Tuesday, 24 June 2008 12:19 by
EmilyRWhen I was a child the first connection I had with Bamboo was watching Panda bears eat at the zoo. I knew that bamboo was the largest ingredient in a Panda Bear’s diet, making up over 99%. Bamboo played a crucial role in the survival of this species that over the years has faced many obstacles. I never gave bamboo a lot of thought until I recently visited the PJ’s Pancake House office and saw their serene new Asian garden, which was surrounded by a beautiful bamboo fence.Today our planet is facing a dangerous new challenge. Global warming or climate changes matched with the steady depletion of global resources have forced countries to search for alternative methods and resources for everyday needs.Deforestation is a horrific crisis today and continues to be one of the fastest growing problems in the world. It is estimated that almost one million acres of forest vanish per week. A 60-foot tree that is cut for the market takes 60 years to be replaced. Logging companies, as well as their buyers, are beginning to realize the damage deforestation is causing and the practical substitute that bamboo offers.Many influential people and organizations active in ecological causes have focused their energy on the potential of bamboo. Bamboo is the world’s fastest growing plant. Unlike the 60-foot tree, 60 feet of bamboo cut for the market takes only 59 days to replace! This plant has the ability to grow in almost any type of environment. Another benefit of this plant is that Bamboo can restore degraded lands since it is able to thrive in soil damaged by overgrazing and poor agriculture. The carbon dioxide gases from the growth and production of this plant are lowered due to the ability to selectively harvest, as well as the fact that Bamboo annually regenerates without a need for replanting.There is a growing population of people that are now using bamboo in the construction of their homes and furnishings. A typical home takes an acre of trees to be built, whereas with bamboo, it would take only the size of the surface area of the house to build it. Not only has bamboo shown to be extremely replenishing but it also exceeds the strength of wood by several times. This will ensure that a home built with bamboo will be stronger and longer lasting. There is so much potential for the use of Bamboo to help restore the health and abundance of one of our world’s most important natural resources. What is most important now is that steps are taken in changing the current system before it is too late. Forest degradation, immense carbon dioxide emission and soil erosion are all serious problems facing us today. Bamboo could potentially provide the solution. It is vital for the future that we all do our part to save our earth for the next generation, so if you are embarking on a project like building a new fence or adding an addition ....why not consider bamboo?
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Friday, 20 June 2008 13:30 by
EmilyR
60 million water bottles are produced and used everyday. What do 60 million water bottles do to our earth? Well those water bottles add upto 4 billion pounds of plastic which are tossed into US landfills each year. This seemingly harmless habit of drinking a bottle of water a day is resulting in up to 1,000 years for that plastic to degrade!I'm going to be a sophomore at the University of Vermont this fall and I can now say, looking back, that I started off my college career as an addict. It was a dangerous addiction that I was forced to overcome, my addiction to plastic water bottles. At school I was introduced to a campaign UVM started called "One Less Bottle". This campaign brought awareness to the growing problem of dependency this country has on water bottles. The amount of water bottles made last year to meet the US's demand required the equivalent to 17 million barrels of oil. Replacing this guilty pleasure could have been enough fuel for one million US cars for a whole year.Not only is this addiction bad for the planet, but it is bad for the people as well. I've dedicated my energy to this cause starting small with the hope of reaching more and more people each day. My family being my primary target, I bought my mother, for her birthday, a water bottle that she can fill and refill every day. This year I've announced to our family that we will have a "Green Christmas" by making and giving earth friendly gifts to each other. My first plan of action is to equip the rest of my family with reusable water bottles. One penny will give a person 357 ounces of tap water compared to .16 ounces of bottled water. Not only is this cause environmentally friendly but incredibly practical for the average family.For readers who are hesitant in joining my cause for the fear of having their water not taste as fresh, let me inform you that as much as 40% of bottled water comes from city water systems, just like tap water. Also, the EPA has a strict requirement that all tap water must be tested daily whereas bottled water only has to be tested once a week. This is a fight worth fighting on so many levels. My goal is to help inform the public of the waste they produce daily that they are completely unaware of. I'm here to ask that we kick the habit together once and for all. I'm here to propose that we take a small but drastic step in bettering our environment for a stronger tomorrow.
Currently rated 2.8 by 4 people
- Currently 2.75/5 Stars.
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