Extinction of Bees... End of Human Race

Bee in pollinating process

 Scientists have reported that mass extinctions of marine animals may soon be occurring at  an alarmingly rates than previously projected due to pollution, rising water temperatures and loss of habitat. Many land species also face a similar fate for the same reasons but more likely the biggest foreboding danger of all facing humans is the loss of the global honeybee population. The effect of a dying bee population negatively affect man at the highest levels on our food chain, posing an enormously grave threat to human survival. Since no other single animal species plays a more significant role in producing the fruits and vegetables that we humans commonly take for granted yet require near daily to stay alive, the greatest modern scientist Albert Einstein once prophetically remarked, “Mankind will not survive the honeybees’ disappearance for more than five years.”

Mass death of bees

Honey processing

One of every three bites of food eaten worldwide depends on pollinators, especially bees, for a successful harvest. I read about the strangest way in which human beings has ever consumed honey in the form of a Mellified Man which i will love to share thus: In making this creepy concoction, described in Mary Roach’s 2003 book Stiff, an elderly man essentially donates his body to medicine: for a month or more, he eats nothing but honey and bathes only in honey; then, upon his death, he is sealed in a stone coffin filled to the brim with honey. One hundred years later—mellification is a slow process—the coffin is opened and the contents decanted. A mere tablespoonful or two, according to the Chinese Materia Medica of 1597, will cure broken or wounded limbs.

Honey irrespective of the mellified man has a long history as a therapeutic, used since ancient times to treat many things ranging from bedsores and burns to amputations and stab wounds. As medicine, it’s not a bad choice; honey has been shown to have anti-bacterial and antiseptic activity, which in part explains its phenomenal keeping power. Thousand-year-old jars of perfectly edible honey have been found in Egyptian tombs.

Honey is a sugar, a mix of glucose and fructose although it contains hardly any water itself but can absorb water from its surroundings. Most microorganisms caught in honey are sucked dry and smothered to death. Honey is also acidic, with a pH of about 3.5, which makes it an unfriendly environment for bacteria. despite all of that, it contains a small amount of bacteria that makes hydrogen peroxide.

Honey production

Honey Production
This process takes place in the guts of bees. Honey begins as nectar, the sugary secretions exuded by flowers as tempting lures for pollinators. Foraging bees collect nectar in abdominal honey sacs, and return with it to the hive, where they squirt it into the mouths of helpful house bees. The receiving bees then concentrate the watery nectar, sucking it into mouth and crop, and vomiting it repeatedly, 200 times or more. This converts nectar (30-40 percent sugar) to honey (a sticky 80 percent sugar); it also exposes it to a bee digestive enzyme called glucose oxidase that converts a fraction of the sugars to gluconic acid and hydrogen peroxide. The busy bees then pack the finished product into hexagonal wax storage cells in the walls of the hive, where it is intended to nourish bees.

People have been going through considerable trouble to get bees’ honey for millennia. The ancient Egyptians seem to have been the first to domesticate bees, a temple bas-relief from 2400 BCE is essentially a documentary on early beekeeping, tracing the process from hive to rows of sealed honey pots. The Egyptians passed their techniques on to the Romans, who enlarged the techniques. The oldest known Roman cookbook, abounds with recipes that call for honey, among them honey cakes, honey sauces, myrtleberries in honey, chicken livers with honey, barracuda with honey, and lentils with honey.

People has not only been eating honey, but drinking it as well. The Greeks tossed down dozens of honey-based drinks, like mead and others made from honey mixed with something else. Mulsum, for example, was wine mixed with honey; rhodomel is roses with honey; omphacomel is grape juice with honey, and the questionable thalassiomel is seawater with honey. Mead was the drink of choice in northern Europe. Pliny the Elder wrote of the early Britons, “these islanders consume great quantities of honey-brew.” Beowulf, King Arthur, and the rampaging warriors in Valhalla drank mead.

Honey has been our principal sweetener for much of human history. (Runners-up were boiled-down grape juice, date syrup, and in North America maple sugar.)
We get much more than honey from the bees. We get a hefty percentage of our food.

Bees Controls Our Food Supply

spraying plants with neonic

Honeybees pollinate plants that account for over a third of our food supply, such as: apples, pears, peaches, almonds, okra, alfalfa, beans, berries, broccoli, cauliflower, cantaloupes, watermelons, cabbages, peppers, eggplants, tomatoes, citrus fruits, and grapes. Without bees, there would be no strawberry shortcake, no blueberry pancakes, no salsa, and no wine. Cows (beef and cheese) are fed on bee-pollinated alfalfa and clover; lettuce and onions are bee-pollinated, as are the cucumbers used to make the pickles.The bad news is that we’re rapidly losing bees at an alarming rate.

In the fall of 2006, beekeeper David Hackenberg discovered that 360 of his 400 Florida hives were beeless. Such bee disappearances aren’t unprecedented; ever since people started keeping bees, they’ve been plagued by bee diseases, deaths, and disasters. In the general scheme of things, beekeepers can expect to lose up to 15 percent of their bees each winter. However, Hackenberg’s discovery proved to be the tip of a global iceberg. Suffering from what is now known as Colony Collapse Disorder or CCD, bees are vanishing from hives worldwide. Data from the winter of 2012-2013 showed an average loss of about 45 percent of hives across the United States, and in some places losses are even higher. Worried beekeepers refer to this as “beepocalyse” and “beemageddon.”

