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<title>Blog Copy / The Zeitgeist is Changing</title>
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<pubDate>Sat, 25 May 2013 09:21:36 +0000</pubDate>
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<title>Dr Robert Muller - The Zeitgeist is Changing: OPINION: The Problem of Global Desertification</title>
<link>http://blogcopy.com/~thezeitgeistischanging.blogspot.com?copy=1w6byk8</link>
<pubDate>Mon, 20 May 2013 01:31:51 +0000</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[General Information about DesertificationDesertification is the breaking down of land by erosion. It most often occurs in dry areas, where human activity or climate change (or both) has greatly impacted an area. The freshwater supply and the soil can be easily destroyed, and if the land is degraded, the drylands will be unable to renew the water and soil resources and become a desert. Because of the loss of plants and trees by human activity, erosion also destroys most of the topsoil of the dryland, disabling any vegetation, leading to famine and loss of biodiversity in the area.What Causes Desertification?The main causes of desertification are overgrazing of livestock, overcultivating crops, deforestation, the increasing amount of fires per year, overusing groundwater, increasing amount of salt in the soil, and climate change. Overgrazing and fires causes destruction of plants in the drylands, destroying the biodiversity of the dryland. Overcultivating and an increase of salinity can lead to the destruction of the topsoil which is important for growing crops. In vegetated areas, the land is often cooler than the rest of the dryland and prevents the dryland winds to erode the topsoil. Climate change and droughts can cause a decrease in freshwater amount, which will prevent plants to grow.All these processes involve the overpopulation of the drylands. Where there are more humans, there will be destruction of the drylands.What is Being Done to Stop Desertification?To stop desertification, we must look at what causes desertification. There is no other way to remove the effect of overgrazing or overcultivating the land except by not using the land. This is not a smart way to stop desertification, as humans need the food and other resources that come from the drylands. However, to stop the erosion, there have been some tree belts, strings of trees that block wind from blowing away the topsoil in the drylands. In north-eastern China, there will be &quot;Green Wall of China&quot; that will be grown. It is a wall of trees that is almost as long as the Great Wall of China. For the loss of freshwater, humans should use the idea of sustainable resources so that water can be saved. Also, in some areas, leguminous plants have been used to extract the nitrogen from the atmosphere into the soil to restore the fertility of the soil. Also, to combat deforestation, people have been using the heat as an advantage with solar cooking instead of using wood for fuel.How Has Desertification Affected Us?Desertification is like a monster, eating up the land that it passes through. It&#039;s worse than a hurricane, an earthquake, or a fire. Once it somewhere, it&#039;s really hard to get that place back, because it makes plants hard to grow there by destroying the soil and things can&#039;t live there because there is no water. Desertification is like the disease of the lands. In China, desertification is spreading very fast. China&#039;s increasingly high population rate is causing much of its land to die. The deserts and storms will cause $50 billion to China&#039;s economy (Bill Gates only has $60 billion  - just a random thought). The dust storms caused by the desertification will destroy much of the country&#039;s agriculture. Is this not bad enough? Also, in the US in the 1930s, there was the Dust Bowl in the Great Plains, causing many people to abandon their homes. The people caused the Dust Bowl by not farming correctly and there was also a drought at that time. In the Sahelian kingdoms in Africa, desertification and drought caused a death of over 100,000 people. Everyday, people die because of poverty and hunger, but have you thought about what causes all this? It&#039;s the bad quality of the land and the lack of water that causes these deaths. If desertification was stopped, there would be no poverty.]]></description>
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<title>Dr Robert Muller - The Zeitgeist is Changing: Rosia Montana: A Paradise in Jeopardy</title>
<link>http://blogcopy.com/~thezeitgeistischanging.blogspot.com?copy=ik571t</link>
<pubDate>Sun, 19 May 2013 11:00:13 +0000</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[Rosia Montana: A Paradise in Jeopardy<br />
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by David Alan Paty<br />
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Ro&#351;ia Montan&#259;, in the Jude&#355;ul Alba, Romania (Wikipedia)<br />
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In the heart of Transylvania, in the Apuseni Mountains of western Romania, an idyllic village sits in a valley of unparalleled beauty and quiet defiance.<br />
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In this village, every stone, every trail under a blossoming apple tree speaks of the joy of life where people share in nature&#039;s seasonal abundance; it is a paradise on earth.<br />
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But there is also a shadow lurking; a dark force that threatens to alter and destroy two-thousand years of history and an environment that has stood for millenniums.<br />
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This dark force has many names; ignorance, greed, self-absorption and fear but its goal is always the same - to blind people to the truth, that happiness can be found only in selfless service to one another.<br />
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For most of its two-thousand year history, Rosia Montana has been a village where families lived in relative harmony with the earth.<br />
