Tiny College of the Atlantic, with 300 students and only one major, human ecology, has become the nation's first "carbon-neutral" campus, school officials said Wednesday.
The private college said it has offset emissions of 2,488 tons over the past 15 months by investing in a greenhouse gas reduction project in Oregon. The cost: about $25,000.
The term "carbon neutral" refers to the practice of balancing the amount of carbon dioxide released into the air with the amount being removed from the atmosphere, either by using renewable energy or through carbon offsets elsewhere.
The announcement culminates an inaugural promise the school's president, David Hales, made in October 2006 to make the campus carbon-neutral by this month.
"We have much more to do to directly reduce our emissions, but it is satisfying to know that the last 15 months of College of the Atlantic's contribution to the increase of greenhouse gases in our atmosphere adds up to zero," Hales said.
The school is among more than 450 universities and colleges to take "net-zero" pledges through the American College and University Presidents Climate Commitment program.
To become carbon neutral, the college is buying carbon offsets through The Climate Trust of Oregon. The trust is reducing carbon dioxide emissions by optimizing traffic signals and managing traffic flow in Portland, Oregon, which shortens the amount of time cars spend idling at traffic lights.
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carbon nuetral, global warming, carbon trading
Monday, December 31, 2007
Friday, December 28, 2007
Ideas to Curb Global Warming
Responsible Choices
The choices we make and the products we buy test our commitment to maintain a healthy planet. When we burn fossil fuels—such as oil, coal, and natural gas—to run our cars and light our homes, we pump carbon dioxide (CO2) into the air. This thickens the heat-trapping blanket that surrounds the planet, causing global warming.
Choosing modern technology can reduce our use of fossil fuels and help protect the planet. These ten steps will help curb global warming, save you money, and create a safer environment for the future.
Technorati Tags:
Global warming, curbing global warming, stopping global warming
The choices we make and the products we buy test our commitment to maintain a healthy planet. When we burn fossil fuels—such as oil, coal, and natural gas—to run our cars and light our homes, we pump carbon dioxide (CO2) into the air. This thickens the heat-trapping blanket that surrounds the planet, causing global warming.
Choosing modern technology can reduce our use of fossil fuels and help protect the planet. These ten steps will help curb global warming, save you money, and create a safer environment for the future.
Technorati Tags:
Global warming, curbing global warming, stopping global warming
Sunday, December 23, 2007
NASA OFFICIAL Admits Global Warming is not a problem
NASA initiated damage control Thursday as it tried to clarify remarks made earlier in the day by the space agency's administrator, who told a national radio audience that he doubted whether global warming was really a problem.
Administrator Michael D. Griffin's comments came just hours before President Bush called on 15 nations to set greenhouse-gas emission standards, an effort that Griffin's comments implied might be useless.
"I have no doubt that global — that a trend of global warming exists," Griffin told National Public Radio's Morning Edition in an interview aired early Thursday. "I am not sure that it is fair to say that it is a problem we must wrestle with."
To assume that it is a problem is to assume that the state of Earth's climate today is the optimal climate, the best climate that we could have or ever have had, and that we need to take steps to make sure that it doesn't change," Griffin said.
But Griffin, who heads an agency with a $16.5 billion budget, wondered whether global warming was an issue that needed to be grappled with at all.
"First of all, I don't think it's within the power of human beings to assure that the climate does not change, as millions of years of history have shown," he continued. "And second of all, I guess I would ask which human beings — where and when — are to be accorded the privilege of deciding that this particular climate that we have right here today, right now is the best climate for all other human beings. I think that's a rather arrogant position for people to take."
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GlobalWarming, Nasa, green house gas
Administrator Michael D. Griffin's comments came just hours before President Bush called on 15 nations to set greenhouse-gas emission standards, an effort that Griffin's comments implied might be useless.
"I have no doubt that global — that a trend of global warming exists," Griffin told National Public Radio's Morning Edition in an interview aired early Thursday. "I am not sure that it is fair to say that it is a problem we must wrestle with."
To assume that it is a problem is to assume that the state of Earth's climate today is the optimal climate, the best climate that we could have or ever have had, and that we need to take steps to make sure that it doesn't change," Griffin said.
But Griffin, who heads an agency with a $16.5 billion budget, wondered whether global warming was an issue that needed to be grappled with at all.
"First of all, I don't think it's within the power of human beings to assure that the climate does not change, as millions of years of history have shown," he continued. "And second of all, I guess I would ask which human beings — where and when — are to be accorded the privilege of deciding that this particular climate that we have right here today, right now is the best climate for all other human beings. I think that's a rather arrogant position for people to take."
Technorati Tags:
GlobalWarming, Nasa, green house gas
Tuesday, December 11, 2007
Global Warming the Next Big Scare (Scam)
Unless you have been burying your head in the sand you will more than likely be well aware of the mass of discussion about Global Warming in the media in recent years.
