energy
Air Pollution and Our Health
When most people think of unhealthy air, they think of a stifling, summer day, plagued by high ozone levels and a thick layer of smog over the Twin Cities. However, Minnesota’s worst recorded air alert occurred during the winter of 2005, and ozone was not the culprit. Instead, a stagnant air mass trapped fine-particle pollution near the ground.
“Warming” Family Ideas
• Lighting – replacing one 75 watt incandescent bulb with a 19-watt compact fluorescent can cut 55 pounds of carbon dioxide per year. Assign your math-loving child the task of determining how many light bulbs you need to replace and the reduction in emissions. Engage children in budgeting for purchases and replacement.
Discover Great Printing
We are all aware of the importance and power of the printed piece. We also know the power we have to make a huge impact on reducing the number of trees being cut down and lowering the amount of toxins in our waters. Energy and materials involved in the printing process, from pre-press to disposal, have implications for air and water quality, waste disposal, energy use and worker safety.
Typical Outdoor Lighting Needs a Major Overhaul
Few of us give much thought to outdoor lighting because it is all around us: on our streets and parking lots, barn yards and buildings. We feel safer with lights and have come to depend on them. Outdoor lights give us a feeling of security against personal attack and vandalism. They provide visibility so that we can see where we are walking, find our car in the parking lot, find the entrance to the building, and illuminate nighttime activities. As the population expands, so does outdoor lighting.
However, the problems with typical outdoor lighting are numerous:
Our Sun - The Ultimate Energy Source
At 93 million miles from Earth, our sun is a middling star that provides nearly all the energy on Earth. The only energy sources we have on Earth which do not come from the sun are the tides caused by the moon's gravity, radioactive materials and geothermal energy. The sun provides everything else. All the energy embodied in fossil fuels and biomass is actually the sun's energy stored as carbon.
Visualizing the Future: Hydrogen Economy
What if hydrogen, the most abundant element in the universe, could power everything from automobiles and trucks to homes and office buildings with little or no toxic or greenhouse gas emissions? Welcome to the dream of the "hydrogen economy."
Does it seem like fantasy? For now, perhaps. But with many sharp minds focused on the science and some carefully directed private and public investment, this fantasy could become part of our everyday lives.
Invest in a Cleaner, Healthier Future: Upgrading Your Home's Energy Efficiency
If you have the resources and are going to stay in your home for a while, you may want to invest some time and money in upgrading your home to improve its energy efficiency. Over time, investments in energy conservation return big dividends in reduced costs and improved indoor living; such changes may pay for themselves in energy savings alone.
Simple, Low-Cost First Steps for Home Energy Efficiency
Here are a few easy things you can do to cut your home energy use. Convince the entire family to follow these steps, and you may find that it doesn't take any time or cost any money to improve your home's energy efficiency.
Electricity
What Everyone Should Know About Fossil Fuels
I attended a presentation recently titled, "The Love of Fossil Fuels: The Root of All Evil?" While the title was partly a clever play on the age-old phrase, "Money is the root of all evil," it also had some element of truth on its own.
