Environment

Many people are unaware of the critical role that the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has played in safeguarding the natural environment and protecting the health of U.S. citizens since it was founded on December 2, 1970, under the administration of President Richard Nixon.

The following is a brief overview of the work of the EPA.

The EPA’s purpose is to ensure that:

• all Americans are protected from significant risks to human health and the environment where they live, learn and work;
• national efforts to reduce environmental risk are based on the best available scientific information;
• federal laws protecting human health and the environment are enforced fairly and effectively;
• environmental protection is an integral consideration in U.S. policies concerning natural resources, human health, economic growth, energy, transportation, agriculture, industry, and international trade, and these factors are similarly considered in establishing environmental policy;
• all parts of society — communities, individuals, businesses, and state, local and tribal governments — have access to accurate information sufficient to effectively participate in managing human health and environmental risks;
• environmental protection contributes to making our communities and ecosystems diverse, sustainable and economically productive; and
• the United States plays a leadership role in working with other nations to protect the global environment.

In addition to the above, the EPA

• develops and enforces regulations when Congress writes an environmental law;
• uses nearly half of its budget for grants to state environmental programs, non-profits, educational institutions, and others. This money is used for a wide variety of projects from scientific studies to community cleanups;
• works with laboratories throughout the nation to identify and try to solve environmental problems;
• shares information with other countries, private sector organizations, academic institutions and other agencies;
• works with businesses, non-profit organizations, and state and local governments through dozens of partnerships. A few examples include conserving water and energy, minimizing greenhouse gases, re-using solid waste, and getting a handle on pesticide risks;
• teaches people about environmental issues such as reducing energy use, reusing materials and recycling.

Some (by no means all) of the EPAs accomplishments include the following:

• launching the Energy Star program, a voluntary program that fosters energy efficiency;
• initiating an oil spill prevention program including Spill Prevention, Control, and Countermeasure (SPCC) and the Facility Response Plan (FRP) rules
• regulating auto emissions;
• ensuring safe drinking water for the public, by setting standards for more than 160,000 public water systems nationwide;
• implementing the National Environmental Education Act requiring the EPA to provide national leadership to increase environmental literacy
• implementing the clean air act;
• banning the use of DDT;
• cleaning up toxic waste;
• protecting the ozone layer
• increasing recycling and revitalizing inner-city brownfields;
• protecting national parks and their resources.

Among the challenges facing the U.S. today are the following:

• Meeting health-based standards for common air pollutants;
• Limiting climate change;
• Reducing risks from toxic air pollutants;
• Protecting the stratospheric ozone layer against degradation;

On August 3, 2015, President Obama and EPA announced the Clean Power Plan – a historic and important step in reducing carbon pollution from power plants that takes real action on climate change. Shaped by years of unprecedented outreach and public engagement, the final Clean Power Plan is fair, flexible and designed to strengthen the fast-growing trend toward cleaner and lower-polluting American energy. With strong but achievable standards for power plants, and customized goals for states to cut the carbon pollution that is driving climate change, the Clean Power Plan provides national consistency, accountability, and a level playing field while reflecting each state’s energy mix. It also shows the world that the United States is committed to leading global efforts to address climate change.

It is critical that the EPA be allowed to continue its critical role in safeguarding U.S. citizens, but also in maintaining its crucial role as a world leader in the field of environmental sustainability. In the proposed budget from the current administration, funding for the EPA is being slashed. If this is of concern to you, write or call your Congressional Representatives in DC. Ask them to reject any budget proposals or legislation that would prevent the EPA from doing its job of protecting clean water, clean air and the public health of all US citizens. Remind them that it’s their responsibility to ensure that the EPA is empowered – through adequate funding, staffing, and authority – to continue to meet its mission and remain a world leader.  

In his encyclical on the environment, Laudato Si’, Pope Francis reminds us that “The climate is a common good, belonging to all and meant for all”… and that “environmental protection cannot be assured solely on the basis of financial calculations of costs and benefits. The environment is one of those goods that cannot be adequately safeguarded or promoted by market forces.”

Guest Post by American Dream

It is our pleasure to share with you a recent blog post from American Dream. American Dream will be doing a presentation on Solar Energy for your Home, here at EarthConnection, on September 14 at 7 pm.  They are a locally owned company with strong ties to our community here in Cincinnati, but more importantly, they believe like us that the more self-sufficient we become, the more we help our planet. 

We hope you will sign up for their presentation on Thursday, September 14 on our events page and we encourage you to share their article on Renewable Energy vs Fossil Fuels. It is well-done! 

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Energy is a very important part of everyday life. Anything electricity-related, gas-related and heat-related is connected to the world of energy and fuels.

Imagine a world without energy, electricity, and fuels—your car wouldn’t be able to move an inch, the Internet would cease to exist, and there would be no air conditioning or central heating. The world revolves so much on the use of fuels, that life just wouldn’t be the same without them.

