Becoming A Radiologist Technician

Regardless of whether or not one believes in concepts such as Global Warming or carbon offsetting, the environment still needs protecting for the sake of keeping its inhabitants as safe and healthy as possible. Taking precautions to preserve everyone’s right to a nurturing planet ought to be an entirely nonpartisan issue, unencumbered by arguments and petty bickering. Understanding and evaluating the implications of these 10 surprisingly hazardous everyday actions can minimize negative environmental impact - no matter an individual’s political leanings.

1. Ignoring home inspections

One of the most important steps anyone can take to help keep the planet as healthy as possible is to perform regular inspections of their living space. A simple check for leaks around doors and windows, rooftops, pipes, and electrical outlets can waste between 5% and 30% of a home’s energy a year, which impacts both costs and the amount of available resources as well. The U.S. Department of Energy website offers up extensive tips on how to perform a home audit to check for potential issues, outlining everywhere concerned citizens need to check in order to ensure efficiency and sustainability. Weatherstripping, for example, is one seemingly small, easy measure that helps keep heating and air conditioning inside where it belongs. Some may want to spring for a professional inspection that gives a more detailed overview of problems that could go undetected in a personal run-through. Those living in apartment complexes or other multifamily units can give themselves an audit of their own as well, though obviously with much less to consider than people living in houses. Anyone at all concerned about keeping the environment as clean and healthy as possible ought to set aside time for a regular home inspection – even if the planet is not a concern, at least consider doing so for the amount of money it saves residents every year.

2. Using disposable utensils

Disposable utensils, plastic sandwich bags, paper plates, and paper bags are all convenient methods of eating without having to clean or haul anything around once the meal or party is over. Unfortunately, though, many of the plastic and polystyrene products use up valuable oil reserves – only to sit in landfills and come to outlive those who initially used them by thousands of years. Though paper bags are far more biodegradable, some leech harmful chemicals from the treatment process back into the soil and damage the resident worms, bacteria, and other subterranean forms of life. The issue has grown so dire that the city of Palo Alto, California passed ordinances that ban the use of “food service containers made from expanded polystyrene or non-recyclable plastic” for commercial vendors.

Fortunately, numerous opportunities abound for concerned citizens seeking out disposable products without negatively impacting the environment. While reusable containers make for a wonderfully viable option, some may find it unwieldy or inconvenient to tote them around all day. Companies such as PrimeWare provide all the handiness of traditional disposables in a biodegradable format suitable for composting or decomposing in a landfill without causing the planet any further harm. Bambu sells a number of disposable, biodegradable products made of extremely sturdy bamboo – including eating utensils.

3. Using biofuels

Scientists are constantly on the lookout for a viable organic, renewable alternative to fossil fuels. An admirable goal, certainly, but unfortunately one that has yet to yield anything terribly workable thus far. While a cost-efficient, environmentally-friendly solution will one day present itself to the world, some of the fuels derived from rapeseed and corn ended up actively causing more damage than their nonrenewable counterparts. A 2007 article in The Times (London) revealed that these biodiesels emitted between 50% (corn) and 70% (rapeseed) more greenhouses gases than oil and natural gas. They also released double the expected amount of nitrous oxide – which the newspaper reports as 296 times more potent and damaging than carbon dioxide – due to residues left from the plants’ fertilizers. Between 3% and 5% of the nitrogen in said fertilizers ended up in the atmosphere as the biodiesels converted to energy. Rapeseed fuel comprised the primary alternative in the United Kingdom and Europe at about 80% of the output, whereas corn in the form of ethanol is the predominant biodiesel in the United States. The eco-conscious would do well to reduce the use of their cars by taking public transportation, walking, or biking if they hope to help the environment as opposed to driving with biodiesels…at least until the “Holy Grail” of alternative fuel is finally discovered, of course.

4. Lighting with incandescent bulbs

The Energy Star program pushes consumers towards buying fluorescent light bulbs over the traditional incandescent. Energy efficient and economical, CFLs (compact fluorescent light bulb) come with an impressively wide variety of styles and shapes to choose from, and in general they save buyers $30 per bulb and lower their energy bills by using 75% fewer resources. They also last up to 10 times longer than incandescent bulbs as well. Energy Star provides numerous tips and tricks regarding how to get the most out of fluorescent lighting as well, saving consumers as much money as possible in addition to keeping the environment healthier. It is also possible to recycle these bulbs once they burn out, rather than the traditional variety that take up space in landfills. This is due to the presence of mercury in their production and 4 milligrams in the bulbs themselves, so properly disposing of them at the appropriate facilities is an absolute must.

LED lighting makes for another alternative to incandescent for those concerned about even trace amounts of mercury. Like fluorescent bulbs, they use 75% less energy than their traditional counterparts and last up to 25 times longer. Energy Star provides a glut of information on wiring a new or renovated home that utilizes LED technology, how the lighting works, and what consumers have to know about finding and purchasing the system suitable for their needs and wants.

5. Not buying in bulk

Families ought to consider buying in bulk for their essentials such as toilet paper, paper towels, toothpaste, deodorant, shampoo, and others. College students and singles do not have to be left out of the equation either, of course – many like to form partnerships between roommates and trusted friends to take advantage of all the great deals available. As with many environmentally-friendly motions, buying in bulk whenever convenient also helps keep bank accounts healthy as well. Obviously, one must think twice about purchasing too many perishables that may expire before use, making this style of shopping inconvenient for fresh fruits, baked goods, meat, and other goods. When buying in bulk, one also needs to resist the temptation to buy a product that will actually get used rather than placing an item in the cart simply because it is affordable. Doing so may create waste, which entirely defeats one of the purposes of bulk shopping to begin with.

