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quarta-feira, 3 de dezembro de 2008
terça-feira, 2 de dezembro de 2008
Ways You Can Help Endangered Species
Conserve Habitats
One of the most important ways to help threatened plants and animals survive is to protect their habitats permanently in national parks, nature reserves or wilderness areas. There they can live without too much interference from humans. It is also important to protect habitats outside reserves such as on farms and along roadsides.
You can visit a nearby national park or nature reserve. Some national parks have special guided tours and walks for kids. Talk to the rangers to find out whether there are any threatened species and how they are being protected. You and your friends might be able to help the rangers in their conservation work.
When you visit a national park, make sure you obey the wildlife code: follow fire regulations; leave your pets at home; leave flowers, birds’ eggs, logs and bush rocks where you find them; put your rubbish in a bin or, better still, take it home.
If you have friends who live on farms, encourage them to keep patches of bush as wildlife habitats and to leave old trees standing, especially those with hollows suitable for nesting animals.
Some areas have groups which look after local lands and nature reserves. They do this by removing weeds and planting local native species in their place. You could join one of these groups, or even start a new one with your parents and friends. Ask your local parks authority or council for information.
By removing rubbish and weeds and replanting with natives you will allow the native bush to gradually regenerate. This will also encourage native animals to return.
Make Space For Our Wildlife
Build a birdfeeder and establish a birdbath for the neighborhood birds.
Plant a tree and build a birdhouse in your backyard.
Start composting in your backyard garden or on your balcony. It eliminates the need for chemical fertilizers which are harmful to animals and humans, and it benefits your plants!
Ask your parents not to use harmful chemicals in your garden or home.
One of the most important ways to help threatened plants and animals survive is to protect their habitats permanently in national parks, nature reserves or wilderness areas. There they can live without too much interference from humans. It is also important to protect habitats outside reserves such as on farms and along roadsides.
You can visit a nearby national park or nature reserve. Some national parks have special guided tours and walks for kids. Talk to the rangers to find out whether there are any threatened species and how they are being protected. You and your friends might be able to help the rangers in their conservation work.
When you visit a national park, make sure you obey the wildlife code: follow fire regulations; leave your pets at home; leave flowers, birds’ eggs, logs and bush rocks where you find them; put your rubbish in a bin or, better still, take it home.
If you have friends who live on farms, encourage them to keep patches of bush as wildlife habitats and to leave old trees standing, especially those with hollows suitable for nesting animals.
Some areas have groups which look after local lands and nature reserves. They do this by removing weeds and planting local native species in their place. You could join one of these groups, or even start a new one with your parents and friends. Ask your local parks authority or council for information.
By removing rubbish and weeds and replanting with natives you will allow the native bush to gradually regenerate. This will also encourage native animals to return.
Make Space For Our Wildlife
Build a birdfeeder and establish a birdbath for the neighborhood birds.
Plant a tree and build a birdhouse in your backyard.
Start composting in your backyard garden or on your balcony. It eliminates the need for chemical fertilizers which are harmful to animals and humans, and it benefits your plants!
Ask your parents not to use harmful chemicals in your garden or home.
Recycle, Reduce, And Reuse
Encourage your family to take public transportation. Walk or ride bicycles rather than using the car.
Save energy by turning off lights, radios and the TV when you are not using them.
Turn off the tap while you brush your teeth and use water-saving devices on your toilet, taps and showerhead.
Ask your parents to buy products and food without packaging whenever possible. Take your own bag to the store. It will reduce the amount of garbage and waste your family produces.
Recycle your toys, books and games by donating them to a hospital, daycare, nursery school or children's charity.
Encourage your family to shop for organic fruits and vegetables.
http://www.endangeredspecie.com/Ways_To_Help.htm
Save energy by turning off lights, radios and the TV when you are not using them.
Turn off the tap while you brush your teeth and use water-saving devices on your toilet, taps and showerhead.
Ask your parents to buy products and food without packaging whenever possible. Take your own bag to the store. It will reduce the amount of garbage and waste your family produces.