The Advantages and Disadvantages of Fossil Fuels

Fossil fuels are one of the Earth’s greatest energy sources. The process of creating these fuels began long before the dinosaurs walked the earth. Millions of years ago, tiny plants and animals lived and died in the earth’s oceans. As they died, their bodies would sink to the ocean floor and would eventually be covered by layers of rock, sand and mud. These layers would then be subjected to high pressure for millions of years, thus creating the fossil fuels everyone knows and loves.

The secret to the high-energy concentration that fossil fuels have, is their slow decay rate. The organic matter buried millions of years ago had very little chance to decay, enabling their energy to be stored and later converted to fossil fuels.

The abundance and relatively low cost of these fuels also supply power plants with enough energy to generate electricity for the world. Fossil fuels are also necessary for the production of numerous household products like paints, detergents, medicines, cosmetics, and many more.

Millions of households and businesses around the world use fossil fuels for heating, cooking, and other purposes. In fact, most of the world’s fossil fuel supplies come from the Middle East. It’s good for their economy and enables them to easily engage in business with other countries.

But while fossil fuels have many advantages, they aren’t perfect. They may be extremely helpful and valuable, but they can take millions of years to form and can’t be artificially generated in labs.

Furthermore, fossil fuels give off harmful green gases when burned. Large amounts of carbon dioxide and sulfur dioxide are released into the atmosphere every time power plants burn fossil fuels on a massive scale. This greatly contributes to global climate change and puts everyone at risk.

Is There An Alternative To Fossil Fuels?

If you’re wondering about whether or not fossil fuels are the be-all and-end-all of the fuel industry, they’re not. Renewable energy is a newfound alternative to fossil fuels.

While it hasn’t been in the industry that long, it’s a steadily developing science. Scientists from all over the world are developing new ways of producing sustainable energy from substances that are safe for the environment.

Nowadays, the most common sources of renewable energy come from natural resources like sunlight, wind, rain, tides, geothermal heat, and biomasses. All these are materials that are continually replenished and are safe to use as energy sources.

What Are The Advantages and Disadvantages of Each Renewable Resource?

• Solar Energy

Solar energy is the most abundant and renewable form of energy there is. It’s cheap, you can literally find it anywhere during the daytime, and it can be used for a variety of purposes. Believe it or not, sunlight can be used for heating and lighting homes and buildings, for generating electricity, and more.

The main disadvantage of solar energy is that it’s limited to just a few hours of each day. Luckily, scientists are currently developing ways of storing solar energy so that it can be used even during the nighttime.

While there aren’t enough solar powered devices that could power up an entire society at present, the number of new solar powered inventions is steadily increasing. Soon enough, solar energy will be the world’s leading source of energy and will power millions of houses and power plants all around the world.

• Wind Power

Wind power is one of today’s fastest growing energy sources. It can be used to pump water, generate electricity, and power up wind turbines. The only problem that comes with wind power is the fact that it requires a huge operating area in order to produce large amounts of energy. Windmills take up a lot of space, which limits the usage of wind power on a global scale.

• Biomass

Biomass is the energy produced from organic materials like plants and animals. When these organic substances are burned, they give off energy as heat, which can in turn be used for producing fuels and heating. Modern forms of biomass energy make use of methane gases, ethanol, and biodiesel fuels to supply energy for electric power plants and to serve as fuel for automobiles.

The most unfortunate disadvantage that comes with biomass energy is the burning of trees for warmth. Wood fueled heating causes the cutting of millions of trees worldwide, which puts humanity at a disadvantage.

• Geothermal Power

Geothermal energy comes from the heat the Earth gives off. Hot springs and geysers are one of the most common examples of geothermal energy. While they were often used for bathing and heating homes in earlier times, modern technology has now created ways to generate electricity through the heat they give off.

• Hydroelectric Energy

Hydroelectric energy comes from the movement of water. It’s one of the oldest and cheapest ways of generating power, and is a well-known competitive source of energy. A major advantage hydroelectric energy has is that it doesn’t use fuel. It also has the lowest lifecycle greenhouse gas emissions for power generation.

Some disadvantages hydroelectric energy has, are major land losses and water evaporation. Large reservoirs also have the tendency to submerge and destroy large areas of biologically rich and productive lowland, which can greatly affect the lives of those who live in the area.

Which Is Better?

Fossil fuels have always been a main source of energy throughout the years. But since they can’t be replenished and can do the environment harm, renewable sources of energy are slowly taking their place.

Renewable energy is paving the way for an environmentally safer means of producing power and electricity. While the two types of energy do have their own advantages and disadvantages, one source definitely stands out. Given the state our planet is in, renewable energy is definitely the best choice when it comes to creating new technologies and ways to save our planet.