Trash To Energy

When it comes to environmental discussion, waste management is an environmental concern that many feel needs to be addressed. Many also feel that clean energy innovations are needed to ensure a greener earth. Yet, what many fail to realize is that the solution to the garbage and clean energy problem may be garbage itself.

Denmark has installed a number of garbage plants that take trash and make it into energy. These plants are at the forefront of waste/energy technology. How they operate is that the waste taken into the plant is incinerated which creates heat that generates steam for a turbine that goes on to run generators that create electricity and even heat. Statistics have shown that plants like the ones in Denmark, while creating new forms of energy, also help to cut down on waste caused emissions. 0.56 metric tons of CO2 is emitted from these conversion plants, which is considerably smaller than the 3.35 metric tons of CO2 that is emitted from landfills. Denmark has shown that there are other answers to waste problem than the common practice of landfills, but some countries like the United States are still hesitate to make the change.

There are over 13,000 active and inactive landfills in the United States alone. These landfills make up 54% of the nation's waste management, which compared to the 4% in Denmark shows the differences in the way garbage is taken care of between the two countries. The negatives of landfills are that they take up space, have been known to leak toxins, and have almost six times the emission rate than that of trash energy plants. So what is stopping the United States from embracing the change? Well, it may be coming from an unlikely opponent: environmentalists.

Some environmentalists feel that incinerators, even ones that help to create energy, are counterproductive to the cause. In their opinion, incinerators promote a waste culture instead of a culture based around recycling. Yet, many American organizations like the Clinton Global Initiative (an international aid and philanthropy organization started by former President Clinton and advisor Doug Band back in 2005) see carbon emissions as the true environmental problem regardless of where it comes from. This is why CGI has worked tirelessly to create green initiatives that cut down on CO2 emissions.

What the waste conversion plants in Denmark have shown is that there are plenty of solutions to environment worries around the world waiting to be utilized. The United States may not be eager to join just yet, but the victory is that the world is thinking of ways to create cleaner energy even if it's from a trashy source.

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5 Ways To Reduce Your Environmental Impact This Summer

Don’t give up on your green goals just because it’s hot and you might be traveling. Summer is a great time to recommit to a healthier, planet-conscience lifestyle.

Summer is usually a time of family get-togethers and outdoor fun. But with all that hot weather and togetherness also comes the desire to make everything as easy and carefree as possible. But you don’t have to lose your sense of eco-responsibility. Just follow these easy summer tips to keep you and your family on track all summer long.
Rethink - and reduce - your consumer choices.
By becoming more mindful about the amount of plastic, paper, glass and aluminum you’re consuming, you automatically reduce the amount of trash you’re creating.  This is good year-round advice, but with summer heating up, you might need to rethink things like the standard paper plates you use at your yearly BBQ. Use traditional plates, or at least choose one of the newer, more eco-friendly disposable dinnerware types like LeafWare for serving. You might also want to rethink the number of glass bottles of beer and cans of soda you haul to the lake or beach on weekends.  Can you bring homemade iced tea or lemonade, served in reusable cups? Can you switch all those bottles of beer for a small keg instead? If you have the room, a keg - which will not only save you money per serving - will last a lot longer that a six-pack.
Reuse and Recycle.
By making a conscience effort to recycle everything you can (and reuse what you can’t recycle) you lessen your impact on the environment. Get into the mindset of stretching the use of everything you buy, whether it’s a pair of jeans or a garden pot. Reuse those worn out jeans for summer decorating projects like a neat beach tote or pillows for your patio. And any garden pot that has seen better days can easily become useful drainage material for the bottom of another pot. Or break that old pot apart and use the pieces to make an artsy tabletop design. Think durable, not disposable.
Just say no -- to plastic grocery bags....... Read More  

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