sweaters is not just a decision but a responsibility. We meticulously consider various criteria, seeking sustainable and affordable yarn options that align with our commitment to the environment and social responsibility. The beauty of traceable, renewable, and recycled materials is not just in their eco-consciousness but in the lasting positive impact they have on the world. Our partnership with nomadic farmers further echoes our dedication to sustainability, promoting traditional, low-impact practices in yarn production. Ensuring above-standard wages for these partners isn't just a business choice; it's a reflection of our ethos and commitment to quality. Healthy goats, part of our sustainable sourcing, produce yarn that not only speaks of quality but also stands as a testament to our brand's eco-conscious values. To complement these efforts, we explore additional sustainability practices, from reducing our carbon footprint to incorporating eco-friendly dyes and finishes. Sourcing sustainable yarn is a vital component of our broader sustainability goals, a way of life for us. We acknowledge challenges in scaling sustainability but believe that strong partnerships, research, and diversification are key to overcoming these hurdles. And as we embrace these principles, we see the market demand for sustainable and ethical products in the fashion industry, aligning perfectly with our vision to make a difference through mindful fashion.
What is Traceable Cashmere?
Traceable cashmere is a game-changer in sustainable fashion. It means that you can trace the journey of your cashmere sweater right back to the goat it came from. This level of transparency is essential because it cuts out middlemen in the supply chain, ensuring that ethical and sustainable practices are followed every step of the way. With traceable cashmere, you know that the goats are well-cared for, the land is managed responsibly, and the fibers are harvested without harm. Brands like Patagonia and Naadam have championed traceable cashmere, and they use methods like DNA testing and blockchain technology to track the source. This not only benefits the environment and goat herders but also empowers consumers to make informed, ethical choices when they buy cozy cashmere products. So, if you want to make a positive impact in sustainable fashion, look for traceable cashmere – it's the future of responsible luxury.
What Makes Cashmere Yarn Sustainable?
Sustainability in cashmere yarn production holds immense significance in the fashion industry for several compelling reasons. Geographically, Inner Mongolia and China are the primary sources of cashmere, and these regions are witnessing a growing prevalence of organic cashmere. This not only ensures the highest quality fibers but also aligns with environmental and ethical considerations. To sustain cashmere production, supporting herding families and providing veterinary care for over 250,000 goats is crucial. Sustainability-minded herders employ traditional brushing methods that delicately obtain cashmere fibers without harming or stressing the goats, reflecting a harmonious coexistence. Cashmere goats' ability to grow long, fine fibers is a survival mechanism in extreme cold climates. A 2,000-year-old nomadic tradition of hand-combing their coats benefits goat well-being and cashmere quality, although it's labor-intensive. This process of hand-combing, while time and effort-intensive, contributes significantly to the overall sustainability of cashmere production, ensuring both environmental and social integrity.
In addition to these points, sustainable cashmere production offers notable environmental benefits, including reduced water usage and lower carbon emissions compared to many other fibers. Challenges faced by the cashmere industry in maintaining sustainability, such as overgrazing and habitat degradation, require solutions like sustainable land management practices. Certifications and standards for sustainable cashmere, like the Good Cashmere Standard, play a vital role in ensuring transparency and credibility. While there are misconceptions and controversies surrounding cashmere's sustainability, it's crucial to clarify that sustainable practices are attainable and beneficial. Consumers can actively support sustainable cashmere by making informed choices, opting for certified products, and advocating for ethical and eco-friendly practices in the industry. These sustainable practices in cashmere production not only preserve the environment and goat well-being but also contribute to the production of high-quality, luxurious sweaters sought after by conscientious consumers.
Sweaters You Can Feel Good In and About ?
27 Miles Malibu is a brand deeply committed to sustainable practices in the production of their sweaters. They prioritize eco-friendly materials such as organic cotton and recycled fabrics, employ responsible dyeing and printing processes, and engage in local manufacturing to reduce their carbon footprint. These sustainable practices not only contribute to the overall quality and durability of their sweaters but also align with various certifications and standards, ensuring responsible sourcing and manufacturing. The company's dedication to ethical labor practices and fair treatment of workers is unwavering, and they actively participate in initiatives and partnerships that promote sustainability in the fashion industry. Customers can easily engage with 27 Miles Malibu to learn more about their sustainable practices and sourcing, whether by visiting their website, following their social media channels, or participating in their eco-conscious campaigns.
|
environmental_science
|
http://nevp.org/projsummary
| 2017-03-30T02:34:40 |
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2017-13/segments/1490218191984.96/warc/CC-MAIN-20170322212951-00395-ip-10-233-31-227.ec2.internal.warc.gz
| 0.91401 | 570 |
CC-MAIN-2017-13
|
webtext-fineweb__CC-MAIN-2017-13__0__78350986
|
en
|
To create a data set catered to the study of climate change and land use history in New England, this project will digitize almost 1.3 million New England vascular plant specimens from 15 large to small herbaria located across the region. We will enhance the images and herbarium label data that we collect by generating geographic coordinates and phenological and habitat data using controlled vocabularies developed as part of the project. The digitization process will integrate with existing community efforts and will largely utilize community developed software. Industrial scale, high-throughput digitization technologies will be developed to increase efficiency and bring down the overall cost of digitization. At all stages of this project we will implement community developed standards and will integrate the resulting data into existing regional, national, and global databases. This project will create a network of citizen scientists and school groups who will be positioned to gather current phenological data on flowering times and leafing-out times that can then be compared with data that will be gathered from digitized herbarium specimens.
This project will mobilize an exceptional amount information associated with herbarium specimens that will be of immediate use to scientists studying climate change and land use history in New England. The phenological data collected as part of this project will be the largest dataset of its kind ever assembled and will allow for unprecedented studies of the effects of a changing climate on flowering times and leafing-out times at a regional scale. Likewise, the habitat data will allow for novel investigations that address a variety of ecological issues related to past and current land-use patterns. This will add critical insights into the long-term consequences of past land-use, providing a new understanding of herbs, ferns, and shrub dynamics in addition to commercially important trees and of less common or historically important and currently declining taxa. While these data will be useful for studies at a regional scale, better understanding of changes within New England will provide insights useful on a global scale. The citizen science network that will be created will establish a framework whereby phenology data from herbarium specimens can be connected with current phenology.
The results of our activities will be of immediate use to a diverse group of regional stakeholders including national and regional agencies charged with managing natural resources and researchers focusing on a variety of topics including rare and endangered plants and revisionary floristic activities. This project will introduce the next generation to herbarium and collections management by collaborating with an existing education program to offer year- long collection internships to a diverse group of teens and by involving numerous undergraduates and graduate students in collections activities associated with the project. As part of our citizen science efforts, this project will engage members of the general public, increasing their awareness of pressing environmental issues in their local area and introducing them to herbaria and the field of global change science.
|
environmental_science
|
http://tuftedtitmouse.blogspot.com/2010/08/hermit-thrush.html
| 2018-06-25T02:13:50 |
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2018-26/segments/1529267867364.94/warc/CC-MAIN-20180625014226-20180625034226-00263.warc.gz
| 0.952626 | 220 |
CC-MAIN-2018-26
|
webtext-fineweb__CC-MAIN-2018-26__0__59363499
|
en
|
The last minute of this video captures the haunting, flute-like song of hermit thrush nicely.
If you've wandered through a forest on a summer day and suddenly felt a moment of enchantment, it's possible the hermit thrush had cast a spell upon you.
Like all ground nesting birds, the hermit thrush is having a hard time in many places. The reasons: 1) habitat loss and 2) cats.
Cats are not native to North America but were introduced by European settlers. Consequently, there are several American mammals and birds ill equipped to deal with the selective pressure of cat predation.
Basically, anything that nests on the ground is toast if cats are allowed to roam free.
As the human population has expanded into woodlands and wetlands, so too have the cats. We must raise awareness of the problem of cat predation now if we hope to reverse the steady decline in song bird populations along the eastern United States.
Keep your cat indoors, please --especially if you live near a river or a lake where birds tend to nest.
|
environmental_science
|
https://ourlittlesmarties.com/2010/03/mozzie-buzz-off/
| 2019-05-26T02:24:48 |
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2019-22/segments/1558232258620.81/warc/CC-MAIN-20190526004917-20190526030917-00449.warc.gz
| 0.960381 | 334 |
CC-MAIN-2019-22
|
webtext-fineweb__CC-MAIN-2019-22__0__196733770
|
en
|
When I reached home yesterday, I was greeted by more than ten mosquito bites on Little Edison’s feet and I was terribly mad. Daddy V fetched Little Edison from school and he discovered six of them. Without hesitation, he quickly raised the issue to the teacher’s attention.
What about the other four or more bites? They looked fresh to me, perhaps from the garden. I questioned my blur helper. As expected, she couldn’t give me a definite answer. I was mad again.
I guess Little Edison must be very tasty. Those nasty mosquitoes must have treated him like a buffet – bite for free! Damn it. The weather has been rainy these days; mosquitoes breed so quickly and easily during rainy season.
I’m all out in the battle against the mosquitoes. We will apply Hansaplast insect repellent on his body, hands and legs before school, after school, after shower and before bedtime. At home, we will switch on the Mortein electric mosquito repellent 24/7. If all these are still not effective, the last resort will be sticking an anti-mosquito patch on him.
The helper will be tasked to ensure no standing water to accumulate for more than two days in the garden. Common areas must be checked daily to prevent collecting water and to get rid of mosquitoes’ breeding grounds.
I may sound a bit paranoid, but I simply couldn’t tolerate these mozzie bites that are causing so much discomfort to Little Edison.
I don’t want to see any fresh mozzie bites on Little Edison tonight!
|
environmental_science
|
http://daniauxpigot.com/devenir-graine/
| 2024-03-01T00:26:22 |
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2024-10/segments/1707947474893.90/warc/CC-MAIN-20240229234355-20240301024355-00103.warc.gz
| 0.919301 | 395 |
CC-MAIN-2024-10
|
webtext-fineweb__CC-MAIN-2024-10__0__158912503
|
en
|
Entitled « Devenir Graine », the artistic project of Magali Daniaux & Cédric Pigot offers an unusual take on the issues surrounding energy and food management.
One of the sections of this online project is devoted to the Global Seed Vault (through filmed interviews, photographs, a 3D modelling of places, sound recordings, films, testimonies and short stories, in which science fiction cohabits with accounts of scientific research in the Arctic) an underground bunker in the Svalbard archipelago, inside the Arctic Circle, where seeds of all the plants that provide food for humans are kept.
The French artistic duo intend examining flora in terms of its active immobility, its flexibility and adaptability, and its relevance as a model for devising new economic and social schemas. In a globalised world where it is no longer possible to flee, the artists see plant stratagems as ultra-contemporary models, drawing on them for inspiration to create their “Devenir Graine” platform.
This work, with its diversity of content and media, takes as its starting point Kirkenes, a small town in northern Norway, strategically located on the Barents Sea, where prospecting for gas and oil reserves takes place and the islands of the Svalbard archipelago, situated inside the Arctic circle, which provide a metaphorical illustration of the relations between man and nature.
By combining poetry, fiction, documentary, interviews and performance, “Devenir Graine” takes a surrealist journey through the contemporary Arctic while tackling the hottest geopolitical and geostrategic issues: global warming, urban development, cross-border collaboration between Norway and Russia, opening up of the Schengen zone, managing fossil fuel and nuclear resources, as well as the development of GMOs (genetically modified organisms) and the commercialisation of living things.
Marta Ponsa, 2014.
|
environmental_science
|
https://twoforks.se/our-story
| 2019-09-22T18:49:24 |
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2019-39/segments/1568514575627.91/warc/CC-MAIN-20190922180536-20190922202536-00480.warc.gz
| 0.96294 | 428 |
CC-MAIN-2019-39
|
webtext-fineweb__CC-MAIN-2019-39__0__34036977
|
en
|
Loving people through food
We are Charlotte and Matan: a small-scale farmer and a chef and this is our journey. We are on a mission to discover how growing and cooking food together can be a key to finding a way of life that is sustainable for our family and for this gorgeous planet we live on.
Growing and cooking food gives us purpose - as individuals, as a community and as a society - not only in the sense that what we do is meaningful, but in that it directly connects us to the ecosystem. The act of cultivating plants for food has made us acutely aware that we are part of that ecosystem, not just dwellers within it. Making sure that the food that feeds our family is good and wholesome, nutrient-rich, and toxin-free, feels to us as the most obvious thing to spend our life doing. All the better if at the same time, we can make those same concepts available to our community.
We envision a life where we, as a family and community, can be more in tune with the seasons: The warm summer months with their long hours of sunlight, spent outside, working with the soil and sun, teasing forth the bounties of the earth; The cold and dark days of winter spent resting, gathering energy for the seasons to come.
We envision a life where food, that most essential part of life, can be shared with the people we love. Food is personal and universal at the same time. Food is the connection between people. Food is a memory of the past, and is the vision of the future. Food is sustenance, and food is comfort. For us, food is love. Our mission is, above all else, loving people through food.
This is only the beginning of our journey. On this journey we will grow, cook and eat. We will learn, and teach. We will try, fail, achieve and succeed. We will share, and we will love, together.
We are Two Forks Urban Farm and Table, and we would love if joined us on our journey.
Charlotte and Matan
|
environmental_science
|
http://www.huntersgatefarm.com/prairie-house
| 2019-10-15T22:38:32 |
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2019-43/segments/1570986660323.32/warc/CC-MAIN-20191015205352-20191015232852-00471.warc.gz
| 0.948699 | 674 |
CC-MAIN-2019-43
|
webtext-fineweb__CC-MAIN-2019-43__0__33660301
|
en
|
“From the mountains, to the prairie, to the oceans, white with foam”, life doesn’t get too much better than it does here at the Prairie House, on Hunters’ Gate Farm. It is our “Home Sweet Home” on the land that we love. Geographically, it is located on the western edge of the Sequim prairie, an area averaging 14” of rainfall annually. This dry micro climate necessitated early settlers in the late 1890’s to build an irrigation system that channeled the Dungeness river water to the arid land. This enabled the settlers to grow crops and raise livestock. This 120-year-old community endeavor is now commemorated and celebrated every spring in Sequim, by a festival known as the Irrigation Festival.
Our newly constructed, spacious, luxury home was designed by a Portland, Oregon architect, who named this winning design the “Prairie House”. With its many floor to ceiling windows and the 75’ long skylight, it is the perfect place to enjoy our 27-acre waterfront property. With wide, open space and views of the Strait of Juan de Fuca, and the majestic Olympic mountain range, the “Prairie House” is surrounded by magical woodlands and of course, the prairie, now farmland. Watching the waving fields of summer grasses and purple blooming alfalfa fields relaxes the mind and sooths the soul!
Our guest wing includes three bedrooms with comfortable queen sized beds, three bathrooms, a den with a “smart TV”, and the laundry room. It is not entirely separated from the rest of the home, but rather in a quiet area away from the “open concept” area of the rest of the home, which includes a living room, gourmet kitchen, dining room, family room and a games room with a ping pong-table where our guests often enjoy having fun. The patio has a table for sitting outside and enjoying food or a drink on a hot summer day. When the temperatures drop, the indoor studio can seat several people for an intimate gathering, for games and for conversation.
We serve a continental style breakfast including coffee, tea, juice, fresh fruit, cereal, yogurt, pastries or muffins. We encourage our guests to experience the areas nearby restaurants for lunches and dinners.
Everyone should save some time to visit our peacocks on the way to walk the nature trails where bird watchers will have the opportunity to see several species, including Bald Eagles, which nest on the property. The adventure seekers should take the five minute hike down our beach trail to explore a whole other world of the salt water beach, with its birdlife, sea life, and to smell the fresh, salt air!
We are close to the Olympic Discovery Trail and offer bicycles for those who might like to cycle there and enjoy the “Agnew” neighborhood area. By car we are a forty minute drive to the Hurricane Ridge entrance to the Olympic National Park. We are a twenty-minute drive into either town of Sequim or Port Angeles, making the “Prairie House” the perfect location for whatever you choose to do on your visit to the North Olympic Peninsula!
|
environmental_science
|
https://www.echoeducation.eu/the-project/
| 2024-04-15T06:38:20 |
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2024-18/segments/1712296816942.33/warc/CC-MAIN-20240415045222-20240415075222-00235.warc.gz
| 0.943781 | 353 |
CC-MAIN-2024-18
|
webtext-fineweb__CC-MAIN-2024-18__0__135284455
|
en
|
Education for Environmental Sustainability: Creative Learning Centers and Digital Tools
ECHO, acronym for “Education for Environmental Sustainability: Creative Learning Centers and Digital Tools” is an Erasmus+ Key Action 2 Adult Education project, modeled on the specific needs of the European adult learning community in the field of Sustainable Development, Sustainability and Environmental Protection. The topic of ECHO is therefore composed by several, important keywords such as: environment, sustainability, promotion of ecological perspectives and attitudes, that is, European and global challenges that require complex thinking and layered design approaches. ECHO is implemented by an international partnership that involves organizations with extensive experience, coming together to devise a strategic path capable of rethinking educational spaces, concretely creating new ones, oriented towards the future.
Adult education is therefore combined with the primary languages of creativity, cultural heritage and digital innovation. The starting point of ECHO is the recognition of the gaps in the various European education and training systems in the field of Sustainability and Environmental Protection, as well as in the field of Sustainable Development. The project therefore wishes to promote the growth of systemic awareness and the value of Environmental Sustainability as an educational path, leveraging the relationship between anthropic and ecosystem and thus outlining, in a simple and attractive way, new habits and behaviors that are both concrete and rooted in the individual, moreover being supported by adequate critical thinking and models of active and responsible citizenship.
ECHO’s products are an architecture – digital as well – with a high educational impact, aimed at empowering and increasing the skills of a vast and stratified adult audience in the field of Environmental Sustainability. The project is made up of mixed units, placing contemporary cultural and educational needs at the center.
|
environmental_science
|
https://wildliferescueburton.webs.com/aboutus.htm
| 2021-09-25T04:26:56 |
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2021-39/segments/1631780057589.14/warc/CC-MAIN-20210925021713-20210925051713-00082.warc.gz
| 0.970613 | 272 |
CC-MAIN-2021-39
|
webtext-fineweb__CC-MAIN-2021-39__0__122353026
|
en
|
About our rescue
Burton Wildlife Rescue and Animal Centre was founded in March 2008 in memory of Joyce and Bill Barlow who were tragically murdered in October 2007. Their love of animals and the countryside inspired the founder to establish the centre in their honour. Lindsay (founder) is a qualified veterinary nurse and has devoted her life to caring for injured and orphaned wild animals.
The sanctuary is located in Etwall with the hospital being located in Burton on Trent. We provide a 24 hour emergency cover for British wildlife within a 25 mile radius but we will travel further in an emergency or if the full cost of fuel is donated.
We also take in unwanted, injured and abandoned poultry and small domestic animals. We assist the police with wildlife issues and emergencies as well as working with other rescues around the UK.
We rescue ALL wildlife regardless of species or status including foxes, squirrels, pigeons, swans, gulls, birds and Canada geese.
*We are an independent sanctuary and the day to day costs are funded by generous donations from the public. We are not part of or funded by The Staffordshire Wildlife Trust, St Tiggywinkles, RSPCA or any other charity. If you are leaving an animal with us, if you can, please leave a donation however small to help our rescue centre function*
|
environmental_science
|
https://www.novelbitcoin.com/news/viabtcs-strategic-partner-sai-tech-goes-public-on-nasdaq/
| 2024-02-22T13:47:18 |
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2024-10/segments/1707947473819.62/warc/CC-MAIN-20240222125841-20240222155841-00375.warc.gz
| 0.92324 | 1,049 |
CC-MAIN-2024-10
|
webtext-fineweb__CC-MAIN-2024-10__0__176384675
|
en
|
ViaBTC’s strategic partner SAI.TECH Global Corporation (“SAI.TECH” or “SAI”), a clean-energy-driven Bitcoin mining operator with leading energy-saving solutions to the computing, power, and heating industry, officially listed on Nasdaq on May 2, 2022 (EST). The Class A ordinary shares and warrants of SAI commenced trading on the Nasdaq Stock Market on May 2, 2022, under the new ticker symbols “SAI” and “SAITW,” respectively. The recognition for SAI.TECH among institutional and individual investors will undoubtedly give rise to a new paradigm for crypto mining and sustainable energy growth. Following the latest industry trend, SAI.TECH will bring fresh momentum to the sustainable future of crypto mining.
As ViaBTC’s strategic partner for SaaS solutions, SAI.TECH is a global energy-saving Bitcoin mining operator and a clean-tech company that integrates Bitcoin mining, heating, and power industries. At the moment, recycling clean, renewable energy is a primary technological goal in crypto mining, and the sector is witnessing the emergence of projects that focus on clean energies like solar power, hydropower, and recovered waste heat. For example, in Canada, some have started to use the heat generated by BTC mining to heat farming greenhouses and fishponds. Meanwhile, Slovakia, a small European country, has built biogas plants to power BTC mining.
In fact, apart from crypto mining, Web 3.0, which paints the blueprint of a free, open world, also has an enormous demand for energy. As an infrastructure underpins that massive data needs to be stored on blockchains and enable real-time interactions, Web 3.0 requires the adoption of high-performance computing with enormous power consumption or even supercomputers, which consume tons of energy.
A large amount of energy eventually dissipates in the air as heat during the computing process. It is a pity that the enormous amount of heat is wasted like that, which is why SAI.TECH introduced the SAIHUB solution: SAI’s innovative solution uses patented waste heat recovery and liquid cooling technology to convert the waste heat generated by mining into heating sources for various residential, commercial, industrial, and agricultural application scenarios. Through electrifying chip heating, SAI reduces fossil-fuel use in traditional boilers and ultimately achieves the goal of reducing carbon emissions.
With such a technology, 90% of the heat generated by mining rigs can be recovered and stored, which powers BTC mining and meets the various needs such as agriculture, commerce, and industrial heating demands, covering farming greenhouses and urban heating systems.
The Q1 2022 report of BMC (Bitcoin Mining Council) shows that in global BTC mining, sustainable energy now takes up 58.4% of the total energy consumption to empower the industry, making it one of the most sustainable industries globally. As the first company in the mining sector to publish carbon footprint and ESG reports, SAI.TECH is also promoting the green transition of the mining industry through its innovative solutions.
According to the data from BTC.com, the global BTC hash rate of ViaBTC Pool stands at 21,050 PH/s. Assuming that the unit power consumption of Antminer S19 XP is 21.5W/terahash, a hash rate of 21,050 PH/s means the miner consumes 452,575kW every second. However, if SAI.TECH’s SAIHUB solution, which integrates the liquid cooling and waste heat recovery technologies, is adopted in this case, then the miner can reuse 407,317.5kW of energy per second.
Driven by the rise of emerging fields and the large-scale consumption of energy, providers of energy-oriented solutions are winning the favor of institutional investors, and more relevant entities are en route to go public. Over the past year, more than ten crypto companies have merged and gone public through SPACs, such as Core Scientific, Cipher Mining, and Bakkt Holdings. The “listing wave” has also swept the crypto mining industry. Apart from SAI.TECH, other crypto mining companies such as BitFuFu and Bitdeer also plan to go public through SPACs this year.
Getting listed through SPAC is one of the many ways crypto businesses are trying to become legitimate enterprises in global finance. Crypto mining companies getting listed will make conventional financial institutions pay more attention to the crypto sector. This connection and interaction between traditional capital markets and emerging industries will catalyze a series of chemical reactions. Backed by funding from investors worldwide, these listed clean energy companies will apply clean energy technologies in more scenarios.
ViaBTC Pool, a world-renowned mining pool, keeps track of developments in this field. In the future, the pool will continue to work with partners through more close collaboration in energy and mining while exploring the industry’s growing trends. We hope that more institutions will join us to build a thriving ecosystem for the future of clean crypto mining.
|
environmental_science
|
https://www.goobuzz.com/perseid-meteor-shower-set-to-dazzle-under-prime-viewing-conditions/
| 2024-04-14T21:01:09 |
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2024-18/segments/1712296816893.9/warc/CC-MAIN-20240414192536-20240414222536-00138.warc.gz
| 0.9002 | 895 |
CC-MAIN-2024-18
|
webtext-fineweb__CC-MAIN-2024-18__0__200584226
|
en
|
After weeks of anticipation, the dazzling Perseid meteor shower is finally set to reach its peak in the early morning hours of August 13th, treating patient skywatchers across much of the country to a spectacular celestial show.
Favorable weather conditions are expected to pave the way for prime viewing of the annual phenomenon that produces as many as 100 shooting stars per hour at its climax. With mostly clear night skies in the forecast, large swathes of the West, South, and Midwest should offer front-row seats to the meteor extravaganza.
The Perseids showcase provides a rare opportunity to witness nature’s fireworks display first-hand. The show occurs each August as Earth passes through a trail of dust and debris left behind by the Swift-Tuttle comet. The specks – most no larger than a grain of sand – burn brightly upon entering the atmosphere, creating the eye-catching meteor streaks.
Peak Activity Overnight August 12-13
The shower technically runs annually from July 17th through September 1st. But the peak this year is predicted to arrive late on August 12th and continue overnight into the early hours of the 13th.
Observers in areas relatively free of light pollution will have the best chance of glimpsing the highest volume of meteors during this window. Rural locations far from the glare of city lights provide ideal viewing conditions.
To optimize viewing, experts recommend allowing time for eyes to adjust to the darkness – about 30 minutes to an hour. Looking directly upward into the night sky will offer the widest field of vision to catch meteors flashing overhead.
Dark Skies Boost 2022 Show
A key factor that should boost this year’s spectacle is the moon phase. August 13th coincides with a slender waning crescent moon that will barely interfere with visibility.
The low moonlight contrasts with last year’s Perseids peak, which had to compete with a bright full moon washing out some of the fainter meteors. The darker skies in 2022 ratchet up the potential for an unforgettable experience.
Up to 100 meteors per hour may be visible to patient observers during the peak window, although 50-75 meteors per hour is more typical. For urban viewers, an unobstructed view of the northern sky will improve chances of catching the show.
Swift-Tuttle Comet Fuels Cosmic Display
The Perseids offer consistently impressive displays thanks to parent comet 109P/Swift-Tuttle. With a nucleus 16 miles wide, it leaves copious amounts of dust and debris in its wake to fuel the meteor outbursts year after year.
Discovered independently in 1862, Swift-Tuttle circles the sun every 133 years on an oblong orbit reaching out beyond Pluto. It will next return to the inner solar system in 2126.
But even during years when the comet is far away, Earth’s path still crosses through the river of particles it has shed over centuries. These grains hit our atmosphere at astonishing speeds of 37 miles per second, igniting in friction and creating the eye-catching Perseids.
Patience Key to Glimpsing the Show
Maintaining patience and tempering expectations are key to experiencing the meteor shower. Sporadic meteors should be visible on peak nights even in light-polluted areas. But brief cloud cover or looking in the wrong direction at the wrong time could mean missing the most active bursts.
Simply reclining and enjoying a view of the starry skies will maximize chances of glimpsing one of nature’s most impressive sky shows. For observers lucky enough to catch the Perseids at their peak, it promises to be an unforgettable night under the stars.
|
environmental_science
|
http://guide.asb.on-rev.com/
| 2016-10-28T08:16:17 |
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-44/segments/1476988721595.48/warc/CC-MAIN-20161020183841-00437-ip-10-171-6-4.ec2.internal.warc.gz
| 0.943126 | 215 |
CC-MAIN-2016-44
|
webtext-fineweb__CC-MAIN-2016-44__0__265292704
|
en
|
Of approximately 10,000 species of birds, about 300 can be described as sea birds - those finding all their needs from coasts and seas. Roughly half of these are found in the waters of Australia and New Zealand and their territories. From Saunders's Tern on the Cocos (Keeling) Islands to the King Penguin of Macquarie Island to the Chatham Albatross at The Pyramid, all seabird families but the northern hemisphere alcids are well represented.
Geographically, this site covers the Australian and New Zealand mainlands together with the islands in their territorial waters. Cocos (Keeling) Islands, Christmas Island, Ashmore Reef, Norfolk Island, Lord Howe Island, the Chatham Islands and the sub Antarctic islands are also included.
This site is developing and several features are not yet available. More photos will be added intermittently. Please keep coming back.
Best viewed on a large monitor with an up-to-date browser.
Please send comments, corrections etc to [email protected]
|
environmental_science
|
http://moldremovalhouston73951.collectblogs.com/3692569/ideas-when-looking-at-mold-removal-uncovered-step-by-step-easy-simple-effortless
| 2018-12-14T05:06:30 |
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2018-51/segments/1544376825363.58/warc/CC-MAIN-20181214044833-20181214070333-00273.warc.gz
| 0.949927 | 1,414 |
CC-MAIN-2018-51
|
webtext-fineweb__CC-MAIN-2018-51__0__141409972
|
en
|
Inside Major Criteria When Looking At Mold Removal
Mold is actually a fungus that is all around us. Actually, you may find mold spores everywhere both indoors and outdoors. The situation will typically begin when the mold starts to grow in circumstances of warmth and high moisture levels.
If you want to deal with the mold situation, you should consider mold remediation experts. They will give you a comprehensive mold inspection and proceed to clean up the infestation. Even if you won't see any mold, it doesn't suggest that there is no issue in your own home.
This article will be covering the basics of mold, the signs of an unseen mold infestation that would require your attention and some guidance on how you may hire the right mold remediation business in the Dallas area and avoid the common issues.
You can always call us today for help on mold remediation in Dallas.
The Basic Principles Of Mold
Mold is among the fungi kingdom or organisms and it's quite different from plants as it doesn't need sunlight for photosynthesis. Ultraviolet rays can obstruct its advancement.
There's 2 things that mold requires to grow - moisture and warm temperature. Its spores are air-borne and found in the air all over, both indoors and outdoors. Before the spores become a problem, they'll have to be in high quantities. Once its requirements for temperature, moisture and nutrients are pleased, mold can spread in as little as 48 hours. Since the the 1970's, buildings were actually designed to be airtight for energy conservation purposes. This can be the main reason why they are susceptible to producing moisture-filled pockets which are great for molds.
If you'll see any indications of mold infestation, you need to look for a specialist mold remediation business immediately.
Signs You Will Need A Mold Inspection
If a mold issue is already noticeable, it's clear you will need to employ professionals to perform remediation and mold abatement. The only problem with mold is that it's commonly hidden. There are 7 signs below that might mean that you've got a mold situation that needs your attention. If any of the tips below apply to you, you can ask for a mold inspection.
1. Someone in your house is suffering from allergic reactions like runny nose, stuffy head, teary eyes, scratchy throat and headaches.
2. You discover stains on your walls and other surfaces that appear like mold-spots but you're not entirely positive they are.
3. There's a solid damp odor in your house. Its origin is unclear.
4. You encountered a leak or other water breakage in your property.
5. You would like to examine the quality of air of your house after a previous mold remediation method and establish its effectiveness.
6. You are going to buy or rent a house and you wish to make certain that it is mold-free.
7. You want to have a preventative article assessment of the environment in your home in order to make certain that indoor health threats are decreased for yourself and your family.
A qualified specialist firm would absolutely need to do a comprehensive mold inspection before they can provide you with mold remediation and cleanup services. You must give them a call if you find any of the signs above.
The Mold Remediation Process
There are 6 essential steps required for a productive mold remediation procedure. Qualified specialists could be adhering to industry standards and undergo the steps. Listed here are some of the things that you must know.
You need to wear your protective equipment
During mold remediation, mold spores are likely to be disrupted and dispersed in the air. It's the main reason why you must wear protective gears at all times.
Containment Of The Infected Area
True experts use a variety of technologies to be sure the mold-infested area is safely contained so that mold doesn't spread to other areas of your home. You will have to Look At This turn off the fans and ac systems in your house.
Negative Pressure Is Set
Physical barriers and negative air pressure are usually used to contain the mold.
Mold Is Removed
The particulars of the mold remediation process depend on the degree of mold growth and the kinds of material surfaces it impacted. In some scenarios, porous materials will have to be thrown away, as they are impossible to rid of mold in depth.Porous materials will need to be thrown away because they're not possible to eliminate mold in depth.
Mold Prevention Is In Place
The primary origin of trapped moisture should be known, addressed and resolve to recommended you read ensure that the mold will not return.
Belongings Are Cleaned
Good mold remediation professionals will clean and sanitize items including curtains, decorative pillows, and clothing.
All of the steps described above are very essential to eliminate mold. Before you hire experts to come in your house, you should be sure that they will follow industry standards in mold remediation and removal.
Discovering The Right Contractor
If you are planning to employ a mold remediation business to deal with mold abatement, elimination and cleanup, you need to learn the possible issues so you can avoid them.
To start with, many companies consider scare techniques and overstatement of the mold problem to make you pay them more cash for services you don't actually require. You should not give in to pressure and you could just ignore them if you're hassled.
Reliable pros provide free estimates and perform a comprehensive mold inspection and testing before proceeding to do mold remediation on your premises. This could be very essential to be sure that the method could be done safely and successfully.
Try to find contractors which can be licensed, insured and certified and can prove it.
Good companies try here will be proud to discuss testimonials from previous happy clients and demonstrate proof of their training. If they don't need to do it, take it as a red flag.
Last but not least, pick a contractor that offers quick turnaround and satisfaction guarantee. This will guarantee that the job will be executed effectively.
Microscopic molds actually exist everywhere and you can't remove them completely. Even so, in scenarios of leaks, reduced ventilation of increased moisture, mold spores found in the air can flourish into full-fledged mold growth in as little as 48-72 hours. If you think that you have a mold issue, whether read the full info here you may see it or not, you may to contact certified mold remediation Dallas professionals.
Mold growth can be resolved, but you must consider trained pros to make certain that the job could be done effectively.
If you have questions with regard to mold cleanup and remediation, you could call us today and our consultants will help you.
Mold Removal Doctor Dallas - Mold Remediation Dallas | Mold Cleanup Dallas
5620 East Side Avenue
Dallas, TX 75214
|
environmental_science
|
http://gemstat.org/data/data-submission/
| 2018-03-20T09:31:25 |
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2018-13/segments/1521257647327.52/warc/CC-MAIN-20180320091830-20180320111830-00126.warc.gz
| 0.909861 | 985 |
CC-MAIN-2018-13
|
webtext-fineweb__CC-MAIN-2018-13__0__56515063
|
en
|
Background on Sharing Data with GEMS/Water
Countries and organizations are invited to provide water quality data from their own monitoring networks to the GEMS/Water Data Centre at the International Centre for Water Resources and Global Change. This is based on Resolution 1/9 of the United Nations Environment Assembly from 27 June 2014, where the mandate of GEMS/Water was reaffirmed.
The resolution emphasized that the World Water Quality Assessment Report, the water-related sustainable development goals and other assessments on the state of freshwater resources at different geographic scales require timely, relevant and reliable data and information from the revitalized GEMS/Water programme in order to inform policymaking at the relevant levels.
It also underlined the need to further improve the global coverage and consistency of water quality data as well as to expand the GEMS/Water network. Therefore, the member states and the scientific community, alongside the relevant United Nations agencies and stakeholders, were invited to cooperate with the GEMS/Water Data Centre in building a reliable global freshwater monitoring and information system and to support relevant initiatives.
Water quality data from the GEMStat database, in accordance with the data policy, may be used for status evaluation, research purposes, or within the scope of education and training initiatives.
The data policy of GEMStat strives to regard the individual restrictions of all data providers and allows them to choose from three data policy options to fit their specific guidelines on data sharing:
- Open: Raw water quality data is publicly available and can be requested by everyone.
- Limited: Raw water quality data is shared on written request for non-commercial research only. For every other purpose, only metadata and yearly aggregates on country level can be requested.
- Restricted: Raw data is not shared and its use by GEMS/Water is limited to UN-assessments and aggregated data products.
The data policy can be set by the data providers on a per-submission level, either for the whole batch of submitted data, or for individual parts of the submission. When opting to set the data policy for individual parts of the submission, this can be accomplished for single stations, individual parameters or whole parameter groups, or even for each single reported value.
In all cases, the data contained in the GEMStat database is the property of the respective data providers.
Data Submission Manual
Currently, the process of data submission to GEMStat is based on e-mail communication. While an option for automated uploads with member log-in will be provided in the mid-term, the workflow described below is the current method of reporting water quality data.
Data providers are requested to use the following Excel templates, where possible, to report stations, analysis methods and water quality values:
- xls for the reporting of new monitoring stations and analysis methods used to obtain water quality values.
- xls as a reference for an inventory of water quality parameters and analysis methods already registered in the GEMStat database, as well as for keeping track of monitoring stations and analysis methods previously reported by the individual data providers.
- xls for the reporting of water quality data for registered monitoring stations and registered combinations of water quality parameters and analysis methods.
The data submission process relies on 2 types of identification codes to correctly assign the reported water quality values to the monitoring stations where the sample was taken, and to the water quality parameter, whose value was analysed from the sample. A third code identifies the analysis method used to obtain the reported value of the water quality parameter.
Therefore, in the first step of the submission process, the data providers receive a pre-filled inventory of all the monitoring stations and analysis methods that have already been reported by the individual data provider in the past. This inventory comes in the form of an Excel file (GEMS_Catalogues.xls) and contains additional information on all water quality parameters and analysis methods that are currently available in the GEMStat database.
After checking and aligning the entries with their current monitoring programmes, the data providers can use the template GEMS_Register_new_Stations_and_Methods.xls to register new analysis methods and stations, or to revise outdated information. This template is then to be sent to the GEMS/Water Data Centre, where the staff check the entries and assign new codes, where applicable, prior to registering the new information in GEMStat.
The GEMS/Water Data Centre then sends an updated inventory of stations and analysis methods back to the data provider. The station codes, as well as the combinations of parameter codes and analysis method codes provided therein are then to be used by the data provider to report water quality data using the GEMS_Data_Submission.xls template.
Following a quality and consistency check, the supplied data are then included into the GEMStat database.
|
environmental_science
|
https://indulgencechocolatiers.com/pages/community-organizations
| 2024-02-26T04:47:55 |
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2024-10/segments/1707947474650.85/warc/CC-MAIN-20240226030734-20240226060734-00267.warc.gz
| 0.932942 | 317 |
CC-MAIN-2024-10
|
webtext-fineweb__CC-MAIN-2024-10__0__52002644
|
en
|
Indulgence is a proud member of Local First Milwaukee, an alliance of independent, locally owned businesses and non-profit organizations dedicated to promoting the buy local movement in an effort to support the local economy and preserve the unique character of our community.
|As part of our commitment to the environment, Indulgence participates in the Adopt-A-River Program Adopt-A-River is a program of Milwaukee Riverkeeper, a local organization working to protect, improve and advocate for water quality, riparian wildlife habitat, and sound land management in the Milwaukee, Menomonee and Kinnickinnic River Watersheds. As an Adopt-A-River Program Member, the Indulgence team holds regular clean up events at its adoption site along the Kinnickinnic River Parkway here in Milwaukee.
|Indulgence participates in the “Energy for Tomorrow Program”, offsetting 100% of the electricity used at all of our locations with the production or purchase of renewable energy sources such as wind, water, solar and landfill gas.
|Indulgence sources as many of its ingredients as possible from local farmers and producers. As part of this effort, Indulgence is a member of Braise RSA (Restaurant Supported Agriculture), an organization that works to make local, peak of season product easily accessible to area food producers and restaurants. By working with area farms, producers and restaurants in a cooperative effort, the RSA addresses the obstacles that have prohibited food businesses from using local products, namely the time and cost associated with sourcing locally.
|
environmental_science
|
https://www.harrygreene.com/harry-greene
| 2021-07-28T01:06:39 |
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2021-31/segments/1627046153515.0/warc/CC-MAIN-20210727233849-20210728023849-00496.warc.gz
| 0.960303 | 758 |
CC-MAIN-2021-31
|
webtext-fineweb__CC-MAIN-2021-31__0__23065070
|
en
|
I originally hail from Concord, Massachusetts, but now call Burlington, Vermont home. I grew up on my family's summer camps, Camp Nashoba Day and Camp Nashoba North, in Littleton, MA and Raymond, ME. There I spent time among the trees and on the lake kayaking, hiking, horseback riding, windsurfing, climbing, building things out of wood, and gaining an appreciation for the earth around us. Camp Nashoba Day is also a farm, and I grew up with vegetable gardens, sheep, goats, and laying hens. I'll move back to our farm, but I'm using my late 20's to live and learn. Over the past five years, I've planted out much of our land with fruit trees and shrubs. When I return, they'll be bearing.
A life-long athlete, I was once an olympic hopeful. I spent two years at the Colorado Springs Olympic Training Center post-college. There I was a proud member of Team USA Modern Pentathlon, and competed at world-cups in California, Florida, Mexico, and Egypt, and at the 2015 World Championships in Berlin. Modern Pentathlon consists of fencing, swimming, horseback riding, pistol shooting, and running. In Colorado Springs, I also started a co-op grocery store and served on the board of Colorado Springs Food Rescue.
I graduated from the University of Vermont in 2013 with degrees in Spanish and International Business. I studied in both Spain and Argentina and speak fluent Spanish. While at UVM, I lived in and was the treasurer of Slade Environmental Cooperative, a living community focused on environmental sustainability and local food. Dialogue with students from the Rubenstein School of Environmental and Natural Resources and the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences reinforced the notion that taking care of our home simply makes sense.
Outside of my professional life and formal academia, I read textbooks, white papers, and case studies in agroforestry, forest ecology, permaculture, and regenerative agriculture across the board. When you do what you love, it doesn't seem like work.