If everything that is being said and written about global warming is to be believed then other world issues, such as the rise in terrorism, pale into insignificance in terms of the future of mankind.
But are the claims being made really true or is global warming one big scam initiated by politicians, scientists and others in order to further their own agendas?
In the UK one of the leading supporters of the theory that global warming is very much a severe and increasing threat is Sir David King, the government’s leading scientific advisor. His main points are that -
1. Sea levels are rising.This claim is actually debateable as measurements are only taken from the North Atlantic basin, without regard for other locations where independent research shows little to no evidence of this effect. Also, it should be noted that there is a firm belief that sea levels increased during the last Ice Age, which would seem to suggest that the world’s net temperature is not directly linked to sea levels.
2. Polar ice caps are melting.This statement is actually quite true but then the breakup of ice caps is nothing new as it has happened throughout history. In fact, there are some areas of Antarctica where the ice sheet is actually expanding at this point in time.
3. From 1991 we have had the hottest years on record.Sorry, not true! Historians have good evidence to support the theory that the average temperature in the Middle Ages was between one and two degrees celsius warmer than present.
4. CO2 emissions cause global warmingThis claim is probably very true and not many people would try and doubt it. There are many organisations and websites, such as CO2Debt.com, whose mission is to increase awareness and they do a stirling job. However, some would claim that the world natuarally releases CO2 and so therefore modern man’s pollution is a non issue.
So, considering the possible consequences of global warming if left unchecked, why is there any debate as to whether it is a scam, or will become our reality, in the near future?
Well, the cynics and the skeptics might argue that scientists earn good livings from research, implementing scientific methodologies and even giving speeches. Politicians, whatever their individual views, tend to jump on bandwagons whilst looking for the popular vote.
Global warming is THE big issue of our time. There’s no doubt that further research needs to be undertaken but there’s also a money train running along with it. Keep your eyes and your minds open and then decide whether global warming is the truth or a huge scam.
Technorati Tags:
global warming, global warming facts, stop global warming
If everything that is being said and written about global warming is to be believed then other world issues, such as the rise in terrorism, pale into insignificance in terms of the future of mankind.
But are the claims being made really true or is global warming one big scam initiated by politicians, scientists and others in order to further their own agendas?
In the UK one of the leading supporters of the theory that global warming is very much a severe and increasing threat is Sir David King, the government’s leading scientific advisor. His main points are that -
1. Sea levels are rising.This claim is actually debateable as measurements are only taken from the North Atlantic basin, without regard for other locations where independent research shows little to no evidence of this effect. Also, it should be noted that there is a firm belief that sea levels increased during the last Ice Age, which would seem to suggest that the world’s net temperature is not directly linked to sea levels.
2. Polar ice caps are melting.This statement is actually quite true but then the breakup of ice caps is nothing new as it has happened throughout history. In fact, there are some areas of Antarctica where the ice sheet is actually expanding at this point in time.
3. From 1991 we have had the hottest years on record.Sorry, not true! Historians have good evidence to support the theory that the average temperature in the Middle Ages was between one and two degrees celsius warmer than present.
4. CO2 emissions cause global warmingThis claim is probably very true and not many people would try and doubt it. There are many organisations and websites, such as CO2Debt.com, whose mission is to increase awareness and they do a stirling job. However, some would claim that the world natuarally releases CO2 and so therefore modern man’s pollution is a non issue.
So, considering the possible consequences of global warming if left unchecked, why is there any debate as to whether it is a scam, or will become our reality, in the near future?
Well, the cynics and the skeptics might argue that scientists earn good livings from research, implementing scientific methodologies and even giving speeches. Politicians, whatever their individual views, tend to jump on bandwagons whilst looking for the popular vote.
Global warming is THE big issue of our time. There’s no doubt that further research needs to be undertaken but there’s also a money train running along with it. Keep your eyes and your minds open and then decide whether global warming is the truth or a huge scam.
Technorati Tags:
global warming, global warming facts, stop global warming
Monday, December 10, 2007
Global Warming Defined
Owing to the rise in atmospheric carbon dioxide caused by modern industrial societies' widespread combustion of fossil fuels (coal, oil, and natural gas), the greenhouse effect on Earth may be intensified and long-term climatic changes may result. Global Warming means potential increase in average global atmospheric temperatures resulting from the greenhouse effect. Rising global temperatures are expected to raise sea level, and change precipitation and other local climate conditions. Changing regional climate could alter forests, crop yields, and water supplies. It could also affect human health, animals, and many types of ecosystems. Deserts may expand into existing rangelands, and features of some of our National Parks may be permanently altered. At the global level, countries around the world have expressed a firm commitment to strengthening international responses to the risks of climate change. The U.S. is working to strengthen international action and broaden participation under the auspices of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC)
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Technorati Tags:
global warming, green house gass, recycling, environment
Technorati Profile
Technorati Tags:
global warming, green house gass, recycling, environment
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