Source of Bees death

killing bees with neonictinoids

One possibility is pesticide poisoning; a popular culprit is a class of pesticides called neonicotinoids or neonics, adopted over the past 20 years to replace the far more toxic organophosphates. Still, it’s a complicated picture. In Australia and parts of Canada, where neonicotinoids are used extensively, the bees seem to be doing just fine. Another possibility is a destructive parasite, the varroa mite, that vampire-like sucks the “blood” (hemolymph) of  infected bees. It may be that the effect of pesticides is indirect, weakening the bees, and making them more susceptible to mites and viruses. A third, and perhaps the most insidious, possible cause of CCD is the extensive destruction of bee habitat. Bees may simply not be getting enough food—or enough of the right kind of food—to survive.

It sounds like the best thing we can do for bees is to give them more of what they need. “Plant more flowers,” says May Berenbaum. “And be a little more tolerant of weeds in the garden.” And maybe mow a lot less lawn. Because there are a whole lot of foods out there that we sure don’t want to be without.

THE REASON KARA RIVER IN OGUN STATE PART OF NIGERIA TURNS DRY OVERNIGHT

Why does environmental problems always appear so suddenly?

Site of the dried Kara River

The slight indication about the cause of water disappearance in Ogun State was the green water hyacinth, but the surface of what used to be the flowing river has resulted into a rigid ground. A part of the popular Ogun River which flows under the Kara Bridge around Ojodu Berger area of Lagos State has suddenly gone dry over night.

Unidentified green plants are seen on the river while the water body has given way. The Kara cattle market community under the bridge along the Lagos-Ibadan expressway has become a Mecca of some sort with residents of the community and passers-by trooping to see the dried section of the river which once provided water for the Kara cattle and ram market. Before the unusual incident, the water body once served as means of transportation for canoe owners but residents say they woke up to see the channel blocked on Saturday morning. Surprisingly, on the other side of the Kara Bridge, the river was seen flowing freely.

Environmentalists have however warned that residents keep off the blocked channel for the risks of it opening up unexpectedly and advised relevant authorities to find a means of clearing the plants.

THE HYACINTH PLANT (Suspected Culprit)

Hyacinth Plant

Water hyacinth is one of the world’s worst aquatic weeds. It harass rivers, dams, lakes and irrigation channels on every continent except Antarctica. It devastates aquatic environments and costs billions of dollars every year in control costs and economic losses. Water hyacinth is native to the Amazon basin in South America and was brought to Australia in the 1890s as an ornamental plant. The first record of water hyacinth in New South Wales (NSW) was in 1895.

In 1897, the government botanist Mr J. H. Maiden noted that it had spread rapidly in the ponds in the Royal Botanic Gardens in Sydney. At that time, he warned that the plant should be kept away from the northern rivers where it ‘may very rapidly become a serious pest’. Unfortunately, this warning went unheeded and by the early 1900s it had spread along the east coast of Queensland and the north-eastern regions of NSW. Water hyacinth is justifiably called the world’s worst aquatic weed due to its ability to rapidly cover whole waterways.

Water hyacinth (Eichhornia crassipes (Mart) Solms is a troublesome aquatic weed and has spread in almost all lakes, ponds and rivers not only in our country but in the entire tropical world. Therefore attention has been focused on its environmental impact since its luxuriant growth in the water bodies interferes in the activities of mankind, which has caused great concern. Its wide spread occurrence in the fresh water lakes and riverbeds is proving detrimental to fishing, rowing, and depleting water content from the water bodies and interfering in water utilization and other activities. In view of the alarming situation, it was decided to control the weed growth by utilizing the Biocontrol methods to control the water hyacinth menace.
Water hyacinth by its abundance of leaves, dense vegetation and innumerable rootlets in tertiary manner obstruct water flow in irrigation channels, hydroelectric power generation, interfere with navigation, hinders flow of water and displaces many aquatic grasses which were useful as fodder for cattle and also suppresses the phytoplankton growth.

 IT forms dense, impenetrable mats over the water surface. Specific impacts include:

Hyacinth plant forms an impenetrable mats

1. blocking irrigation channels and rivers
 2. restricting livestock access to water
 3. destroying natural wetlands
 4. eliminating native aquatic plants
 5. reducing infiltration of sunlight
 6. changing the temperature, pH and oxygen levels of water
 7. reducing gas exchange at the water surface
 8. increasing water loss through transpiration (greater than evaporation from an open water body)
 9. altering the habitats of aquatic organisms
 10.restricting recreational use of waterways
 11.reducing aesthetic values of waterways
 12.reducing water quality from decomposing plants
 13.destroying fences, roads and other infrastructure when large floating rafts become mobile during flood events, and
 14.destroying pastures and crops when large floating rafts settle over paddocks after flood events.

