Green Living Q & A

The Expert answers:

I found that it is best to let them fish until the algea appears. And then get tech leavel 2 on farming. That way they max out the fish. One person farming is enough.

Also, as much as I hate it, speeding the clock up is a mistake. It does take the farm longer to grow back.

The Expert answers:

It sounds like you’ve already answered your own question, for the most part.

Here’s what John Robbins, author of “Diet for a New America,” says:
http://www.rawfoodinfo.com/articles/art_didyouknowabtmeat.html

– Primary cause of greenhouse effect: carbon dioxide emissions from fossil fuels
– Fossil fuels needed to produce a meat-centered diet vs. A meat-free diet: 50 times more
– Percentage of U.S. Topsoil lost to date: 75
– Percentage of U.S. Topsoil loss directly related to livestock raising: 85
– Number of acres of U.S. Forest cleared for cropland to produce meat-centered diet: 260 mllion
– Amount of meat U.S. Imports annually from Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras
and Panama: 200,000,000 pounds
– Average per capita meat consumption in Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras
and Panama: less than eaten by average U.S. House cat
– Area of tropical rainforest consumed in every quarter-pound hamburger: 55 sq. Ft
– Current rate of species extinction due to destruction of tropical rainforests for meat grazing and other uses: 1000 per year

– User of more than half of all water used for all purposes in the U.S.: livestock production
– Amount of water used in production of the average cow: sufficient to float a destroyer
– Gallons to produce a pound of wheat: 25
– Gallons to produce a pound of meat: 2,500
– Cost of common hamburger if water used by meat industry was not subsidized by the – U.S. Taxpayer: $35 a pound
– Current cost of a pound of protein from beefsteak, if water was no longer subsidized: $89.
– Years the world’s known oil reserves would last if every human ate a meat-centered diet: 13
– Years they would last if human beings no longer ate meat: 260
– Barrels of oil imported into U.S. Daily: 6.8 million
– Percentage of fossil fuel energy returned as food energy by the most efficient factory farming of meat: 34.5 percent.
– Percentage returned from least efficient plant food: 328 percent
– Percentage of raw materials consumed by U.S. To produce present meat-centered diet: 33

– Percentage of U.S. Antibiotics fed to livestock: 55
– Percentage of staphylococci infections resistant to penicillin in 1960: 13
– Percentage resistant in 1988: 91
– Response of European Economic Community to routine feeding of antibiotics to livestock: ban
– Response of U.S. Meat and pharmaceutical industries to routine feeding of antibiotics to – livestock: full and complete support

The Expert answers:

Good for you! It’s good to see more and more people doing right foodwise for their cats.

I personally feed Natural Balance, but I have tried most of those from this list – all were rejected by Miss Thang here, but they are good brands for sure!

As for the transition, it took me about 2 weeks. I started out looking for the ones on this list, but I also tried some others that met the ingredient requirements. I continued to offer dry food although I might have cut it back just a little. I offered the canned and if Poppy (Miss Picky) went for anything, I noted it down as to brand and type of meat.

She turned up her nose at just about everything! It was very frustrating, but I just kept at it. Again, I still offered her regular food, but it had been cut down by about a 1/4 or 1/3.

I eventually stumbled across the ONE type that she would eat, so I just kept presenting that, and gradually phased out the dry food. My other cat ate anything I put down, so she wasn’t a problem.

Most of those from your list are on mine as well. I wouldn’t have any compunctions about feeding any of them, although one was rather heavy on the veggies!

I’d have loved to feed Wysong’s Au Jus varieties, but again, only Sophie would eat them. They would require supplementation, of course, since they’re just meat and organs. But they very handily make one – Call of the Wild.

The Expert answers:

An island in the Pacific Ocean, like Hawaii. The people called Polynesians traveled in crude boats from Asia to Pacific Islands as far back as 3000 years ago and lived in self sustained societies on some of them. They had simple resource demands, but if they could do it I’m sure we could in the modern age. An island usually has mountains that get lots of rainfall for water, land for crops, and plenty of ocean wind to power wind turbines. As long as the utopia was provided with enough raw materials at the start it could definitely sustain itself. 5,000 is not that many people. The food and resource demands for them would be perfect on an island. Saint Helena is an example of an island settlement that really exists in the Atlantic Ocean and is almost self sustaining.

The Expert answers:

I have always found it strange that a country that has a hard time feeding its own people sells food to us.

The Expert answers:

Start with amending your soil with a 3 inch layer of compost. Dig that in about 8 inches deep and then smooth out and spread the seeds.

