Larry’s View

Larry’s view on any and everything.

Carbon footprint and broadcasting

As our awareness about the phenomenon of global warming, our knowledge about the different factors that contribute adversely to the increase of carbon dioxide emissions into the atmosphere. The level of carbon dioxide emissions due to individual, domestic, corporate or industrial activities over regular periods of time is what is referred to as carbon footprint. Steady increase in carbon dioxide emissions and the predicted rise of global warming have led a lot of people to reduce their carbon footprint by shifting into ecologically sustainable and environmental friendly lifestyles. Certain business companies and industries have undertaken steps that would help reduce levels of carbon dioxide emissions such as by funding new large tree plantations which will help absorb relatively the same amount of carbon dioxide or by taking certain modifications in existing corporate or industrial operations such as energy use, power consumption and air conditioning.

With the strong connection between carbon footprint and broadcasting, the necessary shifts in the operational methods of corporate and industrial sectors have also been made in the broadcasting company. For example, in order to have a lower carbon footprint, broadcasting companies including television, radio and publication companies undertake efforts to reduce energy consumption in their stores, offices and television and radio stations, by simply turning off office equipment and appliances when not in sure or through sophisticated “green policies” such using vehicles that run on alternative energy sources such as biofuels and establishing working groups to study options on energy conservation and carbon footprint reduction.

One of the major contributors to a high carbon footprint and broadcasting company usually requires huge power consumption. As a result, the efforts of broadcasting companies to reduce carbon dioxide emissions begin with policies to cut energy costs and strike a balance between a reduced carbon footprint and broadcasting operation costs from daily office activities, to production vans and transmitter towers and overall electrical requirements. One example is the installation of passive infrared sensors that automatically turn on lights in occupied rooms and turn them off when the room becomes empty.

With the objective of further reducing their carbon footprint, the broadcasting industry have started the conversion of incandescent tower lighting systems into light-emitting diodes (LEDs) which contributes to about 75% reduction in power consumption and reduces the need to replace light bulbs due to the higher life of LED lights. While this is but a small percent in the efforts to reduce carbon footprint, broadcasting companies nevertheless believe that over the long run, it will result in a sustainable and progressive reduction of carbon dioxide emissions. In line with plans to sustain a long term reduction of their carbon footprint, broadcasting companies are exploring sources of renewable energies such as hydroelectric and wind energy and a more comprehensive approach towards sustainable ecological conservation.

October 22, 2008 Posted by | Blogroll, Carbon Footprint | Leave a comment

Carbon footprint aluminum

If only we have learned of these techniques before, we would not have caused the world’s polar ice caps to melt and oceans to rise fast; we would not have caused the earth to warm as quick as this article has been written, making most areas prone to typhoons and other weather catastrophes. Carbon footprint may sound more helpful than linguistically cunning to individuals, companies, and even countries, as it allows one to understand one’s emission levels, draft plans to cut it to half, and have one’s piece of positive contribution to the environment’s ailing temperature permanently marking the environment.

As a monitoring device, carbon footprint can help one track one’s energy consumption as well. It is usually in the consumption of one’s energy that carbon dioxide is generated. Knowing which of our daily activities contributes to the earth’s heat is one sure way of understanding why we have come this far, insofar as climate change is concerned. In a recent survey by the Gallup Poll, it is reported that 78 percent of Americans would rather spend several thousands of dollars to make their homes earth-friendly, rather than spending much energy and heating up the earth. One thing’s for sure: while recycling takes your money, it undoubtedly saves you a lot of energy and saves the earth from climate change.

It is generally known that recycling one aluminum soda can conserves much energy. The point here is that recycling containers uses less energy than it takes to produce them anew. Remember that great energy is required to refine metal ores, for aluminums and petroleum, for plastics. Thus, throwing your can away for a new one is definitely not conserving energy. And since we’re talking about aluminum here, it is worth noting that it also takes a lot of energy to make that aluminum in your hand. No wonder environmentalists have been pushing recycling as a primary source of reducing carbon emissions. No wonder they stress that the main goal should be the control of our carbon footprints.

Building an energy-efficient house has never been this timely. More sharply, it has never been this too late for controlling our energy consumption. Anyway, the use of natural light, in other words, reusable energy, instead of artificial light gives the interior of a house a dramatic look. Your hose looks more spacious and airy, when light from the outside is utilized. This apparently serves two purposes: that of beautifying your home and saving energy. Have you checked and lowered your energy consumption? Have you lately checked your carbon emissions level? Knowing this will give more room for you and the environment room to breathe and climates to stop from changing.