In August of 2016, I graduated from the University of Vermont's MBA program with a concentration in sustainable entrepreneurship. If our goal is to be responsible for planting one million chestnuts trees in the next ten years. We'd need the self-replicating, mycelial model known as the market. Business is a force to be harnessed for good, and I firmly believe that sustainability must be financially sustainable.
During the last few months of my MBA, I started a tree nursery at Bread & Butter Farm in Shelburne, Vermont. I grew out thousands of chestnut, black walnut, black locust trees from seed, and plan to expand production this coming spring. Bread & Butter Farm is a collaborative farm, and is truly a beautiful place to be. Corie and Brandon run a large herd of beef cattle, and Henry operates a grass-fed, raw-milk micro dairy. Bekah and Corie grow vegetables in two large high tunnels, and Mike and Katie run Blank Page Cafe, which is in the farm's Farm Store, where Corinne takes care of a beautiful operation. Chris, Corie's partner, runs "Music for Sprouts," a sing-along program for pre-schoolers. Burger Night brings in hundreds of families from the surrounding towns on Friday nights in the summer. Bekah and Alex run a small summer camp and school programs frequent the farm. With 245 acres under management, the possibilities are endless. I'm part of a team. Without the team, and without you, I'm just a guy. With the team, and with you, we can achieve great things.
|
environmental_science
|
https://northsideskipbins.com.au/
| 2023-12-03T01:38:37 |
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2023-50/segments/1700679100476.94/warc/CC-MAIN-20231202235258-20231203025258-00499.warc.gz
| 0.968687 | 180 |
CC-MAIN-2023-50
|
webtext-fineweb__CC-MAIN-2023-50__0__266442561
|
en
|
80% Waste Recycling
Northside Skips recycles upto 80% of all waste that comes to our facility.
Northside Skips recycles up to 80% of all waste that comes to our facility.
Northside Skip Bins Perth owns its own recycling facility, which means we can pass the savings on to you! We have a recycling process that results in 80% of waste that comes into our facility being recycled from our skip bins and is turned into road base, which is the re-used.
We believe that we have a responsibility to the environment, and a responsibility to pass on those savings to you. Click the see more button to see our recycling process and see how your skip bin hire waste, is converted to useful road base. Book your skip bin hire in Perth with the confidence of knowing Northside Skips will recycle your waste efficiently.See More
|
environmental_science
|
http://www.touchtechnologies.co.uk/temperaturemonitoring
| 2024-04-23T14:46:58 |
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2024-18/segments/1712296818711.23/warc/CC-MAIN-20240423130552-20240423160552-00456.warc.gz
| 0.873937 | 383 |
CC-MAIN-2024-18
|
webtext-fineweb__CC-MAIN-2024-18__0__5898318
|
en
|
Touch's Temperature Monitoring are a range of intelligent IoT Monitors that collect Temperature and Humidity readings and send this data directly to your mobile device, or store it in the cloud, which you can access from any device connected to the internet.
WHY TEMPERATURE MONITORING?
- Assists with national regulatory food legislation's
- Reduce food / product waste by up to 90-100%
- Improve product quality
- Reduce errors resulting from manual checks
- Less time consuming in comparison to taking manual readings
- Alleviates audit stress with easy to access historical reports
INDIVIDUAL MONITORING PRODUCTS
MON-WiFi reads temperature and humidity in a set location, and sends precise data to your mobile device via WiFi.
MON-ACE reads temperature and humidity in a set locations, and sends precise readings via SMS OR WiFi to your mobile device.
Our Temperature Monitors have reduced train-line wastage by 80%.
Our Temperature Monitors assist you in keeping all hotplates at correct temperatures.
Thanks to continuous temperature recordings, you can reduce food wastage by 80-90% in hospitality. Our Temperature Monitors also ensure, and prove that your Hospitality business is comping with food and health legislation's.
Temperature Monitoring assists you, in keeping your tropical animal's environment at a healthy temperature / humidity setting.
DATA ON THE CLOUD
A Tailored Cloud system, that enables you to monitor, configure, and gain a deeper understanding of a locations temperature status.
|
environmental_science
|
https://mail.santanvalleyalarm.com/things-to-do/7572-slide-rock-state-park-s-fall-festival-is-coming-soon
| 2019-08-20T19:09:01 |
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2019-35/segments/1566027315558.25/warc/CC-MAIN-20190820180442-20190820202442-00456.warc.gz
| 0.893116 | 216 |
CC-MAIN-2019-35
|
webtext-fineweb__CC-MAIN-2019-35__0__218671159
|
en
|
Fall is on its way, and it’s time to celebrate the changing seasons at Slide Rock State Park! Join us for the 11th annual Fall Festival on September 29, 2018. Juicy apples, colored leaves, and cooler temperatures will have the whole family enjoying the transition to autumn!
WHAT: Fall Festival – The cost is $20 per vehicle.
WHERE: Slide Rock State Park – Located 7 miles north of Sedona in beautiful Oak Creek Canyon.
WHEN: Saturday, September 29 from 9 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. Visit azstateparks.com/slide-rock.
"Managing and conserving Arizona's natural, cultural and recreational resources for the benefit of the people, both in our parks and through our partners."
For information about all 35 Arizona State Parks and Natural Areas, the Trails and Off-Highway Vehicle Programs and State Historic Preservation Office call 1-877-MY-PARKS or visit AZStateParks.com.BLOG COMMENTS POWERED BY DISQUS
|
environmental_science
|
https://adelbergpediatricdental.com/massapequa-park/local/jones-beach-state-park/
| 2023-12-04T14:03:18 |
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2023-50/segments/1700679100529.8/warc/CC-MAIN-20231204115419-20231204145419-00693.warc.gz
| 0.945431 | 857 |
CC-MAIN-2023-50
|
webtext-fineweb__CC-MAIN-2023-50__0__151604674
|
en
|
Jones Beach State Park, located on the southern tip of Long Island, New York, is a timeless example of the scenic value and recreational opportunities that may be found in our metropolitan settings. This legendary state park, which is a part of Massapequa Park, has charmed generations of New Yorkers and tourists by providing a distinctive mix of sandy shoreline, exciting cultural attractions, and outdoor adventures. This article will examine the background, top features, and ongoing allure of Jones Beach State Park.
A Historical Oasis: Jones Beach State Park was established in the 1930s and has a lengthy history. Robert Moses, a well-known urban designer, created the park, which welcomed visitors in 1929. In a time of economic difficulty, its development gave thousands of people jobs while leaving a lasting legacy for future generations.
The Jones Beach Water Tower, an Art Deco masterpiece and a representation of Long Island, is the park’s most recognizable landmark. This tower enhances the aesthetic appeal of the park and serves as a useful piece of infrastructure.
Natural Beauty at its Finest: Jones Beach State Park is home to a lengthy, stunning stretch of white, sandy beaches that run the length of the Atlantic Ocean for six and a half miles. The ideal setting for picnics, beach activities, and sunbathing is these immaculate shores. Swimmers of all ages are invited to enjoy the cool Atlantic waters by the calm waves.
The environmental diversity of the park is one of its distinctive qualities. Visitors can tour the Jones Beach Nature Center, which offers a view into the surrounding flora and fauna, further inland than the shoreline. Birdwatchers will enjoy spotting the variety of bird species that call the park home, and environment lovers will value the chance to learn about the fragile coastal habitat.
Outdoor Adventures Abound: Jones Beach State Park has a variety of activities to offer people looking for adventure inland. While anglers can try their luck fishing in the waves, cyclists can explore the network of bike lanes throughout the park. The park is a great place for families to visit because it includes many picnic spaces and playgrounds.
The park also has many sports courts and fields, including ones for shuffleboard, basketball, and volleyball. On the expansive lawns, visitors can participate in friendly competitions or just relax and play catch.
Jones Beach State Park is not just a retreat for nature lovers; it is also a center of culture. Throughout the summer, a range of concerts, theatrical productions, and other events are held at the 14,000-seat outdoor amphitheater known as The Nikon at Jones Beach Theater. A prominent event that draws aviation enthusiasts from near and far is the annual Bethpage Air Show at Jones Beach.
The 2.2-mile Jones Beach Boardwalk is a wonderful location for a leisurely stroll. It is the ideal location to enjoy summertime sweets while admiring the expansive ocean views because it is dotted with food stands, gift shops, and ice cream businesses.
Maintaining the Legacy: Over the years, Jones Beach State Park has undergone a number of restorations and enhancements, ensuring that it continues to be a major tourist attraction. It is admirable that so much effort has been put into maintaining its historical and ecological importance.
The park has improved its environmental initiatives in recent years. To continue preserving the park’s natural beauty for future generations, efforts are being made to reduce plastic waste and promote eco-friendly behaviors.
In conclusion, Jones Beach State Park in Massapequa Park, New York, is a shining example of the tenacity of the human spirit and the enduring beauty of the natural world. The park has won over both young and old visitors since its modest beginnings in the Great Depression and is now a thriving recreational haven. Jones Beach State Park is more than just a vacation spot because to its immaculate beaches, cultural attractions, and dedication to sustainability; it is a beloved piece of New York’s cultural legacy. This park offers a little something for everyone, whether you’re looking for tranquility on the sand or excitement in the surf, making it a must-visit location for anybody enjoying the natural beauties of the Empire State.
|
environmental_science
|
https://www.cnpowerclean.com/news/what-are-the-advantages-of-bamboo-cloth.html
| 2024-02-22T00:13:30 |
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2024-10/segments/1707947473598.4/warc/CC-MAIN-20240221234056-20240222024056-00267.warc.gz
| 0.942289 | 513 |
CC-MAIN-2024-10
|
webtext-fineweb__CC-MAIN-2024-10__0__13321507
|
en
|
Bamboo cloth, also known as bamboo fabric or bamboo textile, offers several advantages that make it a popular and sustainable choice for clothing, bedding, and other textile products. Here are some key advantages of bamboo cloth:
Bamboo is a highly renewable resource that grows quickly and doesn't require pesticides or chemicals to thrive. Its rapid growth makes it an eco-friendly alternative to traditional textiles like cotton.
Bamboo fabric has a silky, smooth texture that feels soft against the skin. It offers a luxurious feel and is often compared to fabrics like cashmere or silk.
Bamboo cloth is naturally moisture-wicking, meaning it absorbs and evaporates moisture quickly. This makes it ideal for activewear and undergarments that need to keep you dry and comfortable.
Bamboo fabric is highly breathable and allows air to circulate, helping to regulate body temperature and prevent overheating.
Bamboo cloth is naturally hypoallergenic, making it a great choice for people with sensitive skin or allergies. It resists dust mites and other allergens that can trigger reactions.
Bamboo has natural antibacterial properties that can help prevent the growth of odor-causing bacteria on clothing. This makes bamboo clothing feel fresher for longer periods.
Bamboo fabric provides some degree of protection against harmful UV rays from the sun, which can be beneficial for outdoor clothing and beachwear.
Bamboo cloth is biodegradable, meaning it breaks down naturally without causing long-term harm to the environment. This contrasts with synthetic fabrics that contribute to microplastic pollution.
Bamboo requires less water than traditional crops like cotton to grow, making it a more water-efficient choice for textile production.
Bamboo fabric can be blended with other materials like organic cotton, spandex, or hemp to create versatile textiles suitable for various uses, from clothing to home textiles.
Bamboo clothing is typically easy to care for, as it can often be machine washed and doesn't require special handling or dry cleaning.
Bamboo has natural resistance to pests, which reduces the need for pesticides and chemical treatments during cultivation.
Bamboo plants have the ability to sequester carbon dioxide, contributing to carbon offset and potentially benefiting the environment.
It's important to note that not all bamboo fabrics are created equal, as different production processes can impact the environmental and ethical aspects of the final product. When purchasing bamboo clothing or textiles, look for products that are made from sustainably harvested bamboo and manufactured using eco-friendly methods.
|
environmental_science
|
https://hcaw.org/event-3149295
| 2020-01-26T18:18:48 |
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2020-05/segments/1579251690095.81/warc/CC-MAIN-20200126165718-20200126195718-00096.warc.gz
| 0.897667 | 408 |
CC-MAIN-2020-05
|
webtext-fineweb__CC-MAIN-2020-05__0__146686847
|
en
|
Is the health of your patients being degraded by poor air quality? It may seem that homebound patients would be less impacted by environmental air pollution, but conditions in the home—such as tobacco smoke and woodburning stoves—can also have significant effects on patients’ cardiovascular and respiratory health. And while some pollutants like vehicle emissions have a bigger impact in urban areas, rural areas are exposed to other air contaminants that can also trigger heart attacks and strokes and reduce life expectancy.
During this webinar, you’ll learn more about short- and long-term health effects of air pollution and discover resources to help educate patients and caregivers.
Learn How to:
- Explain how air quality impacts cardiovascular health and premature mortality
- Identify EPA tools & resources available for health care professionals to help at-risk patients avoid exposure to air particle pollution
- Describe how the Million Hearts® initiative has incorporated EPA tools & resources to reduce air pollution exposure and prevent heart attacks & strokes
Wayne E. Cascio, MD, FACC
Director, National Health and Environmental Effects Research Laboratory
Office of Research and Development
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
Earn Free CE Credits!
This activity has been submitted to Alabama State Nurses Association for approval to award contact hours. Alabama State Nurses Association is an accredited approver of continuing nursing education by the American Nurses Credentialing Center’s Commission on Accreditation.
To receive CE credit, participants must watch the webinar and complete an additional 15 minutes of related coursework in HHQI University.
This material was prepared by Quality Insights, the Medicare Quality Innovation Network-Quality Improvement Organization supporting the Home Health Quality Improvement National Campaign, under contract with the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), an agency of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The views presented do not necessarily reflect CMS policy.
Publication number 11SOW-WV-HH-MMD-112018
|
environmental_science
|
http://reinvestorvideos.com/2021/03/11/4-warning-signs-that-you-need-septic-tank-pumping-services/
| 2024-04-19T05:17:31 |
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2024-18/segments/1712296817289.27/warc/CC-MAIN-20240419043820-20240419073820-00551.warc.gz
| 0.953105 | 570 |
CC-MAIN-2024-18
|
webtext-fineweb__CC-MAIN-2024-18__0__169929625
|
en
|
No one is going to blame you for ignoring your septic tank system. It is probably the last thing you think about with all the chores, school work, professional responsibilities, and personal goals to pursue. However, neglecting your septic tank can result in complicated problems, and it is the last thing you want.
It is time you started taking care of your septic tank as an integral part of your home. So how do you know when it is full and needs a septic tank pumping service? Here are some telltale signs to keep in mind.
1. It Has Been a While Since It Was Pumped
Timely and routine maintenance schedules ensure your septic tank is in excellent condition to manage wastewater for some time, depending on its size. The experts will also inspect your septic tanks for signs such as cracks and repair them during the pumping services.
If you have to scratch your head to recall the last time you called in the septic tank pumping services, that's an indication that it's probably time to give it some attention.
2. Sewage Back-Up
You can't ignore sewage back-up in your home. This is probably the most apparent sign of an overflowing septic tank that needs to be pumped. In extreme cases, you may begin to notice traces of raw sewage in your home's sinks and drains.
The presence of raw sewage in your home poses health hazards. Therefore, call in the specialists immediately before your home becomes uninhabitable.
3. Unpleasant Odor
The more you keep postponing your septic tank pumping service, the more the tank fills up. As the sewage takes more space, the foul-smelling gases will be forced out of the tank. You might begin to notice gases emanating from the drains or toilet in your home.
The gases have a sharp pungent smell that's hard to ignore. The more you delay taking action, the stronger the odor becomes. Therefore, consider scheduling a septic tank pumping service immediately.
4. Water Drains Slowly
If you notice that the water in your sink or tub drains too slowly, you might have an overfilled septic tank. Your toilet could fail to flush as usual. A filled septic tank may not accommodate any more waste, which explains the slow drainage.
While slow drainage doesn't always indicate that your tank needs to be pumped, it's a warning sign you should never ignore. Call in the experts to diagnose the problem and solve it.
These signs will help you take action on time to prevent inconveniences associated with septic tank problems. Timely septic tank pumping enables you to avoid expensive repairs and replacements. It is best to consult with an expert to determine the best way to solve your septic tank problems before it is too late.
|
environmental_science
|
https://remarkableplumbingheating.com/water-heater-contractor-north-east-pa/
| 2024-02-22T07:33:16 |
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2024-10/segments/1707947473735.7/warc/CC-MAIN-20240222061937-20240222091937-00532.warc.gz
| 0.89607 | 1,260 |
CC-MAIN-2024-10
|
webtext-fineweb__CC-MAIN-2024-10__0__100936244
|
en
|
Understanding Your Water Heater Options:
At Remarkable Plumbing & Heating, we’re committed to helping you find the perfect water heating solution for your home. Let’s explore the various types available:
- Tankless Water Heaters (On-Demand): These compact units heat water directly without using a storage tank. They’re ideal for those prioritizing energy efficiency and endless hot water supply. Perfect for smaller homes or families with fluctuating water needs.
- Storage Tank Water Heaters: The most commonly used type, these heaters maintain a large volume of heated water in an insulated tank, ready for use. They are available in various sizes and fuel sources (gas, electric, oil) to fit your household requirements.
- Hybrid Water Heaters (Heat Pump): A blend of traditional and modern technology, these heaters use a heat pump to extract heat from the surrounding air and transfer it to the water. They’re incredibly energy-efficient and great for climates with moderate heating and cooling needs.
- Solar Water Heaters: Eco-friendly and cost-effective in the long run, these systems use solar panels to capture energy from the sun to heat your water. They’re an excellent choice for environmentally conscious homeowners and can significantly reduce energy bills.
- Condensing Water Heaters: Ideal for homes with natural gas fuel, these units utilize unused gas fumes to heat the water, making them highly efficient for households with large hot water demands.
Each type of water heater has unique advantages, and our Remarkable Plumbing & Heating team is here to guide you through your options. We’ll help you assess your home’s needs, energy preferences, and budget to find the best water heater.
Energy Efficiency and Cost Savings
At Remarkable Plumbing & Heating, we understand that energy efficiency is not just a buzzword—it’s a crucial factor in reducing your monthly utility bills and contributing to a healthier planet. Here’s how choosing the right water heater can lead to significant cost savings and environmental benefits:
- Understanding Energy Efficiency Ratings: Learn about energy ratings like EF (Energy Factor) and UEF (Uniform Energy Factor) that measure a water heater’s efficiency. The higher the rating, the more efficient the unit.
- Cost-Efficient Operations: We highlight how investing in a high-efficiency water heater can lead to substantial savings on your energy bills in the long term. Compare the operating costs of different types of water heaters to see potential savings.
- Environmental Impact: We’ll explain how efficient water heaters contribute to lower carbon emissions, helping you play a part in protecting the environment.
- Rebates and Incentives: Explore available government rebates and incentives for installing energy-efficient water heaters, which can further reduce your initial investment costs.
- Customized Solutions for Maximum Efficiency: Our team at Remarkable Plumbing & Heating provides personalized consultations to determine the most energy-efficient water heating solution for your home, considering factors like your household size, usage patterns, and local climate.
Maintaining Your Water Heater For Optimal Performance And Longevity
- Regular Inspections for Peace of Mind: Ensure your water heater’s health and efficiency with our expert inspection service. Regular check-ups can prevent unexpected breakdowns, identify safety hazards, and extend the life of your unit. Our skilled technicians will examine your system for signs of wear, leakage, or corrosion, offering peace of mind and ensuring your water heater is in top condition.
- Setting the Ideal Temperature: Balancing energy savings and comfort is key. We recommend setting your water heater to an optimal temperature that prevents scalding yet delivers comfortable hot water. This balance ensures safety and reduces energy consumption, lowering your monthly bills. We’ll guide you on adjusting the settings for maximum efficiency.
- Annual Draining and Flushing: Essential Care: Over time, sediment can accumulate in your water heater, reducing its efficiency and lifespan. Our annual draining and flushing service removes these deposits, ensuring your water heater operates at peak performance. This routine maintenance can significantly enhance your system’s efficiency and prevent unexpected repairs.
- Anode Rod Inspection: The Secret to Longevity: The anode rod is crucial in preventing tank corrosion. Our experts will check and replace this vital component as needed, typically every 3-5 years. This proactive approach can dramatically extend the life of your water heater, saving you money in the long run.
- Insulating for Efficiency: Older water heaters can benefit greatly from proper insulation. We offer specialized insulation services for your unit and pipes, reducing heat loss and improving efficiency. This simple yet effective upgrade can lead to noticeable energy savings.
- Combatting Hard Water: A Clear Solution: Hard water can lead to scale buildup, affecting your water heater’s performance. We provide tailored solutions, including water softening systems, to combat this issue, enhancing the efficiency and lifespan of your heater.
- Safety First: DIY Maintenance Tips: While professional maintenance is key, there are steps you can take to care for your water heater. We offer practical advice on safe DIY maintenance, including how to safely turn off the power and water supply before any self-service, ensuring your and your family’s safety.
Frequently Asked Questions
Regular inspections are key to maintaining your water heater’s efficiency and longevity. We recommend having a professional inspection at least once a year.
For a balance of energy efficiency and safety, setting your water heater around 120-140°F is typically recommended.
Yes, annual draining and flushing are important to remove sediment buildup, which can impact the heater’s performance and efficiency.
The anode rod should generally be checked every 3-5 years and replaced if significantly corroded to prevent tank corrosion.
Absolutely! Insulating older water heaters and the first few feet of pipes can significantly reduce heat loss, improving efficiency and leading to energy savings.
Quick Service, On Emergency Call - 24/7
Having a plumbing or heating emergency? Give us a call now for a quick response!
|
environmental_science
|
http://lavendersblue-betty.blogspot.com/2010/06/theme-thursday-white.html
| 2019-08-17T12:53:37 |
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2019-35/segments/1566027313259.30/warc/CC-MAIN-20190817123129-20190817145129-00528.warc.gz
| 0.939759 | 271 |
CC-MAIN-2019-35
|
webtext-fineweb__CC-MAIN-2019-35__0__95350986
|
en
|
white as snow
whiter than white
white as a sheet
the whites of his eyes
About 15 miles southwest of Alamogordo in New Mexico, in the northern end of the Chihuahuan Desert is the Tularosa Basin. Here gypsum is washed off the mountains by the rain or brought by the wind. It is water-soluble and would normally be washed out to sea. Here, however, it stays in the basin as the water either evaporates or goes into the ground.
275 square miles of shifting, shining, white dunes.
Unlike quartz-based sand, the gypsum does not easily convert the sun's energy into heat and so the dunes are cool enough to walk on in bare feet, even when the summer sun is blazing overhead.
We visited here on our road trip last year.
This is an extract from the journal I kept: ... we saw a glint of white in the distance, a flash of silver on the horizon. White Sands ... we drove among the dunes. White. Dazzling white. So bright that the photos I took were a whiteout, until I remembered the 'snow' setting on the camera ... awesome ... magnificent ...
Grasses and other plants have adapted to life here.
and humans can enjoy the solitude ...
|
environmental_science
|
https://toodyaychristmastrees.com.au/caring-for-your-real-live-christmas-tr/
| 2022-08-15T09:12:15 |
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-33/segments/1659882572163.61/warc/CC-MAIN-20220815085006-20220815115006-00537.warc.gz
| 0.94298 | 538 |
CC-MAIN-2022-33
|
webtext-fineweb__CC-MAIN-2022-33__0__177238736
|
en
|
Our Christmas Trees are all hand-raised with love and we are so happy that your tree is going home with you!
People usually start collecting Christmas Trees anytime from 3 – 4 weeks before Christmas, right through to a few days before the big day.
If well cared for, Toodyay Christmas Trees look good and smell divine for 6-8 weeks (or even more!!) from the time you take them home.
Please give your tree ongoing love and care, using the tips provided below.
- We recommend you bring a sheet / tarp to wrap your tree for the drive home.
- The base of your tree will also need to be wrapped in damp cloths / rags. Please bring these with you and we will happily dampen them at the farm for your journey home.
- Once home, remove 2cm (straight cut across the base) from the base of the trunk to optimise water absorption.
- Place the base of the tree into the water immediately after cutting. If the tree isn’t absorbing water (the water level isn’t dropping), this means the tree is still “sapped over”. Re-cut the base of the trunk (2cm) and place in water again, checking the water level.
- For optimal tree health, we recommend adding Tree Care Preservative to the water.
- Once your tree is happy, check and top up the water in the tree base daily.
- We recommend using a Cinco tree base to keep your tree fresh and fragrant throughout your festive season.
- If not intending to put the tree up immediately, keep it in a cool dark area (protected from sun and wind) in a bucket of water (or your water filled tree base), until ready to locate and decorate.
- Choose a location that is away from heat generating sources such as windows, TVs or stereos. Fireplaces are not usually an issue in WA in December but remember that placing your tree directly under an air conditioner may also reduce your tree’s life span.
It is important to keep your tree well-watered during its time with you to keep it fresh and looking and smelling its best, so please remember to check and top-up the water daily to keep your tree fresh for as long as possible!
Once your time with your Christmas tree is over, if you fancy a return trip to our beautiful Toodyay property, you can give back to the earth by dropping off your tree for us to recycle by turning it into mulch to feed your next year’s Christmas tree!!
|
environmental_science
|
http://nativesol.tumblr.com/tagged/organic
| 2013-05-21T04:08:37 |
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368699684236/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516102124-00022-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz
| 0.914831 | 757 |
CC-MAIN-2013-20
|
webtext-fineweb__CC-MAIN-2013-20__0__132852232
|
en
|
Made with Hemp and Organic Cotton knit. #nativesol #handmade #cutandsew #organiccotton #hemp #ecotextiles #earthfriendly #knit #organic #sustainable
The Ladies are having fun with Organic Essential Oils at the Make and Take Baby Essentials Class by Amy Lee. Hosted at the Native Sol Boutique. #holisticbabycare #essentialoils #organic #holistic #aromatherapy #health #babies
Morning Green Smoothies: kale, frozen bananas, filtered water. Blend and enjoy! #organic #SmoothieAday #day23
Simple Green Smoothie to start the morning with a healthy energizing breakfast.
Take about 60% fruits (bananas, strawberries, peaches,etc) and 40% greens (kale, spinach, collard, chard, wild edibles, etc) and water. Put all in the blender and blend until smooth. You can add more fruits to make it sweeter.
This one is made with wild dandelion leaves, root, and flower (from the farmer’s market) and bananas and water. The kids love them!
We Stopped by at Lincoln Spring Farms today located at
3031 Elm Avenue , Long Beach, CA
They are sustainably grown and harvested with out using any harmful chemicals and pesticides. They have a stand open on Fridays or you can sign up for their CSA box.
Here’s their website for more info: http://lincolnspringfarms.com/index.php
I am learning more about GMO foods, it’s disguise, and it’s growing advocacy against it. I know for sure that I do not want to feed my family or myself any products that contains Genetically Modified Organisms. But how do we know if we are avoiding it? That’s why it is essential that products that contain GMOs should be properly labeled. We have the right to be informed.
I turned down down a vendor the other day who wanted to sell her Soy candle product (which is technically more eco-friendly than the regular petroleum base paraffins). I asked her if she knows if her soy wax is GMO free? and her answer was, “I don’t know”. She called the company while she was at our store. They told her that the soy is from the U.S. so therefore they are made from genetically modified soy plants. I am proud to have posed the question and to have turned down the products.
It’s unfortunate that many of the so called “bio-degradable”/”eco” plastics are made from genetically modified soy, corn, and wheat. All though it’s somewhat better than the petroleum base products, it is still supporting the GMO industry. That means we just got to Step our game up and truly be a conscious consumer.
We now have new batches of LOVE SNAX available at our store!!
LOVE SNAX chocolates are Raw Vegan, Gourmet, Organic, Fair-Trade, made in small batches in Laguna Beach California. A family operated business and are made with lots of Love:)
Made with Eco-Friendly Biodegradable packaging. Great delicious Holiday gifts:)
Flavors we have in stock are: Rose, Habenero Vanilla, Lucuma Vanilla, Orange Creamsicle, Strawberry Blonde, Coffee, Ethiopian Spice, Black Cherry, and Original Dark Chocolate
available @ our Earth Friendly Lifestyle Boutique in Long Beach:)
433 E. Broadway
Long Beach, CA 90802
|
environmental_science
|
http://staged13.visioninternet.net/our-approach
| 2020-07-09T23:25:23 |
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2020-29/segments/1593655902377.71/warc/CC-MAIN-20200709224746-20200710014746-00155.warc.gz
| 0.924855 | 1,239 |
CC-MAIN-2020-29
|
webtext-fineweb__CC-MAIN-2020-29__0__75182815
|
en
|
KC Water’s Smart Sewer program fulfills our commitment and obligation to protect the health of Kansas Citians, as well as our environment. The overflow control program (OCP) was developed for the Kansas City community by its residents. This plan was codified in the Consent Decree and became the Smart Sewer program. The goals?
- Maximize benefits while minimizing costs.
- Repair where we can, replace where we must, build new only when necessary.
- Use innovation at every turn.
- Let real-time data and sensors pinpoint what needs to be done.
- Use green infrastructure when possible.
- Use technology to make work efficient and safe.
- Measure how the system is performing and adjust the plan as needed.
Measuring & Predicting Flows with Smart Sensors:A network of almost 300 smart sensors located under manhole covers measure water flows and levels at critical points throughout Kansas City’s wastewater system.
- Sensor data train an artificial intelligence (AI) system that acts as the “brain” of our 150-year-old sewer system to predict how it will perform in various storm conditions.
- Predictions help the AI system “decide” how to best route the flow of wastewater.
- National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) forecasts determine the most optimal place to store or direct wastewater.
Kansas City’s sanitary sewer system consists of separate and combined sewer systems. In the separate sewer system, stormwater and wastewater are collected in two different pipes, where wastewater is routed to a wastewater treatment plant for treatment, and stormwater flows directly to nearby rivers and streams without treatment. In the combined sewer system, stormwater and wastewater are collected in the same pipe and routed to a wastewater treatment plant for treatment.
To help reduce the frequency of combined sewer overflows, KC Water’s Smart Sewer program is separating portions of the combined sewer system in targeted areas of the City.
These improvements will help protect our community’s environment by reducing the amount of stormwater entering our sewer system, which will in turn reduce the frequency of sewer overflows and potential for basement backups. On some projects, green infrastructure is also being incorporated to handle discharges from the newly separated storm sewers and capture stormwater where it falls.
Neighborhood Sewer Rehabilitation
In many neighborhoods throughout Kansas City, wastewater and stormwater are combined to flow through the same pipes. As a part of KC Water’s Smart Sewer program, targeted areas throughout the City are being restored to remove excess rainwater from this combined sewer system. Repairing and rehabilitating neighborhood sewer systems, including pipes and manholes, will help protect our community’s environment by reducing the amount of stormwater entering our sewer system.
Diversion Structure & Sewer Consolidation
As part of KC Water’s Smart Sewer program, publicly-owned sewers in targeted areas throughout the combined sewer system are being consolidated. These projects can reduce the complexity of the sewer system by reducing the number of outfalls, and in some cases, removing them entirely. Consolidation typically results in lower maintenance costs, easier and more accurate monitoring of rain events, and fewer sewer overflows during smaller rain events.
Green infrastructure helps our community manage stormwater the way nature intended by capturing and utilizing rainwater where it falls. It decreases the amount of water getting into our pipes, improves water quality, and reduces flooding, pollution, and trash in our streams, rivers, and lakes. Green infrastructure slows, absorbs, and filters stormwater before it enters and overflows Kansas City’s sewer system. It replenishes groundwater and sustains plants, trees, and natural habitats while working with gray infrastructure to increase the capacity of our underground pipes. It also helps to filter pollutants from rainwater runoff before it is discharged into our streams and rivers.
KC Water’s Smart Sewer program is installing a variety of green infrastructure installations in targeted areas throughout the City. Learn more about green infrastructure in Kansas City.
Inflow and infiltration (I/I) is a term used to describe rainwater and groundwater that enters sewer pipes that are meant to carry wastewater only. When it rains, stormwater can enter our wastewater sewer system through breaks and faulty connections, which can overwhelm the system and lead to sewer overflows.
As a part of KC Water’s Smart Sewer program, publicly-owned sewers, pipes, and manholes in targeted areas throughout Kansas City are being restored to reduce the amount of I/I entering our wastewater system. These repairs will help protect our community’s environment by reducing the amount of stormwater and groundwater entering our sewer system, which will reduce the frequency of sewer overflows.
Pumping and Conveyance
KC Water’s Smart Sewer program is working on pumping and conveyance projects within our combined sewer system — where stormwater and wastewater are collected in the same pipe. These projects will increase the capacity of key pump stations across Kansas City, allow more combined stormwater and wastewater to flow to our wastewater treatment plants, and reduce the frequency of sewer combined sewer overflows.
Storage and Conveyance
KC Water’s Smart Sewer program includes projects to improve storage and conveyance within our combined sewer system. This will increase the capacity of our system, redirecting and storing wet weather flows during large rain events. These flows are re-released into the system once the storm passes and the flows recede. This added capacity will reduce the frequency of sewer overflows.
Wastewater treatment plants remove contaminants from wastewater before it reenters our waterways. Physical, chemical, and biological processes are used to remove contaminants and produce treated wastewater that is safe to release into the environment.
As a part of KC Water’s Smart Sewer program, improvements are being made to increase the capacity and functionality of our wastewater treatment facilities. This means our system will be able to handle more flow during heavy rain, reducing the frequency of sewer overflows.
|
environmental_science
|
https://chymey.com/blogs/best-tea-blog/eco-friendly-brewing-with-biodegradability
| 2023-12-09T14:28:37 |
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2023-50/segments/1700679100912.91/warc/CC-MAIN-20231209134916-20231209164916-00051.warc.gz
| 0.923411 | 737 |
CC-MAIN-2023-50
|
webtext-fineweb__CC-MAIN-2023-50__0__81507702
|
en
|
Whether you're immersed in the bustling office routine or enjoying a snug afternoon at home, the experience of savouring your beloved tea blend is always comforting. And with the growing emphasis on healthy lifestyles, teas that offer all-natural ingredients and herbal blends are preferred worldwide. Especially the ones served in the form of ‘tea bags’. That’s primarily because nothing matches the convenience that tea bags bring to the table.
When it comes to premium tea bags, we have a wide range of unique flavours for you to choose from. Moreover, our tea bags are extremely eco-friendly and don’t cause any harm to the environment. In this blog, we dive into the captivating world of Chymey tea bags and reveal why our latest collection of Organic Pyramid Tea Bags is a must-try for you.
The Anatomy Of Tea Bags
Regular tea bags are made from materials like plastic or paper or a combination of both. Now, the ones made with paper can be easily decomposed but the plastic ones proved to be extremely harmful for the environment. The chemicals in these tea bags contribute to the waste that persists for centuries and impacts your health too.
Biodegradable tea bags provide the most effective solution to this problem. Not only do they reduce waste, but are also free from harmful chemicals found in conventional bags. Isn’t that a win-win situation for both nature and you? At Chymey, we aim to take eco-friendly brewing to the next level with our pyramid tea bags. These planet-friendly bags are crafted from plant-based materials that contribute to nature and guarantee a superior infusion.
Benefits of Chymey Pyramid Tea Bags
Most people toss the tea bags in trash after use. But you need not do that with Chymey tea bags. That’s because our tea bags are made from biodegradable materials that can actually be used for composting. These compostable tea bags enrich the soil with nutrients that break down easily.
All you need to do is place the empty tea bags and tea leaves into your compost bin or pile, mix them with other compostable materials, and regularly turn the compost for aeration. Within weeks to months, this compost will be ready to enrich your garden soil with valuable nutrients. That’s how you can also enjoy the benefits of used tea bags.
Fuller Flavour Extraction:
The pyramid shape of our tea bags facilitates better infusions by offering a larger surface area for tea leaves to expand and move. This promotes improved flavour extraction, resulting in enhanced taste, aroma, and a truly satisfying brew. To add to it, plant-based materials that are used in our tea bags interact harmoniously with your tea, thereby enhancing its aroma and taste even further.
Chemical-Free Tea Drinking Experience:
Chymey’s biodegradable tea filter bags are free from synthetic materials and chemicals, ensuring that harmful substances don't leach into your tea. Furthermore, natural fibres in it allow the tea to steep effectively without causing any harm to your digestive system.
We are committed to providing an unmatched tea drinking experience to our customers. And while doing this, we give back to nature through our products. Our newest range of Organic Teas are available in 14 unique flavours.
These teas are crafted from the finest natural ingredients and are wrapped in individual plant-based pyramid bags that preserve their goodness. So, check out our products and buy your favourite blend to embark on a greener, more sustainable tea-drinking journey!
|
environmental_science
|
http://www.northernlightsresort.com/fantastic-fishing-page/
| 2023-01-27T10:51:02 |
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2023-06/segments/1674764494976.72/warc/CC-MAIN-20230127101040-20230127131040-00513.warc.gz
| 0.948796 | 238 |
CC-MAIN-2023-06
|
webtext-fineweb__CC-MAIN-2023-06__0__5003415
|
en
|
Dead Lake in Richville Minnesota has fantastic fishing and lake fun for all! The lake features over 7900 acres of water with calm bays, multiple islands and over 36 miles of shoreline. You'll find a wide variety of fish including Walleye, Largemouth Bass, Northern Pike, Crappie, Perch, Sunnies and more.
As an environmental lake, development around the lake is limited thus allowing the lake habitat to flourish. The lake offers several deep holes perfect for walleye fishing. The bass are plentiful along the weed lines and near structure. Sizeable crappie and sunnies are prevalent in our bay and throughout the lake. And Northern Pike.... they are everywhere. Anglers of any age can catch fish on Dead Lake with many quality fish caught directly off our docks.
Fishing licenses, gas, bait and tackle can be purchased at the resort store. Complimentary printed lake maps are also available.
We also provide a fish cleaning house and freezer space for your catch. If you just can't wait to eat your catch, each cabin has a grill and picnic table. And, fish stories abound around the campfire.
|
environmental_science
|
https://hpcc.usc.edu/mahta-moghaddam/
| 2020-06-03T22:26:32 |
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2020-24/segments/1590347436466.95/warc/CC-MAIN-20200603210112-20200604000112-00177.warc.gz
| 0.905979 | 601 |
CC-MAIN-2020-24
|
webtext-fineweb__CC-MAIN-2020-24__0__208500557
|
en
|
Mahta Moghaddam is a professor in the USC Viterbi School of Engineering’s Ming Hsieh Department of Electrical Engineering, and director of the Microwave Systems, Sensors and Imaging Lab at USC (MiXIL). Her research interests include radar systems, microwave remote sensing for environmental applications, medical imaging, and focused microwave therapy.
Moghaddam uses HPC resources in her capacity as principal investigator of the Airborne Microwave Observatory of Subcanopy and Subsurface (AirMOSS) project, a mission of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) that studies how dynamics and heterogeneities of root zone soil moisture (RZSM) control ecosystem carbon fluxes in North America.
Moghaddam’s team employs a P-band (70 centimeter wavelength) radar instrument—designed and constructed by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) and attached to a Gulfstream-III aircraft operated by NASA’s Johnson Space Center (JSC) — to measure scattering cross sections in order to compute the RZSM of vegetation in forest and grassland ecosystems. This information is used in hydrologic and ecosystem process models to determine how much carbon these ecosystems are sequestering and releasing, depending on the available water at their roots. The difference, also called the Net Ecosystem Exchange (NEE) of carbon into the atmosphere, is essential for a better understanding of global climate change.
Using P-band wavelengths, the radar penetrates vegetation canopies and soil to determine how much water lies in the root zone. Measurements are being taken many times as the aircraft flies repeatedly over ten sites in North America over a period of 3 years. Each flyover generates half a million pixels of high-resolution digital imagery, with each pixel representing an area of 30 to 100 meters squared. For analysis, these measurements are run through nonlinear optimizations, using parallel processing on the team’s dedicated cluster, providing the first temporally and spatially sustained direct observations of RZSM. Moghaddam’s work represents the first time such information has been collected and provided to scientists on a large scale.
AirMOSS, led by Moghaddam, is a $25.8M project supported by NASA. Thismultidisciplinary collaboration includes USC, JPL, JSC, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Harvard University, Purdue University, Oregon State University, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, U.S. Department of Agriculture, and U.S. Geological Survey. Moghaddam’s team is also engaged in a number of other projects sponsored by NASA, the National Science Foundation, and the U. S. Department of Defense.
ABOVE: High-resolution P-band radar image—taken in Walnut Gulch, Arizona—of subsurface soil water content, which shows the soil moisture 30 centimeters below the surface.
|
environmental_science
|
https://blog.realfoodhub.co.uk/2021/06/28/salt-marsh-lamb/
| 2023-11-30T07:50:32 |
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2023-50/segments/1700679100172.28/warc/CC-MAIN-20231130062948-20231130092948-00830.warc.gz
| 0.937375 | 597 |
CC-MAIN-2023-50
|
webtext-fineweb__CC-MAIN-2023-50__0__276163692
|
en
|
Salt Marsh lamb has the most incredible flavour but in the UK it’s only fairly recently that this ‘melt-in-the-mouth’ meat has been treated as a speciality. The French have been treating it like a delicacy for decades and just can’t get enough of it!
Salt Marsh Lamb has a distinctive flavour and tender texture, dark in colour with less fat than mountain-reared lamb. Our Gower Salt Marsh Lamb is outstanding and fully traceable, the Pritchard family having farmed at Weobley Castle on the beautiful Gower Peninsula for years.
Weobley Castle sits on the northern shores of the Gower Peninsula surrounded by around 4000 acres of salt marsh. The Pritchard’s breed traditional Welsh Mule & Suffolk sheep grazing around 700 lambs on the estuary, a unique environment of wild pastures containing a natural abundance of Samphire, Sorrel, Sea lavender, Glasswort, Sea Purslane and Thrift.