Recycle your toys, books and games by donating them to a hospital, daycare, nursery school or children's charity.
Encourage your family to shop for organic fruits and vegetables.
http://www.endangeredspecie.com/Ways_To_Help.htm
THE RECYCLING SYMBOLS
The Green Dot
The Green Dot does NOT necessarily mean that the packaging can be recycled. It is a symbol used on packaging in many European countries and signifies that the producer has made a contribution towards the recycling of packaging.
The Green Dot does NOT necessarily mean that the packaging can be recycled. It is a symbol used on packaging in many European countries and signifies that the producer has made a contribution towards the recycling of packaging.
PlasticsIdentifies the type of plastic: PET and HDPE bottles are recycled by the majority of local authorities.
Glass
Please dispose of glass bottles and jars in a bottle bank (but remember to separate colours) or use your glass kerbside collection if you have one.
Recyclable AluminiumCan be placed in an aluminium recycling facility.
Recyclable Steel
Can be placed in a steel recycling facility.
Mobius LoopIndicates that an object is capable of being recycled - not that the object has been recycled.
Mobius Loop with percentage
Shows the percentage of recycled material contained in the product.
PaperTo be given the National Association of Paper Merchants mark, paper or board must be made from a minimum of 75% genuine waste paper and / or board fibre, no part of which should contain mill produced waste fibre.
Wood
The Forest Stewardship Council logo identifies products which contain wood from well managed forests independently certified in accordance with the rules of the FSC A.C.
Tidyman
Dispose of this carefully and thoughtfully. Do not litter. This doesn’t relate to recycling, but is a reminder to be a good citizen, disposing of the item in the most appropriate manner.
segunda-feira, 1 de dezembro de 2008
The Ozone Hole from (1995-2008)
Ozone is a protective atmospheric layer found in about 25 kilometres altitude that acts as a sunlight filter shielding life on Earth from harmful ultraviolet rays, which can increase the risk of skin cancer and cataracts and harm marine life. This year the area of the thinned ozone layer over the South Pole reached about 27 million square kilometres, compared to 25 million square kilometres in 2007 and a record ozone hole extension of 29 million square kilometres in 2006, which is about the size of the North American continent.
The depletion of ozone is caused by extreme cold temperatures at high altitude and the presence of ozone-destructing gases in the atmosphere such as chlorine and bromine, originating from man-made products like chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs), which were phased out under the 1987 Montreal Protocol but continue to linger in the atmosphere.
The Ozone Hole
For nearly a billion years, ozone molecules in the atmosphere have protected life on Earth from the effects of ultraviolet rays.
The ozone layer resides in the stratosphere and surrounds the entire Earth. UV-B radiation (280- to 315- nanometer (nm) wavelength) from the Sun is partially absorbed in this layer. As a result, the amount of UV-B reaching Earth’s surface is greatly reduced. UV-A (315- to 400-nm wavelength) and other solar radiation are not strongly absorbed by the ozone layer. Human exposure to UV-B increases the risk of skin cancer, cataracts, and a suppressed immune system. UV-B exposure can also damage terrestrial plant life, single cell organisms, and aquatic ecosystems.
Trees Reduce Air Pollution
Trees and other plants make their own food from carbon dioxide (CO2) in the atmosphere, water, sunlight and a small amount of soil elements. In the process, they release oxygen (O2) for us to breathe. Trees:
- Help to settle out, trap and hold particle pollutants (dust, ash, pollen and smoke) that can damage human lungs.
- Absorb CO2 and other dangerous gasses and, in turn, replenish the atmosphere with oxygen.
- Produce enough oxygen on each acre for 18 people every day.
- Absorb enough CO2 on each acre, over a year's time, to equal the amount you produce when you drive your car 26,000 miles. Trees remove gaseous pollutants by absorbing them through the pores in the leaf surface. Particulates are trapped and filtered by leaves, stems and twigs, and washed to the ground by rainfall.
Air pollutants injure trees by damaging their foliage and impairing the process of photosynthesis (food making). They also weaken trees making them more susceptible to other health problems such as insects and diseases.
