Rain Barrels

Here it is 2009 and there is a buzz about rain barrels.  You haven’t heard? Rain barrels you say?  Some of you may recall growing up with a rain barrel or two around the home where you were raised. Or, you may recall visiting your  grandparents over the river and through the woods to the farm where there may have been a rain barrel.  However, if you are under 35 you may not even know what they are.  Since I’m much older than that and still have memories of my childhood and within the last two years have personal experience with a rain barrel I can share my story.  For those of you who don’t know the purpose or how they work I will give you a simple explanation.  A rain barrel is a collection system whereby the rain gutters on your home are connected in some fashion to, yes, a barrel.  The water collected can be used to water flowers, a garden, wash your car, hose off your house, or any other use except human consumption. Read more

Devastating Effects Of Deforestation

Human beings have always been and possibly will be dependent on forests to some extent. Trees were there form of homes, their natural world, their mine for food and their shelter from opponents. Forests are greatly significant to man, and other living creatures as well; and unfortunately, it is one of the largest threats that the world is facing today. Read more

Alternative Energy from the Ocean

Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion (OTEC) was conceived of by the French engineer Jacques D’Arsonval in 1881. However, at the time of this writing the Natural Energy Laboratory of Hawaii is home to the only operating experimental OTEC plant on the face of the earth. OTEC is a potential alternative energy source that needs to be funded and explored much more than it presently is. The great hurdle to get over with OTEC implementation on a wide and practically useful level is cost. It is difficult to get the costs down to a reasonable level because of the processes presently utilized to drive OTEC. Ocean thermal energy would be very clean burning and not add pollutants into the air. However, as it presently would need to be set up with our current technologies, OTEC plants would have the capacity for disrupting and perhaps damaging the local environment. Read more