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Mining for gold in miles of underground tunnels and shafts, they also took wood from the abundant forests and harvested fields of chicory and garlic, red beets and rhubarb, without destroying its ability to regenerate and renew.<br />
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They understood that the land offered them life and it was their duty to protect the natural resources of the area not only for their generation but for all the generations that would follow. The land was their heritage, it defined them as a people. Rosia Montana was who they were.<br />
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But the passing centuries brought more advanced technology; men were able to extract tiny amounts of gold, invisible to the eye, from the soil. Large, international companies began to scour the earth for gold hiding in distant lands.<br />
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Eventually, they discovered Romania&#039;s hidden treasure in the place where gold had always been; Rosia Montana.<br />
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At first, the people of Rosia Montana said &quot;No! Go away! Go back to your homes across the sea!&quot; but the men from beyond the ocean knew what would make the people forget their traditions, their culture and their heritage.<br />
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They showed the people bags of money and told them to forget the land that was in their blood, the land of their fathers and grandfathers.<br />
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Many people listened to the company&#039;s lies and took the money to spend on cars and big-screen TVs and a bigger house.They forgot their community and watched as the birthplace of their people was destroyed house by house, family by family.<br />
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They sacrificed their community, their neighbors, their friends and bowed down to the greed of a foreign company lusting to take the gold from the earth, gold that belonged to the land and to all of Romania.<br />
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Rosia Montana reminds people of their heritage, not only for those who once called Rosia Montana home, not only for all Romanians but for the whole world; for Rosia Montana represents the best of the human spirit.<br />
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It&#039;s a flame that speaks of living in harmony with nature and with each other; a flame of yearning that burns in all of our hearts, a flame that should never be extinguished.<br />
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The Rosia Montana Cultural Foundation is a non-profit organization dedicated to protecting and preserving the cultural and natural patrimony of Rosia Montana, Romania.<br />
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Threatened with the largest open pit gold mining operation in Europe, Rosia Montana needs your support in ending government corruption and the gold corporation&#039;s misinformation. Please visit us at http://www.rosia-montana-cultural-foundation.com/heritage/.<br />
<br />
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=David_Alan_Paty<br />
<br />
http://EzineArticles.com/?Rosia-Montana:-A-Paradise-in-Jeopardy&id=7690162]]></description>
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<title>Dr Robert Muller - The Zeitgeist is Changing: How Big Corporations Harm The Environment</title>
<link>http://blogcopy.com/~thezeitgeistischanging.blogspot.com?copy=2cpchuj</link>
<pubDate>Thu, 16 May 2013 23:02:10 +0000</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[They pollute the air with the carbon monoxide and sulphur dioxide, as well as a <br />
large number of exotic poisons]]></description>
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<title>Dr Robert Muller - The Zeitgeist is Changing: The Effects of Plastic Bags on the Environment</title>
<link>http://blogcopy.com/~thezeitgeistischanging.blogspot.com?copy=46umicr</link>
<pubDate>Wed, 15 May 2013 11:35:48 +0000</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[It&#039;s easy to think of the negative effects of plastic bags on the environment when you consider that 100 billion plastic bags are used each year in the United States and that they take up to 1,000 years to break down.<br />
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Fifty years ago there were no bags on this planet. Now consider based on their break down rate that every bag ever manufactured, except for the recycled or incinerated ones are either filling our landfills, polluting our waterways or hanging in our kitchen closets as clutter.<br />
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Often comforts of everyday life, things we now consider a necessity were developed and pushed into our lives only because they were the cheapest option. Long-term costs, such as the impact on our environment and the clean up of it weren&#039;t considered. This appears to be the case with plastic bags.<br />
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Dependence on Foreign Oil<br />
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Plastic bags are manufactured using polyethylene a byproduct of oil. Roughly 60 to 100 million barrels of oil go into their production each year. China recently banned the use of plastic bags and their estimated savings in oil was about 37 million barrels per year.<br />
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They Take a Very, Very Long Time to Break Down<br />
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Plastic bags haven&#039;t been around for long, less than fifty years. So no one knows for sure how long they take to break down. One thing is for sure though; all the plastic bags that haven&#039;t been recycled or incinerated are still on this planet in landfills, floating in the ocean, littering our parks, roadways and lakes, or just piled in corners of our closets, garages or kitchens.<br />
