Entry #10--Carbon Footprint

Carbon footprint calculator::

If everyone lived like me we would need 6.6 planet earths to provide enough resources.

The breakdown of my ecological footprint::
-30% services
-30% food
-20% mobility
-5%shelter
-5% goods

To support my lifestyle it takes 29.2 global acres of the Earth's productive area
-34 tons of carbon dioxide

Behavior Modifications:
-eat more locally grown food
-not drive around as much or car pool
-have a more ecologically friendly car

These are just a few different things that I think I can do on my own to help reduce my carbon footprint, judging by the quiz we took and the the questions that were asked in it.

#9--Energy

Alternate energy does not emit carbon dioxide and have no undesired consequences.  By 2050, one-third of the world's energy will need to come from solar, wind, and other renewable resources.  These include Biomass Energy, Wind Energy, Solar Energy, Geothermal Energy, Hydroelectric Energy sources.  From an environmental perspective, solar power is the best thing going. A 1.5 kilowatt PV system will keep more than 110,000 pounds of carbon dioxide, the chief greenhouse gas, out of the atmosphere over the next 25 years. The same solar system will also prevent the need to burn 60,000 pounds of coal. With solar, there's no acid rain, no urban smog, no pollution of any kind.

I am all for getting away from fossil fuel.  Its’ emissions are horrible and worsening day by day.  There are so many alternatives that are coming more into perspective.  As time passes these alternatives will be used more. 

Reduce the Carbon Footprint of Your Car

Maintenance - Keep your car tuned up and running efficiently. 
More Maintenance - Replace your air, oil and fuel filters according to schedule. 
Tires - Keep your tires properly inflated (just this can save 400-700 pounds of CO₂ per year). 
Drive better - Studies have shown up to 30% of the difference in miles per gallon (MPG) is due to driving habits alone.  You could save more than a ton of CO₂ per year by:
  - Accelerating slowly and smoothly
  - Driving the speed limit
  - Maintaining a steady speed
  - Anticipating your stops and starts
Make your next vehicle a fuel-efficient one Household fuel efficiency - If your household has two cars and one is used mostly for commuting, make the commuting car a real gas sipper if you can’t for both.

Reduce the Carbon Footprint of Your Travel

Combine your trip with another. 
Carpool - Just once a week saves 20%.
Check out your transit options - It may not work for you every time, but use it when it does.
What about your bike? - Get in shape, too! 
Only a mile? - Walk.
Think it through - Do you need to take this trip at all? 
Get it on the Internet. 
Optimize - Save this trip for later and combine with another. 
Telecommute - Work from home occasionally.

Reduce the Carbon Footprint of Your Air Travel

Think about the trip - Can you combine it with another or get more done on one trip? 
Train - For some trips the train may be a good choice for you.
Fly nonstop - Nonstop flights are better than connecting flights (for many reasons). 
When you get there - Do some research ahead of time to find better ground travel options (shuttles, transit, trains, etc.) at your destination. 
Lodging - Ask your hotel about their environmental commitment and steps they’re taking to reduce, offset.
While you’re away - Turn your stuff off.  Turn down your thermostat and your water heater; turn off your electronics

 

Reduce the Carbon Footprint of Your Home

Programmable thermostat – Costs about $50 or less and will save you that much or more in the first year.
Weatherstripping and Caulking – Costs almost nothing while reducing your energy use, reducing drafts and improving comfort.   

Lighting – Compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs) have that cool curly shape and save more than 2/3rds of the energy of a regular incandescent.  Each bulb can save $40 or more over its lifetime.  Read the box or instructions for safe disposal.

Heating and Cooling - Keep your heating and cooling system(s) tuned.  When it’s time to replace, do your research and ask for ENERGY STAR.
Insulation – Weatherstripping, caulking and insulation work together to save you energy, improve the comfort of your home, make it quieter and help you save money. 
Water-Conserving Showerheads & Toilets – You can reduce water and heating costs, even in your bathroom. To save even more water, turn the faucet off when brushing or shaving. These simple changes and steps can save many thousands of gallons of water annually.

Appliances – Always pay attention to the total lifetime cost, including energy—not just the price tag.  Look for the ENERGY STAR label
Bigger isn’t always better - Just get the size you need; do you really need that extra refrigerator in the basement?
Electronics – Likewise, look for ENERGY STAR. And do like your Mom said- turn things off. If you’re going away or not using an item for awhile, unplug it to prevent “vampire” energy loss from electricity usage on standby.