In spite of the psychological downsides, however, buying in bulk involves considerably less manufacturing, processing, packaging, and shipping costs than the traditional method – thereby preserving resources for another time. Those who elect to buy staples such as flour, granola, rice, wheat, and sugar (among many others) from the large plastic bins now available in many co-ops and grocery stores do not have to worry about creating as much waste from packaging, and utilizing reusable containers only serves to further lessen their negative environmental impact.

6. Eating farm-raised fish

Though more expensive, seafood fans who purchase wild-caught fish rather than those raised on farms are also making the more environmentally-conscious choice – and making an investment in their overall health, to boot. While both are certainly valuable venues for Omega-3 fatty acids, among other fantastic benefits, considerable amounts of chemicals and other contaminants factor into farming salmon, tuna, and other popular fish. A 2005 study from Cornell University revealed that farm-raised salmon did, in fact, contain more Omega-3s than their oceanic counterparts, but this benefit came saddled with a fair amount of disconcerting drawbacks as well. The salmon harvested in a domesticated environment contained an average 10 times more dioxins, polychlorinated biphenyls, and chlorinated pesticides than those caught in the wild, with levels a little higher in Europe and lower in North and South America. While trace amounts have minimal adverse impacts on the human body and the environment, Cornell professors Barbara Knuth and Steven Schwager voiced concern of what could happen with continued buildup of these contaminants and carcinogens in both.

PCBs, for example, can leech into the water supply and surrounding soils to negatively impact the planet and the people who use its resources. According to the Environmental Protection Agency, they have been linked to a higher risk of cancer and significant damages to the endocrine, nervous, and reproductive systems. Though they have been banned in the United States since 1979, fish raised on farms outside the country run the risk of consuming these dangerous chemicals – among others, of course.

7. Not buying local

Obviously, one cannot expect to find everything they need from locally-owned ventures – especially in much smaller communities or those with limited resources - but doing so whenever feasible cuts down on shipping that releases toxins into the atmosphere. Some degree of transportation is always going to be an essential in any market, of course, to get the product from a supplier to a consumer. Buying closer to home minimizes the use of fuel and other valuable resources that need preserving and stimulates the local economy as well. A 2001 study by University of Essex environment and society professor Jules Pretty showed that between 80 and 90 cents per dollar spent at a farmer’s market went towards the farmers themselves – as opposed to only 6 from a product offered through a national or international conglomerate.

8. Washing clothes in hot water

No matter the temperature they are exposed to, clothes run through a washing machine’s cycle come out clean. The U.S. Department of Energy states that 90% of the power needed to keep a unit going is actually put towards heating the water. Except in the cases of serious oil and grease stains, USDE recommends saving the money and resources by washing loads in cold or warmer water with special detergents tailored specifically for use in these temperatures. They also advise waiting to do any loads until the unit is as full as possible (in a way that minimizes safety hazards) as a means of saving on energy and waters costs as well. Taking all of these measures makes for an extremely economical method of helping to protect the environment and preserve resources.

9. Putting electronics on standby

According to research conducted by the California Energy Commission in 2008, between 15% and 19% of a home’s energy consumption is taken up by electronics – with 60% involving entertainment-related machines and 31% towards information technology. 22% of the total energy expenditures are taken up by standby and low-power modes switched on when the technology in question is no longer in use. In spite of eating much less power, standby mode actually causes far more waste than one would imagine due to the fact that it remains plugged in and consuming energy for absolutely no real purpose. Based on their 2000 study, Benoit Lebot, Alan Meier, and Alain Anglade with the Lawrence Berkeley National Lab estimate that standby power costs Americans about $4 million every year for doing absolutely nothing. Not only does it mean a significant financial and resource losses, but it causes environmental damages as well. Generating all of the power needed to generate this many electronics releases around 27 million tons of CO2 equivalents into the atmosphere over the course of one year. The best alternative to standby mode from both a fiscal and an environmental perspective is to simply shut down electronics and appliances whenever possible. This may prove difficult for networked machines, unfortunately, making this a feasible solution for instances when turning them off will not impede the work of others.

10. Washing the car

Washing a car at home may seem like a more convenient measure than taking it to a special business, but it also stands as the more environmentally unfriendly option as well. Home car washes use up (and subsequently waste) far more water and other resources than the drive-through services - who generally clean and reuse their runoff for economic and environmental reasons alike. The ones who do not, however, are required by law in both the United States and Canada to dump waste water into the sewage system for treatment prior to making its way back into the system, which is not always a guarantee when cleaning cars in the driveway. Many eco-friendly car washes have sprung up in recent years, offering biodegradable soap in addition to their recycled water. These soaps are actually available commercially for home use as well, but using them still does not prevent the amount of wasted water that results from powering up a garden hose. However, environmentally-conscious, biodegradable waterless car washes – such as those offered by Freedom – allow for a quick polish when time is of the essence without the added worry of waste.

Whether liberal, conservative, moderate, apathetic, or some combination thereof, everyone has to share the same planet. Even those who consider Global Warming a hoax can still contribute to the overall safety, health, and sustainability of the Earth alongside those who do not. By making a few different lifestyle choices to alter a couple of startling facts, mankind can whittle away its days on a much happier planet.