SOLAR ENERGY TECHNOLOGY BREAKTHROUGH!

Wind Power

Showing posts with label recycling. Show all posts
Showing posts with label recycling. Show all posts

Tuesday, June 10, 2008

Recycling of waste plastics – To be done in an environment-friendly manner:


Recycling of waste plastics – To be done in an environment-friendly manner:

We find considerable growth in use of plastic everywhere due to the beneficial properties of plastics, such as: (a) Extreme versatility and ability to be tailored to meet very specific technical needs. (b) Lighter weight than competing materials, reducing fuel consumption during transportation. (c) Extreme durability. (d) Resistance to chemicals, water and impact. (e) Good safety and hygiene properties for food packaging. (f) Excellent thermal and electrical insulation properties. (g) Relatively inexpensive to produce.

However, plastics waste creates lot of nuisances and degrade environment in a big way. Recycling and re-utilization of waste plastics have several advantages. Recycling and re-utilization of waste plastics lead to a reduction of the use of virgin materials and of the use of energy, thus also a reduction of carbon dioxide emissions. Economically, in some cases, plastics recycling may be profitable. However, a number of factors can complicate the practice of plastics recycling, such as the collection of the plastics waste, separation of different types of plastics, cleaning of the waste and possible pollution of the plastics. A further complicating factor is the low-value nature of most of the products that can be manufactured from recycled plastics. Reusing plastic is preferable to recycling as it uses less energy and fewer resources.

A. It has been observed, to reduce bad effects of waste plastics, it is better to recycle and re-utilize waste plastics in environment-friendly manners. As per statistics, about 80% of post-consumer plastic waste is sent to landfill, 8% is incinerated and only 7% is recycled. In addition to reducing the amount of plastics waste requiring disposal, recycling plastic can have several other advantages, such as:

(a) Conservation of non-renewable fossil fuels - Plastic production uses 8% of the world's oil production, 4% as feedstock and 4% during manufacture.

(b) Reduced consumption of energy.

(c) Reduced amounts of solid waste going to landfill.

(d) Reduced emissions of carbon-dioxide (CO2), nitrogen-oxides (NOx) and sulfur-dioxide (SO2).

B. There are about 50 different groups of plastics, with hundreds of different varieties. All types of plastic are recyclable. To make sorting and thus recycling easier, the American Society of Plastics Industry developed a standard marking code to help consumers identify and sort the main types of plastic. Before recycling, plastics are sorted according to their resin identification code.The type of plastics (as per the resin identification code) and their most common uses are given below:

Type

(Resin identification code)

Plastics

Common uses

1

PET

Polyethylene terephthalate - Fizzy drink bottles and oven-ready meal trays.

2

HDPE

High-density polyethylene - Bottles for milk and washing-up liquids.

3

PVC

Polyvinyl chloride - Food trays, cling film, bottles for squash, mineral water and shampoo.

4

LDPE

Low density polyethylene - Carrier bags and bin liners.

5

PP

Polypropylene - Margarine tubs, microwaveable meal trays.

6

PS

Polystyrene - Yoghurt pots, foam meat or fish trays, hamburger boxes and egg cartons, vending cups, plastic cutlery, protective packaging for electronic goods and toys.

7

OTHER

Any other plastics that do not fall into any of the above categories. - An example is melamine, which is often used in plastic plates and cups.

C. Plastic process scrap recycling - Currently most plastic recycling in of the developed countries are of 'process scrap' from industry, i.e. polymers left over from the production of plastics. This is relatively simple and economical to recycle, as there is a regular and reliable source and the material is relatively uncontaminated. This is usually described as reprocessing rather than recycling.

D. Post-use plastic recycling - Post-use plastic can be described as plastic material arising from products that have undergone a first full service life prior to being recovered. Households are the biggest source of plastic waste, but recycling household plastics presents a number of challenges. One of these relates to collection.