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Grocery bags are made from polyethylene and are photodegradable and not biodegradable. Being photodegradable means, these bags need sunlight to break down. Therefore, burying them in a landfill accomplishes nothing other than to hide the problem and create mountains of trash buried out of sight.<br />
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When and if they do degrade, they simply break down into smaller more toxic microscopic particles called petrol-polymers that seep into waterways and eventually enter our food chain.<br />
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Plastic Bags Account for 10% of Debris Washed Up On Our Shoreline<br />
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They have been seen floating in the oceans, and washing up on shorelines as far North as the Arctic Circle and as far south as The Falkland Islands. What an awful eyesore to our planet as a whole.<br />
<br />
Kill Hundreds of Thousands of Animals Per Year<br />
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Believing the bags to be food, marine wildlife choke on the bags and die or they enter their digestive systems until they die. After death their bodies decompose, but not the bags.<br />
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Plastic bags are cheap, efficient and strong. They make shopping simple and easy. However plastic bags have many negative effects on the environment. They increase our dependence on foreign oil, pollute our waterways, fill our landfills, kill our wildlife and are an eyesore.<br />
<br />
Greg Johnson writes on a variety of subjects, including the environment, tips for going green, and alternative energy sources. Greg is passionate about the environment and believes we as a society as a whole are depleting and destroying our environment to fast. Get more Green Tips at: http://www.bestgogreentips]]></description>
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<title>Dr Robert Muller - The Zeitgeist is Changing: Renewable Energy Resources in Florida&amp;#8207;</title>
<link>http://blogcopy.com/~thezeitgeistischanging.blogspot.com?copy=39rsqiw</link>
<pubDate>Tue, 14 May 2013 22:49:20 +0000</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[Lake Mary, in northeast Florida will soon be the new corporate headquarters of New Generation Biofuels. By 2010, 10% of Florida&#039;s gasoline supply should be made up of ethanol. The University of Florida, which received $20 million in 2007 to construct a commercial-scale cellulosic ethanol plant also continues to work toward helping Florida develop renewable energy solutions.]]></description>
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<title>Dr Robert Muller - The Zeitgeist is Changing: Renewable Energy Resources in Florida&amp;#8207;</title>
<link>http://blogcopy.com/~thezeitgeistischanging.blogspot.com?copy=1fmaujo</link>
<pubDate>Tue, 14 May 2013 22:47:42 +0000</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[Florida Gulf Coast University is going to use the $8.5 million they received to build a solar photovoltaic which will help to power the campus. There are also plans for a new power plant in Florida. With construction of this power plant, Florida would be second in the nation for solar energy production.]]></description>
<guid isPermaLink="true" >http://blogcopy.com/~thezeitgeistischanging.blogspot.com?copy=1fmaujo</guid>
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<title>Dr Robert Muller - The Zeitgeist is Changing: Bamboo Biomass Could Ease Africa&amp;#039;s Deforestation Crisis</title>
<link>http://blogcopy.com/~thezeitgeistischanging.blogspot.com?copy=z2vbyd</link>
<pubDate>Tue, 14 May 2013 14:32:59 +0000</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[Between 2000 and 2010, the global annual rate of forestry loss is estimated to <br />
be about 13 million hectares. But according to the United Nations Environment <br />
Programme (UNEP), Africa is suffering deforestation at twice the world <br />
rate.The stats couldn&#039;t be more alarming - almost 90 percent of original <br />
rainforests in West Africa have been wiped out, and the landscapes left behind <br />
are heavily fragmented and in extremely poor condition.About 80 percent <br />
of the rural population in sub-Saharan Africa is heavily dependent on timber for <br />
fuel, so not surprisingly illegal logging, along with conversion of timberland <br />
for agricultural purposes, has proven to be a major culprit in this wholesale <br />
deforestation.Although there are initiatives aimed at preserving the <br />
rainforest areas in the region, investments are not nearly as adequate as they <br />
need to be to outweigh forestry losses.It takes seven to 10 tons of raw <br />
wood to produce one ton of wood charcoal. If African households continue to meet <br />
their needs by burning fuel wood, the outlook is grim - by 2050, rural <br />
households will have sent 6.7 billion tons of greenhouse gases into the <br />
atmosphere.In addition, the International Energy Agency (IEA) claims <br />
that under a business-as-usual scenario, three-quarters of total residential <br />
energy in sub-Saharan Africa would come from biomass. This leaves the region in <br />
an urgent need for investments in an alternative biomass source that will <br />
replace wood.&quot;Bamboo charcoal could provide an excellent alternative to <br />
hardwood charcoal production as bamboo biomass production is much greater and <br />
considerably more sustainable,&quot; claims Terry Sunderland, scientist with the <br />
Center for International Forestry Research (CIFOR). And she couldn&#039;t be more on <br />
target.Bamboo is one of the fastest-growing plants on the planet. It <br />
produces large amounts of biomass, which makes it an excellent alternative and <br />
sustainable source of energy. Bamboo charcoal is an environmentally friendly <br />
material that has excellent absorption properties.]]></description>
<guid isPermaLink="true" >http://blogcopy.com/~thezeitgeistischanging.blogspot.com?copy=z2vbyd</guid>