If you want to top dress your seeds, don’t use peat moss. It’s not a sustainable material. Instead, top dress with a fine layer of compost or even bio solids that have been turned into a fertilizer by your city waste management program. Those biosolids are cheap and often even free, but I would never use it on a food crop. The lawn is perfect for seeding or fertilizing. Plus you’re reducing and reusing!

Once you’ve got that lawn grown in, and it will take a ton of water to keep those seeds moist and growing; use an electric or push-reel mower. Gas mowers can produce more carbon monoxide then a car. And let those grass clippings fall onto the lawn. They’ll break down quickly and naturally add much needed nitrogen. Only use organic fertilizer sparingly in the spring and fall.

Most importantly, an Eco-friendly lawn has an accepting owner. Someone who doesn’t strive for the picture perfect emerald lawn. Someone who allows the lawn to go dormant if water levels are low, only waters 1 inch of water a week, someone who hand pulls weeds instead of spreads chemicals, and someone who can relax with a few imperfections.

The Expert answers:

Yes.

Virgin is planning to test a jet that runs on biodiesel.

The Expert answers:

Sex? Protected of course so as not to risk increasing the impact of a new consumer on the planet.

The Expert answers:

They have zero!!!!!!!!!!!
I even emailed them.
Sprint has the RECLAIM and the REMARQ
NOT SURE WHAT ELSE IS OUT THERE.
IT’S ABOUT TIME VERIZON GOT ONE ,BUT AFTER SEEING HOW BP IS HANDLING THAT OIL DISASTER, I’M NOT SURPRISED

The Expert answers:

I’d hire you in a minute! I can’t find a ‘housekeeper’ because I live in a third floor walk up and would like to have the laundry done (I’d pay for it well, of course) but I INISIST on being ‘eco-friendly’ and I’d LOVE to have a ‘home organizer’ also do my cleaning. I hire a professional home organizer and she does ‘help’ but she doesn’t do ‘housework’ … So I’d really ‘benefit’ from someone who offered what you are suggesting. I live in Seattle …

The Expert answers:

For all the people who claim that global warming will not cause political instability and war. The following people disagree with you.

– Gen. Gordon R. Sullivan, USA (ret), Military Advisory Board Chairman, former Army chief of staff and current president of the Association of the United States Army
– Adm. Frank “Skip” Bowman, USN (ret), former director of naval nuclear propulsion at the Naval Sea Systems Command
– Lt. Gen. Lawrence P. Farrell Jr., USAF (ret), former deputy chief of staff for plans and programs, Headquarters U.S. Air Force
– Vice Adm. Paul G. Gaffney II, USN (ret), former chief of naval research and head of the Navy Meteorology and Oceanography Command
– Gen. Paul J. Kern, USA (ret), former commanding general, U.S. Army Materiel Command
– Adm. T. Joseph Lopez, USN (ret), former commander-in-chief, U.S. Naval Forces Europe and of Allied Forces, Southern Europe
– Adm. Donald L. Pilling, USN (ret), former vice chief of naval operations and Navy chief financial officer
– Adm. Joseph W. Prueher, USN (ret), former commander-in-chief of the U.S. Pacific Command and former U.S. Ambassador to China
– Vice Adm. Richard H. Truly, USN (ret), former NASA administrator, shuttle astronaut and the first commander of the Naval Space Command
– Gen. Charles F. “Chuck” Wald, USAF (ret), former deputy commander, USEUCOM and director of Strategic Planning and Policy at Headquarters U.S. Air Force
– Gen. Anthony C. Zinni, USMC (ret), former commander, CENTCOM

“Climate Change Poses Serious Threat to U.S. National Security”

http://www.prnewswire.com/cgi-bin/stories.pl?ACCT=104&STORY=/www/story/04-16-2007/0004565995&EDATE=

The Expert answers:

Its expensive now, but I like it, as it will drop in price when more and more is done with it to make a better and more cost effective process.

The Expert answers:

How about consumerism and how globalization is destroying the rain forest, shifting developing populations to slave labor from subsistence living. Globalization puts a larger carbon footprint on almost everything we buy,use, consume and often dispose of. You can also talk about the processed foods 50 year campaign against the kitchen which has dramatically increased the amount of garbage we create per person, lowered the nutrition we get from food and has created a health crisis in the US. We are no longer in touch with our food system and massive polluting factories are raising much of our food and making us sicker in the process. Just take a look at all the food wasted with all the recalls in the past few years. Over 25% of the food produced in the US goes to a landfill.

