Environmental Science

Photo Credit: www.sonaversity.org

What is Environmental Science?

Honestly I couldn’t have told you until after I took Dr. Huff’s class. Environmental Science is an interdisciplinary study of how the earth works, how humans interact with the earth and the solution to environmental problems.

For my last and final blog assignment in Dr. Huff’s class I am to discuss the most important environmental issue in my opinion. There are plenty of important environmental issues. But one that I never considered an issue and now realize how important of an issue it is would be population growth. There is definitely a problem with overpopulation and over consumption! I will focus on the overpopulation for this assignment. 

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Overpopulation by the human species, our continuing exponential birth rate and our lack of a biocentrism worldview are having far-reaching and overwhelmingly destructive impacts.

Human overpopulation is having a destructive impact on the environment.  As the population grows, so does its need for resources. Because the Earth has limited resources, when the human population exceeds the Earth's carrying capacity—the maximum number any vessel can carry—environmental degradation is inevitable. The estimated world population is 7,000,000,000 and growing. The human growth rate is 1.2 percent per year. It may not seem like a very high rate. However, even at such a low rate, we are doubling the world's population in less than 50 years. There are 84 million more people on this planet every year—230,000 more every day. This is not the number of births. This is the actual amount of increase—almost 10,000 more people every hour. There were 2,819 deaths reported as a result of the September 11, 2001 attacks on the World Trade Center in New York City. In fewer than 20 minutes, the world population had recovered. The tsunami that hit Asia in December 2004, killing 230,000 people, only impacted the world's population for a day before the numbers were once again the same. Such events are little more than speed bumps on our race to overpopulate.

Photo Credit: ecology110armine2011sp.files

What can I do to help this over-population...start working on my over consumption. If the world would work on their over-consumption then our footprint on the earth would decrease! That is the real issue!

So what can the world do about over population, first of all everyone can stop having so many kids but most importantly stop with over-consumption! We use too much stuff! Everyone needs to use less stuff! Especially us American! My God we consume a lot of stuff!

Photo Credit: www.nicholas.duke

The Human Footprint

As the population grows the amount of resources we must take from the Earth grows as well. Most arable land is now occupied. Humanity has to go farther and farther afield to find the resources it craves. It wasn't that long ago that the thought of drilling for oil in an arctic environment would have been dismissed as an absurdity. The ever-increasing need for natural resources to support an out-of-control population is driving the development of more extreme measures to secure those once out-of-reach fragments left over from the first wave of extractions.

How many people can the Earth support in a sustainable manner? No one knows. The estimates range from a few million to more than 40 billion people. One thing is certain: As we expand, we are actively destroying the Earth's biodiversity. As the first people migrated across the landscape, they left extinctions behind them. As soon as humanity reached the North American continent some 10,000 years ago, we see in the fossil record evidence of the extinction of all mega fauna on the continent. Is this nothing more than a coincidence? Not according to a growing number of anthropologists, who attribute the missing mammals to humans overhunting them. The entire history of humanity is one of environmental destruction and the eradication of other species. This was true when the entire world's population of hominids was only a few million. What else can we expect from a population of several billion?

The Environment's Carrying Capacity

If a population overshoots the carrying capacity of its environment, then the population will crash until it is realigned with the carrying capacity. In the process of overshooting, environmental degradation takes place, the new carrying capacity will be greatly reduced, if not gone altogether disappeared entirely. Eventually the Earth will no longer support a growing population, and what if society subsequently disappeared because of it.

Humanity is now at the point where civilizations are no longer isolated. We are a global species with one global society and, more and more, one global culture. Our destruction is no longer limited to one region or one continent. Everything we do has global ramifications, the likes of which have never been seen before. There is a very real chance that we have already overshot the carrying capacity of the Earth. Only time will tell. There is little chance of us actually physically destroying the Earth, but we seem to be doing our best to destroy our ability (and the ability of countless other species) to live on it. The most important question may not be how we as a species can survive but rather what we can do about our overconsumption! 

Now to consider the most interesting thing I have learned this semester. I haven’t taken a science class in over 25 years, and it was chemistry. 

So the things I learned in this Environmental Science class were very interesting to me. If I had to pick one – well it would be the Earth’s Geologic Process. I find it so interesting that I am going to take Geology in the Fall. God hoping I can get into a night class.