Windows – These can be expensive, but when it’s time to replace them, make sure they are ENERGY STAR rated.
Solar – We love solar, but make sure you reduce your energy load first to keep your costs down.
New Home – Consider an energy-efficient

#8--Climate Change

Climate change is a significant and lasting change in the statistical distribution of weather patterns over periods ranging from decades to millions of years. It may be a change in average weather conditions or the distribution of events around that average.  Climate changes in response to changes in the global energy balance. On the broadest scale, the rate at which energy is received from the sun and the rate at which it is lost to space determine the equilibrium temperature and climate of Earth. This energy is then distributed around the globe by winds, ocean currents, and other mechanisms to affect the climates of different regions.  Factors that can shape climate are called "forcing mechanisms" that include such processes as variations in solar radiation, deviations in the Earth's orbit, mountain-building and continental drift, and changes in greenhouse gas concentrations. There are a variety of climate change feedbacks that can either amplify or diminish the initial forcing. Some parts of the climate system, such as the oceans and ice caps, respond slowly in reaction to climate forcings, while others respond more quickly.  Forcing mechanisms can be either "internal" or "external". Internal forcing mechanisms are natural processes within the climate system itself and external forcing mechanisms can be either natural or anthropogenic.

I do not feel the need to alter my lifestyle because of global warming at all. There are so many factors that contribute to this process naturally and very little from actual mankind.  I do think that this will continue and eventually will become a major problem further down the road and will affect my future family members.  We can not live our life scared of everything and watching our backs constantly with what "can" happen. There are things that we can do to help keep global warming from happening as quickly but we will never be able to 100% keep it from happening. 

#7--GM Eucalyptus

Eucalyptus is a diverse genus of flowering in the myrtle family.  Members of the genus dominate the tree flora of Australia. There are more than 700 species of Eucalyptus, mostly native to Australia, and a very small number are found in adjacent areas of New Guinea and Indonesia and north to the Philippines. Only 15 species occur outside Australia, and only 9 do not occur in Australia. Species of Eucalyptus are cultivated throughout the tropics and subtropics including the Americas, Europe, Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East, China and the Indian Subcontinent. They are known as gum trees because many species exude copious sap from any break in the bark.  Eucalyptus species have desirable traits such as being fast-growing sources of wood, producing oil that can be used for cleaning and functions as a natural insecticide, or an ability to be used to drain swamps and thereby reduce the risk of malaria. Outside their natural ranges, eucalypts are both lauded for their beneficial economic impact on poor populations and derided for being invasive water-suckers.

Most eucalypts are not tolerant of frost, or only tolerate light frosts down to −5 °C (23 °F); the hardiest are the so-called Snow Gums, such as Eucalyptus pauciflora which is capable of withstanding cold and frost down to about −20 °C (−4 °F). Several other species, especially from the high plateau and mountains of central Tasmania have produced extreme cold-hardy forms and it is seed procured from these genetically hardy strains that are planted for ornament in colder parts of the world.

Due to similar favorable climatic conditions, Eucalyptus plantations have often replaced oak woodlands, for example in California, Spain and Portugal. The resulting monocultures have raised concerns about loss of biological diversity, through loss of acorns that mammals and birds feed on, absence of hollows that in oak trees provide shelter and nesting sites for birds and small mammals and for bee colonies, as well as lack of downed trees in managed plantations. Monarch butterflies use eucalyptus in California for over-wintering, but in some locations have a preference for Monterey pines.

In the 1850s, Eucalyptus trees were introduced to California by Australians during the California Gold Rush. Much of California has a similar climate to parts of Australia. By the early 1900s, thousands of acres of eucalypts were planted with the encouragement of the state government. It was hoped that they would provide a renewable source of timber for construction, furniture making and railroad ties. It was soon found that for the latter purpose eucalyptus was particularly unsuitable, as the ties made from eucalyptus had a tendency to twist while drying, and the dried ties were so tough that it was nearly impossible to hammer rail spikes into them.

The U.S. government is set to approve a request from ArborGen, the genetically engineered (GE) tree research and development giant, for permission to plant 260,000 GE cold tolerant eucalyptus trees in 29 “field trials” across seven southern U.S. states.   Approval of such a large-scale planting of these dangerous flowering GE forest trees in the U.S. is completely unprecedented.  The GE eucalyptus would be allowed to flower and produce seeds, enabling them to potentially escape into native ecosystems and forests.

Eucalyptus is internationally known for their devastating impacts–from invasiveness to wildfires to their ability to worsen droughts.  Additionally, eucalyptus grandis, one of the species in the GE eucalyptus hybrid, is also a known host to Cryptococcus gattii, a fungus that can cause fatal fungal meningitis in people and animals that inhale its spores. In Brazil, eucalyptus plantations are known as ‘green deserts’ because they do not allow anything else to live.

In my opinion, I do noth think that this would be a good idea at all.  There are way too many risks and negative aspects of doing this.  With this plant producing so much oil and having a high risk of catching fire, why would we want to plant this in a warm climate where these risks are pretty much guaranteed to happen?  Also, we have too many "special" plants in the south.  If we were to take an invasive plant, it could possibly kill of many of the unique plant species that make the south special.