The estuary salt marshes and coastal pastures are regularly doused by the sea, and afterwards the lambs feed on the rich variety of grasses plants and minerals. Grazing this unique environment gives Gower Salt Marsh Lamb its distinctive and very special flavour, sought after by chefs throughout the country.
The high salt levels and iodine-rich content of the pastures makes the muscle cells retain more moisture and so the meat is succulent, juicy and tender with gentle hints of the coastal flora and fauna. A real treat to be savoured!
Furthermore, when the sheep digest these natural pastures, the beneficial and healing properties of the plants and grasses also make their way to the meat which is rich in vitamins, minerals and trace elements.
Will Pritchard keeps traditional Welsh breeds of sheep which are best suited to the environment and nimble enough to jump over the pills (little rivers) of the marshes. You can see many of his flock jumping over pills in the video here. https://youtu.be/ddyvyG6ZMtA
The sheep graze closely to the water’s edge which is where the salty plants, grasses and herbs grow which are not sown as a crop, but are wild and untreated. These amazing flavours are reflected in the taste of the lamb.
Interestingly, ‘leaders’ of the flock of sheep grazing on the salt marshes can sense when the tide is coming in and they lead the flock to higher ground. When the tide goes out again the flock returns to the marshes!
Salt Marsh Lamb comes into season in June/July and available throughout summer and autumn. Will keeps a stock of frozen Gower Salt Marsh Lamb cuts to sell between Jan – July. It’s the distinctive flavour and meltingly tender texture, which make it really quite different from mountain lamb, darker in colour with less fat.
|
environmental_science
|
https://www.duckorchid.com/himalayan-salt-lamp-benefits/
| 2023-12-11T01:50:08 |
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2023-50/segments/1700679103464.86/warc/CC-MAIN-20231211013452-20231211043452-00343.warc.gz
| 0.90999 | 1,520 |
CC-MAIN-2023-50
|
webtext-fineweb__CC-MAIN-2023-50__0__12070265
|
en
|
Himalayan Salt Lamp Benefits: A Natural Wellness Boost
Himalayan salt lamps have become increasingly popular in recent years for their unique aesthetic appeal and the potential health benefits they offer. These beautiful pink-hued lamps, carved from ancient salt crystals, have found their way into homes, offices, and wellness spaces around the world. But beyond their soothing ambiance, do Himalayan salt lamps really provide any significant advantages? Let’s explore the potential benefits of Himalayan salt lamps in this comprehensive guide.
What Is a Himalayan Salt Lamp?
Himalayan salt lamps are crafted from pure Himalayan salt crystals, which are millions of years old and mined from deep within the Khewra Salt Mine in Pakistan. These salt crystals are carefully carved into various shapes and sizes, leaving a hollow space inside for a light bulb or candle. When lit, the heat emitted by the bulb or candle warms the salt, causing it to release negative ions into the surrounding environment.
The Potential Benefits of Himalayan Salt Lamps
1. Himalayan Salt Lamp Benefits: Air Purification
One of the most touted benefits of Himalayan salt lamps is their ability to purify the air. The salt crystals attract moisture from the air, and as the lamp warms up, this moisture evaporates, along with any airborne particles it may have trapped. This process can help remove dust, pollen, pet dander, and other allergens from the air, potentially improving indoor air quality.
2. Himalayan Salt Lamp Benefits: Mood Enhancement
Many people find the soft, warm glow of a Himalayan salt lamp to be calming and mood-enhancing. The gentle light can create a relaxing atmosphere, making it an excellent addition to meditation spaces or areas where you want to unwind after a long day.
3. Himalayan Salt Lamp Benefits: Reduced Electromagnetic Radiation
Electronic devices emit electromagnetic radiation, which some individuals are concerned about. While the evidence is limited, Himalayan salt lamps are believed by some to emit negative ions that can help counteract the effects of electromagnetic radiation, creating a more balanced and harmonious environment.
4. Himalayan Salt Lamp Benefits: Improved Sleep
The soft, amber-colored light from a Himalayan salt lamp is less harsh on the eyes than the blue light emitted by screens and some artificial lighting. Using a salt lamp as a night light may contribute to better sleep quality by promoting a more restful sleep environment.
5. Himalayan Salt Lamp Benefits: Alleviation of Allergies and Respiratory Issues
Some individuals with allergies, asthma, or other respiratory conditions claim to experience relief when using Himalayan salt lamps. While the scientific evidence is limited, the salt’s ability to reduce airborne particles could potentially benefit those with respiratory sensitivities.
6. Himalayan Salt Lamp Benefits: Stress Reduction
The calming effect of the lamp’s soft glow can help reduce stress and anxiety levels. Many people find that spending time near a Himalayan salt lamp promotes relaxation and a sense of well-being.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Q1: How do I maintain a Himalayan salt lamp?
To maintain your salt lamp, simply keep it clean and dry. Wipe the lamp with a dry cloth to remove dust and maintain its effectiveness. Avoid exposing it to excessive moisture or direct sunlight, as this can cause damage.
Q2: Can I leave my salt lamp on all the time?
Yes, you can leave your salt lamp on continuously if you prefer. The heat generated by the lamp is minimal and safe for extended use. However, it’s a good practice to turn it off when not in use to prolong the bulb’s lifespan.
Q3: How do I choose the right size salt lamp?
The size of the salt lamp depends on the area you want to illuminate. Smaller lamps work well for bedrooms or small spaces, while larger lamps are suitable for living rooms or larger areas. Choose a size that complements your space.
Q4: Do Himalayan salt lamps expire?
Himalayan salt lamps are long-lasting and do not expire. With proper care, they can provide benefits for many years.
Q5: How do Himalayan salt lamps function?
Himalayan salt lamps release negative ions when heated, potentially improving indoor air quality. As they warm up, they attract moisture from the air and subsequently emit negative ions, which can help counterbalance positive ions linked to pollutants and allergens.
Q6: What are the potential health advantages of Himalayan salt lamps?
Some individuals believe that Himalayan salt lamps can enhance sleep quality, alleviate allergy symptoms, reduce asthma discomfort, and boost mood and concentration. However, it’s important to note that scientific evidence supporting these claims remains limited.
Q7: Can Himalayan salt lamps assist with allergies?
Although some users report reduced allergy symptoms while using Himalayan salt lamps, scientific studies haven’t definitively proven their effectiveness in this regard. Nevertheless, these lamps may contribute to a cleaner indoor environment by reducing airborne pollutants.
Q8: Do Himalayan salt lamps have mood-enhancing and stress-reducing properties?
Negative ions emitted by salt lamps are thought by some to have a calming influence and mood-enhancing potential. Nevertheless, further research is necessary to validate these assertions.
Q9: Are Himalayan salt lamps safe for pets?
Generally, Himalayan salt lamps pose no harm to pets. However, it’s crucial to place them in areas inaccessible to pets to prevent excessive licking or chewing, as excessive salt consumption can be detrimental to animals.
Q10: What is the recommended method for cleaning and maintaining Himalayan salt lamps?
To clean your salt lamp, power it off and let it cool. Subsequently, use a damp cloth or sponge to gently wipe the surface. Avoid direct contact with water, as salt is water-soluble.
Q11: Can I leave my Himalayan salt lamp illuminated continuously?
Leaving your salt lamp on continuously is safe. However, if you prefer turning it off, you can do so without adverse effects. Ensure it’s placed in a dry environment regardless of your choice.
Q12: Do Himalayan salt lamps attract moisture?
Yes, Himalayan salt lamps have the capacity to attract moisture from the surrounding air. This moisture is then released into the environment when the lamp heats up, accompanied by the release of negative ions, potentially improving air quality.
Q13: Can I use a Himalayan salt lamp in my bedroom to promote better sleep?
The soft, warm glow of a salt lamp is found soothing by some, contributing to improved sleep quality. Nonetheless, individual experiences may differ.
Q14: Where can I purchase genuine Himalayan salt lamps?
Authentic Himalayan salt lamps are available through various retail outlets, both physical and online. When shopping, search for lamps crafted from real Himalayan salt and trusted sellers.
Himalayan salt lamps are not just beautiful decorative pieces; they may offer several potential benefits, from air purification to stress reduction. While scientific research on some of these claims is limited, many people find that incorporating these unique lamps into their living spaces enhances their overall well-being. Whether you’re drawn to their soothing glow or intrigued by their potential health advantages, a Himalayan salt lamp can be a delightful addition to your home.
|
environmental_science
|
http://actionmfg.com/residential_aerators.asp
| 2018-04-20T04:47:21 |
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2018-17/segments/1524125937114.2/warc/CC-MAIN-20180420042340-20180420062340-00495.warc.gz
| 0.917807 | 160 |
CC-MAIN-2018-17
|
webtext-fineweb__CC-MAIN-2018-17__0__214304071
|
en
|
Action Manufacturing & Supply offers a complete line of aerators. Models range from 130 gallon to 500 gallon capacities with indoor and out door applications.
Aerators will reduce/remove unwanted odors, gasses, and VOC's from your water supply. Action's aerators also reduce water borne radon which can be found in some water supplies. In conjunction with other radon reduction methods, aerators can be an effective alternative.
Our aerators work on a simple process of spraying water through nozzles in a fine jet mist. As the water is spraying, it will naturally release the gas or odor. The gas is then vented to the outside using the assistance of a vent blower on indoor models, or naturally released to the atmosphere when using an outdoor aeration system.
|
environmental_science
|
https://5e8301afbc8a8.site123.me/anthea-s-story
| 2022-08-14T13:24:48 |
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-33/segments/1659882572033.91/warc/CC-MAIN-20220814113403-20220814143403-00478.warc.gz
| 0.969114 | 249 |
CC-MAIN-2022-33
|
webtext-fineweb__CC-MAIN-2022-33__0__59373532
|
en
|
I've always loved plants, growing up surrounded by them on a lifestyle block in Christchurch where my Mum grew cut flowers and worked as a florist and my Dad planted a tree farm. I loved living somewhere where I could be practical and in the outside world so much. I declared as a child that I wanted to be a horticulturalist and a landscape architect, a family trait on my mother’s side, where keen gardeners, farming and horticulture crop up everywhere.
My horticultural influences lay dormant for more than 20 years during work as a lawyer and in grant giving in New Zealand and the UK. There was some return to my roots with work in government, funding conservation and environmental groups. After taking a part time organic horticulture course while I was working, my interest in horticulture became harder to ignore.
I said goodbye to office work, did a year long course at the BHU (where I am with my Goddaughter in the photo on the right), then set up Organic Gardening Services as a way to work in organic horticulture in Wellington. Six years on and the business continues to grow and my unusual love of weeding is as strong as ever.
|
environmental_science
|
http://simpraxis.com/news/block-0704-completed/
| 2021-08-03T14:24:22 |
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2021-31/segments/1627046154459.22/warc/CC-MAIN-20210803124251-20210803154251-00269.warc.gz
| 0.954575 | 915 |
CC-MAIN-2021-31
|
webtext-fineweb__CC-MAIN-2021-31__0__117534100
|
en
|
Block 0704 presents a new type of urban housing that attempts to challenge conventional architectural typologies of the apartment block. The block can be reinterpreted as a collection of ‘suburban residences’ that include two levels of spaces offering a separation of common areas and private spaces, a more immediate and effective relationship with the outside, a relatively large covered outdoor area, and the use of natural elements as deciduous trees to moderate the microclimate of each space. The relationship to the street becomes secondary with the arrangement of the spaces suggesting a more introverted experience that also encourages the modern dwellers to maximize use of the space and the relationship between indoors and outdoors. The traditional protruding verandas of the typical apartment block are reintegrated into the main mass of the building becoming an integral part of the interior/exterior spatial experience, both visually and functionally. Consequently the apartments attempt to satisfy contemporary desires which require flexibility, privacy, and a more inclusive relationship with the outdoors.
The area is relatively densely populated and characterized mostly by large residences, as well as a small number of apartment blocks, and full-grown vegetation offering shade during the summer months. It offers the benefits of a small and quiet neighborhood, with the convenience of being within walking distance to the city center.
The building was designed with orientation as one of the primary factors. One concern was allowing for direct sunlight at some point during the day to enter all the apartments and their outdoor spaces. With that in mind all apartments have both interior and exterior spaces facing either east, south, and/or west. Since the street elevation faces north and receives no direct sunlight, the covered verandas are oriented east and west.
All exterior spaces are covered except the cantilevered sections of the balconies that have provisions for trees. The verandas face east and west. Even though they are covered, to avoid overheating during the early and late hours of the day in the summer months, integrated planting pots that extent beyond the envelope of the building and on the periphery of the outdoor verandas, can accommodate deciduous trees that can shade in the summer and allow the sun to penetrate in during the winter months. These trees can act as a brise-soleil regulating the micro climate of the immediate covered spaces, and subsequently of the interior spaces. The outdoor covered areas for each apartment are very generous and are in direct relationship with the interior spaces, offering a more introverted experience making them useable at all times of the day, and for the greater part of the year. Large sliding glass doors allow the interior spaces to expand to the outside, both visually, and weather permitting, functionally. The unobstructed views, between exterior and interior spaces and also towards the outside, help to reinforce the horizontal experience of the space.
The block includes eight apartments, four two bedroom units and four three bedroom units. To allow for all interior spaces to benefit from direct sunlight, and to isolate the more private spaces from the more public ones in each apartment, the units are arranged in two levels, with the bedrooms being on a different level from the living and kitchen areas. The sleeping areas of the smaller units are on the lower level while in the larger units they are situated on the upper level. As a result the common areas from each unit are arranged around the outdoor verandas allowing for all indoor activities to be in close proximity to the outdoor covered area. Consequently in the summer months and when weather allows the outdoor area can become an integral part of the spatial experience of the indoor and outdoor common areas. The two level arrangement allows for double height spaces, especially in the larger units, that allows for even more daylight to penetrate into the living areas. Since all apartments are located at the corners of the block with the common areas receiving equal amounts of daylight from both directions and also from the outdoor verandas and the upper or lower levels.
Bedrooms and bathrooms have multiple operable openings with access to small outdoor verandas with provisions for deciduous trees to diffuse sunlight and provide greater privacy. These multiple openings in each room can allow for cross ventilation minimizing the need to mechanically ventilate these spaces.
The exterior openings have been arranged to allow for cross ventilation, and to allow views to the outside depending on the use of the interior spaces. These have been arranged responding to the function of the perimeter spaces, allowing for sunlight to enter while simultaneously offering the necessary level of privacy when needed. Openings are defined by the absence of exterior enclosure and vary in width.
|
environmental_science
|
https://cacpt.org/2022/02/02/cacpt-2022-lunch-and-learn-february-10th-session/
| 2024-04-14T14:55:40 |
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2024-18/segments/1712296816879.72/warc/CC-MAIN-20240414130604-20240414160604-00528.warc.gz
| 0.942473 | 257 |
CC-MAIN-2024-18
|
webtext-fineweb__CC-MAIN-2024-18__0__68523133
|
en
|
Our next Lunch and Learn of will be February 10th, 2022, from 12 – 1pm (EST).
We will have Fred Grossman from SUTERA In-Ground joining us to share his talk entitled “Dump the Dumpster!”. Fred’s presentation will draw awareness to the use of in-ground waste systems for in-fill sites and tighter spaces, giving planners more options to allow for waste collection services. Not only does this allow for better use of space but the whole premise of hiding the waste improves the aesthetics and enjoyment to the residents / tenants, while providing the owner the ability to improve intensification.
More information and registration can be found below. Once registered, you will be provided a Zoom connection link closer to February 10th. This Lunch and Learn is open to all CACPT Members, and is free for Members to attend, but you are required to register.
About Our Guest Speaker
Fred works in Business Development for SUTERA In-Ground, which was started 9 years ago in Waterloo, Ontario. SUTERA In-Ground focuses on solving present and future environmental concerns through a comprehensive suite of ground breaking designs to produce containers that are safe, secure, sanitary and sustainable.
|
environmental_science
|
https://cstgrupo.com/en/tips-for-the-chemicals-transport/
| 2023-12-03T05:09:30 |
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2023-50/segments/1700679100484.76/warc/CC-MAIN-20231203030948-20231203060948-00484.warc.gz
| 0.939627 | 487 |
CC-MAIN-2023-50
|
webtext-fineweb__CC-MAIN-2023-50__0__202827404
|
en
|
With over 3.000 companies, chemical industry is one of the largest and most consolidated industrial sectors in this country. Its weight as the economic engine of Spain results in the generation of 5,5% of GDP and 3,7% of employment in Spain (FEIQUE). From CST Grupo we help you to know the necessary information for chemical products transportation.
The chemical sector is the 2nd largest exporter in the Spanish economy, only behind the automobile, which makes chemical products transportation a key point in the economy.
Chemical products classification
Following the commercial classification of chemical products, these can by divided in three broad categories:
- Basics: these are chemical products produced in large quantities and, in general , their applications can be traced back to their chemical structure.
- Specials: they are made up of a mixture of different chemical substances, which are designed and produced to be applied to a specific application.
- Fines: they are chemical substances characterized by their chemical structure, but, unlike basic chemicals, they are produced in small quantities.
Dangerous good transport
In the transport of chemical products we must take into account whether the type of material to be transported, both raw material and final product, is a good classified as dangerous. This type of classification requires more controls and must be subject to legal regulations.
A dangerous chemical product is the one that may represent a risk to the safety and health of workers or to the environment due to their physicochemical, chemical or toxicological properties.
The most commons risks derived from these chemicals are:
- They generate combustion.
- Inhalation of a combinatorial reaction of elements.
- They heat up at hight temperatures.
- Ingestion or inhalation. They are among the most dangerous for long term health.
- Harmful substances. They corrosively affect both the environment and human health.
CST Grupo: Specialists in international transport of chemical products
CST Grupo has large experience in the chemical transport, both nationally and internationally. We have the APQ certificate for the storage of chemical products and we offer IMO classification for the transport of dangerous goods by sea and air and ADR for land.
We have more than 30 years of experience behind us, so if you are interested in more information, we invite you to contact with us and we will solve all your doubts.
|
environmental_science
|
https://artsourceinternational.com/shop/antique-maps/geologic-map-of-the-ruedi-quadrangle-pitkin-and-eagle-counties-colorado/
| 2020-08-15T07:52:08 |
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2020-34/segments/1596439740733.1/warc/CC-MAIN-20200815065105-20200815095105-00463.warc.gz
| 0.921894 | 212 |
CC-MAIN-2020-34
|
webtext-fineweb__CC-MAIN-2020-34__0__26610176
|
en
|
Geologic Map of the Ruedi Quadrangle; Pitkin and Eagle Counties, Colorado
This detailed map of the Ruedi Quadrangle, Pitkin and Eagle Counties, Colorado was created in 1972 by the United States Geological Survey. The United States Geological Survey publishes topographic maps of the entire united states. These maps are often used as the basis for other commercial map products and they serve as one of the best tools available for navigating the country’s wild and urban terrain. This map shows contour lines (lines of equal elevation) which depict natural features of the land, as well as streams, trails, roads, forest types, and other man-made natural features. This 7.5 minute quadrangle map is published at a scale of 1:24,000. It has become more difficult over the years to find these older publication dates.
Size: 30.75 x 28 inches
Condition: Very good condtion
Map Maker: UNITED STATES GEOLOGICAL SURVEY
Coloring: Printed Color
|
environmental_science
|
http://expogroup.hu/en/expo/view?id=30
| 2020-06-03T06:47:52 |
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2020-24/segments/1590347432237.67/warc/CC-MAIN-20200603050448-20200603080448-00132.warc.gz
| 0.918867 | 178 |
CC-MAIN-2020-24
|
webtext-fineweb__CC-MAIN-2020-24__0__190760802
|
en
|
September 17, 2020 - September 19, 2020
Environmental protection, Heating - cooling technology, Construction industry, Renewable energy
International Trade Fair and Conferences on Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency
The product range of the RENEXPO® - the world of energy production, energy distribution, energy storage, energy utilisation and services.
RENEXPO is continuously developing new concepts for investors, industry leaders, decision makers, ministry representatives, association members and engineering offices get-together and connecting them with those who have already met with practical implementations of projects.
The implementation of projects that enable rational energy consumption in buildings and that can contribute to the improvement of energy efficiency in public objects and collective housing, street lightening, together with use of appropriate building materials that achieve significant financial savings, present important economic driver that opens new opportunities for job creation and launch of the entire economy.
|
environmental_science
|
https://radar-reifen.de/en/patterns/dimax-eco/
| 2021-11-28T20:26:19 |
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2021-49/segments/1637964358591.95/warc/CC-MAIN-20211128194436-20211128224436-00098.warc.gz
| 0.766449 | 506 |
CC-MAIN-2021-49
|
webtext-fineweb__CC-MAIN-2021-49__0__145338788
|
en
|
Dimax Eco | Eco Touring
|Width (in mm)||195||–||195|
|Tire section (in %)||55||–||55|
|Size (in inch)||20||–||20|
- High fuel efficiency
- Improved wet grip, good protection against aquaplaning and shorter braking distances
- Good handling
- Unique tread mix with low hysteresis, which reduces energy loss and thus enables a lower rolling resistance, resulting in higher fuel efficiency and lower CO2 emissions.
- The specially designed tread and the three wide circumferential grooves allow shorter braking distances and increased adhesion on wet roads.
- Optimized lightweight construction provides good handling.
The Dimax Eco is the revolutionary new high-performance tyre with low rolling resistance from Radar Tyres. This tyre has been rated with the best possible EU tyre label “A” for rolling resistance means high fuel efficiency and reduction of CO2 emissions; for wet adhesion, the Dimax Eco received the rating “B”. It offers improved wet grip and a shorter braking distance, as well as a significantly lower noise level of 69 dB.
This tire is designed for the latest generation of high-performance electric, hybrid and combustion engines.
Please click on the desired row in order to download a tire label for a certain size.
- LI = Load index,
- SI = Speed index,
- XL = XL Tyre,
- RFT = Run Flat Tyre,
- RR = Rolling resistance,
- WG = Wet grip,
- NL = Noise level (in dB),
- NC = Noise class,
- POR = Professional off-road tyre
Dimax Eco (PKW)
|
environmental_science
|
http://gbkqyxc.wz.sk/203-wind-water-sun-energy-for-the-long-run-essay-checker.php
| 2018-11-18T21:19:57 |
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2018-47/segments/1542039744649.77/warc/CC-MAIN-20181118201101-20181118223101-00501.warc.gz
| 0.934405 | 13,960 |
CC-MAIN-2018-47
|
webtext-fineweb__CC-MAIN-2018-47__0__207444336
|
en
|
Solar Photovoltaic and Wind Energy Providing Water
Lawrence E. Jones,Corresponding author
- Monash Energy Materials and Systems Institute (MEMSI), Monash University, VIC, Australia
Gustaf OlssonCorresponding author
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Lund University, Lund, Sweden
Renewable energy technologies can make a major contribution to universal access to both energy and water in a sustainable way. In many regions of the world with energy poverty there are abundant renewable energy sources. In this review it is described how solar photovoltaic (PV) and wind energy have a huge potential to supply clean water, in particular in areas with no grid connection. Off-grid technologies can form a significant part of the solution, all the way from household level to village or community level. Small scale off-grid systems can provide not only lighting but also energy for pumping to gain access to water and to purify and re-use water. In rapidly growing peri-urban areas electric power grids may be available but need to be complemented with decentralized energy sources. Solar and wind can be part of a new kind of hybrid energy supplies. It is noted that there is a confluence of factors, such as greater urbanization, population increase, economic development that will determine the energy mix. The United Nations Sustainable Development Goals of clean water and energy for all are strongly related and will depend to a large extent on solar PV and wind.
1 Water and Energy
Renewable energy technologies are already making a major contribution to universal access to carbon free energy. The world now adds more renewable power capacity annually than it adds (net) capacity from all fossil fuels combined. This will also have a profound impact on access to water. Access to electrical energy can be enjoyed by 84% of the global population implying that almost 1.2 billion people are still without it. Only in India there are more than 300 million people with no electric power and the rural electrification rate is only 67%. 91% of the global population has access to an improved drinking water source. This means that some 650 million people still lack access to clean drinking water.
In many regions of the world with energy poverty there are abundant renewable energy sources. Particularly in Africa and Asia a lot of rural areas are not connected to any grid infrastructure. Solar and wind power offer huge opportunities in off-grid electricity systems. Small scale off-grid systems have the potential to improve the energy access in rural and peri-urban parts of the developing world by providing not only lighting and heating but also pumping to gain access to water as well as water re-use and purification using different technologies including desalination. Already solar power in small-scale installations have provided electrical power and lifted millions of people out of poverty.
Electric power grids may be available but need to be complemented with decentralized energy sources in rapidly growing peri-urban areas. Solar and wind are already becoming part of a new kind of hybrid energy supply. Even in higher-income countries off-grid solar is becoming more attractive although in many cases this was due to various policy incentives such as feed-in-taxes, and fiscal policy through tax credits.
Available electrical energy is a critical factor to pump or treat water. We will illustrate how solar and wind energy can provide pumping for water supply or irrigation, make treatment of contaminated water sources and water reuse possible. Renewable energy offers new possibilities because of its scalability and can deliver energy for all sizes of water operations, from the household level to the village or urban community level. In particular solar PV is highly modular, from very small lighting systems in remote areas to residential systems and utility-scale projects; from the kW range to several hundred MWs. Solar PV is also an attractive option for mini-grids for small villages.
Water and energy for all are among the most essential parts of the 17 UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDG), adopted in 2015 by the international community as part of the 2030 agenda for sustainable development. The strong couplings between SDG6 (access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy for all) and SDG7 (clean water and sanitation) are increasingly recognized.[5, 6] The energy-water-food nexus is a growing concern for decision makers globally. Pumping and water treatment by biological processes or desalination will increase the supply of clean water. Conventional electric power technologies, such as thermal power plants, consume large volumes of water for cooling, while solar PV and wind generation have negligible water consumption.
The combination of population increase, climate change and urbanization are strongly related to the availability of energy and water. Having access to energy and clean water is crucial to also to achieve other SDGs:
- SDG1 (No poverty): affordable energy is a prerequisite to eliminate poverty. Today poor people pay a large portion of their income for fuel;
- SDG2 (Zero hunger): pumping for irrigation can be powered by solar and wind;
- SDG3 (Good health and wellbeing): clean water and less air pollution will improve health conditions for the poor;
- SDG5 (Gender equality): today mostly women in rural areas with no access to water are responsible for carrying water. Making water more readily available will give them new opportunities for supporting the family.
- SDG13 (Climate action) is most apparently coupled to renewable energy. Using solar and wind for pumping and desalination can provide water without causing large carbon footprints. In regions with large solar resources, as in the Middle East, desalination with reverse osmosis (RO), relying on solar PV produces water at a price that is lower or equal to fossil fuels.
- SDG14 (Life below water): Solar and wind energy will replace or reduce the consumption of fossil fuels. This will reduce the risks for fuel spills in water bodies.
In the rest of the paper we review solar PV and wind power expansion and their cost development. Renewable energy is also becoming more economically attractive since the costs of conventional systems increase, commitments to reducing greenhouse gas emissions are implemented and targets for exploiting renewable energy are set. The circumstances in rural and remote areas as well as peri-urban regions are described. Various examples are given how renewable energy is applied for pumping, irrigation, water treatment and re-use. Land use is an important issue. Comparisons are made to centralized energy and water supplies. In all cases the scalability of both energy generation and water operations is emphasized. Water and energy can be co-located. Finally future perspectives are sketched.
2 Solar PV and Wind Development
Renewable energy operations have several benefits, especially for remote areas: decentralization makes the systems scalable, energy can be provided without a wide-area power grid, and there is no need to transport fossil fuels for diesel generators. As a result small scale water operations can get their energy requirements satisfied at prices that are becoming affordable even for poor people.
Wind and solar PV made up 90% of the global investments in electric power in 2015 and are now competitive with conventional electric power generation. The cost of wind turbines have fallen by some 40% since 2009 while the price of solar PV has been reduced by 80%. On-shore wind is now competitive or cheaper than coal, oil and gas-fired power stations, even without financial support and despite relatively low oil prices. Still this does not take into account the large social costs of pollution from extracting and burning natural gas or coal.
Solar PV energy systems have been growing at a remarkable rate during the last few years, an exponential growth. At the end of 2015 the global installed solar PV capacity had reached around 227 GWe (gigawatt electric) (other sources say 219 GW). Solar PV has achieved cost declines of 40–75% in leading markets since 2010 with both utility- and decentralized-scale installations. This does not include the costs for balancing the grid system, which will be the next economic challenge for solar and wind systems. This consists of the electrical system costs, costs for permission, and installation. In an off-grid system the cost for energy storage has to be taken into consideration.
The solar PV additions are led by China, India and the United States. The cost for solar PV could fall another 60% over the next decade. Even in regions with large resources of fossil fuel utility scale solar PV projects are competitive with new fossil fuel generation. There is a dramatic change of the electric power system when the consumers can produce for their own needs. Solar PV is now often the lowest cost option for remote or off-grid installations.
Solar PV has another advantage. Project lead times are among the shortest of any power generation technology and can be deployed much more rapidly than many other generation options. With the urgent need in many rural and remote areas as well as in many urban areas with frequent blackouts and brownouts the possibility to rapidly install solar PV is a significant benefit.
The global wind power reached 432 GW at the end of 2015 (other sources say 417 GW), consisting of 420 GW on-shore and 12 GW offshore. With the current wind power plans the global wind capacity is expected to increase from 432 GW in 2015 to 977 GW in 2030 with about 93% on-shore. Wind capacity additions are led by China and the European Union. China's COP21 commitment indicated that wind capacity is to be expanded to 200 GW by 2020 and solar power to 100 GW. There are already signs that China is pushing to higher targets for 2020: a possible 30–50 GW increase for both wind and solar PV. This will almost surely have global impact. Small-scale turbines are used for a variety of applications, including rural electrification and water pumping. They are installed increasingly to displace diesel in remote locations. In the five largest small wind countries the upper capacity limit of small wind is anywhere between 15 and 100 kW.
Both wind power and solar PV use negligible water for electric power production. The major water requirement comes from the manufacturing of the PV cells, the wind mills and the maintenance of the equipment.
For solar thermal plants, however, there is a significant water footprint like for any other thermal power generation. Some of the water withdrawal is used to raise steam for the steam cycle, but 85–95% of the water requirement is for cooling. The cooling technology determines the water consumption. Moreover, the water quality of the returned water is changed, primarily the temperature. The water demand for once-through cooling in solar thermal plants is of the same order of magnitude as for coal and nuclear power plants, exceeding some 3.5 m3 MWh−1. Solar thermal plants with dry cooling has only about 10% water use compared to a system with wet cooling. On the other hand the capital cost is higher and the efficiency is lower, some 1.5%. Furthermore, a dry cooling system becomes much less efficient at high ambient temperatures.
The public acceptance of solar PV as well as wind is still not trivial, and the attitude of “not in my backyard” is quite common. Another challenge caused by integrating distributed solar PV expansion in existing power grids is the potential impacts on grids operation stemming from the lack of visibility by grid operators into when and the amount of solar power that can be fed onto the system at any given time. On the other hand, experiences around the world show that the cost per kWh of power from large centralized utility-scaled solar plants is generally much lower than distributed solar. For remote areas outside any power grid it is quite natural that the acceptance is different if it means that the first electric light can be turned on.
2.1 Towards Hybrid Energy Generation Mix
Recent advances in small generation technology, increased efficiency and reduction in cost is seeing a push to using more decentralized generation, also in areas with existing power grids. While this trend is set to continue, it is important to note a confluence of other factors. Greater urbanization, population increase, economic development, means that for decades the global energy supply will be in a hybrid state consisting of both centralized and decentralized generation. While the former will be needed for powering large cities, the latter has the potential to serve the energy needs of hundreds of millions of people who will continue to live in rural and peri-urban areas. As a result, when analyzing the water-energy nexus, it will be important to develop hybrid policy, regulatory and business models as part of an integrated national energy and water framework. This should also apply to the use of renewable energy.
3 Water Supply Using Renewables
Solar PV and wind have an intermittent production. Energy storage technologies, in particular batteries are improving rapidly, since storage is an increasingly important tool for variable renewable energy. Also in remote areas storage facilities will become essential. In many of these areas, however, peak production times for solar and wind energy aligns with peak demand periods for water pumping and treatment. In many parts of the developing world there is plenty of solar energy while available groundwater may be either brackish (water with salt content of less than 10 000 mg L−1) or contaminated. If there is an excess power production this energy can be stored as a clean water buffer or storage for irrigation. In other words, water can serve as important energy storage. The use of solar energy to supply local desalination of brackish water with power is an interesting option where potable water is scarce.
Often solar PV and wind can complement each other to provide a more reliable power source. Meteorological data will decide whether the cumulated wind and solar energy production can satisfy the load of the plant. However, the combination of solar, wind and battery storage is often too costly for poor areas that may be satisfied, at least primarily, with less ambitious energy supply. The priorities concerning variable energy sources appear quite differently in high-income and in low-income regions. In the former case the power availability is emphasized even if it means a higher cost for control and storage. In the latter case there is a higher acceptance that power is not available around the clock.
In regions with existing power grids the links between electric storage, renewable energy and energy efficiency also accentuates a fundamental change that will impact the electric power industry. The rapid growth of distributed generation, particularly rooftop solar, will challenge the conventional utility model. The market changes more rapidly than the regulations.
4 Pumping and Irrigation
Solar-based pumping has already brought cost effective alternatives to grid connected electric pumps or diesel pumps. Naturally pumping service can be brought to areas that are not served by any grid, but also reduces the dependence on grid operation as well as on diesel. In remote or rural areas where energy access is limited or non-existing and where the water sources are far away then the locals either have to go long distances to fetch the water or to rely on expensive delivery mechanisms such as diesel pumps. In too many peri-urban areas periodic water deliveries by truck is an expensive water supply.
Among the advantages of solar PV pumping there are four often emphasized: unattended operation, low maintenance cost, easy installation and a long life. Both technology and economic viability have been considered in comprehensive literature reviews of solar pumping technology.[14, 15] The authors have identified factors affecting performance of the solar PV pumping system, the degradation of PV modules as well as efficiency improving techniques. It has been verified that the solar pumping systems are economically viable in comparison to diesel based systems for irrigation and water supplies in rural, remote and in urban regions. The investment payback for some PV water pumping systems has been found to be 4–6 years. The payback time is of course depending on local conditions, as shown below.
The electrical energy required for pumping is dramatically illustrated by the situation in India, where nearly 20% of electricity generation capacity is used for agricultural water pumping. India has around 26 million agriculture pumps, including at least 12 million grid-based electric pumps and 10 million diesel operated irrigation pump sets. Farmers pay only an estimated 13% of the true cost of electricity. The national burden of electric power subsidies is becoming too heavy. The subsidies encourage inefficient water use and contribute to overdraft of groundwater. As water levels drop, more power is needed to pump the water, thus increasing the energy requirement of water extraction.
India has announced plans to replace many of its 26 million groundwater pumps for irrigation with solar pumps. This will lead to large savings of installed electric power capacity and of diesel and will reduce huge amounts of CO2 emissions. However, it is recognized that solar-based pumping causes a new risk for water resources. Since the operational cost of solar PV pumps is negligible and the availability of energy is predictable, it could result in overdrawing of water. To combat that unintended consequence, the farmers who accept the subsidies to purchase the solar water pumps must switch to drip irrigation.
In Sub-Saharan Africa around 40% of the population, more than 300 million people, have no access to an improved source of drinking water from the region. An analysis of data from 35 countries in sub-Saharan Africa (representing 84% of the region's population) shows significant differences between the poorest and richest fifths of the population in both rural and urban areas. More than 90% of the richest fifth in urban areas use improved water sources and over 60% have piped water on premises. In rural areas, piped-in water is non-existent in the poorest 40% of households, and less than half of the population use any form of improved source of water.
Many parts of the African continent are “energy poor” – electricity service is either intermittent or non-existent. Some development agencies are looking for solutions by using solar energy to run well systems. Solar PV offers new opportunities as a result of the fast cost reductions. New capacity additions of solar PV in Africa in 2014 exceeded 800 MW, more than doubling the continent's cumulative installed PV capacity. This was followed by additions of 750 MW in 2015. By 2030 it is expected that more than 70 GW of solar PV capacity has been installed in Africa. Africa has large solar radiation resources. In the capitals of African countries it ranges between 1750 and 2500 kWh m−2 per year while for example in Germany the average irradiation value is just over 1150 kWh m−2 per year.
Uganda is implementing a number of projects with the support of development partners and donors that will reduce water costs both in urban and rural areas through use of renewable energy. In the project Energy for Rural Transformation, financed partly by the World Bank the 2nd phase is finalizing and the 3rd phase scheduled to be completed in 2020. The project's objective is to increase access to clean drinking water and also clean affordable energy in schools, health centers and in households. It is recognized that pumping water using energy supply diesel power generators has a high cost. Still Uganda has plenty of sunshine. Uganda is also a beneficiary of a four-year initiative financed by the Africa Development Bank. The initiative, ended in 2016, “will contribute to serving an additional 2.4 million people in rural areas and small towns across Uganda,” according to the bank. This includes construction of solar powered water supply systems to replace an estimated 1250 hand-pumped wells at which people must queue up to get water.
In the Sahel region solar powered pumping stations have been in operation for almost two decades, providing better access to both electricity and water to 2 million people. The region receives limited annual rainfall and the water table is at most 100 m down. The energy to extract groundwater has helped the people to cope with the prolonged drought conditions. The population in the Sahel regions of West Africa without access to safe drinking water had dropped by 16% during a 10 year period until 2009.
In Kenya only 6% of the agricultural land is irrigated and the main reason for this is lack of energy for pumping. There are some 2.9 million farmers in Kenya. An ongoing project, supported by the Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Partnership (REEEP), seeks to implement solar-powered irrigation. A typical system can pump up to 20 m3 per day and operate at depths less than 15 m. The capital cost for the system is around US$ 400. Considering the savings of fossil fuels the pay-back time is estimated to two years. The program aims at 30 000 pumping systems by 2018. There are positive social consequences. For example, women and children are relieved from manual pumping and carrying water. As in India, there is an apparent risk of groundwater overdrawing due to the negligible operational cost of PV pumps.
The costs for the systems are significantly different depending on the scale, purpose and configuration of the systems. Therefore it is more relevant to compare the per-watt costs of solar PV systems to their direct peers. It may be more meaningful to calculate the cost of the energy services provided and compare that to the existing costs that the user will pay for energy services off-grid.
In many regions there are long distances between the water source and the consumers. Large-scale inter-basin water transfers are common in water scarce regions, where notable examples are the major water transfers between northern and southern California, and between the Yangtse River and northern China. The transfer of large water volumes usually means that large electric energy inputs are needed to supply the pumping systems. This in turn means that the energy requirement for water supply is large. Similarly, to deliver large volumes of water from underground aquifers usually requires significant energy supply. When electricity is delivered via a power grid the issue is about pricing and environmental impact of the energy supply.
5 Water Supply by Desalination
Desalination is more and more used as a solution to meet the growing water demand in the world. Over the last 30 years the installed reverse osmosis desalination capacity has increased exponentially. In 2015 there were almost 19 000 desalination plants in operation with a total capacity of 87 million m3 d−1. This corresponds to 12 liters of water each day for every one of the 7 billion people on Earth. Desalination requires more energy than any other water supply method, 3.5–8 kWh m−3. Today most of the energy supply for desalination is produced from fossil fuels, and only less than 1% of the energy supply comes from renewables. Fossil-fueled desalination has its problems, including the fact that electric power generated from coal and gas plants consume water. Using a water-intensive resource to produce water is not sustainable. Therefore, we need to think about water as an energy resource and energy as a water resource. The fact that fossil fuel for water production is not sustainable from an economic and environmental point of view has also been recognized in oil rich Saudi Arabia, where the King Abdullah's Initiative for Solar Water Desalination was announced in 2010. The project has the goal to increase the water security for the country but will also contribute to the development of low cost solar based desalination technology. Increasing scale of deployment will make the solar desalination for affordable in the long term. The cost of input energy is the dominating cost of desalination, more than 50%.
Besides reverse osmosis there is an emerging technology that is of interest for desalination, membrane distillation (MD). This is a hybrid membrane-evaporative process and requires two types of energy, low temperature heat and electricity. Solar collectors and PV panels can be coupled to the MD process. The interest of using solar powered membrane distillation systems for desalination is growing worldwide. Still, however, the cost of produced water is relatively high compared with that produced from existing solar PV fed reverse osmosis systems.
In order to satisfy water supply in water scarce regions large volumes of water are transported long distances. This is particularly notable when the water is pumped from an inland area to a coastal area. Southern California gets water from the Colorado River and Tripolis at the Mediterranean coast in Libya is supplied by water from the aquifers down south in the Sahara desert. Today desalination using solar PV and wind in the coastal areas instead of exploring inland water and pumping it long distances should be a viable alternative.
5.1 Wind-Powered Desalination
The technical feasibility of wind-powered desalination with both reverse osmosis and mechanical vapor compression has been studied. Since 2007 the economics of wind-powered desalination is even more favorable. However, it should be emphasized that the economics of the wind-powered desalination process are strongly site-dependent, so a thorough analysis of local conditions is indispensable.