The Expert answers:

Why are Children in the Third World still starving?Britain has sent Billions in Aid to these Coutries, but they still live day to day. Why haven’t the Governments of these countries used the money for Irrigation, Sunk wells for water, and so on.Why do children in these countries have no Education?
This happens year after year, despite all the aid given by UNICEF and other countries. Why are we always having to send money to Charities to keep these Children Alive??

The Expert answers:

I totally agree.

I too, struggle to have conversations with this subject to many people I interact with. I mean, to think & to express an opinion as such on this subject is definately deemed “racist” & “inhumane” but I believe it is a matter that needs to be arised & delt with correctly.

My issue is, say you’re an African, struggling day to day with hunger, dehydration, safety & dieseases. Who in their right mind would want to raise a child in those conditions?! It’s cruel & inhumane, how dare peopke judge us on our opinions when these so seems “selfish” & “inconsiderate” people are doing this?

Insted of sending money & food, how about contreception & education?

Please do not get me wrong, everyone deserves to have children, create a family & so on. But seriously? In those living conditions. You must be stupid.

You never see the adds on tv showing the mid aged people, just the old sick ones & the young starving ones. I think it’s their way of getting clean water & good food for them to better their life, they’re using the young & old as a prop to get us to donate.

I’m not racist, I just have strong feelings against this & how people are allowing it to happen. In the end, it’s their choice, so why are we wasting our time on a lost cause when there are way more important things to worry about, such as animal cruelty, child abuse, global warming, natural disasters that have devistated populations?!

Answer that!

I hope you get the answer you’re searching for xo

The Expert answers:

See the enviro affairs web page for Egypt:
http://www.eeaa.gov.eg/English/main/about.asp

Also, excerpt from another page:
“Egypt has many environmental problems, and some of them complicate efforts to promote economic and social development. The primary issues are water quality and quantity, soil loss, urban growth, air pollution, and the environmental effects of tourism.”
http://encarta.msn.com/encyclopedia_761557408_2/egypt.html

The Expert answers:

The bigeest threat to me is how do I pay for my mortgage, feed and clothe my children, take them to school and get to work on the little amount of money that I make.

I drive a small economy car, and the cost of gasoline just to get to work is breaking my budget.

The Expert answers:

Some very good suggestions already: Silent Spring (rachel carson) is a classic and An Inconvenient Truth is timely and interesting.

I asked this very same question of my environmental education teacher when I was in high school, and he recommended “Silent Spring” and “Sand County Almanac” by Aldo Leopold. I liked Sand County Almanac, but Silent Spring really struck me and hit all the things you are looking for – educating me and making me think, becoming more aware.

A book I would strongly recommend starting with is “Fast Food Nation.” What you’ll find is a gripping combination of environmental & sociological factors presented in a very accessible and interesting way (the book does address the environmental impact of the fast food industry, as does Diet for A New America by John Robbins, a controversial but fascinating book.)

Off the subject of the environment but some great learning/thinking books – I really like “Nickel and Dimed” by Barbara Ehrenrich and anything by Studs Terkel is a great study in the lives of people.

The Expert answers:

Over fishing anything that swims.

The Expert answers:

One problem is desertification. It affects the tuaregs in northern Africa. It’s where farmers grow crops and then when the crops have been harvested the top soil that the crops were grown in washes away. The ground underneath the top soil is in fertile so a famine kicks in. It can be fixed by building small stone walls.
I would do some research just to be sure.

Hope i helped

The Expert answers:

Print media will survive as long as there are advertisers. Newspapers are the most cost effective way to get ads in front of potential customers.

The Expert answers:

I do not think off shore drilling is the answer, either. We NEED to develop alternative sources of energy, and we need to do it soon IMHO.

I mean, aside from the cost of oil…. Has anyone even freakin noticed how hot it is outside?? Hello?! Yeah, lets make gas cheaper so we can continue driving our gas guzzling SUVs 60 miles back and forth to work every day… I can’t believe people are so stupid.

We are going to have much larger problems on our hands if we do not come up with a solutions that work for the people and planet…

The Expert answers:

Nuclear,coal,oil,wind,solar

The Expert answers:

Very true. The U.S. Has an abundant source of wind and it’s increased by all the politicians.

The Expert answers:

Only in Dubai does money get spent in such weird ways. It is interesting, though, and it may be nice having a change of scenery at each revolution. What happens when the blowing sand gets in the mechanism?

The Expert answers:

The best is the one is the one you use.
Usually this is the one to which that you have the most access.

