Kristin Palmer
From Drmills
Kristin Palmer
Portfolio #1 in collaboration with Marielly Mitchell and Amber Beach
PEAK OIL
Oil, it’s in our clothes, in our diets, the plastics we use, and of course, runs every car engine. Oil is everywhere. On average each person uses 4 gallons of oil per day (“Crude,” 2008). That is a gallon expended in one’s motor vehicle during a day’s worth of driving. One gallon consumed in foods and/or used towards cooking and household maintenance. Another gallon used in plastic ware surrounding and making up the majority of society’s everyday items. And lastly, a gallon expended towards the production and fabrication of the clothing on our very bodies. Furthermore, not only is oil everywhere, it has to do with everything. So much – too much relies on oil, its existence, value, potential, the list is infinite. Unfortunately, oil is not. Whether society wants to accept it, oil has a limit, even though we consume it as if it did not. Carbon has almost as much to do with oil as it does with air. According to The History Channel’s documentary “Crude,” carbon is the “stuff” that everything is made of. It keeps our global thermostat at a comfortable level and the atmosphere and oceans are loaded with it. The story, or “birth” of oil dates back to the Jurassic period and is a highly complex process, which ultimately results in the formation of crude oil – a source the size (or once was) of Europe. Petroleum, or crude oil according to Wikipedia (2008) is a naturally occurring flammable liquid found in the Earth’s rock formations. It consists of a mixture of hydrocarbons and organic compounds. The History Channel describes the “dead zone” as a site crucial for the formation of today's supply of crude oil. From the name alone, it can be induced that no life exists in the dead zone. This area at the very bottom of the ocean contains no oxygen. Due to the absence of oxygen, fossilized Jurassic sunlight now occupies those oceans floors. It has taken these remains 160 billion years to form ("crude," 2008). Oil, however didn’t start building its popular reputation until the 1880’s in Pennsylvania (“Crude,” 2008); and since then has exploded and consequently developed within society a severe addiction and state of dependency towards it. Today, oil is one of the most precious resources we have, in order to keep our world running at the same pace as it is today; unfortunately, we all know that the depletion of oil is upon us. Ironically, the leaders of nations who have the ability to make a dramatic change in the world are not addressing this large problem. We ourselves can try to drive less, carpool more, take the metro, and turn off gas and electricity when not being used, however without government support this is a battle that inevitably will be lost because of exponentials. The demand for oil is increasing and the supply is decreasing to the point, of no oil to be found on the planet. David Sandalow’s (2008) book, “Freedom From Oil” states how the prices of oil have fluctuated over the years. This problem has become too large even for the countries with the most oil. He describes this situation by stating, “Historically, Saudi Arabia has maintained considerable excess production capacity in part to help stabilize world prices. Saudi Arabia has also sought to prevent oil prices from rising high enough to encourage alternatives, in order to maintain long-term demand for its product. In recent years, however, Saudi Arabia's reserve capacity has dropped as world oil demand climbed. "The result has been steep price increases and considerable oil price volatility” (Sandalow, 2008, p. 41). Saudi Arabia has been able to manipulate their supply of oil to their advantage and with this every other country has to abide by Saudi Arabia due to their control over of the world’s largest oil supply. Because of their position Saudi Arabia has been able to modify the availability of oil in order to maintain a profit for them and not make the prices extremely high. However, now with the demand of oil exceeding the supply, Saudi Arabia is no longer in this position. As for the United States we are the world’s leading oil consumer because we use about 24% of the global total. According to Sandalow (2008), “We are the world’s third largest oil producer, with roughly 8% of global production” (Sandalow, 2008, p. 42). The United States abuses its access to oil, therefore the world’s supply of oil has depleted more quickly than expected. Granted, we have made some improvements compared to the 1970’s; this is because of the technological improvements we have made through our cars and their fuel efficiency. These improvements have come in many different forms, such as lighter metals being used, less smog being expelled, and less gas being consumed. An important factor is that our usage has decreased but now, the demand has increased. We are the world’s number one consumers of oil. About half of the oil coming into the United States is from the Gulf of Mexico or Texas and about 17% comes from Alaska and the remaining 13% comes from