WATER HYACINTH GROWTH

Water Hyacinth Growing

Water hyacinth will rapidly take over an entire waterway. Under favorable conditions it can double its mass every 5 days, forming new plants on the ends of stolons. It also grows from seed which can remain viable for 20 years or longer. This enormous reproductive capacity causes annual reinfestation from seed and rapid coverage of previously treated areas, making ongoing control necessary.

 

HUMAN ROLE IN THE GROWTH OF WATER HYACINTH

Hyacinth Plant

 
An ecosystem’s biological community consists of populations of every species of plant, animal and microorganism in the ecosystem. People interact directly or indirectly with populations whenever they interact with ecosystems. Water hyacinth is a floating plant that has spread from South America to waterways around the world. It can cover the water so completely that it obstructs the movement of boats. Imagine a lake that is 10 kilometres in diameter. It takes eight billion hyacinth plants to cover a lake of this size completely.

To start with, our lake has no water hyacinth. Then we introduce one hyacinth plant onto the lake. After one month, this plant forms two plants. After another month the two plants have multiplied to four and the doubling continues month after month. Two years pass, and the hyacinths have multiplied to 17 million plants. Nobody pays attention to them because 17 million plants cover only 0.2 per cent of the lake. Six months later, 30 months after we put the single plant on the lake, there are one billion hyacinth plants, which cover about 13 per cent of the lake Now people notice the hyacinths. Although there are not enough hyacinth plants to be a problem for the movement of boats, some people are worried. Other people say, ‘Don’t worry. It took a long time to get this many hyacinths. It will be a long time before there are enough to cause a problem.' Which people are right? Is the problem a long time in the future, or will there be a problem soon? In fact, with hyacinth doubling every month, the lake will be completely covered after only three more months.

This is a true story. Water hyacinth has become an uncontrollable nuisance in many places, including the world’s second largest lake, Lake Victoria in East Africa, where fish from the lake are a major source of animal protein for millions of people. Parts of Lake Victoria are now so badly clogged with water hyacinth that fishing boats cannot move through the water. Thousands of fishermen are out of work, and the supply of fish has declined drastically.

ENVIRONMENTAL COST OF AIR CONDITIONALS AND ALTERNATIVES TO ITS USE

EFFECT OF AIR CONDITIONAL ON THE ENVIRONMENT

Heat doesn’t appeal to everyone and, as the mercury begins to rise, most people react by reaching for the air conditioning remote. But, while air conditioners may keep the heat away, research shows that they adversely affect the environment.

 Air-conditioner Impact on the Environment

As the use of air conditioners continues to increase, so too does their impact on the environment. Air conditioning units not only have the potential to place great strain on national power grids, they also pose a significant threat to environmental health and global warming. Studies suggest that air conditioners are responsible for producing up to 100 million tons of CO2 emissions each and every year in the United States alone.

The impacts of air conditioners are two-fold, according to Durwood Zaelke, president of the non-profit Institute for Governance and Sustainable Development. In addition to energy consumption, he says there are additional environmental impacts traced back to the units’ refrigerants – the liquid agents within the coils that are used to cool and dehumidify the air. “You’re putting out more climate pollutants as you’re burning more coal or gas to run the air conditioners, and you’re also putting out the greenhouse gases that serve as refrigerants in the equipment,” he said.

Different refrigerants have been used over the years, with HCFC-22 (also referred to as R-22) having been the most common in residential air conditioning systems for several decades. Unfortunately for the environment, releases of HCFC such as those through common leaks in air conditioners contribute to global warming. HCFC-22 is 1810 more powerful than CO2 at trapping heat in the atmosphere. Additionally, the production of HCFC-22 results in a by-product called HFC-23 that also contributes significantly to global warming.

Alternatives to the use of Air Conditioners

Before reaching for the air conditioner, consider a number of energy-saving alternatives to help keep you cool. Few suggestions for those hot summer days are listed below.

1. Keep your shades drawn during the day. When sunlight streams through your windows, it essentially creates a miniature greenhouse effect in your home. Shutting your blinds, curtains and windows during the hottest parts of the day will help block the sun’s heat and naturally cool your home. Do this until night falls and it’s cool enough to open your windows.

2. Make your own air conditioner. Take a shallow bowl and fill it with ice cubes. Carefully place the bowl in front of a fan and adjust the fan so that air is blowing directly over the ice. As the ice begins to melt it will cool the surrounding air and the fan will blow it in your direction. Alternatively, spray an old sheet with cold water and use it to cover a window’s opening. The cold and damp sheet will cool the breeze as it passes through the window, bringing in chilled air and helping to reduce the temperatures in your home.

3. Turn off fans and electronics when you’re not in the room. Fans create a breeze, but they don’t physically cool the air already in a room. In fact, they can actually have the opposite effect. Like all appliances a fan’s motor generates heat when it runs, so be sure to turn fans off when you’re not in the room to help keep temperatures down. Similarly, light bulbs also have the potential to generate a surprising amount of heat when left on for long periods of time. Turning off lights when they’re not being used will not only save energy, but will also help cool your home. The same goes for all electronics including computers and televisions.

