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Archive for May, 2009

Landfill Problems - A Landfill Site Anatomy

This article applies to all typical RCRA Subtitle C Landfill Cap Systems, and is an educational guide only read the USEPA guides before taking any action.

Landfill caps can be used to:

* Minimize exposure on the surface of the trash facility.
* Prevent vertical penetration of water into wastes that would create polluted leachate.
* Confine waste at the same time as treatment is being applied.
* Control gas emissions from underlying garbage.
* Create a terrain surface so as to support plant life and/or be used for added purposes.

Landfill Capping is the most widespread manner of remediation as it is normally less pricey than other technologies and in effect manages the human and ecological risks connected with a remediation place.

The blueprint of landfill caps is site specific plus depends on the proposed functions of the scheme. Landfill Caps can range from a one-layer system of vegetated soil to a multifaceted multi-layer system of soils and geosynthetics. In general, less complicated systems are essential in waterless climates and more intricate systems are essential in wet climates. The material used within the construction of landfill caps comprise low-permeability and high-permeability soils and low-permeability geosynthetic products. The low-permeability materials reroute water and preclude its means of access into the rubbish. The high permeability materials convey water away that percolates into the cap. Added materials could be used to boost slope stability.

The most critical components of a landfill cap are the barrier layer and the drainage layer. The capping layer must comprise low-permeability soil (clay) and/or geosynthetic clay liners (GCLs). A flexible geomembrane liner is positioned on top of the barrier layer. Geomembranes are generally supplied in large rolls and are available in a number of thickness (20 to 140 mil), widths (15 to 100 ft), and lengths (180 to 840 ft). The candidate list of polymers frequently used is extensive, which includes polyvinyl chloride (PVC), polyethylenes of a range of densities, reinforced chlorosulfonated polyethylene (CSPE-R), polypropylene, ethylene interpolymer alloy (EIA), and lots of newcomers. Soils used as barrier materials by and large are clays that are packed down to a hydraulic conductivity no greater than 1 x 10-6 cm/sec. Compacted soil barriers are commonly installed in 6-inch least possible lifts to realize a thickness of 2 feet or more. A composite barrier uses together soil and a geomembrane, taking benefit of the properties of each one. The geomembrane is really impermeable, but, if it develops a leak, the soil component prevents significant leakage into the underlying waste.

For services lying on putrescible wastes, the collection and control of methane and carbon dioxide, potent greenhouse gases, must be part of facility design and operation.

Asphalt/Concrete Cap

The most effective single-layer caps are composed of concrete or bituminous asphalt. It is used to form a surface barrier sandwiched between landfill and the environment. An asphalt concrete cap would lessen leaching through the landfill into an adjacent aquifer.

Subtitle C Capping

The RCRA C multilayered landfill cap is a baseline design that is suggested for use in RCRA hazardous waste applications. These caps generally consist of an upper vegetative (topsoil) layer, a drainage layer, and a low permeability layer which consists of a synthetic liner greater than 2 feet of compacted clay. The compacted clay liners are effective if they retain a certain dampness content but are susceptible to cracking if the clay substance is dried out. As a result alternate cap designs are usually considered meant for arid environments.

D Subtitle Cap – RCRA

RCRA Subtitle D requirements are for non-hazardous garbage landfills. The design of a landfill cover for a RCRA Subtitle D facility is normally a function of the underside liner system or native subsoils at hand. The cover must meet the following conditions:

* the material must possess a permeability no greater than 1 x 10-5 cm/s, or equal permeability of any bottom liner or natural subsoils at hand, whichever is less.
* The low permeability layer must contain at least 45 cm of sub-soil type material.
* The erosion control layer must be at least 15 cm of earthen material capable of sustaining native plant development.

Unorthodox design can be considered, but have got to be be of equal performance as the specifications outlined above. All covers must remain designed to avoid the “bathtub” effect. The bathtub effect occurs after a more permeable cover is placed above a less permeable bottom liner or natural subsoil. The landfill then fills up approximating a tub.

During this time of rising energy costs, global warming that is a result of our over-excessive use of fossil fuels and toxic substances that saps the strength from our planet, a move towards the usage of more environmentally friendly sources of energy like geothermal, wind and solar energies have been renewed. Home designers, because of that, have now migrated towards a naturalistic approach of home design that allows them to incorporate the above mentioned forms of energy, and still stay in tune with the harmony of the environment.

These kinds of buildings are known as Green Home Buildings.