If you live in the desert hydro may not be much good but solar or wind might. If you live in a valley you might not get too much sun or wind but have a year round stream that can power a wheel. If there is wind., geothermal or whatever near you, make use of it.

The Expert answers:

Geothermal As A Green Energy Source
——————————————————————————————————————————————-

Geothermal energy is energy obtained by tapping heat from the earth itself. This comes from magma and the radioactive decay of uranium, thorium, and potassium.

The downside to geothermal energy is the fact that it is expensive to build. On the other hand, because the earth’s crust continuously decays replenishing the heat, it is still a renewable source of energy.

There are three types of geothermal plants around. These are namely dry steam, flash, and binary.

Dry steam plants take steam out of fractures in the ground and use it to directly drive a turbine that spins a generator.

Flash plants take on water at temperatures over 200 °C, out of the ground, and allows it to boil as it rises to the surface then separates the steam phase in steam/water separators which runs the steam through a turbine to generate electricity.

Last, you have binary plants. Here, hot water flows through heat exchangers and that boiling organic fluid is what spins the turbine.

Once power is generated, the condensed steam and remaining geothermal fluid from all three types of plants are injected back into the hot rock to pick up more heat.

Geothermal plants are used operational in different parts of the globe. These are usually located in geologically unstable parts of the planet. You can see some in Chile, Iceland, New Zealand, United States, the Philippines and Italy. At home, two most prominent areas for this are in the Yellowstone basin and in northern California.

If you were to compare the amount of energy collected from geothermal to solar, you still get more from the sun. Despite that, people should still use it since solar energy cannot be harnessed when the clouds block the sun’s rays from reaching the solar panels.

Geothermal energy is a green energy source just like wind, hydropower and biofuel because it is a renewable. By maximizing its potential, we don’t have to worry about the price of oil in the world market when it hit more than $110 a barrel and is now under $40 in the world market.

But that is not the only thing we should be concerned about. We should also do our best to protect the environment given that coal fired and nuclear power plants produce harmful gases and radioactive waste that may cause to people and the surrounding areas.

———————————————————————————————————————————————–

Why Is Hydropower A Green Energy Source?

Why is hydropower a green energy source? It is because we are able to harness electrical power by converting water into electricity.

The use of hydroelectric power or even hydroelectricity dates back to Ancient Greece and China when they installed waterwheels in rapidly flowing rivers to turn millstones and other equipment. Years later, this was used in the New World which is now known as North America to power saws and other equipment.

But the hydroelectric plants of today still use the same basic principles as the historical waterwheel with some variations. The difference is that we use the force of the power to push the turbine which in turn powers a generator thus generating electricity.

To make sure that there is a steady flow of power being produced, a dam has to be built to retain the water. If there is a need for more power, the gates of the dam are opened so water can be released. During non-peak, the gates are closed. To ensure there is water at all times, some dams have a recovery and pumping systems to the water released can be used again.

There are issues with the use of hydroelectricity. Some claim that it poses a problem for fish and aquatic plants on both sides of the dam. Because the flow of water has been altered, the nutrient rich silt which helps crops grow could be affected which is exactly what happened when the Aswan Dam was completed in Egypt.

Lastly, you have ocean thermal energy. Here, you get power based on the different temperatures in the water. For this to work, you need at least 38 degrees Fahrenheit difference between the warmer surface water and the colder deep ocean water. Still in the trial stage, it is used Japan and Hawaii.

Hydropower is a green energy source. It is safe to use and what is even better is that it is renewable.

———————————————————————————————————————————————–

My answer is : Hydro and Geothermal

The Expert answers:

Absolutely, It happens everywhere (e.g wind turbines on boats etc). Just got to look.

The Expert answers:

There is no single best source. What works best in one area may not work at all in another. Solar is great, but only works when the sun is out, wind can work 24/7 but many areas the winds are seasonal. Geothermal only works in specific geographical areas and is impractical for individual use. The best is a combination of energy sources to ensure no interuption in service.

The Expert answers:

That depends what percentage you’re talking about. If you’re talking 100%, it will be a long time. We would need to find a large source of renewable energy capable of providing baseload power, or a good energy storage medium for that to be possible.

In the US, several states are shooting for 20% renewable energy production for 2010-2020. To get up to 50% renewable I’d guess no earlier than 2030, and that would take a concerted effort.

The Expert answers:

No thank you.

The Expert answers:

‘shops’ are not making more eco friendly products…………..