4. Take a cold shower. It might seem simple, but one of the easiest and most effective ways to escape the heat is to cool your core temperature by immersing yourself in cold water.

ENVIRONMENTAL EFFECTS OF YOUR HOME

                         ENVIRONMENTAL EFFECTS OF HOUSE BUILDINGS

House Construction in Progress

Building a house requires a great personal stress that it's easy to forget the environmental effects. As you deal with crew coordination, project budgets and building permits, its more likely you focus on the home-building's effect on your mind and body. Once you take a step outside your busy mind, however, the effects of home-building on the environment can became clear. While these effects are rarely positive, you can take proactive steps to minimize your future home's impact on the natural world.

Buildings account for 40% of worldwide energy use which is much more than transportation.  Furthermore, over the next 25 years, CO2 emissions from buildings are projected to grow faster than any other sector (in the USA), with emissions from commercial buildings projected to grow the fastest 1.8% a year through 2030 (USGBC).Often, energy use in the form of electricity drives the largest environmental impacts. Where that electricity comes from determines what those impacts are. In the United States for example, where buildings account for more than 70% of electricity use, most of the electricity is generated by coal-fired electrical power plants (USGBC). Generating one megawatt hour (MWh) of electricity in the US produces approximately 250 – 900 kg of CO2 depending on the mix of coal, nuclear, hydro and other sources of fuel (US EPA).  As a reference, the average US household consumes approximately 11 MWh of electricity per year (US EIA).

Materials and Energy Consumed

Construction and Demolition debris

Every year, the United States generates about 160 million tons of building-related construction and demolition debris which accounts for about two-thirds of all non-industrial solid waste generation in the country, according to a 2009 report from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. The same source reports that only about 20 to 30 percent of this debris including asphalt, concrete, metals and wood is collected and recycled. When it's not recycled, this waste occupies valuable landfill space and consumes additional energy for transportation to, and storage at, the waste site. In addition to the energy expenditure of construction including fuel burned during transportation, and electricity and gas used during building homes account for about 39 percent of total energy consumption in the United States, according to the EPA. This includes 12 percent of the country's water consumption, 68 percent of its electricity consumption and 38 percent of its carbon dioxide emissions.
 
Measures

The Environmental Protection Agency proposes numerous guidelines that restrict the effect of home-building on the environment. For instance, the Effluent Limitation Guidelines limit storm water discharges from new construction and require home builders to acquire permits when disturbing one or more acres of land. The EPA's Endangered Species Act prohibits builders from constructing houses in certain environmental risk areas, including wetlands and the habitats of endangered species. The organization, alongside state and local governments, also offers numerous assistance programs to help home-builders use materials that reduce environmental impact and energy usage. Federal, state and city governments impose eco-friendly building codes that encourage everything from energy-efficient heating systems to water-efficient plumbing to indoor pollutant control.

 
Turning Green

Solar Panel

 
To reduce your home's impact on the environment, you can turn to green, sustainable building methods. These methods include the use of recycled or post-consumer content and easily renewable resources such as certified wood and locally available components. Non-toxic building materials materials and products that emit minimal amounts of volatile organic compounds reduce harmful chemical emissions, while solar panels and water-conserving plumbing fixtures reduce long-term energy use.


Benefits
Green construction methods not only help you meet building codes and regulations and make for energy-efficient homes, the process positively effects the surrounding environment. Green building helps protect local ecosystems and encourage biodiversity, in addition to reducing waste streams and improving local air and water quality. The practice also goes easy on your wallet, resulting in reduced operating costs and maximized life-cycle economic performance for the home, meaning you stand to benefit economically if you choose to sell.

 

Some Green Home Building Ideas

1. Site: When getting property for yourself, take a note of some things that you must foresee before moving in. Firstly, avoid building west facing home. This will keep your home cool as it minimizes sun exposure. Secondly, avoid building home in environmentally sensitive locations such as earthquake or hurricane or flood prone areas. Thirdly, check if public transportation is easily available and local grocery shop is not that far away. This will help you avoid taking your own vehicle every time and will reduce your travel time.

2. Small house is Better: A small home built with eco friendly techniques is going to have smaller environmental impact as against a large home. A house that is too large is likely to cost more to heat and cool. Try to keep the place manageable and cost effective. If you are planning to extend your family and bring in few relatives, you need to put proper resources and accommodation in place.

3. Energy Efficient Equipment: ENERGY STAR label on a piece of equipment states that particular product has been deemed as energy efficient by the Environmental Protection Agency(EPA). ENERGY STAR is becoming well known label and consumers today choose energy star appliances for their homes. These appliances offer significant cost and energy savings without compromising performance.

4. Proper Insulation: Insulation is one of the most important ting that you need to consider while building a green home. Heating and cooling account for 50% of your home’s energy consumption. Air leaks such as around windows, door and duct work is responsible for building’s heat loss. Don’t let heating and cooling of your interior spaces air go waste through improper insulation. Proper insulation will not only reduce your energy consumption but will bring down your electricity bills substantially.