Green Home Building is the design which stems from the natural outcome of a focus on the reduction of usage of fossil based energy sources, indirectly or directly, while on the other hand elevating and increasing the efficiency of renewable alternative energy resource use (example: water, solar and wind energies). This in turn reduces the green building’s impact on human health and the environment, achievable by the use of natural materials, site designing, and proper integration into the natural environment.

But the question we have all been asking is how can I go green, or participate in green home building if I live in a condominium in the middle of New York City, with no house of my own, and no possibility of redesigning my home?

But a way exists. Every little helps. Green home building design is quite simple, and can be done by careful integration of green building practices into the way you build your home, widely spanning from the materials used in the building and finishing, to the energy friendly and efficient appliances in the home and practiced strategies for reducing energy waste.

You can be on your way to having a green home building simply even by choosing a sustainable bamboo floor instead or Oak or Mahogany, or seats made from recycled materials instead of cow or elephant leather.

Green Home Building s with a wind generator, solar water heaters, and energy saving devices and appliances might be your little contribution towards building a sustainable planet.

Be as Green as You want to be

In the US, the average household spends approximately $1400 a year on energy and energy related bills. A green home building, on the other hand, uses 30% less electricity, 25% less natural gas, and 38% less total energy. With the recent absurd rises in electricity and energy bills, the green home building can lower your energy and electricity bills, potentially increasing your home’s resale value, and putting extra savings from electricity in your pockets.

TIPS FOR GREEN HOME BUILDING

Transforming your home into an energy efficient home doesn’t need to bankrupt you. You could:

· Maximize open spaces on your land.

· Build new, while incorporating the roof, floors or walls of an older building.

· Install renewable alternative energy sources like a wind generator, or solar panels ( Click here to see how you can do this for less than $ 200).

· Reduce energy use with Insulation and a high efficient furnace and appliances

· Build storage for recycling your waste materials

· Buy products made of recyclable materials

· Replace incandescent bulbs in your home with energy saving bulbs. They use up to 90% less electricity, and last longer.

Install a home control timer on your lighting and heating, ventilation and cooling systems. Program your home to turn off lights and systems while sleeping, saving you hundreds of dollars.

The related concepts of renewable alternative energy sources and sustainability are important to green home building.

Effective green building can lead to reduced operating costs by increasing productivity and using less energy and water, improved public and occupant health due to improved indoor air quality, and reduced environmental impacts by lessening the effects of global warming.

Enjoy your new environmentally friendly home.

Now you may not be going for a true off grid solar experience. You know the one where there are no line coming into or going out of the house. This includes sewer, electricity, and cable along with anything else you can think. While it is very possible it may not be very doable depending where you live. However partial off the grid living is easier to do and is still very helpful to the environment.

Deciding to go partially or fully off of the grid does not mean that you will lose any or even some of the basics that you love so much. For example you wont have to go without bathing, or clean clothes. Depending where you are might mean that you CAN go hunting to feed yourself but you will be no means have to. Remember off the grid does not mean living in a cave it is just more eco friendly and self sustaining. That is about it.

When I talk about the off grid solar power, specifically in this article, I want you to think of the electric grid that powers the USA and of course your own home. When you go off the grid you will still be connected to the power grid you will just be using less power, maybe a lot less, than you currently consume. How would you do this? With alternative energy sources of course!

Solar and wind are some of the easiest do it yourself alternative energy sources that are inexpensive and can help reduce the cost of being on the grid. Using solar panels and wind turbines is the easiest route, currently, to harness this free energy. Sometimes just a small addition can run your refrigerator or your whole house depending on the size of your project.

You do not have to turn yourself into a caveman in order for you to go off the grid, it is as easy as some simple DYI projects and reducing your energy needs and cost that way.

Most cleaners available at the store these days rely heavily on toxic chemicals that seriously damage the environment. They can also be bad for your health.

If you're thinking about not using these harsh chemicals, you could use an equivalent but more environmentally friendly cleaner. There are ways of cleaning your home while being gentler on the environment. Here are some ideas to consider:

Simple Green. Simple Green is an excellent industrial strength cleaner that happens to carry the Green Seal certification for environmental responsibility. This objective, third-party certification guarantees that a product meets strict standards of environmental stewardship in the way it’s manufactured and used. It also indicates a product that is easily biodegradable. Simple Green is versatile, extremely effective and will clean the toughest jobs. It’s quite strong off the shelf, so you should dilute it with one or more parts of water. This has the positive benefit of allowing you to control its strength when cleaning more delicate objects. Use it in your kitchen, your bathroom, to wash your car, or just about anything else--while being confident you're using a product with minimal impact on the environment.

