Finding Balance

Posts Tagged ‘environment’

 Algae fuel is the hottest topic going in an eco-friendly world. It’s also called algal fuel, oilgae, algaeoleum and third-generation bio fuel. Algae and other organisms capture carbon dioxide and sunlight and convert it into oxygen and biomass (photosynthesis).

Approximately 99% of the carbon dioxide can be converted. This was shown in 1992 by Weissman and Tillett in large open-pond systems. As of 2008, this type of fuel is still too expensive to replace commercial fuels. However, several companies and government agencies are funding efforts to reduce operating costs and make the production of algae oil viable.

Due to the economic problems in the world, high oil prices and other bio fuel sources, interest has grown in farming algae (algaculture). Fresh water sources are not affected: it can be produced by using ocean and waste water and are highly biodegradable and relatively harmless to the environment.

Oil comes from millions of years of buildup from algae and other natural residues and is buried, compressed and drilled. It is figured that this supply will be depleted on 300 years so alternative forms of energy have to be looked at. Research has shown that algae could supply enough fuel to meet all of America’s transportation needs in the form of biodiesel using only 0.2% of the nations land.

Algae, often called “pond scum” is the ultimate in renewal energy and 20 patents are held by Glen Kertz, a plant physiologist and entrepreneur. The U.S. Department of Energy studies using algae as an alternative fuel from 1978 to 1996 but it was decided that algae oil could never complete economically with fossil fuels

 The Pink Dolphin, also known as botos is a friendly animal whose only enemy is human. They live in the rivers of the Amazon. Their brain capacity is more than 40% greater than humans, but they still get hurt and killed by them and are now an endangered species because of this. Their pink color comes from the water it lives in, the food it eats and capillaries close to the surface of the skin. The rain forests where the Pink Dolphins live are endangered because of human destruction and chemical dumping in rivers. Pink Dolphins are also caught in fishing nets. To try and help stop the decline in their numbers, many captive breeding programs have been started.

The dolphins have a long beak to get prey and small eyes which help them see well in the water. Pink Dolphins can swim at a speed of up to 20 mph. They have very little to protect themselves. They might use their flippers (also used for mating) and their long beaks. Their best protection is staying in a pod or group. When in danger, the dolphins can make squeaking sounds to call to it’s pod. Pink Dolphins eat large quantities of food every day. Not liking to eat alone, they’ll make a loud sound to call the rest of their pod. They enjoy crustaceans, catfish and small water fish. At night, they search for zooplankton.

The dolphins are similar to grey dolphins but have some differences. It doesn’t have a dorsal fin. Instead it has a hump on it’s back. The Pink Dolphin’s tail is bigger and it has two flippers that look like leaves. The neck is long and there is a little hump in the forehead and it has the ability to turn it’s head 180 degrees.

“Up! Up! Up! That’s the only way electricity  prices have been going in past years. But, it’s not a hopeless cause. There IS something that you can do to help reduce your energy costs and help the environment at the same time: solar panels  In a post I did 12/14/2009, I mentioned that Leonardo DiCaprio has been committed to the “green movement” for years and practices what he preaches. He has rotating solar panelsin his $9M environmentally correct apartment in New York that provide 10% of his power. In his documentary “11th Hour” that he made with many prominent thinkers including Mikhail Gorbachev  and Stephen Hawking, Leonardo  focused on the problems facing the planet’s life systems  including global warming, deforestation, species extinction and depletion of ocean inhabitants.

Now is the perfect time to get solar panels installed to take advantage of the residential Federal tax credit of up to 30% plus state solar rebates. Besides the financial aspect, there are other benefits derived from the panels including getting energy from the sun which is a renewable  free source.