So what is the Earth’s Geologic Process?

Geological processes are dynamic processes at work in the earth's landforms and surfaces. The mechanisms involved, weathering, erosion, and plate tectonics, combine processes that are in some respects destructive and in others constructive.  

Photo Credit: http://finstone

This map shows the major tectonic plates that make up the Earth's crust and the directions in which they are moving. Map adapted from NOAA.

Earth’s Major Tectonic Plates

Simply defined, the term plate tectonics refers to how the Earth's surface is made up of plates. In geology, a plate is a large slab of rock, while tectonics is a word of Greek origin meaning "to build."

The theory of plate tectonics became widely accepted by scientists in the 1960s and 1970s. It revolutionized our understanding of the Earth and unified the Earth sciences, from the study of fossils (paleontology) to the study of earthquakes (seismology).

According to this theory, the Earth's crust is made up of about a dozen plates on which the continents and oceans rest. These plates are continually shifting because the surface beneath them - the hot, soft mantle - is moving slowly like a conveyor belt, driven by heat and other forces at work in the Earth's core. The plates are moving about a centimeter (0.5 in) to 15 centimeters (6 in) per year in different directions.

Vents, Volcanoes & Quakes

The Earth's tectonic plates can move apart, collide, or slide past each other. The Mid-Ocean Ridge system - the Earth's underwater mountain range - arises where the plates are moving apart. As the plates part, the seafloor cracks. Cold seawater seeps down into these cracks, becomes super-heated by magma, and then bursts back out into the ocean, forming hydrothermal vents.

As the plates move farther apart, magma from the Earth's interior percolates up to fill the gap, sometimes leading to the eruption of undersea volcanoes. This process, called seafloor spreading, is how new seafloor is formed.

Conversely, when tectonic plates meet, the force causes mountains to rise and deep trenches to form. When the edge of one plate is forced under another - a process called subduction - it causes intense vibrations in the Earth's crust, producing an earthquake. One of the most violent earthquakes related to plate tectonics struck northeast China in 1976. The disastrous Tangshan quake, registering 7.8 on the Richter scale, killed more than 240,000 people.

Undersea earthquakes and volcanic eruptions can generate catastrophic ocean waves called tsunamis (meaning "harbor wave" in Japanese). During a major quake, the seafloor can move several meters, setting into motion a huge amount of water. The resulting waves may race across the ocean at speeds up to 500 miles per hour. This was the coolest thing I learned!

Reduce My Waste!

Reduce Waste!

Photo Credit: riversideca.gov

This week’s blog assignment for my Environmental Science class with Dr. Huff I am required to keep track of the total amount of waste created by my household. I accumulated the trash into the full size waste basket in my kitchen. My household includes me, my daughter Zoe and my son Jonah. Jonah has a girlfriend that spends a lot of time at our house. For the first three days of the experiment I will include her in the household size. After three days I weighed the trashed and it weighed 10lbs. Here is the deal – we do separate most recyclables, so in addition to the 10lb bag of trash we had a few bags full of empty Gatorade containers, empty water bottles and empty cans of soda.  These were Target bags or grocery size bags. In my defense I will point out the fact that I went grocery shopping so I had some things that were in the frig contributing to the weight of the trash. I had some mangos and cauliflower. Seems like a had a big heavy bag!

Photo Credit: fosteringidahoteens.files

On the second three days my trash weighed less than 7lbs. Like I said I didn’t have any food to through away. However after my research I learned that food can be put in the green waste can or in compost. I don’t have a compost but I am going to make a greater effort to separate my trash. A lot of the time I simply put can’s in the trash, and cans can go into the blue recycle container after a quick rinse out. We eat alot of soup and I have cans for my pet food. I worked the CURE event, which you can find details below, and learned the importance of keeping even large item trash separated. I need to sort through the garbage and keep trash that can be recycled – kept with the recycled. We really try to do the best we can!

Photo Credit: adland.tv

Take a look at that ball! Gees thats alot!
Every year, landfills across the world are packed with thousands of tons of unnecessary trash. Each person in the United States produces an average of 4 pounds of trash every day - wow 4 pounds! Seems like my house isn't doing too bad. Everyone can cut down on the amount of trash their family produces in a few simple ways that only take a little bit of thought and effort.

