EcoCMUfall20B

    In the article that I read, it says that " Land-use planning and zoning  are cities’ primary tools for increasing density and supporting high quality services." After studying land use and reading about it for weeks now, I would completely agree. As land use guides development, people who create the land use and zoning maps get to put things wherever they think best fit. I think that people's goals when trying to create these maps are to put all of the people in certain areas and things that relate to each other in the others. This is an efficient way for people to be more densely populated in one area designated for just them. Some of the methods that cities use to increase density in areas involves   density bonuses, inclusionary zoning, incentive zoning, land assembly, and graduated density zoning. As you can see, these are different methods of zoning. Some things that cities take into factor is how the community can be included in other areas other ...

 Carbon Capture When we talk about the environment and talk about the change in climate and the things that are happening to the ozone layer and in the atmosphere is mostly because of greenhouse gases. There is more than one type of greenhouse gas like methane or carbon monoxide but the main one that we talk about is as we know carbon dioxide or CO2. Basically what carbon capture is that when energy is created by an industrial process then the emissions are stored so they do not go into the air and they actually have a lot of use in them and are important. Carbon capture technology is also CCS in short and when this process happens actually 90 to 100% can be stored. Get this too, the CO2 that is captured can also be made into different materials so that even though the omissions are captured it doesn’t go to waste it is utilized and it doesn’t hurt the environment. Even if it is helpful we still need more plants that can do this carbon capturing because the plants that we already h...

 Commercial Zoning is an issue that we are facing at a high rate in today's world. Commercial Zoning is split up into many different districts. There are four types of Commercial Zoning. There is Residential, Commercial, Agricultural, and Industrial.  The land is split up and defined by codes to show what kind of buildings there are and how they are being used. Land is split up into districts and counties to better organize the amount of space and to help keep regulations on what is being built. Commercial Zoning is important to help settle disputes with what is being built on the land and how it is being used. If we didn't have Commercial Zoning then our land would be overflowing with too many buildings and we wouldn't have any regulations on what is being built. Our land space would be wasted and our daily lives would be messed up.     https://www.reonomy.com/blog/post/commercial-real-estate-zoning

 Electric and Hybrid Vehicles     More and more we see ads for hybrid or full electric vehicles, which could be one of the best things we could do for this earth. One of the biggest sources of our own carbon footprint is the vehicles we drive, the fuel we use are drastically depleting our supply of fossil fuels. These fully electric and hybrid cars are great stepping stones to reduce the amount of fossil fuels we use, by going electric we can use the energy produced by the sun to charge these vehicles making driving an overall cleaner daily task. Hybrid cars are both battery powered and use gasoline but in a smaller quantity than an all gas powered car. The further we get into the future the more we see different car companies and brands putting out hybrid or fully electric cars and soon to come trucks.      For more information regarding electric and hybrid vehicles visit:  https://www.jdpower.com/cars/shopping-guides/hybrid-vs-electric-cars-how-they-...

 Today we are going to talk about something that we may overlook, but us all around us and is used in vastly different ways.  What is also very interesting about timber is it stores access carbon that is removed from the air and continues to store it until it dies. Timber is a very strong and long lasting material so it may be a long time before that happens.  Timber is a major use in the lumber and construction industry especially since people prefer timber in their homes because of its insulation and durability. It can last centuries worth the proper maintenance and it is way easier to take care of than other wood. It is also very cheap to buy timber compared to other wood. Domestic use isn’t the only way timber is used as a resource 40% of all timber harvested in actually used in fuel. The use of timber as fuel really depends on the region too and it’s access to oil or natural gas. There are so many other uses for timber and even its pulpwood but that is a lot to fit i...

 Sharks are becoming endangered due to the result of human activities and the impact that they are having. The main threats for sharks are commercial shark finning and entanglement in commercial fishing gear. Other things that are threatening the sharks is habitat degradation and climate change. There are multiple different shark species that are endangered:  1) The Great white shark           Great white sharks are one of the species that we hear more about than the other species. The great white sharks receive media attention due to the late film series Jaws and news about shark attacks. This species of shark is usually known for their reputation of being a ferocious man-eating species. In all actuality humans are not the great whites preferred pray. These animals are also victims of beach meshing, media-fanned campaigns to kill the animal after a biting accident has occurred and degradation of inshore habitats which are used as pupping and nurs...

 I think that one of the biggest improvements we could take advantage of is sufficient land use. The reason that I believe that this is one of if not the biggest game changer in the technology field of renewable energy is because of the fact "we do not have space for this" although we could simply merge farmers land for crops with the aid of solar energy being absorbed, used, and distributed to boost income and energy efficiency too. Wind turbines pump water and generate electricity, resulting in cost saving for farmers. This use of land would not only dramatically increase the profits for farmers, but it would help dramatically reverse the side effects of global warming, pollution, and use of fossil fuels.  https://www.renewableenergymagazine.com/emily-folk/should-we-be-using-more-land-for-20200423#:~:text=New%20research%20introduces%20the%20practice,maintaining%20land%20in%20agricultural%20use.

