Sustainable Living
Laying the education foundation for science innovation
Last month, the Next Generation Science Standards were unveiled. They’re an overhaul of the national elementary and high school science education standards that most states use, and which were last rewritten some seventeen years ago. [Read more…] about Laying the education foundation for science innovation
Tidal power
[audio:http://wamcradio.org/EarthWise/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/EW-05-28-16-Tidal-Power.mp3|titles=EW 05-28-16 Tidal Power]
The energy we use in the modern world comes from many sources. Virtually all of it turns out to originate from the sun, including fossil fuels, solar power, wind power, hydroelectric power, and wave power, or from radioactivity, including both nuclear power and geothermal energy. [Read more…] about Tidal power
The European Commission takes a stand for bees
Wild and managed pollinators are on the decline. Locally, this means less successful gardens. The big picture is even more sobering. Dwindling numbers of honeybees, bumblebees, and other pollinating insects threaten our food security. About 1/3 of important food crops require pollinator services. [Read more…] about The European Commission takes a stand for bees
Mind the gap
The structure of a tree is a remarkable engineering feat. Why don’t trees fall over more often? When tree crowns catch the full force of the wind, their trunks acts as a lever, transferring that force to root systems that anchor the tree in the soil. If the tree has a tap root, it’s unlikely to blow over in a wind-storm. [Read more…] about Mind the gap
The ever-expanding footprint of Homo sapiens
When oil was easy to find, it required a lot less effort to extract. Punch a hole in the ground, and the oil flowed. As oil has become more difficult to locate, the environmental impact of producing it has increased markedly. We now look for oil deep beneath the sea and we scrape away the boreal forest of Canada to expose buried tar sands. [Read more…] about The ever-expanding footprint of Homo sapiens
Can we capture the carbon?
When I speak to public audiences about climate change, people often ask: Isn’t there a way to capture and remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere? [Read more…] about Can we capture the carbon?
Why flare it?
Natural gas is often found with oil. The high pressure of natural gas is often what causes oil to gush from the ground in oil fields. If it occurs near a market, natural gas is often captured and used as a fossil fuel itself. But, when natural gas is produced distant from markets, or the price of natural gas is low, it is vented to the atmosphere and burned. [Read more…] about Why flare it?
Give carpooling a chance
We all want to reduce the amount of gasoline we use and we all want to have less traffic congestion. There are various strategies to address these issues but one of the simplest and most effective is carpooling. [Read more…] about Give carpooling a chance
A green start to 2013
The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission issues a quarterly report on the installation of new electrical generating capacity in the US. The report for the first quarter of 2013 is notable in that 82% of new generating capacity came from renewable energy sources. The remainder came from natural gas. [Read more…] about A green start to 2013
Concentrating solar power
Photovoltaic panels convert sunlight directly into electricity. But they aren’t the only way to get electricity from the sun. Concentrating solar power, known as CSP technologies, use arrays of mirrors to reflect and concentrate sunlight onto receivers that collect the energy and convert it to heat. The heat then produces electricity using a steam turbine or heat engine to run a generator. [Read more…] about Concentrating solar power
Water poverty
Human life, like all animal and plant life, is dependent upon water. Human societies and individuals cannot survive for more than a few days without fresh water. But despite the fact that 71% of the Earth’s surface is covered with water, less than 3% of it is fresh water and 2/3 of that is frozen away in glaciers, ice, and snow. [Read more…] about Water poverty
Wastewater from hydrofracking
In New York State, no issue is more controversial than using hydraulic fracturing to extract natural gas from the Marcellus Shale formation. Here a well is drilled vertically, then horizontally into the layers of gas-rich shale. High pressure injection of water and fracking fluid fragments the shale, releasing the natural gas, which then flows back to the surface along with some water, known as flowback water. [Read more…] about Wastewater from hydrofracking
Is natural gas really a cleaner fuel?
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The discovery of abundant natural gas in shale formations has been hailed as a potential game changer for greenhouse gas mitigation. For the same amount of energy, carbon dioxide emissions from burning natural gas are only half of those produced by coal. [Read more…] about Is natural gas really a cleaner fuel?
Grow vegetable gardens instead of lawns!
For years, I lived in a densely wooded neighborhood in suburban North Carolina. Anyone who wanted to grow vegetables needed to plant them in the front yard, where there was much more sunlight. Fortunately, the neighbors were very tolerant of street-side gardens. [Read more…] about Grow vegetable gardens instead of lawns!
Energy storage: The next big thing
Electricity is a major commodity that is produced on demand, not stockpiled in advance. Generally, there is no choice in the matter. We simply don’t have very many ways to store large amounts of electricity. [Read more…] about Energy storage: The next big thing
An embarrassment of green riches
Most developed countries around the world are seeking ways to reduce their reliance on fossil fuels and increase their use of green energy sources. Not so for Iceland. That small, beautiful, and staunchly self-reliant country is already powered 100% by renewable energy. [Read more…] about An embarrassment of green riches
Air travel and our carbon footprint
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The average American’s day-to-day activities generate about 19 tons of carbon dioxide a year—though some of us generate far more than this. This quantity is called our carbon footprint. [Read more…] about Air travel and our carbon footprint
There is an energy alternative
A lot of arguments in favor of hydraulic fracking for natural gas end up with the statement—you can’t be against everything. People will want to be warm with the lights on. [Read more…] about There is an energy alternative
Share your yard with wildlife