• Buy whole foods that don't come with packaging. Increasing the amount of fresh produce you eat is healthy for your family as well as the planet. In addition to produce, you can purchase cereal, grains, spices, dried beans and many other grocery items in the bulk section of natural food stores. It's an inexpensive way to stock your pantry, and you can keep it all fresh by storing it in canisters.
• Use reusable tote bags for your purchases every time you go to the store. If you still accumulate plastic bags here and there, many grocery stores have recycling bins for them.
• Buy household products such as laundry detergent, hand soap and cleaning sprays in bulk. By purchasing a few large containers of each product instead of many small containers, you can cut down on the amount that needs to be thrown out.
• Purchase products made of recycled or recyclable materials. These products not only reduce the amount of waste heading to the landfills, they also keep reusable materials in the economy, conserving precious resources.
• Use washable cleaning rags and cloth napkins rather than paper towels and paper napkins. You can make cleaning rags more convenient to use by placing two baskets under your kitchen sink-one for clean rags, and one for dirty rags.
• Check every single package for a "recyclable" symbol before throwing it out. You might be surprised at some of the things you can recycle these days.
• Make a compost pile in your yard for kitchen scraps instead of throwing them away. You'll have extremely rich fertilizer for your garden, at no cost. You can also add yard waste to your compost pile.
• Think before you toss-your trash may be another person's treasure. Online trading communities allow you to trade items of all kinds with other people in your community (see Resources below). You can also donate used goods to local charities.

The sad thing is that everything has become disposal. And it never really goes away! It is so much easier and cheaper to replace something. TV are changed out every few years. Totally sad is computers....computer are disposal now too. Even if it is only a small little part to be replaced people just toss it away rather then upgrade it! What is going on with the World??

Facts about Riverside 

Public Works trash services promote a clean, healthy and beautiful environment through curbside and drop-off trash collections.

Trash, green waste and recyclables are collected on regularly scheduled days of the week and special pick-up services for bulky items, appliances and used oil may be scheduled by residents. 

Curbside services are provided by the city or Burrtec Waste Industries, Inc. for residential customers. Commercial trash services are provided by city-approved haulers.

Drop-off services for electronic waste, bulky items, and other special disposal needs are provided for residents on a regularly-scheduled basis through the CURE program.

The State of California requires cities to attain a target diversion rate based on the number of residents and employees within each city. In 2007, the city exceeded the goal and continues to promote recycling through business, multi-family complexes and residential education and outreach.

Upcoming Events:

Bulky Item / E-Waste Drop-off
8095 Lincoln Ave
9 a.m.-2 p.m.

• June 9, 2012
• September 15, 2012

Incredible Bulk Event:
Bordwell Park, Bryant Park, Collett Ave, Krameria Ave & Riverside Municipal Airport (Locations subject to change)
9 a.m.-2 p.m

• October 20, 2012 

Did You Know? Residents may schedule two free pickups per year. Appointments cannot be on the same day.

To schedule a pick-up, call your service provider:

Burrtec Service: 786-0639

City of Riverside: 826-5311 What is Composting? Photo Credit: riversideca.gov Composting is a natural process where plant parts and other material decompose with the help of fungi, bacteria, and other microorganisms. Composting material includes weeds, lawn and leaf clippings, thatch and chip brush. The process results in a rich and crumbly layer of organic matter called Compost Why Should I Compost? Soil quality is improved by providing necessary nutrients Wet clay soils drain better and sandy soils hold more moisture if amended with compost. Organic matter is always handy for garden use. Composting keeps green waste from filling up overburdened landfills. How Do I Begin Composting? The City of Riverside periodically hosts Backyard Composting Workshops. For more information, please call (951) 826-5311 or (800) 366-SAVE. To get started right away, bins are available for purchase by contacting the Riverside County Waste Management Department at (951) 486-3200.

Climate Change

        So for my blog assignment this week in Dr. Huff’s class I am going to come up with some conclusions about climate change. 

Photo Credit: www.phlorum.com

Climate change refers to any significant change in measures of climate, such as temperature, precipitation, or wind, lasting for an extended period like for decades or longer. Climate change may result from natural factors, such as changes in the sun's intensity or slow changes in the Earth's orbit around the sun. It may result from natural processes within the climate system. An example would be changes in ocean circulation. The of course human activities that change the atmosphere's composition, like through burning fossil fuels, and the land surface, like deforestation, reforestation, urbanization, desertification, etc.