Natural Resources are materials and substances that can be used for economic gain. Theses resources are either classified as renewable or non-renewable resources.  Renewable resources are those natural resources such  that can be replenished at about the same rate at which they are used. Nonrenewable resources are those natural resources that are depleted more quickly than they can regenerate.  For example, in the article it states, that these renewable resources include "T rees, soil, water, sun and wind." Renewable resources, however, can also be depleted if not properly managed or conserved. Nonrenewable resources include, "Fossil fuels like oil and natural gases. Once mined and used completely, nonrenewable resources are gone forever." Animals, birds, fish and plants are natural resources as well.  Natural resources are extremely important because they are used to make food, fuel and raw materials for the production of goods. Which in turn is beneficial for ...

 Siberian Tigers The Siberian tiger or Amur tiger is the largest subspecies of tiger and one of the largest cats in the world.  The Siberian tiger has developed many physical adaptations to endure the cold climate of its habitat like a dense coat and pale fur and a white  chest, belly, inner limbs and the area around the neck to easily blend in with their snowy environment .  The Siberian tiger also has yellow or reddish skin with dark, narrow and widely separated brown stripes. An individual Siberian tiger typically consumes Musk deer, Manchuria wapitis, Gorals, Moose, wild boars, Siberian roe deer, Sika deer, hares, rabbits, pikas and even salmon.  This powerful predator has to travel long distances in search of food, usually at night. Its striped fur allows it to blend in with the environment, to sneak up on their prey and attack from behind in a quick jump delivering a lethal neck bite. Siberian Tigers can be found in the southern part of Russia and northern...

    There are many things in today's world that are highly affecting the monkey population. Even though monkeys are not in danger of extinction there are still many things that if they keep continuing then they will go extinct. An article by MonkeyWorlds states " Helping the villagers to identify other ways of growing food besides clearing more land can be helpful as well." When the article states this I take away that instead of the people killing the animals for food or cutting down their habitat for the land they should try and find a way to get food and use another land instead of cutting down the monkey's habitat. The conservation is trying to prevent companies from cutting down the monkey habitats from using it for building or housing. Teaching society how to properly take care of the animal's habitats without taking the food or the habitat away. Resource: https://www.monkeyworlds.com/monkey-conservation/

 There are a lot of environmental impacts people and companies and factories can do to help save our planet and to keep it healthy. But the biggest factors we can take to help achieve our goal to stop killing our planet is using renewable energy and technologies. While fossil fuels, coal, oil, and natural gas are helping us with everyday life right now it is also harming our planet more than renewable energy sources. The renewable energy sources such as solar, geothermal, biomass, and hydropower are having environmental impacts on our planet today but in a good way. They are making making changes in our world more and more people are using solar power because it doesn’t cost as much as the electricity bill you get from the electric company, and it helps our planet in a big way.   https://www.ucsusa.org/resources/environmental-impacts-renewable-energy-technologies  

 Today I’m going to talk about a lesser know resource...Helium. Yes I know it may seem as if that just something that floats around in air but it has several uses. Helium is used for medicine, scientific research, gas for aircraft and even cooling for reactors.  I myself wasn’t even aware of the things we used helium for in our everyday life. One of the most obvious helium uses though is for blimps or balloons to air them up. Where do we get helium you may ask. Well they typically recover the helium from places such as Texas,Oklahoma, and Kansas. Here are some pictures in which demonstrate actions such as cooling of reactors. https://sciencing.com/everyday-uses-helium-gas-8041697.html https://education.jlab.org/itselemental/ele002.html

  Different Types of Land Use      In this article, it talked about different types of land use that lots of people study like, road greenbelts, roadside,  residential area, neighborhood park, forest, industrial area, and finally institutional sites. These are all different types of areas. In this blog post I will explain the different types of land use like to article did to me... greenbelt (a) roadside (b) residential area (c) neighborhood park (d) forest (e) industrial area (f) finally institutional sites (g) https://www.researchgate.net/figure/The-seven-types-of-land-use-in-our-study-a-Road-greenbelts-b-Roadside-c_fig2_260949701

  Land Use: Colorado vs. Missouri      In this article the authors talked about how land use in Colorado is defensible land that must be supported and protected by the appropriate authority. They discussed the legal work used in Colorado to protect the land. They also included information that regulates the hazards and also describes how local mitigation planning and state policies are programs are being formed by the state. In Colorado they are known as the "local control" state this means when it comes to planning the authority such as adoption of land it will be done locals instead of an outside source.   https://www.planningforhazards.com/land-use-planning-and-regulation-colorado

 Land use is one of the main issues we as humans are facing. Land use is becoming such a big deal because of the excessive amount of people that are living on the planet. There are 7 billion people on earth and if you think about it most people have a house and everyone requires food. Because of this there is a bunch of space being taken up for living purposes and farming area for food purposes. This is causing a great ordeal for people that may need the space for other reasons. There aren’t way to humanly stop over population and that is why it is such a big issue. Places like China and the US are the ones that are impacted the most by this. Another issue with over population is that some countries won’t allow people to leave or come in which can offset the balance of people in those places. In most cases over population is going to have a negative impact on the area and the land use involving that area. https://landusekn.ca/resource/land-use-planning-topics-sustainability-scholar...

