Archive for the ‘Air’ Category

It is true that well constructed, energy-efficient houses save money and energy. And with suitable mechanized ventilation, they can have better indoor air quality than a leaky building. The principal factor behind this is control.

In a drafty household, outdoor air enters the home intermittently via cracks, unsealed joints and penetrations, depending mostly on the climate. Often there will be extra leakage, leading to a drafty, unpleasant home. In other buildings there won’t be enough, resulting in a stuffy home. Mechanical air flow in a properly-insulated, well-sealed home will exhaust pollution and bring in outdoor air in a controlled, premeditated process. This key fact makes a dwelling both comfortable and energy efficient.

Utilize energy efficient design. Developing tight, suitably-insulated homes reduces heating and cooling costs. Household air quality and energy efficiency walk hand in hand.

Controlling humidity in a home can help get rid of mold, mildew, and various biological growths that have been linked to a number of ill health effects. Building an energy efficient residence with good air sealing and the use of barriers and diffusers to control vapor properly are crucial. The whole building envelope, from the foundation to the roof, needs to be engineered to not just stop moisture entry, but also to permit any moisture which does enter a means to escape. Sufficient ventilation should help make sure that moisture stays within appropriate levels.

Removing or managing individual sources of pollution are essential steps in providing good indoor air quality. If you utilize the appropriate materials, isolate those which are known to cause problems, and supply sufficient ventilation, the levels of indoor pollution in your home may be greatly reduced. Suitable ventilation purges or reduces the concentration of stale air in the home, and imports fresh air from outside.

Along with other methods, selecting, installing, and integrating your home’s combustion equipment is an important component to building a house with safe indoor air quality. Because of the potential for combustion appliances to generate pollutants that can harm your health, they must be properly set up, operated and maintained correctly. Poorly or incorrectly vented appliances can greatly increase moisture in the air, introducing both biological growth and damage to the home. The good thing is, contractors can take steps to lower the risks for combustion equipment.

The way in which a home is handled, maintained, and lived in is an important factor affecting indoor air quality. Preparing for this maintenance during your home’s construction process and grasping the most important concepts will promote good indoor air quality, and even reduce potential problems with the structure of your home for years to come.

Author: Hildy Kincade
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
Provided by: Digital TV, HDTV, Satellite TV

It seems that lately more and more industries are taking the initiative and going green. The shipping industry has recently taken on this initiative to become more environmentally safe and is looking into ways in which they can cut their carbon emissions like other industries. This sector is beginning to see the light just as other industries have and are now slowly beginning to change their outlook on the environment and discover ways in which they can go green. As we know, these ships travel very long distances daily to deliver what is needed to a desired destination. There are a select few large companies that are starting a trend in the industry and adapting their ships to be more environmentally friendly and reduce their carbon emissions.

One freight company that is improving their practices is the Maersk shipping line. They have set various targets in place to lower their carbon emissions and they plan to lower their emissions by 20% by 2017. This aim is in relation to all the containers that they transport and by implementing this target, they hope to become a more eco friendly brand. The company hopes that by implementing this change, they will lead by example and encourage other shipping companies to follow suit. Some ways in which they are reducing their carbon emissions and encouraging others to do the same is by the optimisation of their engines as well as renovating their vessels to be more eco friendly. They also are currently developing a very slow steaming system for all of their vessels.

When looking at reducing carbon emissions in shipping freights, the issue of biofuel is commonly highlighted. Some companies have already tested these fuels to see if they could be beneficial to their line but there hasn’t been much development recently. Biofuel is constructed from vegetable oils, animal fats and other ingredients like recycled grease. Also known as biodiesel, biofuel is made from a process called transesterification. If biofuel can be used on vessel engines there is the likelihood that it will partially replace normal fuel in the future and contribute to the cut in carbon emissions.

It is highly positive that the freight industry is taking notice and attempting to help the environment but it is obvious that more vessels need to follow this example. Experts are hoping that the advancement in the production of biofuels will aid in the wider distribution of this fuel to vessels and that they will be able to cut their carbon emissions in the future. There is still extensive testing that needs to be conducted in relation to the distribution of biofuels but hopefully there is light at the end of the tunnel.

Author: Lauren Potgieter
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
Provided by: Cellphone news

In major cities, and even some suburban and rural areas, poor air quality is becoming a major epidemic. Air quality alerts can keep some individuals with medical conditions stranded indoors for days at a time. While poor air quality is a worldwide problem, there are things that individuals can do to help reduce their impact on this serious issue.