The city of Perth, Western Australia, started the push for desalination in Australia. The first plant, located in Kwinana, 40 km south of Perth, was put into operation in 2006. The plant produces 150 000 m3 d−1, which corresponds to some 20% of the city's water supply. An associated wind farm of a 82 MW capacity provides the energy and also produces surplus energy into the grid. A second desalination plant was put into operation in 2011, in Binningup some 150 km south of Perth, with a 50 000 m3 d−1 capacity in the first stage. Discharging the concentrate from the desalination plant is favorable. There are strong winds and various currents in the Indian Ocean that provide a powerful mixing, which is advantageous for the marine environment when discharging the concentrate from the desalination plant.[30, 31] A desalination plant in Sydney requires 46 MW at full capacity and is powered by 67 wind turbines having a full capacity of 140 MW. It can supply close to 250 000 m3 d−1 which is around 15% of all the water needs for the city.
Another example of wind powered desalination is from Texas, USA in a region suffering from severe water scarcity and depending on deep high salinity aquifers. RO treatment of this kind of brackish water is a realistic and economically feasible solution. There is not only high salinity but arsenic and fluoride concentrations are also high. RO technology would lower these to acceptable limits. A feasibility study has been made for a municipal, integrated wind-water desalination system for an inland small community. The study from Texas demonstrates that the integration of the two relatively mature technologies of wind energy and RO becomes an attractive match to address an emerging threat to any region heavily dependent on affordable energy and potable water. In the Texas study a small 5-kW wind turbine provided the energy for a RO desalination plant with the capacity of about 6 m3 d−1. The energy requirement was found to be around 0.82 kWh m−3 of treated water.
The control of the integrated plant uses streaming real-time water use and electrical demand data in combination with wind speed measurements. Based on the measurements the best use of the energy produced by a turbine array is determined: either for water purification or for displacing conventional power on other municipal loads.
An inland system pumping water from an aquifer differs from a system designed for a coastal location for several reasons. The pumping costs to lift the water from the aquifer to the surface add to the costs of the inland system. Coastal desalination plants are usually located at or near sea level and have minimal lifting costs. The disposal of the brine from the RO process also adds to the cost of the inland system, as coastal locations generally pump the brine back out to sea. However, since the energy need for desalination depends on the salinity there is usually less of an energy cost associated with the purification of brackish aquifer water than sea water.
5.2 Solar PV Powered Desalination
Utility-scale solar is already providing water desalination services and particularly in the Middle East. Environmental impacts, such as greenhouse gas emissions and the by-products of desalination require careful consideration to balance water security with sustainability.
Solar energy can provide a sustainable alternative to power desalination plants, especially in countries which lie on the solar belt such as Africa, the Middle East, India, and China. Many opportunities appear where both economic and environmental aspects of solar technologies are reviewed.
In the California Central Valley the Panoche Water District is using a solar thermal system for desalination. Thus, the solar energy is not used to produce electricity. Instead, parabolic trough mirrors turns the solar radiation directly into heat to distill salty water.
In Kotri, a small village of 300 families in the region of Rajasthan in north-western India a solar-based RO plant has been put in operation. The plant produces drinking water for more than 1 000 residents from Kotri and surrounding villages. Brackish water from a nearby lake is pumped through the RO plant and produces around 600 L h−1 of water during 6 h every day. The salinity of the water is reduced sufficiently to make the water drinkable. The RO plant is served by a 2.5 kW power plant. The village is in fact connected to the grid, but the supply is very unreliable with only 3 h d−1 in most cases. The solar powered system ensures the 6 h electric power supply, which gives some surplus power for light, fans and a computer.
A rural village in India gives a typical example of application of solar PV to treat water. The SANA organization (Social Awareness Newer Alternatives) identified a village, which had no access to clean drinking water and where the power supply was irregular, the N. Chamavaram village in the state of Andhra Pradesh in south-east India. Energy from the solar PV system has been used to purify contaminated water to WHO drinking water standard. This is a typical example of decentralized water supply where the raw water intake can be either contaminated well water or used water that is reused. The capacity of this system is 1800 m3 of water yearly or 5 m3 d−1. This will supply 1000 school children from economically backward homes with 5 L of water daily for their families, living in slums nearby.
6 Land Use
Land use is a crucial issue in addressing the energy-water-food nexus. The competition for land is apparent in several ways. The world is facing an increasing food demand as a result of both increasing average incomes and of the rise in population. At the same time the agriculture yield is feared to drop as a result of water scarcity. It is argued that solar PV and wind power may require fertile land and consequently threaten food production. Actually, solar PV provides a very large benefit by not using land but spare rooftops. The land area requirement for different types of electricity generation can be compared. Hydropower requires a certain area for the reservoir. Here we assume that the reservoir is used only for hydropower and not for other purposes. For wind power the total area enclosed by the site boundary is considered. Still the area between the towers can often be used for agriculture or forest. Off-shore wind will of course have an environmental impact as well but the area seldom competes with other uses. Solar PV does not necessarily need to occupy fertile land. Small-scale PV and solar heating installations have minimal land impact, where they are actively integrated into buildings and structures they serve. The power and energy outputs from a given area are summarized in Table1. It is obvious that solar PV is very competitive concerning land use, even if the capacity factor is relatively low for the actual area. In the USA the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) has studied the land footprint of utility scale solar generation. There is a wide range of total land use. The average total land use was estimated to 8.9 acres (around 36 000 m2) per MW, or around 28 MW km−2 (compare with Table 1).
|Power density MW km−2||0.1–17||5–8||20–110|
|Annual energy output GWh km−2||0.5–90||13–21||35–190|
The global share of rooftop PV systems is not known. In many countries there is no separate statistics for rooftop PV and utility scale PV. World Energy Council reports that only from four major solar PV countries (Germany, Japan, US and Australia) the land savings as a result of rooftop installations exceeds 200 000 acres or 85 000 hectares.
Solar panels are used in innovative ways to save both land and water. In Japan the 13.7 MW Yamakura floating solar power station is composed of more than 50 000 solar modules, covering a water surface area of 180 000 m2. They are mounted on the Yamakura Dam reservoir, located in the Chiba Prefecture, east of Tokyo. The panels will reduce water evaporation from the dam as well as save fertile land. The plant is scheduled to be put in full operation in early 2018.
In India a similar structure is being developed. In a first stage of a solar panel project in the province of Gujarat in north-western India a 750 m section of a water canal is covered with solar panels, generating 1 MW of electric power. Covering the canal with solar panels will save agricultural land and also decrease the water loss via evaporation.
7 Future Decentralization of Water Operations
Just as decentralization has become an economical option for addressing energy access in rural communities, we can expect decentralized production of water to take off in the coming years, not only for rural and remote areas but also for peri-urban areas. There are a many lessons that the water sector can learn from a decentralized energy sector. Four of these include:
- 1)The need for new flexible regulatory framework for decentralized water;
- 2)Tariffs for water should be cost reflective;
- 3)Business models for water services should factor in potential externalities;
- 4)Policy and regulation should be designed based on data and evidence, and not politics which could distort the market signals.
Rules and regulations in the electric power area are set up to ensure electricity security and reliable operations. A decentralized water supply has to have a framework that recognizes various scales and local conditions. The regulations also have to consider that the system should reach environmental goals in terms of CO2 generation and emissions. The regulations also have to consider the variable power generation.
For decades ahead there will be development of both centralized and decentralized electric power systems. Here we have emphasized the development of solar PV and wind energy and the consequences for water supply and treatment. We note that:
- Solar PV and wind are getting economically competitive with other energy sources;
- The systems are scalable from the household level and up;
- The systems offer realistic solutions to many regions without any grid connection;
- Decentralized systems may co-exist with centralized ones;
- The technology gives a potential to satisfy both the water and the energy UN Sustainable Development Goals.
However, it is crucial to remind that off-grid renewable energy deployment cannot be sustained without technical assistance and human capacity-building. It requires dedicated measures to identify skills-related needs and determine how to meet them.
Conflict of Interest
The authors declare no conflict of interest.
Lawrence E. Jones joined Edison Electric Institute in 2015 as Vice President, International Programs. Prior to joining EEI, he was North America Vice President for Utility Innovation & Infrastructure Resilience at Alstom Grid Inc., where he assisted utilities worldwide with formulating strategies for deploying new technology solutions. He is an Honorary Industry Fellow at Monash University, Australia and is Co-Chair of the 21st Century Power Partnership Leadership Forum. He previously served as a member on the U.S. Department of Commerce's Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Advisory Committee.
Gustaf Olsson is professor emeritus in Industrial Automation at Lund University, Sweden. He has dedicated his research to control and automation in water systems, power systems and industrial processes. For the last few years his research has been focused on the water-energy nexus. During the last decade he has been part time guest professor at Chalmers University of Technology, Sweden, the Technical University of Malaysia (UTM) and the Tsinghua University in Beijing, China.
Format AvailableFull text: HTML | PDF
© 2017 The Authors. Published by WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim
This is an open access article under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
- Issue online:
- Version of record online:
- Manuscript Revised:
- Manuscript Received:
- renewable energy;
- water-energy nexus;
- water supply;
- wind energy
- 1Renewable Energy Network for the 21stCentury, Renewables 2016, Global Status Report, Renewable Energy Network for the 21st Century (REN21), Paris 2016.
- 2International Energy Agency, World Energy Outlook, 2016.
- 3World Energy Council, World Energy Resources2016, www.worldenergy.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/World-Energy-Resources-Full-report-2016.10.03.pdf, accessed: April 2017.
- 4United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, www.un.org/sustainabledevelopment/, accessed: April 2017.
- 5The United Nations World Water Development Report 2014, United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, Paris 2017.
- 6G. Olsson, Water and Energy – Threats and Opportunities, 2nd ed., IWA Publishing, London2015, Ch. 11.
- 7REthinking energy 2017. Accelerating the global energy transformation. International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA), Abu Dhabi 2016.
- 8N. Zabbey, G. Olsson, Global Challenges2017, 1, 1600015.
- 9Renewable_Capacity_Statistics 2016, International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA), Abu Dhabi 2016.
- 10Renewable Energy Market Analysis. The Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Region, International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA), Abu Dhabi 2016.
- 11World Wind Energy Association, Small Wind World Report, Bonn, Germany2016.
- 12World Nuclear Association, www.world-nuclear.org/info/Current-and-Future-Generation/Cooling-Power-Plants/, accessed: April 2017.
- 13D. Weiner, D. Fisher, E. J. Moses, B. Katz, G. Meron, Desalination2001, 137, 7.
- 14S. S. Chandel, M. Nagaraju Naik, R. Chandel, Renewable Sustainable Energy Rev.2015, 49, 1084.
- 15V. C. Sontake, V.R. Kalamkar, Renewable Sustainable Energy Rev.2016, 59, 1038.
- 16India Environment Portal, Growth of Electricity Sector in India from 1947–2013, www.indiaenvironmentportal.org.in/content/380722/growth-of-electricity-sector-in-india-from-1947-2013/, accessed: April 2017.
- 17International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA), Renewable energy in the water, energy & food nexus, http://www.irena.org/menu/index.aspx?mnu=Subcat&PriMenuID=36&CatID=141&SubcatID=496, accessed: April 2017.
- 18Worldwatch Institute, Reforming Energy Subsidies Could Curb India's Water Stress, www.worldwatch.org/reforming-energy-subsidies-could-curb-india%E2%80%99s-water-stress-0, accessed: April 2017.
- 19H. S. Shim, Solar-Powered Irrigation Pumps in India — Capital Subsidy Policies and the Water-Energy Efficiency Nexus. Global Green Growth Institute, Seoul, Republic of Korea, 2017, http://www.greengrowthknowledge.org/sites/default/files/downloads/best-practices/GGGI%20Case%20Study_Solar-Powered%20Irrigation%20Pumps%20in%20India_June%202017.pdf, accessed: July 2017.
- 20United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Water for Life 2005–2015, www.un.org/waterforlifedecade/africa.shtml, accessed: April 2017.
- 21International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA), Solar PV in Africa. Costs and markets, https://www.irena.org/DocumentDownloads/Publications/IRENA_Solar_PV_Costs_Africa_2016.pdf, accessed: July 2017.
- 22The World Bank, Uganda Energy for Rural Transformation, http://projects.worldbank.org/P069996/energy-rural-transformation-project?lang=en, accessed: July 2017.
- 23African Development Bank Group, The High 5 for transforming Africa, www.afdb.org/en/the-high-5, accessed: April 2017.
- 24International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA), International Off-grid Renewable Energy Conference 2012: Key Findings and Recommendations, https://www.irena.org/DocumentDownloads/Publications/IOREC_Key%20Findings%20and%20Recommendations.pdf, accessed: July 2017.
- 25International Desalination Association (IDA), http://idadesal.org/, accessed: July 2017.
- 26IRENA and IEA-ETSAP, Water Desalination Using Renewable Energy: Technology Brief, International Renewable Energy Agency, https://www.irena.org/DocumentDownloads/Publications/IRENA-ETSAP%20Tech%20Brief%20I12%20Water-Desalination.pdf, accessed: July 2017.
- 27S. R. Selvi, R. Baskaran, Current Sci.2015, 109, 1247.
- 28M. R. Qtaishat, F. Banat, Desalination2013, 308, 186.
- 29M. Forstmeier, F. Mannerheim, F. D'Amato, M. Shah, Y. Liu, M. Baldea, A. Stella, Desalination2007, 203, 463.
- 30V.G. Molina, M.A. Marcal, K.U. Hoehn, Designing Membrane Systems for the Coming Future: Perth II Desalination Plant, IDA World Congress, Atlantis, Dubai, UAE, November 2009.
- 31L. Stedman, Water2010, 21, 16.
- 32Sydney Desalination Plant, www.sydneydesal.com.au, accessed: July 2017.
- 33A. Swift, K. Rainwater, J. Chapman, D. Noll, A. Jackson, B. Ewing, L. Song, G. Ganesan, R. Marshall, V. Doon, P. Nash, Wind Power and Water Desalination Technology Integration, U.S. Department of the Interior, 2009
The world has agreed to a set of shared targets on climate change. Those targets require deep (80 to 100 percent) decarbonization, relatively quickly.
What’s the best way to get fully decarbonized? In my previous post, I summarized a raging debate on that subject. Let’s quickly review.
We know that deep decarbonization is going to involve an enormous amount of electrification. As we push carbon out of the electricity sector, we pull other energy services like transportation and heating into it. (My slogan for this: electrify everything.) This means lots more demand for electricity, even as electricity decarbonizes.
The sources of carbon-free electricity with the most potential, sun and wind, are variable. They come and go on their own schedule. They are not “dispatchable,” i.e., grid operators can’t turn them on and off as needed. To balance out variations in sun and wind (both short-term and long-term), grid operators need dispatchable carbon-free resources.
Deep decarbonization of the electricity sector, then, is a dual challenge: rapidly ramping up the amount of variable renewable energy (VRE) on the system, while also ramping up carbon-free dispatchable resources that can balance out that VRE and ensure reliability.
Two potentially large sources of dispatchable carbon-free power are nuclear and fossil fuels with carbon capture and sequestration (CCS). Suffice it to say, a variety of people oppose one or both of those sources, for a variety of reasons.
So then the question becomes, can we balance out VRE in a deeply decarbonized grid without them? Do our other dispatchable balancing options add up to something sufficient?
That is the core of the dispute over 100 percent renewable energy: whether it is possible (or advisable) to decarbonize the grid without nuclear and CCS.
In this post I’m going to discuss three papers that examine the subject, try to draw a few tentative conclusions, and issue a plea for open minds and flexibility. It’ll be fun!
Two papers circulated widely among energy nerds in 2017 cast a skeptical eye on the goal of 100 percent renewables.
One was a literature review on the subject, self-published by the Energy Innovation Reform Project (EIRP), authored by Jesse Jenkins and Samuel Thernstrom. It looked at a range of studies on deep decarbonization in the electricity sector and tried to extract some lessons.
The other was a paper in the journal Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews that boasted “a comprehensive review of the feasibility of 100% renewable-electricity systems.” It was by B.P. Heard, B.W. Brook, T.M.L. Wigley, and C.J.A. Bradshaw, who, it should be noted, are advocates for nuclear power.
We’ll take them one at a time.
Most current models find that deep decarbonization is cheaper with dispatchable power plants
Jenkins and Thernstrom rounded up 30 studies on deep decarbonization, all published since 2014, when the most recent comprehensive report was released by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). The studies focused on decarbonizing different areas of different sizes, from regional to global, and used different methods, so there is not an easy apples-to-apples comparison across them, but there were some common themes.
To cut to the chase: The models that optimize for the lowest-cost path to zero carbon electricity — and do not rule out nuclear and CCS a priori — generally find that it is cheaper to get there with than without them.
Today’s models, at least, appear to agree that “a diversified mix of low-CO2 generation resources” add up to a more cost-effective path to deep decarbonization than 100 percent renewables. This is particularly true above 60 or 80 percent decarbonization, when the costs of the renewables-only option rise sharply.
Again, it’s all about balancing out VRE. The easiest way to do that is with fast, flexible natural gas plants, but you can’t get past around 60 percent decarbonization with a large fleet of gas plants running. Getting to 80 percent or beyond means closing or idling lots of those plants. So you need other balancing options.
One is to expand the grid with new transmission lines, which connects VRE over a larger geographical area and reduces its variability. (The wind is always blowing somewhere.) Several deep decarbonization studies assume a continental high-voltage super-grid in the US, with all regions linked up. (Needless to say, such a thing does not exist and would be quite expensive.)
The other way to balance VRE is to maximize carbon-free dispatchable resources, which include dispatchable supply (power plants), dispatchable demand (“demand management,” which can shift energy demand to particular parts of the day or week), and energy storage, which acts as both supply (a source of energy) and demand (a way to absorb it).
Energy storage and demand management are both getting better at balancing out short-term (minute-by-minute, hourly, or daily) variations in VRE.
But there are also monthly, seasonal, and even decadal variations in weather. The system needs to be prepared to deal with worst case scenarios, long concurrent periods of high cloud cover and low wind. That adds up to a lot of backup.
We do not yet have energy storage at anything approaching that scale. Consider pumped hydro, currently the biggest and best-developed form of long-term energy storage. The EIRP paper notes that the top 10 pumped-hydro storage facilities in the US combined could “supply average US electricity needs for just 43 minutes.”
Currently, the only low-carbon sources capable of supplying anything like that scale are hydro, nuclear, and (potentially) CCS.
So if you take nuclear and CCS off the table, you’re cutting out a big chunk of dispatchable capacity. That means other dispatchable resources have to dramatically scale up to compensate — we’d need a lot of new transmission, a lot of new storage, a lot of demand management, and a lot of new hydro, biogas, geothermal, and whatever else we can think of.
Even with tons of new transmission, we’ll still need a metric shit-ton of new storage. Here’s a graph for comparison:
The US currently has energy storage capacity for around an hour of average electricity consumption. Only 15 weeks, six days, and 23 hours to go!
Suffice to say, that would mean building a truly extraordinary amount of energy storage by mid-century.
It gets expensive, progressively more so as decarbonization reaches 80 percent and above. Trying to squeeze out that last bit of carbon without recourse to big dispatchable power plants is extremely challenging, at least for today’s models.
Thus, models that optimize for the lowest-cost pathway to deep decarbonization almost always include lots of dispatchable power plants, including nuclear and CCS.
“It is notable,” the review says, “that of the 30 papers surveyed here, the only deep decarbonization scenarios that do not include a significant contribution from nuclear, biomass, hydropower, and/or CCS exclude those resources from consideration a priori.”
To summarize: Most of today’s models place high value on large dispatchable power sources for deep decarbonization, and it’s difficult to muster enough large dispatchable power sources without nuclear and CCS.
100 percent renewables hasn’t been 100 percent proven feasible
The second review takes a somewhat narrower and more stringent approach. It examines 24 scenarios for 100 percent renewable energy with enough detail to be credible. It then judges them against four criteria for feasibility:
(1) consistency with mainstream energy-demand forecasts; (2) simulating supply to meet demand reliably at hourly, half-hourly, and five-minute timescales, with resilience to extreme climate events; (3) identifying necessary transmission and distribution requirements; and (4) maintaining the provision of essential ancillary services.
(“Ancillary services” are things like frequency regulation and voltage control, which keep the grid stable and have typically been supplied by fossil fuel power plants.)
Long story short, none of the studies passed these feasibility tests. The highest score was four points out of a possible seven.
The authors conclude that “in all individual cases and across the aggregated evidence, the case for feasibility [of 100 percent renewable energy] is inadequate for the formation of responsible policy directed at responding to climate change.”
That is the peer-reviewed version of a sick burn.
Note, though, that these are pretty tough criteria: Researchers model a full electricity system, responsive to both short-term and long-term weather variations, meeting demand that is not appreciably different from mainstream projections, providing all needed services reliably, using technologies already demonstrated at scale.
That’s not easy! It’s reasonable to ask whether we need that much confidence to begin planning for long-term decarbonization. If any new system must demonstrate in advance that it is fully prepared to substitute for today’s system, it’s going to be difficult to change the system at all.
(Renewables advocates might say that nuclear advocates have a vested interest in keeping feasibility criteria as strict and tied to current systems as possible.)
For more in this vein, see “A critical review of global decarbonization scenarios: what do they tell us about feasibility?” from 2014, and here for more.
The question is how much our current decision-making should be constrained by what today’s models tell us is possible in the distant future.
Energy experts are more optimistic than their models
A third paper worth mentioning is 2017’s Renewables Global Futures Report (GFR) from global renewable-energy group REN21. In it, they interviewed “114 renowned energy experts from around the world, on the feasibility and challenges of achieving a 100% renewable energy future.”
There’s a ton of interesting stuff in the report, but this jumps out:
That’s 71 percent who agree that 100 percent renewables is “reasonable and realistic.” Yet the models seem to agree that 100 percent renewables is unrealistic. What gives?
Models are only models
It pays to be careful with literature reviews. They are generally more reliable than single studies, but they are exercises in interpretation, colored by the assumptions of their authors. And there’s always a danger that they are simply compiling common biases and limitations in current models — reifying conventional wisdom.
There are plenty of criticisms of current models of how climate change and human politics and economics interact. Let’s touch on a few briefly, and then I’ll get to a few takeaways.
1) Cost-benefit analysis is incomplete.
Models that “minimize cost” rarely minimize all costs. They leave out many environmental impacts, along with more intangible social benefits like community control, security, or independence.
UC Berkeley’s Mark Delucchi, occasional co-author with Stanford’s Mark Jacobson of work on 100 percent WWS (wind, water, and sun — see more about that at the Solutions Project), says that the ideal analysis of deep decarbonization would involve a full cost-benefit analysis, taking all effects, “the full range of climate impacts (not just CO2), air-quality benefits, water-quality benefits, habitat destruction, energy security — everything you can think of,” into account. No one, he said, has done that for getting above, say, 90 percent WWS.
“My own view,” he told me, “which is informed but not demonstrated by my work on 100% WWS, is that the very large environmental benefits of WWS probably make it worth paying for close to — but not quite — a 100% WWS systems. The ‘not quite’ is important, because it does look to me that balancing supply and demand when you get above 90-95% WWS (for the whole system) starts to get pretty expensive.”
In other words, full cost-benefit analysis is likely to offset higher renewables costs more than most models show.
2) Most models are based on current markets, which will change.
“Our traditional energy models are pretty clearly biased against a 100% renewable outcome,” Noah Kaufman told me. He worked on the “US Midcentury Strategy for Deep Decarbonization,” which the US government submitted to the UNFCCC in November 2016 as a demonstration of its long-term commitment to the Paris climate process. “Models like to depict the system largely as it exists today, so of course they prefer baseload replacing baseload.”
(Kaufman cautions that while current models may underestimate renewables, he doesn’t believe we know that with enough certainty “to mandate those [100% renewable] scenarios.”)
Price analyses based on current wholesale energy markets will not tell us much about markets in 20 or 30 years. VRE is already screwing up wholesale markets, even at relatively low penetrations, because the incremental cost of another MW of wind when the wind is blowing is $0, which undercuts all competitors.
Wholesale power markets will not survive in their current form. Markets will evolve to more accurately value a wider range of grid services — power, capacity, frequency response, rapid ramping, etc. — allowing VRE and its complements to creep into more and more market niches.
Financing will evolve as well. As it gets cheaper, VRE and storage start looking more like infrastructure than typical power plant investments. Almost all the costs are upfront, in the financing, planning, and building. After that, “fuel” is free and maintenance costs are low. It pays off over time and then just keeps paying off. Financing mechanisms will adapt to reflect that.
3) Most models do not, and cannot, model emerging solutions or current costs.
Most energy models today do not account for the full complement of existing strategies to manage and expand VRE — all the different varieties of storage, the growing list of demand-management tools, new business models and regulations — so they neither are, nor claim to be, definitive.
“I don’t want to overstate or improperly extract conclusions from my work,” NREL’s Bethany Frew, who co-authored one of the key studies in the EIRP review, cautions, “I didn’t look at an exhaustive set of resources.”
Models today cannot capture the effects of technologies and techniques that have not yet been developed. But this stuff is the subject of intense research, experimentation, and innovation right now.
It is viewed as irresponsible to include speculative new developments in models, but at the same time, it’s a safe bet that the energy world will see dramatic changes in the next few decades. Far more balancing options will be available to future modelers.
In a similar vein, as energy modeler Christopher Clack (formerly of NOAA) told me, it can take two or three years to do a rigorous bit of modeling. And that begins with cost estimates taken from peer-reviewed literature, which themselves took years to publish.
The result is that models almost inevitably use outdated cost estimates, and when costs are changing rapidly, as they are today, that matters.
Speaking of which…
4) Models have always underestimated distributed energy technology.
As I described in detail in this post, energy models have consistently and woefully underestimated the falling costs and rapid growth of renewable energy.
The professional energy community used to be quite convinced that wind and solar could play no serious role in the power system because of their variability. Then, for a long time, conventional wisdom was that they could provide no more than 20 percent of power before the grid started falling apart.
That number has kept creeping up. Now CW has it around 60 percent. Which direction do you suppose it will go in the next few decades?
It’s a similar story with batteries and EVs. They keep outpacing forecasts, getting cheaper and better, finding new applications. Is there any reason to think that won’t continue?
Which brings us to…
5) Pretending we can predict the far future is silly.
Predicting the near future is difficult. Predicting the distant future is impossible. Nothing about fancy modeling makes it any less impossible.
Modelers will be the first to tell you this. (Much more in this old post from 2014.) They are not in the business of prediction; they aren’t psychics. All they do is construct elaborate if-then statements. If natural gas prices do this, solar and wind prices do that, demand does this, storage does that, and everything else more or less stays the same … then this will happen. They are a way of examining the consequences of a set of assumptions.
Are the assumptions correct? Will all those variables actually unfold that way in the next 20, 30, 40 years? Ask any responsible modeler and they will tell you: “Eff if I know.”
Long-term energy modeling was more tractable when the energy world was mostly composed of very large technologies and projects, with a small set of accredited builders and slow innovation cycles. But as energy and its associated technologies and business models have gotten more and more distributed, innovation has become all the more difficult to even track, much less predict.
Because distributed energy technologies are smaller than big power plants, they iterate faster. They are more prone to complex interactions and emergent effects. Development is distributed as well, across hundreds of companies and research labs.
Energy is going to bend, twist, and accelerate in unpredictable ways even in the next few years, much less the next few decades. We really have no friggin’ idea what’s going to happen.
The lessons to take from all this
Okay, we’ve looked at some of the literature on 100 percent renewables, which is generally pretty skeptical. And we’ve covered some reasons to take the results of current modeling with a grain of salt. What should we take away from all this? Here are a few tentative conclusions.
1) Take variability seriously.
One reason everyone’s so giddy about renewable energy is that it’s been pretty easy to integrate it into grids so far — much easier than naysayers predicted.
But one thing models and modelers agree on is that variability is a serious challenge, especially at high VRE penetrations. As VRE increases, it will begin to run into technical and economic problems. (Read here and here for more.) California is already grappling with some of these issues.
Getting deep decarbonization right means thinking, planning, and innovating toward a rich ecosystem of dispatchable resources that can balance VRE at high penetrations. That needs to become as much a priority as VRE deployment itself.
2) Full steam ahead on renewable energy.
We have a solid understanding of how to push VRE up to around 60 percent of grid power. Right now, wind and solar combined generate just over 5 percent of US electricity. (Nuclear generates 20 percent.)
The fight to get 5 percent up to 60 is going to be epic. Political and social barriers will do more to slow that growth than any technical limitation, especially in the short- to mid-term.
This is likely why the energy experts interviewed by REN21, though they believe 100 percent renewables is “reasonable and realistic,” don’t actually expect it to happen by mid-century.
It will be an immense struggle just to deploy the amount of VRE we already know is possible. If we put our shoulder to that wheel for 10 years or so, then we can come up for air, reassess, and recalibrate. The landscape of costs and choices will look very different then. We’ll have a better sense of what’s possible and what’s lacking.
Until then, none of these potential future limitations are any reason to let up on the push for VRE. (Though there should also be a push for storage and other carbon-free balancing options.)
3) Beware natural gas lock-in.
The easy, default path for the next several years will be to continue to lean on natural gas to drive down emissions and balance VRE. And sure enough, there’s a ton of natural gas “in the queue.”
But leaning too hard on natural gas will leave us with a ton of fossil fuel capacity that we end up having to shut down (or leave mostly idle) before the end of its useful life. That will be an economically unfortunate and politically difficult situation.
We need to start thinking about alternatives to natural gas, today.
4) Keep nuclear power plants open as long as possible.
Clack told me something intriguing. He said that there is enough nuclear capacity in the US today to serve as the necessary dispatchable generation in an 80 percent decarbonized grid. We wouldn’t need any big new nuclear or CCS power plants.
It would just mean a) changing market and regulatory rules to make nuclear more flexible (it largely has the technical capacity), and b) keeping the plants open forever.
Obviously those plants are not going to stay open forever, and the ones that are genuinely unsafe should be shut down. And Clack’s models are only models too, not gospel.
But what’s clear is that, from a decarbonization perspective, allowing a nuclear power plant to close (before, say, literally any coal plant) is a self-inflicted wound. It makes the challenges described above all that much more difficult. Every MW of dispatchable, carbon-free power capacity that is operating safely should be zealously guarded.
5) Do relentless RD&D on carbon-free dispatchable resources, including nuclear.
We know we will need a lot of dispatchable carbon-free resources to balance out a large share of VRE.
Storage and demand management can play that role, and in any scenario, we will need lots of both, so they should be researched, developed, and deployed as quickly as possible.
But large-scale, carbon-free dispatchable generation will help as well. That can be hydro, wave, tidal, geothermal, gas from waste, renewable gas, or biomass. It can also be nuclear or CCS.
I personally think fossil fuel with CCS will never pass any reasonable cost-benefit analysis. It’s an environmental nightmare in every way other than carbon emissions, to say nothing of its wretched economics and dodgy politics.
But we’re going to need CCS regardless, so we might as well figure it out.
Current nuclear plants have proven uneconomic just about everywhere they’ve been attempted lately (except, oddly, South Korea) and there is no obvious reason to favor them in their market battle with renewables.
But it is certainly worth researching new nuclear generation technologies — the various smaller, more efficient, more meltdown-proof technologies that seem perpetually on the horizon. If they can make good on their promise, with reasonable economics, it would be a blessing. (See Brad Plumer’s piece on radical nuclear innovation.)
Basically, research everything. Test, experiment, deploy, refine.
6) Stay woke.
Above all, the haziness of the long-term view argues for humility on all sides. There’s much we do not yet know and cannot possibly anticipate, so it’s probably best for everyone to keep an open mind, support a range of bet-hedging experiments and initiatives, and maintain a healthy allergy to dogma.
We’ve barely begun this journey. We don’t know what the final few steps will look like, but we know what direction to travel, so we might as well keep moving.
|
environmental_science
|
http://www.horsesforlife.org/wild-horses.html
| 2018-12-17T13:11:28 |
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2018-51/segments/1544376828507.57/warc/CC-MAIN-20181217113255-20181217135255-00594.warc.gz
| 0.942287 | 434 |
CC-MAIN-2018-51
|
webtext-fineweb__CC-MAIN-2018-51__0__65439434
|
en
|
Wild Horses and Burros
Why are American Wild Horses and Burros in danger?
100 years ago an estimated two million mustangs roamed the Western range. But today there are fewer than 32,000 — and the government, through the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), continues to reduce the herds even further. There are now more of our horses in BLM holding facilities than there are running free in the wild. Half of the agency's $78 million annual budget for this program goes to maintaining them, all paid for by the U.S. taxpayers.
In 1971 Congress passed the Wild and Free-Roaming Horse and Burro Act, designed to preserve and protect our horses as a living symbol of America. In its declaration of policy, Congress stated:
"It is the policy of Congress that wild free-roaming horses and burros shall be protected from capture, branding, harassment, or death; and to accomplish this they are to be considered in the area where presently found, as an integral part of the natural system of the public lands."
However, the animals the BLM is responsible to protect are instead being eradicated, some herds being wiped out completely only to be corralled in long-term government holding facilities.
Click here to read the most recent news regarding the plight of wild horses & burros, including information about free-roaming horses on tribal lands facing the risk of round-ups and slaughter.
- Private Livestock outnumbers Wild Horses and Burros on public land by at least 50 to 1
- 70% of the BLM budget is spent on mustang round-ups and stockpiling, while only 6% is spent on fertility control and keeping horses on the range.
- Feeding wild horses in government holding facilities cost the American taxpayer $100,000 every day.
- Taxpayer-funded livestock grazing on public lands costs over $132 million a year.
Video of Return to Freedom American Wild Horse Sanctuary, a 365-acre refuge located in the coastal hills of Lompoc, California that is home to nearly 400 wild horses and burros rescued from federal roundups.
|
environmental_science
|
http://agenda21culture.net/news/culture-x-climate-webinar
| 2021-06-21T10:48:08 |
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2021-25/segments/1623488269939.53/warc/CC-MAIN-20210621085922-20210621115922-00384.warc.gz
| 0.897982 | 200 |
CC-MAIN-2021-25
|
webtext-fineweb__CC-MAIN-2021-25__0__57438187
|
en
|
You are here
Culture x Climate - Webinar
As part of the Climate Heritage Mobilisation Webinar series, in partnership with Historic England, the Climate Heritage Network is organising the online seminar "Using Culture to Promote Climate Resilient Sustainable Development" on next Friday 27 November 2020, from 16h-17h00 CET (15h-16h00 UTC).
Cultural policies do not (yet) explicitly recognize the connections between culture and environmental sustainability, climate change, resilience and the sustainable use of the world’s resources. In the next years, cultural actors, institutions and organisations will have to integrate climate change measures into their strategies, strengthen their resilience and adaptive capacity to climate-related hazards and natural disasters, and improve education, awareness-raising and capacity in these fields.
The webinar will explore their work towards 'Contributing a climate change dimension to the work of the global campaign of cultural networks on culture in sustainable development'.
More information and registration here.
|
environmental_science
|
http://www.renegrotenhuis.nl/wp/?page_id=205
| 2022-07-03T02:46:33 |
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-27/segments/1656104209449.64/warc/CC-MAIN-20220703013155-20220703043155-00119.warc.gz
| 0.959648 | 1,643 |
CC-MAIN-2022-27
|
webtext-fineweb__CC-MAIN-2022-27__0__24941909
|
en
|
Sharing visions on nature and poverty
Poverty Alleviation and Natural Livelihood Resources
Ladies and gentlemen,
The tragic event of the Tsunami that hit various countries in Asia on December 26th shows the fragile relationship between nature and humankind. While many emphasised that the sea quake was a major natural disaster which could have been prevented by sophisticated early warning technology, other comments rightly delved deeper in the complicated relationship between humankind and its environment. We have become as a species more vulnerable to changes in “the natural world”. These changes are not only caused by nature, but to a large extent human induced.
The recent Intergovernmental Climate Change Panel reports tell us that development which represents the dominant western model is an illusion. There is no way that eight billion people can have the lifestyle that has come into being in few countries the past century or so. Climate change is with us. A decade ago, it was conjecture. Now the future is unfolding before our eyes. Canada’s Inuit see it in disappearing Arctic ice and permafrost. The shantytown dwellers of Latin America and Southern Asia see it in lethal storms and floods. Europeans see it in disappearing glaciers, forest fires and fatal heat waves. African pastoralists experience prolonged periods of droughts.
The Tsunami was by all means a natural disaster but often what we call a natural disaster is in reality caused by what we, human beings, have done to breach the Earth’s carrying capacity. A journalist of one of the leading Dutch newspapers said it so poignantly when he described the Tsunami: “Mother Earth’s revenge on the wreckage we have caused”. The very sad thing is that it is the most vulnerable and poor which suffer most both from human-made and natural disasters. Even in the face of disaster the burden is unequally divided between people.
I realise that today’s seminar is very topical. The relationship between poverty alleviation and natural livelihood resources can be perceived from various angles. I will share with you Cordaid’s perspective on the topic.
This perspective is two-fold; as a civil society organisation working on development and as a donor of southern organisations that aim to reach people that are systematically excluded and marginalised in their communities and societies. It is a good opportunity to share viewpoints with you today. Cordaid strongly believes that developmental issues require an integrated approach. Sustainable development is built by many hands, hearts and minds – the challenge is to come to agree that both the environmental sector and the developmental sector should work together to enable a world that is more just and more sustainable. Each of us has its own strength and expertise. The issues at hand will not be resolved by venturing out into each other’s domains without seeking collaboration and synergy. They have a chance to become properly addressed if we start to really work together, by sharing resources, knowledge and contacts.
A few words on development. To us development is a process by which people themselves determine their life and future for their offspring based on what they value and perceive as important. We thereby strongly believe in the guiding principle that “your right is my duty and my right is your duty”. Coexistence is only possible when all of us respect the dignity of other human beings. Thus, respect, compassion and empathy are key values for us and for the partners we work with.
Our vision and mission on development is human-centred. We have I dare say solid viewpoints on the way various groups of people, grassroots organisations, civil society organisations, governments and the private sector need to interact and cooperate to create an enabling environment for development. A human-centred perspective on development by definition views natural resources as the collection of goods and services that support human life. Development is itself a human-centred creation aimed at improving the welfare and wellbeing of poor people on a sustainable basis. Yet, our faith-based inspiration inspires us to also respect our environment. We are granted stewardship over the world’s natural resources. This suggests that we have to respect them, including all living species.
We therefore underscore a developmental view which recognises that management and conservation of natural resources is necessary, particularly there where depletion and degradation threaten the stock of natural capital for future human use and endanger (local and global) life support systems and ultimately the future of humankind.
Let me mention a few examples where we aim to work from such an integrated approach. In Africa we support the Indigenous Women’s Biodiversity Network. This Network supports initiatives of indigenous women and their communities in their management of natural resources, plant and animal species in particular. In addition these initiatives strongly focus on the strength of their cultural identity of these women and their communities in societies which openly discriminate this identity and the life style that goes with it.
In the urban setting in Latin America, Africa and South Asia, we have sought partnerships with Both Ends and Waste, organisations that are able to support our partners in their challenge to contribute to sustainable cities’ initiatives.
In our work on fair economics we support initiatives of small and middle income farmers in Vietnam, Guatemala and India on the production of ecological fruits and coffee.
In all these cases we strongly support a multi-stakeholder approach through which various actors are given space to get to know each other, determine common interests and work together on a shared agenda. In our humanitarian assistance programme our partners increasingly are working from a risk management approach. This approach aims to prepare local people on how to deal with recurrent crises, particularly those which are caused by nature. But it also stimulates people to analyse that their vulnerability may be caused by hazards other than natural ones, such as the global crisis in the price for coffee which led many coffee pickers in Central America to lose their jobs, or floods caused by the encroachment of forest areas by agriculturists and loggers.
We have learnt that the relationship between poverty and natural livelihood resources cannot in the end be resolved by local people alone, despite their perseverance and creativity in dealing with their local environment.
It is unfair to leave the burden of what in essence is a problem of unequal power relations, political will and economic developmental ideologies and models, solely in the hands of those that are most affected by them. Similarly we also have to observe the conflicting development goals when we address the issues we are debating today. Much of the increasingly unbalanced relationship between development and natural resources is also caused by demographic pressure on these resources. While our investments in the Millenium Development Goals lead to an increase in life expectancy and a decrease in mother and child mortality and morbidity, they will also lead to a population explosion that will put an increased pressure on existing resources. Particularly when politicians have particular population policies in mind that may be detrimental to safeguarding the environment’s carrying capacity, such as a ban on family planning as a developmental issue and methods to practice this.
However, equally destructive are world views that see economic growth such as we have become accustomed to in the West and a few pockets elsewhere in the world, as exemplary for all societies and communities. It’s an ideology that is based on a limitless faith in the wonders of scientific knowledge and progress.
Cordaid genuinely feels this is a self defeating thought. If we do not act now, we foresee an intensification of the struggle for scarce natural resources. Such conflicts over water, natural gas and oil, would be damaging to humans as well as animals and plant species, but because of their disruptive effect on the global supply chain, their impact on humans could well be much more severe. It’s therefore high time we work together on alternatives for developmental models that preach the gospel of expansion. Sustainable development is only possible when we revisit together with organisations today present current developmental frameworks and start looking at development as downturn with security.
Key is to work with our partners on the ground on approaches that focus on a human security perspective whereby those most vulnerable to recurrent crises will have access to and control of resources and knowledge whereby they can better deal with such crises.
|
environmental_science
|
https://www.xusplastic.com/news/types-and-advantages-of-plastic-pipes/
| 2023-05-28T09:40:32 |
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2023-23/segments/1685224643663.27/warc/CC-MAIN-20230528083025-20230528113025-00739.warc.gz
| 0.927723 | 643 |
CC-MAIN-2023-23
|
webtext-fineweb__CC-MAIN-2023-23__0__287717479
|
en
|
The pipes of COMPACT BALL VALVE are a kind of common building materials, which are loved by many customers for their excellent characteristics and high cost performance. Therefore, today, we will start with the classification of plastic pipes, and let everyone know about plastic pipes.