California. Along with the United States being the world’s largest oil consumer, we are also the world’s third largest oil producer, with roughly 8% of global production, which still puts us in a critical position because the amount of oil that we are producing could never supply the demand our country warrants. This domestic problem has consequently caused society to rely on imported oil for many years. According to Sandalow the dilemma is only going to worsen, “This combination of rising consumption and falling production means that U.S. oil imports have been rising steadily for many years. Imports were 34% of total consumption in 1973 and are almost 60% today. In 2006, payments to foreign oil producers totaled roughly $280 billion. The largest single exporter to the United States is Canada, generally followed by Mexico, Saudi Arabia, Venezuela and Nigeria. The Persian Gulf region as a whole provides roughly 11% of U.S. oil each year” (Sandalow, 2008, p. 43). The amount of money we are spending on foreign oil is outstanding and because of this we are only putting our country in more and more debt and depleting the dollar. The United States needs to find a solution in which our country will be able to stand on its own two feet without depending on others for oil; but since the rest of the world is also facing this oil crisis, we must come up with new sources of energy within ourselves in order to be independent from foreign oils, strengthen the dollar, and avoid future resource wars. An article by Ronald G. Nelson “Worldwide Peak Oil May Already Be Here – Now What?” discusses the World Oil Conference of the Association for the Study of Peak Oil and Gas. This event was attended by hundreds of participants and lasted four days. Just how our presidential candidates are avoiding the topic of peak oil so is the press. Even though this conference’s main objective was thow oil may be at its peak and is declining, there was little press coverage. Most of the participants were or are currently active in the oil industry or oil researcher. In sum, the message of this conference was if our economy continues as it does, i.e. increased gas prices and consumption, then we are going to be facing a devastating oil crisis. Although the decrease in oil is one of the greatest struggles currently in America, it is barely a topic of conversation with the American people. This is due to our politicians and our president turning a blind eye to this crucial topic, in turn resulting in the average American unaware of the nationale oil crisis. America is in this struggle and our politicians are still focusing on plans that involve oil, but how are they going to go forth with these plans when oil is going to continue to increase in price or the worst scenario oil is non-existent? The U.S. depends on importing oil from other countries, and eventually these other countries are going to restrict the amount of oil exported, resulting in drastic effects on the U.S. economy (Nelson, 2008). Dr. Marion King Hubbert first brought up the idea of peak oil in 1956, saying that the United States would reach peak oil in 1970, in which he received great criticism for. This turned out to be true; in 1970 the U.S. reached its peak. Before a resource reaches its peak it usually goes through “a rapid period of exponential growth followed by an inflection point, after which growth tapers off, reaching a peak or plateau” (Nelson, 2008). A resource is said to hit its peak when 50% of the resource has been used and from there on out it is in decline. According to this conference the overwhelming majority believe that we have reached peak oil (Nelson, 2008). Countries in Africa and Asia have already experienced great struggles in acquiring oil due to being out priced by other countries. The shortage of oil has brought about riots in Myanmar and in the near time future there will be many more riots to come. Due to the decrease in oil production in our main suppliers, such as Mexico and Venezuela, the world has reached “oil fever” (Nelson, 2008). The importance of conservation of energy in ways involving transportation is a step in the right direction to cut down on the amount of oil expended by this country. The wealthiest people in America may be able to afford an increase in oil prices but the people who are not as well off suffer tremendously and may not be able to afford basic necessitates such as gasoline. Everyone in America whether wealthy or not, needs to conserve together and if it is not done equally our country will have major problems in the government and society, and ultimately may lead our country into wars as seen in other countries in response to shortages in natural resources. Our government needs to immediately enforce a plan to conserve oil, which does not involve invading other countries. Just as Dr. M. King Hubbert predicted in his youth as an oil miner, oil will peak. Once having reached that level, there will come a day when oil will simply run out. It’s a matter of when. More importantly, the other side of the peak is what’s scary (“Crude,” 2008).