E. Mechanical recycling - Mechanical recycling of plastics refers to processes which involve the melting, shredding or granulation of waste plastics. Plastics must be sorted prior to mechanical recycling. Mostly, sorting is done manually. Recently, technology is being introduced to sort plastics automatically, using various techniques such as X-ray fluorescence, infrared and near infrared spectroscopy, electrostatics and flotation. Following sorting, the plastic is either melted down directly and molded into a new shape, or melted down after being shredded into flakes and than processed into granules called re-granulate.

F. Chemical or feedstock recycling - Feedstock recycling describes a range of plastic recovery techniques to make plastics, which break down polymers into their constituent monomers, which in turn can be used again in refineries, or petrochemical and chemical production. A range of feedstock recycling technologies is currently being explored. These include:

(a) Pyrolysis,

(b) Hydrogenation,

(c) Gasification and

(d) Thermal cracking.

Feedstock recycling has a greater flexibility over composition and is more tolerant to impurities than mechanical recycling, although it is capital intensive and requires very large quantities of used plastic for reprocessing to be economically viable.

G. Lots of innovations in recycling of waste plastics have been introduced in many countries. We have to see, we should not pollute environment while going for recycling and use of recycled products.

Thursday, May 8, 2008

Source Reduction of waste – Stopping waste before it starts – way to enhance environmental cleanliness:


Source Reduction of waste – Stopping waste before it starts – way to enhance environmental cleanliness:

Source reduction, also known as waste prevention or pollution prevention, is the elimination of waste before it is created. Source reduction is decreasing the amount of materials or energy used during the manufacturing or distribution of products and packages. It basically involves the design, manufacture, purchase or use of materials and products to reduce the amount or toxicity of what is thrown away. Source reduction means stopping waste before it happens.

Because it stops waste before it starts, source reduction is the top solid waste priority of environmental protection agencies of many of the developed countries. These innovations conserve resources and reduce packaging waste, while continuing to provide performance, value and convenience to the consumer.

Source reduction is not the same as recycling. Recycling is collecting already used materials and making them into another product. Recycling begins at the end of a product's life, while source reduction first takes place when the product and its packaging are being designed. In fact, the best way to think about source reduction and recycling is as complementary activities - combined, source reduction and recycling have a significant impact on preventing solid waste and saving resources.
Importance of source reduction of waste:

(a) Source reduction conserves raw material and energy resources. Smaller packages and concentrated products typically use fewer materials and less energy to manufacture and transport.

(b) Source reduction reduces releases to air, land and water. For example, it takes less fuel to transport lighter weight materials.

(c) Source reduction cuts back on what has to be thrown away. That helps keep solid waste disposal costs down, which is good for municipal budgets and consumers.

(d) Source-reduced products take up less space, and are more efficient and easier to use.

Source reduction is the highest goal in the solid waste management hierarchy - Reduce, Reuse, Recycle. As explained above, by itself, recycling does not address the issue of wasteful product use. When recycling is coupled with source reduction, however, wasteful purchase and use of products is minimized. Whenever possible, reduce or reuse first, then recycle. The practice of source reduction benefits the environment through reduced energy consumption and pollution, conservation of natural resources, and extension of valuable landfill space. It can also have economic benefits by reducing costs associated with transportation, disposal or recycling of waste. Plus, source reduction can save you money every day. Everyone can participate in source reduction. REDUCE OR REUSE FIRST, THEN RECYCLE.

Suggestions for better waste management:

You can help reduce waste at home by learning basic waste-saving habits. You can buy products that come in concentrated forms or products that use minimal packaging. And you can reuse, repair, recycle, or compost products that would otherwise be thrown away.

REDUCE

* Buy the largest size package and products that do more than one thing; for example, shampoos that include conditioners.

* Buy concentrated products or compact packages, such as frozen juices and fabric softeners you mix with water at home.

* Look for products with minimal packaging. You will be using fewer natural resources, and you will have less to throw away.

* When you mow your lawn, leave grass clippings on the ground instead of bagging them. Grass clipping decompose quickly, adding nutrients to the soil.

REUSE

* Buy reusable products such as rechargeable batteries.

* Pass on magazines, catalogues, and books to neighbors, hospitals, schools, and nursing homes.

* Reuse plastic or glass containers for food storage, nails, and so on.