At this stage, there are the following 6 types of plastic pipes commonly used in the sales market:
1. Rigid polyvinyl chloride plastic pipe, alias UPVC pipe. It is light in weight, low in strength, has high-quality self-extinguishing performance and high-quality chemical stability, and can be used for drainage, sewage, ventilation, etc.
2. Polyethylene pipe, alias PE pipe. According to the level of density, it can be further classified into high density polyethylene pipe, medium density polyethylene pipe and low density polyethylene pipe. High-density ones have high strength and high-quality heat resistance, and can be used for urban gas and water supply pipes; medium-density ones have normal stiffness and strength, but have high-quality flexibility and creep resistance; low-density ones have flexibility, elongation The long rate has certain advantages, and its impact resistance, chemical stability and high-frequency insulation performance are excellent, and it can be used for rural irrigation, power, cable communication, etc.
3. Cross-linked polyethylene pipe, alias PE-X pipe. It has high-quality memory, environmental protection, chemical properties, corrosion resistance, high temperature resistance, and can be used for the supply of cooling and heating systems in buildings, such as heating pipes, central air conditioning pipes, hot water supply pipes, etc. It can also be used as a transportation pipeline for food in the food industry.
4. Random copolymer polypropylene pipe, alias PP-R pipe. It is non-toxic, odorless and very hygienic. With high-quality heat resistance and antifreeze properties, it is an ideal hot and cold water pipe material. It is mainly used for cold and hot drinking water supply systems, beverage production and transportation systems, hot water heating systems, and air conditioning systems in civil and industrial buildings.
5. Polybutene tube, alias PB tube. It has high strength, high-quality creep resistance, and is easy to install and easy to operate. At the same time, its price is high, the diameter of the pipe is small, and it is easily eroded by some aromatic hydrocarbons and chlorinated solvents, so there are certain taboos in the field of application.
6. Acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene pipe, alias ABS pipe. It has high heat resistance, corrosion resistance, creep resistance, and is non-toxic, odorless, hygienic and clean, but has poor heat transfer characteristics and is not suitable for places exposed to sunlight. Overseas, it is usually used for sewage discharge, irrigation, and underground conduction; in China, it is usually used for indoor water supply, transportation of corrosive substances, etc.
Post time: Jul-05-2022
|
environmental_science
|
https://www.seemakennedy.co.uk/news/great-spring-clean
| 2019-06-21T00:34:42 |
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2019-26/segments/1560627999291.1/warc/CC-MAIN-20190620230326-20190621012326-00176.warc.gz
| 0.948252 | 287 |
CC-MAIN-2019-26
|
webtext-fineweb__CC-MAIN-2019-26__0__117861445
|
en
|
After the success of last years ‘Clean for the Queen’ I was pleased to organise a ‘Great Spring Clean’ in Moss Side, Leyland. It is always good to see an area cleaned up and dramatically improved through a few hours of hard work.
The Great British Spring Clean is endeavouring to build on the success of the 2016 national clean-up, which saw 250,000 people take part. This year’s aim is to encourage half a million litter pickers out on to the streets, parks and beaches of Britain, to not only help clean up the country but to demonstrate their desire to see action taken to put a stop to littering and the economic and environmental damage it causes.
We spend £700 million every year cleaning our streets and data from the RSPCA reveals that there are 5,000 reports of animals being injured by litter each year, including swans, gulls and foxes. As a result, the campaign has won the backing of TV naturalist and writer Steve Backshall, the BAFTA-winning Deadly 60 presenter.
The campaign is being delivered through a broad range of partners including the RSPCA, the Marine Conservation Society and Keep Wales Tidy together with businesses including McDonald’s, Greggs, Costa, Harrogate Spring Water, The Helping Hand Company, a wide range of schools, local authorities and MPs across the UK.
|
environmental_science
|
https://articles.bedworks.com.au/a-guide-to-our-natural-coating/
| 2022-05-25T22:21:51 |
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-21/segments/1652662594414.79/warc/CC-MAIN-20220525213545-20220526003545-00740.warc.gz
| 0.919093 | 2,062 |
CC-MAIN-2022-21
|
webtext-fineweb__CC-MAIN-2022-21__0__212264263
|
en
|
A Guide To Our Natural Coating
For many of us, environmental sustainability is a top priority. As conscious consumers, we all strive to make as many purchasing decisions as possible that protect – rather than harm – our precious natural environment.
Here at BedWorks, we share these concerns. Yes, we want our products to look fantastic, feel comfortable, and last years and years. But, we also want our beds to contribute to the growing movement toward sustainable manufacturing.
That’s why we have committed to using eco stains – natural, environmentally friendly timber coatings that are decorative, low-impact, and kid-safe.
In this article, we will take a good, hard look at our natural coating in a little more detail. Have a read and learn how this innovative technology can help you and your family enjoy sleep sustainably. Let’s get started.
Choose eco stains for a sustainable sleep
You’ve made the switch to reusable grocery bags. You’ve said goodbye to plastic straws. You’ve even installed solar panels onto the roof of your home – you know renewable energy is the future.
The next logical step? Investing in sustainable sleep.
If you’re in the market for a new timber bed, chances are you’re shopping around, looking for a great deal or must-have design. But, have you made environmental sustainability one of your top priorities? If not, you should.
Between the fossil fuels burnt and harmful chemicals used, manufacturing processes can wreak havoc on the environment. Why not opt for the green option if you can?
Here at BedWorks, we are proud to promote this environmental message by ensuring our products meet strict environmental safety standards. Our stunning timber bed frames are crafted using sustainable plantation timbers finished with industry-leading, German-made Livos natural sealing products.
These incredible eco-friendly stains produce a truly inspiring natural finish using only organic compounds. That means Livos stains are kinder to the timber, your family, and our planet.
Peace of mind with non-toxic natural sealers
Most timber products are finished with a stain or sealer of some kind. Unlike traditional sealers – which deposit a chemical-laden film of plastic over the timber – Livos stains are non-toxic, natural, and incredibly protective.
The Kunos range (our team’s favourite) of sealers, oils, and wood stains impregnates – rather than covers – the wood. The result: a smooth, attractive, shielded finish that enhances the natural grains and cut of the timber.
The benefits of going green
If you want to reduce your environmental footprint, select a bed frame that utilises the latest in green technology. In addition to minimising your negative impact on the environment, eco stains offer a whole host of small- and large-scale benefits.
Here are just a few of the game-changing advantages of Livos eco stains.
- Ecologically sustainability. This means their products use organically sourced, natural, and raw materials.
- Recyclable packaging. Minimise your contribution to landfills.
- Livos products cause no harm to the environment.
- Less product is required. Our team uses a small amount of sealer to achieve a truly remarkable result. This means less manufacturing and, ultimately, a smaller carbon footprint.
- Diverse colour range. No matter the style of your interior, you will find a Livos stain that complements your existing decor.
It doesn’t end there.
One of the primary reasons so many of our customers choose BedWorks products is this: they have children or pets. Kids and our beloved furry friends can be particularly sensitive to harsh chemical smells and airborne pollutants. Eco stains are non-toxic, meaning they pose little to no risk whatsoever to even the smallest members of your family.
Our four-step application process
Our team is committed to quality every step of the way – when you purchase a handcrafted custom bed frame from BedWorks, you know you are getting the best of the best.
Applying the sealer or stain is one of the very last steps in the construction process. Our Australia-based team follows a thorough four-step protection process that yields gorgeous, long-lasting, flawless results every time. It works like this:
Step 1: Apply the stain
First, we apply the stain or sealer to the timber. Stains are available in several natural shades, ranging from bright white and clear lacquer to deep smoke and dark chocolate.
Step 2: Apply the oil
Then, we apply a generous coating of nourishing Kunos Oil. This locks in the stain for a deep, vibrant colour that’ll stand the test of time. It also hydrates and protects the wood.
Step 3: Allow to dry
We allow the stain and oil combination to dry for at least 24 hours. This gives the products ample time to adhere to the timber properly.
Step 4: Repeat the process
Finally, we repeat the entire process again from start to finish. By applying two coats of stain and oil, we can achieve a smooth, even finish.
The short answer: everyone! Every household can benefit from introducing more eco-friendly products into their homes. That being said, our sustainable beds are even more beneficial to certain families and individuals.
Eco-friendly stains for those with allergies
Allergies can be a real nightmare – especially if you are allergic to day-to-day things like dust, pollen, and the nasty chemicals found in cleaning products and other household items.
Opting for hypoallergenic bedding and furniture can make a world of difference to your quality of life. How? By reducing the presence of allergens in the air.
Natural-based wood finishes are highly recommended for those that live with allergies.
Sustainable bedding for families with young children
Your child’s health and wellbeing are of paramount importance, and you want nothing more than to give them a happy, harm-free environment in which to live, play, and grow.
Traditional wood finishes are packed with chemicals that can vaporise and become airborne. These particles can then be inhaled by anyone and everyone living in the home. Young children are particularly susceptible to harmful air pollutants, so it’s best to take every precaution possible.
Natural wood finishes for pets
Similar to children, cats, dogs, and other pets may have adverse reactions to the chemicals found in conventional finishes. By choosing an eco-friendly, non-toxic alternative, you can have peace of mind that your furry friend is out of harm’s way.
Environmentally friendly timber stains for those with other medical conditions
Some medical conditions, such as asthma, can cause sufferers to become sensitive to environmental factors. In these instances, it’s ideal to choose a natural product as this reduces the likelihood of an adverse reaction.
Our eco-friendly products
Purchasing a new bed frame is one of the most significant design decisions you’ll have to make. You already know you want an eco-friendly product – now, it is time to decide what, precisely, you want your bed to look like.
Lucky for you, the team behind BedWorks offers a versatile range of contemporary bed frames that deliver on environmental sustainability and on-trend styling. Here’s a quick overview of our stunning, ever-evolving range of custom, naturally stained timber bed frames.
For standard timber beds that are anything but ordinary, you simply cannot go wrong with our effortless collection of custom timber bed frames. Our range includes low-profile, space-saving designs, as well as styles that make a statement.
Whichever you choose, your bedroom will look fit for the pages of an interior design magazine!
Four-poster beds have come a long way in recent years. Today, these bold, contemporary designs are coveted the world over for their inspiring simplicity and ultra-modern vibe.
Here at BedWorks, we offer several four-poster custom bed frames. If you’re a fan of minimalist interior design, you will love our Sunny Four-Poster Custom Timber Frame. Or, for something that combines the best of both standard and four-poster bed designs, check out the Cube Custom Timber Frame.
Incorporate a little Scandinavian design into your home with an ultra-low-profile bed. These refined bed frames sit low to the ground, creating an extremely cosy, comfortable atmosphere.
We offer several customisable, Australian-made, eco-friendly low bed designs. If it’s something basic you are after, you might like the Rounded Corner Customer Bed Base. If it’s something a little more romantic you want, our Sara Sleigh Custom Timber Bed is a popular choice.
Make your contribution to environmental safety today
Whichever design you choose, when you shop our custom range of bed frames, you can rest easy knowing that your purchase isn’t contributing to nasty pollutants. Not only are you protecting the planet, but you are also giving your home and those that live within it the happiest, healthiest environment possible.
All of our custom bed frames are made here in Australia by a team of committed craftsmen and women. We are so confident in the quality of our workmanship that all of our custom timber products are backed by a two-year guarantee.
So, what are you waiting for? Invest in sustainable sleep today and treat yourself – and our planet – to the highest quality, fully customisable bed frames on the market. And, if you have any questions or concerns about us, our products, our delivery service, or our environmental commitment, please don’t hesitate to get in touch with our friendly team today on 1800 980 776 or at [email protected].
We are committed to a green future. Are you?
|
environmental_science
|
http://elastek.com/about/green-choice/
| 2014-12-18T22:18:47 |
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2014-52/segments/1418802768034.59/warc/CC-MAIN-20141217075248-00022-ip-10-231-17-201.ec2.internal.warc.gz
| 0.909632 | 306 |
CC-MAIN-2014-52
|
webtext-fineweb__CC-MAIN-2014-52__0__195816602
|
en
|
By choosing Elastek roof coatings, you are making a Green Choice. Our environmentally friendly products reflect UV rays and keep roofs cooler. This reduces the utility cost of cooling a home. Our coatings are long lasting and, when applied with a PolyTek fabric, can sustain your roof indefinitely, thus saving it from cluttering the landfill. Cooler, reflective roofs also reduce the heat island affect in urban areas. Five of our coatings are ENERGY STAR® qualified — Solar Tek Extreme, Solar One, Solar Magic, Solar Mastic, and The Shield.
At Elastek we —
- Reuse the production waste water using the ALAR Recovery System — Elastek has no industrial drain attached to the county sewer system as it produces no industrial waste water!
- Recover and reuse the dust particles that become airborne when we pour powders into our products
- Use energy-saving flat screen monitors
- Use energy-saving compact fluorescent light bulbs throughout the facility
- Use cost-effective, paper-saving networked printers/fax/scanners
- Participate in the One Laptop Per Child program
- Donate items no longer needed on Freecycle and to the HabiStore
Employees recycle all clean cardboard, junk mail, office paper, newspaper, and plastic bottles that are part of Elastek’s daily operations. There are several drop-off points located throughout the company for employees to deposit items as soon as they are identified as recyclable.
|
environmental_science
|
https://www.stfisales.com/index.php
| 2023-12-10T08:02:40 |
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2023-50/segments/1700679101282.74/warc/CC-MAIN-20231210060949-20231210090949-00389.warc.gz
| 0.913571 | 259 |
CC-MAIN-2023-50
|
webtext-fineweb__CC-MAIN-2023-50__0__244884796
|
en
|
If It’s Dirty, We Can Filter It
If You Spill It, We Can Mop It Up
Sometimes, business gets messy. We understand. Service Technologies and Filtration is here to help your company respond whenever you’ve got a mess that you need to address.
We’ve been distributing environmental products to companies in the food service, winemaking, industrial waste disposal, honey, and environmental clean-up industries since 1988. We offer a full line of high-quality absorbents and filtration products for air, gas, chemical, and liquid applications.
Together, we can create a cleaner, healthier environment. You can feel good knowing that your business has taken steps to protect and defend the natural beauty of our great nation, as well as mitigating the legal and public relations liabilities that can threaten your company’s bottom line and reputation whenever spills and other environmental threats become a problem.
We’re locally owned and operated in Clio, MI and have helped companies clean up major messes all over Michigan. Our person-to-person, down-to-earth, consultative approach ensures that you will always walk away with the right products to solve your environmental issue.
Don't forget to ask about Inventory Management.
|
environmental_science
|
http://micatu.com/approved-for-release-micatu-formally-awarded-nyserda-pon-2942-advanced-clean-power-technologies/
| 2018-01-19T21:35:15 |
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2018-05/segments/1516084888135.38/warc/CC-MAIN-20180119204427-20180119224427-00765.warc.gz
| 0.910298 | 462 |
CC-MAIN-2018-05
|
webtext-fineweb__CC-MAIN-2018-05__0__165707815
|
en
|
Approved for Release: Micatu Formally Awarded NYSERDA PON 2942 “Advanced Clean Power Technologies”
Horseheads, NY, April 26, 2016 — Micatu, Inc. provider of next generation optical based sensors for the utility and wind turbine industry, announced today that they have been formally awarded a NYSERDA PON (Program Opportunity Notice) No. 2942, for “Advanced Clean Power Technologies”. The New York State Energy Research and Development Authority, known as NYSERDA, promotes energy efficiency and the use of renewable energy sources.
“Micatu is pleased to be developing advanced technologies that help support NYS Clean Power initiatives. The Micatu solution, called PHOCOM, is intended to deliver a very cost effective solution that leverages patented, high-performing optical sensors, networked with off-the-shelf fiber optic components stated Michael Oshetski, CEO of Micatu, Inc.”
“We have done a lot of research in the renewable energy market segment and there appears to be a “sweet spot” in bringing down the cost curve for condition monitoring applications used in wind turbines. Micatu is uniquely positioned to provide a revolutionary new “photonic sensing technology” that allows wind farm operators to meet their ROI targets as well as improve the accuracy of their vibration measurements said Mike Jagielski – Micatu’s Chief Operating Officer”.
Dr. Atul Pradhan, Micatu’s Chief Technology Officer added: “While this PON award is for “Advanced Clean Power Technologies”, the application of our photonic vibration sensing technology can be applied to other environments (such as turbines, generators, transformers, fans, etc.) essentially providing additional benefits (Remote Condition Monitoring, RF/EMI Resistance) that are inherent to fiber optic based solutions”.
About Micatu: Micatu, Inc. provides sensors that fundamentally change the way the world senses with light. We revolutionize optical sensor technologies that provide next generation measurement capabilities in the areas of smart grid, wind, power, transmission, navigation and aerospace. For more information, please visit us on the web at: www.micatu.com.
|
environmental_science
|
https://ph.usembassy.gov/natural-disaster-alert-typhoon-karding/
| 2023-12-01T09:22:26 |
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2023-50/segments/1700679100286.10/warc/CC-MAIN-20231201084429-20231201114429-00117.warc.gz
| 0.863877 | 357 |
CC-MAIN-2023-50
|
webtext-fineweb__CC-MAIN-2023-50__0__56475915
|
en
|
U.S. Embassy Manila, Philippines
U.S. Consular Agency Cebu, Philippines
September 25, 2022
Natural Disaster Alert – Typhoon Karding
Location: Central Luzon and Northern Philippine Islands
The Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) predicts Super Typhoon Karding (Noru) is expected to adversely affect Central Luzon and the northern Philippine Islands with torrential rain and high winds. Possible heavy rains are expected over Batanes, Cagayan, Isabela, the northern portion of Aurora, Catanduanes, Camarines Norte, and Camarines Sur. Heavy to intense rains over the northern portion of Quezon including Polillo Islands, Aurora, Nueva Ecija, Tarlac, Pangasinan, and the northern portion of Zambales may also occur today and through Monday morning. Heavy to intense rains over the rest of Central Luzon may affect Cagayan, Isabela, Quirino, Nueva Vizcaya, Cordillera Administrative Region, Ilocos Provinces, La Union, Metro Manila, and the rest of Calabarzon.
Under these conditions, scattered flooding and rain-induced landslides are possible, especially in areas that are highly or very highly susceptible to these hazards as identified in hazard maps and in localities with significant antecedent rainfall.
Actions to Take:
- Exercise extreme caution if you live within the affected areas.
- Stay calm and alert. During periods of extreme weather activity watch out for flooding and avoid affected areas if possible.
- Maintain awareness of conditions and avoid steep slopes.
- Monitor local media and the PAGASA website for updates and instructions.
|
environmental_science
|
https://12freeforall.com/how-smart-homes-power-the-post-pandemic-energy-evolution/
| 2024-03-05T13:59:39 |
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2024-10/segments/1707948235171.95/warc/CC-MAIN-20240305124045-20240305154045-00897.warc.gz
| 0.902443 | 1,302 |
CC-MAIN-2024-10
|
webtext-fineweb__CC-MAIN-2024-10__0__190967695
|
en
|
The COVID-19 pandemic triggered massive disruptions in energy use as lockdowns led to deserted office buildings while remote work and school surged electricity demand at home. Smart home technology helped manage these unpredictable shifts by balancing residential energy needs with grid stability.
Now as societies reopen but remote activities persist, smart homes provide the ideal solutions to match energy supply and demand in real-time. Their intelligent efficiency and flexible energy management capabilities are powering the evolution to a more dynamic, resilient grid.
Let’s explore how smart home innovations like rooftop solar, batteries, intelligent thermostats, electric vehicle chargers and appliance controls are driving the post-pandemic energy transition. Their aggregated potential positions homes as virtual power plants that mitigate grid strain. Utilities and homeowners embracing smart home technology can lead the charge toward a smarter, decentralized grid for the 21st century.
Managing the Pandemic Power Rollercoaster
COVID-19 unleashed unprecedented turbulence in energy consumption as social and business activities abruptly shifted from centralized to home-based. Grid operators confronted a wild seesaw between overloaded residential grids and plummeting commercial demand almost overnight.
Smart home devices helped balance the extremes by reducing home peak loads while maximizing self-generated solar power. Intelligent thermostats like Alphabet’s Nest adjusted cooling based on occupancy patterns and weather data. Batteries supplied overnight power once sunlight diminished.
Utilities utilized incentives so smart chargers only drew EV power during off-peak times. The collective impact avoided dangerous residential peaks that could crash local distribution grids.
“The pandemic provided a rapid scaled experiment revealing how networked smart homes can stabilize the grid during major demand swings,” says Ronny Mo, Head of Energy Solutions at Google.
This proven value of smart homes to dynamically manage usage is now pivotal as the world transitions to a new normal with hybrid remote and in-person activities. Intelligently balancing residential and commercial power flows remains imperative.
The Solutions Under One Roof
While each smart home device offers specific benefits, their full potential comes from orchestrating energy use across them in unison. This is where artificial intelligence and the Internet of Things (IoT) enter the picture.
IoT sensors throughout smart homes feed appliance performance, user behavioral and weather data into cloud AI platforms. In turn, machine learning algorithms optimize energy levels based on priorities set by homeowners while staying responsive to grid conditions.
For instance, a sudden cold snap may trigger high electricity demand. But cloud AI can preheat connected homes and shift discretionary loads to off-peak times using historical data. This prevents outages from residential demand spikes.
Agile coordination also makes it easier to integrate intermittent renewable power into the grid. Solar forecasts help cloud AI predict available sunlight to align rooftop system output with other home devices. Any excess solar can be stored in batteries or EVs to dispatch later when renewable generation declines.
Utilities are taking notice of how turnkey smart home platforms create virtual power plants encompassing thousands of homes. Some offer discounted connected devices and superior rate plans to incentivize enrollment in residential energy management programs.
The Grid of the Future is Distributed and Dynamic
Standard power generation and transmission models rely on centralized fossil fuel plants to push electricity one-way to passive consumers. But smart homes enable a decentralized grid where flexible users dynamically interact with the grid to share resources.
Homeowners become proactive “prosumers” who both consume and produce power depending on conditions. Meanwhile utilities operate smarter local microgrids rather than unwieldy centralized grids.
For example, a neighborhood microgrid could pool household solar, batteries, EVs and generators to disconnect from the main grid during outages and sustain itself independently. Exchanging energy peer-to-peer between homes opens new possibilities as well.
Grid architects are also increasingly focused on managing demand rather than expanding supply. The cleanest, cheapest energy is wasted energy. Federal initiatives like the Grid Modernization Lab Consortium back innovations in smart buildings to curb usage during peak periods when power costs surge.
As renewables expand, maximizing their intermittent potential requires a nimble grid using smart homes as a cornerstone. Home energy hubs can help smooth out renewables’ variability when clouds block sun or winds die down.
While still early, smart homes form the backbone needed for the decentralized, decarbonized grid essential to reach sustainability targets. Their responsiveness unlocks greater efficiency and reliability than fossil fuel plants can provide.
Mainstreaming the Smart Home Revolution
Of course, these sweeping modern grid visions rely on smart home technology permeating widely enough to make an impact. Though adoption is accelerating, connected devices remain out of reach for many households.
But project manager Daria Nepriakhina sees recent trends in consumer interest, energy policies and utility incentives aligning to tip smart homes into the mainstream within a decade.
She highlights how fear of climate change is compelling homeowners to monitor energy use more closely for conservation. Evolving building codes and rebates for electrifying homes are removing adoption barriers further.
Nepriakhina also notes innovations like Google’s new Nest Renew aimed at simplifying home energy management through AI and automation. By integrating renewables seamlessly into daily routines, products like this make energy optimization accessible to general consumers.
As costs decrease, user experience improves and grid incentives expand, smart home technology adoption should build momentum. Given the clear value proposition the pandemic illuminated, our homes appear well on their way to powering the emerging energy paradigm.
The Road Ahead
While challenges remain, from cybersecurity risks to data privacy concerns, the path toward decentralized, clean energy supported by smart homes seems inevitable.
Expect the convergence of intelligent homes and IoT to accelerate as urbanization raises energy demands and climate consequences escalate. Smart communities with networked homes, offices, vehicles and public spaces optimized in unison will become tomorrow’s energy imperative.
Powering the planet more sustainably starts with empowering homes to manage their own energy footprint dynamically. The humble home stands poised to transform into the engine driving the next-generation grid. Unlocking its full potential means embracing technology that can amplify the home’s capabilities.
Through innovation, the dwellings we retreat to for shelter can now provide solutions that nourish the collective future. The pandemic offered a glimpse of this possibility as our castles became drivers of energy resilience. With smart homes as the cornerstone, the possibilities ahead for our grids appear limitless. The power lies within reach.
|
environmental_science
|
https://eatoils.com/frequently-asked-questions/
| 2024-02-23T11:00:22 |
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2024-10/segments/1707947474377.60/warc/CC-MAIN-20240223085439-20240223115439-00826.warc.gz
| 0.949832 | 112 |
CC-MAIN-2024-10
|
webtext-fineweb__CC-MAIN-2024-10__0__169014170
|
en
|
Frequently Asked Questions about EatOils™ Products and How the Cleaning Magic Works
All of our EATOILS™ products are safe to use, containing no solvents or other harmful chemicals. Our microbes are all naturally occurring microorganisms that are both effective and safe for humans, animals, and the environment. Our products are all listed on the DSL by Environment Canada and are considered safe for use in Canada.
EATOILS™ are listed with the CFIA (Canadian Food Inspection Agency) for the safe use in Food Processing facilities.
|
environmental_science
|
https://onlinelaw.pacific.edu/2021/03/15/
| 2024-02-25T17:57:54 |
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2024-10/segments/1707947474641.34/warc/CC-MAIN-20240225171204-20240225201204-00196.warc.gz
| 0.94435 | 2,289 |
CC-MAIN-2024-10
|
webtext-fineweb__CC-MAIN-2024-10__0__38834381
|
en
|
We invited water policy expert Kim Delfino to speak with us at a webinar about changes she anticipates to water policy in the Biden administration. Delfino reviewed the Biden administration’s top four priorities: Covid-19, economic recovery, climate change, and racial equity. “These priorities,” she said, “will have a profound impact on water policy.” In her presentation, Delfino laid out the changes that are already underway and what we can expect to see going forward.
Delfino teaches in McGeorge’s MSL and LLM Water & Environmental Law programs. She is also the founder and president of Earth Advocacy, a firm that provides policy and advocacy guidance to nonprofits and foundations. Prior to her work with Earth Advocacy, Delfino was a California program director for Defenders of Wildlife and a member of the California Water Commission. Her policy expertise lies in state and federal endangered species, land use planning, water, and other natural resource laws.
Importance of the Federal Government to Water Policy
Professor Delfino began the conversation by emphasizing the enormous influence the federal government plays in setting water policy. In California, for example, the federal government is a critical player through its role in the Central Valley Project, which is a system of dams, reservoirs, canals, hydroelectric power plants, and other facilities that spans 400 miles. Dams in the system—and thus water supply—are operated by the US Bureau of Reclamation. The federal government administers the Clean Water Act, the Safe Drinking Water Act, and numerous other federal laws that have implications for water policy.
Federal agencies play a significant role in state water management, explained Delfino. Key agencies include the Department of Interior, which houses both the US Fish and Wildlife Service and the Bureau of Reclamation. The EPA, the National Marine Fisheries Service, the Department of Agriculture, and the Department of Energy are others. These and other agencies all control water policy, and thus the President and the federal administration play a very large role in water issues in California and in other states.
Water Policy under the Trump Administration
Professor Delfino reviewed actions the Trump administration took to dismantle major climate policies and weaken or repeal (“rollback”) rules that govern clean air, water, wildlife, and toxic chemicals. She shared a chart from the New York Times that identified over 100 rollbacks intended to weaken environmental protection that were complete or in progress at the end of the Trump administration. “You can see,” she said, “that a lot happened in four years under the Trump administration with respect to water policy.”
|Air Pollution & Emissions
|Drilling & Extraction
|Infrastructure & Planning
|Toxic Substance & Safefy
As the chart indicates, the Trump administration took nine actions to roll back protections that affect water pollution. Beyond the actions captured in the chart, said Delfino, actions taken elsewhere also affected water supply and quality.
Under Trump, for example, changes were made to Section 401 of the Clean Water Act, making it harder for states to object to federal projects that don’t meet state water quality standards. The Trump administration weakened coal ash disposal rules, and rules about what coal companies and power plants can dump in water. Rules protecting groundwater from certain uranium mines were relaxed. And regulatory changes to federal land management in support of the expansion of oil and gas leasing significantly decreased protections for fish and wildlife that rely on water.
“With the Biden administration we’re seeing a complete change in priorities,” said Delfino. And even though some of the Biden priorities may at first appear unrelated to water policy, she explained, they come together in a way that significantly affects environmental and water policy.
Reversing Trump-Era Rollbacks
One way that the Biden administration’s priorities affect water policy is through reversals of regulatory changes adopted by the Trump administration. For example, the Trump administration significantly narrowed the class of waters protected by the Clean Water Act. Delfino expects the Biden administration to take actions that will result in expanded federal protections for an expanded class of waterways nationwide.
Another rollback of Trump-era policies, Delfino explained, relates to the Safe Drinking Water Act and a rule that establishes a maximum contaminant level of zero for lead in drinking water. The Trump administration updated the rule to require cities to notify consumers who may be exposed to lead in their drinking water, but the rule also gave those people a very long time, potentially up to 30 years, to actually replace the infrastructure that caused the contamination. The Biden administration has a strong interest in tightening these rules so that infrastructure is replaced more quickly, thus increasing protections for drinking water and affected communities, including disadvantaged and underrepresented communities.
Another change to Trump-era policies is evident in an executive order from the Biden administration that directs the Department of the Interior to pause new oil and gas leasing on public lands and offshore waters, and to perform a comprehensive review of the federal oil and gas program. The targeted pause does not impact existing operations or permits for existing leases, Professor Delfino explained, but it will nonetheless have an impact. “This action is significant,” she said, “because fossil fuel extraction on public lands accounts for nearly 25 percent of all US greenhouse gas emissions.” Such extraction also affects access to clean air and water, impacts wildlife habitat, and can degrade cultural and sacred sites.
Finally, Professor Delfino stated that she expects to see a reversal of Trump-era modifications to Migratory Bird Treaty Act rulemaking that narrowed the application of the Act. Because migratory birds use water sources in their migration, the Act has surprising implications for water policy. “If you’re not able to protect birds,” explained Professor Delfino, “that often translates to impacts on bird habitat, which means impacts to water sources.”
Climate Change and Its Effects on Water Policy
Climate change is another area where Professor Delfino anticipates significant changes to water policy. Quoting water and climate research scientist Brad Udall, Professor Delfino said that “climate change is water change.” In other words, she said, the most obvious and dire impacts of climate change are evidenced in the changes we see to our waters and rivers. “This is very evident in the floods and droughts that California is experiencing,” she said. “The droughts are becoming deeper and longer, and California may be on the precipice of another long-term drought. This uncertainty destabilizes the economy and people’s lives, showing that climate change has a profound impact.”
Professor Delfino discussed President Biden’s “Tackling the Climate Crisis at Home and Abroad” executive order as one example. This order will have a significant impact on water policy. The order directs the entities that review regulatory and budget actions to require that federal permitting decisions consider the effects of greenhouse gas emissions on climate change. “This means,” she said, “that agencies like the Environmental Protection Agency will need to undo Trump-era rules, and it also means that the [U.S.] Army Corps will have to rethink the Trump administration’s fast-track permits for a number of water-destroying activities.”
Furthermore, the administration announced a $2 trillion climate plan that will provide significant funding to shore up our natural infrastructure. This money, said Professor Delfino, will go into drinking water improvements, flood protection, and cleanup of abandoned oil and gas wells. Delfino explained that the administration’s plan proposes that the predominantly low-income communities and communities of color that have disproportionately been impacted by pollution should receive 40% of the benefits of this spending.
These actions are some of many that reinforce climate change as a cornerstone of the Biden administration. The associated regulations and investment decisions will have a very big impact on water policy.
Greater Access to Clean and Affordable Drinking Water
California has taken a lead in pushing for access to clean and affordable drinking water, and Professor Delfino said she expects the Biden administration to take measures that support and further the existing work of environmental justice organizations.
“We see an intersection between Covid and equity issues driving a greater effort to provide clean and affordable drinking waters to communities,” said Delfino. “With Covid, you have to wash your hands. You need access to clean water in order to be able to do that. And you need access to clean drinking water.”
Biden’s relief measures include large amounts of money that can be directed to address the problems of access to clean and affordable drinking water in the United States, including the emphasis on directing the funds to communities disproportionately impacted by pollution.
A Dynamic Time for Water and Environmental Law
This is a dynamic time to be involved in water and environmental law, said Professor Delfino. The interplay between water policy and Biden’s priorities of economic recovery, racial equity, climate change, and Covid are complex and fascinating. “My class touches on lots of these issues, and it’s exciting to talk about them and to see a change in administration and a significant shift in how the statutes and regulations are being interpreted and revised and applied.”
“We’ve had executive orders that revoke rules and past policy decisions,” said Delfino. “We’ve had executive orders that announce new proactive policies and proposed investments. We’ve seen a freeze on all pending regulations until a full review is done. There’s review of ongoing litigation being conducted by the Department of Justice, and we have new personnel leading the federal agencies that signal a 180-degree change in the direction of the administration and how it will affect water.”
The full webinar provides additional detail about water policy implications, including an in-depth discussion of how California, in particular, is likely to be affected by the priorities of the Biden administration.
About McGeorge’s Online MSL & LLM Programs
McGeorge offers two fully online part-time programs in Water & Environmental Law:
- The Master of Science in Law (MSL) is designed for land use planners, engineers, environmental consultants, public information officers, lobbyists, public agency and legislative staff, and others who seek expertise in this continually evolving field but do not require a law degree.
- The Master of Laws (LLM) is for attorneys, recent law school graduates, or foreign-educated legal professionals to develop depth of knowledge in a specialized area of environmental, water resources, regulatory compliance, and public agency law.
Students build marketable expertise with the guidance of expert faculty chosen for outstanding teaching as well as depth of knowledge in water and environmental law. Courses emphasize real-world knowledge and development of practical skills. The programs are convenient and are specifically designed for students and professionals who need flexibility due to work, professional, or other obligations, and who want to further their education and advance their career.
|
environmental_science
|
https://jerseybiodiversitycentre.org.je/taxonomy/term/15
| 2021-08-05T05:33:18 |
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2021-31/segments/1627046155322.12/warc/CC-MAIN-20210805032134-20210805062134-00177.warc.gz
| 0.902435 | 150 |
CC-MAIN-2021-31
|
webtext-fineweb__CC-MAIN-2021-31__0__130377485
|
en
|
Spring is the perfect time to start your wildlife recording journey. Whether you are watching wildlife from your window or out for a walk there is always plenty to see if we slow down.
Wildflowers are showing up all along the lanes in Jersey. Whilst social distancing doesn't mean you can't get outside to enjoy the fresh air. There are plenty of walks to enjoy out in the countryside.
Join us for this years Simply Spring event where we will be hosting a wildlife themed craft workshop.
10:30-11:30 Caterpillar bookmarks and leaf art
11:30-12:30 Make an insect hotel
13:30 -14:30 Origami agile frogs
14:30-15:30 Bird nest creation
|
environmental_science
|
http://www.kitchensourcebook.co.uk/2011/10/26/new-lighting-app-for-your-phone/
| 2017-10-17T02:02:44 |
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2017-43/segments/1508187820556.7/warc/CC-MAIN-20171017013608-20171017033608-00062.warc.gz
| 0.945134 | 231 |
CC-MAIN-2017-43
|
webtext-fineweb__CC-MAIN-2017-43__0__131839859
|
en
|
Did you know that we spend 85% of our lives inside?
However, we rarely think about what impact our homes and workplaces have on us. If you managed to watch The Secret Life of Buildings recently, you’ll know that a lack of light can even affect your health.
We all want a light, bright kitchen but how can you tell how lit the room really is? Guess what? There’s an app for that. Even better, it’s free.
The Megaman LuxMeter uses the camera on your phone to measure the brightness of any space, telling you in ‘lux’ how lit the room is.
As a rough guide, an overcast day is about 1,000 lux, whereas office lighting comes in at about 320 – 500 lux.
The app doesn’t stop there, however, as it also gives you tips and recommendations for the ideal lighting solution. There’s even an energy saving function to help identify where you could be saving by fitting alternative bulbs or LEDs. Considering that it’s Energy Saving Week, that’s pretty handy.
|
environmental_science
|
https://nhtreefarm.org/what-is-a-tree-farm/
| 2024-03-02T07:34:49 |
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2024-10/segments/1707947475757.50/warc/CC-MAIN-20240302052634-20240302082634-00739.warc.gz
| 0.939428 | 719 |
CC-MAIN-2024-10
|
webtext-fineweb__CC-MAIN-2024-10__0__150089505
|
en
|
What is a Tree Farm?
A Tree Farm is woodland that is managed to produce forest products with the added benefits of improving wildlife habitat, water quality, recreation, and scenic values. While most Tree Farms are privately owned, there are also municipal, school, and other public forests certified as Tree Farms.
A Tree Farm must be at least 10 acres in size, have and actively use a written management plan, and demonstrate a commitment to forest stewardship. There are approximately 1,500 Tree Farms in New Hampshire.
What the NH Tree Farm Program Does:
The NH Tree Farm Program promotes the growing and harvesting of renewable forest resources while protecting the environment and increasing public understanding of the benefits of productive forestry.
Our goals include:
- Accomplishing excellent forestry by educating and motivating forest landowners to grow, harvest, and renew forest resources on a sustainable basis in an environmentally sound manner.
- Providing working demonstrations of forest stewardship so that other landowners can follow best practices.
- Promoting better public understanding of the role of forest lands in meeting human needs for wood, water, wildlife, and recreation.
- Protecting and promoting the rights of Tree Farmers to manage their forest resources according to best practices.
What is the American Tree Farm System?
The American Tree Farm System is a program for woodland owners who are committed to managing their property for wood, water, wildlife, and recreation.
The NH Tree Farm Program is run by volunteers and co-sponsors, including the New England Society of American Foresters – Granite State Division, the N.H. Division of Forests and Lands, the N.H. Timberland Owners Association, the Society for the Protection of New Hampshire Forests, and the University of New Hampshire Cooperative Extension. At the core of the NH Tree Farm Program is a flourishing network of people who care deeply about the environment. Certification by the American Tree Farm System (ATFS) indicates that a Tree Farm member is among the best woodland stewards in America. Certified members have access to an affordable certification system available for private landowners. ATFS certification is internationally recognized and meets strict third-party verification and auditing standards.
A Tree Farm sign is the sign of good stewardship and can be displayed with pride.
Who are Tree Farmers?
Tree Farmers share a unique commitment to protect wildlife habitat and watersheds, to conserve soil, to promote stewardship values, and to provide recreation for their communities while producing forest products. These individuals are key to the kinds of forests, forest activities, and forest resources that future generations will enjoy. New Hampshire Tree Farmers are your neighbors all over the Granite State. You can be a Tree Farmer, too!
What is Sustainable Forestry?
Sustainable forestry has been defined as the “art and science of managing or tending forests over the long term in such a way as to maintain or restore high levels of ecosystem health while also providing the forest products and amenities humans both need and enjoy.”
This definition combines elements of traditional “sustained-yield management” – which focuses on continuing the flow of forest products – and “ecologically sustainable forestry” – which focuses on the condition of the forest, including soil productivity, biodiversity, landscape patterns, and other ecological processes.
Sustainable forestry – also called “sustainable silviculture” – embraces both approaches by focusing on sustaining the ecological processes that maintain the flow of forest products. This subtle, yet significant, adjustment acknowledges the importance of sustaining forests in all their complexity.
|
environmental_science
|
http://gomagreens.com/about-us/
| 2019-06-26T05:38:53 |
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2019-26/segments/1560628000175.78/warc/CC-MAIN-20190626053719-20190626075719-00530.warc.gz
| 0.972299 | 287 |
CC-MAIN-2019-26
|
webtext-fineweb__CC-MAIN-2019-26__0__206712709
|
en
|
Goma Greens is all about bringing fresh seasonal veggies to your doorstep, while at the same time supporting the local communities that supply the products. We work with local farmers, which are selected and trusted, to provide fresh, seasonal and healthy products. We are committed to paying the farmers a fair price for their produce. In return, we trust that they deliver high quality products and are transparent and accountable for their farming methods. It is our ambition that Goma Greens will help drive a positive societal development in the local communities that supply the products. 10% of our earnings will be paid back to the local communities to projects that will inspire organic farming.
Goma Greens was established by Christina Freddie in 2016. Christina is from Denmark where she worked with Corporate Social Responsibility for a global healthcare company for more than 13 years. She lives in Shanghai with her husband and three children.
When I first moved to Shanghai, I started selling apples from the Shandong province together with a Chinese friend. The purpose was to help farmers selling their products outside their local community, while at the same time bringing fresh and healthy products to urban families. As many other parents, I am concerned about food safety and care about knowing where my food comes from and how it has been treated. I liked the idea of buying apples direct from the farms in Shandong, and the idea emerged to distribute weekly boxes with fresh, seasonal products to families in Shanghai.
|
environmental_science
|
http://easystones.com/blog/natural-stone-history/
| 2021-05-14T16:14:38 |
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2021-21/segments/1620243991428.43/warc/CC-MAIN-20210514152803-20210514182803-00537.warc.gz
| 0.980144 | 386 |
CC-MAIN-2021-21
|
webtext-fineweb__CC-MAIN-2021-21__0__226046784
|
en
|
How Stone is Formed
Stone is a natural solid formation of one or many minerals. There are thousands of types of stone that have been quarried through the centuries. Quarries are located all around the world. A majority of natural stone comes from Italy, Spain, Turkey, United States, Mexico, China, Taiwan, India, Greece, Canada, France, and Brazil.