References Sandalow, David. (2008). Freedrom from oil how the next president can end the United States’ oil addiction. New York: McGraw-Hill. Petroleum.(n.d.) Retrieved February 5, 2008, from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ Petroleum. (2008, January 27). The history channel, “Crude” [Documentary]. Public Broadcasting Service. Nelson, R.G., (2008). World Wide Peak Oil May Already be Here-Now What? Peak Oil News. Retrieved February 5, 2008, from http://peakoil.blogspot.com/2008/02/worldwide- peak-oil-may-already-be-here.html
Class Email #1:
Hey everyone! In the article “Population, land management, and environmental change,” there is a very interesting section labeled, “Global Environment and Population Carrying capacity.” This article goes in depth exploring how an uncontrolled population can lead to environmental as well as ecological destruction. Types of this deconstruction include: “deforestation, urbanization, agriculture development and overgrazing.” The article also highlights a paper written by Dennis L. Meadows and his views on how there will be an “overshoot and collapse” based on the current trends in the population and the overuse in industrial production, metal consumption, and grain production. I would recommend this site because it offers great visuals of tables and figures. There is a table showing sustainable, critical, and destructive percentages of human activity such as economic development and deforestation. The figures show uncontrolled development of overshoot collapse and of sustainable development. Another reason I liked this article is because it talked about other countries experiences and struggles with overpopulation and overuse of resources and how America can learn from these other countries in turning into a sustainable country. Hope this helps someone! Its really interesting. http://www.unu.edu/unupress/unupbooks/uu03pe/uu03pe0c.htm
Blog post #1:
Myth of peak oil
In this class I have heard so much about peak oil and how devastating it could become if we go the rate we are going, but I wanted to check out the flip side. I found a website called prisonplanet.com with an article labeled “The Myth of Peak Oil” which said that peak oil is a scam. According to this article peak oil is a con produced by the government to create “artificial scarcity” to increase the oil prices as well as to have control over the American people. This “control” through scarcity is believed to limit world population. Another part of this article that I found shocking was the claim that ways to produce alternative energy have been around for many of years but suppressed, in order to buy into peak oil and pay the jacked up prices. The article goes on by giving “examples” on how gas companies such as chevron and techron are deliberately raising the gas prices. This website offers many additional resources to check out why peak oil is a “myth.” Its pretty convincing but I have learned way too much in this class to believe anything this article says. I definitely think peak oil is here and we must do something about it! If you are skeptical you can check out this site.
Watson, P.J., Jones, A., (2005). The Myth of Peak Oil. Prison Planet. Retrived February 4, 2008, from http://www.prisonplanet.com/archives/peak_oil/index.htm
Portfolio #2 in collaboration with Amber Beach and Marielly Mitchell WHEN GRADING CAN YOU PLEASE LOOK AT AMBER BEACHE"S PAGE. Thank you i had trouble downloading the images so we did it on her page.
THE ELECTRIC CAR
Along with being the world’s largest consumer of oil the United States of America also have the most cars per household. Among the most popular are gas guzzling SUVs, which typicallyhave the lowest miles per gallon rate. Americans drive everywhere whether it’s running errands, driving to work, or to school. With the depletion of oil and the damaging affects on the environment, Effects from what exactly? various car companies have created hybrid vehicles that run on What kind?energy and gas rather than gas only. These cars also release less toxins into the air and are able to function like any other car Are they? Can they go as far without refill? and get much more gas mileage. So is this all about hybrids?
Saturn has created an ecologically friendly SUV to fulfill the demand for SUVs that are not harmful to the environment and are more gas efficient. Saturn’s line VUE Green Line, unlike most other hybrid collections includes an SUV in which it can get up to an estimated 25 miles per gallon in the city or 32 miles per gallon on the highway, which is the best highway fuel economy of any SUV on the market; more importantly from one single tank on the highway a person can go 585 miles and never have to fill up. Along with these remarkable gas mileage numbers it is also the cheapest hybrid SUV on the market starting at $24,795. Where is all this information from?This Saturn SUV is able to combine the ability of fuel Awkwardwhen accelerating and decelerating in order to give the car more power when necessary, and with the smart technology the car is able to distinguish when gas consumption is necessary. The vehicle’s electric power assist is able to set the car to cruise and once at this point it begins to recharge its battery rather than burn fuel. This SUV is a turning point in the way hybrids are viewed. Usually a person imagines a hybrid car as small and compact and does not have much power at all, but this model is able to combine the space of an SUV and the power of a normal vehicle; rather than burn fuel and energy it is able to recharge itself while cruising. This change from gas guzzling SUVs to smaller and more gas efficient automobiles will make a drastic change in the environment. It will? How many need to be switched to these before it will be significant? More importantly the miniscule Right word? amount of fuel being used decreases the amount of harsh chemicals released into the air and the lower amount of fuel a driver will need for their vehicle at any given time. Awkward