* Reuse plastic shopping bags, boxes, and lumber.

* Reuse wrapping paper, gift bags, and bows. Use the Sunday comics for wrapping children’s birthday presents.

REPAIR

* Try to repair before you consider replacement of lawn mowers, tools, vacuum cleaners, and TVs.

* Donate items you can’t repair to local charities or vocational schools.

* Keep appliances in good working order. Properly maintained appliances are less likely to wear out or break and will not have to be replaced as frequently.

RECYCLE

* Shop for items that are recyclable or are made from recycled materials.

* Recycle newspapers, plastics, glass, and cans.

* If a recycling program does not exist in your community, contact community officials to see if it would make sense to start one.

COMPOST

* Compost yard and kitchen waste. Compost makes an excellent fertilizer and improves the soil.

* If there’s no room for compost pile, offer compostable materials to community composting programs or garden projects near you.

Tuesday, May 6, 2008

Waste reduction in production process and reduction in use of raw materials gives significant effect on profitability and promoting cleaner environme


Waste reduction in production process and reduction in use of raw materials gives significant effect on profitability and promoting cleaner environment:

Waste arising out from production processes can have a significant effect on your profitability. The challenge is to reduce this waste without undermining the effectiveness of the process. The reduction of waste generation also mitigates the wastes disposal and recycling problem; thereby improving the environment standard.

A. During the production process some typical problems include the excessive consumption of energy or raw materials, losses in the production process itself, rejection at the inspection stage and failure when the customer is using the end product. In order to reduce waste you have to be very much conversant with the process. To know where waste is arising, you need to understand your processes and technology used. To do this, you could produce a flowchart of your operations. You can then discuss the process with your employees and get their feedback on where waste is occurring, and what you can do to reduce it. This approach helps you focus on the most important areas, with more detailed analysis of the operation at various segments of the process, if necessary.

B. Common things you might do to improve the efficiency of production processes and reduce waste include:

(a) reusing rinse water in cooling systems;

(b) regularly checking that equipment is correctly calibrated;

(c) reducing unnecessary stoppages in the production line;

(d) upgrading or replacing old equipment;

(e) minimizing spills or leaks;

(f) using sealed systems to allow all the waste to be collected in one place, without leakage, so that as much waste as possible can be reused, recycled or disposed of correctly.

C. An effective waste minimization program scrutinizes the whole business from suppliers to product design, production practices to disposal. It will also enable you to minimize the different input resources, including water and energy, chemicals and solvents, and paper and electrical equipment.

Preventing waste from occurring in the first place is the most efficient solution. Constant monitoring of your production processes and preventive maintenance can ensure waste is avoided before it occurs.

D. Reduce your use of raw materials at the fullest extent - Given current levels of consumption; recycling rubbish isn't sufficient to tackle the amount and type of waste produced. Waste needs to be designed out of the system at source, and what cannot be designed out should be reused.

(a) Developing better "closed loop systems" - where waste is treated as a resource - eliminates the need for unused resources and waste disposal.

(b) If you're a manufacturer, using raw materials more efficiently can bring significant cost savings and environmental benefits. To do this, you should look at all aspects of your production process, including transportation and warehousing.

(c)Try to ensure you don't over-order materials for one-off or bespoke jobs. Check how you handle and store raw materials. Even failing to empty all bags and containers properly could lead to significant amounts of waste.

(d) Look carefully at the waste you're disposing of. Could any of it be reprocessed and put back into the production process? Could it be reused for another purpose? For example, packaging from suppliers can be reused to transport your own products. Also, waste water from manufacturing processes could be reused for low grade purposes.

(e) Another important area to consider is product design. Are there ways of designing your product so that it uses fewer raw materials? Try to use materials that have already been recycled or that are easier to recycle.

(f) Issues such as raw material use, waste production, energy consumption and emissions to the atmosphere should be considered at each stage of the product lifecycle.


Waste reduction, reuse, and recycling allow us to use fewer raw materials and conserve natural resources, preserving landfill space and minimizing energy use.

The impact is difficult to ignore.

