The End!

In this class I have learned about many environmental issues. These include climate change, energy conservation, pollution, waste, deforestation, and resource depletion. One of the most well known environmental issues is global warming, also known as, climate change. I believe global warming is the most important environmental issue today. Evidence shows that the Earth’s temperature is rising and humans are responsible for most of these recent climate changes. When the industrial revolution happened, humans started to burn a lot more fossil fuels and released many more greenhouse gases into the atmosphere. These gases act as a blanket over the earth and don’t let energy from the sun to escape. The more greenhouse gases there are the more the planet’s temperature will increase. The Earth’s average temperature has increased by 1.4 degrees Fahrenheit since 1880. According to NASA’s Goddard Institute for Space Studies, the most recent decades have seen the greatest temperature increase. Glaciers are rapidly melting due to global warming. Montana’s Glacier National Park has only 27 glaciers compared to 150 in 1910.

With the icecaps melting and the sea levels rising, humans and animals alike will be at risk. The rise in sea levels could flood small islands and coastal cities. Wildlife that live on the Earth’s poles, and coral reefs that are very sensitive to temperature changes will also be at risk.

Things we can do to reduce global warming are to reduce fossil fuel use. This can be achieved by using alternative energy sources like solar and wind power that do not pollute the atmosphere. We can plant trees and reduce deforestation to help offset the CO2 emissions. Another thing is to reduce the amount of waste that is produced because its decomposition also releases greenhouse gases into the atmosphere. This is actually something I can do as an individual. Reducing my own waste production as well as recycling can help reduce global warming.

In this class I have learned so much about the environment and how our activity affects our planet Earth. We have done debates throughout the semester and have had field trips in which I haven’t been able to attend to at all. In class we have different activities in which it makes the class more fun. I got to know really good people in this class. This class was definitely a hand full but totally worth it!

Finally.. The 3 R's

Reducing Trash!!

Hello everyone this is the almost to last blog that I’ll be doing for this class.

For this assignment, I had to analyze my personal trash output for two days. After that I looked for ways that I could reduce the amount of trash I produce and measured it for another two days using the trash reducing techniques I came up with. Since I don’t produce too much trash I thought it was going to be difficult to reduce that amount.

Here is a list of the trash items I threw away over the course of two days

• Paper towels
• napkins
• fruit/vegetable peels, stems, cores
• food packaging
• paper
• toilet paper
• water bottles*
• store receipts

*recycled items

Some ways of reducing your trash is by using the “Three R’s”

• Recycle
• Reuse
• Reduce

I could recycle the papers instead of putting them in the trash. Some of the food packaging could be recycled as well. I could reuse the water bottles a few times before putting them in the recycle bin. I use paper towels for when I clean the kitchen. I could use rag that I can just wash and reuse instead of paper towels. Receipts are another thing that I didn't really care where they went. Those will go in the recycle from now on.

The things that I cannot really do anything about are the napkins, toilet paper, and organic waste. I don’t use very many napkins so I’m okay with that staying the same. I can’t really eat the orange peels and stuff like that so I don’t feel bad about putting those kinds of things in the trash. Lastly, everyone needs toilet paper so I won’t be using less of that anytime soon.

Here is what my trash production looked like for the next two days.

• napkins
• fruit/vegetable peels, stems, cores
• food packaging*
• paper*
• toilet paper*
• water bottles*
• store receipts*
  
  *recycled items

There are a lot more items that I recycled as a result of the waste-reduction strategies. I didn’t use paper towels so those were not part of my trash production.

After researching for ways to produce less waste, I have decided to try my best in reducing my waste and reusing and recycling more. The three R's.

Climate change!!!

Hello everyone! As many as you known by now the class I am currently taking has is do blogs about various topics, last week we did on chemical hazards and human health. This week we have to do it on climate change.

Evidence shows that the Earth’s temperature is rising and humans are responsible for most of these recent climate changes. Human activity over the last 150 years or so has increased the amount of greenhouse gases released into the atmosphere. This started with the industrial revolution when humans started burning much more fossil fuels to produce energy. These greenhouse gases trap energy in the atmosphere causing it to warm. The excess of these gases can lead to a dangerous rise in the Earth’s temperature.

There are many factors that a warmer climate can change. These include our water supply, agriculture, transportation, the Earth’s ecosystems, and the health and safety of humans.

Even though there is so much evidence of global warming, there are still some people who doubt or even deny that it is actually happening. These “doubters” seem to only exist in the United States. These people don’t deny global warming altogether. Instead, they deny that the apparent change in the Earth’s temperature is not caused by human activity but rather, the Earth natural warming and cooling cycles. A lot of the denial is for political reasons. They don’t agree with making the issue a way for people to make money such as selling carbon credits and “environmentally friendly” products like hybrid cars.

The Earth has a long history of climate change. There have seven cycles of glacial advances and retreats in the last 650,000 years. Seven thousand years ago was the end of ice age after that modern climate era began, that includes human civilization. Many of the Earth’s changes are because a very small variation in the orbit has change the amount of solar energy that we receive in our planet.

In fifty years our planet won’t look the same. Many of the wild animals will vanish from this Earth if we continued to treat it the way we are. We need to save our world, we only have one!

Hairspray.. Good or bad?

Hello everyone! As you may know by now we have a blog to do every week about various topics. This week we are talking about chemical hazards and human health.  As an assignment we need to choose a personal or household product of our everyday life and research potential risks associated with chemicals found in them. I've decided to do mine on hairspray, because I use hairspray every single day. I didn't know how many chemicals are being used and how it affects my life.

Hairspray is a common personal care product used by millions of people everyday. There are various different brands that all have different ingredients but certain ingredients that most hairsprays have in common have been linked to negative health effects.

Hairspray contains a polymer called polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP). This Polymer is what gives the hairspray its glue-like properties. PVP is known to cause allergic reactions on some people. Other polymers often found in hairspray are vegetable gums and gum Arabic. Hairspray also has alcohol and hydrocarbons that serve as solvents. Propellants are also present to force the solution out of the aerosol can’s nozzle. Until 1974, vinyl chloride was used as the propellant in aerosol spray. According to the National Institutes of Health, vinyl chloride is a known carcinogen linked to angiosarcoma of the liver in humans.

Although vinyl chloride is no longer used in aerosol cans, other risks still exist when using products like hairspray. According to Drug Information Online, inhalation of denatured alcohol, hydrofluorocarbons and other hairspray ingredients can lead to acute poisoning, which is marked by symptoms like low blood pressure, breathing difficulty and coma. Irritation of the skin, eyes or lungs may also occur in sensitive individuals.

If you want to be more eco-friendly(and safe) this is a way to do it! By making your own hairspray made out of lemons!

- First, get yourself a lemon

- Cut the lemon into wedges.

- Put the wedges into a pot with two cups of water.

- Boil until only ½ of the liquid is left.

- Let the mixture cool. Strain and pour into a spray bottle.

- The mixture will keep in the fridge for one week.

- Now that's how you make your own hairspray .