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Honda like other vehicle companies has also been transforming successful models such as the Honda Civic into hybrid versions, which are more gas efficient but still provide the style and luxury that people look for in their personal vehicle. The Honda Civic is one of Honda’s most popular vehicles and is known for its reliability and comfort; making a hybrid version of one of their best selling models is probably one of the best decisions Honda has ever made for themselves and the environment. This efficient vehicle has the Honda hybrid technology, which is an integrated Motor Assist system. Like the Saturn SUV model this vehicle is able to combine the power of a fuel engine with the extra-added strength of the supporting electrical engine. The gasoline engine carries 1.3 liters and runs on 4-cylinders but rather than lacking power like most 4-cylinder fuel burning cars this hybrid has the added strength of the electrical engine; making the hybrid Civic more powerful and gas efficient. Along with the extra power provided by the electrical engine, the fuel engine is shuts off whenever the car is stopped in order to save gasoline. This model achieves an estimated 40 miles per gallon in the city and on the highway it can get up to 45 miles per gallon. This vehicle is one of the best options for someone who is looking for a hybrid vehicle that is not an SUV and is comfortable and very functional. This model also provides someone who trusts in Honda because of previous cars with an environmentally friendly option. It is still the same model as a gas running Honda Civic but rather it has two engines that support each other and work together and create the same power as a normal gas burning Honda Civic. This hybrid model is proof that environmentalism and comfort can be integrated rather than creating a completely new model, giving consumers more options and variability in their selection when purchasing a new car. If you're saying this vehicle is great, it would be good to see the comparison with other energy efficient vehicles. Otherwise, it seems more like an ad for Honda.
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These hybrid options display how environmentalism is now gaining more recognition in the world of transportation; there are now more options for the consumers ranging from models they are familiar with to new SUVs that give them the space and comfort they look for in a car. Even celebrities such as Cameron Diaz have been seen endorsing hybrid vehicles, which shows how celebrities influence consumers No, it only shows that companies hope they will.and surrounding advertisements that now is the time for our generation to become more aware of our effects on the environment. Car companies are targeting younger generations because the younger population is dealing with the affects effectsof pollution, and they may be able to change the environmental problems of today. With the growing attention large corporations are giving the environment, the more options people are able to have when selecting any type of purchase big or small.
Although the hybrid is a great option to be ecologically friendly so are electric vehicles. Electric vehicles, also known as EVs are inferior superiorto gasoline and diesel vehicles because they produce 99% lower emissions, which in turn helps reduce America’s reliability on oil. EVs are charged with batteries and a full battery charge ranges from 80-120 miles per charge driving at highway speeds. “Studies have shown that 80% of commuters travel less than 40 miles per day” (“electric”, 2007). This statistic shows that the average American could benefit from this car because they are not traveling over 120 miles. After a day of driving the vehicle, one plugs it in to recharge over night. Compared to other cars EVs maintenance and fuel expenses are much lower and has 1,000,000 miles of service, stressing their lasting value.
Electric vehicles (EVs), hybrid gasoline/electric vehicles (Hybrid), and Fuel Cell vehicles, are the three primary electric vehicle technologies today in America. The EV’s electric motor is run from electricity from batteries, which propels the vehicle, in turn releasing zero emissions. Unlike EVs, Hybrid gas/electric vehicles run from both an electric motor powered by a battery as well as a gasoline engine for propulsion. Hybrids do produce emissions, but they are less than gasoline -powered cars.
The main difference between the three types of these cars is the way that the electricity is generated in order to power them. EVs batteries are charged by using regular household electricity and electricity generated by “regenerative braking.” EVs are practical because they can be re-charged at home. Unlike the EV, the Hybrid is internally charged by the electricity that is created by the gasoline engine and through the electricity produced by “regenerative braking.” A good but impractical option of an environmental car would be a fuel cell car. The electricity that propels this type of car is produced from the “combustion of hydrogen in its onboard fuel cell” (“electric”, 2007). Since there is no set way into supplying hydrogen into vehicles it is impractical. What do you mean exactly?
