Save the planet

From the Federal Government’s EPA web site (and written in 1980): ”… When April 22, 1970, dawned, literally millions of Americans of all ages and from all walks of life participated in Earth Day celebrations from coast to coast. It was on that day that Americans made it clear that they understood and were deeply concerned over the deterioration of our environment and the mindless dissipation of our resources. That day left a permanent impact on the politics of America. It forcibly thrust the issue of environmental quality and resources conservation into the political dialogue of the Nation. That was the important objective and achievement of Earth Day. It showed the political and opinion leadership of the country that the people cared, that they were ready for political action, that the politicians had better get ready, too. In short, Earth Day launched the Environmental decade with a bang..”.

 I was there on that sunny day on April 22, 1970. I remember that as part of the celebrating the first Earth Day, my fifth grade class sold “Earth Day” buttons in advance and we used the profits to purchase a tree which we planted on our school grounds on that first Earth Day… ahh the memories… Anyway, cheers to the 38th Earth Day!  To read more about this historical event, click here:  Earth Day 1970 What it Meant .

On another note, I hope to have my solar oven ready by Earth Day 2008. I can taste those Shaggyhill hot dogs just thinking about them !

 -earthman out

Remember when earthman was talking solar and mentioned plans for a solar oven I wanted to build? Well earthman is getting a little hungry so I’m going to start looking over those plans, gather the materials and build that solar oven. The problem is it’s not necessarily effective year-round. It’s effectiveness depends on what part of this planet you’re from. If you live along the equator… no-problem-0… but where I come from, it’s supposed to be most effective from about May to September and that’s about it. So in addition to building one, I’ll have time to do some experimenting by recording temperatures this thing can develop (depending on what month it is) or learning how effective different colored cooking containers are (black is best, it absorbs more heat). 

The thing is…. I can’t stop thinking about those Shaggyhill hotdogs I was promised by Mr.B if I build one. So before I fly down to the local supermarket for some buns, mustard and relish, I gotta build that solar oven! I’ll be back to bloggin’ when I have something to report on my progress toward a Shaggyhill hotdog solar fry.                                                              – earthman out.

G-E-O-T-H-E-R-M-A-L-   E-N-E-R-G-Y… What a “hot” topic this one is ! Where does it come from? What is it? Well, geothermal energy comes from deep inside the earth. The source is the earth’s core. The heat generated there is so amazing that it is supposed to be hotter than the sun if you can believe that! So the next question is, “If that energy is so deep into the earth, (4000 miles), how on EARTH do we get to it?”. The answer is easy. IT come to us earthlings, or at least a lot closer, so we CAN get to it. He’s one clue: magma… Magma surounds the earth’s core so it too is VERY hot and it can find it’s way upward near the edges of the earth’s (crust) plates. Magma can be found in lava, ala volcano (For more info or a diagram check out an earth science book). When magma comes toward the surface it heats underground water in what’s called geothermal reservoirs or large deposits of pourous rock. So then earthlings have access to this geothermal energy via souces like volcanos, geysers (aka Old Faithful) and hot springs.

Got a hot spring where you live? No? Well, most of us don’t. Here in the Ol’ U.S. of A, the lucky ones who might make use of geothermal energy live in places like California, Utah, Nevada, Washington, Alaska and Hawaii, but it can be found around the globe. The photo at the top of this blog for example is from a hot spring in Iceland.

 Simply put, geothermal energy sources can be used for heat and converted to electricity for homes and businesses.

Here are some stats:

 - California has 33 geothermal power plants that produce about ninety percent of the geothermal energy currently used in the U.S.A.

- Hawaii and Utah each have a plant in use whereas Nevada has fifteen.

Interested in learning where you can find some of those geothermal reservoirs? Try the Idaho National Laboratory for maps using this link: geothermal resource maps .  Here’s a link to more info on geothermal energy: go geothermal . 

                                                                                                  – earthman out

   Earthman here… you know what? … as I surfed the world wide web for more info on solar energy, everything from solar panels to solar ovens and $$ rebates/ tax incentives from federal and various state governments when you use or purchase certain energy saving products, I realized that there is just so much out there…. and that the best way to let you in on it all is to suggest that you either click on the links I’ve been providing on the right side of this blog or let you do your own googling on going solar, at least for now.

I’ll leave you with this last thought about going solar though… remember we all need to think outside the box. How about instead of using the sun to create energy or using it for heat, that we do something to harness it, i.e. stop it from heating things up? The title of this blog is your hint to what I’m talking about. Trees. What can you do to cool off during the summer? Stand in the shade under a tree right? (But I don’t suggest you do that during a lightning storm. Bad things can happen)… So, the sun rises in the east, goes south and sets in the west… and to keep things simple, generally speaking, it is cooler in the morning, hotter during the day and cools off at night. Where am I going with this? How about planting trees on the south side of your house so in the summer, the trees’ leaves block direct sunlight from coming through your windows and heating up the joint, making your air conditioner work harder and run longer thereby conserving energy? Simple stuff right? In the winter when you want Mr. Sunshine to visit, the leaves will be off the trees so he can come in and warm you up.