Saturday, March 29, 2008

Recycling is essential for improving environmental degradation:



Recycling is essential for improving environmental degradation:

Environmental problems have become so complex that many individuals feel they can have no effect on them. Problems like global warming, hazardous waste, loss of rain forests, endangered species, acid rain, the ozone layer, and the municipal waste crisis can feel out of our control. At the very least, these problems require group and corporate action or government intervention. But there are some things the individual can control. Our waste reduction and recycling activities can make a difference.

Recycling is nothing but reprocessing of old material and converting it to new usable products. Recycling prevents waste of potentially useful materials, reducing consumption of fresh raw material, ore and minerals. Recycling process also economizes over all energy consumption for production of materials than the virgin products; thereby improving environmental degradations. Recycling is a key concept of modern waste management.

The recyclable materials are mostly paper, metal, textiles, glass and plastics. These materials are either brought to a collection centre or picked-up from the curbside, sorted, cleaned and reprocessed into new products bound for manufacturing.

(i) Curbside recycling - Curbside recycling now serves half of the U.S. population, providing the most convenient means for households to recycle a variety of materials. While all curbside programs differ, the most commonly included materials are The Big Five: aluminum cans, glass bottles, paper, plastic and steel/tin cans.

(ii) Electronics - Technology has revolutionized our lifestyle through telephones, radios, TVs, computers and cell phones. However, the brisk pace of technology means these devices become obsolete quickly. A more recent issue is how our old electronics should be disposed of, because they often contain dangerous elements such as lead and mercury that can contaminate our soil and water supply.

(iii) Composting - Managing organic material at your home can not only decrease the amount of material you send to the landfill; it can also help turn your organic waste into a landscape asset. Composting will reduce the amount of food waste in your garbage can, while creating nutrient-rich fertilizer for your garden.

Wednesday, March 26, 2008

Some of the ways to promote waste reduction:


Some of the ways to promote waste reduction:

Below are given some suggestions in order to promote for waste reduction. Changes of some policy decision by the authorities may also necessary for smooth operation of the waste reduction and recycling programme.

1. Promote educational campaigns for (a) environmental and societal benefits of waste reduction and recycling (b) composting options (c) reducing the stigma attaching to waste work.

2. Study waste streams (quantity and composition analyses); recovery/recycling systems; markets for recyclables, and problems of existing practices to decide where there may be a facilitative/regulatory role for the municipal authority.

3. Promote and support source separation, recovery and trading networks of wastes, including NGO projects.

4. Facilitate small enterprises and private-public partnerships by: new or amended regulations for co-operatives, loans to businesses, amendment of counter-productive zoning and tax regulations, enable space for sorting and trading depots, etc.

5. Reduce harassment of itinerant buyers, pickers and waste dealers by police. Assist waste pickers to move out of manual picking through retraining programs or subsidization of sorting/redemption centers.

6. After consulting the major stakeholders, advocate, if feasible, selective waste minimization legislation. Pressure national levels for packaging reduction, product redesign, and coding of plastics.

7. Examine the needs of near-urban farmers for organic matter and support safe waste reuse in urban agriculture; reduce or remove high subsidies of chemical fertilizers.

8. Encourage export of recyclables if there is an economic demand in nearby countries and non-toxicity is assured; remove tax barriers to such trading.

Tuesday, March 25, 2008

Waste disposal – A burning problem to be resolved to save environment:




Waste disposal – A burning problem to be resolved to save environment:

The disposal of garbage in the world is a problem. This problem continues to grow with the growth of population and development of industries. Disposal of waste in open pits has become routine in majority of places.

Waste can be many different types. The most common methods of classification are by wastes’ physical, chemical and biological characteristics. One important classification is by their consistency, such as solid, liquid and semisolid or sludge.

(i) Solid wastes are waste materials that contain less than 70% water. This class includes such materials as household garbage, some industrial wastes, some mining wastes, and oilfield wastes such as drill cuttings.

(ii) Liquid wastes are usually wastewater's that contain less than 1% solids. Such wastes may contain high concentrations of dissolved salts and metals.

(iii) Sludge is a class of waste between liquid and solid. They usually contain between 3% and 25% solids, while the rest of the material is water dissolved materials.

