Paving Our Way Out of Nature

It's estimated by the University of Georgia that Atlanta and the metro area is now paving over 55 acres a day, which is causing a reduction in trees, plants creeks and wildlife. According to experts from UGA, this is not good planning for Atlanta and will cause drastic effects.

Some of these effects include runoff from too much pavement and not enough soil to soak up water. This leads to flooding due to an increase in sediment and could possibly result in the pollution of bodies of water that lie near by. Lake Lanier and Lake Allatoona are prime examples of polluted bodies of water caused by storm runoff.

An increase in pavemnet also worsens smog and low-level ozone by elevating the heat level after cars and industrial factories pollute the air. Since the pavement is ridding us of many tress there's less shade which results in higher temperatures and less trees also results in the decresae of ability to filter out pollution.

More development is due to the influx of people, that has caused a huge population growth. I remember when I was growing up in the 80s, our subdivison (not really a subdivision then) ended at my neighbor's house now there are several more houses and streets that have been added, just in the past ten years. And with more houses and people comes more shopping malls and etc.

But what do you do, tell people to stop moving here? Looks like a problem that can't really be solved; you can only put restrictions and guidelines on developers and make sure they follow through. All we can really hope for is that each person does their part to become more environementally conscious and conservative.

Make Your Yard a Prettier and More Inviting Place this Spring

Not only is Spring a great time for lemonade and cleaning, but it's also a wonderful time to start planting a garden. To make the best garden for your home you should consider a few things first before you start buying and planting: Purpose of your garden, constraints you may have (weather, soil etc.), analyze the site at where you would be placing the garden (sunlight, tress, soil), and style of your garden (what best compliments your house, personality and taste).

Some other questions you should ask relate to who and what you're planting your garden for:

Will you be entertaining in or near the garden and need paths or patios?

Are you looking for privacy from a busy street or neighbors?

Is this a space small children should be comfortable in?

Will you be viewing it mostly in the morning, afternoon or evening?

Is it your own private space or on public view?

Would you like to attract more birds and butterflies into your yard?

Are you trying to create a view from inside the house?

Will it be used for cutting flowers?

If you feel you are totally uncreative and uninventive you should go look at some gardening magazines and maybe get ideas from people you know who already have gardens in your area. Another helpful tip is looking at newspapers and magazines in or near your location that have the same climate as you, so you will have information and gardening catered to that particular area. If you live in Georgia like myself, you can look at the AJC Home and Garden, or Georgia Gardening for ideas, advice and tips for your garden.

Energy Efficiency

Energy efficiency is not only helps save and help the environment but it also saves and helps your wallet. By using energy efficient products for your home, it's estimated that you can save up to 30 percent or more on your power bill. The average American household spends 1,500 dollars on their power bill annually and if this is reduced by one third the average American would save 500 dollars a year.

Most of the energy that we consume is produced by power plants that burn fossil fuels, which causes pollution. The pollution attributed to this energy causes smog, acid rain, global warming and some households even produce twice as much greenhouse gases than the average car!!
Hopefully your are not one of the households that put out more harmful gases into the air than a car, but if you are, there are ways to fix this problem. By purchasing and choosing energy efficient products that best fit your house and climate you will produce less harmful pollutants and save energy and money.

Some of the major tips for conserving energy are making sure all attic ducts and vents are sealed properly (this could save up to 140 dollars a month), replace air filters once a month, and replace traditional light bulbs and light fixtures with compact fluorescent lighting.
Now that we are about to endure the scorching heat this summer, it's important to start energy efficiency now, since most homes tend to spend more this time a year, especially here in the south. To find out more visit these springtime tips and ask question and do some research before purchasing household products and other items that consume energy.

Smog's Smothering Effects

Now that summer is among us and the temperatures are escalating, so is the smog, especially in larger cities, such as Atlanta. With this comes many health problems, such as asthma, and other respiratory complications.

The smog that is found in the air is a dangerous type of ozone that has a dangerous effect on about one third of the population. This type of ground ozone is enhanced and is seen more in the summer because of the reaction that takes place between the ozone precussors ( harmful pollutants and chemicals put into the air), which is caused predominatly by cars, but also includes industrial factories, and the evaporation of cleaners, paints and other chemicals.

This groundlevel of smog we have acquired is not natural and is only suppose to be seen in the higher elevated parts of our stmosphere to help block ultra violet rays from earth. The ozone we are experiencing on the ground is caused when nitrogen and volatile organic compounds react in sunlight and in heat.

