Environment Portal

Copyright (c) 2008 Jackson Kern

It is commonly accepted that the project of sustainable development is conceptually composed of three constituent parts. These parts are (1) environmental sustainability, (2) economic sustainability, and (3) social-political sustainability. The United Nations 2005 World Summit refers to the “interdependent and mutually reinforcing pillars” of sustainable development as environmental protection, economic development and social development. The interdependency of the first two is evident; it is perhaps the greatest challenge of our time to satisfy the needs and wants of burgeoning populations within the binding constraints imposed by our physical environment. But what is this great hoopla about social development and sustainability of politics, and what exactly is its place?

If environmental protection is concerned with the preservation of our natural environment and resources, and economic sustainability is concerned with seeking durable growth solutions therein, then the social-political sphere can be thought of as representative of the more purely human element in the equation. Social development and social-political sustainability are intimately related concepts but they are not in fact entirely interchangeable. It is important that we understand their symbiotic relationship and its implications for the broader sustainability project.

Social development is a concept that is familiar to most of us in its many and varying forms. Within any given society there are opportunities to improve and enrich each of its composite parts in many ways. Of sometimes greater importance is the need to harmonize relations amongst these various and sometimes opposing elements. Those actively engaged in the process of social development include agents acting within its institutions to effect change via established channels. Of more notice, however, are often those who act from the outside, those who reject the society’s institutions as inadequate, and who advocate wholesale social and political change as the only true path to social enrichment and development.

Energy conservation simply means the observation of certain acts to minimize the use of energy. There are plenty of ways to conserve energy. There may be conservation in one’s home, workplace, or the community in general.

There are many reasons why a person should conserve energy, but the most common reason is to save money. Big companies and institutions resort to energy conservation to increase or maximize their profit.

While there are many sources of energy found on Earth, it is still important to conserve and preserve our energy supply so that the future generation can experience what it feels like to have abundant energy. As such, here are some tips on how to conserve energy.

First, walk or use mass transit instead of using your personal vehicle. One does not only save energy, he also helps save the environment because vehicle emissions create at least 65% of the air’s pollution.

Second, buy energy efficient appliances. These kinds of appliances are more expensive than the ordinary ones, but in the long run, it will save you money on energy consumption and at the same time help the world conserve energy. In addition to buying these kinds of appliances, replace old appliances as it consumes more electrical energy because of its old structure and make. Also in using appliances, make sure to set it in energy-saving settings.

Third, when doing laundry or doing your dishes, make sure that the load is in its maximum in order to maximize its use. It is an effective way to save energy because every space is utilized. Also, when doing laundry, instead of using a clothes dryer, it is recommended to hang your clothes on a laundry line.

It has been no secret that the nature seems to be bearing the brunt of human existence and that the state of the environment has slowly been degrading as time went by. Environmentalists have long championed environmental sustainability as the solution to this dilemma and its concept has slowly been spreading and being accepted in different parts of the world. In order to help increase awareness and understanding of sustainability, a lot of news websites has been created and maintained diligently by different environmental groups and concerned individuals who want to contribute to this good cause.

Such is http://www.sciencedaily.com/news/earth_climate/sustainability/ which presents lots of news related to the environment and natural science but still has a nice section focused on environmental sustainability. News on human health and on the political and social aspects of science is also included in the site. It is well maintained and up-to-date with pictures and illustrations to enhance browsing experience. There are also videos on scientific matters and subjects.

Another similar site is http://www.ecoearth.info/ which is maintained by the Ecological Internet Inc., a nonprofit organization focused on promoting environmental conservation through the creation of online portals, search engines, and blogs. The website is comprehensive in the sense that it collects environmental sustainability news from all over the world. It is a good site to visit for those interested in knowing about developments and policies being formulated in foreign territories to protect their environment. There are also excellent links to related websites for comprehensive searching and knowledge collection.

For some local news, there’s the http://sustainability.ucsb.edu/news.php maintained by the University of California, Santa Barbara campus. Though most of its news items are related to the university and its efforts toward the practice of environmental sustainability, there are still several articles on local activities promoting sustainability.

Raising awareness on the environment is a most important step that world must know about what they are using and how they impact on our ecological balance. We must protect, manage and conserve the environment to preserve our future generations. With even small changes in the energy used, we can help to improve the environmental legacy for future generations to come. With careful conservation and sound management we can protect our environmental, social and cultural heritage.

The security and monitoring of environmental changes is an urgent problem worldwide. To restrict environmental damages, rapid determination of pollutants penetrating into the environment is necessary. The below given monitoring and testing environmental services are required for environment safety and preservation.

Environmental Analysis – soil, water, gas

Environmental Analysis comprises of soil, water, gas chemical testing. The analysis tells that how much contamination is present in soil, water, gas. The analysis is done with advanced sampling, testing and reporting in support of investigation, all environmental compliance and monitoring. The potentially toxic substances can be present in soil & water. There are many analysis tools that assist environmental effects of groundwater use. Analysis of effluent and wastewater is required to determine the effectiveness of treatment regimes.

Pharmaceutical Analysis

For Pharmaceutical Analysis well equipped laboratory is required with the latest testing equipments. Experienced staff can assist from method validation through to generating data for regulatory submissions. They use wide range of pharmaceutical methods like advanced HPLC (High-Pressure Liquid Chromatography) and GC (Gas Chromatograph) techniques.

Environmental Monitoring and Assessment

Environmental monitoring and assessment means to monitor and assess the status and trends of ecological resources. This involves collecting, reviewing and interpreting data relating to soil, water and gas. Monitoring allows observing and interpreting changes in environmental quality and determining the reasons for these. Dust analysis, Quartz analysis, Vapour and gas analysis all are carried out in environmental monitoring.

Many people throughout the world have been conditioned into believing the unproven theory that global warming is caused by mans’ industrial activities. However the opponents of this theory point to instances in the past when global warming, without the influence of man, did take place.

The scientific community agree that the earth is about 4.5 billion years old and during that time its accepted as a known scientific fact that it’s undergone at least 12, and possibly 14 major periods of climate change. In addition to this there have been numerous minor changes to the earth’s climate.

The information about pre-man climate changes has come from studying ice cores and from sophisticated scientific investigation involving many branches of science. However some of these minor changes have occurred within the life-time of man and have been recorded over time.

The existence of these major and minor periods of climate change is not in doubt; what is open to speculation and controversy are the causes.

On this, the Scaremongers remain totally silent: they are emphatic that mans’ industrial activity and the burning of fossil fuels is the cause of any climate change taking place at the moment, but would have to agree that industrial activity could not have caused the start of a period of climate change 5,000 years ago.

In 1991 the body of a man was found in the European Alps in the border regions of Austria and Italy. He was said to have died about 5,000 years ago whilst crossing the Alps. From this two facts can be determined: man at that time knew he could cross the Alps; secondly this feat was possible because of the absence of snow and ice at lower altitudes.