Climate change is a real and urgent challenge that is already affecting people and the environment worldwide. Significant changes are occurring on Earth, including increasing air and ocean temperatures, widespread melting of snow and ice, and rising sea levels. 





The evidence of climate change extends well beyond increase global surface temperatures. It also includes:


• Changing precipitation patterns.
• Melting ice in the Arctic.
• Melting glaciers around the world.
• Increasing ocean temperatures.
• Rising sea level around the world.
• Acidification of the oceans due to elevated carbon dioxide in the atmosphere.
• Responses by plants and animals, such as shifting ranges.

At the current rate, the Earth’s global average temperature is projected to rise from 3 to 7°F by 2100, and it will get even warmer after that. As the climate continues to warm, more changes are expected to occur, and many effects will become more pronounced over time. For example, heat waves are expected to become more common, severe, and longer lasting. Some storms are likely to become stronger and more frequent, increasing the chances of flooding and damage in coastal communities. Climate change will affect different regions, ecosystems, and sectors of the economy in many ways, depending not only on the sensitivity of those systems to climate change, but also on their ability to adapt to risks and changing conditions. Throughout history, societies and ecosystems alike have shown remarkable capacity to respond to risks and adapt to different climates and environmental changes. Today, effects of climate change have already been observed, and the rate of warming has increased in recent decades. For this reason, human-caused climate change represents a serious challenge—one that could require new approaches and ways of thinking to ensure the continued health, welfare, and productivity of society and the natural environment.

Kyoto Protocol

The Kyoto Protocol is an international agreement, signed by 163 countries, that was appended to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change in 1997. The protocol opened for signature in 1997 and entered into force—that is, became law for those countries that had both signed and ratified it—in 2005. The purpose of the protocol is to control the production of six greenhouse gases, most notably carbon dioxide, that are released by agriculture and industry and that many believe are changing the climate of the Earth.

In 1988, the United Nations created the International Panel on Climate Change to study the question of whether the world's weather was becoming warmer or cooler. The first report of the panel was issued in 1990. It affirmed that the Earth was probably warming as a result of human activity. In 1992, the greatest number of national leaders to attend any gathering up to that time met in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, for the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development, also known as the Earth Summit. This group created the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, also known as the Rio Convention. The Rio Convention called for the stabilization of greenhouse-gas emissions by 2000. The United States was among the countries that ratified the Rio Convention.

Starting in 1995, the signatories of the Rio Convention held a meeting called the Conference of Parties every year. The third Conference of Parties was held in Kyoto, Japan, in 1997. Here the Kyoto Protocol to the Rio Convention was negotiated. The Kyoto Protocol called for a more aggressive approach to the reduction of greenhouse gases than the 1990 convention. Specifically, it sought a global reduction of greenhouse-gas emission of five percent from 1990 levels by 2008–2012. Individual country targets varied; Germany agreed to a twenty-five percent cut, the United Kingdom to a fifteen percent cut, and the United States to a seven percent cut. The United States signed the Kyoto Protocol but has neither ratified nor officially withdrawn from it.

Global Warming a Chilling Perspective

Based on the analysis of entrapped air from ice cores extracted from permanent glaciers from various regions around the globe, it has been demonstrated that global warming began 18,000 years ago, accompanied by a steady rise in atmospheric carbon dioxide. Humans are quite likely the cause of a large portion of the 80 ppm rise in CO2 since the dawn of the Industrial Revolution, and from a distance, it looks possible that increasing CO2 may cause atmospheric temperatures rise. However, on closer examination it is seen that CO2 lags an average of about 800 years behind the temperature changes-- confirming that CO2 is not the primary driver of the temperature changes.

The real signature of greenhouse warming is not surface temperature but temperature in the middle of the troposphere, about 5 kilometers up. If global warming is occurring from an increasing greenhouse effect due to CO2 additions by humans the temperature of the middle troposphere should be warming faster than Earth's surface. However, the opposite has been happening-- which suggests either the surface temperature records are in error or natural factors, such as changes in solar activity, may be responsible for the slight rise in surface temperatures (approximately 0.6° C, globally) that appears to have occurred over the past century.