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<title>Dr Robert Muller - The Zeitgeist is Changing: How Landfills Can Provide Energy</title>
<link>http://blogcopy.com/~thezeitgeistischanging.blogspot.com?copy=1w5ky78</link>
<pubDate>Tue, 14 May 2013 09:51:05 +0000</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=John_Z_Franklinhttp://EzineArticles.com/?How-Landfills-Can-Provide-Energy&id=4646938]]></description>
<guid isPermaLink="true" >http://blogcopy.com/~thezeitgeistischanging.blogspot.com?copy=1w5ky78</guid>
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<title>Dr Robert Muller - The Zeitgeist is Changing: How Landfills Can Provide Energy</title>
<link>http://blogcopy.com/~thezeitgeistischanging.blogspot.com?copy=2coyf1j</link>
<pubDate>Tue, 14 May 2013 09:50:17 +0000</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[Image via WikipediaBy John Z FranklinMost people think of landfills as <br />
stinking mounds of rotting garbage. They are typically thought of as necessary <br />
evils. While it is true that recycling and reducing waste is important to the <br />
future of our planet, the evils of landfills can be mitigated by using them to <br />
provide energy. While this doesn&#039;t eliminate waste, it at least puts waste to <br />
good use.In a landfill trash is typically buried. Many modern landfills <br />
are lined to prevent wastes from seeping to the groundwater and polluting it. <br />
Organic materials in the buried garbage are broken down by a process known as <br />
anaerobic digestion. Anaerobic means &quot;without oxygen&quot;. Since the trash is <br />
buried, oxygen cannot easily reach it. As a result, bacteria that can metabolize <br />
organic materials without oxygen digest it. One of the by products of this <br />
process is landfill gas. Landfill gas is composed of over 50% <br />
methane.Methane gas is also known as swamp gas because of its bad odor. <br />
Methane escaping from the ground is the major cause of bad odor associated with <br />
landfills. This escaping methane is also dangerous to our environment. Methane <br />
is a very potent greenhouse gas. It is a much stronger contributor to global <br />
warming than carbon dioxide. Fortunately, methane can also be useful. The <br />
natural gas that we use to generate electricity and to heat our homes is <br />
composed mostly of methane.Landfill gas recovery, is a process of <br />
capturing the gas generated by anaerobic digestion. This gas is captured to <br />
be used or to simply be burned in order to prevent the methane from contributing <br />
to global warming. The process for capturing the landfill gas is very similar to <br />
the process for capturing natural gas from the earth. A well is drilled into the <br />
landfill and pipes are inserted to capture and direct the gas.The <br />
captured landfill gas contains a great deal of water as well as numerous sulfur <br />
compounds. These need to be removed if the gas is going to be used to provide <br />
energy. The water reduces the efficiency of the gas for creating energy. The <br />
sulfur compounds can contribute to smog and pollution when the gas is burned. <br />
Once these are removed, the landfill gas can be used to generate <br />
electricity.There are a number of ways in which landfill gas can be used <br />
to generate electricity. One common method is to burn the gas to heat water. The <br />
heated water is then used to drive the turbines for generating electricity. <br />
Another method is to use it in place of natural gas. In Ohio, several Rumpke landfills use <br />
landfill gas recovery systems to capture, treat and then sell the gas to Duke <br />
Energy. Duke Energy then pipes this gas to its natural gas <br />
users.Landfills can be a danger to our environment but in many ways they <br />
are necessary evils. By using landfill gas recovery, landfills <br />
can help contribute to our world&#039;s energy needs while keeping dangerous <br />
greenhouse gases out of the atmosphere. In many ways, this makes landfills <br />
necessary but maybe just a little less evil.John Z. Franklin is a <br />
graduate Colorado State University were he earned a degree in Environmental <br />
Science. He also earned his JD at Harvard Law School. He is a freelance writer <br />
interested in educating the public about the many simple energy and easy to <br />
adopt energy efficiency behaviors. Mr. Franklin is a co-owner of Air and Gas <br />
Systems]]></description>
<guid isPermaLink="true" >http://blogcopy.com/~thezeitgeistischanging.blogspot.com?copy=2coyf1j</guid>
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<title>Dr Robert Muller - The Zeitgeist is Changing: GREEN LIVING: Are Log Homes Energy Efficient?</title>
<link>http://blogcopy.com/~thezeitgeistischanging.blogspot.com?copy=2t7qvrl</link>
<pubDate>Thu, 09 May 2013 16:18:33 +0000</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[A study on this subject conducted in Michigan USA, was very insightful. One home was constructed from logs and the other was based on a standard construction method for this test. It was found that when the temperature outside reached a minimum of 25 degrees Fahrenheit, the log home needed 6 kilowatts of electricity to maintain a constant 72 degrees F inside the home over a 24 hour time frame. The standard construction home, on the other hand, needed 8.1 kilowatts to maintain the same temperature for the same period of time. This resulted in a 25% energy savings over just 24 hours. That is outstanding.]]></description>
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<title>Dr Robert Muller - The Zeitgeist is Changing: Renewable Energy Resources in Florida&amp;#8207;</title>
<link>http://blogcopy.com/~thezeitgeistischanging.blogspot.com?copy=3qa5cwg</link>
<pubDate>Mon, 06 May 2013 23:28:06 +0000</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[Wind power is another form of renewable energy that Florida officials hope to be able to use in place of non-renewable energy resources. A wind farm of six windmills are planned to be constructed in St. Lucie County, Florida, an area along the eastern edge of Florida. If constructed it would be the only such wind turbine in Florida and would produce 13.8 megawatts of power.]]></description>