There are many different methods of disposing of waste; such as Landfills, refuse burning in incinerators etc.

(a) Landfill is the most common and probably accounts for more than 90 percent of the nation's municipal refuse. Landfills have been proven contaminates of drinking water in many areas. Landfills are the most cost affective method of disposal, with collection and transportation accounting for 75 percent of the total cost. In a modern landfill, refuse is spread thin, compacted layers covered by a layer of clean earth. Pollution of surface water and groundwater is minimized by lining and contouring the fill, compacting and planting the uppermost cover layer, diverting drainage, and selecting proper soil in sites not subject to flooding or high groundwater levels. The best soil for a landfill is clay because clay is less permeable than other types of soil. Materials disposed of in a landfill can be further secured from leakage by solidifying them in materials such as cement, fly ash from power plants, asphalt, or organic polymers.

(b) Refuse is also burned in incinerators. It is more expensive but relatively safer method of disposal than landfills. It has also been reported that, garbage burned in incinerators has poisoned air, soil, and water. Modern incinerators are designed to destroy at least 99.9% of the organic waste material they handle. Numerous thermal processes recover energy from solid waste. Companies burn in-plant wastes in conventional incinerators to produce steam. Pyrolysis, a process of chemical decomposition, produces a variety of gases and inert ash. These gases then are used for manufacturing some useful chemicals. Recently, in some countries oil also has been produced successfully from plastic garbage. This conversion is a very useful conversion and we should try to convert plastic garbage into useful oil. Lot of research work is going on at present to make this conversion feasible.

(c) Organic materials that have little or no heavy metals can be detoxified biologically. Composting and land farming, in which materials are spread out over a large land area so that microbes can decompose them, are examples of biological treatment of hazardous waste. If the materials are not detoxified before they percolate into groundwater than obvious repercussions may occur. Composting includes preparing refuse and breakdown of organic matter by aerobic microorganisms.

(d) The practice of recycling solid waste is an old one. Metal implements were melted down and recast in prehistoric times. Today, recyclable materials are recovered from municipal refuse by a number of methods, including shredding, magnetic separation of metals, screening, and washing.

(e) Hazardous wastes pose a danger to humans or other living organisms. Management of radioactive and other hazardous wastes is subject to Govt. regulation. No satisfactory method has yet been demonstrated for disposing permanently of radioactive wastes.

Further discussions on problems waste disposal: There is a strong movement in many countries to reduce the volume of wastes to be dumped. The increase of composting sites is an indication that organic fraction of garbage can be converted into a useful and commercial product with a higher value. For inert materials, technologies are needed to use wastes as raw materials to produce new products. Development of new materials from recycled materials will also encourage sorting of solid wastes. "Zero Waste" movement also targets industries and waste exchange. 40 % of landfilled wastes in most of the countries come from building materials and this suggests that such wastes can be avoided by developing long-lasting materials and dwellings to reduce wastes from need to rebuild. Other alternatives and efforts indicate that

(i) Onsite treatment and utilization will reduce need for transport.

(ii) Waste minimization is a socially desirable goal.

(iii) Subsidy on products generated from recycled materials will encourage socio-economic changes.

(iv) Centers with technologies that use collected waste materials are needed.

(v) Wastes that have severe risks and excessive problems in disposal should be identified and those which cannot be neutralized may need to be restricted at the point of creation or entry.

(vi) A database on wastes that are available will provide information to possible users of wastes.

Thursday, February 21, 2008

Ship-breaking industry: One of the most hazardous and polluted industry


Ship-breaking industry: One of the most hazardous and polluted industry needs to be rectified soon.

Ship breaking is a type of recycling industry, involving in recovering scraps out of used and old ships. It is a very complex process involves many environmental, labour, safety and health issue. Ship breaking is the process of dismantling an obsolete vessel’s structure for scrapping and disposal. In other words, old and unserviceable ships are demolished in this industry for business of scraps. It allows material from old ships to be reused. Ship breaking operation is conducted at a beach, pier, drydock, or dismantling slip include variety of operations like removing all gears and equipments to cutting down and recycling the ship’s infrastructure.