• Choose alternative forms of transportation – Rather than driving a personal vehicle every day, try walking, biking, carpooling or using public transportation to get where you need to go.

• Maintain your vehicles – Well-maintained automobiles produce less emissions and have better gas mileage than those that are not taken care of. Regular oil and filter changes, tire rotation and tune-ups are important.

• Conserve electricity – Cutting down on your personal power use in your home and office will help to reduce your carbon footprint.

• Power your home with sustainable resources – Installing solar panels or wind turbines will help you to reduce your consumption of environmentally dangerous power sources and can eventually save you money on your energy bills.

• Use environmentally friendly products when possible – Many companies are marketing “green” products for consumer use. By using companies that are manufacturing chemical-free products or who are using environmentally friendly practices, you promote better air quality.

• Cut down your chemical use – Any chemicals used can contribute to air and water pollution. The fewer chemicals you use in your daily life, the less negative impact you will make on air quality.

• Plant a tree or some plants – Whether grown indoors or out, plants help to purify the air by removing carbon dioxide and releasing oxygen.

• Service your heating, air conditioning and ventilation systems – Poorly maintained heating and air conditioning systems can cause harmful pollutants to the air. Regular service by a professional will keep your systems energy efficient and running safely.

These are just a few of the many changes that you can make to help reduce your negative impact on air quality. While you cannot fix the worlds’ air quality problems on your own, by making a commitment to do your part, you can be a part of the solution. Take a look at your life and see what kind of difference you can make.

Author: Jeanette Joy Fisher
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
Provided by: Benefits of electric pressure cooker

The United States and a host of other foreign countries are focusing on fugitive emission tracking for certain industries. The goal is to identify the amount of substances that are emitted into the atmosphere when a refrigerant gas leak occurs. This will give government officials at the EPA a better understanding of the amount of greenhouse gases harming the environment each year and contributing to global warming due to the ineffective management of refrigerant gases.

Fugitive emission takes place when an unexpected leak of a hazardous substance occurs in a system and the discharge is not contained in a vent, stack, or duct. This may be caused by a component failure, poor servicing, or a breakdown in some industrial process. When a system containing refrigerant leaks, these high global warming potential substances cause damage to the atmosphere. Certain refrigerant gases are not broken down in the atmosphere and end up entering the stratosphere and destroying the protective ozone layer over time.

Across the U.S. economy, refrigerant gases or fugitive emissions equal over 300K tons of carbon dioxide each year. Other countries have similar or worse outputs. Many environmental regulations, such as The Montreal and Kyoto Protocols, exist to reduce the escape of harmful substances, like refrigerants, into the atmosphere over time. There are additional goals to reduce the potential for global warming in the near future and to improve air quality in the long term by reducing the emissions refrigerant gases.

A select few refrigerant gases have multiple detrimental effects on the environment. Not only are they ozone depleting substances but they are also chemicals with a high global warming potential (GWP) which places them into the category of greenhouse gases which lead to global climate change. For many reasons, it is important to effectively monitor, track, and report refrigerant gas usage.

The EPA has finalized its rules pertaining to any fugitive emission occurrence, whether through evaporation or a leak. The regulations apply to several industries, including existing and newly constructed facilities with systems using refrigerant gas in their workplace heating and cooling systems. Other industries are industrial chemical manufacturing, electric services, pulp and paper mills, and petroleum refinancing.

Tracking fugitive refrigerant gases is required by facilities owning or operating HVAC-R systems or by manufacturers who produce them. The EPA has identified a number of dangerous compounds, among them chloroflurocarbons, hydrofluorocarbons, methyl bromide, halons, methyl chloroform, and carbon tetrachloride.

A particular concern for fugitive emission problems is with refrigerant gas, because it contains chloroflurocarbons and hydrofluorocarbons, two primary contributors to the weakening of the ozone layer and the increase in greenhouse gas volumes. Furthermore, refrigerant gas is used across many industries in refrigeration and cooling units, ventilation and air conditioning systems, and fire protection systems.

When a fugitive emission occurs, businesses are required to track the refrigerant leak rates and report annul refrigerant usage it to the EPA. One of the primary emissions scopes, fugitive refrigerant gas emissions are an integral part of an organizations carbon management requirements. Of the utmost importance is the determination of the HVAC-R system that is leaking and the capturing of the service event detail related to fixing the leak. Systems containing refrigerant gases must be inspected by EPA certified technicians and all service events must be logged when refrigerants are handled.

The new fugitive emission regulations provide a more standardized approach to thresholds identified by the U.S. Clean Air Act at the direction of the EPA. These include continuous monitoring, tracking of leaks, and reporting of leak repair, and containment.

