So I was on YouTube today and this popped up while I was searching something else. This video may be a little ridiculous but I think it has good intentions behind it and it has a good message for all of us to ingrain in our minds. In fact, the main chorus is can be quite catchy so perhaps you'll here these guys in your head when you are about to throw something recyclable in the trash :)
Wednesday, October 13, 2010
Share and Voice: Eco Exclusive Store in Duluth
I was walking in downtown Duluth yesterday when I saw a large green sign that said ECO. I was instantly intrigued. Since it was after business hours, I went home and looked up the store on the internet. Turns out, ECO stands for Environmentally Conscience Options. This store is dedicated to suppling environmentally friendly, non-toxic building supplies, such as counter tops, tiling, flooring, and even home furnishings. The store even offers classes that teach about how to make your home more energy efficient and do it yourself projects.
We all may be a little ways off of building our own homes or having the money to fix up our current ones but I just thought it was great to know that there a businesses that exclusively offer eco-friendly products and when were to find them. Also as Duluth native I was surprised I have never heard of this place before. It's kind of nifty to know there is some place besides Home Depot or Menards to buy home improvement products.
We all may be a little ways off of building our own homes or having the money to fix up our current ones but I just thought it was great to know that there a businesses that exclusively offer eco-friendly products and when were to find them. Also as Duluth native I was surprised I have never heard of this place before. It's kind of nifty to know there is some place besides Home Depot or Menards to buy home improvement products.
Sunday, October 10, 2010
Read n' Seed 3: Second Quarter of Citizen Powered Energy Handbook
1. I have read the second quarter of the book which covers 3 chapters: Solar Energy, Wind Power, and Water Power. Pages 33-141.
2 & 3.
These 3 chapters cover 3 different types of renewable energy sources. The first is solar energy. Solar energy is very easy to acquire; enough solar energy falls onto the Earth every 45 minutes to power the entire world's energy use for one year. We need to discover a way to harness this energy. Solar energy can be used for electricity, heating, and lightening. The main ways to harness solar energy is building design, active solar systems, and photovoltaic installations (solar panels). There are basically 2 types of solar design: active and passive. Active solar design is when in order to capture the sun's energy you must have a specially designed system such as pipes, fans ducts, that move the energy into a storage place to be later used. An example of this would be a water heater system that uses solar energy. Passive solar design does not require special equipment or mechanical design. For example, a building is designed with large windows facing the East and South to properly catch the sun and provide heat.
In the second chapter, wind power is discussed. The primary way wind power is collected is through the use of wind turbines. Most of the world's wind turbines reside in Europe, Denmark and Germany are leading the way, but the United States has made a lot of progress in developing wind turbines. There are 2 main designs of wind turbines; vertical and horizontal. One of the most important things to consider before constructing a wind turbine is location; there must be adequate wind in the area in order to make the turbine work. In the United States, Minnesota has some of the most wind turbines. Minnesota is leading the way in promoting and using locally owned wind turbine projects. In the United States, community owned wind turbine projects are encouraged. The advantages of using wind power are creating jobs (workers need to construct the wind turbines) tax credit and new income for the owners; all of these are advantages along with wind power being very clean and reusable free power.
In the third chapter I read, Pahl discusses water power. Hydro-power has been used for hundreds of years. One of the oldest inventions to capture energy was the water wheel from the time of the Romans and Greeks. Hydroelectricity powers about 20% of the world's electricity. In the United States, hydro-power is most notably relied on for power grid failures. There are 3 main types of hydro-power facilities: impoundment, diversion, and pumped storage. Impoundment is when a dam is used to capture water energy. Diversion uses only a part of the river flow to create hydro-power. Finally, pumped storage is when water from a lower reservoir is pumped to a higher reservoir for times when energy is high demand. Hydro-power can also be captured from the Ocean. Energy from ocean waves can be harnessed. There are 3 main ways to harness wave energy: using floating devices that use the bobbing from the waves to create energy, using water columns that rotate in the ocean to measure energy, and the use of "focus" devices that channel wave energy into a reservoir. One final way to harness energy from the ocean is thermal energy. Thermal energy from the ocean can also be used. This is when heat from the sun that has been captured by the ocean water is used as an energy source.
I have just read about 3 different types of readily available renewable energy sources. These 3 energy sources need to implemented into the United States because eventually our non-renewable energy sources, such as oil, which we rely so heavily on, our going to run dry. By now knowing more about these different energy supplies we can either start using them, for example building our homes more solar efficient, or push for our government to build systems to harness the solar, wind, and water power. These sources are all literally in our backyard and we should take advantage of them. The costs might be steep upfront but over time these systems will pay for themselves.
2 & 3.
These 3 chapters cover 3 different types of renewable energy sources. The first is solar energy. Solar energy is very easy to acquire; enough solar energy falls onto the Earth every 45 minutes to power the entire world's energy use for one year. We need to discover a way to harness this energy. Solar energy can be used for electricity, heating, and lightening. The main ways to harness solar energy is building design, active solar systems, and photovoltaic installations (solar panels). There are basically 2 types of solar design: active and passive. Active solar design is when in order to capture the sun's energy you must have a specially designed system such as pipes, fans ducts, that move the energy into a storage place to be later used. An example of this would be a water heater system that uses solar energy. Passive solar design does not require special equipment or mechanical design. For example, a building is designed with large windows facing the East and South to properly catch the sun and provide heat.
In the second chapter, wind power is discussed. The primary way wind power is collected is through the use of wind turbines. Most of the world's wind turbines reside in Europe, Denmark and Germany are leading the way, but the United States has made a lot of progress in developing wind turbines. There are 2 main designs of wind turbines; vertical and horizontal. One of the most important things to consider before constructing a wind turbine is location; there must be adequate wind in the area in order to make the turbine work. In the United States, Minnesota has some of the most wind turbines. Minnesota is leading the way in promoting and using locally owned wind turbine projects. In the United States, community owned wind turbine projects are encouraged. The advantages of using wind power are creating jobs (workers need to construct the wind turbines) tax credit and new income for the owners; all of these are advantages along with wind power being very clean and reusable free power.
In the third chapter I read, Pahl discusses water power. Hydro-power has been used for hundreds of years. One of the oldest inventions to capture energy was the water wheel from the time of the Romans and Greeks. Hydroelectricity powers about 20% of the world's electricity. In the United States, hydro-power is most notably relied on for power grid failures. There are 3 main types of hydro-power facilities: impoundment, diversion, and pumped storage. Impoundment is when a dam is used to capture water energy. Diversion uses only a part of the river flow to create hydro-power. Finally, pumped storage is when water from a lower reservoir is pumped to a higher reservoir for times when energy is high demand. Hydro-power can also be captured from the Ocean. Energy from ocean waves can be harnessed. There are 3 main ways to harness wave energy: using floating devices that use the bobbing from the waves to create energy, using water columns that rotate in the ocean to measure energy, and the use of "focus" devices that channel wave energy into a reservoir. One final way to harness energy from the ocean is thermal energy. Thermal energy from the ocean can also be used. This is when heat from the sun that has been captured by the ocean water is used as an energy source.
I have just read about 3 different types of readily available renewable energy sources. These 3 energy sources need to implemented into the United States because eventually our non-renewable energy sources, such as oil, which we rely so heavily on, our going to run dry. By now knowing more about these different energy supplies we can either start using them, for example building our homes more solar efficient, or push for our government to build systems to harness the solar, wind, and water power. These sources are all literally in our backyard and we should take advantage of them. The costs might be steep upfront but over time these systems will pay for themselves.
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