Baking Soda. Baking soda has great cleaning, deodorizing and scrubbing properties. It's also known to be eco friendly. It has a large number of uses, including many you may not have thought about. In addition to its popular use for removing unpleasant odors from the refrigerator, it can be sprinkled on carpets and rugs to deodorize them. You can sprinkle it on a sponge and clean your counters without scratching them. You can dilute it in water to deodorize your mop. It's a wonderfully versatile substance.

Tea Tree Oil. If you’re attacking mold, there are several natural ways to get rid of it. One of the best is to use tea tree oil, which is great against fungus and bacteria. Mix a teaspoon of it with two cups of water, spray it on the affected area and allow to dry. The scent may be strong, but should dissipate in a day or so.

Going green often requires sacrifice, but not when it comes to cleaning. You should not have to endure toxic chemicals when cleaning your home. You can get the job done right with a green cleaner that will spare the environment and won’t put your family’s health at risk.

This has been a question for years and years. How long will we have all the coral reefs over the world and what’s causing them to vanish? There are some reasons that everybody knows as to why the coral reefs are dying and some that aren’t so obvious.

Interestingly the Caribbean contains just over 20% of the world’s coral reef and there is a huge amount of damage being done to it. In Honduras they grow several plantains; pineapple, sugar cane and bananas, they use large amounts of fertilizer. The nutrients released by this fertilizer damage coral and can kill fish in the ocean. Fertilizer and erosion are the two biggest culprits for damage to the coral reef in this area and they are both caused by farming, tree felling and building of new properties. But the main thing we don’t really realise is that fish are massively important to the coral reefs. Fish provide coral with the necessary grooming that it needs, this takes off bacteria that damage the coral and keep it clean, they also eat seaweed, and seaweed suffocates coral and any other plants around it by drawing in all the oxygen.

Apparently fish have dropped in population rates by around 70-95%, a massive fall. Over-fishing isn’t only destroying our food source; it is damaging the coral reef as well.

Another problem is an obvious one, Global Warming. This is the “Biggy”, global warming rises acid levels in the sea and reduces the levels of Aragonite in the ocean. Aragonite is a carbonate mineral that increases the production of coral. In 40 years the acid levels in the sea will reach such high levels, the coral wont be able to survive the conditions.

However there are few things that we can do to try and help. We can take part in some activities abroad, that allow us to get stuck in with the cleaning of the coral and enjoy ourselves as well. If you do go on luxury holidays or Caribbean holidays you could have the option to go and volunteer for a coral clean up operation, where you can help clean coral underwater or on the shore. This isn’t just rewarding, you can have a good time while you do it too.

Also if you go fishing around coral, try not to drop anchor, you will tear the coral apart and damage anything living around it

So if your thinking about going abroad or maybe somewhere tropical, maybe some of you want to have weddings abroad, it might be a good idea to get there as soon as you can. You can always give the professionals a hand with cleaning the coral, it might not be around in 40 years.

There are many benefits to running an online business, and one of the most important benefits is the environmental ones. It’s becoming increasingly clear that we need to be paying close attention to how our actions affect the environment. Choosing to work from home can have a positive effect on the environment. You can be making money with your computer and going green at the same time. Sounds good, right?

One of the biggest environmental benefits of starting a home business is obvious. You will significantly cut down the amount of pollution that you are creating by avoiding the daily commute to work. Instead of spending a half hour or more in your car helping to exhaust the world’s supply of limited oil and contributing to greenhouse gasses, you’ll head from your breakfast table to your home office in your slippers if you want to.

While the savings in pollution may be one of the biggest environmental benefits, running a home business gives you the flexibility to make many other choices that affect the environment.

Your office supplies – When you work in a company office, the supplies bought are done so with little thought to the environment. In your home office you can choose pencils made with wood from sustainable forests. You can choose the best recycled printer paper that you can afford.

Your clothing – When you work in an office, you understandably need to dress professionally and often need to have a large, varied wardrobe. When you work from home you can buy a few organic cotton t-shirts and jeans to work in and have an eco-friendly work wardrobe.

Your lighting, heating and cooling – Offices are large energy hogs. People who work in a cubicle can’t turn off the lights when they are going to be gone from their cubicle. Not too many workers would be happy with the office manager keeping the heat down and telling employees to wear an extra sweater. When you have a home business you can use CFL bulbs in your lighting and turn the lighting off whenever you’re not using it. You can adjust the thermostat to save energy and choose to put on another sweater if it’s chilly or wear a tank top if it’s warm. You are in control of these things that affect the environment.