It is a highly labour intensive industry, and due to that, most of the ship breakers located earlier at developed countries either have stopped the breaking operation or shifted to developing countries like India, Bangladesh, and China etc. The braking of ships is considered to be a dirty and hazardous occupation. Naturally, as of any business, the feasibility of ship-breaking is also largely determined by the market force, i.e., price of scrap metal.

When ship is brought for dismantling, it carries lot of hazardous items, chemicals etc. Breaking them without taking adequate care of human safety, pollutants, and ways for safe disposal of wastes, are quite hazardous job. Hazardous factors involved in Ship breaking operation are: Asbestos; Lead; Chromates; Mercury; Fumes of welding & cutting; Radiation; Noise; Vibration; Air pollution; Low-level radium sources; Organic liquids ( Benzene etc.); Battery, Compressed gas cylinders, firefighting liquids, etc.; Chemical materials; Work using plasma and gas torches; Explosives; Work using cranes and lifting equipment; Saws, Grinders and Abrasive cutting wheels; Accident factors: falling, upsetting, electric shock, etc.

To make the entire operation cheaper, wherever the ship breaking operation is conducted at developing country, there is extremely high rate of exploitation of workers exists with no formal education with them, no / less availability of protective equipments to maintain any safety standard and above all, high rate of corruption among regulators made the situation at a dire state. There exists high level of accidents, occupational diseases among workers; with limited or no medical provisions.

In order to enhance the standard of safety and environmental issue, Government departments of several countries have initiated lot of research; and several proposals and recommendations have been forwarded for implementation. Some of them are: (a) Design improvement of vessels that would not only make scrapping ships less labour intensive, but also environmentally friendly and profitable; (b) Consideration of international duration limitations on vessel life cycles; (c) The establishment of a "Global Scrapping Endowment Fund" in which Shipbuilders would include as part of the construction costs a cash payment to the fund in the amount of the expected costs for the ships eventual demolition; (d) A 'Global Scrapping Tax `Fund' in which taxes would be levied on every ship (according to size and weight) in operation across in globe; (e) Require ship builders to reacquire control of a vessel when it is due to be demolished and to accept responsibility for the safe and environmentally sound scrapping of each ship.

Governments of developing countries required to implement stricter regulations towards safety, health and environmental issues and implementation of them are to be followed. It may be noted, at present iron and steel prices have gone up; so the price of scraps; this financial benefit, should be extended to the personnel engaged for ship breaking operation. Moreover, environment-friendly entrepreneurs are to be encouraged for this re-cycling industry.

As ship breaking industry is re-cycling industry; environmentally it has to be upgraded and it would be everybody’s interest to make this operation as green as possible. Nevertheless, keep continuing recycling industry like sheep breaking is beneficial for the society, as it reduces not only pressure on mineral ore mining, the disposal problem is taken care of as well. Therefore, we have to make this ship breaking industry greener, exploitation & accident free.

Thursday, February 14, 2008

Guidelines for making City Green



As cities are keep on growing because of urbanization, more and more cities are becoming congested. To make cities livable for the citizen and to make their life beautiful, it has been the constant endevour of the Government to encourage for green building, keep city pollution within the limit and to create sufficient green belt.

A. Green Building is a philosophy of design and construction that integrates natural resources more effectively, preserves and restores the natural and human resource base while creating healthier, more efficient “high-performance” structures, homes and communities. This philosophy incorporates the following guiding principles:

  • Using natural and manmade resources efficiently;
  • Considering the impact of buildings and development projects on the local, regional and global environment;
  • Reducing building footprint and development size;
  • Allowing ecosystems to function naturally;
  • Conserving and reusing water; treating storm water on-site;
  • Maximizing the use of local materials;
  • Optimizing energy performance by installing energy efficient equipment and systems;
  • Optimizing climatic conditions through site orientation and design;
  • Integrating natural day-lighting and ventilation;
  • Minimizing the use of mined rare metals and persistent synthetic compounds and volatile organic compounds;
  • Minimizing construction waste by reducing, reusing and recycling materials during all phases of construction and deconstruction.