Shops are buying locally produced goods and services, so they are travelling less, so saving fuel….so example food is locally produced/grown, meaning it is fresher, not travelling distances so saving on carbon footprint

The Expert answers:

Common dude, the combine IQ of all the people here is 50.

Go ask this question to people who have a job!

The Expert answers:

Students should choose sustainable school supplies made from recycled materials. Check the packaging information to see. Right now, even at most super stores, you can purchase 100% recycled content paper & notebooks, pencils made from recycled newspapers or reclaimed wood, rulers and scissors made from recycled plastics, pens with barrels made from recycled plastics, recycled steel paper clips and staples, etc. Etc. With other, more durable supplies like backpacks and jackets, choose recycled content if possible, and buy for quality and then maintain the items. Though a $8 backpack sounds like a good idea at the start of each year, shelling out $50 for a nice one just once means that you can use it for years and years to come, without all the waste of throwing out junk backpacks (plus, you’ll save $ in the long run).

Students should also carry lunches in reusable containers, avoiding lunch room waste (if they buy lunch) or mountains of used plastic sandwich baggies and brown paper bags (if they bring their own). Reusable water bottles and coffee cups (for older students) are a must for reducing packaging waste.

Bicycles are also great for students who would ordinarily drive/be driven to school/campus.

The Expert answers:

Http://www.istorez.com/m/shop/eco-fashions is providing good eco-friendly stuffs. Check it out.

The Expert answers:

If we switch from oil-based energy reliance to a local resource like biomass it would bring $ to the US that would have gone to the middle east or elsewhere, boosting the US economy. HOWEVER, the real opportunity is not just sustainable energy but a sustainable society – one where we reduce consumption dramatically and insist on renewable natural resources. One where we embrace abundant living (wind and sun, gardens, music, friends) and minimize economic living (oil, steel, walmart, plastic). If that happens, we won’t even think to ask about “economic impact” as a primary concern. But don’t bet your Prius on it!

The Expert answers:

Sustainability requires humans to learn to live within our means. Major factors, such as human population size, biosphere robustness, resource stock, food supply, and environmental quality must remain in balance, on a global scale. This state of balance must last long enough so that it will not be merely a blip on the curve of unsustainable growth (Zen, 2000a). Even though we might not really attain that balance, we must move in that direction if humanity and the ecosystem are to survive.

Because the Earth is a closed system, a sustainable world is not compatible with “sustainable growth” (Palmer, 2000b). A closed system might conceivably accommodate “sustainable development,” a term popularized by the World Commission on Environment and Development (1987; the “Brundtland Commission”), but how that could be done is not obvious (see, however, Daly and Cobb, 1994, Appendix). Another way to look at the issue is to consider the idea of a transition towards sustainability (Board on Sustainable Development, 1999), which, however, needs a complementary discussion of the destination, or end-state, of that transition.

Most of us probably accept the proposition that everyone should have access to fair shares of food, water, shelter, and health care. Surely we want to sustain a healthy environment and a robust ecosystem. Certainly we want to promote equity among societies, to reduce disparity between the rich and the poor, to protect human dignity, and to minimize state terrorism. While moving toward that goal, we need to protect the capability of future societies to make real choices for themselves, whatever their social organization or cultural and religious affinity. If these goals seem incompatible with steady growth of population and our present rates of material consumption, then we need to do some careful soul-searching about our national obsession for ever-increasing economic throughput.

The Expert answers:

Are you looking for theoretical variables? Like, some kind of math model like what gamblers use to try and beat the system at a casino?

The only truly sustainable economic policy is to have a currency that is as perfectly stable as possible and can not be inflated by any means whatsoever — especially by government intervention.

Anything else (political-economic policy) is just an attempt to “juggle” the system around, and hope you can “cash in” before you “crap out”. The better you juggle, the more you cash in! (Steal from those who actually produce something).

The best indicator would be the gold price trend of the currency used by the economy in question.

The Expert answers:

International action, we have very strict laws in Australia, however many countries have little to no regulation.

We have many foreign boats enter our waters and fish illegally for protected species and in protected areas.

Fish Migrate and Like everything if the world is not on board then that makes it hard.

Http://www.bz9.com/g1

The Expert answers:

Hmmm for the moment being is better to reduce energy expenditure, because sustainable technologies are not largely available and are very expensive. When technologies are made on a large scale then we should switch to sustainable technologies.

One way to reduce expenditures is for the government to build good i mean very good public transportation to reduce the amount of cars running. Like in Japan for example due to the density of the people living down there, people opt to use mass transportation. It saves them a looooot of money, they always get on time and the waiting lines are very short.