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<title>Dr Robert Muller - The Zeitgeist is Changing: Renewable Energy Resources in Florida&amp;#8207;</title>
<link>http://blogcopy.com/~thezeitgeistischanging.blogspot.com?copy=39qrvxe</link>
<pubDate>Mon, 06 May 2013 23:27:28 +0000</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[There are five ways Florida is working to use renewable energy resources in place of other energy solutions. The first is through solar energy. Florida Gulf Coast University is going to use the $8.5 million they received to build a solar photovoltaic which will help to power the campus. There are also plans for a new power plant in Florida. With construction of this power plant, Florida would be second in the nation for solar energy production.]]></description>
<guid isPermaLink="true" >http://blogcopy.com/~thezeitgeistischanging.blogspot.com?copy=39qrvxe</guid>
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<title>Dr Robert Muller - The Zeitgeist is Changing: Renewable Energy Resources in Florida&amp;#8207;</title>
<link>http://blogcopy.com/~thezeitgeistischanging.blogspot.com?copy=2t6tib3</link>
<pubDate>Thu, 02 May 2013 05:50:34 +0000</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[With the worries about the environment and fears about our current energy resources not being enough to sustain us, people are always looking for alternative and better energy solutions. Florida&#039;s governor, Charlie Crist has recently started working to find alternative energy resources than just the typical gas or electric power. Crist looked to find ways that Florida can use renewable energy resources with can help to save not energy, money, and help to create jobs for the people of his state.There are five ways Florida is working to use renewable energy resources in place of other energy solutions. The first is through solar energy. Florida Gulf Coast University is going to use the $8.5 million they received to build a solar photovoltaic which will help to power the campus. There are also plans for a new power plant in Florida. With construction of this power plant, Florida would be second in the nation for solar energy production.Wind power is another form of renewable energy that Florida officials hope to be able to use in place of non-renewable energy resources. A wind farm of six windmills are planned to be constructed in St. Lucie County, Florida, an area along the eastern edge of Florida. If constructed it would be the only such wind turbine in Florida and would produce 13.8 megawatts of power.A third renewable energy resource that Florida might use is wave energy. Using the waves of the ocean, the University of South Florida hopes to be able to create electricity from the constant motion of the ocean. Other universities in the state are also doing research into how the waves of the ocean could be used to create energy.Another renewable energy resource Florida hopes to use soon is ethanol and biofuels. Lake Mary, in northeast Florida will soon be the new corporate headquarters of New Generation Biofuels. By 2010, 10% of Florida&#039;s gasoline supply should be made up of ethanol. The University of Florida, which received $20 million in 2007 to construct a commercial-scale cellulosic ethanol plant also continues to work toward helping Florida develop renewable energy solutions.A final renewable energy resource solution that has been considered in Florida is converting waste into energy. Through working with Progress Energy and Biomass Gas & Electric, Florida plans to soon have the largest waste wood biomass plant in the United States. This would be in Liberty County, Florida, in the panhandle of the state.Waste wood comes from many different sources including yard clippings, tree bark, and wood knots from paper mills. These items which would otherwise be thrown out as trash are then used to create energy. Waste wood must meet certain criteria to be about to be used in waste wood plants including not containing harmful levels of certain substances including lead, pesticides, or arsenic. Biomass energy also reduces greenhouse gases because it recycles atmospheric carbon. Although Florida can&#039;t make the world a greener place on its own, the efforts expected to be made by Florida residents in the next few years will at least do something to make our world a greener place to live.]]></description>
<guid isPermaLink="true" >http://blogcopy.com/~thezeitgeistischanging.blogspot.com?copy=2t6tib3</guid>
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<title>Dr Robert Muller - The Zeitgeist is Changing: The 5 Worst Unsustainable Practices In Society</title>
<link>http://blogcopy.com/~thezeitgeistischanging.blogspot.com?copy=2cnc891</link>
<pubDate>Wed, 01 May 2013 08:41:07 +0000</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[This unfortunate philosophical belief is not only at the center of some of the worst practices in human history (ie: slavery, strip mining, overgrazing, dictatorships, using oil as a medium of energy, etc), but also does a complete injustice to future generations. While there are so many of these unsustainable practices that are part of our modern world, there are several that seem to be particularly heinous because of their ability to rock the very foundation of civility and survivability of the human race. Let me share with you the 5 worst unsustainable practices that I&#039;ve researched and how devastating they can be to us.<br />
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1. Travelling from a home in a suburb to a job in the city by automobile. The city planners who came up with the idea of suburban living while working way over in the crowded, congested city have to get the medal for the worst possible non-visionary thinking in the history of modern humanity. Short-sightedness doesn&#039;t even begin to excuse this practice that not only burns a non-renewable fuel, contributes to air pollution as well as takes away from the quality of life from those unfortunate folks that have to spend hours stuck in traffic. The good news is that more and more companies are speeding up their efforts to create telecommuting and 20 somethings have decided that living in the city where the work is makes more sense.<br />