Sustainability is the practice of using resources to provide for the needs of today’s citizens while preserving the use of those same resources for the needs of future generations. Generally, objectives of green buildings are: (a) Improve work and learning environments, thus increasing worker productivity and student performance; (b) Mitigate health risks such as asthma and childhood lead poisoning; (c) Create local green building jobs within every existing industrial sector; (d) Reduce energy consumption and costs; (e) Affirm the City’s commitment to environmental conservation.

B. The creation of green-space in cities is often spoken of as if it were the result of orderly planning or regulation. Most of the cities have a plan to conserve green-space on the urban fringe. Generally, planning for creation of city green zones includes:

  • Greening Commercial Corridors – This focus on landscape enhancements along strategic streets that can serve as a neighborhood's economic lifeline.
  • City Parks Revitalization – This focus on maintaining and beautification of existing parks in a city.
  • Setting-up of New Community Gardens;
  • Street Beautification Projects- creation of "Garden Blocks".

· Education and Training Opportunities - Courses and workshops help city dwellers beautify their communities through horticulture.

C. Apart from setting up green buildings, green covers, strategy for implementing proper solid waste management, restricting generation of air / water pollutants and strict implementation of local emission control codes. Thus, guidelines should include:

  • Utilize sites to capture environmental benefits and preserve or create new open space;
  • Develop programs and policy to conserve potable water use, improve stormwater management and “green” the city sewage waste water system;
  • Address city and regional transportation issues by encouraging transit-oriented development, improve public transit services and reduce dependency on individual automobile use;
  • Implement citywide energy conservation programs and incentives, encourage use of renewable, non-fossil fuel energy sources and improve city performance on meeting regional clean air standards;
  • Promote the development of local, green manufacturing industries and the use of recycled content materials or renewable materials for building, operations, and supplies for city work. Also establish more extensive recycling program to include construction and demolition waste recycling;
  • Maintain city’s sustainable development by integrating programs, such as in workforce development, economic redevelopment, and the public school system.

D. Citywide ban on smoking in all enclosed public spaces and public vehicles, also to be imposed for long term benefit of its citizen.

Thursday, January 31, 2008

WE SEEK YOUR HELP TO SAVE ENVIRONMENT

Your few following small steps and effective decisions in everyday life would be a big leap in helping us to improve global environment.

  1. Make energy efficient and conservation wise decisions in every sphere of life.
  2. While driving motor vehicle, turn off the engine if waiting is longer. More fuel is wasted when idling than restarting. Be alert in traffic. Try to take alternate routes which have few signals to eliminate idling.
  3. Warm-up the motor vehicle for one minute before moving. Accelerate gently and evenly and use your cruise control to maintain a steady speed.
  4. Use motor vehicle's flow through vents instead of air conditioning (which decreases fuel efficiency by 21%) or by opening window.
  5. Keep car engine tuned. A poorly tuned car wastes 15% more fuel. More fuel, means more pollution and travel fewer miles.
  6. Properly inflate & align tires to save fuel & to reduce wear on tires over time.
  7. Reduce the amount of miles you drive. Fewer distance driven, fewer polluting emissions created. Walk or ride a bike!
  8. Use fuel efficient automobiles. Follow state guidelines on emissions testing & maintain any pollution-control devices.
  9. Use public transportation when available.
  10. Conserve electricity, including turning off lights when not in use.
  11. Participate in recycling programs. Recycling conserves energy and also conserves natural resources.

Wednesday, January 30, 2008

Major Areas in Environment Engineering

Major Areas in Environment Engineering

a. Air pollution control – Emission control of Smoke, Dust etc.
b. Energy efficiency and Energy conservation
c. Nuclear power
d. Alternative and Renewable energy
e. Bio-fertiliser and Composting
f. Bio-Fuel
g. Eco-Forestry
h. Electric vehicle
i. Hydrogen Technology
j. Hybrid Electric vehicle
k. Re-cycling
l. Conservation of natural resources and Minerals
m. Solid waste treatment
n. Waste water treatment and water purification
o. Natural building
p. Nano technology