Recycling

In 2017, do as California is: Make air cleanup, job one – Part 2 (stationary sources)

“The science is clear: breathing polluted air increases the risk of debilitating and deadly diseases such as lung cancer, stroke, heart disease, and chronic bronchitis. Air pollution is now the world’s fourth-leading fatal health risk, causing one in ten deaths in 2013.”1 Air in California, America’s 31st state, is under repetitious attack via a hail … Read more

Making a clean sweep: Up the chimney, down the street

In my home, there’s a fireplace. From the backyard, visible is a chimney (if you want to call it that). A vertical pipe would be more like it (galvanized steel, I think) projecting up out of the house’s back portion. Its purpose is to exhaust fireplace discharge, but, I’m having none of that – literally. … Read more

Personal air-quality activity profile

And now for something just a little different. There is a tool called the carbon calculator. It is an instrument available to help people determine what their personal or household carbon footprints are. Truth be told, I have never used the device. I am not advocating that people don’t use this. However, for myself, I’ve … Read more

South Coast Air Basin 2016 vs. ’15 ozone update

Imagine residing in an area where more than a quarter of one’s days in a given year, are spent breathing smog. And, it’s not only the smog that’s at issue: it is the degree or level of smog, or rather, ozone that is in air and in the South Coast Air Basin of California on … Read more

FWDS: Campaign launched to reduce food waste; encouraging solutions offered

Number 4 in the Food Waste Disposal Series. “Food is the single largest component of solid waste in U.S. landfills, and about 25 percent of our nation’s fresh water is used to grow food that gets trashed,” declared the Natural Resources Defense Council in its “NRDC and Ad Council Launch New ‘Save the Food’ National … Read more

FWDS: Researchers hot on trail of heat from food; tho, capturing it, the tricky part

Number 2 in the Food Waste Disposal Series. So much food gets eaten, but so much gets wasted too. Last time in the FWDS, looked at were statistics related to municipal solid waste (MSW) and more, including the amount of food in the U.S. annually discarded and the percentage recovered. So what are the related … Read more

Food-waste-disposal-series kickoff: Introduction, background

Americans have quite the appetite. And why wouldn’t we?! After all, we are 320 million strong and growing and in order to meet our own solid (and liquid) fuel consumption needs, our bodies require being nourished on a regular and sustained basis. That’s but the half of it. The other 50 percent has to do … Read more

On separating – the nitty-gritty of recyclables and refuse disposal; how done right can be air-helpful

Fresno, California, in my opinion, has an exemplary recycling endeavor. I’m not just saying this because I’m a member of the greater Fresno citizenry or because I’m an active contributor and participant in the local waste management effort. And, it has nothing to do with my becoming aware of the recycling goings-on in these here … Read more

SAPS: Getting more from orchard waste; cleaner air included

Number 3 in the Sustainable Agricultural Practices Series. It is near impossible for all people to always agree on all matters, obviously. Take, for instance, climate change (global warming): 1) not everyone subscribes to the notion of a warming Earth; and 2) of those who believe the world is warming there isn’t universal consensus as … Read more