http://www.emagazine.com/blog/the-charlie-brown-of-alternative-energy?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+EMagazineBlogFeed+%28E+Magazine+Blogs+Feed%29&utm_content=Google+Reader

-This picture shows a geothermal plant at work











Summary - This article says that geothermal energy is the "Charlie Brown" of renewable sources. Meaning it does not get the same attention as other renewable sources. Unlike solar and wind, it can be produced 24 hours of the day, while when the sun goes down solar energy is out of the picture, and wind is so unpredictable. Getting geothermal energy moving in forward progress was a recent topic of a Geothermal Energy Association conference in Washington, D.C. Geothermal energry need to have support, wind was just like geothermal, once it was given funding it took off, and did much better. For geothermal energy to go farther much support is needed due to the high costs and risks. It also takes many years to complete, it is no short term project. Alternative energy in America has been hamstrung out with start-and-stop policies, and that is bad for all renewable energy sources. The upsides to geothermal energy could be great though, a successful plant can produce 30 years of affodable energy that emits basically no greenhouse gases, with barley any environmental impact.



Opinion - I think America needs to start converting to renewable energy sources, considering we are running out of other resources, and it is much cleaner. People need to put more thought into this, because the depletion of some sources is just around the corner. No one really thinks about life without what we have, because we haven't lost it yet, but when we lose it there will be a large panic and I believe people won't know what to do.

Questions -

I-Why do we continue to put money into pipelines for shale oil and natural gas, and deepwater ocean drilling with the know fact the climate is changing?


II - If you were at the conference in Washington, D.C., about geothermal energy what would you have said to the people there about converting?


III - Do you think the U.S. will wait till the last second to change our ways to get energy? Why or why not?

Dawn of a thirsty century, Alex kirby, BBC news, June2nd, 2000

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/755497.stm

Only 2.5% of the world's water is too salty to use. Most of it is trapped in icecaps and glaciers, so we can't even get to most of the fresh water. We need to increase our fresh water in the next two centuries because the amount of water we can use is decreasing. All across the world, one in five people don't have access to clean drinking water. Not only that 30,000 children die before reaching their 5th birthdays because they die of thirst. This sounds sad, but it is 100% true. This problem is rising because of the major increase in population and the demand for better living conditions. Also, we waste a lot of water. We let water run in our sinks for a long time, and we use very  clean water for things we don't need it for. But the major reason for water shortage if pollution. Since everyone litters, and puts chemicals in our water, then it kills our chances for having clean water in the future. Scientists are looking for solutions for these problems; but it will take a very long time for us to master these solutions. The major solution they are looking at is distillation. It is the removal of salt from water. It is cost-effective and is very easy to do. But it will take a while and may kill our aquatic life.  The UNEP said, "The environment remains largely outside the mainstream of everyday human consciousness, and is still considered an add-on to the fabric of life." Overall, This is becoming a problem and we need to fix this.
Opinion: Overall, water shortage is a very serious topic. All of our main necessities for life are made of water or include it. Water is just a major resource that we need to preserve. In my opinion, we need to conserve all the water we can before its too late... meaning we won't have anymore water. The thing that hit me most is that 30,000 kids die before their 5th birthday, since they suffer with thirst. I almost started to cry just thinking about this because if kids don't get to live just because of a simple-fixing problem; then we are failing as a world. Everyone should have a chance to live their life; and not suffer because of water shortage.

Questions:
1. What do you think about the whole water- shortage problem?
2. Do you think it can be easily fixed? why or why not?

3. What do you think you can do to help with water shortage?

This picture shows what children around the world are doing to get water. They think its clean, but in reality, it can be much much cleaner.

Sewage Frequently Fouls Hudsen River

Image- A woman long distance swimming in the Hudsen River

Summary- A recent study shows that one fifth of the testing done to the Hudsen have come back showing the water to be unsuitable for recreation. The study says that 21 percent of testing showed unsafe levels of bacteria, most likely coming from faulty sewage plants or overflowing rain. It also states that most of the contamination is from the rivers and streams that flow into the river, and many of the unsafe samples come from areas of the river between New York and Albany.
Despite the multitude of residents in New York, the majority of contaminentts come from the Albany area this is most likely because of the narrow stretch of river that the sewage is entering from, or that Albany's treatment plants do not disinfect the sewage and that area of the Hudsen is "Sewage-laden"
New York does have several problems with its sewage, like when it rains and their treatment plants are unable to handle the volume, and the unsafe samples rise from 9 to 32 percent.
As a result, Riverkeepers are recommending having weekly testings and enforcing cleanings.
A deputy commisioner with the New York City Department of Enviormental Protection, Carter Strickland, says that the city has spent nearly $2 billion adressing the problem which includes run-off from storms and sewage in the same pipes. He also states the solutions can include seperating sewage and storm water, or building special roofs and porous parking lots.
In the meantime he is working to release the water testing results as soon as possible.
Opinion- To know that a common recreation place like the Hudsen is polluted enough to cause this much of a problem is scary. You start to think of lakes or rivers that you might frequently sim or boat in, and whether or not they have the same kind of contaminents. I think more people should be working to take care of all of the pollution we have, so we can be able to swim and do what we want without worrying about the bacteria swimming with us
Questions-What can we do to help clean up the rivers?
How many rivers and lakes are contaminated like this, and how can we find out?
What other actions are being taken to handle these problems?