Your food choices – This may seem like a stretch, but really its not. Offices are large energy hogs. People who work in a cubicle can’t turn off. It’s not very easy to eat an environmentally friendly diet with organics or local foods that way. But when you work from home, you can eat eco-friendly foods without a problem. Don’t forget the coffee choices, too. You can brew organic, fair trade coffee at home for a more environmentally friendly coffee break instead of having to accept the cheap coffee at work.

When you add all the little environmentally friendly choices that you are able to make with your own home business to the big environmental savings you’ll get from giving up the commute, it’s easy to see how working from home not only benefits you; it benefits the environment.

Visit Green Times for free eco content on your website or blog

Although it is much less expensive to initially get hooked into the local electric company’s grid than it is to set up and hook into wind turbines, in the long run one saves money by utilizing the wind for one’s energy needs—while also becoming more independent. Not receiving an electric bill while enjoying the advantages of the modern electrically-driven lifestyle is a wondrous feeling.

Electric bills and fuel bills are rising steadily—but the cost of wind  is is zero, and the cost of installing and hooking up a wind generator kits is steadily coming down as demand rises and more commercial success is realized by various companies producing the turbines and researching technologies to make them ever more efficient. In addition, people are moving away from the traditional electric grids and the fossil fuels for personal reasons including desire for greater independence, the desire to live remotely or rurally without having to “go primitive”, political concerns such as fears of terrorist strikes on oil fields or power grids, or concerns about the environment. Again, this motivation to get away from the traditional energy sources is the same one that causes people to seek the power of the wind for their energy, giving more business opportunities to profit from wind turbine production and maintenance, which drives their costs down for the consumers. In nearly thirty states at the time of this writing, homeowners who remain on the grid but who still choose to use wind energy (or other alternative forms) are eligible for rebates or tax breaks from the state governments that end up paying for as much as 50% of their total “green” energy systems’ costs. In addition, there are 35 states at the time of this writing where these homeowners are allowed to sell their excess energy back to the power company under what are called “net metering laws”. The rates that they are being paid by the local power companies for this energy are standard retail rates—in other words, the homeowners are actually profiting from their own energy production.

Some federal lawmakers are pushing to get the federal government to mandate these tax breaks and other wind power incentives in all 50 states. Japan and Germany already have national incentive programs in place. However, “A lot of this is handled regionally by state law. There wouldn’t really be a role for the federal government,” the Energy Department’s Craig Stevens says. And as might be imagined, there are power companies who feel that it’s unfair that they should have to pay retail rates to private individuals. “We should [only have to] pay you the wholesale rate for … your electricity,” according to Bruce Bowen, Pacific Gas & Electric’s director of regulatory policy. However, the companies seem to be more worried about losing short term profits than about the benefits, especially in the long run, of the increased use of wind turbines or wind farms. Head of the Center for Energy Efficiency and Renewable Technologies of California V. John White points out, “It’s quality power that strengthens the grid.”

Visitors of the beautiful Atlantic City casinos have noticed a few changes in the making. The Green Initiative has taken off in the right direction by improving the eco-friendliness of this high traffic area. Some of the current projects include the Solar Project, Energy Conservation, ways of tracking wind power, and Operations Green Products. Each initiative plays a significant role in reducing the dependency on goods which cause pollution.

The Atlantic City Conservation Center is one of the main points aside from the Atlantic City casino hotels and resorts throughout the region. ‘Going Green’ has reached a high point by a few impressive factors including the elimination of paper cups used in offices, recycling goods such as paper and ink cartridges, introducing hand vacuums, foam soap, and more. The energy conservation project is meant to encourage Atlantic City casino resorts to implement some changes in their building structures to help the environment.

Eco-conscious consumers can accelerate the process of these Green Initiatives by advising their favorite Atlantic City hotel and casino to practice the eco-friendly ideas as well. As you know, the gaming industry is close to hitting a $10 billion mark for 2009. What could be done if they reinvested these profits into improving their casinos to save the environment? More casinos are taking these motives into account because 1) it saves money and protects the environment, 2) currently a tax deduction for eco-friendly buildings, and 3) it gives back the community.

The consequences of such improvements are offering a better outlook for Atlantic City resorts casinos because of the principals. Newer improvements including the Solar Project which was awarded to Pepco Energy Services to build and maintain the largest single rooftop composed of solar rooftop of the Conservation Center. It’s a 20-year contract and everyone is dying to see what happens from these improvements. The vision of a healthier planet is only years away. More Atlantic City casino hotels are investing stock into these proceedings while making small improvements themselves.