October 22, 2008 Posted by | Blogroll, Carbon Footprint | Leave a comment

Carbon footprint air conditioning at work

We might have saved energy at home, but have neglected the place where we worked altogether. This is an important we should not miss when we are really serious in helping nature and ourselves as well. Energy produced in uncontrolled proportions may lead to carbon footprint generation out of proportion to what we could solve in the future. Thus, the vigilance required on guarding one’s energy consumption and carbon emission in the workplace should not be taken lightly. Perhaps, what remains a challenge for some is that most companies seem to care less about reducing carbon footprints than consuming energy. One example here is on the use of air conditioning units. Air conditioning units represent but a fraction of this entire carbon emissions issue.

Air conditioning units are said to produce emissions that are harmful to the environment. When it is released in the air, it becomes an agent of change in climate by trapping heat inside the planet, thus, making a name for itself: greenhouse gases. As these gases accumulate in the atmosphere they heat up the environment where it affects polar ice caps, oceans and other bodies of water to change with the tide of the climate. It may seem so trivial that such a little comfort appliance such as an air conditioning can cause all this damage. Nonetheless, this holds true, as many scientific reports have already verified this fact.

Thus, one way of reducing carbon footprints is by turning off appliances that are no longer used. As already mentioned, air conditioning units are but a mole in this large groups of energy-consuming technology. There is also the refrigerator, which is another avid producer of carbon dioxide. It may cool the water we drink and preserve for some other time, the food that we eat, but when it is not turned off even once in awhile, it surely has its own negative impact on the environment and us. The best thing to do, in this case, is to assess just how much energy your company spends and measuring them by setting up energy monitors.

When you have carefully monitored the energy consumption of your workplace, it’s time now to do some work. Most of the time, when we use chargers for anything that we have that need charging, be it a cellphone or a camera, we fail to unplug them. Well, it’s better to always remember to unplug it before leaving. Switching off lights and appliances when used are also some other ways suggested to reduce energy consumption and thus, bring carbon emissions down to levels were they can be controlled. There are many more things to do aside from the ones mentioned, but it’s always up to how much an individual work for this change to become really visible that matters this time.

October 22, 2008 Posted by | Blogroll, Carbon Footprint | Leave a comment

Carbon footprint

What is a carbon footprint?  It is the measure of Carbon Dioxide emitted to our atmosphere by human activities.  Some products or services release a certain amount of carbon dioxide to the atmosphere.  The effect of these activities on our environment and the amount of greenhouse gases in our atmosphere are measured in carbon dioxide units.  The CO2 measured is what you call a carbon footprint.  This so called carbon footprint can be classified into two parts, the primary and the secondary footprint.

The primary or direct footprint is the direct emissions of carbon dioxide from fossil fuels.  When these fossil fuels are burned they give of carbon dioxide to our atmosphere.  Energy consumption from transportations, like any motorized vehicles, gives of primary carbon footprints.

The secondary or indirect footprint is the measure of the indirect emissions of carbon dioxide from products and services we use. In the entire life cycle of a product, from the manufacturing stage to consumption, it gives off carbon dioxide to our environment.  These CO2 emissions are what you call secondary or indirect carbon footprints.

In order to prevent massive effects of global warming, we have to reduce the amount of carbon footprints in our environment.  There are effective ways to reduce the rise of carbon footprints.  You can start by reducing your primary or direct carbon footprint.  An effective way of lessening the carbon footprint you leave behind is by not taking air transportation by traveling.  This preventive step is really useful during holiday seasons where more people are traveling and usually by air.  The increase amount of air travel during these seasons causes a huge amount of carbon footprint on our atmosphere.

Another effective way is by using renewable energy and using solar energy for your water heating system.  This method is not only helpful to the environment; it can also greatly reduce the amount of your gas bill in just a year.

There are also ways to lessen the amount of secondary or indirect footprints in our atmosphere.  To reduce your secondary footprint, buy locally made products instead of imported ones.  The farther the product has been manufacture, the more secondary carbon footprint it emits because of the long transport.  Another way is to eat less red meat and grow your own fruits and vegetables.  This option is not only healthy; you can also save money instead of buying manufactured goods.  Follows these guidelines and help save our environment.

