Tag: recycling

Is It Hot Enough For Ya?

jkwami / / klattimore

 global_warming_by_teabing

Wonder why it’s a little colder than usual in the winter? Why it’s a little too hot in the summer? The answer is global warming and climate change. Global warming and climate change are two subjects that have become major issues in the world today. Yet, many do not know the facts behind the emergence of global warming and climate change which may lead some to be skeptics.

 Global warming and climate change are due to an average increase in the temperature of the atmosphere near the Earth’s surface and in the troposphere, which can contribute to changes in global climate patterns and increase in greenhouse gases. Greenhouse gases lead to warming in the Earth’s climate leading to global warming. However, some regions may experience cooling or wetter weather.

 Effects of Climate Change

  • More extreme weather patterns, super storms
  • More hurricanes
  • Longer dry spells or intense rains
  • Dramatic increase in greenhouse gases
  • Massive extinction of species will aggravate the environmental crisis

 What Can You Do?

  • Seal and insulate your home
  • Use green power which is environment friendly electricity generated by renewable energy
  • REDUCE, REUSE, RECYCLE

 Global warming and climate change effect people, plants, and animals and protecting the environment from access greenhouse gases and pollution will insure that we have a better world for the next generation

 More information on Global Warming

Can There Ever Be Too Much Recycling?

jkwami / / klattimore

 

 Could recycling really hurt more than it helps the environment? There are some critics who believe that recycling in excess can be detrimental to society.  One of those people is Daniel Benjamin an economist who wrote an article titled “Eight Great Myths of Recycling.” In this article he describes the 8 myths that lead people to believe recycling is the ultimate answer to environmental well being such as:

  • Our Garbage Will Bury Us
  • Our Garbage Will Poison Us
  • Recycling Always Protects the Environment

However, there are negative factors of recycling that do support Benjamin’s claim that the listed above are not infallible such as:

  • Abandoned dump sites for recycling, when left unmanaged, damage the surrounding environment
  • Harmful chemicals in the trash can mix water into soil causing water and soil pollution
  • Paper recycling can be costly because it takes different industrial processing such as bleaching to make it usable.

Though he does point out the negative and contradictory aspects of recycling he states that informed and voluntary recycling conserves resources and helps our wealth, while mandatory recycling only leads people to do what they know is not sensible and hurt society rather than help it. In respects to Benjamin’s opinion I also believe that we should not blindly recycle or do any other measure to conserve the environment without looking at its causes and effects.