Environmental Issues

GOING
GREEN!!! Prepared
By
Margaret E. Rousset
 Missouri ABE/ASE Content
Standards
Adult Education Content Standards for Roles
in the Family, the Workplace, and the
Community
Science and Technology
GOAL 1: Understand and use basic concepts of science to achieve
personal, family, workplace and community goals .
Standard 1: Demonstrate knowledge of basic scientific facts and
principles in various contexts.
d) Describe the characteristics of various forms of energy.
e) Analyze the relationship between matter and energy in the context of
current issues.
g) Describe the earth and its systems as they relate to pollution, climate,
oil and gas supplies, water cycle, carbon dioxide cycle, and other
current issues.
h) Explain the interdependence of living things.
Why Should We be Concerned?

The Worlds Population is

Increasing!!!
 World Population Growth

Most of the worlds population increase since 1950 has

been in the developing countries.
Western Hemisphere at Night

Satellite Photos:
Photos
a. Cities, towns, villages
lit up at night by
electricity.
b. Demand is growing
faster than supply.
c. White patches are
city lights.
d. Red spots in South
America & Africa (not
shown) show large-
scale burning of
forests.
Energy Flow Through Fossil Fuels

Fossil Fuels are Nonrenewable Energy

How The Greenhouse Effect
Works

What are the Greenhouse Gases?

A. Water vapor
B. Carbon dioxide ***
C. Chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs)
D. Methane
E. Nitrous oxide
Categories of Pollution
 Environmental Science
Key Terms
Greenhouse Effect Recycling
Air Pollution Landfills
Water Pollution Composting
Land Pollution Biodegradable
Smog Non-Biodegradable
Global Warming Food Chains & Food
Indoor Pollution Webs
Ozone Depletion
Renewable Energy
Recycling
Conservation
Endangered Animals
Fossil Fuels
Habitat Destruction
Solar Power
Oil Spills
Acid Rain
Deforestation
 Thinking Green - Being
Green
Putting the four R's - Reduce, Reuse,
Recycle and Recover the resource into
action.
Simple, everyday recycling saves
energy for everyone.
Your home, your community, your city,
your state, your country, and your world
benefits.
 Recycling Codes

These symbols are marked on all solid plastic items:

1: PETE (PET) = polyethylene terephthalate
2: HDPE = High-density polyethylene
3: V (PVC) = Polyvinyl chloride
4: LDPE = Low-density polyethylene
5: PP = Polypropylene
6: PS = Polystyrene
7: Other = Any other plastic
Currently, HDPE and PET are the two most
commonly recycled resins.
 How Can I Help?
10 Things you can do
1. Get a free home energy audit -
Most public utilities will conduct a free audit
and tell you how much power your
household uses and offer strategies to help
you reduce your energy consumption.
2. Reduce, Reuse, Recycle - Choose
reusable products instead of disposables.
 How Can I Help?
10 Things you can do
3. Use Less Heat & Air
Conditioning - Add insulation,
weather stripping, caulking. This can save
up to 25% on your energy use. Turn
down your heat at night or when you are
away. Just 2 higher in summer or lower in
winter can save 2,000 lbs. of Carbon
Dioxide each year.
 How Can I Help?
10 Things you can do
4. Change a Light Bulb - Replacing just
one 60-watt incandescent light bulb with a
CFL will save you $30 over the life
of the bulb. If every U.S. family replaced
one regular light bulb with a CFL, it would
eliminate 90 billion pounds of greenhouse
gases, the same as taking 7.5 million cars off
the road.
Change is Good.
A compact
fluorescent light
(CFL) bulb
Lasts 10 times longer
than incandescent
bulbs,
Uses two-thirds less
energy
Gives off 70% less
heat
 How Can I Help?
10 Things you can do
5. Drive Less and Drive Smart - Less
driving means fewer emissions. Besides saving
gasoline, walking and biking are great forms of
exercise. Check out options for carpooling to
work or school.