Electric vehicles are a practical alternative to petroleum-based transportation, in order to cut back the use of oil. The United States oil production has been in steady decline since 1970 and US imports have risen by 67%. 4% of the current population occupies the US, but we consume 25% of the worlds total oil production, and the demand keeps rising (“electric”, 2007). Driving an EV helps improve our environment, is a cheap alternative to petroleum based transportation, and would help in saving our resources. According to the California Air Resources Board, “EVs are 90% cleaner that the newest (model year 2005) and cleanest conventional gasoline-powered car vehicles” (“electric”, 2007). EVs are a proven “clean and green” choice. One of the reasons that EV’s are so clean is because they require no warm up period unlike internal combustion vehicles that generate the most amount of pollution during the first 20 minutes of running.
Source: http://www.eaaev.org/Flyers/index.html#Intro
Gasoline vehicles greatly increase today’s air pollution. Air pollution is made up of many detrimental components: “Carbon monoxide-reduces the bloods ability to carry oxygen, aggravates lung and heart disease, and causes headaches, fatigue, and dizziness... Ground-level ozone is formed by a chemical reaction between VOCs (volatile organic compounds) and NOx, released from fuel combustion, in the presence of sunlight. Ground-level ozone concentrations can reach unhealthful levels when the weather is hot and sunny with little or no wind” (“electric”, 2007). Sulfur Dioxides, combined with water vapor in the air becomes the major contributor to acid rain. Nitrogen oxides cause the yellowish-brown haze in the sky and when combined with oxygen becomes a toxic gas that can damage lung tissue. Gasoline and diesel powered cars, trucks, and buses are the major sources of NOx and VOCs (“electric”, 2007).
Even though the majority of the, public is just now becoming aware of electric cars, according to Chris Paine director of documentary Who Killed the Electric Car? there has been much controversy over electric cars for more than a decade. In Paine’s documentary the birth and ultimate death of Saturn’s EV 1 model is addressed. Mark Gordon’s interview with Paine on the G Living Network’s Network discussed his initial goal for the film. He simply wanted to make the public aware of previous efforts made to get the EV 1 on the market, and who’s to blame for it. Paine has been involved with electric cars since 1997 when he leased one from the Saturn dealership. After driving the electric car model for 6 years, Saturn simply took the car back. The lease was over. Paine along with many others struggled to understand why electric cars weren’t available to the everyday consumer. “We could us use them!” (Paine, 2006). This ten-year battle affects Los Angeles directly.
Previous research shows that Los Angeles is the one of the top most polluted areas in the United States. Furthermore, California is the most polluted state in America (Paine, 2006). For every gallon that cars use, nineteen pounds of carbon dioxide is released into the air. Although air pollution is not as bad as it was 20 years ago according to researcher Scott Fruin (Kim, 2007), it still poses a threat to the ozone layer and children with asthma (Paine, 2006). According to Fruin, a former California Air Resource Board (CARB) pollution specialist most of Los Angeles’ traffic and air pollution is due to the fact that 40 percent of the nation’s cargo comes from two ports: Long Beach and Los Angeles. Consequently, emissions of diesel trucks transporting cargo dominate those areas. Fruin and assistant Kozawa are conducting research using an electric vehicle that performs an important function: measuring concentrations of harmful particles on freeways and surrounding residential areas in Los Angeles (Kim, 2007). This modified electric vehicle’s highly sensitive equipment takes in and analyzes outside air samples as the car is driven. Fruin and Kozawa’s research confirms that air in the L.A. area is concentrated with vehicle exhaust toxins. This is a problem that not only Los Angeles faces but also every big city in the nation (Kim, 2007). Something needs to be done.
Kozawa, USC doctoral candidate, adjusts equipment in the state-of-the-art SUV she uses to conduct pollution research around the Los Angeles area
Source: http://media.www.dailytrojan.com/media/storage/paper679/news/2007/02/26/News/Electronic.Car. Tests.Pollution.On.The.Go-2741454.shtml
Putting electric cars on to freeways across the United States would drastically improve air quality because of the reduced use of gasoline and carbon dioxide emissions. The question remains: Then why isn’t this being done? California’s laws and poor advertising.