October 22, 2008 Posted by | Blogroll, Carbon Footprint | Leave a comment

Average carbon footprint

Carbon footprints signify our individual responsibility and accountability to how much energy we have consumed in the course of everyday lives. It signifies to us that in one or the other, we have somehow, through our uncouth daily activity, made the earth warmer than it was formerly and made some areas of it more inhabitable. Carbon footprint is also a worthwhile term because it evokes in us a sense that because we have personally wronged nature, we, too, are the only ones who could solve it. As an old adage goes, as you were part of the problem, be part of the solution as well.

Assessing your carbon footprint or how much carbon emission you generate in one day is the first step towards an understanding of your individual energy consumption. There are devices called carbon footprint calculators that determine how much of that carbon do your produce. It is in knowing this that you learn where and how to control your energy usage, making you consumption habits more friendly to the environment. After your assessment, making the necessary adjustments on your energy consumption level should follow if you are really that serious of making a positive impact on the environment. This in no way erases your carbon footprints and ultimately, your guilt. But this signals how serious you are in helping the environment.

In the said carbon footprint calculator, you will know if you have left only at an average level of carbon footprint. It is found that temperature on land is estimated at an increase of about 0.07 degrees Celsius. In contrast, oceans and other bodies of water are found to have an average temperature of 0.04 degrees Celsius every ten years. However, this is thought to be the carbon footprint calculator’s overestimation. Yet calculator or no calculator, results are still quite obvious that carbon dioxide emissions badly affect the environment. Since we’re part of that environment that it badly affects, there is no turning back for us who know just how much damage does our unwarranted energy consumption brings.

Still, while environmentalists and scientists problematize carbon emissions exact effect on the atmosphere, it would perhaps help more if we reduce our energy usage. When lights are no longer used, it would be better to switch them off. The same thing is true with chargers, since these things are usually left behind after one’s use. Certainly, we ought not to forget the air conditioning units’ usage. They bring much more harm to the environment than we possibly think we can solve. Of course, prefer the organic over the inorganic, the natural over the artificial, and if recycling is within your reach, it would be a good idea to do so. Much, much more could be done to solve this energy crisis and climate change issue. It’s only a matter of knowing one’s carbon footprint.

October 15, 2008 Posted by | Blogroll, Carbon Footprint | Leave a comment

Automobile carbon footprint

Believe it or not, but you are part of this phenomenon that has been troubling the United Nations, G7 Countries, and the International Organization on Climate Change: Global Warming. And that is spelled with capital first letters not for emphasis but because it was always spelled that way. In other words, the big GW has always been around since humankind started to produce more carbon than what was intended and what the earth could bear. Trivia: did you know that there are some things you do in one, single day that generate carbon emissions? Did you also know that these seemingly relentless carbon reproductions contribute to the warming of the planet?

Technically, this is what you call carbon footprint. Just how much carbon footprint do you make around your path in one day? By simply measuring the amount of greenhouse gases you create in one day, the answer as to why you are part of this climate problem is slowly unraveled. A tool known as a carbon calculator comes in handy when doing this activity. Through it, you will be able to know the emission levels you make and how to act against it. Say for instance, you are one heck of a jetsetter. You travel miles upon miles through air, enjoying every moment of excitement and stress as your eyes comes up close with the sky, not knowing that your lifestyle actually produces 31, 200 kilograms of carbon dioxide.

In some states, carbon footprints are more consciously done than ever. In the city of San Francisco, for instance, carbon dioxide production is offset by special services from car and van rental companies themselves. This practice helps people understand just how much carbon dioxide emissions one can produce and the steps to take in order to reduce its production. As said earlier, we’re part of the climate problem. What better way to be part of the solution than to learn how to conduct for oneself a series of tests on carbon generation. Individuals are not the only ones who benefit from carbon footprint technology. Companies who use up a gunk of energy, thus, producing suffocating carbon emissions in just one day can as well estimate the control that has to be exerted on unnecessary consumptions. It allows companies to set expectations and formulate solutions in case goals are not met.

In a larger point of view, carbon footprint can also benefit nations. It offers the same features as it does to the individual and the company, except that its positive effects are large-scale, in proportion to the country that allows it. Environmental groups consider this as one best solution for the ailing temperature of the planet. It’s only up to both developed and developing countries to work on this.

October 15, 2008 Posted by | Blogroll, Carbon Footprint | Leave a comment