Web applications and specialized tools can increase an organization’s efficiencies related to HVAC-R system maintenance, improve accuracy of refrigerant inventories thus saving money, and turn manual processes into a centralized, automated work flow. Development firms who specialize in the area. They ensure compliance and reduce the likelihood of substantial fines.

Author: Daniel Stouffer
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
Provided by: Programmable Multi-cooker

The air in our home is highly polluted, thanks to things like pets, mites, pollen and smoking.  These pollutants can lead to all sorts of health problems, if they are not dealt with properly.

Here are 5 more facts about the air you breathe in your home:

1. You’d think that with the increase in road and air traffic, and more people traveling, that the air is much safer and less polluted inside compared to outside.  You’d be wrong however.  Indoor air is 2-5 times more polluted than outdoor air.  Allergies and asthma cases are on the rise, and almost 1 in 3 of the population has an allergy problem which is partly due to dirty indoor air.

2. We breathe around 0.5 litre of air in every breath, 12,000 litres per day.  Normally, indoor air contains around 100 million particles per litre.  Smoking increases this to around 100 billion particles per litre. The massive increase in particles helps to explain why smokers are more at risk of lung and other respiratory diseases.  In addition, as there are many more particles in the air, it also explains why passive smokers, those who are in the vicinity of a smoker, are at risk too.

3. As around 90% of time is spent indoors, it important that your home and working environment are clean.  Although if you work outdoors, you might only need to concentrate on your home.  When was the last time you cleaned your home properly, from top to bottom, and gave it a good airing?

4. Using a vacuum cleaner regularly can help to reduce the amount of dust particles in the air in your home, and can make the air safer to breathe.  It is recommended that you do not smoke in your home, as the risk of allergies and illnesses increase, especially if there are children in the home. In addition, regular cleaning can help to prolong the lives of carpets, flooring and furnishings.

5. If your vacuum is very old or ineffective, it can actually make the air worse.  This is because the vacuum cleaner doesn’t pick up all the dust particles, and just moves them around, which can make them more likely to be inhaled.  It is recommended that you regularly check the condition of you vacuum cleaner, and clean or replace filters, fit a new hose, nozzle, brush or motor, as necessary.  This will help to make sure that your vacuum cleaner will last longer, and will be cheaper than buying a new one.

Why not make sure that your home is cleaner, by regularly vacuuming and not smoking inside?

Author: M James
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
Provided by: Bumper guardian

Carbon emissions are one of the leading causes of damage to the Earth’s atmosphere. Global warming has become a grave problem in today’s society and these emissions into the Earth’s atmosphere need to be put into consideration. Global warming can be devastating to the Earth because it leads to a rise in temperatures which further leads to the melting of ice and the elevation of water levels and the death and at times the extinction of animals and plant life. Such activities have been theories to the explanation of the great tsunami that hit Indonesia and devastated the area.

Carbon emission is possible to at least detain. The effects cannot not be reversed and it is near impossible to stop all emission but just a slight reduction can save the human population years from the devastating hurricane effects. Below, there is a list of suggestions to help reduce carbon emissions.

The first suggestion is to “go green”. “Going green” means to use sources of energies such as wind and water instead of basic energies which include energy derived from coal, oil and gas. Try to find an electric company that provides “green energy” rather than nuclear energy because they do exist. This will greatly help decrease the carbon emissions that are dispersed in the atmosphere of the Earth.

The next suggestion is to reduce the amount that you drive. Going along with saving on fuel, try to make as few trips as possible. Try to do all of your driving for chores once a week. If you live by the stores try walking there. Another resource that helps are buying or leasing hybrid cars. You will save money on a hybrid car even if the initial cost is more expensive, due to the amount of fuel that you will free from buying. Plus, you will be able to decrease carbon emissions.

The third suggestion is to limit meat consumption that is imported. Due to the importation of meat, these products need to be transported which means there are a lot of emissions of carbon into the atmosphere of the Earth. This is the same for fruits and vegetables. If they are not locally produced, they are transported from long distances which are harmful to the Earth and leads to Global Warming. A great idea is to produce your favorite vegetables and fruits in your garden so that you do not need to travel and cause more damage to the atmosphere with the carbon emissions from burning fuel. You will also be able to save a few dollars by cultivating your own products.

The final suggestion to diminish the addition of carbon emission to the Earth is by recycling. You can also buy products which are only made from recycled products. Therefore, say good bye to Styrofoam!

These are just a few suggestions. You can follow one or two or all of them. The more you do, the more you will reduce carbon emissions from entering the Earth’s atmosphere.