5. Reduce, Reuse, Recycle (3R): Reduce your need for buying new products that are not environment friendly. Reuse your old material such as wood floors, doors, windows in your next home. Recycled materials such as recycled glass, aluminum,  recycled tile, reclaimed lumber, recycled plastic can be used in green home building.

6. Use Sustainable Building Materials: If building a green home is your goal, then using environmentally or eco-friendly products should be on your list which can reduce the impact of construction on the environment. Each and every part of your house such as roofing material, building material, cabinets, counters and insulation to your flooring should be environmentally friendly. Use products such as reclaimed lumber, recycled plastic, recycled glass or natural products such as bamboo, cork and linoleum which are made of natural, renewable materials.

7. Install Solar Panels: Solar energy is clean and renewable source of energy. Solar panels are an emerging and hot technology for people who want to utilize the natural power all around us, the sun.  Solar panels may be expensive at first, but the long-term savings you can put into your pocket is a stunning example of the benefits of turning your life from black to green. The location of your house and the way you have constructed solar panels can determine how much power you can collect. By taking advantage of solar power you can bring down your energy consumption and supply excess energy, if any, to your utility company. Also, government grants, incentives and tax breaks are huge bonus to those who want to use solar power in their home.

8. Energy Star Windows: Energy efficient windows labeled as ENERGY STAR windows are new player in window market and are much more energy efficient than normal windows. The ratings for these windows determine how energy efficient they will be. The lower the rating, the more energy efficient are your windows. The energy savings provided by these windows are enough to cover the added cost per window.

9. Rainwater Harvesting Systems and Tank-less Water Heaters: Install a rainwater harvesting system while building your green home to collect rainwater from roofs and then storing it in a tank. The collected water can then be used for other purposes such as toilets and sprinkler systems. Rain barrels are one of the most common methods of rainwater harvesting being used today. With tank less water heaters, you need not wait for the water to get heated. Tank-less water heaters heat only that much water that is needed as it is passed through electric coil. This gives you twin benefits. Firstly, it eliminates excess energy costs as it heats up only that much amount of water that is needed and secondly, you can get ample storage place by eliminating the hot water tank.

10. Eco-Friendly Lighting: Both LED and CFL cost more upfront but use less energy and last longer than traditional incandescent bulbs. Since they offer significant cost savings in the long run, they can be ideal for your new green home.

BOREHOLE BECOMES A TICKING TIME BOMB

Borehole becomes a ticking time bomb

Drilling Borehole

When a borehole is drilled to tap in to groundwater resources  a lot of consideration as to be given to the likely availability of groundwater and the likely chemical characteristics of the water via borehole prognosis. However, a lot of consideration should also be given to how to properly construct the borehole and the associated infrastructure and the likely effect that the work will have on the groundwater. When drilling a borehole we should recognise that the drilling works will have an impact on the groundwater.


Initially as drilling progresses toward the groundwater table the groundwater will be suppressed as a result of the downward pressure being exerted by the drilling. Once a water strike has occurred and the water table has been intercepted we have exposed a controlled water and it is therefore important that all works from this point forward protect the water both for the sake of the proposed use, such as drinking water, but also to protect the environment. Any additives used need to be suitable and not potentially damaging. Sealants and materials used to construct the borehole have to be used appropriately to ensure that they do not contaminate the groundwater.

Drilling of Borehole in process

Nigeria with a population of well over 140 million people, less than 20 percent of Nigerians have access to potable water. While it falls under the care of governments at all levels to provide this water that is essential of life, through the Ministry of Water resources, the reverse is the case, as citizens have over the years resorted to providing for their domestic use of water through the construction of boreholes. But this alternative source of water for domestic, agricultural and industrial purposes, appears to constitute a looming danger for Nigerians.

Every intending property owner in Nigeria considers it a necessity, given that government at all levels have failed to provide potable water for its citizens. An attempt to stop providing boreholes in any apartment, literarily translates to denying occupants of that apartment or residents of that community access to potable water. Hence, construction of boreholes has become a norm for most families, governments and communities in Nigeria.

Because of increased pumping, groundwater levels are reaching record lows up to 100 feet (30 meters) lower than previous records. Department of Water Resources Director Mark Cowin said in a statement. "As extensive groundwater pumping continues, the land is sinking more rapidly and this puts nearby infrastructure at greater risk of costly damage."

Operational Discharge of produced water

NASA compared satellite images taken of Earth's surface over time to discover this increased rate of subsidence. Interferometric synthetic aperture radar (INSAR) observations from satellite and aircraft platforms have been used over the past few years to produce maps of subsidence with approximately centimeter-level accuracy.Operational discharges of produced water and drill cuttings from offshore oil and gas platforms are a continuous source of contaminants to continental shelf ecosystems. Alkylphenols (AP) and polyaromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) from produced water accumulate in cod and blue mussel caged near outlets, but are rapidly metabolized in cod. APs, naphtenic acids, and PAHs may disturb reproductive functions, and affect several chemical, biochemical and genetic biomarkers.

What do u think can be done to this issue of borehole drilling. Please comment below.