Interestingly, from 1999 to the present the temperature of the mid troposphere has actually decreased slightly and surface temperatures have ceased warming -- even as CO2 concentrations have continued to increase. This should not be happening if CO2 increases to the atmosphere are the primary driver of global warming.

Unplug! Disconnect! Consume Less Energy!

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For my Environmental Science class with Dr. Huff I have been given the assignment to minimize my energy usage as much as possible for a 24-hour period.

What is energy consumption?

It is the amount of energy consumed in a process or system, or by an organization or society.

Think about how you use energy every day. You wake up to an alarm clock. You take a shower with water warmed by a hot water heater. You drive to work. That’s just the energy used before you get to work! Every day, the average American uses about as much energy as is stored in seven gallons of gasoline.

Before I give up my energy consumption let us take a look at some facts.

Photo Credit: www1.eere.energy.gov

Residential and Commercial Sectors

Any place where people live is considered a residential building. Commercial buildings include offices, stores, hospitals, restaurants, and schools. Residential and commercial buildings are grouped together because they use energy in the same ways—for heating and cooling, lighting, heating water, and operating appliances. Together, homes and buildings consume more than a third of the energy used in the United States today. In the last 30 years, Americans have reduced the amount of energy used in their homes and commercial buildings. We still heat and cool rooms, and heat hot water. We have more home and office machines than ever. Most of the energy savings have come from improvements in technology and in the ways the equipment is manufactured.

Transportation Sector

The United States is a big country. The transportation sector uses almost twenty-nine percent of the energy supply to move people and goods from one place to another.

Americans love automobiles. We love to drive them. We don’t want anyone telling us what kind of car to buy or how much to drive it. Forty years ago, most Americans drove big cars that used a lot of gas. The gas shortages of the 1970s didn’t change Americans’ driving habits much. What did change was the way automobiles were built. Automakers began making cars smaller and lighter. They built smaller and more efficient engines. One reason for the changes was that the government passed laws requiring automobiles to get better gas mileage. With new technologies, cars now travel more miles on each gallon of gas. Today, new passenger cars get an average of 33 miles per gallon. If automakers hadn’t made these changes, we would be using 30 percent more fuel than we do today. In 1973, there were 102 million cars on the road. Today, there are more than 137 million cars. There are more cars being driven more miles than ever before. Forty-eight percent of the passenger vehicles sold in 2009 were sport utility vehicles and light trucks. With the recent fluctuations in fuel prices the demand for these big vehicles has dropped, while demand for hybrids and other fuel efficient vehicles has increased.

Photo Credit: milehighyouthcorps.wordpress.com

MY DAY UNPLUGGED

I woke up Sunday morning to birds chirping. No alarm clock. I usually don’t use an alarm clock on the weekend anyways. I usually check my phone for new emails and quick look at Facebook all days, even on the weekends. But not today, today I am unplugged. I went into the bathroom not to take a shower or curl my hair…I went in to unplugged the blow dryer and curling iron. I didn’t know they draw electricity even if they are turned off.  I had some fruit for breakfast. I also unplugged everything in my kitchen. I never relieved how many thing I have plugged in. I unplugged the microwave and the stove. I did no laundry.

Watching TV wasn’t an option today. So I sat down on the couch and went through all my school work. I was enjoying the silence and peace. After about an hour I had an amazing idea to go visit my parents. When I got to my mother’s house we went out back to relax. My mother made a delicious salad. My mother and I sat and talked for a few hours. She of course could not disconnect from her phone. It rang and she answered every time. Made me stop and think how much of this bad habit she could not let go. After that I went home and took a nap. I lay in the peace and quiet of my bedroom, and fell asleep. I woke up about an hour and half later. I went outside in my back yard to work on my homework for another class.