Whats the down side to planting trees? The only thing I can think of is raking. Earthman-doesn’t-like-raking-leaves. What can I say?

Oh well, next topic… geothermal energy.

Before I end this there’s just one more thing earthman needs to tell you. I’v been going on and on so much that you can’t fit everything I’ve written on one page anymore. For more info, be sure to click “OLDER POSTS” on the bottom of this page.

                                                                           – earthman out

Hopefully, you had a chance to look at my last blog “Amazing Solar Clothes Drying Invention” before you read this current blog and come to realize just how simple it really can be to do something, anything, to help save the environment and yes, it may not be convenient, but not breathing well, the extinction of animal species, melting polar ice caps,  extreme weather conditions such as category 5 hurricanes, drought (I could go on) are not convenient either…. and neither is the rising cost of fossil fuels and its effect on the economy.

Who knows for sure how much more of that black stuff is left or how long it will last, especially with countries like China wanting a bigger share, whose economies are developing and therefore helping to increase the global demand for oil. That being said, will conservation and  the use of alternative energy sources in the Ol’ U.S. of A. be enough to offset the increase of pollution by developing nations? Earthman says, “No”. The world as a whole must make these changes. Other nations are setting the example and so should we.

What happens if all of a sudden, oil from the Middle East is cut off or say over a period of a couple years, suddenly dries up? Yeah there are other sources of fossil fuel around the world but it is hardly enough to offset any such shortage flowing from the Middle East. Can you imagine what it would be like with extremely limited or no oil supplies? So there is more to the problem than just Global Warming. At some point, we need different energy sources to live our daily lives.

Do we wait until the last minute? Do you realize how long it would take to convert everyone’s energy needs to something different? Okay, okay… How many people do you know that have oil heat? What if this winter, all of a sudden, for whatever reason, you can’t get oil for your oil tank? How long would it take everyone, EVERYONE,  to convert to electric or gas heat (burrrrr). Have a fireplace and a lot of trees in your back yard to cut down for firewood? No?… Okay… say there is an oil crisis worse than what happened in the 1970s (I’ll do a blog on the history of that shortage another time). Got a bike for everyone in your family? Walking is healthy for you ya know.

So, we’re getting off track but here’s my point….  One, we earthlings need to develop and use alternative means of energy to help save the environment and reduce and hopefully eliminate the effects of global warming… Two, sooner or later, oil WILL run out, whether it be in our life time or perhaps your childrens’ life time. So why not develop and increase the use of alternative energy sources NOW? Lets not wait until the last minute because widespread use of alternative energy will NOT happen overnight.

Okay…. next blog, back on track with solar energy….. earthman out.

Wow! You gotta take a look at this invention. It uses the power of the sun, a.k.a. solar power, to dry clothes ! Check out the article for yourself ! I can only imagine what this will do to save the environment and save money if everybody used one instead of an electric clothes dryer… And it doesn’t cost much to build your own! Take a look at this topic by going to the article posted on the New York Times website. Here’s the link:  Solar Clothes Dryer . 

 - earthman out

  Earthman is back… sorry for the interruption… So, we left off with “solar energy” and said that there were many ways to look at this topic. It’s NOT all about solar panels and creating electricity.  I remember that “solar power” was an “in-topic”, at least as far back as 1970, the first Earth Day  (I was there, planted a tree with my classmates, but that’s a story for another time) and MAJOR lines of cars at the pumps just to get gasoline. Almost forty years have gone by since then. It is my understanding though (and I’ll have to do some more research), that the use of solar panels may not be as cost effective compared to other means of energy generation BUT IT IS GOOD FOR THE ENVIRONMENT! I am also led to believe it takes quite a few years to realize your investment in solar panels (i.e. break even when comparing the initial start up cost to what you save in $$$ in the long run). That being said, I came across a couple of articles in the same newspaper earlier this month. The first reads in part,”$100-a-barrel oil…” (woof!). The other headline reads, “Hamilton Sundstrand reaches deal to provide solar power”.

  According to the Associated Press article on solar power, Hamilton Sundstrand will use MOLTEN SALT to store the sun’s heat and that is what will be converted to electrical power. This project is expected to start generating electricity in about three to four years and supply enough electricity for at 250,000 to 500,000 homes. The company is expecting to earn $1 billion over the first ten to fifteen years in operation… and I doubt a company like Hamilton Sundstrand would waste their time if they did not think the idea was profitable. There is one more advantage to this process as well. Since heat will be stored using molten salt, there is no reliance on solar panels per say and therefore power generation won’t be overly affected by a cloudy day here and there.

   Ten points for whoever can tell me what song these lyrics came from…. and ten more points if you can tell me what musical group made the song famous:

                  “Let the sunshine, Let the sunshine in, The sunshine in”.