California’s laws are restricting this new industry from monopolizing. Not the right word. If it weren’t for California’s laws, 600,000 electric cars would have occupied California’s roads in 2006, not to mention over a million nationwide (Paine, 2006). Imagine the numbers for 2008. The results would significantly effect where the world stands on global warming and oil issues. Unfortunately, oil and gas auto companies thrive off of the internal combustion engine and the costs required for maintaining one. Thus, the competition between an environmental friendly vehicle and the oil and gas industry still exists. However, whom we’re all really competing with is the environment. Marketing aside, improvements need to be made in how society treats the environment. What are the laws?
Along with California’s laws standing between the public and electric cars is intentional poor advertising – “scams.” General Motors (GM) only spent 1 billion to advertise the electric car, EV 1 specifically. Compared to the amount GM spent on advertising their other new models, this was very small. Furthermore, GM argued that the public would be concerned about the safety of the EV 1. However, there are safety concerns and general limitations with almost any new car on the market. Saturn car representative Chelsea Sexton stated, “When advertising a new car, you usually don’t start off by discussing the car’s limitations,” (Who killed the electric car, 2006). Additionally, if safety was what GM was striving for, then the amount of pollution and toxins that we inhale should be their concern. This is an interesting issue. More on this could replace some of the details of the two types of hybrids.
Director Paine (2006) stated “there is a difference between being naïve and being smart and optimistic.”
References
"Electric Auto Association." Retrieved February 17, 2008, from, http://www.eaaev.org/Flyers/
index.html#Intro>.
Kim, H. (2007, February 26). Electric car tests pollution on the go. Daily Trojan.
Retrieved February 18, 2008, from http://media.www.dailytrojan.com/media/
storage/paper679/news/2007/02/26/News/Electronic.Car.Tests.Pollution.On.The.
Go-2741454.shtml
News. Retrieved February 20, 2008, from http://automobiles.honda.com/civic-
hybrid/environment.aspx
News. Retrieved February 20, 2008, from http://www.saturn.com/saturn/vehicles/
greenline/index.jsp
Paine, C. (2006). Who killed the electric car? [Documentary]. need full ref here
The G Living Network (2006). Interview with director Chris Paine. Retrieved February
19, 2008, from http://video.aol.com/video-detail/chris-paine-who-killed-the-
electric-car-interview/3094797382
External links:
None?
It would have been more interesting to see a graphic of a hybrid engine rather than the outside view of the cars.
Needs to be edited more carefully. I pointed out a few examples.
The introduction should give a sense of what is going to appear throughout.
The details on the cars only become effective if there's something more to compare them to, such as more on traditional vehicles and other hybrid types.
Where this gets really good is toward the end, but you skip over the description of the laws and the alleged GM conspiracy.
RATING SHEET
Scale: 1 - 5 (5 is best)
_4__ discovered, integrated and synthesized relevant information about the topic
_3__ critical analysis of information (of both corroborating and non-corroborating evidence)
_4__ conclusions based on evidence, especially empirical evidence, not simply opinion
_4__ written in an impartial, objective tone
_4__ the contribution fits in well with the existing outline and material
_3_ writing is of high quality: interesting, flows, analytic, good argumentation, organized
_4__ used APA style referencing appropriately (including reference list)
For the wiki book only:
_2__ included a list of relevant external web links for more information
__4__ included relevant graphics
Grade: B+
Note: If you revise the above, per the suggestions, and replace the corresponding material in the wiki book, your
grade will be adjusted upward by 1/2 grade.
Class email # 2
Hi everyone! I came across this really great informational site on electric cars and thought it was very interesting so I wanted to share it with you guys. This site talks about Electric vehicles and all the benefits they have to offer, including them being ecologically friendly and affordable to name a few. Cars, trucks, and motorcycles produce more than 35% of the air pollution today; so electric cars are a great alternative to lower air pollution. Electric cars do not generate any emissions thus making our environment a much healthier and cleaner place. I found this a very astonishing quote about how much our vehicles use in fuel, “California's cars and trucks burn 14.5 billion gallons of gasoline each year! That's enough gasoline to fill a line of tanker trucks stretched bumper to bumper from San Francisco to San Diego AND BACK” (Transportation, 2002). If anyone is thinking about purchasing an electric car or just wants to find out information about them I would defiantly check this site out. http://www.energyquest.ca.gov/transportation/electric.html
Blog post #2
I checked out the site that Ashley recommended (http://editorial.autos.msn.com/article.aspx?cp-documentid=435825&topart=hybrids) on hybrid cars and it was pretty neat. I was shocked to see how many car companies are focusing their attention on hybrid cars. Ford has created a small Escape Hybrid SUV and Chevrolet has created a Silverado Hybrid/GMC Sierra Hybrid full-size pickups, which I didn’t even no was possible. I thought that hybrids could only be small! This site predicts that at the end of the year there will be 20 hybrid models available, a full size pick up as well as a full size SUV and a luxury sedan. It would be great to see Americans switching from gasoline powered vehicles to hybrid or electric cars which would lower the pollution by a great deal as well as cutting back on the use of oil.