I had a very peaceful day.  It is so easy to adopt bad habits—to let e-mail and Facebook, texting and TV seep into our lives and stretch roots where they’re not invited. My mother and her constantly being on her cell phone is a perfect example. I also realized how much an instrument of technology is connecting me with people I love. It’s all about balance. Recognizing when we need to pull back and focus on our own families and yet embracing the modern world and using its advances for good. I recently found out that my childhood friend had lost her daughter a few weeks ago. I use Facebook to keep connected and I don’t think I would want to live without my phone. It is definitely the thing I could not be without. I also need my car. I do live in the middle of the city. I could walk to the store. But I would need my car to go to work. I only live three miles from work but there is a big hill to walk up. So I need my car. The thing I could give up is the TV. I think TV is a waste of money, waste of time and waste of energy. I have four TV in my house all with cable and cable boxes. My cable bill cost $100 a month. I think it is a total waste. It is easy to become addicted and I think everyone in my house is. 

Photo Credit: http://www.copernicusproject.ucr.edu

My Riverside Public Utility Bill:

My meter reading for 3/26/12 to 4/25/12 was 402 KWH. This was for a 30 day period. My daily average was 13.40. My daily average for the same time last year was 10.84 and my consumption for the period was only 347 KWH. I really need to focus on cutting back. My daughter being home could have something to do with it. She leaves the TV on for the dog! Go Figure!

Here are some tips from RPU:

Use reusable shopping bags.

Photo Credit: RPU

Ride a bike, walk, or use public transportation. More information at RTA's website.

Install energy efficiency measures throughout your home. See our rebate programs.

Drink filtered tap water and use a recyclable water bottle.

Compost your garbage; up to 60% of your waste is suitable for composting.

Buy recycled products like paper, carpet, and tile.

Install water efficient fixtures like faucets and toilets.

Install weather based irrigation controllers and native plants in your yard.

Eat and buy local! Try to purchase foods and products grown or produced within 100 miles of where you live. You can start at one of Riverside Farmer's Markets.

Look for non-toxic cleaning products - it's better for your family and the environment.

Choose water based latex paints over solvent based paints when painting your home. Never use lead based paints.

Reduce, recycle, reuse.

If you have a furnace, fireplace or gas heater, have them serviced regularly to prevent deadly fumes and install a carbon monoxide detector.

Ensure you have good ventilation and balanced humidity in your home to prevent the growth of mold and mildew, which can be harmful to your health.

Make sure to recycle all electronics and batteries. You can check the CURE website for the nearest household hazardous waste drop off location.

Water! Water! Water!

www.waterpurifier.org

I live in Riverside and I have to say I love my tap water. Riverside Public Utilities provides only the highest quality drinking water. They perform thousands of tests to ensure the water is safe to enjoy. Riverside water begins as snow or rain that touches the local mountains or foothills. In the underground aquifers it is filtered through percolation. The water sources allow Riverside Public Utilities to provide us with water independence. There are many wells and reservoirs that allow 26 billion gallons of water each year.

Photo Credit: www.riversideca.gov

California’s drinking water standards are among the highest in the United States. Tap water is regulated by state and federal guidelines.

Some things recommended to save water are:

Indoor:

Turn off the water when you brush your teeth – save 3 gallons per day.

Shorten your showers by one or two minutes – save 5 gallons per day.

Fix leaky faucets – save 20 gallons per day.

Wash only full loads of laundry – save 20 gallons per load.

Outdoor:

Water your yard only before 8am – reduce evaporation & wind interference – save 25 gallons per day.

Install weather-based irrigation controller – save 40 gallons per day

Use broom instead of hose to clean driveways – save 150 gallons each time.

Check your sprinkler system for leaks – overspray & broken sprinkler heads – save 500 gallons per month

Photo Credit: http://womansday.ninemsn.com.

Did you ever wonder what federal agency is in charge of tap water?

Well Congress passed the Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA) in 1974 to protect public health by regulating the nation’s public drinking water supply and protecting sources of drinking water. SDWA is administered by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and its state partners.

Highlights of the Safe Drinking Water Act

• Authorizes EPA to set enforceable health standards for contaminants in drinking water

• Requires public notification of water systems violations and annual reports (Consumer

Confidence Reports) to customers on contaminants found in their drinking water -

www.epa.gov/safewater/ccr

• Establishes a federal-state partnership for regulation enforcement

• Includes provisions specifically designed to protect underground sources of drinking water- www.epa.gov/safewater/uic

• Requires disinfection of surface water supplies, except those with pristine, protected sources

