Earth day is a worldwide holiday intended to celebrate our great planet. There are two dates when people celebrate earth day, one is in March and is called Equinox Earth Day. The second is on the 22nd of April. It’s an annual event held in the spring. The idea behind earth day is to aware people of the wonders of our planet, and to make people think of the consequences of their actions from the excessive carbon emissions to the cutting of trees in the rain forests. Also, it’s a day that people gather and enjoy peace of mind and think of the well being of our planet.
In the year 2000, the message that was sent through Earth Day was so strong , that it made a difference to the way people think. The 2007 Earth Day was the largest to date, with over a billion people from all over the word participating. These places included cities such as New York, London, Spain, Madrid, Ukraine, and many more. In many cities, the Earth day is usually extended to be be an Earth Week, starting from the 16th of April till the 22nd of April.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Earth_Day
http://www.earthsite.org/day.htm
Tuesday, May 13, 2008
Tuesday, April 29, 2008
Summary of the Movie " An Inconvenient Truth"
An inconvenient Truth is a film by Davis Guggenheim, and it features former Vice President Al Gore. The movie shows the affect of global warming, natural disasters, hunger, policital, and other issues that affects the whole world. It also shows statistics and numbers along side each event.
Some people argue that the movie's statistics are not correct, and that its just a way to gain profits. Well, you can think that way, but it does have some fact in it. Opening people's eyes to what they have done through out the years and showing them the correct way of living. Because if we continued living like this, according to the former Vice President Al Gore, we could be the ones ending the Earth's life.
What is Carbon Footprint ?
You might have heard about a Carbon Footprint? But what does it mean exactly? In short, it’s just a way to measure the emissions of carbon dioxide, and other green house gases from different products.
There are many different ways to calculate carbon footprint emissions. First, the Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) can be used, which gives a more accurate result. Second, it can also be measured from the emissions coming from the usage of fossil fuels, giving a general result.
When measuring emissions of a country, the total amount of emission is taken and divided by the number of people. Carbon emissions from individual are a second way of measuring the carbon footprint.
Green house effects and the increasing temperature of the world contribute to the Green House Gases, and most noticeably carbon dioxide and water vapor.
There are many ways to help reduce carbon footprint. One of these ways is to use our energy in more efficient way. Second, decrease our energy usage. Third, it might also help to change a few habit of ours.
In conclusion, the increase in carbon footprint is our cause, so the whole world needs to work together to help reduce it or even eliminate it.
Masdar City Summary
Masdar city, a city that depends on solar power, has begun construction. The development budget is set to U$ 22 billion, and will rely on carbon income.
There are a lot of advantages to this city, such as saving oil worth U$ 2 billion over the coming 25 years. The new city will also provide 70,000 news jobs or more. Also, Abu Dhabi’s annual GDP will rise more than 2 percent.
With the availability of solar power, the demand for power and power will decrease. Power needed to power the city will be reduced significantly compared with a modern city plant. Water consumption will be decreased to half the amount needed by a conventional city. In addition, Master city won’t need a land fill area.
Masdar Institute of Science and Technology (MIST), is the first step in a seven step plane will be built in Masdar city, which is located by the Abu Dhabi International Airport.
Masdar city is a project which belongs to One Planet Living programme, both these programs are started by World Wildlife Fund. The aim of One Planet Living program is to show that even though there are ecological boundaries, the quality of life won’t be affected by it.
Furthermore, Abu Dhabi’s Government has invested U$15 billion in Masdar city, which is one of the biggest investments in all the Emirates. Finally, since the production of power from December 2007, 5500 Kw Hours of electricity and about 4 tons of carbon dioxide have been saved.
Critical Thinking Summary
Critical thinking means taking thinking into a different level. It means thinking in a way different from everybody.
Critical thinkers have to listen to what others say, examine the evidence carefully, and use the experience they have to asses the situation.
Everyone has to have basic knowledge. To become a critical thinker, you have to have a more complex type of thinking. There are 6 steps; they start with knowledge, comprehension, application, analysis, synthesis, and finally evaluation.
In conclusion, critical thinking is for everybody, and if we use it correctly, we will have a much more sophisticated way of thinking that will raise our way of life in all fields.
http://www.admc.hct.ac.ae/hd1/blog/critthink.ppt
Sunday, April 27, 2008
Cool Cities Summary
We just watched a movie called “Cool Cities”. It is basically about energy consumption and the ways to reduce it by using solar powered modern cities.
The video mentioned the group called SDCJ, which stands for Sustainable Urban Development for
The aim of Cool Cities is to reduce energy levels by 60 %, and for people to able to enjoy a new, healthier life style; and if people do strive for change, the SDCJ will make it happen.
In my opinion, I think it is great that companies are really building these cities, so that they help the environment and the people.
Sunday, April 20, 2008
My PSA
I added my Water Public Service Announcement in my blog in order for other people to see it and give me their feedback on it. I hope you enjoy it.
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