The minerals in stone came from the same liquid and gas minerals that formed the earth. The Earth developed as a massive body of gas and liquid minerals that slowly cooled and condensed to a solid core. Through pressure, the Earth's crust began to form and heavy minerals were forced down to the core of the Earth where they were trapped. As the crust got thicker, it squeezed around the inner core which created intense pressure and heat from within the Earth. Crystals and other solid forms began to grow from the mineral vapors that were being released. As the Earth's crust began to expand and erode, heat and pressure pushed the solid minerals up to the Earth's surface which formed colossal rock beds. It took up to one-hundred million years to form some of these beds. Many of the beds are now used as quarries where the stone is mined.
Most of these minerals can be identified by their color, hardness, and crystal formation. Crystals come in a variety of shapes and sizes. The wide array of these minerals is often difficult to identify. Many stones look very similar to each other; however, they are all very different.
It is imperative to know the exact type of stone that is to be maintained. Stone is natural and may have adverse reactions to certain cleaning chemicals and procedures. Most stones are also natural alkalis and so are dirt and soil; therefore, stone and dirt are attracted to each other which often makes cleaning very difficult. This makes the proper selection of cleaning procedures and chemicals for stone very complex.
|
environmental_science
|
https://wormbase.org/search/paper/canal?inline=1&species=WormBook
| 2020-09-26T12:49:27 |
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2020-40/segments/1600400241093.64/warc/CC-MAIN-20200926102645-20200926132645-00205.warc.gz
| 0.945387 | 292 |
CC-MAIN-2020-40
|
webtext-fineweb__CC-MAIN-2020-40__0__209575954
|
en
|
Although several Caenorhabditis species are now studied in laboratories in great detail, the knowledge of the ecology of most Caenorhabditis species is scarce. In this chapter we present data on the habitat, animal associations, and geographical distribution of the eighteen described and five undescribed Caenorhabditis species currently known to science. The habitats of these species are very diverse, ranging from rotting cactus tissue to inflamed auditory canals of zebu cattle. Some species, including C. elegans , have only been isolated from anthropogenic habitats. Consequently, their natural habitat is unknown. All Caenorhabditis species are colonizers of nutrient- and bacteria-rich substrates and none of them is a true soil nematode. Dauer juveniles of many Caenorhabditis species were shown to be associated with terrestrial arthropods or gastropods. An association with invertebrates is also likely for the remaining species. The type of association is either phoresy (for transport to a new habitat) or necromeny (to secure the body of the associated animal as a future food source). There are also some records of Caenorhabditis species associated with vertebrates. The Caenorhabditis stem species was probably a colonizer of nutrient-rich substrates and was phoretic on arthropods. Some evolutionary trends within the taxon are discussed.
|
environmental_science
|
https://iqlearningcenter.com/iq-weather/iq-weather-blog-meteorological-winter-begins-wheres-the-snow/
| 2024-02-25T10:57:13 |
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2024-10/segments/1707947474595.59/warc/CC-MAIN-20240225103506-20240225133506-00797.warc.gz
| 0.963548 | 617 |
CC-MAIN-2024-10
|
webtext-fineweb__CC-MAIN-2024-10__0__194016512
|
en
|
Meteorological winter has arrived! You can always count on IQ Weather to explain the difference!
You see, December 1st is the first day of meteorological winter. Typically, that is when you start seeing the colder air starting to push farther south more frequently as the daylight grows shorter. It is also a convenient way for meteorologists to keep track of climate data during the cold months of December, January and February. By using the same days each year for climate calculations, you can compare data year to year and know you are always looking at the same time frame. That allows for more accurate information. The beginning and end dates of astronomical winter can vary year to year so using astronomical winter as the time frame makes it much more difficult to compare!
December 21st is the first day of Astronomical winter, which is the date most people recognize as the first day of winter. On that day the sun is in its most southern position directly over the Tropic of Capricorn. It is also the day of the year with the least amount of daylight in the northern Hemisphere. The first day of winter, however, is not the coldest day of the year, since the lakes, oceans, and other large bodies of water have not fully released the heat that they stored up over the summer. That is why there is always a lag time between the beginning of the dark days of winter, and the coldest days of the year.
Aside from the more frequent outbreaks of cold air in December, another factor that starts to come into play is snow cover. During December more snow starts falling across the northern parts of the U.S. and over the mountains of the west.
Snow cover plays a major role in chilling the air as it reflects a lot of sunlight. The reflective quality of snow is called its albedo…and snow reflects almost 95% of the sunlight that strikes it, which makes it difficult for snow to melt, even on sunny days, if the temperature is below freezing. Even with temperatures above freezing, fresh white snow is slow to melt, thanks to its high albedo! With the shorter amount of daylight and most of the daylight being reflected back to space, the air remains colder in areas where snow is on the ground. Plus, snow also helps chill the air faster at night, setting up a cycle of colder air that becomes harder to break as winter wears on.
Here is the latest map showing the snow cover over the United States today:
Here is the map of the same date last year:
And here is what it looked like by the end of December last year:
Notice the difference!
You can keep track of the daily snow cover in the United States on this website. It is a handy tool for tracking areas where cold air builds up, and you can also compare data from various dates in the past!
As always, our goal here at IQ Weather is to give you the tools to become your own weather forecaster! And it’s easier if you understand what to look for!
|
environmental_science
|
http://www.nordura.is/en/frettir/ample_salmon_in_nordura./
| 2021-10-23T18:12:29 |
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2021-43/segments/1634323585737.45/warc/CC-MAIN-20211023162040-20211023192040-00036.warc.gz
| 0.962636 | 130 |
CC-MAIN-2021-43
|
webtext-fineweb__CC-MAIN-2021-43__0__267224003
|
en
|
Salmon fishing in Norðurá this summer has been plentiful. Over 386 salmon have been landed which is similar to average catch for the same period in previous years according to the river warden. This years salmon migration numbers have reached some of the largest runs recorded. Plenty of salmon have entered the upper regions of the valley already. The water-temperature is ideal and water-levels remain good.
The tide has been high this week with plenty of catches much to the joy of anglers fishing in the river. At the lower reaches numerous trout have been caught. All in all this is shaping up to being an excellent angling summer.
|
environmental_science
|
https://www.thetrailheadbakercity.com/copy-of-trailhead-stewardship-proje
| 2021-02-28T22:03:57 |
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2021-10/segments/1614178361776.13/warc/CC-MAIN-20210228205741-20210228235741-00382.warc.gz
| 0.961525 | 394 |
CC-MAIN-2021-10
|
webtext-fineweb__CC-MAIN-2021-10__0__14215183
|
en
|
TSP Purpose & Reason
Over the past several years and especially the summer of 2020, the Wallowa Whitman National Forest (WWNF) has witnessed a significant increase in use by locals and out-of-area visitors. Multiple user groups have local trailheads, campgrounds, and parking areas at capacity most summer weekends, and RVs and tents could be found in primitive areas as well. The summer of 2020 was memorable on many levels, but the amount of people recreating on the WWNF stands out.
Understanding that the bulk of the USFS budget has moved from recreation to fire, as well as understanding the significant impact outdoor recreation has on our local economy, The Trailhead Bike and Ski shop in Baker City has initiated the Trailhead Stewardship Project (TSP). The TSP was created to facilitate the need for human and monetary resources on the WWNF, helping to mindfully and effectively bolster Outdoor Recreation for our locals and visitors.
While the trail systems throughout the Elkhorns and southern Wallowas are remarkable to say the least, these trails have deteriorated significantly (some are even unpassable), in large part due to lack of funding. The Trailhead is partnering directly with the WWNF to spearhead trailhead maintenance and repair, wayfinding, and coordination of all user groups to identify trail user needs. The TSP will not be specific to biking and hiking trails, but include all user groups; biking, hiking, equestrian, ATV/OHV, etc.
The TSP will encompass all trails within the Elkhorns, Southern Wallowas, and other trails in and around Baker County. The Trailhead plans to invest in this project and hire one seasonal full-time (to start) employee specific to this project. As grant opportunities present themselves, we will continue to invest in trail infrastructure, in our community, and hopefully be able to move to additional staffing dedicated to trail maintenance and repair.
|
environmental_science
|
https://channingmusic.net/tag/water/
| 2023-06-05T09:41:17 |
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2023-23/segments/1685224651815.80/warc/CC-MAIN-20230605085657-20230605115657-00254.warc.gz
| 0.954413 | 389 |
CC-MAIN-2023-23
|
webtext-fineweb__CC-MAIN-2023-23__0__273457309
|
en
|
The first week of July 2019, I spent in the Victorian Alps for a masterclass on field recording. This setting was specifically chosen as the conditions above the snowline mirror those of the polar regions. The masterclass was held by the Bogong Centre for Sound Culture, and led by Philip Samartzis and Douglas Quinn. Both Phil and Doug have spent time in Antarctica field recording and creating art from the sounds.
Five full days of field recording and learning about field recording. I managed to accumulate a fair amount of material and released three albums of the soundscapes of the Bogong High Plains.
On one of the days I was out with a kalimba. I improvised to the environmental sounds of the YMCA Howman’s Gap Alpine Centre, that provided us accomodation. These recordings were made using two ZOOM H6 Handy Recorders and a contact microphone.
Other days I was just recording the environments of a few places around the area. Including the Howman’s Gap Alpine Centre, we also travelled to the McKay Creek Hydroelectric Power Station, and up to the Rocky Valley Dam around Falls Creek. These recordings also used the Zoom H6 recorders but also a JrF hydrophone, a shotgun microphone, and a Priezor VLF antenna.
Snow Line is the recordings from the environment above the official snowline on the alps.
Meltwater Valley is recordings from up around the Rocky Valley Dam, where there was a fair amount of snow everywhere. The sun was out most of the time during the week so the snow was starting to melt.
|
environmental_science
|
https://www.commercialfoodsanitation.com/about-us/our-experts/roger-scheffler/
| 2023-06-02T08:16:34 |
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2023-23/segments/1685224648465.70/warc/CC-MAIN-20230602072202-20230602102202-00398.warc.gz
| 0.940962 | 149 |
CC-MAIN-2023-23
|
webtext-fineweb__CC-MAIN-2023-23__0__139323487
|
en
|
With a background in design engineering, Roger first became involved in food protection and processing while working as an Account Manager for Intralox. In this role, he advised meat-, poultry-, and seafood-processing customers on selecting conveyance solutions and services in order to ensure product quality and safety. In his current role, Roger combines a thorough knowledge of the machinery and equipment used in food processing plants with field-tested experience in food safety practices to assist customers in enhancing sanitation efficiency while meeting regulations.
Roger supports customers in Europe and South Africa in a variety of areas. These areas include sanitation downtime reduction, cleaning sequencing, sanitation program analysis for continuous improvement, equipment design reviews, development of SSOPs and associated documentation, and sanitation and hygiene training.
|
environmental_science
|
https://www.guidecyprus.com/about-kyrenia-nature/
| 2019-04-22T10:21:05 |
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2019-18/segments/1555578551739.43/warc/CC-MAIN-20190422095521-20190422121521-00367.warc.gz
| 0.95401 | 425 |
CC-MAIN-2019-18
|
webtext-fineweb__CC-MAIN-2019-18__0__63997606
|
en
|
About Kyrenia Nature
Kyrenia is a nature lover’s paradise and is home to a wide range of birds and plant life. There are a number of native birds and these include the crested cormorant, scarlet vulture, kestrel, canary, goldfinch, Cyprus warbler, and great titmouse to name but a few. During migration seasons many birds flock in from Turkey and in spring these will include the manx shearwater, quail, cuckoo, kingfisher, and hummingbird. In summertime more birds follow and these include squacco heron, grey and purple heron, and dove falcons. Winter also brings some birds including flamingo, geese, gulls, and whitethroats. The best times for bird watching are spring and autumn and there are some excellent locations in which to do this.
Serious birdwatchers will find the Karpas Peninsula ideal and there is also a national park here that is home to a large number of birds, wild donkeys, turtles, and rare flora. There are also some beautiful beaches.
Northern Cyprus is a haven for a variety of wildlife and there are over 1600 species of plants, 350 species of birds, and 26 different species of reptiles and amphibians. Orchids are probably the most famous of the plant species found in Northern Cyprus and there are found almost everywhere. There are 32 different species of orchid found in Northern Cyprus and these include species such as the pyramidal orchid and the exotic violet limodore. Tulips, narcissus, crocus, and rose are also some of the flowers you can see on your travels.
Nature begins to come alive in November and the Island of Cyprus is covered with fresh growth. Every season in North Cyprus brings different wonders and a rainbow of colors. Nature lovers will love the range of wild flowers and the best time to see all this wonder is between November and May. Summer visitors to Northern Cyprus will miss out on this.
Source – www.allaboutkyrenia.com
|
environmental_science
|
https://bravosl.com/aircon-bill-calculator/
| 2024-04-21T05:52:23 |
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2024-18/segments/1712296817729.0/warc/CC-MAIN-20240421040323-20240421070323-00251.warc.gz
| 0.856806 | 680 |
CC-MAIN-2024-18
|
webtext-fineweb__CC-MAIN-2024-18__0__136387689
|
en
|
Air Conditioner Electricity Consumption Calculator
Your Daily Consumption for the AC: 0 units
Your Monthly Consumption for the AC: 0 units
Calculate your electricity bill here.
Note: The calculations above are derived from various sources, encompassing user feedback among others. Once you’ve estimated your monthly unit consumption using the provided calculation, you can utilize our “Electricity Bill Calculator” to project your upcoming monthly bill post AC installation. This approach provides a comprehensive understanding of your anticipated electricity expenses for the next month.
10 Tips to Save Power from Air Conditioners
Optimal Temperature Settings: Set your thermostat to an efficient temperature. The recommended range for cooling is typically between (23°C to 27°C) for tropical country like Sri Lanka. Each degree below this range can increase energy consumption by about 3-5%.
Use Energy-Saving Modes: Most modern air conditioners come equipped with energy-saving modes. These modes adjust the compressor speed and fan settings to maintain a comfortable temperature while consuming less energy. Activate these modes during periods of lower cooling demand.
Regular Maintenance: Keep your air conditioner in top condition by regularly cleaning or replacing filters. Dirty filters reduce airflow, making the system work harder and use more energy. Schedule professional maintenance to clean coils, check refrigerant levels, and ensure optimal performance.
Utilize Programmable Thermostats: Programmable thermostats allow you to set temperature schedules based on your daily routine. For example, you can program the thermostat to increase the temperature when you’re away or sleeping and lower it before you return or wake up.
Proper Insulation: Ensure your home is adequately insulated. Proper insulation helps maintain a consistent indoor temperature, reducing the workload on your air conditioner. Check and upgrade insulation in attics, walls, and crawl spaces.
Seal Leaks and Gaps: Seal any gaps or leaks in windows, doors, and ductwork to prevent cooled air from escaping and warm air from entering. Weather-stripping and caulking can be effective in minimizing air leaks.
Upgrade to Energy-Efficient Appliances: When purchasing a new air conditioner, look for the Energy Star label or other energy efficiency certifications. These units are designed to meet strict energy efficiency guidelines, leading to lower electricity consumption.
Use Fans Wisely: Ceiling fans help distribute cool air more efficiently, allowing you to set the thermostat a few degrees higher without sacrificing comfort.
Install Window Shades or Blinds: Block out direct sunlight during the hottest parts of the day using window shades or blinds. This reduces the heat entering your home, lessening the load on your air conditioner and helping maintain a cooler environment.
Consider ‘Bravo KillerWATT QRO’: The ‘Bravo KillerWATT QRO’ product utilizes patented technology to significantly reduce electricity consumption for air conditioners. It acts as a smart energy-saving device that optimizes the AC’s performance, resulting in substantial cost savings. Consult with the manufacturer or a professional for proper installation and integration.
Implementing these tips collectively can contribute to substantial energy savings and lower electricity bills while maintaining a comfortable indoor environment. Tailor these strategies to your specific circumstances and the features of your air conditioning system.
|
environmental_science
|
https://parkinglogix.com/can-parking-guidance-be-good-for-mother-earth-too/
| 2024-03-01T14:56:39 |
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2024-10/segments/1707947475311.93/warc/CC-MAIN-20240301125520-20240301155520-00640.warc.gz
| 0.959662 | 361 |
CC-MAIN-2024-10
|
webtext-fineweb__CC-MAIN-2024-10__0__100471024
|
en
|
What does the environment have to do with parking?
Most hospitals and medical centers make it a goal to be conscious of the environment. And many have issues with patients and employees circling for parking spots and struggling to find them. But how are the two connected? And how can parking guidance help?
Are Parkers Really Wasting That Much Fuel?
When drivers circle looking for somewhere to park, they’re wasting more than just time. The emissions their vehicles give off are unnecessary- and not only waste fuel but pollute the environment and affect air quality too. But how much fuel is actually wasted just by looking for a spot? Surprisingly, quite a lot. The average driver spending 17 hours a year, and much more than that in some cities, looking for a spot. That translates into a whole lot of extra fuel in the air.
How Can Parking Guidance Help?
Parking counting systems like OpenSpace help people avoid the wasted time and fuel of searching for parking. OpenSpace keeps track of how many spots are available in each of your lots in real time via smart sensors. That data can then be shared with patients and parkers in a variety of ways. LED signage outside lots keep them informed. Moreover, you can give them access to that data via parking apps and your website.
A Smaller Footprint
OpenSpace is parking guidance that can help you get patients out of their cars and into your facility faster. That translates to less traffic congestion and emissions in and around your campus. But we help you reduce your footprint even more than that. While other parking guidance systems require lengthy installations and wiring each spot, OpenSpace does things smarter. It is a plug-n-play solution that is up and ready within just a few hours, no installation required.
|
environmental_science
|
https://www.westwindfarmva.com/honey-bee-facts/
| 2023-06-08T12:56:17 |
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2023-23/segments/1685224654871.97/warc/CC-MAIN-20230608103815-20230608133815-00770.warc.gz
| 0.948151 | 3,291 |
CC-MAIN-2023-23
|
webtext-fineweb__CC-MAIN-2023-23__0__142142476
|
en
|
The Honey Bee
Honey Bee, the common name for any of several species of highly social bees known for their honey-hoarding behavior and their use as a domesticated species. The European honey bee is important in modern agriculture and in nature, providing pollination for many valuable crops and wild plants. It is native to Asia and the Middle East and was introduced to North America by early European colonists. By the mid-1800s honey bees had become widespread. Today, they are naturalized on every continent except Antarctica. Honey bees can be easily reared, are adaptable to many climates and to laboratory conditions, and have a complex social life. They are among the most studied and best known insects.
In addition to the familiar European honey bee, there are six other recognized species of honey bees, including the Indian honey bee, Koschevnikov’s honey bee, the dwarf honey bee, the andreniform dwarf honey bee, the giant honey bee, and the mountain giant honey bee. The European, the Indian, and to some extent the dwarf honey bees are the species that have been domesticated, although the European honey bee is by far the most widespread domesticated bee and the only species kept in North America. There are many races of the European honey bee. The ones most popular in modern beekeeping are the Italian, Carniolan, and Caucasian. Most honey bees used in hives today are mixtures of these and sometimes other races. Africanized honey bees, also known as killer bees, are a hybrid of African and European races naturalized in the western hemisphere.
The honey bee is a social insect that can survive only as a member of a community, or colony. The colony inhabits an enclosed cavity, its nest. Domesticated colonies are kept in artificial containers, usually wooden boxes, known as hives.
The honey bee community consists of three structurally different forms-the queen (reproductive female), the drone (male), and the worker (non-reproductive female). These castes are associated with different functions in the colony; each caste possesses its own special instincts geared to the needs of the colony.
The queen is the only “egg laying” productive female in the colony and thus is the mother of all drones, workers, and future queens. Her capacity for laying eggs is outstanding; her daily output often exceeds 1,500 eggs, the weight of which is equivalent to that of her own body.
Anatomically, the queen is strikingly different from the drones and workers. Her body is long, with a much larger abdomen than a worker bee. Her mandibles, or jaws, contain sharp cutting teeth, whereas her offspring have toothless jaws. The queen has a curved, smooth stinger that she can use repeatedly without endangering her own life. In contrast, the worker honey bees are armed with straight, barbed stingers, so that when a worker stings, the barbed, needle-sharp organ remains firmly anchored in the flesh of its victim. In trying to withdraw the stinger, the bee tears its internal organs and dies shortly thereafter. The queen bee lacks the working tools possessed by worker bees, such as pollen baskets, beeswax-secreting glands, and a well-developed honey sac. Her larval food consists almost entirely of a secretion called royal jelly that is produced by worker bees. The average lifespan of the queen is one to three years.
The Worker Bee
Worker bees are the most numerous members of the colony. A healthy colony may contain 80,000 worker bees or more at its peak growth in early summer. Workers build and maintain the nest and care for the brood. They build the nest from wax secreted from glands in their abdomen. The hexagonal cells, or compartments, constructed by the workers are arranged in a latticework known as the comb. The cells of the comb provide the internal structure of the nest and are used for storage of the developing young bees and all the provisions used by the colony. Comb used for storage of honey is called honeycomb. Workers leave the hive to gather nectar, pollen, water, and propolis, a gummy substance used to seal and caulk the exterior of the nest. They convert the nectar to honey, clean the comb, and feed the larvae, drones, and the queen. They also ventilate the nest and when necessary, defend the colony with their stings. Workers do not mate and therefore cannot produce fertile eggs. They occasionally lay infertile eggs, which give rise to drones.
As with all bees, pollen is the principal source of protein, fat, minerals, and vitamins, the food elements essential for the growth and development of larvae of all three castes. Adult bees can subsist on honey or sugar, a pure carbohydrate diet. Besides gathering and storing food for all the members of the colony, the workers are responsible for maintaining the brood at 33.9? C (93? F), the optimum temperature required for hatching the eggs and rearing the young. When the nest or hive becomes too hot the workers collectively ventilate it by fanning their wings. During cool weather, they cluster tightly about the nursery and generate heat. The eggs, which are laid one per cell, hatch in three days. The larvae are fed royal jelly for at least two days and then pollen and nectar or honey. Each of the hundreds of larvae in a nest or hive must be fed many times a day.
For the first three weeks of their adult lives, the workers confine their labors to building the honeycomb, cleaning and polishing the cells, feeding the young and the queen, controlling the temperature, evaporating the water from the nectar until it thickens as honey, and many other miscellaneous tasks. At the end of this period, they function as field bees and defenders of the colony. The workers that develop early in the season live extremely busy lives, which, from egg to death, last about six weeks. Worker bees reared late in the fall usually live until spring, since they have little to do in the winter except eat and keep warm. Unlike other species of bees, honey bees do not hibernate; the colony survives the winter as a group of active adult bees.
The Drone Bee
Drones are male honey bees. They are stingless, defenseless, and unable to feed themselves-they are fed by worker bees. Drones have no pollen baskets or wax glands and cannot secrete royal jelly. Their one function is to mate with new queens. After mating, which always takes place on the wing in the open air, a drone dies immediately. Early investigators of the mating habits of the honey bee concluded that a queen mates only once in her life. Recent scientific studies, however, have established that she usually mates with six or more drones in the course of a few days. The motile sperm of the drones find their way into a small, saclike organ, called the spermatheca, in the queen’s abdomen. The sperm remain viable in this sac throughout the life of the queen.
Drones are prevalent in colonies of bees in the spring and summer months. As fall approaches, they are driven out of the nests or hives by the workers and left to perish.
Reproduction and Development
The queen controls the sex of her offspring. When an egg passes from her ovary to her oviduct, the queen determines whether the egg is fertilized with sperm from the spermatheca. A fertilized egg develops into a female honey bee, either worker or queen, and an unfertilized egg becomes a male honey bee, or drone.
The queen lays the eggs that will develop into more queens in specially constructed downward-pointing, peanut-shaped cells, in which the egg adheres to the ceiling. These cells are filled with royal jelly to keep the larvae from falling and to feed them.
Worker bees are raised in the multi-purpose, horizontally arranged cells of the comb. Future workers receive royal jelly only during the first two days, compared to future queens, who are fed royal jelly throughout their larval life. This difference accounts for the great variation in anatomy and function between adult workers and queens. On average, the development of the queen from egg to adult requires 16 days; that of the worker, 21 days; and that of the drone, 24 days.
Field honey bees collect flower nectar. On entering the hive with a full honey sac, which is an enlargement of the esophagus, the field bee regurgitates the contents into the mouth of a young worker, called the house, or nurse, bee. The house bee deposits the nectar in a cell and carries out the tasks necessary to convert the nectar to honey. When the honey is fully ripened, the cell is sealed with an airtight wax capping. Both old and young workers are required to store the winter supplies of honey.
Pollen is carried into the nest or hive on the hind legs of the field bees and placed directly in the cells. The pollen of a given load is derived mostly from plants of one species, which accounts for the honey bee’s outstanding role as pollinator. If it flew from one flower species to another, it would not be effective in the transfer of pollen, but by confining its visits on a given trip to the blossoms of a single species, it provides the cross-pollination required in many varieties of plants.
An amazing symbolic communication system exists among honey bees. In studies of bees begun in the early 1900s, the Austrian zoologist Karl von Frisch determined many of the details of their means of communication. In a classic paper published in 1923, von Frisch described how after a field bee discovers a new source of food, such as a field in bloom, she fills her honey sac with nectar, returns to the nest or hive, and performs a vigorous but highly standardized dance. If the new source of food is within about 90 m (about 295 ft) of the nest or hive, the bee performs a circular dance, first moving about 2 cm (about .75 in) or more, and then circling in the opposite direction. Numerous bees in the nest or hive closely follow the dancer, imitating her movements. During this ceremony, the other workers scent the fragrance of the flowers from which the dancer collected the nectar. Having learned that food is not far from the nest or hive, and what it smells like, the other bees leave the nest or hive and fly in widening circles until they find the source.
If the new source of nectar or pollen is farther away, the discoverer performs a more elaborate dance characterized by intermittent movement across the diameter of the circle and constant, vigorous wagging of her abdomen. Every movement of this dance seems to have significance. The number of times the bee circles during a given interval informs the other bees how far to fly for the food. Movement across the diameter in a straight run indicates the direction of the food source. If the straight run is upward, the source is directly toward the sun. Should the straight run be downward, it signifies that the bees may reach the food by flying with their backs to the sun. In the event the straight run veers off at an angle to the vertical, the bees must follow a course to the right or left of the sun at the same angle that the straight run deviates from the vertical. Bees under observation in a glass hive demonstrate their instructions so clearly that it is possible for trained observers to understand the directions given by the dancers. Certain aspects of the dance language, such as how attendant bees perceive the motion of dancers in the total darkness of the nest or hive, are still unknown. The dance language is an important survival strategy that has helped the honey bee in its success as a species.
Problems of Survival
Honey bees are subject to various diseases and parasites. American and European foulbrood are two widespread contagious bacterial diseases that attack bee larvae. A protozoan parasite, Nosema, and a virus cause dysentery and paralysis in adult bees. Two species of blood-sucking parasitic mites are particularly troublesome for beekeepers and are currently affecting wild honey bees worldwide. The honey bee tracheal mite lives in the breathing tubes of adult bees; the varroa mite lives on the outside of larvae and adults. These mites have killed tens of thousands of honey bee colonies in North America during the past ten years. Scientific breeding programs are attempting to develop tolerant strains of domestic honey bees to replace the mite-susceptible ones currently used. Tracheal mite infestations can be reduced by fumigation of the hive with menthol fumes. Varroa mites are controlled with a miticide or, in some European countries, with fumes of formic acid. Certain hive management techniques also can reduce infestations.
Many other animals prey upon individual honey bees, which may sometimes weaken colonies. Examples are cane toads and bee eaters (birds), which pick off foragers near the colony entrance; robber flies, which take individual foragers as they visit flowers; and hornets and bee wolves (wasps), which may enter the nest or hive and steal larvae. Bears have an insatiable appetite for honey and bee larvae and may destroy many nests or hives in a single raid.
Honey bee colonies used in commercial pollination and those kept in urban areas are exposed to pesticides, fungicides, fertilizers, and other agricultural chemicals and are frequently poisoned by accident. This is a major concern of modern beekeepers.
Honey bees have become the primary source of pollination for approximately one-fourth of all crops produced in the United States and some other countries. The value of the crops that rely on such pollination has been estimated as high as $10 billion annually in the United States. Examples of fruit crops that rely on honey bees are almonds, apples, apricots, avocados, blackberries, blueberries, cantaloupes, cherries, cranberries, cucumbers, pears, raspberries, strawberries and watermelons. The seeds of many vegetables are also produced with honey bee pollination; examples include alfalfa, asparagus, broccoli, brussel sprouts, cabbage, carrots, clover, cotton, cucumbers, onions, radishes, squash, sweet clover, and turnips.
Many species of wild pollinators have disappeared from the land as their habitats have been destroyed or altered by humans. The honey bee has taken over as pollinator of many of the wild plants that remain; its ecological value in this regard is tremendous.
Honey bees are the sole source of honey and beeswax, a fine wax with unusual qualities. Honey bees also produce propolis, a gummy substance made from tree sap that has antibacterial properties, and royal jelly and pollen for human consumption. Honey bee venom is extracted for the production of antivenom therapy and is being investigated as a treatment for several serious diseases of the muscles, connective tissue, and immune system, including multiple sclerosis and arthritis.
Scientific classification: Honey bees comprise the genus Apis in the family Apidae, order Hymenoptera. The European honey bee is classified as Apis mellifera, the Indian honey bee is A. cerana, Koschevnikov’s honey bee is A. koschevnikovi, the dwarf honey bee is A. florea, the andreniform dwarf honey bee is A. andreniformis, the giant honey bee is A. dorsata, and the mountain giant honey bee is A. laboriosa. The Italian race of the European honey bee is A. m. ligustica, the Carniolan race is A. m. carnica, and the Caucasian race is A. m. causcasia.
Contributed by: Kenneth A. Chambers
|
environmental_science
|
https://www.firstinsight.com/press-coverage/your-smartphone-is-still-ruining-the-planet-but-there-may-be-a-more-sustainable-solution
| 2024-04-22T16:10:23 |
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2024-18/segments/1712296818312.80/warc/CC-MAIN-20240422144517-20240422174517-00860.warc.gz
| 0.94292 | 257 |
CC-MAIN-2024-18
|
webtext-fineweb__CC-MAIN-2024-18__0__204031470
|
en
|
A recent report by First Insight and the Wharton School found that 75% of Gen Z participants would opt for sustainable goods over brand-name goods. Their concern for sustainability is influencing other generations as well.
The consumer technology industry has been slower than other sectors to get greener products in the hands of customers. The reasons behind this slow progression are numerous, layered, and complicated, but the business case for green technology is finally improving.
“If you look to other industries, you actually see more sustainable behavior, and a bit more transparency,” says Eva Gouwens, CEO of Amsterdam-based Fairphone, a small sustainable-smartphone manufacturer. “The electronics industry has been a bit of a laggard.”
For years, consumer tech companies have been resistant to adopting greener practices because they were costly. But they alone are not to blame: Consumers have traditionally wanted only the latest and greatest gadgets regardless of the impact on the environment, and government regulations regarding repairability and recyclability have been minimal.
As each of these factors changes, consumer technology is beginning to shift. Katie Green, a sustainability experience planner for the client product group at Dell, equates the slow evolution of sustainable consumer electronics to a human life cycle.
|
environmental_science
|
https://newscurators.com/pakistan-has-decided-to-join-the-global-initiative-to-decrease-methane-emissions/
| 2023-01-28T22:52:52 |
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2023-06/segments/1674764499695.59/warc/CC-MAIN-20230128220716-20230129010716-00125.warc.gz
| 0.922418 | 1,509 |
CC-MAIN-2023-06
|
webtext-fineweb__CC-MAIN-2023-06__0__230876964
|
en
|
ISLAMABAD: Special Assistant to the Prime Minister (SAPM) on Climate Change Malik Amin Aslam on Monday conveyed Pakistan’s consent to the EU and US governments that the country is joining the ‘Global Methane Pledge’ to support global efforts to fight climate change.
The response came on the invitation of European Union and US governments to Pakistan to join the pledge, a global effort to be launched this year on the sidelines of the United Nations annual climate summit in Glasgow later this month, according to an official statement.
“The pledge is a US and EU-led global effort to jointly cut methane emissions 30% by 2030 by 2030, boosting the emerging global partnership a momentum for slowing down global warming ahead of its launch at the UN climate summit,” he explained.
“We have informed the EU and US administrations that Pakistan would join the Methane Pledge to help global efforts to combat climate change,” Amin added.
Now Pakistan is among the 24 new signatories to the Global Methane Pledge first announced by the United States and the EU in September with the aim to boost rapid climate action prior to the onset of the two-week-long global climate change summit starting from Oct 31.
The nine original partners include UK, Mexico, Indonesia, Japan and Nigeria that signed on to the pledge when it was announced at the Major Economies Forum in September this year.
The partnership of the signatories of the methane pledge now covers 60% of global GDP and 30% of global methane emissions.
“It could have unprecedentedly a powerful bearing on the energy, agriculture and waste sectors responsible for the largescale emissions of methane gas,” the PM’s aide added.
Methane is a powerful flammable and colourless greenhouse gas, about 80 times more potent than carbon dioxide in warming the planet and causing climate change. Being the biggest component of natural gas and used for fuel, its leakages are caused by poorly constructed conventional drilling operations, shale gas wells, gas pipelines and other fossil fuel infrastructure.
The SAPM recalled that Pakistan received a special invitation to join the methane pledge club thanks to its successful and globally acclaimed green initiatives and programmes for climate change mitigation and adaptation – including the Ten Billion Tree Tsunami Programme, e-vehicle, renewable and ecosystem restoration projects.
PM’s aide Amin recalled that at a recent meeting, US Special Climate Change envoy John Kerry has vehemently lauded the climate change-related green initiatives launched in Pakistan under PM Imran Khan’s vision for a clean green and climate-resilient Pakistan.
“It’s one of those tools which can really assist us in avoiding the tipping point on climate change. This is a fast track solution,” he added.
Explaining about the sources of methane emissions, the PM’s aide said that countries represent a range of different methane emissions profiles, and as far as sources of the methane emissions in Pakistan is concerned agriculture is a major source that emits a significant quantity of the highly climate-potent odourless gas.
Several recent studies have already called for the need for governments to clamp down upon methane to slow down global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius, an overarching goal of the global climate agreement signed in 2015 in Paris, he said.
Referring to a landmark UN scientific report released in August this year, Amin said that strong, rapid and sustained reductions in methane emissions and slashing CO2 emissions could have a far-reaching impact on the climate.
He also said that the Global Change Impact Studies Center (GCISC), a climate change research arm of the climate change ministry, has prepared the Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Inventory for the year 2017- 2018 for Pakistan’s First Biennial Update Report (BUR1) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).
The estimation under the inventory shows the total emissions from Pakistan stand at around 489.87 million metric tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent (MtCO2eqv.) for the year 2018, with the energy sector contributing 218.94, industrial processes 25.76, agriculture, forestry and land use 223.45 and waste 21.72 MtCO2 equivalent, respectively, the PM’s aide spelt out.
Out of the total 489.87 Mt CO2 eq, as much as 135.89 Mt CO2 eq emissions are from methane, which includes 6.88Mt CO2 eq from the energy sector 2.95 MtCO2 eq from fuel combustion activities and 3.93 Mt CO2 eq are fugitive emissions from fuel, Malik Amin Aslam added.
The new signatories include Canada, the Central African Republic, Congo-Brazzaville, Costa Rica, Cote d’Ivoire, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Micronesia, France, Germany, Guatemala, Guinea, Israel, Japan, Jordan, Kyrgyzstan, Liberia, Malta, Morocco, Nigeria, Pakistan, the Philippines, Rwanda,
Sweden and Togo, the U.S. State Department and EU confirmed on Monday.
The US special climate change envoy said he hoped to have more than 100 countries signed up in time for the COP26 climate summit. “We look forward to welcoming all governments that are ready to tackle methane as the single fastest strategy that we have to keep a safer 1.5C future within reach,” Kerry said. More than 20 philanthropic organizations, including ones led by Michael Bloomberg and Bill Gates, said on Monday they would mobilise over $223 million to support countries’ methane-reduction efforts. The countries involved represent a range of different methane emissions profiles.
“We all have different starting points and different local situations. But we also all have the possibility to reduce our methane emissions substantially,” European Commission Executive Vice President Frans Timmermans said.
A government official told Reuters the United States will engage with India and China to urge them to join the pledge in the weeks leading up to the UN climate summit.
Russian climate envoy Ruslan Edelgeriev said the country would analyse the initiative but did not confirm if it would join.
‘One move left’
Methane has a higher heat-trapping potential than CO2 but breaks down in the atmosphere faster.
The United States is due to release oil and gas methane regulations in the coming weeks, and the European Union will unveil detailed methane legislation later this year.
Canada will also bring forward regulation to cut methane emissions from the oil and gas sector at least 75% by 2030 from 2012 levels, climate minister Jonathan Wilkinson said on Monday.
Larry Kramer, president of the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, which contributed to the $200 million fund, told Reuters the money will “help catalyze climate action” and that reducing methane is the quickest way to help carry out the 1.5-degree goal.
Durwood Zaelke, president of the Washington-based Institute for Governance and Sustainable Development, said the partnership was a “great start” for focusing the world’s attention on the need to slash methane.
“There’s one move left to keep the planet from catastrophe – cutting methane as fast as we can from all sources,” he said by email ahead of the announcement.
|
environmental_science
|
http://theflyingtwinkie.blogspot.com/2012/09/saturdays-activites.html
| 2019-01-20T12:40:49 |
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2019-04/segments/1547583716358.66/warc/CC-MAIN-20190120123138-20190120145138-00228.warc.gz
| 0.986118 | 193 |
CC-MAIN-2019-04
|
webtext-fineweb__CC-MAIN-2019-04__0__17546374
|
en
|
Wednesday, 19 September 2012
On Saturday I biked to a conservation area located near my apartment. My main goal was photos of birds, but I ended up leaving with this as my only picture. It's a Wooly Bear Caterpillar.
I adore these little guys and move them to safety if I discover them in a place where they can be squashed.
While walking the trail, my companion and I heard a strange call. I thought of a list of birds that were spotted in the area and exclaimed "it's a gray catbird". He thought that I was making it up until I pulled out my birding app and showed him. We never got a clear look at the bird but the area it was found in matched and the call was unmistakable. (It sounded like a Siamese cat.)
The total distance biked that day was about 15 miles plus all the walking we did in the conservation area. Not too bad.
|
environmental_science
|
https://no-sleep-disorders.com/blog/airing/
| 2022-10-02T12:55:29 |
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-40/segments/1664030337322.29/warc/CC-MAIN-20221002115028-20221002145028-00581.warc.gz
| 0.95537 | 413 |
CC-MAIN-2022-40
|
webtext-fineweb__CC-MAIN-2022-40__0__159519905
|
en
|
Air exchange is an important hygienic requirement for the room in which we sleep. Air exchange in the bedroom is carried out using various methods and devices. The simplest and most affordable for everyone is airing.
Ventilation – removing polluted air and replacing it with clean air. Modern industry currently offers a wide range of ventilation systems, in other words, air conditioners. But ventilation is the simplest and most natural means of air exchange in our rooms. Airing is carried out through vents and windows and transoms. Good air exchange is achieved by through ventilation. In the cold season, we ventilate the bedroom in the absence of people.
A jet of fresh air will not only not harm your sleep, but will also help to strengthen it. A person who is constantly in a warm room is usually pale and has poor sleep. Dry and hot air dries moisture in the nose and contributes to inflammation of the mucous membrane of the upper respiratory tract. This is troublesome during sleep. You also need to give up indoor plants in the bedroom. On hot summer days, you can use a regular fan, the uniform sound of which also helps you fall asleep quickly.
Naturally, you sleep much better in the fresh air. It is enough to sleep 5 or 6 hours outside the city, and this will be equivalent to 9-10 hours of sleep in an urban setting. This is due to the fact that while sleeping in the open air, the sleeper receives signals from numerous receptors: “Everything is fine, life support is normal.” There is no hypoxia (oxygen starvation), which helps to restore the normal rhythm of rest and wakefulness, eliminate cardiac disorders and get rid of insomnia.
Therefore, during sleep, it is necessary to leave the windows open, the ideal temperature for a bedroom is 16-17 degrees. Don’t forget to take cover, and in winter you even need to wear warm socks.
Remember the golden rule: “Keep your head cold and your feet warm.”
|
environmental_science
|
https://www.ruipugroup.com/wholesale-calcium-hydrogen-phosphate/
| 2024-03-01T01:27:20 |
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2024-10/segments/1707947474893.90/warc/CC-MAIN-20240229234355-20240301024355-00437.warc.gz
| 0.884202 | 544 |
CC-MAIN-2024-10
|
webtext-fineweb__CC-MAIN-2024-10__0__197221300
|
en
|
Storing large quantities of wholesale calcium hydrogen phosphate, also known as dibasic calcium phosphate or dibasic calcium phosphate dihydrate (CaHPO4·2H2O), requires careful consideration of environmental factors to maintain product quality.Here are guidelines for proper storage:
Store calcium hydrogen phosphate in a cool, dry place away from direct sunlight and heat. Maintain a stable temperature to prevent the product from deteriorating.
Keep the storage area well-ventilated to prevent moisture buildup, which can lead to clumping or caking of the powder.
