Tag Archives: ecology

How To Manage Waste Water Efficiently

Being among the most important resources in the world, fresh water is essential for every living creature including people. The biggest problem is that only 3 percents of the water is fresh and not all of this fresh water is usable, as one part of it is locked in the glaciers and ice caps and the other part is located in remote areas where people cannot use it. Actually, this means that we can use only 0.08 percent of the water to meet our daily needs. Can you imagine the mankind to use just 0.08 percent for drinking, manufacturing, environment, leisure, sanitation, etc?

A recent study conducted in 2007 revealed that over 1.2 billion people around the world suffer from the water scarcity, and they do not have access to water enough to meet their daily needs. Another 1.6 billion of people suffer economically from the water scarcity, i.e. their local authorities cannot satisfy the rising water demand in these areas due to the insufficient investments or lack of human capacity.

More than a half of the world population lives in urban centers, which causes pollution to the nearby natural water sources. This is mainly caused by industrial and urban wastewater; that is why it is critical to develop efficient systems for wastewater treatment. The wastewater itself contains many hazardous pollutants like pathogens and heavy metals, which can seriously treat the health and even life of people, who life in or near the big cities.

Because of the limited quantity of the fresh water, people have directed their efforts at water management and optimization of its use. In many areas, water comes in the form of harvested rainwater, so people should learn how to manage it efficiently. The rainwater is usually collected in barrels to be used in those periods when there is little or no rain and for agricultural purposes. The groundwater needs to be utilized as well. People drill wells and use this water both for drinking and agricultural purposes. People should also revive and manage lakes that can collect the water to make it accessible to the nearby residents.

A large portion of 70% of freshwater is used for food production in agriculture. This is explicable, as the world population increases each and every year requiring more and more food to survive. The most part of the population is concentrated in the big cities, which deteriorates the problem with water scarcity even more.

The water problem should be resolved globally by taking the following six important steps. However, each and every individual should consciously contribute to the water problem to be resolved.

We need to start by improving all existing water related data. We need to learn how to protect our environment from any further pollution. We have to reform our water governance and to revitalize the agricultural water use. We need to manage all industrial water demand and provide an access to the water resources to women and children in poor regions.

These steps should be taken globally to avoid water crisis that would be devastating for our world. All industries and urban centers need to learn how to use water efficiently, so that people can increase the water for agricultural purposes to meet the increasing demand for more and more food.

If you want to acquire more useful facts on wastewater management and learn how to contribute to the global ecosystem effectively, check out this great site.

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Antarctic moss a charming but chilling sign of warming

Antarctic moss a charming but chilling sign of warming

Peter Convey, British Antarctic SurveyThe world’s southernmost moss bank began growing around 1860.

A fleecy clump of moss growing on the Antarctic Peninsula might not seem like much of a sight to behold, but it’s a sign of a climate in flux.

The patch of Polytrichum moss, sampled in 2008 by scientists at Alexander Island’s Lazarev Bay, either did not exist or was slumbering beneath ice when the peninsula was first spotted by Russian sailors in 1820.

But now it is flourishing on ice-free rock — the world’s southernmost such moss bank.

The Antarctic Peninsula is one of the fastest-warming regions in the world, with temperatures rising by one degree Fahrenheit every decade since 1950 — although that rate of warming has recently slowed. As the peninsula warms, and as its ice thaws and rainfall and snowfall becomes more common, soil organisms and simple plants are seizing on new growing opportunities.

The Lazarev Bay moss bank is being exposed to life-giving sunlight during the warmer months, when a blanket of winter snow melts away from its surface. It began growing 150 years ago, mushrooming at 1/20th of an inch during the late 19th and early 20th centuries, according to results of the scientists’ radiocarbon analysis, which were published Thursday in the journal Current Biology.

“The oldest organic matter at the bottom of the core had a most-likely date of around 1860 AD,” lead researcher Jessica Royles of the British Antarctic Survey told Grist.

Starting in the mid-1950s, the bank really took off, growing at four times that rate until the 1970s, when the rate tapered off slightly, perhaps as moisture conditions changed. From the paper:

[Antarctic Peninsula] growth rates and microbial productivity have risen rapidly since the 1960s, consistent with temperature changes, although recently they may have stalled. The recent increase in terrestrial plant growth rates and soil microbial activity are unprecedented in the last 150 years and are consistent with climate change.

Future changes in terrestrial biota are likely to track projected temperature increases closely and will fundamentally change the ecology and appearance of the Antarctic Peninsula.

So get your cruise tickets for the Antarctic now — the landscape might soon start to look a lot less Antarctic-like.

John Upton is a science fan and green news boffin who tweets, posts articles to Facebook, and blogs about ecology. He welcomes reader questions, tips, and incoherent rants: johnupton@gmail.com.

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Antarctic moss a charming but chilling sign of warming

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The Benefits Of Buying Organic Clothing

Even with our knowing of the negative impact that unsustainable habits can have the environment, the decision to commit to environmentally friendly practices is occasionally difficult to do. Although, a growing number of individuals and businesses are trying hard to go green. For instance, wind energy is becoming more widespread. Additionally, there are a lot of little things that the rest of the people can implement to help out the environment. One of those things is to wear organic clothing.

Maybe you are familiar with the concept of organically grown food, but you might well not be so familiar with organic clothing. What is organic clothing? If we refer to organic products, we mean any that don’t add chemical pesticides to the water and soil. This helps support biodiversity within the ecosystem.