• Establishes a multi-billion-dollar state revolving loan fund for water system upgrades -

www.epa.gov/safewater/dwsrf

• Requires an assessment of the vulnerability of all drinking water sources to contamination

www.epa.gov/safewater/protect

·   Drinking Water: Past, Present, and Future EPA-816-F-00-002

www.epa.gov/safewater

Photo Credit: http://brooklynskeptic.files.wordpress.com

What federal agency is in charge of bottled water you wonder?
FDA REGULATION OF BOTTLED WATER

In the United States, bottled water and tap water are regulated by two different agencies: FDA regulates bottled water and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) regulates tap water, also referred to as municipal water or public drinking water. EPA's Office of Ground Water and Drinking Water has issued extensive regulations on the production, distribution and quality of public drinking water, including regulations on source water protection, operation of drinking water systems, contaminant levels, and reporting requirements.


Under our statutory authority, FDA regulates bottled water as a food. The Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (FD&C Act or the Act) provides FDA with broad regulatory authority over food that is introduced or delivered into interstate commerce. Under the FD&C Act, manufacturers are responsible for producing safe, wholesome and truthfully labeled food products, including bottled water products. It is a violation of the law to introduce into interstate commerce adulterated or misbranded products that violate the various provisions of the Act.


FDA has established specific regulations for bottled water in Title 21 of the Code of
Federal Regulations. These regulations include standard of identity regulations, that define different types of bottled water, such as spring water and mineral water, and standard of quality regulations, that establish allowable levels for chemical, physical, microbial and radiological contaminants in bottled water. FDA also has established current Good Manufacturing Practice regulations for the processing and bottling of bottled drinking water. Labeling regulations and regulations for foods in general also apply to bottled water.


FDA regulates bottled water as a food under the FD&C Act and is responsible for ensuring that bottled water is safe and truthfully labeled. Specific FDA regulations for bottled water cover cGMPs for bottled water production and standards of identity and quality. Recent regulatory activity includes adoption of maximum allowable levels for critical contaminants, including certain disinfectants and disinfection byproducts, uranium, arsenic, and the adoption of testing and remediation requirements for the prevention of E.coli contamination.


FDA will carefully consider the conclusions of the reports and factor findings into future regulatory decisions. But really bottled water just isn't as save as tap water.

Photo Credit: http://borealwater.com

Is RCC Sustainable

For my blog assignment in Dr Huff’s class I am going to determine how green the Riverside community College campus is. Our campus has brand new architectural with building that define the personality of the institution and a refurbish of some old buildings. I believe the new ones or retrofits to the ones that already exist—are decreasing their carbon footprint, saving energy, saving water, reducing waste and saving money.

The green movement on college campuses is more than a passing fad. There is a growing interest among students in identifying and applying to colleges where there is a demonstrated commitment to sustainability. Infusing sustainability principles into every aspect of higher education, there is a new priority for a whole generation of leaders, educated and trained, to make a greener world now.

University of Redlands

"As one of the 605 colleges and universities across the country to have signed the American College & University Presidents’ Climate Commitment, the University of Redlands is committed to significantly reducing its carbon footprint. The cogeneration plant is an important milestone toward this objective." - Phil Doolittle, University of Redlands chief operations officer.

Carbon footprint On campus co-generation has reduced the carbon footprint by 33%

Website: http://redlandsapps.redlands.edu/sustains

Green Highlights

The University of Redlands is doing a good job of educating tomorrow’s environmental leaders. The university is an ACUPCC signatory, and one of its faculty members helped found the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education. The University of Redlands has not wasted any time moving wholeheartedly toward becoming a greener, more sustainable campus by completing an emissions inventory, setting a target date for becoming climate neutral, and taking steps to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The university is home to a cogeneration plant that allows it to produce its own energy and heat and cool 14 campus buildings. Work is in progress to expand the system. Redlands has also embraced green building technology. Lewis Hall, home to the department of Environmental Studies, is a high performance, earth sheltered building. All new buildings are required to meet green building standards. The new Center for the Arts earned LEED Gold certification. Students have joined the effort to go green and since 2007 have had the opportunity to live in a themed residential hall emphasizing green living. All student residents commit to following stringent recycling standards and moderating their use of electricity and paper products. In a unique effort to promote sustainability awareness, Redlands took part in an Eat Local Challenge. Chefs were tasked with creating a lunch made solely of ingredients from within a 150-mile radius of the kitchen. In addition, in 2010 students helped create a three-acre Sustainable Farm on campus for farm-to-fork learning and participation.