The loss of trees in our urban areas not only intensifies the urban "heat-island" effect from loss of shade and evaporation, but we lose a principal absorber of carbon dioxide and trapper of other air pollutants as well.
Some of the major air pollutants and their primary sources are:
- Carbon dioxide: Burning oil, coal, natural gas for energy. Decay and burning of tropical forests.
- Sulfur dioxide: Burning coal to generate electricity.
- Hydrogen floride and silicon tetrafloride: Aluminum and phospate fertilizer production, oil refineries, and steel manufacturing.
- Ozone: Chemical reactions of sunlight on automobile exhaust gases. Ozone is a major pollutant in smog.
- Methane: Burning fossil fuels, livestock waste, landfills and rice production.
- Nitros oxides: Burning fossil fuels and automobile exhausts.
- Chloroflorocarbons: Air conditioners, refrigerators, industrial foam.
The burning of fossil fuels for energy and large scale forest fires such as in the tropics are major contributors to the buildup of CO2 in the atmosphere.
Managing and protecting forests and planting new trees reduces CO2 levels by storing carbon in their roots and trunk and releasing oxygen into the atmosphere.
25 Ways to Save the Planet ( by Collin Dunn)
Earth Day is great; it's a wonderful opportunity for millions of people around the world to take action to help save our delicate planet; the only bummer is that it's only one day each year.
25) Get a reel (human-powered) lawn mower, instead of a loud, noxious gasoline grass-cutter.
24) Compost your garbage instead of throwing it all away;
23) Buy clothes and other linens made from organic cotton.
22) Ride a bicycle.
21) Use eco-friendly household cleaners.
20) Eschew air conditioners and go with a ceiling fan for year-round climate control.
19) Skip the energy-hogging clothes dryer for a drying rack or clothes line instead;
18) Use rechargable batteries instead of single-use batteries.
17) If given the choice, go for organic fruits, veggies, meat and dairy over conventional food.
16) When it comes to food, the only thing making more noise these days than organic is the local food movement.
15) Fill your kitchen with bamboo.
14) Get an efficient space heater to cut down on the cubic area you need to heat, reducing energy consumption and energy bills.
13) If a drying rack or clothing line doesn't make sense for your wet laundry, a spinning clothes dryer that uses centrifugal force is a much more efficient alternative to conventional clothes dryers.
12) Use recycled paper.
11) Many of us can't afford to get sustainable hardwood flooring, bamboo flooring or really cool reclaimed lumber flooring, but we can still make a difference with the rugs and carpets we put down.
10) When it comes to toilets, we've seen a lot of gadgets: dual-flush handles, controllable-flush handles, alternative toilets, the UnBathroom emergency toilet, a water recycling toilet and reviews of the best low-flow toilets.
9) We can't emphasize this one enough: replace incandescent bulbs with compact fluorescents.
8) Even though there are some good things going on in the bottled water industry, like biodegradable water bottles and this bottled water with a cause, you can't beat filtered tap water in a reusable bottle.
7) Cut flowers are pretty and smell good, but are ultimately disposable after just a few days.
6) A low-flow showerhead can save you gallons of water each time you use it.
5) Instead of buying bottled water, use a water filter instead.
4) To go the extra mile, get a rainwater storage tank; you don't even have to dig a huge hole in the yard to have one (we got all the facts at a rainwater harvesting conference).
3) Use "Tupperware"-style reusable food containers for leftovers and lunches;
2) Draft excluders at the base of your doors can save vast amounts of cold from getting in and heat from getting out.
1) A programmable thermostat will help efficiently regulate your indoor climate;
http://www.treehugger.com/files/2006/04/25_ways_to_save.php#ch05
25) Get a reel (human-powered) lawn mower, instead of a loud, noxious gasoline grass-cutter.
24) Compost your garbage instead of throwing it all away;
23) Buy clothes and other linens made from organic cotton.
22) Ride a bicycle.
21) Use eco-friendly household cleaners.
20) Eschew air conditioners and go with a ceiling fan for year-round climate control.
