Wednesday, September 28, 2011
Water and Meat,fresh water quiz
http://environment.nationalgeographic.com/environment/freshwater/embedded-water/
http://environment.nationalgeographic.com/environment/freshwater/freshwater-101-quiz/
Fresh water quizz
http://environment.nationalgeographic.com/environment/freshwater/freshwater-101-interactive/
http://environment.nationalgeographic.com/environment/freshwater/drinking-water-and-sanitation-quiz/
Quizz water and sanitaiton quizz
Global Warming quizz
http://environment.nationalgeographic.com/environment/global-warming/quiz-global-warming/
Friday, September 23, 2011
Energy Resources Hydroelectric Power
Hydropower is a clean, renewable and reliable energy source which converts kinetic energy from falling water into electricity, without consuming more water than is produced by nature.
Quite simply the oldest method by which renewable energy has been harnessed by the human race.
The first water wheels were used well over 2000 years ago, and the technology has since been refined to become very efficient in the production of electricity.
Energy Resources Wind Power
Wind & the Environment | ||
In the 1970s, oil shortages pushed the development of alternative energy sources. Wind is a clean fuel; wind farms produce no air or water pollution because no fuel is burned. | ||
The most serious environment disadvantage to wind machines may be their negative effect on wild bird populations and the visual impact on the landscape. |
Enery Resources: >Biomass
Biomass is organic material which has stored sunlight in the form of chemical energy. Biomass fuels include wood, straw, manure, sugarcane and products from agriculture. It is a renewable energy srouce because the energy it contains comes from the sun.
Types of biomass
There are 2 possibilities
1) Growing plants specifically for energy use.
Energy crops or power crops are grown on farms in large quantities. Trees, grasees and other crops such as corn are used for energy. Since crops must be replanted every year, they need a lot of fertilizers, water, pesticides.... Corn provedes most fo the liquid fuel from biomass in the USA
The Biofuels policies pursued by rich countries are pushing millions of people in the developing world into poverty and increasing carbon emission, thereby negating the climate change mitigation program says an Oxfam study.
Quoting world bank estimates, the studies say the price of food has increased by 83% in the last three years, which is disastrous for the world’s poor people. The lives of about 290 million people are immediately threatened because of food crisis and about 100 million people have already fallen into poverty as a result.
About 30 million people across the world have been dragged into poverty in the last three year.
Today’s Biofuels are not solving the climate or fuel crisis but are instead contributing to food insecurity and inflation
Enery Resources: Wave power
Waves are caused by the wind blowing over the surface of the ocean. There is tremendous energy in the ocean waves. The total power of waves breaking around the world is estimated at 2-3 million megawatts. |
Energy Rsources Solar Power
| |||
Solar energy is used for heating water for domestic use, space heating of buildings, drying agricultural products, and generating electrical energy. | |
In the 1830s, the British astronomer John Herschel used a solar collector box to cook food during an expedition to Africa. Now, people are trying to use the sun's energy for lots of things. |
Energy Resources: Tidal Power
Tidal turbines are a new technology that can be
used in many tidal areas. They are basically wind
turbines that can be located anywhere there is a
strong tide.
Energy Sources Fossil Fuel
Where does Natural Gas come from?
Millions of years ago, the remains of plants and animals decayed and built up in thick layers. This decayed matter from plants and animals is called organic material -- it was once alive. Over time, the mud and soil changed to rock, covered the organic material and trapped it beneath the rock. Pressure and heat changed some of this organic material into coal, some into oil (petroleum), and some into natural gas -- tiny bubbles of odorless gas. The main ingredient in natural gas is methane,
Oil was formed from the remains of animals and plants that lived millions of years ago in a marine (water) environment before the dinosaurs. Over the years, the remains were covered by layers of mud. Heat and pressure from these layers helped the remains turn into what we today call crude oil. The word "petroleum" means "rock oil" or "oil from the earth." |
The world's top five crude oil-producing countries are: • Saudi Arabia • Russia • United States • Iran • China http://www.kids.esdb.bg/naturalgas.html |
Enery Resources: Nuclear Power
Nuclear Power Summary
Nuclear power is generated using Uranium, which is a metal mined in various parts of the world.
Some military ships and submarines use nuclear power
How it Works
The reactor uses Uranium rods as fuel, Neutrons smash into the nucleus of the uranium atoms, which split in half and form energy in the form of heat.
The steam drives turbines which drive generators.
Advantages Nuclear power costs about the same as coal, so it's not expensive to make. Does not produce smoke or carbon dioxide, so it does not contribute to the greenhouse effect. Produces huge amounts of energy from small amounts of fuel. Produces small amounts of waste. Nuclear power is reliable. | Disadvantages Although not much waste is produced, it is very, very dangerous. It must be sealed up and buried for many years to allow the radioactivity to die away. Nuclear power is reliable, but a lot of money has to be spent on safety - if it does go wrong, a nuclear accident can be a major disaster. people are increasingly worried. |
Energy Resources: Geothermal Power
“Geothermal power
Is a way of generating heat and electricity from hot underground rocks. This form of power generation does not create pollution, and is renewable (as long as we do not extract too much, or the rocks cool down). However, we can only use this method to generate our power in certain places in the world, where suitable hot regions are near the surface.
Holes are drilled down to the hot region, and water is pumped down one. This water comes back up the other holes at a high temperature, usually much hotter than 1000C. Water can be a liquid above 1000C, so long as it’s under pressure. When it reaches the surface and the pressure is released, it “flashes” into steam, which we can use to heat houses, or to turn turbines and generate electricity. Sometimes there is hot water already underground
Do the quizz
Tuesday, September 20, 2011
Lightbulbs
http://video.nationalgeographic.com/video/player/environment/energy-environment/great-energy-challenge.html#greenhouse-what-counts-env
Monday, September 12, 2011
films
Arctic Tale (2007)
The Cove (2009)
Filmmaker Louis Psihoyos follows animal rights activist Richard O'Barry in this shocker of a documentary that effectively exposes the annual secret slaughter of thousands of dolphins by a greedy community of Japanese fishermen, supported by a complicit Japanese government and international whaling commission.
Crude (2009)
Filmmaker Joe Berlinger exposes the Texaco/Chevron toxic waste contamination of thousands of square miles of the Ecuadorian Amazon and rain forest, and chronicles the efforts of local tribes and international conservation and human rights organizations to get remediation.
Disarm. (2005)
The 11th Hour (2007)
Empty Oceans, Empty Nets: The Race to Save Marine Fisheries
A project of Habitat Media, this film reveals environmental dangers that arise from current commercial fishing practices that threaten the ocean's healthy environments worldwide by depleting populations of fish. Unless the harvest is managed in the present, future nets will come up empty. Peter Coyote narrates.FLOW - For Love Of Water (2008)
Food, Inc. (2009)
'Food, Inc.' investigates the industrial production and distribution of food in the United States by large multinational corporations such as Monsanto and Tyson, to the detriment of small independent farmers and to the overall quality of nutrition.
Friday, September 2, 2011
The film FUEL trailer
Holland Rising Waters
Watch some videos about the Delta Project
http://www.deltawerken.com/Brouwers-Dam/325.html
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FxB8Bs66Ujk
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PaTvuudh0l4&feature=related
Launching a floating house
http://www.flixxy.com/flo
ating-house.htm
Projects in other countries
http://www.dutchdocklands.com/thewhitelagoon
http://www.dutchdocklands.com/floatingbeach