Detailed Assessment Plan: There are basic characteristics that colleges and universities will need to be fully committed to sustainability. Those institutions wanting greener higher education will need the following: incorporate the concepts of sustainability into all academic disciplines and in liberal arts and even professional education requirements. Sustainability will need to be integrated into faculty and student research to include renewable energy, sustainable building design, ecological economics, population and development, etc. All schools will continually engage in reducing its ecological footprint. Create staff and faculty development opportunities to enhance understanding, teaching and research in sustainability. And finally create student opportunities would reflect the institution's commitment to sustainability on campus and in the local community.

I explored short and long versions of the instrument with different blends of quantitative and qualitative measures. The goal of the assessment exercise is to provide a comprehensive definition of sustainability and a snapshot of a college or university on the path to sustainability.

Did You Know?
One ton of paper made completely from recycled scrap saves 7,000 gallons of water, 4,100 kilowatt-hours of energy, three cubic yards of landfill space, and17 trees.
Check out the facts: Source: www.oberlin.edu/recycle/facts.html

My Earth Resources

I spent the last 24 hours recording everything I see and recognize as my earth resources. I didn't realize how many things would be recorded. I made some list's and organized the items into 8 sections:

A.    Food & Drink

Chicken Breast

Coffee

Diet Coke

Non-dairy creamer

Orange (fresh produce)

Progresso Soup

Sweet n Low

Water

Zone Bar

This is where I work.

B.     Housing and other buildings

City Hall

My House

Post Office

RCC Parking Garage

RCC Quadrangle Building

Walgreens

Work Parking Garage

C.     Transportation and roads

14^th Street

9^th Street

Arlington

My Favorite Project: Magnolia Underpass
Photo by idlainc.com

Brockton

Central

Highway 91

Magnolia

Riverside Ave

VW Beetle

Yellowstone Drive

D.    Clothing

Bra

Dress

Pajamas

Shoes

Underwear

This is the textbook.

E.     School supplies

Notes

Paper

Pen

Textbook

F.      Personal Care products

Blow Dryer

Cotton Ball

Crest

Hair Brish

Jergens Lotion

Make-up

Noxzema Face Wash

Q-Tips

Shampoo & Conditioner

Tooth Brush

G.    Leisure activities

This is my work computer.

Computer

Email

Facebook

Radio

Red Box

Telephone

TV

H.    Other

Dishsoap

Paper Towels

Tide

Toilet Paper

Windex

For my Environmental Science class I am going to pick one of the items from the list above to research. For this assignment I pick Progresso Soup. My Favorite is the New England Clam Chowder.

Check out the website:
http://progressosoup.com/

Progresso soup is made from authentic recipes and with the highest quality ingredients. Over 100 years ago Progresso Foods started. Vincent Taormina first imported foods from Italy to meet the need for high quality ingredients familiar to Italian Americans. The Progresso label was introduced in 1927. Progresso Soup now has 40 different varieties with 100 calories or less per serving. 

Progresso soup is sold by can. Each can is two servings. But actually on can is more a single serving size. I like to buy the soup when it is on sale. The can of soup can retail for as high as $3.79 per can. I have come to realize that the stores rotate Progresso Soup being on sale. The cheapest I have found the soup is for $1.00 per can. I love the soup and will usually always wait for it to be on sale before I buy it. You can buy Progresso Soup at the grocery store or your local Target or Walgreens. You can buy it almost anywhere food is sold. It’s definitely a want but if you replaced your meals with a can of soup then of course the soup could be considered a need.

Can foods now have expiration dates. I eat the soup up so I don’t have to worry about the soup spoiling. However it would be a good idea to rotate can goods so that the older cans are used first. If they expire and the contents inside seem inedible it is a good idea to dispose of the contents, rinse out the can and put the can into the recycling bin. The soup is in high demand. How do I know this….well when its goes on sale it’s always out of stock. I also notice a lot of people eat it on a regular basis. So the production of the soup creates jobs. The price makes is good for the economy. It keeps a good flow of supply and demand. The down side to the soup is that it is individually packaged. After the individual use, most people toss the can into the trash. If people would rinse the can out and recycle it, it would be a less negative effect on the environment.