<br />
2. The creation of &quot;Roundup Ready&quot; genetically modified seeds. This unsustainable practice seems more like something that came from a bad science fiction B movie, but most folks don&#039;t even know it&#039;s happening. Monsanto, the mother of genetically modified plant biology, created something called &quot;Roundup Ready&quot; crops. Instead of spraying the herbicide Roundup to kill weeds that would hurt crops, farmer now only need get genetically engineered seeds from Monsanto that permit direct application of the Monsanto herbicide glyphosate.<br />
<br />
This allows farmers to smother both their crops and crop land with the herbicide so as to be able to kill nearby weeds without killing the crops. Not only is it insane to have seeds that have herbicides built into them for consumers to ingest, but this practice has created the super weed, thus strengthening the very thing it is supposed to stop. I won&#039;t even talk about the $250 million extra income boost this practice gave to Monsanto.<br />
<br />
3. The war on drugs. 40 years and over a trillion dollars later, the war on drugs is not only an utter failure, it is a national scandal. Why has it not worked? It&#039;s having the opposite effect of what it was supposedly designed to do. It has empowered drug cartels because of the money involved, illicit drug availability is more readily available now than ever and at a time when most nations are struggling with debts and calls for austerity, we&#039;re throwing money down the proverbial drain and nothing to show for it. I want to make it clear that this analysis is not a call for the legalization of drugs, but a re-evaluation of something that is unsustainable. There&#039;s gotta be a better way.<br />
<br />
4. Modern day mortgages. Let&#039;s say you decide to buy a $500,000 home with $100,000 saved for the down payment or deposit. Check the key numbers:<br />
<br />
Home price = $500,000<br />
Deposit / down payment = $100,000<br />
Loan = $400,000<br />
Interest rate = 5%<br />
Loan period = 30 years<br />
<br />
Got a loan calculator? Got an adult beverage? Plug these numbers, take that drink, then check these number. You won&#039;t believe the following:<br />
<br />
Monthly repayments (interest and principal) = $1,666.66<br />
Total interest payable over 30 years = $600,000<br />
Total amount payable over 30 years = $1,000,000<br />
<br />
Under any other name, this would be called predatory or loan sharking. Buying a home under the modern bank loan conditions means that buying a home is not an investment, but a robbery. The current mortgage crisis means that the system, even for qualified buyers, is unsustainable.<br />
<br />
5. Consumerism. Has any of that stuff you bought really made you happy? Or did it make you just want something else to fill in the gap? Don&#039;t be surprised. That&#039;s how it was designed. Consumerism is a social and economic order in many Western cultures that is based on the systematic creation and fostering of a desire to purchase goods and services in ever greater amounts. To be fair, consumerism happens around the world and is as old as Egyptian civilization. But when the Industrial Revolution exploded in Western societies, it turned the idea of living to consume items into a crack habit.<br />
<br />
Advertising, mass production and efficient delivery systems made Consumerism a way of life, 24/7. The problem is that this level of consumption is requiring people to work 2 or 3 jobs today just to obtain some of the same stuff people bought just a few years ago. There is a reason there is great dissatisfaction in life and living. Consumerism is truly another form of addiction. As with all addictions, the addict will crash at some point.<br />
<br />
For a long time, we&#039;ve assigned the discussion of Sustainability over to Birkenstock-wearing tree huggers from California or Oregon. Now we&#039;re starting to reclaim Sustainability as just plain common sense. Some things we&#039;ve done out of ignorance. On these 5 items, we can no longer use that excuse.<br />
<br />
By Chet W. Sisk<br />
<br />
Chet W. Sisk is an author, Life Coach, Sustainable Society Leadership educator and thought leader. His new book &quot;Think This - Not That&quot; challenges conventional wisdom that guides our society. <br />
<br />
http://www.chetsisk.com.<br />
<br />
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Chet_Sisk<br />
http://EzineArticles.com/?The-5-Worst-Unsustainable-Practices-In-Society&id=5826505]]></description>
<guid isPermaLink="true" >http://blogcopy.com/~thezeitgeistischanging.blogspot.com?copy=2cnc891</guid>
</item>
<item>
<title>Dr Robert Muller - The Zeitgeist is Changing: How Does Wave Power Work?</title>
<link>http://blogcopy.com/~thezeitgeistischanging.blogspot.com?copy=3q9exzy</link>
<pubDate>Tue, 30 Apr 2013 21:02:28 +0000</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[How Does Wave Power Work? by Michael L Leigh<br />
Capturing the energy of waves in the ocean is a very old idea but only <br />
recently has it been possible with any amount of success. <br />
The first thing you need to understand is the difference between wave power <br />
and tidal power. Waves are created by wind blowing across the surface of the <br />
water. Higher winds means bigger waves naturally. However, tides are created by <br />
the gravity of the moon and sun interacting on the oceans causing bulging. This <br />
bulging rotates the earth with the moon and that is why there are high and low <br />
tides. Tides remain more or less the same in terms of energy and intensity.<br />
The first and only commercially-used technology for wave energy is the <br />
Pelamis machine. These snake-like tubes float along the surface to the water <br />
moving with the waves. This movement is resisted internally by hydraulic pumps <br />