Author: Peter J Hoffman
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
Provided by: Gadget reviews

As Americans we have become accustomed to many things. Central heating and cooling is one of them. We are used to running from our car to our home or workplace to escape the cold or hot weather outside. Most of us take this useful invention for granted, that is until your breaks or isn’t working as efficiently as it should. In the Janesville area more than eighty percent of the new homes that are built are equipped with a heating and cooling system.

The best way to keep your system in great shape is to maintain the air filters. This is an important step because the air filters not only clean the air that is being circulated through out your home but it also keeps the system running efficiently and smoothly. This also helps you avoid costly repairs.

Air filters are the key to keeping the air in your home safe to breathe. Air filters remove all of the harmful contaminates from the air that you and your family inhale. Some of the most common contaminates include dust particles, pet dander, smoke, pollen, junk mites, and other harmful contaminates that cause allergic reactions.

When you run your air conditioning or heating system you want to feel comfortable knowing that the air that your family is breathing in is clean, fresh air. A study showed that the air inside your home can be up to five times more harmful than the air outside if the home heating and cooling system had poor filtration. Keeping your home or businesses air filters clean and changing them on a routine basis is the best thing you can do.

A much easier and more cost effective way to change homes air filters is to hire an air filter service out of the Janesville area that will come to your home, remove the used filter, and replace it with a fresh recycled one. You should go with a company who offers a satisfaction guarantee.

Author: Joshua Keaton
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
Provided by: Digital Camera Times

We all know that air travel has impacts on the environment and a number of companies now include offsetting their air travel carbon impacts as one of their green business practices. However this is not as easy as it seems. Carbon emissions are not the only impact from air travel and different offset calculators use differing methodology to determine how much should be offset. Aside from this, the level of your personal emissions also varies depending on flight distance, the type of plane and whether you are flying business or economy. This article will help you understand some of the different factors that contribute to your personal air travel carbon emissions.

Aeroplanes burn fossil fuels to operate which release CO2 into the atmosphere. There are different opinions on how much air travel contributes to global CO2 emissions with figures ranging from 2% to 10%. Not only are CO2 emissions an issue but aeroplanes also release water vapour, nitrogen oxides and methane. The environmental impact of these is greater when released at high altitude than what it would be at ground level. While these impacts are not entirely understood, it is generally agreed that a radiative forcing factor should be used when determining the impacts of air travel. Radiative forcing is the rate at which a given atmospheric gas alters radiation that is entering the atmosphere.

Not all emissions calculators include the radiative forcing factor in their calculations which underestimates the environmental impact of the flight. To make it even more complicated there are differing opinions as to what the radiative forcing factor should be set to. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) recommend a radiative forcing factor of 2.7 and this seems to be most commonly used. So for a more accurate assessment of your flights impacts, you want to choose a calculator that includes radiative forcing but the story does not stop there.

There are a range of other variables that affect your individual emissions. First is the distance traveled and whether this is long or short. Short distance flights are less fuel efficient overall due to the fuel consumed during takeoff and landing but they also generate less condensation trails (water vapour) due to the shorter time spent at high altitude. The type of plane will also impact the level of emissions from the flight as newer model aeroplanes tend to be more fuel efficient.

As for the emissions each passenger is responsible for, this will vary depending on whether the flight is full and whether the person is traveling economy or business. If the flight is not fully occupied, each person will have to offset a higher level of emissions to offset the whole impact of the flight and if you are traveling in business class, you are taking up more space and will be responsible for a greater percentage of the emissions.

As you can see calculating the emissions to offset air travel is not as straight forward as it first seems, in spite of this an understanding of the factors that contribute to your personal emission levels from air travel gives you a better idea how your travel decisions impact the environment.

Author: Manda Trevarthen
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
Provided by: Beading Necklace

Air pollution is a serious growing problem. Years of plaguing the atmosphere with gases and exhaust is taking its toll on the planet. If steps are not taken immediately to stop or even slow this process soon, there will be dire consequences.

What is air pollution? Air pollution is the result of undesirable chemicals and gases being expelled into the atmosphere by various sources. There are several causes of air pollution, one, and the largest, of these being vehicles. Vehicles account for 57% of all pollution in the world. Each day, Americans alone purchase millions of gallons of gasoline for their vehicles.

The next largest source of pollution in the atmosphere are industrial establishments. Factories pump tons upon tons of filthy gases high into the sky, where it collects and damages the atmosphere. Scientists have discovered an area over Antarctica where there are signs of depletion of the ozone layer, the layer of the atmosphere that filters harmful ultraviolet rays, as a result of this pollution.