According to this article, the 2010 census clearly states that there is still 47% of the US that is not occupied by humans. Despite having over 300 million people that live in America, this seems like a substantial amount of land to simply not be used. Although America has around 2.3 billion acres of land, Author  George Wuerthner states in the  article "The Truth About Land Use In the United States" that " 375 million acres are in Alaska and not suitable for agricultural production." and he also points out that "t he land area of the lower 48 states is approximately 1.9 billion  acres." These are all great statistics to put in to perspective how we use the land in the US. The craziest fact to me that is stated in this article by George Wuerthner is " only 66 million acres are considered developed lands. This amounts to 3 percent of the land area in the U.S., yet this small land base is home to 75 percent of the population." This statistic right ...

  Polar Bears are one of many animals in today's world that are venerable to extinction. Polar Bears are located in five different countries: United Staes, Canada, Greenland, Norway, and the Soviet Union. In the article that I have found the author states " This agreement states that the five polar bear nations (Canada, Greenland, Norway, the United States, and the former Soviet Union) shall protect polar bear habitat, especially denning areas, feeding areas, and migratory routes; ban hunting of bears from aircraft and large motorized boats; conduct and coordinate management and research efforts; and exchange research results and data." By the author say this it tells us how the countries who have polar bears are taking actions to protect the polar bears that are still alive today. With the icebergs melting it is taking a big toll on the Polar Bears and their habitat. The author also states that scientists are putting tracking collars on the Polar Bears. By doing this the...

  The melting of glaciers is a huge problem in our environment today. Not only will such a naturally beautiful attraction be lost, but homes, towns, cities, and rivers will soon break away from the impact of Climate Change. When glaciers began to melt sea levels began to rise and when see levels rise, tropical storms and hurricanes become more aggressive and frequent. Causing rivers to overflow and damage homes. For example, the film we watched in class does a really good job at showing the different storms and floods in Bangladesh, that are caused because of the melting of glaciers and climate change. It truly shows the effect that climate change can have on a community. In the article it states; "The rise in sea levels due to melting glaciers can bring about super typhoons and other extreme climate phenomena, resulting in an even more serious, complex disaster,"Prof. Kim said. "That is why we have to become a net-zero society."  Net-Zero refers to the balance betw...

    A lot of the time when we think of technology in the environment we think about large companies and mass amounts of pollution to the air and water but lots of times we forget about the good things to come out of technological advances in the environment. One of the great advancements we've made has been the creation and use of solar panels. There are many pros to owning and using solar panels but along with those pros there are also cons.      Some of the pros of solar panels are the are a renewable energy source, they help to reduce the cost of electricity bills, they have many diverse applications like whether they are for a large company or for an individual consumer.  They also have low maintenance costs for upkeep and they are a technological advancement meaning they can keep improving and getting better.      With that being said though there are some cons that come along with solar panels. The initial cost of solar panels can ...

 We are going to be facing four critical challenges within the next decade. One being changes in demand by population growth, and adoption of more energy efficient technologies. A second one is changes in the supply mix such as renewable resources, nuclear energy, natural gas, and coal. The third challenge is increasing variability and uncertainty from both supply and demand from renewables and active consumer participation. The last challenge we will face is increasing challenges to the reliability and security of the electric infrastructure. From what I have read is eventually these four things will become easier and easier if everyone takes part and if not everyone then a big chunk of people can start to make the change and make more people change.  https://www.energy.gov/oe/activities/technology-development  

 Black-Footed Ferret The Black-Footed Ferret is an endangered species that lives in the grasslands of North America. They are one of the most endangered mammals in North America and one of the few species native to this continent and is the only ferret native the North America. They have became endangered due to habitat loss, disease, and a decrease in their main source of prey. The Black-Footed Ferret’s main source of food is the prairie dog. In the early part of the 20th century  prairie dogs were considered pests and as a result their towns were plowed over, they were also shot, killed, and poisoned. Without the prairie dog the Black-Footed Ferret has a decreased chance of survival.  Another reason the prairie dog population was decreasing is from lethal plagues that are transmitted though fleas. This disease greatly impacts the Black-Footed Ferret‘s ability to survive. Not only are the prairie dogs a source of prey, but the Black-Footed Ferret also uses their tunnels ...

In this blog I am going to be talking about the decrease in the population of sea turtles. Sea turtles are amazing creatures. They are noticed for their pure beauty. These animals are one of the earth's oldest animals. There are seven species of sea turtles in existence today. These species have been around for over 100 million years. Because of all of the human based threats all seven species of sea turtles are at risk for extinction. Sea turtles are being killed for their eggs, shells and for meat. Sea turtles are facing direct overexploitation from poachers in Africa, Asia and the Caribbean. International trade of all seven sea turtle species is banned. Even though this is banned turtle products are still being consumed for their protein value, alleged health benefits and rich aesthetic. The Hawksbill turtles which are one of the seven sea turtle species are often sold as whole taxidermies, or their shells are being used to make musical instruments, jewelry and other collectable...