that move a hydraulic fluid through a hydraulic motor. This motor is connected <br />
to an electrical generator and from there to batteries which will hold the <br />
energy generated.<br />
Other ideas exist such as energy buoys which would be anchored to the ocean <br />
floor and bob with the waves thus generating electricity. However, this has less <br />
testing and commercial use than the traditional Pelamis machines. The technology <br />
is catching up though and we might see these energy buoys off our own shores. <br />
<br />
There is also an idea to create barricades on shores where waves break <br />
directly at the shore. These breaking waves would force water up into the <br />
barricades powering turbines. However, this idea hasn&#039;t moved beyond simply <br />
theoretical so far. It is one of the more promising technologies though.<br />
For more information on renewable energy check out my site called renewable <br />
energy future. Also, there is a more detailed article on wave power explained. <br />
Hope you enjoyed this lesson.]]></description>
<guid isPermaLink="true" >http://blogcopy.com/~thezeitgeistischanging.blogspot.com?copy=3q9exzy</guid>
</item>
<item>
<title>Dr Robert Muller - The Zeitgeist is Changing: How Does Wave Power Work?</title>
<link>http://blogcopy.com/~thezeitgeistischanging.blogspot.com?copy=46sserr</link>
<pubDate>Tue, 30 Apr 2013 21:00:23 +0000</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[The first thing you need to understand is the difference between wave power <br />
and tidal power. Waves are created by wind blowing across the surface of the <br />
water. Higher winds means bigger waves naturally. However, tides are created by <br />
the gravity of the moon and sun interacting on the oceans causing bulging. This <br />
bulging rotates the earth with the moon and that is why there are high and low <br />
tides. Tides remain more or less the same in terms of energy and intensity.<br />
The first and only commercially-used technology for wave energy is the <br />
Pelamis machine. These snake-like tubes float along the surface to the water <br />
moving with the waves. This movement is resisted internally by hydraulic pumps <br />
that move a hydraulic fluid through a hydraulic motor. This motor is connected <br />
to an electrical generator and from there to batteries which will hold the <br />
energy generated.<br />
Other ideas exist such as energy buoys which would be anchored to the ocean <br />
floor and bob with the waves thus generating electricity. However, this has less <br />
testing and commercial use than the traditional Pelamis machines. The technology <br />
is catching up though and we might see these energy buoys off our own shores. <br />
<br />
There is also an idea to create barricades on shores where waves break <br />
directly at the shore. These breaking waves would force water up into the <br />
barricades powering turbines. However, this idea hasn&#039;t moved beyond simply <br />
theoretical so far. It is one of the more promising technologies though.<br />
For more information on renewable energy check out my site called renewable <br />
energy future. Also, there is a more detailed article on wave power explained. <br />
Hope you enjoyed this lesson.]]></description>
<guid isPermaLink="true" >http://blogcopy.com/~thezeitgeistischanging.blogspot.com?copy=46sserr</guid>
</item>
<item>
<title>Dr Robert Muller - The Zeitgeist is Changing: How Big Corporations Harm The Environment</title>
<link>http://blogcopy.com/~thezeitgeistischanging.blogspot.com?copy=46sjsf9</link>
<pubDate>Sun, 28 Apr 2013 22:53:20 +0000</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[Corporations could have stopped polluting the environment only if they spent a little more money on cleaner processes of manufacture. But they don&#8217;t want to do that.]]></description>
<guid isPermaLink="true" >http://blogcopy.com/~thezeitgeistischanging.blogspot.com?copy=46sjsf9</guid>
</item>
<item>
<title>Dr Robert Muller - The Zeitgeist is Changing: How Big Corporations Harm The Environment</title>
<link>http://blogcopy.com/~thezeitgeistischanging.blogspot.com?copy=ihk0tb</link>
<pubDate>Sun, 28 Apr 2013 22:51:32 +0000</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[How Big Corporations Harm The Environment]]></description>
<guid isPermaLink="true" >http://blogcopy.com/~thezeitgeistischanging.blogspot.com?copy=ihk0tb</guid>
</item>
<item>
<title>Dr Robert Muller - The Zeitgeist is Changing: How Big Corporations Harm The Environment</title>
<link>http://blogcopy.com/~thezeitgeistischanging.blogspot.com?copy=39psubw</link>
<pubDate>Sun, 28 Apr 2013 22:49:13 +0000</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[Corporations are ruthless, and big corporations are more ruthless.&#160; As money comes in, corporate conscience evaporates. Ultimately, whatever produces money in the short term is defined as good. Whatever stands in the way of  by Supreme Savings&quot; href=&quot;#&quot; in_rurl=&quot;http://i.trkjmp.com/click?v=R0I6Mzc3NTk6MjI0MTptYWtpbmcgbW9uZXk6YTMzMTUxZmMxNTY2MmY5YTUzODgyNDRlMjc1ZWVkZDk6ei0xNDg4LTE3NTYzNjp0aGV6ZWl0Z2Vpc3Rpc2NoYW5naW5nLmJsb2dzcG90LmNvLnVrOjQzNTQ0OjA0ZmY4NjA2ZDc5MzljZGZiZTQ0NTFlMjU0MTI1ZjY4&quot;&gt;making money is expendable. The environment, for example, seems very expendable when you are on a corporate cruise after  by Supreme Savings&quot; href=&quot;#&quot; in_rurl=&quot;http://i.trkjmp.com/click?v=R0I6MjUzMzA6MTg6bW9uZXk6YTllYjYyZDM2NGZlOWNhZGU0Njk0YmU4NTA3ZDc0ZDI6ei0xNDg4LTE3NTYzNjp0aGV6ZWl0Z2Vpc3Rpc2NoYW5naW5nLmJsb2dzcG90LmNvLnVrOjA6MA&quot;&gt;money.]]></description>
<guid isPermaLink="true" >http://blogcopy.com/~thezeitgeistischanging.blogspot.com?copy=39psubw</guid>
</item>
<item>
<title>Dr Robert Muller - The Zeitgeist is Changing: Is More CO2 Good for Plants?</title>
<link>http://blogcopy.com/~thezeitgeistischanging.blogspot.com?copy=z0r80v</link>
