Environmental Realization

How much does it take for the average adult in the United States to realize most of the objects they use on a daily basis may be hurting the livelihood of this Earth? This question is posed to millions of people everyday and there has never been a good answer to solve these problems. I remember seeing the price of gas in "I am Legend" the movie, and this shows the perfect example of one way of showing people that they are harming the environment by using gasoline powered engines. People complain about taxes on harmful products, such as cigarettes and people do not realize, that it is there to help them quit and save the environment. The government should not be the only organization making regulations, people should step in and influence the government to make educated legislation.

Your grandchildren will likely find it incredible - or even sinful - that you burned up a gallon of gasoline to fetch a pack of cigarettes! ~Paul MacCready, Jr.

A Political Controversy

Environmental policy making is a very large part of the legislative process today on Capitol Hill. There will always be the true Congressman that are searching for a better climate, but there still will always be the Congressman looking for the corporate relationship and money transactions. This given comic exemplifies the current events in the United States and how reputation and alliances with other people can create a large lie, that covers up the whole truth. It is depicted as a game in the comic, but many people do not realize that lobbyists today will fight with litigation to stop people or companies that get in their way. There are many Political Action Committees (PAC) that will move to the forefront to fight for the truth, but there are still many of them here to cover up the truth and spread the wealth in environmental destruction.

They kill good trees to put out bad newspapers. ~James G. Watt, quoted in Newsweek, 8 March 1982

Learning With Rustle

Rustle the Leaf has created dozens of lesson plans to help educate the community as a whole on environmentally friendly subjects. The plans vary from early education to even college students. There have been adults that have even learned from these plans and now practice ways of helping the environment and saving money at the same time. There have been many public school teachers that have spread their ideas and issues with the lesson plans taught in class. The characters of the comic strip make it very easy for children to appeal with the lessons and it creates more fun within the learning experience. If there are any teachers that would like to check out these lesson plans or anyone else, please visit http://www.rustletheleaf.com/lessonplans1.html .

In an underdeveloped country, don't drink the water; in a developed country, don't breathe the air. ~Changing Times magazine

What You Are Really Getting Out of Every Mile

If you see next to a well traveled road in a small sized city today, you will see a record number of hybrid cars cruising down the street. This is because people actually somewhat care about the environment and the future of the planet. As this cartoon is explaining, the demand for faster hybrids is on the rise, so if you see a sport car hybrid in the future, it may not mean that it has great gas mileage. People want speed in America and they may get it, but with the increase in horsepower, comes lower miles per gallon. Overseas, the need for speed is much less and people care about how much money they are saving by getting a compact car and saving gas. It is a whole different world here in America, but we have to change our practices of preserving gas or we will end up like the people back in the Stone Age.

Take care of the earth and she will take care of you. ~Author Unknown

The Recycling Process

There are thousands of products out there today that can not be properly recycled in the environment. This comic strip shows the terrible effects of normal recycling uses for PVC. This object is very disruptive to the environment and it is very hard to educate people on properly recycling these important substances. Almost every part of this planet can be effected by improper recycling practices and with the current oil spill catastrophe, people should be looking for better ways of approaching recycling and helping the Earth.

Just remember during this summer, please recycle and do so properly. Thank You

-If civilization has risen from the Stone Age, it can rise again from the Wastepaper Age. ~Jacques Barzun, The House of Intellect, 1959

The Real Heat "Waves"

When the ocean levels rise, they heat up because of the expansion of surface area. The heat waves that could hit any place this summer are nothing compared to the waves of the ocean that will be warmer than ever. "The energy stored is enough to power nearly 500 100-watt light bulbs for each of the roughly 6.7 billion people on the planet." This statistic is mind blowing to people all over the world. People say would should harness the power of the ocean, but with the widespread area of the ocean and the wildlife in it, this would cost way too much money.

What are your opinions on this article? What do you think our government and other agencies can do to help the heat energy of the world's oceans.

URL: http://www.enn.com/energy/article/41346


We do not inherit the earth from our ancestors, we borrow it from our children. ~Native American Proverb

The Pigment of Computer Paper

Have you ever wondered why paper is so white? When you see a fallen branch or tree and look inside, it is usually a yellowish white or even sometimes green. People prefer to work with paper that is extremely white, so their words can be seen better. A bleach is a chemical that removes colors or whitens, often via oxidation. This is what is used to make paper the color it is usually seen as today. When the page is completely bleached, it often lets the black ink stand out more then it would on a page of other color. This chemical can be found in all types of house cleaning materials, but just because it is found in the average home, does not mean it is particularly safe. Bleach harms the environment when it is leaked into water supply and depletes animal lives. If it is leaked into a small pond, it would not be surprising if all life in the pond died out. There have been many researches done to see bleach's effect on this planet, and they have noticed that for every use of bleach, there is an alternative method with another chemical or alcohol.

Thank God men cannot fly, and lay waste the sky as well as the earth. ~Henry David Thoreau

Making Differences

There are literally hundreds of organizations and agencies trying to help the future of this country, but what can we really do to make a difference? This comic shows how we should use nature to change people's opinions about polluting. There are many issues we face today that should be taken care of, but forgetting about something is harder then remembering it.

-Rise and rise again, until lambs become lions.

US Cut Its CO2 Emissions by 7 Percent Last Year

David Gabel of the Environmental News Network found a statistic that brings back good news about how our efforts to save this planet have paid off. The title explains the story, which is that the United States has cut its CO2 emissions by 7 percent in the fiscal year of 2009. This is the largest drop in CO2 emissions since the U.S. has been recording in 1949. This is good news for people who have been striving to drop the footprint that individuals give off and businesses around the country. The atmosphere on this planet can only withstand a certain amount of CO2 and the plants can only take in so much. The change in manufacturing and driving practices may continue to pay off. The new cars out on the road with better miles per gallon may have contributed to this statistic.

Another view on this drop in CO2 emissions may have come naturally with the recession in the U.S. market. When people are having a hard time paying their bills, they try to cut back on energy use and even choose save money by purchasing a more fuel efficient car. Money is the key issue in the news and one of the best ways to save money is to save energy. People chose to keep lights off in the offices or leave the windows open at night, instead of turning on the air conditioner. I am sure the Earth is happy for our improvements in our CO2 emissions, but we still have to work to keep them down. For a greener approach to cleaning the environment, visit http://www.citra-solv.com/whynatural.shtml .

For the whole article go to:
http://www.enn.com/pollution/article/41295

Posting

People are welcome to post new articles about the news or opinions about the environment.

The First Rustling

Hello all Bloggers,

This is the first of many posts on this blog and all other information can be seen at http://www.rustletheleaf.com/.

There is a comic to ponder for today and maybe you can even help out the environment we live in.