Not only is this type of ozone harmful to humans but it's harmful to plants as well. Smog accounts for 1- 2 billions dollars of damage in U.S. 's crops a year, which also results in inflation of certain fruits and vegetables in the summer.

To help decrese smog in the summer, Air Now recommends that you drive less, car pool, tune your car regularly and tightly seal lids to chemicals. To see if you're at risk or in the sensitive category for repiratory problems attributed by smog visit this site.

Turtles Racing for Their Lives

Now that we have become economically advanced and use many of our natural resources as a means to obtain this success, we have forced many animals out of their homes and many into extinction.

In the Pacific Ocean especially we are now facing a possiblility of putting the Leatherback turtles into extinction as well, due to human activity in the water. Leatherback turtles are the largest turtle in the world and can reach a shell length of 1.7 meters.These species have managed to outlive the dinosaur over 110 million years ago, but may not be able to outlive humans' longline fishing, ocean pollution and global warming.

In the 1980s there was an estimated 115, 000 Leatherback turtles, and now the number may be as low as 25,000. The main problem , concluded by many marine biologists is long line fishing, which entangles the turtle causing injury to its shoulder or flippers , which enables the turtles' ability to swim.
In the late 1980s regulations under the TED (Turtle Excluder Devices), were passed to keep shrimp fleets from trapping and drowning turtles, which did help some Leatherbacks, but the problem still exists today.

There are a few groups such as the Leatherback trust, and the Tagging of Pacific Predators, but from what I've researched there's little being done now to regulate and help with the depletion and possible extinction of this animal.

Sugar Cane a Sweet Source for Energy

Brazil along with many other Latin American countries, have been
fueling their cars from ethanol produced from sugar cane. Brazil began to make changes in 2005 and other countries, including some in Africa, are jumping on the bandwagon.

According to Yale Global Online "The truth is that nobody can compete with Brazil," President Lula (Brazil's president)said recently. "Biodiesel production is a way of making Brazil less dependent on oil, a fuel that may eventually come to an end. This is a vital project for ensuring more independence for Brazil, as we may become a large biodiesel exporter," he said on opening a new biodiesel plant.
Africa hopes to benefit by changing to cleaner fuel as well, since they have plentiful land to harvest to produce the ethanol from sugar cane and certain types of shrubs. Many politicians in Africa believe this could help Africa's struggling economy while at the same time help the environment.

Although there are several positive effects by switching to ethanol, such as a reduction of carbon monoxide; there are also a few negative ones, such as lower gas per mileage and in some cases there is more energy used to produce the ethanol (especially from corn) than there is when consuming the ethanol. Sugar Cane has proven to use less energy in production, but many other countries are using corn, or other materials based on their natural resources. Hopefully the U.S. and other European countries will be able to find a way to produce ethanol more efficiently, but until then we can only work out the kinks and propose new ideas.

The Great American Cleanup

The Great American Cleanup is taking place this weekend and many volunteers in Bulloch County are coming together to “Keep Bulloch Beautiful”. More than 30,000 cleanup events will be taking place across the nation and Bulloch County is one of them.

The Great American Cleanup starts as early as March 1 and continues through May 31. The Keep America Beautiful campaign started in 1999 and soon became active in Georgia. Just last year in 2006, 51,000 Georgians volunteered their time by helping clean, restore, and beautify their communities.

Keep American Beautiful says their main goal is to change people’s attitude and behavior of litter According to their toolbox site there are five main areas that should be explored to become successful and knowledgeable about the problem in a specific community such as Bulloch County.

1. Get the Facts
Research the littering problem (or other community improvement issue) in your community, and gather information from the Litter Index and the Litter/Solid Waste Survey. Interview field professionals and leadership. Assemble all pertinent data in writing.
2. Involve the People
Identify the people who have the most influence over this particular issue. Let them know what you would like to do. Find how it can match their own interests, and capitalize on their interest in developing the program. Let them involve people they know or with whom they work. The volunteer network will spread. Delegation is the key.
3. Plan Systematically
Once the leadership and other key individuals are in agreement, develop a plan of action. Utilizing effective management techniques, the group commits to this plan of action with the aid of Keep America Beautiful programs and resource guides.
4. Focus on Results
Your goal will be to achieve measurable results in litter reduction. All activities and projects should be planned programs designed to target and change negative attitudes and practices.
5. Provide Positive Reinforcement
Give those who worked on the project appropriate recognition. This can take many forms, but a sincere “thank you” is a first step. People must feel positive about their efforts with you if they are to sustain their interest.

This on going event through May, is a great effort in changing and raising awareness about our environment. Hopefully this year, even more people will get involved and even more attitudes and behaviors will be changed about littering.