<pubDate>Sat, 27 Apr 2013 06:52:20 +0000</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[The concentration of CO2 in the air is increasing rapidly due to our use of fossil fuels. Since plants require CO2, it would seem that the CO2 increase would be good for plants. However, that is a great simplification as the increased CO2 levels may not be good for most plants or for mankind. *<br />
<br />
CO2: Around 1900, Arvid Hgbom found that factories were emitting about the same amount of CO2 as all the world&#039;s volcanoes. This worried some people - but they were told not to worry, the plants and oceans would soon take up any excess. However, that has not been the case.<br />
<br />
We have destroyed many of the forests that take up CO2. Our factories and other activities now are emitting thirty billion tons of CO2 each year, around 200 times as much CO2 as all the world&#039;s volcanoes. The CO2 dissolves in water to form carbonic acid, which has made the oceans 20% more acidic in the last century. This has damaged the coral and phytoplankton that take up CO2. Also, since CO2 is less soluble in the more acidic waters, the oceans are losing their ability to take up the excess CO2.<br />
<br />
Measurements by Charles Keeling of atmospheric CO2 levels have shown that the plants and the oceans are not taking up the CO2 nearly as fast as we are producing it. The concentration of CO2 in the air has increased rapidly over the last century, from 280 parts per million (ppm) to 385 ppm, a 38% increase. It would seem that one bright spot might be that the higher CO2 level would be good for plant growth. However, that may not be the case.<br />
<br />
Historical Data shows that the concentration of CO2 in the air has varied widely over the Earth&#039;s history, from over 7000 ppm in the Paleozoic era to a low of 180 ppm during ice ages. Ice core studies show that during the last four ice ages, the CO2 concentration was about 180 ppm during the cold periods and rose to about 280 ppm during the warmer interglacial periods. Warmer temperatures occur at the same times as the higher CO2 levels, so it is difficult to sort out the effect on plants caused by CO2 changes from those caused by temperature changes. Ancient plants that grew at higher temperatures and CO2 levels during the Paleozoic Era adapted to the drop in CO2 level and temperatures near the end of that era by developing leaves.<br />
<br />
Ancient leaved species, such as Ginko and Magnolia, when exposed to higher levels of CO2, change their leaf structures. Other plants have adapted by changing the altitude at which they grow. For the last 6000 years, we have been in an interglacial period. The Earth&#039;s temperature has been relatively stable and the CO2 concentration has been about 280 ppm, except for the last century.<br />
<br />
Plant Growth: According to Dr. Surendra Singh, a biologist with a background in botany, modern plants have adapted to the 280 million ppm CO2 concentration that has existed over the last thousands of years. There is no reason to believe that the increasing CO2 concentration would be better for plants as CO2 is seldom the limiting agent in plant growth and production. Plants also require water, nitrogen, phosphorous, potassium, sunlight, and trace elements. Over-fertilizing, over-watering, or putting a shade plant in bright sun will harm the plant. More is not always better, and the increasing the CO2 levels might also harm plants that are not adapted to higher CO2 levels.<br />
<br />
Greenhouses: Commercial greenhouses have found that adding CO2 helps plants grow better. Some people claim that that proves CO2 stimulates plant growth, but that is not necessarily true. In an enclosed greenhouse, the plants quickly deplete the supply of CO2 if more is not made available. That may also be the case with hydroponic gardeners, who claim better production at higher CO2 levels. Specific crops may do better at the higher levels of CO2 - if all the other nutrients are supplied at an optimum level and plenty of water is available. That is not possible for plants in the outdoors. We do fertilize many crops, but doing so depletes the soil of other nutrients and there is an energy cost in producing and spreading the fertilizers.<br />
<br />
Experiments: It is difficult to do outdoor experiments on the effect of CO2 levels on crop growth, but a few have been done. One experiment found that wheat grown at higher CO2 levels has more leaf mass and more kernels; however, the kernels are smaller and have less nitrogen, making them less valuable as a food source.<br />
<br />
In another experiment, higher CO2 levels in wheat used for grazing correlated with lower nitrogen in the leaves, making the crop less suitable for grazing. Agriculture experts are saying that the result of increasing CO2 levels coupled with increasing temperatures will lower crop yields. That has been found to be true in rice production, and rice is a staple for half the world. In an inadvertent experiment, we have found that some invasive species, such as Kudzu, are well adapted to the increasing temperatures and CO2 levels. They have prospered and are expanding their range northward.<br />
<br />
Certainly, plants need CO2, but to say more CO2 will make all plants grow better is a great supposition and oversimplification. The Earth&#039;s atmospheric CO2 level is now 385 ppm, possibly higher than it has been in the last 20 million years, and it is increasing every year. By pouring more CO2 into the air each year, we are conducting a great experiment with unknown results. What will happen if the production from agricultural plants decreases significantly?]]></description>
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<title>Dr Robert Muller - The Zeitgeist is Changing: How Big Corporations Harm The Environment</title>
<link>http://blogcopy.com/~thezeitgeistischanging.blogspot.com?copy=igbt7t</link>
<pubDate>Thu, 18 Apr 2013 19:17:19 +0000</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[Corporations are ruthless, and big corporations are more ruthless.&#160; As money comes in, corporate conscience evaporates. Ultimately, whatever produces money in the short term is defined as good.]]></description>
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