Wednesday, September 28, 2011

Global warming

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

BE PART OF THE SOLUTION





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.



Do the quizz

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.


Do the quizz

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

Plants such as soybeans and sunflowers produce oil, which can be used to make fuels.
neshto


varba

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

Do the quizz



Enery Resources: Wave power



waves

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.

One way to catch wave energy is to focus the waves into a narrow channel, increasing their power and size and then used directly to spin turbines. There are no big commercial wave energy plants, but there are a few small ones.


Do the quizz

Energy Rsources Solar Power



Where does solar come from?
The sun has produced energy for billions of years. Solar energy is the solar radiation that reaches the earth.

Solar energy can be converted directly or indirectly into other forms of energy, such as heat and electricity. The major problems
(1) It is intermittent and variable.
(2) the large area required to collect .

Solar energy is used for heating water for domestic use, space heating of buildings, drying agricultural products, and generating electrical energy.

Photovoltaic systems produce clean, reliable electricity
without consuming any fossil fuels.

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.



Do the Quizz

Energy Resources: Tidal Power



tidal1

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.







Do the quizz



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



Do the quizz

Enery Resources: Nuclear Power


Nuclear Power Summary

Nuclear power is generated using Uranium, which is a metal mined in various parts of the world.

The first large nuclear power station opened , England, in 1956.

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.

Do the quiz

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

Plants such as soybeans and sunflowers produce oil, which can be used to make fuels.

Do the quizz



Tuesday, September 20, 2011

Global warming

Jeans for Insulation Video

Plastic bags

Lightbulbs




http://video.nationalgeographic.com/video/player/environment/energy-environment/great-energy-challenge.html#greenhouse-what-counts-env

Enerby Games





Monday, September 12, 2011

films

Arctic Tale (2007)

Fox Searchlight
Arctic Tale, an animal-centric documentary, uses unadulterated authentic footage to capture close up impressions of of a walrus pup and polar bear cub. With these lovable tykes leading the way, the film swims directly and deeply into disturbing environmental issues like global warming and pollution and, most especially, the shrinking arctic ice.

The Cove (2009)

Lionsgate/Roadside Attractions

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)

First Run Features

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)

IndiePix
The past placement of landmines in battle zones around the globe has made Earth a trecherous place for entire populations of people who can neither till the soil nor walk across a field for fear of stepping on and triggering an explosive device that will surely maim if not kill them. It's a real problem that indicates one way in which we disrespect and undervalue our environment and one that actually alters the way in which we relate to Mother Earth.

The 11th Hour (2007)

Warner Independent Features
Actor Leonardo DiCaprio produced and anchors this impressive documentary in which expert commentators like Stephen Hawking, James Woolsey and others explain how hurricanes, earthquakes and other natural disasters are the result of negative climate and environmental changes that are spiraling out of control. A recent release, the film is still playing theatrically and is not yet available on DVD.

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)

Osilloscope Laboratories
Irena Salinas' documentary is about the global crisis we face as Earth's fresh water supply constantly diminishes. The film presents top experts and advocates to show us that every aspect of human life is effected by pollution, wastefulness, privatization and corporate greed as it relates to a natural resource that's more valuable than oil. The film shows in no uncertain terms that if we continue to abuse our water supply, Earth will become uninhabitable and humankind will become extinct. The investigation points fingers at water companies such as Nestle, Vivendi, Thames, Suez, Coca Cola and Pepsi.

Food, Inc. (2009)

Participant Media

'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

You will soon be able to watch this documentary about our dependence on oil in the hands of the OPEP countries and on the use of other sources of enery. Very American!!!

Holland Rising Waters





Holland to Become World's First Floating Country
Soon the damswill not be able to protect the coast.
What is the problem? "Climate change, climate change,climate change"
The earth's climate is changing and the temperatures are rising. Rising temperatures mean rising water.

After a 1000 years of keeping the sea out, the Dutch have decided to let the water in.The experts say that there will be more winter rain in Europe. The government will not build higher barriers to stop the water. No, the government has decided to lower the barreirs in forty different areas. These areas will flood when the rivers rise..

What will happen tothe people living in these 40 flood areas? Their lives will have to change. Some will move away. Others are staying. Engineers are creating houses that can float if necessary. Special pipes keep the house connected to the electricity lines when the house is floating. They plan to create floating villages.


Rising sea levels? No problem, say architects in Holland. To adapt, they're re-designing the entire country so that it floats on water. Houses are being built with giant foundations that sit on the bottom of the river, so that if the river level rises to a flooding state, the house floats up with it.

The pipes are designed so that they can stay connected to electric and sewer lines even with movement. 20% of the country's below sea level right now, but it's only getting worse. City planners near Amsterdam are creating a new suburb with 12,000 houses, 600 of which will be built in water. Image by WaterstudioDutch Architects Plan for a Floating Future [NPR]


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/thewhitelagoon
http://www.dutchdocklands.com/floatingbeach

Holland Rising Waters; Dikes, Dams Barriers




Dikes and Barriers
WATCH THEM

Holland Deltawerken





http://www.deltawerken.com/Floods/22.html