Among America’s cultural flaws is the general unwillingness to recycle. Did you know recycling isn’t just for the weirdo down the street? No, I tell you recycling is for everyone. Just watch this.
One for the money:
You benefit most directly from the money the person at the recycling place gives you for your old junk. Really, it’s worth your while. I was surprised to find out I could get about $15 a trip for 20-ounce and 2-liter plastic bottles. People who drink cans of soda or have trucks, vans or SUVs can get a lot more money per trip.
Industrial power:
Did you know that it takes 20 times more energy to make a new bottle or can than it does to recycle one? It’s true, especially for cans, you have to go out, find a spot with aluminum ore, set up the equipment, mine the ore, extract the aluminum, AND THEN make a can and fill it. A recycled can skips all the steps that would come before making the can.
TAKE THAT, OPEC!
Did you know you need oil to make plastic? Not kidding, and you know who we get that oil from? You guessed it! And why pay OPEC for the oil to make new plastic when you can recycle the plastic bottles you’ve already used. You don’t need the oil to recycle a bottle.
Tree-hugger’s paradise:
To get paper, you need to cut down a tree. To get aluminum, you first need to clear the area of trees, plants, and the like. To get plastic, you drill the oil and risk a spill. All of these are bad for the environment. You can help prevent needless destruction of the environment by recycling.
Uncle Sam wants you to recycle:
For every can or bottle you produce from non-recycled material, America loses a little bit of money to the rest of the world. You wouldn’t want to bring the United States to the same fate the Soviet Union suffered, would you? Then keep the money in America and recycle the stuff that can be recycled.
What a dump:
The more you throw out, the faster trash piles up in the dump and the faster the dump has to expand. On the other hand, the more you recycle, the nicer your area’s going to stay. So unless you want to be living across the street from a trash heap soon, it would be a good idea to recycle what you can.
Thursday, August 31, 2006
Wednesday, August 30, 2006
Solar Power:California's Future?
On Monday, August 21, 2006 Governor Schwarzenegger signed a bill requiring that by 2011, construction companies offer solar cells on new homes throughout California. I, a Californian, am proud that on top of Hollywood and Silicon Valley, California is expected to get the distinction of being the third largest producer of solar energy in the world behind Japan and Germany. But at the same time I ask, are we content to just be the THIRD largest? I for one know we can do better if we want. And why wait five years? You can change the future NOW, and I’ll tell you how!
The sun working to improve life:
The power grid is worked even harder during the summer than any other time of the year. During the summer is when the most blackouts happen. This can be a problem for those of us living in warmer climates. Did you know that you can help protect against blackouts, reduce your energy bill, and even add a decorative touch to your building using solar cells? The city of Santa Monica, California is an example of such use of solar cells. Not only have they reduced their use of outside energy by about half, but their ingenious placement of solar panels in architecture is pleasing to the eye. And if you ever suffer from a hot car after leaving it in a parking lot on a sunny day, good news: there is a solution for that, too. The Metrolink train station on La Sierra Ave. in Riverside, California is an example of such a solution. There are awnings constructed over the parking lot, which contain solar panels and look cool. That solves the problem of hot cars while helping make more power.
The implications on the welfare system:
I think we could use some of the welfare budget to install solar cells on existing buildings instead of having extra refrigerators and other appliances just lying around in storage. In addition with current energy-saving appliances and practices, adding the ability to produce power to homes would significantly reduce power consumption in relation to the total amount of power produced. In the more power-conscious houses, the addition of solar cells may even cause a net excess of electricity, which would allow the owner to sell energy to the electric company and therefore help the household turn a profit on electricity. A home’s ability to raise money for the people occupying it would be a great boon to that family, helping them to improve their image, buy gas for their car, or pay to use the public transit system which in turn helps them get a better job and not need that welfare money.
The sun working to improve life:
The power grid is worked even harder during the summer than any other time of the year. During the summer is when the most blackouts happen. This can be a problem for those of us living in warmer climates. Did you know that you can help protect against blackouts, reduce your energy bill, and even add a decorative touch to your building using solar cells? The city of Santa Monica, California is an example of such use of solar cells. Not only have they reduced their use of outside energy by about half, but their ingenious placement of solar panels in architecture is pleasing to the eye. And if you ever suffer from a hot car after leaving it in a parking lot on a sunny day, good news: there is a solution for that, too. The Metrolink train station on La Sierra Ave. in Riverside, California is an example of such a solution. There are awnings constructed over the parking lot, which contain solar panels and look cool. That solves the problem of hot cars while helping make more power.
The implications on the welfare system:
I think we could use some of the welfare budget to install solar cells on existing buildings instead of having extra refrigerators and other appliances just lying around in storage. In addition with current energy-saving appliances and practices, adding the ability to produce power to homes would significantly reduce power consumption in relation to the total amount of power produced. In the more power-conscious houses, the addition of solar cells may even cause a net excess of electricity, which would allow the owner to sell energy to the electric company and therefore help the household turn a profit on electricity. A home’s ability to raise money for the people occupying it would be a great boon to that family, helping them to improve their image, buy gas for their car, or pay to use the public transit system which in turn helps them get a better job and not need that welfare money.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)