GROUND WATER CONTERMINATION

Groundwater Contamination

Over 50% of the world population depends on groundwater for drinking water. Groundwater is one of our most important sources of water for irrigation. Unfortunately, groundwater is susceptible to pollution by human activities.






Potential Threats

Chemical discharged into water system

Groundwater contamination occurs when man-made products such as gasoline, oil, road salts and chemicals get into the groundwater and cause it to become unsafe and unfit for human use.Materials from the land's surface can move through the soil and end up in the groundwater. For example, pesticides and fertilizers can find their way into groundwater supplies over time. Road salt, toxic substances from mining sites, and used motor oil also gets into groundwater. Moreso Untreated waste from septic tanks and toxic chemicals from underground storage tanks and leaky landfills also contaminate groundwater.

Dangers Of Contaminated Groundwater

Drinking contaminated groundwater

Drinking contaminated groundwater is highly hazardous to human and animal health. Diseases such as hepatitis and dysentery may be caused by contamination from septic tank waste. Poisoning may be caused by toxins that have leached into well water supplies. Other long term effects such as certain types of cancer also result from exposure to polluted water.





SOURCES OF GROUNDWATER CONTAMINATION

Storage Tanks

Leaking Storage tank

Storage tanks May contain gasoline, oil, chemicals, or other types of liquids and they can either be above or below ground. There are estimated to be over 10 million storage tanks buried in the United States and over time the tanks can corrode, crack and develop leaks. If the contaminants leak out and get into the groundwater, serious contamination can occur.
 


 



 Septic Systems

An Improper Septic System

Onsite wastewater disposal systems used by homes, offices or other buildings that are not connected to a city sewer system. Septic systems are designed to slowly drain away human waste underground at a slow, harmless rate. An improperly designed, located, constructed, or maintained septic system can leak bacteria, viruses, household chemicals, and other contaminants into the groundwater causing serious problems.
   



Uncontrolled Hazardous Waste

Hazardous Waste

In the U.S. today, there are thought to be over 20,000 known abandoned and uncontrolled hazardous waste sites and the numbers grow every year. Hazardous waste sites can lead to groundwater contamination if there are barrels or other containers laying around that are full of hazardous materials. If there is a leak, these contaminants can eventually make their way down through the soil and into the groundwater.
  




Landfills

Landfill Site

Landfills are the places that our garbage is taken to be buried. Landfills should have a protective bottom layer to prevent contaminants from getting into the water. However, if there is no layer or it is cracked, contaminants from the landfill (car battery acid, paint, household cleaners, etc.) will make their way down into the groundwater.
   











Chemicals and Road Salts

Workers applying Road Salts

The widespread use of chemicals and road salts is another source of groundwater contamination. Chemicals include products used on lawns and farm fields to kill weeds and insects and to fertilize plants, and other products used in homes and businesses. When it rains, these chemicals are washed into the ground and eventually into the water. Road salts are used in the wintertime to put melt ice on roads to keep cars from sliding around. When the ice melts, the salt gets washed off the roads and eventually ends up in the water.
  

Atmospheric Contaminants

Industrial Exhaustion

Groundwater is part of the hydrological cycle, contaminants in other parts of the cycle, such as the atmosphere or bodies of surface water will eventually eventually be transferred into our groundwater supplies.

We should apply more caution in our waste disposal procedures.

ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT OF INTERNET

 Is the Internet Affecting our Environment?

You have change your truck to an economy car, your 100-watts for CFLs, and your garbage disposal for the added trouble of a compost bucket, just for reducing carbon emissions and saving the world.  But another global warming culprit you might not have considered is your computer. More specifically, the internet surfing that you do with that computer.


In 2009, Harvard physicist Alex Wissner-Gross calculated the carbon emissions associated with individual Google searches. Although negligible on their own, the cumulative effect of all that internet time is a “definite environmental impact” that has long gone overlooked.

 Are you thinking is a joke? Take a look at some of the facts:

1.    Every second someone is browsing a simple web site, roughly 20 milligrams of CO2 are generated. Comparably, an air-freighted orange generates 1kg, or     one million milligrams, of carbon emissions.

2.    35 billion minutes are logged online every month from users around the world, according to data compiled earlier this year by Go-Gulf.com.
        According to anti-virus software firm McAfee, the electricity used to transmit the trillions of spam sent over the course of one year is equivalent to the amount of electricity needed to power more than two million homes. Simultaneously, the carbon output equates to that of three million cars!
  
3.    The global IT industry generates as much greenhouse gas as the world’s airlines according to research firm Gartner.

The reality is crystal clear.  When you hop onto Google and type in a search, the results don’t just appear magically out of nowhere. All of that information on the web isn’t simply floating out in the great unknown waiting to be plucked.

Instead, your query is shot through massive data center buildings that house thousands upon thousands of servers, each of which store some of the information available on the web. Each of those servers also requires a considerable amount of energy to function. The more data they have to filter through and subsequently transmit, the more energy is used, the more greenhouse gas emissions are generated.