Although the construction of the Conservation Center can raise eyebrows for investors, Atlantic City casino resorts are recycling goods. Paper goods are only one big contribution to the recycling efforts of Atlantic City leaders – the new ideas are to recycle carpet, office equipment, computers, and more. Pounds of recyclable materials are finding their way into the homes of others and away from the landfills. Some look at Atlantic City as a place of fun and carelessness, but these new eco-friendly initiatives are making a statement to the world – these professionals care about the outcome of their actions.

When you imagine using alternative energy and living off the grid, do you think you will have to give up your TV or freezer to live that way?Is this only for hippies, survivalists, or techno-anti Luddites wanting to live with less?Nope.  Living off the grid with home power is a possibility open to you or anyone.If you need high-power, for freezers, TV and such, you build a bigger system to drive them.It is not to say.

Because of increased demand driven by the cost of gas and the economy, demand for renewable energy technology has soared, leading to more efficient and easy to use components. Thus, anyone caring about their carbon footprint and eneergy consumption has an option of living off the grid.  

Using home power to produce electricity is fairly simple.A power source is what you need.  Sun, wind and water are the big three right now for home power.Find the components that fit the one(s) best suited for you.A low voltage direct current is harnessed through the components.Through an inverter, current is converted from DC into usable house current (AC).  Excess current you generate can be stored in battery banks for retrieval during more high demand times or times when the direct energy source is unavailable.  

When living off the grid with renewable power resources, there is little special attention needed and is almost completely automated.  You do need to:

Tend to the maintenance of your batteries

Monitor your energy use to make sure you keep your supply more than your demand.

The main key to success in living off the grid is making sure you have a system built in a size to meet the demand of your energy needs. 

Living off the grid can be exhilarating.Alternative energy gives you a feeling of freedom like a breath of fresh air.You can help to combat global warming and take pride in doing it.Imagine a life without power outages.  

It is important to research and determine which are the best alternative energy sources for your geographical area, for example, the number of days of sun in your area, or average wind, but it is definitely worthwhile to learn how to live  off the grid and feel the rush of freedom being  off the grid can give.   

Hello,

This is a small bit of information about myself that I am sharing with those readers out there who are like-minded individuals or even people that are curious about how to have a more sustainable life. It is possible to save more than just money.

I have been recycling for most of my life. I am nearing forty, and recently had a son. I am a stay at home dad, who wishes to teach (at the very least) my son about how to have a diminished impact on this planet, our only home in the universe.

Let’s not sugar coat it. We the human race have a definite effect on this planet. We, however, have it backwards. We shouldn’t be worried about saving the planet. I know some of you are thinking that is a crazy statement. But the planet will be just fine without us around to “care” for it, and it WILL be here long after the human race is gone if such a fate were to occur. I submit to you that the thing that we as a species should be more concerned about, is saving ourselves from…ourselves. That meaning that we should be taking better care of our home – the Earth – so that we will not poison ourselves out of a home that has sustained us for thousands of years.

I have to admit that my resolve at wanting to care for the Earth has attained new heights. That was due to the fact that my son was born. I wanted, no felt compelled, to try harder at making less of an impact on the environment, and also to help lead others by example (sometimes a bit aggressively). This met with some, but limited success. I found that I was haranguing the wrong people (my friends – who were more or less on the same side), and only some of the time I met an individual outside of my group of friends whom was a new person with which to share ideas. This is my attempt to reach a wider audience.

Some of the concerns that I intend to address in my, hopefully, regular posts to this and other websites are listed below and they are offered as information that anyone is free to take, use, verify, debate, or simply read and file it away for later. I have to say that some of what I say is pure conjecture. In those times that I am stating my own opinion, I will try to label it as such. Anything that I am quoting from a source or interview subject, I will do my best to make sure that the proper credit is given to the correct person or source. My main goals are to inform and not to brow beat. I can only hope that readers will see value in what I write, and be able to improve something about their own affect on the planet if that is indeed what they seek.

Some topics that I am most concerned with are: Recycling; Cumulative effects (positive and negative); Energy Conservation; Energy Efficiency; Renewable Energy (specifically Passive and Active Solar, and Wind Power); Sustainability; Eco-Friendly Living; New Techniques of Living in Harmony with the Environment; New Technology that is more Sustainable; and Businesses/Organizations that are Eco-Friendly. This is by no means a complete list of things that are important to me, but it is some of the things that I would consider essential to improving our situation with regard to global climate change, lessening the impact that we have on this planet, and moving our society towards a more sustainable life.

So in conclusion, thank you for your time and reading what I hope was informative. I shall endeavor to post as frequently as I can, but I am afraid that it will be as often as a parent raising a two year old is able to manage. Hope you are having a pleasant day.

Dean