Use appropriate containers that provide a barrier against moisture and environmental contaminants.Sealed, airtight containers, such as drums or bags, are commonly used for bulk storage.
Ensure that the containers are made of materials compatible with calcium hydrogen phosphate to prevent any chemical reactions.
Protection from Contaminants:
Store calcium hydrogen phosphate away from substances that may cause contamination, such as strong acids, bases, or incompatible chemicals.
Implement a system to avoid cross-contamination with other products stored in the same facility.
Monitor and control humidity levels in the storage area.High humidity can lead to the absorption of moisture by calcium hydrogen phosphate, affecting its flow properties and causing clumping.
Consider using desiccants or other humidity control measures in the storage space.
Implement proper handling procedures to minimize the introduction of contaminants during loading and unloading processes.
Train personnel on the correct procedures for handling and storing calcium hydrogen phosphate to prevent accidents and ensure product integrity.
Clearly label containers with product information, including batch numbers, expiration dates (if applicable), and handling instructions.
Ensure that safety data sheets (SDS) are readily available for reference.
Implement a robust inventory management system to track the movement of calcium hydrogen phosphate and monitor stock levels.
Rotate stock based on the "first in, first out" (FIFO) principle to use older inventory first and minimize the risk of product deterioration over time.
Implement security measures to prevent unauthorized access to the storage area and protect against theft or tampering.
Conduct regular inspections of the storage area to identify and address any issues promptly.
Check for signs of moisture, contamination, or damage to containers during inspections.
Emergency Response Plan:
Develop and communicate an emergency response plan that includes procedures for handling spills, leaks, or other incidents that may impact product integrity.
Consult with the supplier for specific storage recommendations based on the characteristics of the calcium hydrogen phosphate product you are handling.Additionally, adherence to relevant safety regulations and guidelines is essential to ensure the health and safety of personnel and the integrity of the stored product.
|
environmental_science
|
https://www.gedi.it/en/media/news/gedi-first-italian-editorial-group-achieve-carbon-neutrality
| 2022-12-09T06:44:06 |
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-49/segments/1669446711390.55/warc/CC-MAIN-20221209043931-20221209073931-00478.warc.gz
| 0.95133 | 338 |
CC-MAIN-2022-49
|
webtext-fineweb__CC-MAIN-2022-49__0__49541794
|
en
|
GEDI is the first italian editorial group to achieve Carbon Neutrality
Turin, June 5, 2022. GEDI announces that it has achieved Carbon Neutrality - being the first Italian publishing group to reach this goal - through a substantial reduction in CO2 emissions, using energy produced from renewable sources, and by offsetting 2,375 residual tons of CO2 through quality carbon credits recognized by the UNFCCC (United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change) and certified by the VCS, the main International Standard.
GEDI is assisted by Carbon Credits Consulting, an Italian company specializing in the development and management of forest projects with a high environmental, social, and biodiversity impact in the most sensitive areas of the planet.
The fight against climate change and the commitment to the energy transition, also through the reduction of emissions harmful to the environment, is a priority of GEDI's ESG policy, which is accelerating the implementation of concrete and measurable initiatives, reported in its Report of Sustainability (available on www.gedi.it).
GEDI's commitment to environmental protection will now continue with the expansion of the scope of analysis of its Carbon Footprint: the next goal, on which GEDI is already working, will also be to offset the indirect emissions of its supply chain (the so-called Scope 3). Furthermore, the Group, which is currently purchasing certified recycled paper already, also plans to complete the certification process of the Chain of Custody by 2022, to guarantee a virtuous purchase process of the raw material on which its editorial products are printed. The paper used will therefore come exclusively from either sustainably managed forests or recycled paper.
|
environmental_science
|
https://diosanjoaquin.org/st-pauls-episcopal-church-presents-climate-change-john-muir-sierra-nevada/
| 2018-12-17T13:01:57 |
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2018-51/segments/1544376828507.57/warc/CC-MAIN-20181217113255-20181217135255-00174.warc.gz
| 0.925781 | 431 |
CC-MAIN-2018-51
|
webtext-fineweb__CC-MAIN-2018-51__0__42178249
|
en
|
Lecturer: Dr. Michael Kunz
Audience Discussion: You
When: November 12, 2017
Where: St. Paul’s Episcopal Church
120 N. Hall Visalia, CA 93277
Time: 2:30 p.m.
This event is part of ClimateKeys, a global initiative launching with over thirty concerts in nine countries during October & November 2017 to raise public engagement with CoP23, the 2017 United Nations climate talks taking place in November in Bonn, Germany. ClimateKeys, founded by London-based composer/pianist Lola Perrin, features concert pianists and climate change experts collaborating in performances that include a conversation with the audience about positive response to climate change. To date, over a hundred concert musicians and guest speakers in twenty countries have joined ClimateKeys. More concerts are being planned through 2018.
The environmental music project ClimateKeys invites pianists and climate experts from all over the world to come together to raise public awareness on climate change. The is a series of concerts, starting in autumn 2017, it combines piano performances and open discussions on climate, empowering the audience to better understand the issues and the opportunities behind climate change.
“Artists are useful for filtering climate messages in ways that can be processed more readily through emotions, and direct interaction with experts can inspire the public to make climate change part of their conversations,” say ClimateKeys founder, Lola Perrin.
While climate change and its effects increasingly impact every aspect of our daily lives, public occasions to engage with climate specialists remain limited. Creating opportunities for discussion with experts, as part of cultural events such as piano concerts, can contribute to boosting public engagement with climate change issues and mobilizing citizens around the Paris Climate Change Agreement.
John Hord, a pianist from Fresno, and Michael Kunz, a professor at Fresno Pacific University, have combined to create a local ClimateKeys program. This Sunday, at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church in Visalia, the two will come together with their music and their science expertise to create an opportunity for discussion about the local impact of climate change.
|
environmental_science
|
http://sugnall.co.uk/
| 2015-03-06T03:54:06 |
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2015-11/segments/1424936465487.60/warc/CC-MAIN-20150226074105-00190-ip-10-28-5-156.ec2.internal.warc.gz
| 0.966667 | 418 |
CC-MAIN-2015-11
|
webtext-fineweb__CC-MAIN-2015-11__0__35568243
|
en
|
Welcome to Sugnall Hall and to our world of healthy horticulture.
The two-acre walled garden was designed and built over 275 years ago in order to help feed the family and small army of servants living in and around the original Sugnall Hall. These days it still produces food for the more recent house, but it also supports the Tea Room, where our jams, chutneys, soups, tarts and quiches are sold there and through the Farmers’ Market.
However, the biggest change that a time-traveller would see is that the walled garden is now a venue for a wide range of events, including parties, weddings, country fairs and car rallies. The historic garden has become a living, breathing rural business that welcomes visitors. Indeed, we welcome private and corporate events, food and plant fairs, and we also do talks and tours. In addition to the walled garden there are other spaces in and around the estate where we hold events and other parts of the estate are also open, notably various walks in the woods that take in a series of pools.
Although we have annual snowdrop and bluebell walks, the season really starts after Easter when the marquee goes up and the first of our plant fairs takes place. From then on, the routine is opening to the public on Sundays and Bank Holiday Mondays (we are in the National Garden Scheme’s Yellow Book); Saturdays are generally set aside for events (though these can be booked on other days as well), and weekdays are for group visits and our own Garden School. The garden really comes to life in May and June, and looks flourishing and exuberant in July, August and September. We are still picking apples in October, but the garden pavilion comes down that month, prior to the autumn mists, dew and drizzle.
We look forward to welcoming you to Sugnall.
Karen & David Jacques
Have a look at our What’s On section for details of forthcoming events.
|
environmental_science
|
http://takhuatlen.org/our-work/nakina-trail/?s=
| 2024-04-23T11:08:08 |
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2024-18/segments/1712296818474.95/warc/CC-MAIN-20240423095619-20240423125619-00755.warc.gz
| 0.925632 | 496 |
CC-MAIN-2024-18
|
webtext-fineweb__CC-MAIN-2024-18__0__59341722
|
en
|
Restoring the historic Nakina Trail.
The T’akhu  Tlèn Conservancy supports the maintenance of the historical Nakina Trail. The Nakina Trail is of great cultural significance to the Taku River Tlingit First Nation since it remains the only overland route from the interior boreal plateau into the Taku River Watershed. Historically, Tlingit traveled the trail each year to connect with families residing in the Taku River Watershed and to harvest the abundant wild salmon found in tributaries of the Taku River. The enforcement of Government Indian Reservations significantly reduced the use of the Nakina Trail and led to parts of the trail becoming overgrown. However, the trail was reopened in 1998, based on direction from the TRTFN Elders Council, and continues to be an important symbol of cultural revitalization for the Taku River Tlingit people.
The Nakina trail starts at Kuthai Lake, south of Atlin, and leads to a historic Tlingit village site (Canoe Landing) at the confluence of the Nakina and Sloko Rivers. Kuthai Lake is an important spawning area for sockeye salmon and the TRTFN operate a salmon monitoring camp here. This camp provides a comfortable starting point to the trail, and a unique place for hikers to learn about salmon and Tlingit land stewardship.
Kuthai Lake is reached by driving south from Atlin about 38km to the O’Donnell River. From the O’Donnell, an ATV track leads 12km to Kuthai Lake. Hikers usually park at the O’Donnell, ford the river or take the cable crossing, and hike along the ATM track to Kuthai Lake. From Kuthai, the trail leads through open boreal forest, through meadows and along a series of small lakes before dropping into the Sloko River drainage. Here the vegetation changes; certain boreal species disappear and hikers enter a transition zone influenced by the coast. Devil’s club dominates the forest under story. The trail crosses a number of creeks, cuts through rocky gullies, crosses avalanche paths, and traverses below a talus slope before descending into the Sloko drainage. Due to the challenging terrain and vegetation that grows quickly, the trail needs to be frequently maintained so that it remains accessible for hikers.
|
environmental_science
|
https://www.safehydrogen.com/markets.html
| 2021-01-22T08:29:04 |
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2021-04/segments/1610703529179.46/warc/CC-MAIN-20210122082356-20210122112356-00618.warc.gz
| 0.929692 | 481 |
CC-MAIN-2021-04
|
webtext-fineweb__CC-MAIN-2021-04__0__107174422
|
en
|
Safe Hydrogen's markets consist of current users of merchant hydrogen as well as the emerging market of mobile, transportable and off-grid (stand alone) applications served by fuel cell generated electric power.
Renewable power generation is facing two big problems. First is that regions where the
wind blows most powerfully and the sun shines most consistently
are not served by power lines. Second is that the wind does not
blow or the sun shine when the consumers most need the power. A
prime example is the news in July 2009 that T. Boone Pickens has
scaled back his plans for wind farms because he was unable to run
power lines to the prime wind location. Slurry can solve these problems.
Electricity can split water through electrolysis into hydrogen and
oxygen. Hydrogen can be stored in a slurry and transported to where
it is to be used. The slurry is heated to release the hydrogen which
can fuel gas turbines which drive generators. The discharged slurry is then returned to be recharged at the renewable energy farms.
Safe Hydrogen technologies offer a lower cost and vastly safer alternative to transporting hydrogen in liquid or compressed form via dewar or tube truck.
The fuel cell driven applications include backup power stations, battery replacement, portable power generation, electric vehicles, and marine power stations. The company's patented and unique hydrogen generation and storage system, using either chemical or rechargeable slurries, is capable of meeting fuel cell needs for kilowatt to megawatt applications.
- Kilowatt applications include electric power for remote and marine applications and standby or backup power for industrial, commercial, and residential applications.
- Megawatt applications include electric power for commercial ships and for backup power generation at commercial and industrial sites.
- Gigawatt applications include large scale power generation requiring carbon neutral and CO2 free, fuel. Slurries enable cost effective transportation of appropriately generated hydrogen to these facilities.
The fuel cell industry has been marked by a longer than expected
development stage, but certain fuel cell designs are very close
to commercialization. While significant fuel cell penetration of
the automobile market is likely to take another 3 to 6 years, backup
power and power generation for remote locations currently use fuel
For extensive information about fuel cell technology and applications, please visit http://www.fuelcells.org/
|
environmental_science
|
http://cinacia.com/
| 2017-04-28T21:37:13 |
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2017-17/segments/1492917123097.48/warc/CC-MAIN-20170423031203-00585-ip-10-145-167-34.ec2.internal.warc.gz
| 0.923195 | 127 |
CC-MAIN-2017-17
|
webtext-fineweb__CC-MAIN-2017-17__0__292843806
|
en
|
Organic, the only way to grow
At Cinacia, we believe growing the organic way produces a better tasting potato, and we take pride in farming the way nature intended. Cinacia fingerlings are grown at 7,000 feet in the San Luis valley of south central Colorado. The flavor, texture and eye appeal of our fingerlings can't be beat. Maybe it's the thin air or the rich, fertile soil that makes them grow so well, naturally. Or, perhaps it's the attention we pay to the varieties we select and how we grow each potato. We like to think it's all those things.
|
environmental_science
|
https://silassativarius.org/2015/03/10/keys-to-optimal-nutrient-levels-in-soiless-and-wet-hydroponic-grows/
| 2017-09-23T03:36:24 |
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2017-39/segments/1505818689471.25/warc/CC-MAIN-20170923033313-20170923053313-00374.warc.gz
| 0.92752 | 3,722 |
CC-MAIN-2017-39
|
webtext-fineweb__CC-MAIN-2017-39__0__35028692
|
en
|
By Silas Sativarius
The cannabis industry is without question on the absolute cutting edge of plant nutrient science. While the perfect nutrient combination may have a greater effect on Cannabis yield than other crops, there is no concrete evidence of that. But the real reason nutrient research and products are booming in the Cannabis cultivation industry is simply the vast amount of money Cannabis growers are willing to spend on nutrients compared to ANY other commercial crop. The difference is literally ten fold higher than any other crop bar none.
And with this willingness to spend for the “best” has come a plethora of exaggerated claims to support this huge market. I will not try to evaluate any specific products or claims in this article, but instead I will attempt to help you understand the basics of how to best use your expensive and high tech nutrients.
Nutrient Concentrations and Feeding
Let’s start with the fact that overfeeding or excessive nutrient ppm levels is THE most common mistake inexperienced or ambitious growers make. One misconception that can lead to this mistake is the idea that the maximum level of ppms a plant can handle continues to go up proportionally as the plants growth rate increases. In reality, the maximum PPM level a plant can tolerate, or better, that is optimum (they aren’t the same) is based on a very complex relationship of factors in the root zone far too complicated to discuss here. But the bottom line is, the optimum is relatively static within a narrow range and does NOT increase proportionally with plant growth. So how does the plant get more nutrients as it grows faster? Water transpiration.
Water transpiration is the amount of water that literally flows through the plant from the roots to the leaves and out into the atmosphere. There are strict limitations on the concentration of minerals in the water flowing through the Xylem (the plants vascular system) So the more water transpiring, the more nutrients are transported. This is the most important factor in nutrient uptake. And it depends on several factors.
The higher the temperature, the faster the plant will transpire water to cool the plant. CO2 intake also increases. See 3 Keys for Maximizing.. for more details on Co2 and Temp. Higher temperatures also increase evaporation rates.
The lower the relative humidity (RH) i.e. the dryer the air, the less resistance to evaporation and the easier it is for the plant to evaporate water from the vacuoles in the leaves. The more water taken IN, the more must go OUT, so decreasing humidity helps facilitate water transpiration and prevents the potential for water condensation on the leaves which further restricts transpiration and makes the plant vulnerable to fungi like mildew.
3) Root capacity
The more root capacity the plant has, which literally comes down to the total surface area of the entire root system, the faster water/nutrients can be absorbed. Root surface area can be dramatically increased in two ways, optimizing air space in the soil, and Mycorrhiza.
• Air space – in general, the optimum ratio of air to water in the root zone is 50/50. Soil porosity or the amount of air space in the root zone throughout the life of the plant is CRITICAL to root function, and lot’s of air space creates “feathery” roots with high surface area.
• Mycorrhiza – Mycorrhiza are a variety of fungi that grow on the root surface creating a webbing network that not only dramatically increase the functional surface area of the root, but also helps break down and make more available certain nutrient compounds. More on Mycorrhiza in the upcoming Root Zone article.
4) Osmotic pressure
Osmotic pressure is created by the ratios of solutes (minerals) between the exterior and interior of the root. It is here that nutrient PPM really comes into play because lower PPM’s decrease Osmotic pressure, but too high will stop transport completely. So for this reason, unless you suspect you have excessive nutrient levels in the root zone or salt buildup, plants should never be watered with pure Reverse Osmosis (RO) water, for it can negatively impact transpiration.
So you can see that keeping the root zone conditions optimal is ESSENTIAL to both nutrient and water uptake.
Evaporation in this context is the root zone moisture that is evaporated away from the roots without being used by the plant. When this moisture evaporates, it leaves the dissolved nutrients behind, initially just increasing the nutrient ppm level in the root zone, but ultimately, if the root zone gets too dry, usually towards the top, the nutes will dry completely and oxidize into salts, which are difficult to redissolve and create unhealthy conditions in the root zone.
There are 2 environmental factors that effect evaporation. Air and/or root-zone temperature, and air relative humidity (RH). Both an increase in temp and /or a decrease in RH will increase evaporation. Also, the “airier” or more porous the media and/or container, the faster the evaporation.
To compensate for this loss of unused water in the root zone, nutrient levels have to be reduced to effectively keep the existing root zone nutrient ppms consistent. This can be accomplished by either lowering feed water ppms on-going, or by periodically watering with 1/4 to 1/3 strength normal nutrient mix. The amount of reduction depends on the level of evaporation, but a good way to test this is to water the plants starting with a 10-20% reduction and measure the ppms of the nutrient run off coming out of the media. Adjust the feeding nutrient ppm until you get roughly the same coming out (or within 100ppm or so) as going in, each feeding. And remember. The harder you push the plant, i.e. the closer you run it to that maximum threshold, the less headroom you have for environmental fluctuations.
LED vs HPS/MH
As mentioned in Tips and Tricks for LED’s, LEDs produce no Infra Red (IR) and consequently require higher ambient air temperatures to achieve similar plant metabolism rates to that achieved with HPS, all other factors being equal. With this increase in air temp comes an increase in evaporation, so it is extra important when using LED’s to adjust your ppm schedule to accommodate these changes.
There is another factor that has a big impact on both the ability of the plant to absorb nutrients, and consequently your optimum levels of nutrient ppm. It is Chelation.
Chelates are compounds that react with the more stable nutrient molecules found in fertilizers (so they can stay unchanged in the package) and make them less stable, but far more absorbable by the plant. Chelates can also break down harmful salts, turning them back into absorbable nutrients. EDTA, Humic Acid, and Fulvic acid are the most common Chelates used in fertilizers. EDTA and other Chelates are also the active ingredient in most “Final Flush” type additives, (such as Advance’s Final Phase) advertised for use in the last two weeks of flower because they break down salt residue preventing nute lock up in the crucial final weeks.
Chelates are maybe the one nutrient ingredient that really can have a significant impact on growth rate because they make the nutrients more easily absorbed. There really isn’t any toxic threshold for these compounds, but the more you use of them, the less actual nutrients you can add to maintain a safe PPM level, so it is a balancing act.
TIP FROM SILAS – I personally use Liquid Karma (and no they don’t pay me to say this, I just love the stuff) as my organic Humic / Folic acid chelation agent (as well as providing some vitamins) through all phases of growth and I have found that while I may adjust the ratios of the various nutrients –nitrogen, potassium, phosphorus etc—for the different stages, i.e. veg, pre-flower, flower, and ripening, I slowly increase the ratio of Karma to Nutrients from 1 tsp/ gal Karma in Veg, to as high as 4tsp/gallon Karma at peak flower. Do it and WATCH what happens! I will give more details of this and all topics discussed on this site in my “Secrets to Massive Cannabis Yields” book coming out soon. There are many other sources besides Karma for organic Humic /Folic acid chelation additives so take your pick, but Karma is the only nute I have used religiously for almost a decade. I also add a little EDTA additive (1/4 label) anytime I use chemical nutes or flower boosters.
Because chelates make the dissolved nutrients (and salts) suddenly more absorbable to the plant, they can take a perfectly safe ppm level and make it toxic. Thus, whenever you use Chelation additives, you should reduce the nutrient ppm levels by 20% or so and then increase them slowly over time. And never use an EDTA flushing agent at full strength immediately after feeding with nutrients at full strength. Always flush with clear water at least once prior to using these additives at label strength. However, they are actually more effective if used throughout the grow cycle at roughly ¼ label strength, but nutrient PPMS must be adjusted accordingly. As with any changes in nutrient PPM, start low, say 6-700ppm and gradually increase and watch carefully. The fastest way to detect nutrient toxicity is a rapid browning of the normally white stamens of the flower, (Literally over-night) anytime before the last week of flower. This will happen before the leaves may show any symptoms. Spraying of flowers can have the same effect however. Also, browning of the leaf tips can be a sign of longer term excessive nutrient levels.
As roots grow, they slough off their outer skin like a snake. This skin, is a carbohydrate material and can accumulate and reduce the water /nutrient uptake of the root. In organic humus based soil, there are naturally occurring bacteria such as Bacillus Subtilis and Bacillus Cereus, that eat (breakdown) the organic material in the soil as well as the carbohydrates shed by the roots. These are the same bacteria that break down plant matter in a compost pile.
However, in wet or soiless hydro, healthy root bacteria (flora) do not occur naturally. You have to add the bacteria and then provide them food ongoing, because most hydroponic nutrients do not have significant organic components that could provide food for these organisms, and they will quickly reproduce beyond the amount of food the roots are producing and then begin to die off. And without them, the root system will not be able to uptake water or nutrients efficiently, or breakdown any extra organic material from organic based nutrients that can accumulate and dense up soiless medias, reducing the oxygen present.
So it is important for proper nutrient uptake, that from the first week in veg, you supply periodic doses of healthy bacteria through supplements or compost teas to keep the roots and media clean and healthy, and it is strongly advised that you include a small amount of simple sugar (Glucose or Fructose) to feed the existing bacteria when the root detritus runs low (i.e your roots are clean). ¼ the label recommendation of most sugar products is plenty, but don’t worry, if the sugars are simple forms like glucose or fructose, they can be absorbed by the roots (and leaves) and thus can replace some of the sugars the plant normally has to produce through photosynthesis. Feeding sugar will also replace a small part of the nitrogen requirements. But DO NOT use excessive sugars in the nutrients because it can cause unhealthy conditions in the root zone. Less is more, and 50 (normal) to 100ppm (late flower) is a safe upper limit for sugar supplementation. People go WAY overboard with sugar, let me be clear, sugar DOES NOT translate directly into fragrance or resin. Phosphorus drives resin production. I will discuss this more in future articles.
Normally when plants grow in organic soil with all that good humus being acted on by countless bacteria and fungi, the soil will naturally stabilize around a PH of 6.0-6.5. This is adequate for proper absorption of organic forms of nutrients which are more stable and slightly less bio-available, and watering with simple PH7 water like rain does not alter the PH of this system virtually at all.
But when you are growing in a Hydroponic environment, both wet, aeroponic, or soil-less (peat, rockwool, etc..) the media the plant is growing in has no organic material except what you add in the nutrients. For this reason, it is very difficult to establish prolific enough flora (bacteria etc..) to really buffer the PH conditions. Thus YOU have to adjust your PH on every feeding to the correct level.
Different minerals (nutrients) favor different PH ranges, but when you distill it all down with the dozen or so minerals really essential to an optimally healthy plant, the sweet spot for all hydroponics (not Soil) turns out to be PH 5.7- 6.0. Phosphorus is the most sensitive nute to PH above 6.0 and it is ESSENTIAL to high quality Cannabis. And if you want optimum growth, and you are not using exclusively organic nutrients, you had better keep your PH between 5.7 and 6.0 ALL THE TIME. I’m not going to try to explain it here, but look at the chart above and suffice to say, you need to keep your PH in that range EVERY TIME you feed. Not just when you mix the tank. Every time you feed, RECHECK IT. Be diligent, and you will notice the difference.
And buy a GOOD PH meter and keep a back up meter as a reference, because when they fail, they don’t tell you. They just give you incorrect readings and you won’t know till it’s too late and your wondering why everything is SH*T. And it can only take a couple feedings that are PH 6.2 or higher, especially during the CRUCIAL first 2-3 weeks of flower, and especially if your using chemical nutes, to ruin an entire crop from Phosphorus deficiency. In those first weeks, the plants aren’t sucking up the nutes as fast, so it sits there longer, and often there is a bunch of fresh clean media (Peat, etc..) from a recent re-pot to a larger media, so there’s just not much resident organic residue and bacteria to help buffer the PH, so it has lots of time to mess with your plants. And it will RUIN an entire crop. Oh the plants will still grow, but they will never be optimal, and there is no fixing it.
You can protect yourself from PH issues somewhat by always using an organic Base nutrient. Also, bacterial treatments help as well. Organic nutes are less PH sensitive and over time leave behind material that will set this natural PH buffer mentioned previously. But this material also slowly clogs up the media, so if you use organics with soil-less media, increase the aeration in your starting media with additional perlite etc.. But ask any pro grower, organics nutes are safer and easier, and make for a little better taste and smell etc.. but plants grow much faster and bigger with high quality chelated chemical nutes. So it is a tradeoff. For Wet Hydro, organics will simply clog your jets and kill things, so you have to be very careful in avoiding nutes with organic particulates, which is in almost all of them. I will get into more detail in future publications.
But spend the money, spend the time, and watch your PH like a HAWK. 5.8-6.0. 6.0 for the first 2-3 weeks to favor Nitrogen and keep them good and green, then you can slowly begin to slide it down towards 5.8 during ripening to favor Phosphorus and Potassium absorption for flower production. Doing so will make the sun leaves begin to yellow, but don’t worry, that’s ok, they are less important at this stage than high phosphorus absorption.
TIP FROM SILAS: Ammonium based nutrients will slowly decrease the media PH, most other forms of nutrients will slowly increase media PH. So ammonium based nutes will be less sensitive to excess (>6.0) PH levels because the absorption at the root naturally creates free hydrogen that drops the PH. If your media or soil PH is too low (exp. general leaf yellowing from nitrogen starvation), use non-ammonium based nutrients to correct.
I hope I have not sacrificed too much literal accuracy (my disclaimer for all you PHD plant biologists out there) in the interest of simplification here, but I think you can see that optimizing nutrient uptake is a very complex system that requires careful and gradual adjustments to find the optimal levels for your plant and environment. And the most important thing to remember is — of the core factors in plant metabolism (growth rate), namely Light, CO2, Temperature, Water, and Nutrients — Nutrients are the LEAST important factor in optimizing yield, and the most problematic. Ppm levels DO NOT need to be raised significantly as plant metabolism goes up, because the plant naturally increases the amount of water and nutrients taken up into the plant proportionally with the metabolism. You are better served by optimizing the other elements that facilitate water transpiration, namely temp, humidity, and root health. Increasing nutrients should be the last consideration in trying to optimize yield, and you should always be conservative. There is little downside to running conservative PPM’s and LOTS of potential downside to running too much.
To those who grow, we salute you!
|
environmental_science
|
http://www.geocurrents.info/blog/2023/03/20/the-temporary-rebirth-of-californias-once-huge-tulare-lake/
| 2024-04-15T22:47:57 |
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2024-18/segments/1712296817033.56/warc/CC-MAIN-20240415205332-20240415235332-00703.warc.gz
| 0.973867 | 1,168 |
CC-MAIN-2024-18
|
webtext-fineweb__CC-MAIN-2024-18__0__202622988
|
en
|
The southern half of California’s vast San Joaquin Valley is almost never depicted as a desert nor is it officially classified as one. But it clearly is a desert by climatological criteria. Most of the San Joaquin Valley gets less than 10 inches of precipitation a year, with much of the southern valley receiving less than seven, and it has an extremely high rate of evaporation from late spring through early autumn. But with abundant water flowing from the adjacent Sierra Nevada range, the southern San Joaquin Valley is a verdant, intensely cultivated land. Before the late 1800s, it was the site of the third largest freshwater lake entirely within the United States (as measured by surface area). But when the rivers that formerly flowed into Tulare Lake were diverted into canals to irrigate crops, the huge lake disappeared. Today, the former lakebed is highly productive farmland with only a few small seasonal wetlands providing natural habitat.
As the paired maps posted below indicates, the extent of Tulare Lake varies greatly in different cartographic depictions. This is because the lake itself varied significantly in size on both a seasonal and multi-year basis. As Tulare Lake did not drain in most years, it would expand in winter and spring and then contract through summer and early fall. It would also grow to an especially large size in wet years and shrink dramatically in dry ones. In particularly wet years, the lake would rise high enough to drain to the sea through the San Joaquin River, thus flushing out any accumulated salt and ensuring that its water remained fresh.
A shallow and nutrient-rich lake, Tulare was extremely productive. The Yokuts people who lived around its shores were reputed to have had one of the highest levels of population density of any indigenous American ethnic group. For several decades after the gold rush, Tulare’s aquatic resources from were shipped in huge quantities to San Francisco. As the Wikipedia article on the lake notes:
Even well after California became a state, Tulare Lake and its extensive marshes supported an important fishery: In 1888, in one three-month period, 73,500 pounds of fish were shipped through Hanford to San Francisco. It was also the source of a regional favorite, western pod turtles, which were relished as terrapin soup in San Francisco and elsewhere.
Turtles in Tulare Lake were so abundant that they were even fed to hogs. Today the western pond turtle is classified as a vulnerable species, suffering from competition with invasive exotic turtle species and undermined by the loss of habitat.
Environmentalists occasionally dream about bringing back Tulare Lake, emphasizing the vital habitat that it once provided and contending that its revival would be a relatively easy way for California to store excess runoff. Such a scenario, however, is extremely unlikely. Not only is the former lakebed highly productive farmland, but it also contains the city of Corcoran, home to some 22,000 residents.
But regardless of human plans and desires, Tulare Lake will probably reappear this spring, if only for a short period, owing to the extremely heavy precipitation that has been experienced this winter in the southern Sierra. Tulare County has already seen levee-breaks and the flooding of several towns, and water is now beginning to accumulate in the old lakebed. Local flooding could easily persist as snowmelt begins in April or May. Noting such factors, a recent article by Dan Walters claims that “It’s almost certain that Tulare Lake will once again spring to life.” Walters concludes by arguing that, “the probability is generating some hopeful, if unrealistic, speculation that state and or federal governments could buy up the lakebeds fields and bring back to Tulare lake permanently.”
This season’s reborn Tulare Lake will probably evaporate over the course of the summer, which will almost certainly be hot and bone dry – as is always is in the San Joaquin Valley. But if California enters a multiyear wet cycle, which is possible although not probable, winter and spring drainage could become a big problem for the farms and towns of the Tulare Basin. The city of Corcoran well known for its continual subsidence, dropping in elevation by about two feet a year due to the overuse of groundwater. Subsidence has already created major headaches for Corcoran. As noted in The Science Times,
The town levee had to be reconstructed for $10 million after the casings of drinking-water wells were crushed, flood areas changed, and the town levee had to be rebuilt. The situation has increased homeowners’ property tax bills by around $200 a year for three years.
Another powerful storm is slated to slam into California on Tuesday, March 21. Like most of this year’s major storms, it will be most pronounced in central and southern California, largely missing the normally much-wetter northern third of the state. More than 48 inches of additional snow is expected in the southern Sierra, which drains into the Tulare Basin. Thus far this winter, the southern Sierra has received an astounding 268 percent of average annual snowfall.
As can be seen on the map posted above, the northern and central parts of the Sierra have also received much higher-than-average amounts of snow this winter, but not to the same extent as the south. This pattern is highly unusual and was not expected. Until recently, the eastern Pacific was under La Niña conditions, which usually means a drier than average wet season, especially in Southern California. By winter 2024, El Niño conditions may assert themselves, which usually means a wetter than average winter for southern and central California. If so, Tulare Lake might fill up yet again.
|
environmental_science
|
http://staging.russellreid.com/products/drain-fly-controller/
| 2017-04-27T14:45:35 |
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2017-17/segments/1492917122174.32/warc/CC-MAIN-20170423031202-00147-ip-10-145-167-34.ec2.internal.warc.gz
| 0.877633 | 198 |
CC-MAIN-2017-17
|
webtext-fineweb__CC-MAIN-2017-17__0__93418772
|
en
|
Drain Fly Controller
DrainGel is a highly-concentrated gel used to reduce noxious odors and control drain fly infestations in drains, pipes, cracks, crevices and other hard-to-access non-drain sites. DrainGel drain fly controller contains specialized microorganisms in combination with biological support ingredients and essential growth factors which cause the degradation of organic materials in both aerobic and anaerobic environments. DrainGel is safe for all types of plumbing and is biodegradable, non-toxic, non-pathogenic, and non-caustic.
For drains, apply 4 oz. of DrainGel drain fly controller daily for 5-7 days or as necessary. For non drain sites, first remove loose or heavy surface organic matter and spray DrainGel until the area is wet. Repeat daily for 5-7 days or as necessary. May also be applied regularly for maintenance, every 1 to 2 weeks.
|
environmental_science
|
https://commuter.news/rail-news-mta-pilots-air-filtration-systems-on-commuter-rail-for-railroad-career-professionals/
| 2021-06-21T00:14:40 |
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2021-25/segments/1623488259200.84/warc/CC-MAIN-20210620235118-20210621025118-00372.warc.gz
| 0.909716 | 214 |
CC-MAIN-2021-25
|
webtext-fineweb__CC-MAIN-2021-25__0__51373889
|
en
|
Rail News: Safety
The technology uses an electrical field to generate a wave of ionized particles that destroy airborne viruses, bacteria and particulate matter, including COVID-19, MTA officials said in a press release.
The air filtration and purification system — being developed under patent by Knorr Brake Co. LLC and its subsidiary Merak North America LLC — is incorporated into the railroads’ existing ventilation systems, and can replace the air inside a rail car 12 times an hour.
Metro-North installed the technology in two HVAC units of a Metro-North rail car on Oct. 7, and LIRR will install the system on a rail car by Oct. 31. The railroads will evaluate the technology’s effectiveness and its ability to scale up for installation throughout their fleets, agency officials said.
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency researchers also will test the technology.
MTA is the first North American transit agency to test the technology, MTA officials said.
More News from 10/16/2020
|
environmental_science
|
https://fakesunglasseswholesale.com/2023/business/flood-lighting-innovations-trends-shaping-outdoor-illumination/
| 2024-03-01T21:31:48 |
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2024-10/segments/1707947475701.61/warc/CC-MAIN-20240301193300-20240301223300-00894.warc.gz
| 0.938391 | 528 |
CC-MAIN-2024-10
|
webtext-fineweb__CC-MAIN-2024-10__0__77393685
|
en
|
In recent years, the landscape of outdoor illumination has undergone a significant transformation, with flood lighting innovations at the forefront of this evolution. These innovations are not merely about brightening up exterior spaces but also about enhancing efficiency, sustainability, and aesthetics. One notable trend shaping outdoor illumination is the widespread adoption of LED technology. Light Emitting Diodes LEDs have revolutionized flood lighting by providing a more energy-efficient and longer-lasting alternative to traditional lighting sources. LED floodlights are not only capable of producing intense brightness but also offer flexibility in color temperature, allowing for customized lighting solutions to suit various environments. Another key trend in flood lighting is the integration of smart technology. The advent of the Internet of Things IoT has enabled the development of intelligent lighting systems that can be controlled remotely. These smart floodlights can be programmed to adjust brightness levels, change colors, and even respond to external factors such as motion or ambient light conditions. This not only enhances user convenience but also contributes to energy savings by ensuring that lights are only in use when and where needed.
Sustainability is a growing concern in outdoor lighting design, and manufacturers are responding by incorporating eco-friendly features into their products. Solar-powered floodlights, for example, harness energy from the sun during the day and use it to power the lights at night, reducing reliance on conventional power sources. Additionally, the use of materials with lower environmental impact and the implementation of energy-efficient design principles contribute to the overall eco-friendliness of modern flood lighting solutions. Design aesthetics are also playing a crucial role in the evolution of outdoor illumination. Contemporary floodlights are not just functional but also serve as design elements, contributing to the overall visual appeal of outdoor spaces. Sleek and minimalist designs, and fixtures that blend seamlessly with the natural environment, are gaining popularity. Furthermore, customizable lighting options allow for the creation of dramatic effects, accentuating architectural features or landscaping elements.
Enhanced durability and resilience are essential considerations in outdoor lighting, given the exposure to various weather conditions. Recent advancements in materials and construction techniques have led to the development of floodlights that are not only weather-resistant but also capable of withstanding harsh environmental elements and go now. This increased durability ensures a longer lifespan for outdoor lighting installations, reducing maintenance requirements and associated costs. In conclusion, flood lighting innovations are shaping the future of outdoor illumination by incorporating LED technology, smart functionality, sustainability features, design aesthetics, and enhanced durability. As these trends continue to evolve, outdoor spaces will benefit from lighting solutions that are not only efficient and functional but also contribute to the overall well-being of the environment and the communities they illuminate.
|
environmental_science
|
http://www.windsorheights.org/planning-building/stormwater-management/stormwater-tips-information.aspx
| 2017-07-26T12:37:10 |
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2017-30/segments/1500549426161.99/warc/CC-MAIN-20170726122153-20170726142153-00653.warc.gz
| 0.918551 | 1,619 |
CC-MAIN-2017-30
|
webtext-fineweb__CC-MAIN-2017-30__0__6136505
|
en
|
As winter approaches and rain turns to snow, it is still important to consider stormwater pollution. Pollutants such as soaps, fertilizers, automotive fluids, and pet waste can collect in the snow pack, accumulating until a thaw suddenly dumps them into the storm water system. Contaminants that end up in the storm drains are carried off, untreated, to streams and larger bodies of water that are used for drinking, swimming, or fishing. Here are a few helpful habits to reduce the amount of harmful pollutants entering storm drains this winter season:
• Winterizing vehicles: Check that your car is not leaking oil or other fluids. It takes only a small amount of motor oil to pollute thousands of gallons of water. Also, dispose of drained fluids properly. Many service stations will collect used motor oil and recycle it.
• Washing vehicles: On a warm winter day, you may be tempted to break out the hose and bucket to get some of the road grime off of your car. Take a moment to see where that runoff is going. Does it wash down the driveway and into the storm drain? If so, all that salt and dirt will enter a stream or pond. Using a car wash facility may cost a few dollars more, but the water will be treated before being released into the watershed.
• De-icing driveways and sidewalks: While it may be habit to stock up on salt for the winter, many people would not consider dumping a bucket of salt on their lawn in the summer. But the results are similar. Salt runs off of your sidewalk and onto the surrounding soil. Consider more environmentally-friendly deicing products.
Help Keep Winter Salt and Sand Out of Walnut Creek!
At your home, you can prevent pollution to the river and backwaters by limiting the amount of salt and deicers you use on your driveways and sidewalks. One teaspoon of salt can contaminate five gallons of water!
- As a rule of thumb, if there is a layer of salt remaining on your driveway after the ice melts, you used too much salt. If you do have excess sand or salt, sweep it up and throw it away so that it is not washed into the storm sewer.
- The earlier you shovel after a snowfall, the less likely you are to need salt.
- Consider using an anti-icing agent before it snows. It will prevent the snow from bonding with the pavement and speed the melting process.
When mowing your yard, make certain that you do not blow grass clippings into the street. When mowing, make the first few passes with the lawnmower blowing the grass clippings into the lawn NOT the street. If there are grass clippings on the street or sidewalk, use a broom or leaf blower to blow them back into the lawn. Do not use a hose to wash them into the street or storm drains. Grass clippings that are blown into the street eventually enter the street storm drain. The grass clippings can form blockages in the storm drains or flow down Walnut Creek. Grass clippings contribute nutrients such as nitrogen and phosphorous, which cause unwanted and uncontrolled growth of algae and aquatic weeds in the waterways.
Also, please remember that City Code requires the growth of grass or weeds can be not be over 6 inches in height!
With autumn here, leaves are falling from the trees. Residents are asked to help keep the stormwater intakes free and clear of leaves and grass clippings by please
avoiding raking leaves into the street. This is because leaves in the street eventually end up in the storm sewer, clogging pipes and causing flooded streets. Windsor Heights stormwater flows to underground culverts and creeks, and eventually find its way to the Raccoon River, which is the source for all drinking water. Clean stormwater runoff not only helps keep drinking water clean and safe, it also helps protect aquatic life.
MANAGING STORM WATER IN OUR COMMUNITY
Storm water can pose a risk to our water resources.
Pollutants in stormwater can impact lakes, streams and
rivers. New programs to control storm water pollution are
being adopted by our community.
WHAT IS STORM WATER RUNOFF?
Storm water runoff is rainfall or snowmelt that runs off
impervious surfaces like roads, buildings, and compacted
soils. Storm water runoff is collected and conveyed
through storm sewers directly into streams, rivers, and
lakes without being treated.
Pollutants accumulate on impervious surfaces between
rainfall events. Frequent, small rains wash pollutants into
streams, rivers, and lakes. These pollutants negatively
impact water quality.
As communities grow, impervious areas increase.
Greater impervious surfaces cause the volume and rate of
stormwater runoff to increase. This can result in flooding,
stream channel degradation, and increased water pollution
in our surface waters.
STORM WATER MANAGEMENT
The traditional approach to storm water management
focuses primarily on flood control. Today, our city is
required to manage for both water quality and quantity by
using practices that infiltrate more rainfall and reduce the
volume of storm water runoff.