19) Skip the energy-hogging clothes dryer for a drying rack or clothes line instead;
18) Use rechargable batteries instead of single-use batteries.
17) If given the choice, go for organic fruits, veggies, meat and dairy over conventional food.
16) When it comes to food, the only thing making more noise these days than organic is the local food movement.
15) Fill your kitchen with bamboo.
14) Get an efficient space heater to cut down on the cubic area you need to heat, reducing energy consumption and energy bills.
13) If a drying rack or clothing line doesn't make sense for your wet laundry, a spinning clothes dryer that uses centrifugal force is a much more efficient alternative to conventional clothes dryers.
12) Use recycled paper.
11) Many of us can't afford to get sustainable hardwood flooring, bamboo flooring or really cool reclaimed lumber flooring, but we can still make a difference with the rugs and carpets we put down.
10) When it comes to toilets, we've seen a lot of gadgets: dual-flush handles, controllable-flush handles, alternative toilets, the UnBathroom emergency toilet, a water recycling toilet and reviews of the best low-flow toilets.
9) We can't emphasize this one enough: replace incandescent bulbs with compact fluorescents.
8) Even though there are some good things going on in the bottled water industry, like biodegradable water bottles and this bottled water with a cause, you can't beat filtered tap water in a reusable bottle.
7) Cut flowers are pretty and smell good, but are ultimately disposable after just a few days.
6) A low-flow showerhead can save you gallons of water each time you use it.
5) Instead of buying bottled water, use a water filter instead.
4) To go the extra mile, get a rainwater storage tank; you don't even have to dig a huge hole in the yard to have one (we got all the facts at a rainwater harvesting conference).
3) Use "Tupperware"-style reusable food containers for leftovers and lunches;
2) Draft excluders at the base of your doors can save vast amounts of cold from getting in and heat from getting out.
1) A programmable thermostat will help efficiently regulate your indoor climate;
http://www.treehugger.com/files/2006/04/25_ways_to_save.php#ch05
Global Warming Basics- What it is, how it's caused
Q-What causes global warming?
A-Carbon dioxide and other air pollution that is collecting in the atmosphere like a thickening blanket, trapping the sun's heat and causing the planet to warm up. Coal-burning power plants are the largest U.S. source of carbon dioxide pollution -- they produce 2.5 billion tons every year. Automobiles, the second largest source, create nearly 1.5 billion tons of CO2 annually.Here's the good news: technologies exist today to make cars that run cleaner and burn less gas, modernize power plants and generate electricity from nonpolluting sources, and cut our electricity use through energy efficiency. The challenge is to be sure these solutions are put to use.
Q-Is there really cause for serious concern?
A-Yes. Global warming is a complex phenomenon, and its full-scale impacts are hard to predict far in advance. But each year scientists learn more about how global warming is affecting the planet, and many agree that certain consequences are likely to occur if current trends continue. Among these:
- Melting glaciers, early snowmelt and severe droughts will cause more dramatic water shortages in the American West.
Rising sea levels will lead to coastal flooding on the Eastern seaboard, in Florida, and in other areas, such as the Gulf of Mexico.
Warmer sea surface temperatures will fuel more intense hurricanes in the southeastern Atlantic and Gulf coasts.
Forests, farms and cities will face troublesome new pests and more mosquito-borne diseases.
Disruption of habitats such as coral reefs and alpine meadows could drive many plant and animal species to extinction.
NRDC: Natural Resources Defense Council-> Issues: Global Warming
How to Save Your Planet
«How to Fight Global Warming
Take these steps and you'll help reduce global warming pollution:
Take these steps and you'll help reduce global warming pollution:
Raise your voice; (...)
Choose an efficient vehicle;(...)
Drive smart;(...)
Drive less;(...)
Buy energy-efficient appliances;(...)
Replace your light bulbs with compact fluorescent bulbs;(...)
Weatherize your home or apartment;(...)
Choose renewable energy; (...)
Offset your carbon footprint;(...)
Join NRDC/use our resources(...).»
Natural Resources Defense Council-> Issues: Global Warming
sábado, 29 de novembro de 2008
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