Colorado Solar Project

Hi. Dylan here. The Alamosa Solar Project is breaking records for being the largest-concentrated solar facility in the world. They started operation successfully last May. Alamosa provides enough clean energy to power 5,100 homes and it avoids 54,00 metric tons of carbon dioxide emissions from going into the atmosphere. This is Dylan, signing off

How a bottle is recycled

This is the cycle of how plastic bottles are recycled. First is COLLECTION. The bottles are picked up from schools, homes and everywhere that recycles and taken to a recycling facility. Next is SORTING. Bottles and containers are sorted based on what material they are made of and sometimes what color, the items are then put into a machine that shreds them. Then it is MELTING. The shreds are washed to clean them, take out any leftover contents and take off any labels. Then they are dried and melted. FLAKING. The melted plastic is made into flakes, that can be made into a broad range of products. NEXT APPLICATIONS. The flakes can be spun into thread that can be made into a wide variety of items including carpets, clothing and filling for jackets and quilts. They can also be made into new bottles.

Here is the link to the Discovery Kids picture: http://www.kidsdiscover.com/blog/parentresources/reduce-waste/

Don't let the heat out!

Did you know that if you leave a small opening in your house all day every day, the energy needed to keep it warm inside for 6 cold months would almost result in 1ton of carbon gas going into the atmosphere.   -Liam

Image source: http://homeasnika.com/open-window-clipart/

Look What They Are Doing Here!

Hi! Dylan here. In Blythe, California they are building a solar power plant on 1,800 acres in the Sonoran Desert. More than 500,000 parabolic mirrors will be assembled on that acreage. This power plant is still under construction and is set to be finished in 2014, 30 months after its start date in 2010. The projected electricity generation is about 300,000 Megawatt hour per year. When it is finished it will power a lot of homes and it is in one of the most sunniest places in America so it should have good results. This project is keeping a lot carbon dioxide out of the air by using clean energy. This is Dylan, signing off.

Stop Deforestation!

Deforestation has a big negative impact on the environment and global warming.  The most negative part is the loss of habitat for many wild animals.  Deforestation is a major problem and now 30% of the world is covered by forests but chunks of forests as big as the size of panama are being lost every year.

                                                                                     -Liam                                                                                                         Image source: http://paperlesspostalsystem.net/

Check your Tires!

Hi! Dylan here. When I'm on Martha's Vineyard and we are driving onto the beach we always have to release the tire pressure in order for the tires to be able to drive in the deep sand. The reality is, less tire pressure is bad for the environment. Keeping your tires inflated properly can increase your gas mileage by 3 percent. Every gallon of gasoline you save keeps 20 pounds of carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere. This is Dylan, signing off.

Idling Your Car

Did you know that idling for 10 seconds expends more gas than restarting the engine?  Every ten minutes you idle you put one pound of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere.  Idling is pointless because you aren’t actually using your car but you are letting it run.  Prevent gasses from going into the environment, and save money by not idling.

Image source: http://rjwalters.blogspot.com/2011/06/city-of-albion-passes-no-idling-policy.html
 
-Liam