Make sure your car is running efficiently.

Keeping your tires properly inflated can
improve your gas mileage by more than 3
percent. Every gallon of gas you save not only
helps your budget, it also keeps 20 pounds of
carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere.
 How Can I Help?
10 Things you can do
6. Buy Energy Efficient Products -
When buying a new car, choose one that
offers good gas mileage. Choose energy-
efficient home appliances. Avoid products
that come with excess packaging,
especially molded plastic and other
packaging that can't be recycled. If you
reduce your household garbage by 10
percent, you can save 1,200 pounds of
carbon dioxide annually.
 How Can I Help?
10 Things you can do
7. Use Less Hot Water - Set the water
heater at 120 degrees to save energy. Buy low-
flow showerheads to save hot water and about
350 pounds of carbon dioxide yearly.
Wash your clothes in warm or cold water to
reduce your use of hot water and the energy
required to produce it, saving at least 500
pounds of carbon dioxide annually in most
households.
Use the energy-saving settings on your
dishwasher and let the dishes air-dry.
 How Can I Help?
10 Things you can do
8. Use the Off Switch - Save
electricity and reduce global warming by
turning off lights when you leave a room.
Remember to turn off your television, video
player, stereo and computer when you're
not using them. While brushing your teeth,
shampooing the dog or washing your car,
turn off the water until you actually need it
for rinsing. You'll reduce your water bill and
help to conserve a vital resource.
 Saving Energy
While brushing
teeth, leave
the water off
until its time
to rinse.
Another example:

Unplug cell
phone
chargers when
not in use.

This saves
energy.
 How Can I Help?
10 Things you can do
9. Plant a Tree - During photosynthesis,
trees and other plants absorb carbon
dioxide and give off oxygen. They are an
integral part of the natural atmospheric
exchange cycle here on Earth, but there
are too few of them to fully counter the
increases in carbon dioxide caused by
automobile traffic, manufacturing and
other human activities. A single tree will
absorb approximately one ton of
carbon dioxide during its lifetime.
 How Can I Help?
10 Things you can do
10.Encourage Others to Conserve
- Share information about recycling
and energy conservation with your
friends, neighbors and co-workers.
Take opportunities to encourage public
officials to establish programs and
policies that are good for the
environment.
***Be A ROLE MODEL for your children.
Teach them to be energy conscious.
 BE Proactive
These 10 steps will take you a long
way toward reducing your energy
use and your monthly budget. And
less energy use means less
dependence on the fossil fuels that
create Greenhouse Gases and
contribute to Global Warming.
 What Are Other Things You Can Do?
Use Reusable Shopping Bags
Pay Your Bills Online
Use Rechargeable Batteries
Buy Recycled Products
Shop & Sell On Craigs List
Compost Kitchen & Yard
Waste
Recycle Your Car Tires
Choose Items with Least
Packaging
Send E-Cards
Use Cloth Diapers
Recycle Car Batteries & Oil
Tune Up Your Car
Use Non-toxic Cleaners
Recycle Empty Prescription
Bottles
Discontinue Junk Mail
Recycle Aluminum Cans
Recycle Newspapers
Recycle Plastic and Glass
Recycle Used Motor Oil
Recycle Your Shoes
Use Your Own Coffee Cup
Place a Brick in Your Toilet
Eat Your Vegetables
Eat Your Vegetables & Grains

The larger the population, the more energy it

takes to sustain the population. The same
amount of grain can support ten times
more people at the herbivore level than at
the carnivore level.
Eating more grains saves energy.
 Energy Efficiency
FACTSHEET

http://www.energyideas.org/documents/factshee
ts/hometips.pdf
Lets Protect This Beautiful World!!!
Can you think of at least 10 more ways to
Go Green?
 Toward a Sustainable Future

A sustainable society is a society in balance with the

natural world, continuing generation after generation,
neither depleting its resource base by exceeding
sustainable yields nor producing pollutants in excess of
natures capacity to absorb them.