All of this leads us to believe that our IT industry leaders play a pivotal role in the future of our environment and they need to take that responsibility seriously. So far, organizations like Google seem to be responding appropriately, taking steps to minimize, if not reduce, their environmental impact. For instance, after having spent nearly $1 billion in renewable energy methods, Google data centers use 50% less energy than typical data centers. Yahoo also seems to be taking their duties in stride, making Newsweek’s top 10 list of greenest companies in America due to their efforts of green volunteer initiatives, energy efficient data centers, and their sponsored site Yahoo! Green.

But while these specific industry leaders have taken a stand, what about other search engines and tech organizations? After all, even the lesser-known firms still wield significant power over the future of our Earth. Thus, while it may be no small goal for every web-based firm to respond to their environmental impact, it is certainly a necessary one.

So, what can be done to reduce the environmental impact of the internet? Many of the companies involved in building and operating the data centers, the brains of the internet, have been working on improving data center efficiency for several years. Processors have increased in computing power, while decreasing in energy demand, and new ways have been developed to keep massive server farms cool. Server farms can be located near hydroelectric facilities or other sources of renewable energy and the can be built in the arctic circle to take advantage of natural cooling.

On an individual level it is important to simply be aware that using the internet is not "carbon neutral" and don't leave your computer on when you aren't using it.

THE ENVIRONMENTAL COST OF TOMATOES IN YOUR FOOD

The Environmental Cost of the Tomato


It takes less energy to import tomatoes from Spain than to grow them in Britain, says a report which claims that "food miles" are not always a bad thing. Food has been traveling longer distances between the farmer and the consumer for the past 50 years, according to the independent report commissioned by the Government.

The increase is a result of the globalization of the food industry, the trend towards bigger farms at home, the centralization of supermarkets' distribution networks and out-of-town shopping by car.

The study on food miles carried out for the Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs by AEA Technology says food transport is a significant and growing source of road accident, noise and pollution . According to the report the environmental and social costs of food transport are £9 billion a year. More than half of this (£5 billion) is due to road congestion and £2 billion is due to accidents - more than 300 people are killed transporting food every year.

Yet food miles are not always a valid test of environmental friendliness, says the report. They are "too simple a concept" to capture the impact of its transportation. For example, the report says, it takes less energy to import tomatoes from Spain, where the climate is warmer and no heating is used, than to grow them out of season in gas-heated greenhouses in Britain.

Gas heated greenhouse

The environmental cost of importing organic wheat is lower than producing wheat by conventional methods at home - provided that not too much fuel is used moving it around when it gets here.

The report shows that the mode of transport makes a great difference. Large tonnages of food can be imported from far away by sea at low environmental cost. Air transport, however, produces high amounts of pollution for the low tonnages of goods it brings. Food air transport has more than doubled since 1992, and represents 11 per cent of all carbon dioxide emissions into the atmosphere.

Transporting tomatoes

 Yet the highest mileage traveled by food is in the car. Consumers now drive an average of nearly 900 miles a year to shop for food.

The bulk of all emissions comes from heavy goods vehicles. Carbon dioxide emissions from food transport increased by 12 per cent from 1992 to 2002. By contrast, local air pollution from nitrogen oxides and particulates declined over this period.

Lord Bach, the food and farming minister, said: "It is clear that organic and seasonally-available food can reduce environmental impacts but that these can be offset by the way they are transported to the consumers." He added: "We don't want to act as a nanny state, but every citizen does have to know the impact of what they are doing."



Vicky Hird, of Friends of the Earth, said: "Asking the food companies to make lorries a bit more efficient is irrelevant when those lorries are making unnecessary journeys.

"To suggest that locally-sourced food may generate more food miles is ludicrous. Locally produced food is far better for food miles, but it must be planned and supported by local and national government to find the most efficient methods."

THE UNSEEN COST OF FOSSIL FUELS

                                                The UNSEEN Cost of Fossil Fuels
Fossil fuels—coal, oil, and natural gas—are the world primary source of energy. Some of the costs of using these fuels are obvious, such as the cost of labor to mine for coal or drill for oil, of labor and materials to build energy-generating plants, and of transportation of coal and oil to the plants. These costs are included in our electricity bills or in the purchase price of fuel for cars.But some energy costs are not included in consumer utility or gas bills, nor are they paid for by the companies that produce or sell the energy. These include human health problems caused by air pollution from the burning of coal and oil; damage to land from coal mining and to miners from black lung disease; environmental degradation caused by global warming, acid rain, and water pollution; and national security costs, such as protecting foreign sources of oil.

Since such costs are not direct and difficult to determine, they have conservatively remained outcast to the energy pricing system, and are thus often referred to as externalities. And since the producers and the users of energy do not pay for these costs, society as a whole must pay for them. But this pricing system masks the true costs of fossil fuels and results in damage to human health, the environment, and the economy.

Environmental Impacts of Fossil Fuel Use

Most of the environmental problems our country faces today result from our fossil fuel dependence. These impacts include global warming, air quality deterioration, oil spills, and acid rain.