 -earthman out

Hope everyone had an enjoyable holiday vacation. Did anyone light their tree with lights powered by solar panels this year? No ? Well I know of one tree that was lit just that way for the first time in 2007 and it’s the famous Christmas tree that you can see every year at Rockefeller Center in New York City. The lights on this tree were reportedly powered by the 363 solar panels on one of Rockefeller Center’s roofs. I’m not saying that the tree needs all of those solar panels to generate it’s electricity needs but I also don’t know what was required to power the tree’s LED lights (yet another energy savings). What I did find out though is that these solar panels are supposed to create a 70Kwh generation station that will continue to offset Rockefeller Center’s energy needs long after the holiday season is over.

 So what about solar panels? What about solar “power” or better yet, “solar energy”? Lets think outside the box. What am I talking about? Well, there is more than one way to harness the sun’s energy besides using solar panels, like using building materials that absorb heat generated from the sun’s rays, there’s fiber optic lighting and as another example, some people particularly in parts of the Third World, are starting to use solar ovens to cook their food. Some of these people were using burning tires as a fuel source for cooking before they were introduced to solar ovens. That’s a fact Jack.  No, I’m not telling you to put your electric or gas oven out for the trashman. I just want you to think about the possibilities that modern technology and technology yet to come may offer us. As a matter of fact I have plans for building a solar oven. I intend to build one (cheaply) and test it out later in ’08. Maybe its a science experiement you can talk to your teacher about HOWEVER here is the disclaimer: ADULT SUPERVISION IS REQUIRED AT ALL TIMES!

So put on your sunglasses folks ’cause my next blog will have more about solar energy.

- earthman out.

Earthman here… Have any idea what a CFL is?  A CFL is a compact fluorescent light bulb. It can look a little funky but its supposed to be better than a  “Thomas Edison” (Know who he is ?) …And this is something all of us can use. One reported advantage to using a CFL is you can get the same brightness out of a 15 watt CFL as you can a 60 watt Thomas Edison (I’m sticking to the theme here). Lets keep it simple… That means for every Thomas Edison you replace with a CFL, you use less electricity. If everyone replaced their Thomas Edisons with CFLs, we’d all save electricity, so less electricity has to be produced. Think about how many people there are in the United States alone and how many Thomas Edisons you have in your own house, not that you’d have ALL the lights on in your house at the same time. It simply means that on a large scale, there would be less green house gases produced because you are generating less electricty to light up your world right ?

CAUTION: CFLs do contain a trace amount of mercury and mercury is hazardous to your health ! So stay clear if you break one and tell a parent. CFLs are also supposed to be recycled so don’t just throw them in the trash. Check with a parent on what they should do with these in the area you live in. 

On another note, I found a website you can check out that provides some interesting articles on stuff like the recent United Nations Climate Change Conference in Bali. Its presented by Time magazine. All you have to do is click on the Time Magazine link on the right side of this blog to get there.

 Hmmmm, everyone should read Shaggyhill’s comments to my post on wind power ! (Be sure to check the links he provides which include counter points to the counter points). Looks like we could end up with quite an interesting debate ! That’s a good thing !  I  think the answer is not to rely on just one alternative energy source, but rather use a combination of ideas depending on where you live on this planet. Unless the technology catches up with and exceeds demand, if that is ever possible, even Earthman realizes it is unlikely we will put an end the use of fossil fuels any time soon, but it certainly is worth the fight. So lets take it step by step. Although I plan on posting more info on other alternative energy sources, lets look at the alternatives one at a time starting with wind power. Lets discuss its values as well as its shortfalls. You can help ! I invite you to post your comments on this issue but I’d also like you to back up your opinion(s) with fact(s).

 I’ll end this post with a brief summary of a newspaper article I read this morning at breakfast. It seems not a day goes by when I don’t happen to come across something, somehow related to global warming in either a newspaper, magazine or on television. In today’s newspaper there is an Associated Press article bearing the headline, “Scientists sound alarm as Artic ice melts”. The article reads in part, “An already relentless melting of the Artic greatly accelerated this summer, a warning sign that some scientists worry could mean global warming has passed an ominous tipping point… Just last year, two top scientists surprised their colleagues by projecting that the Artic sea ice was melting so rapidly that it could disappear entirely by the summer of 2040… 552 billion tons of ice melted this summer from the Greenland ice sheet according to preliminary satellite data to be released by NASA…” 

   So, there you have it. Is the answer “business as usual” and we do nothing but search the planet for more fossil fuels to use up, pollute the atmosphere and fall victim to the effects of global warming, or do the earth’s inhabitants  invent methods, improve technology and use alternative means of energy sources that may halt disaster in its tracks? What if it costs more to produce that type of clean energy? What if you don’t like the sight of wind mills on the mountain top in your back yard or off the shore of your local beach? Would you still want to use wind power?  – earthman out