Cotton grown the old way is the most extensively used clothing material, and regrettably it’s also the one crop with the biggest environmental footprint. Are you aware that twenty-five percent of pesticides are used on cotton crops?

Organic cotton, on the other hand, is harvested without any chemical fertilizers and pesticides. Instead, the cotton is grown through natural means. Other organic materials such as hemp and bamboo are also eco friendly raw materials for organic clothing.

One large plus of organic clothing should be the fact that it is more gentle to your skin. Due to the fact that the clothing fibers are lacking any traces of harmful chemicals, they won’t lead to skin allergies. In addition, clothing made from bamboo is naturally antibacterial.

Any time we choose organic clothing, we reduce the number of chemicals slipping into the environment. Conventional farming causes great amounts of harmful chemicals to get into the land and spread out to the watershed. That is a growing source of health issues in these times. But if we opt for organic clothes, we are supporting the efforts of organic agriculture which don’t harm the ecosystem.

A number of organic clothing fabrics such as hemp and bamboo are very durable. They still look great after many washings and last longer than non-organic fabrics.

Whenever we select to wear environmentally responsible apparel, we are making a positive impact on the lives of all the people who grow clothing fiber crops. Their communities and homes are safe from an exposure to a toxic influx of chemicals that originates from large scale agricultural methods.

If you think about all of these benefits, we should not be surprised that a larger number of clothing manufacturers are switching over to making organic clothes.

Are you interested to read more about organic clothing, including which fashions are current? Go ahead and click on the link to learn more.

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About New York: Going All Out in Support of Indian Point

Entergy, the company that owns the Indian Point nuclear power plant, has spent millions of dollars on lobbying to make its case across the state: Keep it open. Source article:   About New York: Going All Out in Support of Indian Point ; ;Related ArticlesDot Earth Blog: Take Back the AsphaltOp-Ed Contributor: Ecology Lessons From the Cold WarEuropean Officials Move To Curb Overfishing ;

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About New York: Going All Out in Support of Indian Point

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Why is the Best Eco Yoga Apparel Made From Bamboo?

Everyone should make it a goal to decide to buy all natural clothing products which are produced in tune with the earth. Bamboo fabric is the perfect choice for sustainable yoga clothing for a number of reasons.

Clothing made from bamboo is incredibly soft. Lots of consumers compare it even to cashmere or silk. The reason for this is because bamboo fibers naturally have a rounded surface. Which makes bamboo clothing very soft to the touch, even for those with allergies and sensitive skin.

Bamboo clothing is extremely liquid absorbing. This indicates that when you are perspiring bamboo fabric will wick away the excess moisture from the surface of your skin. You should feel more comfortable and dry while wearing bamboo activewear for yoga or any other physical activities.

Bamboo material is filled with little spaces which allow the fabric to breathe. You can expect to feel more cool if wearing bamboo clothes in the warmer months. While in the colder months, bamboo clothing can provide an excellent insulating layer which keeps you nice and warm. Bamboo clothing is also observed to block out around 98 percent of ultraviolet rays, so this fabric helps save your skin from cancer.

The wonderful bamboo plant possesses a natural antimicrobial bio-agent called bamboo kun. The anti-microbial abilities of the bamboo kun are still at work in bamboo textiles. You can notice that bamboo clothes, bath towels, and sheets inhibit the growth of fungus and bacteria. Your bamboo activewear will smell cleaner for a longer time than apparel made of other fabrics. This makes eco yoga wear from bamboo such a great choice. Lots of consumers choose to buy bamboo underwear and bath towels for this same reason.

Bamboo is known as one of the quickest growing plants of all, but did you know also that it is actually a type of giant grass, and not a species of tree? This means all of the various bamboo stalks are united by a network of roots below the ground. Only the canes that have matured for three or four years are cut down, while the newer culms are left for another year. This way bamboo can continually be collected in a sustainable manner in the same location every year. Furthermore, bamboo has its own natural defense against pests. So this plant can be grown easily in an organic process without the use of poisonous pesticides that damage the environment.

Bamboo also gives much back to the air and soil as it grows up. A single acre of bamboo plantation converts a greater amount of carbon dioxide into fresh oxygen than an equivalent forest of hardwood trees. The intertwined root system of a bamboo stand helps hold moisture within the soil and stop erosion. A bamboo stand can be cultivated on sloping terrain where other crops are not grown easily. The bamboo harvested for making fabric only needs rainwater for its water needs. By comparison, the cotton plant is one of the most water intensive crops in the world. It takes many tons of irrigated water just to grow one pound of cotton fabric.

Well now you know, bamboo is an incredible natural treasure with an impressive amount of benefits as a material for fabric. Those who care about the environment will feel great about sporting clothes made from bamboo. It is ideal for anybody practicing yoga, jogging, or any other kind of athletic activity. Bamboo clothing wicks away moisture, so you are going to feel more comfortable. While at the same time, bamboo material reduces bacteria growth. So your yoga wear will smell more fresh. Lastly, bamboo clothing is so comfortable and good looking that you will not want to wear anything different.

To learn more about organic yoga clothes and eco conscious yoga clothes, click on the link here.

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What the Robin Knows: How Birds Reveal the Secrets of the Natural World

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The River Why, Twentieth-Anniversary Edition

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The Third Industrial Revolution: How Lateral Power Is Transforming Energy, the Economy, and the World

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On This Earth, A Shadow Falls

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Mycelium Running: How Mushrooms Can Help Save the World

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