Global Warming



 Among the gases emitted when fossil fuels are burned, one of the most significant is carbon dioxide, a gas that traps heat in the earth's atmosphere. Over the last 150 years, burning fossil fuels has resulted in more than a 25 percent increase in the amount of carbon dioxide in our atmosphere. Fossil fuels are also implicated in increased levels of atmospheric methane and nitrous oxide, although they are not the major source of these gases.Since the era of rekiable records in the late 1800s, the global average surface temperature has risen 0.5-1.1 degrees Fahrenheit (0.3-0.6 degrees Celsius).

Scientists with the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change concluded in a 1995 report that the observed increase in global average temperature over the last century "is unlikely to be entirely natural in origin" and that "the balance of evidence suggests that there is a discernible human influence on global climate."

Climate scientists predict that if carbondioxide levels continue to elevate, the planet will become warmer in the next century. Projected temperature increases will most likely result in a variety of impacts. In coastal areas, sea-level rise due to the warming of the oceans and the melting of glaciers may lead to the inundation of wetlands, river deltas, and even populated areas. Altered weather patterns may result in more extreme weather events. And inland agricultural zones could suffer an increase in the frequency of droughts.

Air Pollution


Clean air is mandatory to life and good health. Many important pollutants are produced by fossil fuel combustion: carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxides, sulfur oxides, and hydrocarbons. In addition, total suspended particulates contribute to air pollution, and nitrogen oxides and hydrocarbons can combine in the atmosphere to form tropospheric ozone, the major constituent of smog.

Carbon monoxide is a gas produced as a by-product during the incomplete combustion of all fossil fuels. Exposure to carbon monoxide can cause headaches and place additional stress on people with heart disease. Cars and trucks are the primary source of carbon monoxide emissions.

Two oxides of nitrogen, nitrogen dioxide and nitric oxide are formed in combustion. Nitrogen oxides appear as yellowish-brown clouds over many city skylines. They can irritate the lungs, cause bronchitis and pneumonia, and decrease resistance to respiratory infections. They also lead to the formation of smog. The transportation sector is responsible for close to half of the US emissions of nitrogen oxides; power plants produce most of the rest.

Sulfur oxides are produced by the oxidization of the available sulfur in a fuel. Utilities that use coal to generate electricity produce two-thirds of the nation's sulfur dioxide emissions. Nitrogen oxides and sulfur oxides are major constituents of acid rain. These gases combine with water vapor in clouds to form sulfuric and nitric acids, which become part of rain and snow. As the acids accumulate, lakes and rivers become too acidic for plant and animal life. Acid rain also affects crops and buildings.

Hydrocarbons are a broad class of pollutants made up of hundreds of specific compounds containing carbon and hydrogen. The simplest hydrocarbon, methane, does not readily react with nitrogen oxides to form smog, but most other hydrocarbons do. Hydrocarbons are emitted from human-made sources such as auto and truck exhaust, evaporation of gasoline and solvents, and petroleum refining.The white haze that can be seen over many cities is tropospheric ozone, or smog. This gas is not released directly into the air; rather, it is formed when ozone precursors mainly non methane hydrocarbons and nitrogen oxides react in the presence of heat and sunlight. Human exposure to ozone can produce shortness of breath and, over time, permanent lung damage. Research shows that ozone may be harmful at levels even lower than the current federal air standard. In  addition, it can reduce crop yields.

Finally, fossil fuel use also produces particulates, including dust, soot, smoke, and other suspended matter, which are respiratory irritants. In addition, particulates may contribute to acid rain formation.

Water and Land Pollution


Production, transportation, and use of oil cause water pollution. Oil spills, for example, leave waterways and their surrounding shores uninhabitable for some time. Such spills often result in the loss of plant and animal life. Coal mining also contributes to water pollution. Coal contains pyrite, a sulfur compound; as water washes through mines, this compound forms a dilute acid, which is then washed into nearby rivers and streams.

Coal mining, especially strip mining, affects the area that is being mined. Characteristically, the material closest to the coal is acidic. After the mining is completed, the land will remain barren unless special precautions are taken to ensure that proper topsoil is used when the area is replanted. Materials other than coal are also brought to the surface in the coal mining process, and these are left as solid wastes. As the coal itself is washed, more waste material is left. Finally, as the coal is burned, the remaining ash is left as a waste product.

Thermal Pollution


During the electricity-generation process, burning fossil fuels produce heat energy, some of which is used to generate electricity. Because the process is inefficient, much of the heat is released to the atmosphere or to water that is used as a coolant. Heated air is not a problem, but heated water, once returned to rivers or lakes, can upset the aquatic ecosystem.




National Security Impacts of Fossil Fuel Use

Our nation's fossil fuel dependence means that, to ensure our supply, we may be forced to protect foreign sources of oil. The Persian Gulf War is a perfect example: US troops were sent to the Gulf in part to guard against a possible cutoff of our oil supply. Although the war is over, through taxes we continue topay for protecting oil supplies with our armed forces. Not only were billions of dollars spent in protecting the oil, but lives were lost as well.

Reliance on Middle East oil also creates a danger of fuel price shocks or shortages if supply is disrupted. Today, about one-third of US oil comes from the
Middle East. By 2030, if energy policy is not changed it might increase to two-third.