STORM WATER REGULATIONS IN OUR CITY
To comply with new federal regulations, our city is
required to implement a new storm water management
program. Some requirements include:
1. Managing storm water runoff for water quality protection,
2. Reducing sediment loss from construction sites,
3. Developing ordinances to meet program goals,
4. Inspecting storm drain outlets for unwanted discharges,
5. Providing public education and involvement.
AWARENESS & RESPONSIBILITY
Daily activities can impact water quality. Most rainfall
drains untreated to streams and lakes through storm
drains in neighborhoods. There are many ways you can
prevent storm water pollution:
1. Wash your car at a carwash or on the lawn, not the
2. Re-direct roof drains to gardens or other vegetated
3. Properly dispose of all hazardous household waste
4. Minimize use of fertilizers, and
5. Clean up after your pets.
HOW CAN TREES PROTECT WATER QUALITY AND OUR STREAMS?
Trees play an incredible role in reducing stormwater in several ways and removing or filtering pollutants that would otherwise wind up in our waterways.
Interception Tree canopies intercept and capture rainfall, reducing the amount that reaches the ground. In urban and suburban settings, a single deciduous tree can intercept between 500 and 760 gallons per year, while a mature evergreen can intercept over 4,000 per year.
Soil Infiltration Tree roots allow for better infiltration of rainfall with rates of up to 15 inches per hour. The leaf acts as a sponge, allowing for slow infiltration into soils before releasing it to natural channels and recharging ground water.
Evapotranspiration Trees consume stormwater through a process called evapotranspiration. Water is taken up by roots and move up through the tree until it is transpired back into the atmosphere as water vapor. A single mature oak tree can consume (transpire) over 40,000 gallons of water each year.
Phytoremediation Trees are very good at removing pollutants such as nitrates & phosphates; and other contaminates such as heavy metals, pesticides, solvents, oils, and hydrocarbons that are found in stormwater.
Riparian Buffers Trees protect and buffer streams and are critical to maintaining healthy, clean streams. Tree roots provide streambank stability, reducing erosion, filter out sediments, remove nutrients, shade and cool the water, provide habitat for many different species, and provide the primary food source for aquatic insects that are a critical part of the aquatic food chain.
|
environmental_science
|
https://communityforest.org.uk/treesforlearning/
| 2020-02-23T22:41:34 |
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2020-10/segments/1581875145859.65/warc/CC-MAIN-20200223215635-20200224005635-00070.warc.gz
| 0.941983 | 244 |
CC-MAIN-2020-10
|
webtext-fineweb__CC-MAIN-2020-10__0__172978271
|
en
|
Nature is very busy as the days get longer and warmer
March • April • May
Summer is the season with the longest and warmest days
June • July • August
Woodland areas are full of nuts and berries at this time of year
September • October • November
When the trees have no leaves it's much easier to spot birds and other wildlife
December • January • February
Learning Resource for Teachers Of EYFS, Key Stage 1 & Key Stage 2
Choose a Season to access Activity Downloads
Every Season Outdoors
As trees start to grow in spring, their sap rises. If you hold a stethoscope to the trunk you can actually hear it gurgling!
It is believed the word “autumn” came from the Etruscan (an ancient Italian civilization) word “autu”, meaning change of season.
Most animals are active in the summer, rearing young. Squirrels begin to gather and hide nuts in late summer for the winter.
The word ‘winter’ comes from the German word ‘winter’ which is derived from wed meaning ‘wet’ or ‘water’.
|
environmental_science
|
https://www.aegean-perlites.com/agriculture/
| 2023-10-03T01:25:47 |
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2023-40/segments/1695233511023.76/warc/CC-MAIN-20231002232712-20231003022712-00503.warc.gz
| 0.871765 | 191 |
CC-MAIN-2023-40
|
webtext-fineweb__CC-MAIN-2023-40__0__279969031
|
en
|
Expanded perlite in the production of agricultural products (hydroponics, growing media):
- provides good aeration and optimum moisture retention for plant growth (high porosity)
- regulates drainage rate
- has a reasonably stable pH
- is sterile (high temperatures used for expansion)
- can be recycled
In hydroponic cultivation (growing of plants in a non-soil, supporting media) either in green-houses or in grow-bags filled with expanded perlite, it allows delivery of controlled amounts of water and specific nutrients to the plants and retains more air than the other materials, optimizing root development.
Regarding expanded perlite in growing media, a typical soil mixture with perlite (20-40% by volume) will have a pH 5.9-6.7, moisture content 10-45% and apparent density 90-150 kg/m3 (0,09-0,15g/ml).
|
environmental_science
|
http://www.ececp.eu/en/promoting-renewable-generation/
| 2023-02-05T22:50:37 |
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2023-06/segments/1674764500294.64/warc/CC-MAIN-20230205224620-20230206014620-00792.warc.gz
| 0.937509 | 1,833 |
CC-MAIN-2023-06
|
webtext-fineweb__CC-MAIN-2023-06__0__264678374
|
en
|
As the largest developing country in the world, with a population of nearly 1.4 billion, China consumes more energy than any other country. It is now determined to develop a green economy, pushing for sustainable economic growth within the red-line environmental limits.
Yet economic growth is not possible without a fundamental transformation of the energy sector. The “four revolutions and one cooperation” called for by President Xi Jinping aim to transform both energy consumption and energy supply, develop new clean technologies and strengthen close international cooperation on energy security.
The direction for the revolution is also clear. China will build a clean, low-carbon, safe and efficient energy system with a strong emphasis on energy security. President Xi Jinping stresses that “low-carbon energy system directs human future” and emission reductions are key to reach the global goals set by the Paris agreement.
Renewable energy is one of the key technologies in the energy system of the future. China introduced a Renewable Energy Law in 2005, and since then the promotion of wind and solar energy has been a cornerstone of China’s energy strategy. China and Europe have been frontrunners in the massive deployment of these technologies, and in the huge cost reductions the world has experienced in the past decade. Many wind and solar power projects are already competitive with fossil fuel projects; in the coming years renewable energy is set to be the cheapest global energy solution.
There remain, however, a number of challenges which could hamper the future deployment and integration of renewable energy. Two of the three reports from ECECP, “Supporting
the construction of renewable generation in the EU and China” and “Integration of variable renewables in the energy system of the EU and China”, highlight the challenges ahead and offer possible solutions as country leaders weigh up the next step forward in the transition to low-carbon energy systems. Many of the lessons already learnt are similar and relevant both to China and the EU, although future measures must be tailormade to the specific Chinese and
European contexts. Investors require a stable policy framework, clear and ambitious targets for deployment and risk-mitigation. At the same time, power system flexibility and efficient power market design, with a level playing field for all technologies, are important prerequisites for the integration of renewable energy into the power systems.
These reports are important milestones in EU-China energy cooperation. Policy decision makers should study and learn from the experiences from the two frontrunners. The lessons learnt may also inspire other countries and regions to accelerate the development and integration of renewable energy in the drive towards a global low-carbon economy.
Energy Research Institute of NDRC
In China, the installation and utilisation of hydropower and more recently PV and wind power have been increasing year on year. Although renewable energy sources (mainly PV and wind) have achieved double digit growth, their share in overall consumption, apart from hydropower, is still negligible. China’s energy system is still dominated by coal (accounting for 57% of energy use in 2019). China is now the world’s largest market for wind and solar power, yet non-electric renewables, mainly from biomass fuels, are still at the very early stage, with no clear pattern of development.
China and Europe are together struggling to manage the transition to green energy. The European Green Deal, recently issued by the EU Commission, sets Europe on an unprecedented and irreversible path within a very diversified political and technological environment represented by 27 different member states. Nevertheless, EU energy policies, a well-integrated grid and regulation of production, together with a transparent and open market, allow Europe to exploit renewable sources to their utmost and foster their growth.
The development of renewable sources is a key priority for both China and Europe; they each firmly support the move towards decarbonisation of their economies and at present they are the most credible and leading political and economic systems pressing for full decarbonisation of industry, society, transport and the overall economy.
Although Europe and China have very different political, economic, geographical and historical systems, a mutual exchange of their experiences over the past decades could result in an enhanced range of political and technical choices for the benefit of global energy transition trends. Europe has an historical timing advantage over China in terms of technology and policy models, with different results across member states and a political and geographical complexity at least on a par with that of China, if not greater. Hence, China may be able to take this opportunity to learn from Europe’s choices, mistakes and successes and as well as from the consequences of its political and technological strategies.
Recent history demonstrates that Europe has been successful not only in integrating renewables, but also in planning an energy system that will support sustained economic growth. Evidence of that success is that the average EU-27 primary energy intensity – i.e. the ratio of energy consumption to GDP – is the lowest in the world and half that of China.
In spite of the significant differences between Europe and China, as very effectively outlined
in this report and in its conclusions and recommendations, a comparison of the two energy systems offers clear conclusions. Europe’s experience shines a light on the areas that China will need to consider when planning its energy transition over the coming years.
The first area relates to the need to tackle renewable energy development within a comprehensive, holistic and visionary energy system, taking into account technologies, security, sustainability, and energy intensity reduction across the whole energy value chain and energy sectors (electricity, heating, fuel).
The second lesson from Europe – which has been able to harmonise the complexity of 27 different countries with a variety of policies, a multitude of energy systems and a range of dominant fuels (France with nuclear, Poland with coal, Italy with gas, Scandinavia with
renewable, etc.) – is the value of flexibility and distributed energy production, with approaches aimed at optimising the whole system rather than single technological segments. In this aspect the role of grid regulation and flexibility, cogeneration and prioritising renewables over fossil
fuels are key success factors that China may wish to take into account, carefully adopting UHV solutions that are fully integrated into a distributed power production system.
The third key aspect is market transparency. The focus should be on the end-user who should be able to make a direct contribution to the decarbonisation trend with ‘green’ choices, while bearing higher energy costs for electricity, heating and fuels. Private, commercial and industrial end-users should be given an active role and be offered a choice of energy sources, with appropriate education and awareness of their options. Empowering the consumer will lead to more rapid decarbonisation.
The fourth area of European experience relates to bioenergy and hydrogen. These new technologies, already piloted and adopted in Europe, would mitigate the intermittency of renewable sources, strengthen China’s energy security, contribute to a circular economy, and enhance efforts to reduce emissions through the exploitation of biomasses for producing biogas, biomethane, second generation biofuels, etc. Biogas and hydrogen are the ultimate solutions for decarbonisation of transport, increasing flexibility in the energy system and accelerating the move away from coal while contributing to, and even anticipating, fulfilment of the commitments taken in Paris in 2015.
The fifth, final, and perhaps most pressing point for discussion is the advisability of a genuine opening of China’s market to European companies allowing them to operate in China on a level playing field, as well as through innovative pilot schemes and joint collaborations. This approach could prove the best way to harmonise European and Chinese experience on the ground and on joint projects where European companies can transfer knowledge while developing their business operations in China. This would boost China’s energy transition effort by involving European technologies, processes and regulations and drawing on European companies’ readiness to adapt proven solutions to the Chinese market.
This study provides an excellent basis for understanding the key differences between the power markets in China and Europe and offers a clear depiction of the lessons learned from European and Chinese experiences. It achieves this through a very careful comparative approach that advocates solutions only after considering whether local differences might render them unworkable.
I am absolutely convinced that this report will consolidate and further strengthen cooperation between China and Europe in the context of the EU-China Energy Cooperation Platform. The European Union Chamber of Commerce in China and its energy related members are fully and proactively supportive of the ECECP, in the hope and expectation that it will strengthen mutual cooperation between China and the EU and open up mutually beneficial business opportunities.
Guido D. Giacconi
National Chair of EUCCC Energy Working Group
Chairman of In3act Business Strategy Consulting (Beijing)
This report was prepared by
Monique Voogt, SQ Consult BV, and
SHI Jingli and ZHONG Caifu, Energy Research Institute of National Development and Reform Commission
|
environmental_science
|
http://ryancampbell.me/
| 2013-12-11T01:03:19 |
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-48/segments/1386164028001/warc/CC-MAIN-20131204133348-00054-ip-10-33-133-15.ec2.internal.warc.gz
| 0.956822 | 416 |
CC-MAIN-2013-48
|
webtext-fineweb__CC-MAIN-2013-48__0__176637331
|
en
|
Last week I had the opportunity to conduct a workshop with the 2013 Tech Award laureates. The Tech Awards is an international program that honors innovators from around the world who are applying technology to benefit humanity. Technologies are selected based on their impact in four main categories; environment, education, economic development and health. ”They are the best of the best serving the poorest of the poor,” Father Michael Engh recited at the awards gala.
Spending just a short period of time with these passionate entrepreneurs was a sharp reminder of the power and responsibility all enterprising technologists shoulder.
While most of us will not have the opportunity to pioneer initiatives that win global technology awards or change the world, we each have the ability to make a difference at a global scale by impacting our world around us. Here are three memorable moments from the Tech awards to help you continue impacting your world to make a difference.
1. Contribute to a tipping point.
Wecyclers is a company fueling the grassroots recycling effort to push Africa past its recycling tipping point. They report that “By some estimates only 10% of solid waste in Africa is collected”. It is hard for many of us to imagine such a low recycling adoption rate. Having grown up in the United States during the 1970s, I remember a time when everything went in “one can” or to a big city dump. It was not until the early 1970s when the first recycling mill was built and the first city Woodbury, NJ mandated recycling. An entire 60s generation of young passionate people committed their energy toward creating the environmental movement, but it wasn’t until years later that the cause reached its tipping point. These millions of activists didn’t directly profit from the industry, but each of their individual efforts contributed to the tipping point.
Be aware of the potential long-term horizon of causes and initiative that consume your precious time, but focus your passion on the belief that you can be a contributor to an historic tipping point. Continue reading
|
environmental_science
|
http://www.londonontariohomesforsale.ca/4-ways-hardwood-floors-can-improve-air-quality/
| 2018-12-15T08:35:56 |
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2018-51/segments/1544376826842.56/warc/CC-MAIN-20181215083318-20181215105318-00379.warc.gz
| 0.932643 | 496 |
CC-MAIN-2018-51
|
webtext-fineweb__CC-MAIN-2018-51__0__205162063
|
en
|
Indoor air quality (IAQ) may not be the first thing that comes to mind when homeowners thing of flooring installations, but choosing natural wood flooring and materials can actually make quite a difference. Other types of floors are frequently responsible for trapping dust, pet fur and other particulate that may reduce IAQ to uncomfortable levels. Installing new floors can go a long way towards ensuring issues with IAQ are able to be addressed.
1. Carpets May Harbor Numerous Allergens
Even when cleaned regularly, carpet fibers may contain high quantities of pollutants. A dirty carpet or rug can cause no end of problems, especially for those who may suffer from a respiratory ailment. Removing carpeting and installing natural wood flooring can improve the aesthetic, create a more comfortable space and help to reduce the volume of dust and other airborne particulate that may circulating within an interior environment.
2. Eliminate Debris Trapped in Grout Lines
While tiled or stone floors may be a better bet than carpet, they may still leave a great deal to be desired. The nooks, crannies and grout lines typical of such installations may trap and collect debris tracked in from outside the home. Replacing these installations with wood floors can greatly reduce the time and effort that may be required to remove dirt, dust and even other pollutants that might cause problems.
3. Laminates May Be Difficult to Clean
At first glance, laminates and other synthetic materials may seem to be on par with wood flooring. Laminate floors that are more easily damaged can be notoriously difficult to maintain. Failing to sweep or mop regularly for fear of the wear and tear that floor may suffer can be the source of many IAQ problems within the home. Wood floors are tough enough to withstand the more vigorous and ongoing cleaning efforts needed to create a more ideal environment.
4. Hardwood Materials Ensure Ease of Maintenance
Kicking up dust while vacuuming carpets is a very common problem. Cleaning laminate floors may also have a negative impact on comfort levels due to the use of specialized products, agents and other chemicals which may be involved. Dealing with lingering odors whenever the floors are cleaned can quickly become a source of discomfort and frustration. The ease of maintenance, greater durability and overall value that only wood flooring can provide makes natural wood the material of choice for households that are concerned with their IAQ.
|
environmental_science
|
https://hultgren.org/tours/hocking/index.php
| 2022-11-29T20:17:07 |
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-49/segments/1669446710711.7/warc/CC-MAIN-20221129200438-20221129230438-00412.warc.gz
| 0.95159 | 2,994 |
CC-MAIN-2022-49
|
webtext-fineweb__CC-MAIN-2022-49__0__67925171
|
en
|
Hocking Hills State Park is an Ohio state park located in the Hocking Hills region of Hocking County in southeastern Ohio, just outside of Columbus. In some areas the park adjoins the Hocking State Forest. Within the park are over 25 miles of hiking trails, rock formations, waterfalls, and recess caves. While there are many options for lodging, the closest cities are Logan and Lancaster.
The park has a rich history and was once the home to several Native American tribes in the mid-1700s. There are seven separate hiking areas for various skill levels, including Old Man's Cave, Ash Cave, Cantwell Cliffs, Conkle's Hollow (nature preserve), Cedar Falls, Rock House and Hemlock Bridge Trail to Whispering Cave. Ziplining, canoeing, rock climbing, and horseback riding are offered by independent businesses in the area. Camping facilities are also available, and the John Glenn Astronomy Park offers the perfect place for stargazing.
The trails are open from dawn to dusk, all year round, including holidays. The state park and the hiking trails are free without entrance fees for walking the trails or for parking. You must stay on the designated trails. Naturalist-led hikes, programs, and special events are all free.
Many of the water features are seasonal and are more pronounced during the spring after a rain.
Below is a list along with descriptions, GPS coordinates, interactive maps that can provide directions, and our photographs of what we feel are the most photogenic locations.
All photos copyright John Hultgren.
Old Man's Cave
Parking: N 39°26.1354', W 082°32.4696'
Old Man's Cave is a large recess cave that is named for the hermit Richard Rowe who lived there. Rowe and his family came to the Ohio River Valley around 1796 to establish a trading post and he traveled throughout Ohio in search of game. Rowe is buried beneath the ledge of the cave. Earlier residents of the cave were two brothers, Nathaniel and Pat Rayon, who came to the area in 1795 and built a cabin 30 feet north of the cave entrance. Both brothers are buried in or near the cave and their cabin was later dismantled. There is evidence that a few Native American tribes occupied the area in the 1600s and 1700s.
The Old Man’s Cave hiking area is at the north end of Hocking Hills State Park and is made up of eight major trail routes. The main trail route in the area is Grandma Gatewood Trail to Gorge Exit Trail and, depending on where you exit, it is 1 or 1-½ miles long. Access to other trails is available along this path.
Many of the trails in this park are one-way.
Start exploring at the Visitor's Center adjacent to the parking lot.
Upper Falls and Stone Bridge over the falls
Upper Falls is a photogenic waterfall with a bridge over the top.
Here at the Upper Falls, the Grandma Gatewood Trail begins its six-mile course connecting three of the park's areas: Old Man's Cave to Cedar Falls to Ash Cave. This same trail has been designated as part of Ohio's Buckeye Trail as well as part of two national systems — the North Country Scenic Trail and America's Discovery Trail.
Along the length of the trail, the gorge cuts through the entire 150-foot thickness of the Black Hand sandstone. The full distance of the gorge is approximately one half mile.
The Upper Falls can be viewed in two sections.
Upper Falls spirals into a bathtub shaped basin.
Devil’s Bathtub has been said to go all the way to Hades, and the sign next to it says climbing out is “virtually impossible”.
Old Man’s Cave
Old Man's Cave is a large recess structure naturally carved into rock in the gorge, with a waterfall, and it is the most popular of all the Hocking areas.
The recess of Old Man’s Cave is the most unique feature in this park and it sits 75 feet above the stream and measures 250 feet long. The scenery leading up to the cave is the prettiest in the whole park.
From the trail, cross over the bridge to get to the stone steps leading up to the cave, then walk through it and come out the other side.
A single 25-foot waterfall with a large pool beside large boulders.
Past the bridge that continues to Old Man's Cave, the trail continues to Lower Falls on the Grandma Gatewood Trail.
Bridge By Lower Falls
A stone bridge opposite the falls with the creek running under it. The gorge trail is about a half mile long.
6 GPS: N 39°25.9440', W 082°32.8020
Broken Rock Falls
Broken Rock Falls spills down a tributary that flows into the creek downstream from the Lower Falls. The waterfall received its name because it looks like it's cutting a giant rock in half.
Parking: N 39°25.1340', W 082°31.4418'
A scenic waterfall that has the largest volume of water flow in the park. The falls split into multiple streams around a rock and then come together again. The trail is 0.3 miles and the falls are close, only 2.1 miles, from Old Man’s Cave.
The trail leading to Cedar Falls passes through a remote, primitive chasm laden with hemlock and bound by steep rock walls and their accompanying grottos and waterfalls. The falls were misnamed by early settlers who mistook the hemlocks for cedars.
Parking: N 39°23.7456', W 082°32.7432'
Ash Cave is the largest, most impressive recess cave in Ohio. This is a large cave structure with a waterfall flowing from the top. There is a one way loop trail (hikers with mobility restrictions are allowed to return to the parking lot against hiking traffic on a level paved path) and after reaching the falls the return trail will take you up near the top of the waterfall where you can get a good photograph of the falls and cave.
The approach to Ash Cave is along a level paved trail through a narrow gorge lined with hemlocks, beech trees, and various other hardwoods. The valley floor offers brilliant displays of wildflowers in all seasons including large flowered trillium, Dutchman's breeches, trout lily, Jack-in-the Pulpit and jewelweed. The narrow gorge is approximately a quarter mile in length and gives way to the tremendous overhanging ledge and cave shelter.
The horseshoe-shaped cave measures 700-feet from end to end, 100-feet deep with the rim rising 90 feet high. A small tributary of the East Fork of Queer Creek cascades over the rim into a small plunge pool below. The cave was formed like the others in this region; the middle layer of the Black Hand sandstone has been weathered or eroded while the more resistant upper and lower zones have remained intact.
Ash Cave is named after the huge pile of ashes found under the shelter by early settlers. The largest pile was recorded as being 100 feet long, 30 feet wide and 3 feet deep. The source of the ashes is unknown but is believed to be from Indian campfires built up over hundreds of years. One other belief is that the Indians were smelting silver or lead from the rocks. Still another theory claims that saltpeter was made in the cave. Several thousand bushels of ashes were ultimately found. A test excavation of the ashes in 1877 revealed sticks, arrows, stalks of coarse grasses, animal bones in great variety, bits of pottery, flints and corn cobs.
Parking: N 39°27.1800', W 082°34.3260'
Conkle’s Hollow is a narrow gorge with Black Hand sandstone cliffs rising 200-feet on either side. Seasonal waterfalls flow from the cliffs at many sites with their streams joining to form Pine Creek on the valley floor. The rocky gorge is considered to be one of the deepest in Ohio.
There are three trails accessible from the parking lot. The main photography attraction is the lower falls located at the very end of the middle trail, which is mostly flat and paved. Keep going a short distance after the paved trail ends, crossing the creek. The falls are seasonal and depend on rainfall.
Parking: N 39°29.7840', W 082°36.8760’
10 GPS: N 39°29.7791', W 082°36.9836'
A smaller cave structure with small openings in the cave. From the parking area to Rock House is a 0.9 mile hike that is fairly steep in some areas.
Rock House is the only true cave in the park and is a tunnel-like corridor situated midway up a 150-foot cliff of Black Hand sandstone. Rock House has a ceiling 25 feet high with a main corridor that is 200 feet long and 20 to 30 feet wide. The cavern was eroded out of the middle zone of the Black Hand sandstone. The resistant upper zone forms the roof and the lower zone forms the floor. Leaking water caused the hollowing of the corridor and this main joint or crack is very visible in the ceiling. A small series of joints run north to south at right angles to the main joint. Enlargement of this series of joints formed the window-like openings of Rock House.
There are seven Gothic-arched windows and great sandstone columns which bear its massive roof. Over the years Rock house has been used for shelter by past visitors. Hominy holes, small recesses in the rear wall of Rock House, served as baking ovens for Native Americans using the cave. By building a fire in the small recesses, the rock became heated on all sides, and food could be baked. Chiseled-out troughs or holding tanks can be found in the stone floor. When rainfall is abundant, springs of water permeate through the porous sandstone and flow into these troughs and, when full, continue across the floor and out of the windows, creating a water supply. According to local folklore, some of the "not-so-welcome" past visitors included robbers, horse thieves, murderers and even bootleggers, earning Rock House its reputation as Robbers Roost.
11 GPS: N 39°32.3280', W 082°27.1620'
A picturesque little lake near the town of Logan. This is a good spot for fall landscape photos. In the morning you can get composition photos from the marina, fishing pier and the beach and then go to the western side of the lake for sunset photos.
Lake Logan State Park is an Ohio state park located in Hocking County. Lake Logan Dam is directly accessible off State Route 664 just southwest of the county seat of Logan. The park lies in the Hocking Valley, formed by the Hocking River and was created in 1955 with the construction of the Lake Logan Dam on Clear Fork Creek, a tributary of the Hocking River. Lake Logan is a 400-acre lake and is open to fishing, boating, ice fishing, ice boating and swimming.
Parking: N 39°33.9762', W 082°29.9604'
12 GPS: N 39°34.5930', W 082°30.1062’
Rockbridge (also known as Rock Bridge) is a small scenic nature preserve in the Hocking Hills area containing a natural stone arch. It is the longest arch of about a dozen stone arches in the state. Rockbridge is a state nature preserve rather than a park and there's a small public parking area, but no restrooms or picnic tables. Pets are not permitted in the preserve.
Rockbridge is a 100-foot long natural rock bridge with a waterfall. There is a short trail that leads down to the bottom where there is a small roped off photography area under the bridge. There is a one-mile long natural trail to the bridge and a longer 2.75 mile trail system at Rockbridge. Take the trail where it branches off to the left (marked with red blazes) for the shortest path to the bridge.
The bridge was originally a recess cave with a seasonal stream dropping through the cave roof. Eventually part of the roof collapsed but a length of the former cave ceiling remained as the stone arch. The trail continues and forks with one trail terminating at the base of the arch and the other leading to the bank of the nearby Hocking River. You can walk across the stone arch to the other side but be careful because there may be slippery mud on the bridge.
Clear Creek Metro Park
13 GPS: N 39°35.8680', W 082°32.9760'
Clear Creek Metro Park
A scenic metro park close to Logan with several old cabins and barns. Written Rock is a large colorful rock on the road just west of the park headquarters. Centuries of flooding by glacial meltwater have cut the present gorge area through Black Hand sandstone, leaving behind scenic cliffs and rugged formations overlooking Clear Creek. The park extends the length of the Clear Creek Valley, extending from the confluence of Clear Creek and the Hocking River in the East, and the town of Revenge in the West.
Johnston Covered Bridgee
14 GPS: N 39°36.8280', W 082°39.5340'
Johnston Covered Bridge
Also known as the Johnson Covered Bridge and the Terry Mill Covered Bridge, this covered bridge is located in Two Glaciers Park just a few miles west of Clear Creek Metro Park.
Built in 1887, this is a Howe Truss bridge that extends 98-feet with a 5-foot overhang on each end, 15-feet wide and 14-feet in height. In the 1930s, two full-length windows and canopies were added to allow visibility of oncoming traffic. The bridge remained in service until about 1990, when it was bypassed.
|
environmental_science
|
https://www.viapontica2000.com/en_EN/aboutus.html
| 2024-04-12T11:13:07 |
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2024-18/segments/1712296815919.75/warc/CC-MAIN-20240412101354-20240412131354-00873.warc.gz
| 0.928706 | 173 |
CC-MAIN-2024-18
|
webtext-fineweb__CC-MAIN-2024-18__0__91032629
|
en
|
Via Pontica Tours Ltd. is the tourism company of the “Via Pontica 2000” Foundation. The aims of the Foundation are the protection of the nature and the promotion of ecotourism in Bulgaria. Part of the incomes of its tourist activity goes to help several projects of protection of nature in Bulgaria.
Via Pontica Tours organizes a variety of wildlife and cultural tours in Bulgaria. Our philosophy is to promote a tourist product for small groups and decrease the impact on the nature and the local population. We also organize different tailor-made tours according to the preferences of our clients.
Via Pontica Tours has obtained a national tour-operator license No: 05610 issued by the Bulgarian Agency of Tourism.
Via Pontica Tours is operated by professionals in the field of tourism. All our guides are graduated and have many years of experience.
|
environmental_science
|
http://integratedservices.co.uk/news/16/
| 2019-06-24T13:26:49 |
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2019-26/segments/1560627999539.60/warc/CC-MAIN-20190624130856-20190624152856-00513.warc.gz
| 0.966337 | 594 |
CC-MAIN-2019-26
|
webtext-fineweb__CC-MAIN-2019-26__0__128797490
|
en
|
Fast-acting response from Integrated Services helps residents affected by floods in South Tyneside
20 June 2013
In the wake of the Environment Agency's report that one in every five days last year saw flooding in the UK1, one success story has emerged loud and clear.
The fast response and high-quality service of supply chain and procurement specialist Integrated Services helped residents of South Tyneside to quickly move back into their properties following significant flooding in the region.
South Tyneside Homes is an organisation created by South Tyneside Council to manage, maintain and improve its council homes and estates, covering approximately 19,000 homes. Integrated Services worked closely with Supply UK, a leading tool and access equipment hire company, to provide more than 600 specialist pieces of equipment to the social housing group, after properties were damaged by flooding caused by intense rainfall.
Having received the emergency call from South Tynside Homes at approximately 11.00am one morning, an extensive range of dehumidifiers, fans and residual-current devices were specified and delivered by 7pm the same day, ensuring the needs of its residents were met quickly and efficiently. A technical expert from both Integrated Services and Supply UK visited houses affected by the flooding the next day, offering advice on how to quickly dry the homes while also managing the allocation of the specialist equipment across the range of properties.
Steve Selfe, Sales Manager at Integrated Services, explained: “Our constantly changing climate has made weather patterns difficult to predict, as highlighted by the Environment Agency recently, but no-one could have foreseen the flooding that the South Shields area was subjected to last year. Flooding at the properties ranged from water entering households and damaging skirting boards, to water levels being so high that it was almost at ceiling height. Our collaborative relationship with Supply UK enabled us to act fast, delivering the right equipment to provide an effective solution to homes which had been affected by the floods.
“The supply solution included the Dri-Eaz dehumidifier, which efficiently reduces humidity in an area by removing water vapour in the air, and a range of Sahara fan blowers to generate air movement that - in turn - speeds up the drying process.
“Meeting with residents and concerned parties played a key role in enabling us to advise on how to dry the properties as quickly as possible. While the floods were upsetting for the local residents concerned, the incident does demonstrate what can be achieved when dedicated teams work together to solve a problem that requires fast and efficient action.”
In the Environment Agency's recent report, Chairman Lord Chris Smith said: “The extremes of weather that we saw last year highlight the urgent need to plan for a changing climate,” demonstrating the importance of having a trusted supply partner to meet the pressing demands flooding places on everyday lives.
1 The Environment Agency, ‘Britain must act now to deal with more extreme weather’,
|
environmental_science
|
https://loisrothfoundation.org/news/tim-sowa-and-irina-wang-win-2023-project-support-award-for-finland/
| 2024-02-26T07:08:45 |
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2024-10/segments/1707947474653.81/warc/CC-MAIN-20240226062606-20240226092606-00076.warc.gz
| 0.936608 | 301 |
CC-MAIN-2024-10
|
webtext-fineweb__CC-MAIN-2024-10__0__57822678
|
en
|
A generous gift from Ann O. Thomson provides supplementary project support for up to two American Fulbrighters in Finland every year, in cooperation with the Fulbright Finland Foundation. The 2023 award went to Timothy Sowa and Irina Wang.
Timothy Sowa was selected for his project on Sustainable Digital Education. He will use the award to travel and expand his engagement with Finnish educators, researchers and students on how social sciences and technology can work together to achieve the UN Sustainable Development Goals. He is currently working on his Master’s degree in Social Science with the Sustainable Digital Life program at Tampere University. He intends to return to the United States to work as an education technology consultant and help schools build ethical and sustainable digital platforms.
Irina Wang was selected for her project on Visualizing Indigenous Perspectives on Arctic Climate Change. A graduate of the Rhode Island School of Design, she will use the award to develop gameplay materials to facilitate conversations with and among herders on the impact of climate change on reindeer husbandry in collaboration with colleagues from CHARTER (Drivers and Feedbacks of Changes in Arctic Terrestrial Biodiversity), a research project focused on the processes driving rapid climate and land use changes in the Arctic. Upon returning to the United States, she intends to establish a design studio and apply her skills to the development and implementation of equitable climate policy.
For a complete list of recipients of the Project Support Award for work in Finland, please consult Finland Project Alumni.
|
environmental_science
|
http://trainex.org/offeringslist.cfm?courseid=541&all=yes
| 2020-09-26T20:06:25 |
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2020-40/segments/1600400245109.69/warc/CC-MAIN-20200926200523-20200926230523-00311.warc.gz
| 0.911337 | 209 |
CC-MAIN-2020-40
|
webtext-fineweb__CC-MAIN-2020-40__0__58893018
|
en
|
This conference offers a learning opportunity for everyone involved in the solid waste management field. EPA Region 8 is very excited to bring this free event to our Tribes and States. Here are just a few highlights of the conference:
For general information contact Ron Lillich
by telephone at 303-312-6149
via e-mail at [email protected]
- Superb technical sessions brought to you by experts in the field including such topics such as cleaning up contaminated groundwater around an old landfill, use of alternative caps for closure of landfills, and how to use coal combustion products and industrial waste evaluation models.
- Unique one on one opportunity to meet with your Tribal and State solid waste peers and explore opportunities for collaboration
- Listen to the top recycling experts in the country. Explore with the panel how recycling may work in your area.
- Attend a free mixer sponsored by the State of Montana
| Upcoming Events
No upcoming events.
Previous Events (click to view/hide)
|
environmental_science
|
https://chefdrmike.com/wild-farmed-or-pharmd-whats-in-your-seafood/
| 2020-07-06T06:31:46 |
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2020-29/segments/1593655890105.39/warc/CC-MAIN-20200706042111-20200706072111-00252.warc.gz
| 0.928935 | 1,226 |
CC-MAIN-2020-29
|
webtext-fineweb__CC-MAIN-2020-29__0__81745982
|
en
|
She calls to you, cool and tempting.
Framed in the soft orange glow of a setting sun, her scent speaks of sea foam. You touch and feel her firm, yet gentle curves that bespeak a streamlined grace. You bring her closer and she whispers tasty images.
The siren song is irresistible.
You lay down your dollars and buy the filet.
The label reads: “Fresh Atlantic Salmon”.
But what exactly have you bought?
If it says Atlantic salmon, it is not wild. Since true Atlantic salmon is critically endangered, the Atlantic salmon sold in the United States is farmed. It may also be genetically modified (GMO), because current labeling laws to not require any disclosure on that front. It is estimated that approximately 70% of all processed foods contain GMOs in one form or another. A great place for governmental transparency to start would be the grocery store.
If it is not wild caught, then what exactly have you bought?
It is farmed, but the real question is it also pharm’d?
Population pressures and consumer predilections continue to drive the farming aquaculture. China is currently the world leader and produces about 70% of the world’s aquaculture. Initially, the bulk of farmed fish were fed a diet of wild caught smaller fish; following the natural law that big fish eat little fish. Approximately one third of all the small wild fish caught are used to produce fish meal and fish oil which is used not only to support aquaculture, but also used in the pursuit of terrestrial animal husbandry.
However, since approximately 50% of the world’s seafood is now the product of aquaculture, producers are now looking to cheaper alternatives. This has caused a shift in the feeding practices from the traditional diets of these animals to one that is based on more plant based material and commercial feeds.
These feeds are predominately manufactured from major crops such as soy and corn. The fish oils that have been replaced are the industrially processed vegetable oils primarily made from soy, canola, palm, and sunflower sources. The top five crops used in commercial aquaculture feeds are canola, soybean, corn, nuts and wheat; canola and soy alone account for over 50% of all the oils used.
This practice brings to the forefront two important considerations. Firstly, by replacing the natural fish oils with plant based alternatives; the balance of critically important polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) is thrown askew. The result is a product that is often deficient in eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) compared to its wild-based alternative. Such PUFAs are responsible for many of the health benefits associated with seafood consumption.
Such practices also serve to lower the absolute amounts of omega-3 PUFAs that also contribute to the healthful benefits we observe in diets rich in marine sourced comestibles. The result is a food source that is significantly higher in its omega 6:3 ratio. This is a characteristic of the many adulterated and processed foods found in the modern Western diet. Such a diet exhibits an obscenely elevated omega 6:3 ratio. There is evidence that this favors the development of a pro-inflammatory environment from which the disabilities and diseases associated with the standard American diet are linked.
The final consideration is the raw ingredients used in the creation of the commercial feeds. Almost 99% of the soy grown, and approximately 90% of the corn and canola raised, are GMO varieties. These GMO variants have been produced to be resistant to the herbicide Round-up. The finale in your filet is accumulation of a recognized potential carcinogen (recent World Health Organization declaration, 2015) in the fish. Forget the tarragon Hollandaise, you just got a free side of glyphosate.
All of which serves to highlight the critical importance of proper sourcing of ingredients. What on the surface may appear to be succulently, tastefully, tempting and healthful beyond measure may prove to be a siren song of obfuscation and illusion. Approach with trepidation and a weather eye the labels accompanying our contemporary comestibles. For as Odysseus himself observed; “Skepticism is as much the result of knowledge, as knowledge is of skepticism.”
Bittman, M. (2008, November 15). A Seafood Snob Ponders the Future of Fish. Retrieved from New York Times: http://www.nytimes.com/2008/11/16/weekinreview/16bittman.html?scp=1&sq=bittman%20farm-raised&st=cse
Bittman, M. (2009, April 10). The Bottom Line on Salmon. Retrieved from The New York Times: https://dinersjournal.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/04/10/the-bottom-line-on-salmon/?_r=0
Fry, J. P., Love, D. C., MacDonald, G. K., West, P. C., Engstrom, P. M., Nachman, K. E., & Lawrence, R. S. (2016). Environmental health impacts of feeding crops to farmed fish. Environmental International, 91:201-214.
Thompson, M. (2015, March 29). WHO: Long-cleared Round-up Ingredient ‘Probably’ Causes Cancer. Retrieved from pbs.org: http://www.pbs.org/newshour/rundown/roundup-ingredient-probably-carcinogenic-humans/
Washington State Department of Health. (2017, January 23). Farmed versus wild salmon. Retrieved from Washington State Department of Health: http://www.doh.wa.gov/CommunityandEnvironment/Food/Fish/FarmedSalmon
|
environmental_science
|
http://www.siwa.com/htm/SiwaOrganics.htm
| 2019-08-19T00:30:01 |
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2019-35/segments/1566027314353.10/warc/CC-MAIN-20190818231019-20190819013019-00221.warc.gz
| 0.922435 | 439 |
CC-MAIN-2019-35
|
webtext-fineweb__CC-MAIN-2019-35__0__232318711
|
en
|
Siwa Organics presents Siwa, a family of organic products, including extra virgin olive oil, green and black pickled olives, olive jam, olive paste, semi-dried dates, date syrup, date paste, date ingots and sycamore jam, lovingly harvested by Siwan hands, and irrigated by the natural springs of one of the world’s last surviving pristine oases.
Free of chemical fertilizers and untouched by herbicides and pesticides, the fertile land of Siwa is fed by the Nubian aquifer through 230 natural freshwater springs. The farmers who grow Siwa produce continue to cultivate and harvest their crops as their forefathers did for many millennia. The result is a range of flavors as pure as Siwa.
Struggling Against Market Pressures
Agriculture has always been the mainstay of Siwa’s economy, and Siwan farmers still export the oasis’ two main crops, dates and olives, to traders in Alexandria as they have for generations. But in recent years, the prices those traders pay has dropped, and Siwan farmers are falling into debts that can take years to settle, or worse, that force them to sell precious pieces of land.
The Price of Purity
Remarkably, in an age of corporate agro-giants and genetically engineered super-crops, nearly all Siwan land remains uncontaminated by chemicals, thanks to its isolation from the outside world. But with farmers under pressure to squeeze more from their land using chemical fertilizers, it is not likely to remain so pristine.
The Promise of Sustainability
To address these imbalances, EQI works with local farmers to develop organic agricultural products, and promotes them in foreign markets where demand is greater. Siwa aims to introduce the world to these delicacies, raising revenue for Siwan farmers without polluting their land, and spreading the message that Siwan land is a treasure worthprotecting.
Information on Purchasing Siwa products
Visit the Siwa Shop in Cairo at:
17 Ahmad Heshmat
Contact: Mounir Nakhla
|
environmental_science
|
http://www.waddenacademie.nl/index.php?id=260&L=1
| 2017-04-24T20:52:35 |
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2017-17/segments/1492917119838.12/warc/CC-MAIN-20170423031159-00057-ip-10-145-167-34.ec2.internal.warc.gz
| 0.919136 | 172 |
CC-MAIN-2017-17
|
webtext-fineweb__CC-MAIN-2017-17__0__108847057
|
en
|
The fifth symposium of the Wadden Academy was held from 8-10 December 2010 in 'It Aljemint' in Leeuwarden. The symposium 'Towards a trilateral research agenda' was the first international symposium of the Wadden Academy. It was organised together with partners from Germany and Denmark. The major aims of this trilateral scientific symposium were:
The symposium has led to the publication of a special issue on the Wadden Sea of the scientific journal ‘Ocean and Coastal Management’. In this issue research is published in the domains Geosciences, Climate and Water, Ecology and Heritage, Society and Tourism. Special attention is given to interdisciplinary research and to the improvement of the science-policy interface in the Wadden Sea Region. The papers in the special issue can be downloaded here.
|
environmental_science
|
Subsets and Splits
No community queries yet
The top public SQL queries from the community will appear here once available.