Wiki Book #3 see Amber Beach's Portfolio 3
Class email # 3
Hey guys! check out this site http://epa.gov/climatechange/kids/index.html. The environmental protection agency made this web site for kids to inform them about the climate and greenhouse effect. I thought it was really cool that there is a web site to inform kids about our environment.
Blog post # 3
I checked out Marielly's website that she talked about ( http://www.time.com/time/health/article/0,8599,1722343,00.html?cnn=yes) and i found it really interesting. I could not believe that the environmental protection agency does not trust the Bush administration. It also talks about how ozone is affecting our health. Ozone can cause an inflamed respiratory tract, worsened cardiovascular disease, asthma, even premature death. WOW!!!
Class email # 4 When looking at you tube for clips on recycling i cam across a pretty neat clip. I am sure many of you guys in this class know about Jack Johnson, well anywas he signs a song about reduce, reuse, recycle, and i though it was pretty cool how such a big star is singing about such an awesome topic. Check it out, the song is pretty catchy!~ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NnLZDbaoqC4&feature=related
Blog post #4
The other day i was cleaning out all my old papers, cardboard boxes and all the crap in my room that should have been thrwon out years ago. I put it in one big trash bag. On the way to the trash bin I realized that hadnt seperated the paper and cardboard from the non recyclables. I took an extra 20 mins sorting through all my garbage to seperate the material. Before taking this class i would have not even known the diff between what could be recyclabled and what can not. I am so happy that I have this knowledge on how i can become more environmentally friendly and plan to spread the word on how other can do it too!
Class email # 5 Hello everyone!
So i was searching the web for ways that we could help our environment and i came across a website that offered a lot of ideas. One thing that i had no idea made such a difference was trees. Facts about the benefits provided by planting one tree.
Absorbs over a ton of harmful greenhouse gases over its lifetime (U.S. Environmental Protection Agency) Produces enough oxygen for four people every day (Tree Canada Foundation) Provides the equivalent cooling effect of ten room-size air conditioners operating 20 hours a day (U.S. Department of Agriculture) Provides an estimated $273 of environmental benefits in every year of its life (American Forests) http://www.wildernessproject.org/members_join_nativetrees.php
Blog Post #5
i looked at the site Ashley recommonded about the special on human footprints on 20:20. I could not belive what i found."Over the first years of life, an American baby will wear 3,796 diapers. Since it probably takes hundreds of years for the diaper's plastic to biodegrade, you'd think cloth diapers would be a viable solution. But have you considered what it takes to launder 3,796 diapers? How about 22,455 gallons of water. " So my question is how do we fix this problem? Some one really needs to invite a better diaper that does not affect our environment. I know a diaper seems like sometime silly to worry about but they had up and our adding to the destruction of our environment!
Class email # 6 http://www.lime.com/blog/savasthi/13694/cigarette_butts I was interested in seeing how bad cigarettes are for the environmnet. On this site they listed a bunch of facts how cigarettes are harming the environmnet, but i found this fact particualry upsetting since i am an animal lover. "Experts at say that threat is especially high for aquatic animals, such as fish, birds, and whales, who mistake the floating butts in the water for food. They ingest the butts, and become poisoned by the chemicals. The plastic fragments from those butts regularly turn up in the stomachs all kinds of marine creatures. Seems that fish and mammals don't react terribly well to stuff like benzene, formaldehyde, ammonia, acetone, and tar."
Blog Post # 6 Stephan's email about the philanthropy parties was really cool. I checked out the website and it is such a gret idea. Imagine having fun with all your friends but at the same time raising money for a good cause. Maybe LMU can put on a couple "environmntal" parties!