Air pollution is not noticeable in small towns, but in large cities, specifically with a population of over 50,000, air pollution is evident. In a metropolis such as Los Angeles, there are so many sources of pollution that it is visible. Fog mixes with smoke to create smog ,which collects over the city and creates a “greenhouse effect”, trapping warm air between the layer of pollution and the ground, making the space between the two a higher temperature than areas outside the city.

Air pollution is also responsible for global warming. Global warming is the warming of the planet as a result of air pollution, causing the rising of temperature around the world, which causes climate change and melting of the polar ice caps. The polar ice caps contain most of the earth’s fresh water. As a result of the melting, the ocean levels rise and cause flooding in coastal cities. In the city of Amsterdam, Netherlands this flooding has been an issue and steps have been taken to block the advance of water. Although, this is a temporary fix and only the stopping of air pollution will prevent this from occurring.

There are several ways to slow air pollution. Taking simple energy conservation steps in and around the home such as using as little resources as possible and recycling drastically reduces the resources used.

Energy-conservative vehicles such as the new Hybrid technology vehicles, which use a balance of electricity and fuel, produce less than ¼ the pollution than normal vehicles and get better mileage than normal vehicles do, resulting in a great reduction of air pollution.

New sources of energy also lower the amount of fossil fuels that enter the atmosphere, thus lowering air pollution. Solar power is one power source that is being used more frequently to power cities with electricity. Solar power is also becoming more popular to heat houses instead of furnaces and fuel. One day, even cars may be powered by the sun.

Another environment-safe source of electricity lies in the wind. Windmills that were used hundreds of years ago to grind grain and pump water are now generating energy. The windmill is an excellent source of energy, but it has its disadvantages. One disadvantage of windmills is that they do not generate nearly enough electricity to power a large city such as Los Angeles or Chicago. It would take hundreds, maybe thousands of wind-powered generators to provide such power hungry cities with sufficient electricity.

One more power source that does not pollute the earth is hydro-electricity. Hydroelectric generators are clean, efficient, and reliable. The electricity is generated by building a dam and placing tunnels at the bottom with large fans and generators. The flow of water can be increased or decreased at will, and they put out a large amount of electricity.

These are only a handful of the steps that can be taken to reduce the effects of air pollution. The supplies of fossil fuels that reside deep within the earth are not limitless, and their will deplete soon if humanity continues to be wasteful and careless.

Author: Zach Graham
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
Provided by: Electric Pressure Cooker

We have all probably heard about carbon emissions trading but not many of us know what it is and does it really work to reduce the carbons being emitted into our air.

So how does the carbon emissions trading scheme work? My take on this is that a government works out how much carbon emissions are sent into the air for each industry (company). It then reduces the total by a percentage in order to meet their international obligations. Each industry has to then meet the reduced target or pay a fine depending on how much they are over.

Where the carbon emissions trading scheme comes in is that when an industry reduces it’s emissions below the fines level it can sell the amount it is below to industries (companies) allowing them either to avoid the fines or emit more emissions. Isn’t this like a wife abuser donating to a woman’s refuge to offset beating his wife?

So how are these industries (companies) suddenly reducing their emissions that enables them to reduce their emissions not only by the governments required amount but enough to enable them to sell them to other companies so that they can use them as carbon offsets. You would think that if they have managed to do this they would have been able to do it before the carbon-trading scheme came into existence. Trouble with large (and even small) companies I guess there is a certain amount of creative accounting going on.

Apart from all this there is one very fatal flaw in this that affects you the consumer. All companies are out to make a profit so if the bottom line suffers because of big fines, what do they do, they just put up the costs of their product to you and me. The same occurs with those companies who meet or reduce their carbon emission targets. If there is a cost to this that affects their bottom line once again they put up the cost of their products to us.

So in effect it is the usually scamming by big business (I make no apologies calling it scamming) that actually does nothing to reduce carbon emissions. A sleight of hand that gives the appearance of reducing emissions, in fact all it seems to have done is create another great way for new companies to appear that actually trade carbon emissions and make money, probably the only winners out of this.

So once again as with other things with the carbon emissions trading scheme we are having the wool pulled over our eyes mainly by politicians trying to make it seem that they are doing something about global warming but trying to do it in such a way that will appease the outcry from those monolithic polluting companies. The carbon emissions trading scheme is a non-event as far as saving our planet.

Author: Wilf Gerrard-Staton
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
Provided by: How Electric Pressure Cookers Work