Author Archive

Maggie Puniewska

Maggie Puniewska is a freelance writer based out of the greater Chicago area. She has a B.A. in communications from University of Illinois at Champaign-Urbana. In addition to Please Conserve, she currently writes for the buzz, an entertainment magazine on campus. She has written and published on a wide range of subjects and her specialty for Please Conserve is conservation and environmental topics.

There are moments when you want your breath taken away. Other times, for instance when you are sleeping, maybe not so much. Unfortunately, for 12 million Americans suffering from sleep-disordered breathing, this isn’t always an option. While previous risks to sleep-disordered breathing came from obesity or family history, researchers have recently found a new contributing factor: pollution.

Researchers form the Brigham and Women’s Hospital and the Harvard School of Public Health explored the link between air pollution levels, temperature increases, and sleep-disordered breathing. Their study, published in the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, used data from the Sleep Heart Health Study. The study followed 6,000 participants from 1995 to 1998. Researchers cross-examined the sleep study results with EPA air pollution monitoring data from 7 U.S. cities during the same years. Using the two sources, researchers were successful in finding a link between pollution, temperature, and sleep-disordered breathing.

The study showed that pollution affected sleep patterns in a particular way. Researchers found that particles in pollution influence the upper airways as well as the central nervous system. This disturbance leads to poor and disrupted sleep which affects both health and overall well-being. Probably the most important outcome of this study is the ever prevalent idea that environmental pollution and damage can have serious repercussions on human health. Even something as small as a particle can affect millions of individuals in polluted places. The key to remember is that the more we try to avoid the fact that pollution and other environmental harms are hurting us, the more damage they will do.

From all the praise and adoration that organic products receive, you may think that by consuming them you’re the next best thing next to Rachel Carson. Not so fast, my amateur environmentalist. It has been shown that organic products may be better for health, that is true. But a recent study has shown that when it comes to being eco-friendly, organic farming may be sub par. Research from the University of Guelph in Ontario, Canada, reveals that in some instances, organic pesticides can be more detrimental to the environment.

The study says that it is wrong to assume that just because pesticides are organic, means that they are better for the environment. In fact, the opposite may be true. Oftentimes, growers have to use larger doses of the organic pesticide to get the same effect as using synthetic ones. The study measured the effects of six pesticides used to kill soybean aphids: four pesticides were synthetic, two were organic, one mineral and one fungal. Using criteria such as toxicity to humans and wildlife and leaching rate into soil and water, the study concluded that the mineral and fungal pesticides were less effective and more destructive. One particular harm noted from the organic pesticides is that they were harmful to ladybugs and flowering plants which are necessary controllers of aphid population.

This example is only one of hundreds in which organic products could have an unexpected flaw. It is important to pick products that are natural, but they should also promote environmentally friendly practices. This case illustrates perfectly how the end product could be deemed organic, but the practices in place to attain the product are less than green. Moral of the story: organic doesn’t always equal eco-nice. It’s best to evaluate both the product and how it is made, cultivated, etc. in order to make a more green decision.

For home siding, side with the green choice- Choosing siding can be a tricky process because modern siding can be flimsy or expensive. HardiePlank siding is different. Made from wood pulp, sand, cement, and water that are recycled up to 4 times in the manufacturing process, this siding is durable, coming with a 50 year warranty.

http://www.jameshardie.com/homeowner/products_siding_hardieplankLapSiding.py

Pave your patio, driveway, or sidewalk with porous pavement – This type of pavement strategy allows rainwater to seep below the surface into an aggregate, where it is afterwards distributed into the soil. The pavement allows water than might otherwise form puddles and evaporate to be taken up by plants in your yard. In the winter, snow that might otherwise turn into ice also infiltrates into the ground, sparing you a fall. The lack of ice also lessens the need to use harmful and environmentally poisonous salts.

http://www.popularmechanics.com/home_journal/home_improvement/4289656.html

Invest in a geothermal heating and cooling system – This is the most environmentally responsible and energy efficient system available on the market. The direct exchange ground source heat pump uses the earth’s constant underground temperatures to heat the home in the winter and cool it in the summer. These pumps can reduce heating and cooling costs by as much as 50 percent, and they usually last three times longer than air source systems. Although these systems can be a bit pricier than traditional heating and cooling systems, electric utility companies have been willing to cover some of the costs of installation or offer rate guaranties. The discounts can amount to hundreds of dollars, so be sure to ask.

http://www.popularmechanics.com/how_to_central/home_clinic/1274631.html

From the roof, to the floor – Choose flooring products that are made from renewable materials. Cork planking from National Cork is milled from naturally regenerating tree bark and contains no formaldehyde.

http://www.popularmechanics.com/science/earth/4212727.html

Food for thought. And fuel – Your restaurant leftovers may be used to fuel your home soon. Experts at the AZTI-Tecnalia technological centre in Spain are looking at different methods to derive energy from waste from the food industry as well as agriculture. The main procedure being studied involves extracting a biogas from food by a process called anaerobic digestion. The digestion breaks down the food matter into a sludge, which can be used as fertilizer in agriculture, and a biogas that contains methane and carbon dioxide, which can be used as energy for fuel. The plant is available for use for government, food enterprises, and environmental institutions who are interested in developing energy from food products.
http://esciencenews.com/articles/2009/03/31/obtaining.biogas.food.industry.waste

Skyfarmers –  Soon farms may have a new look. Urban, 1000 feet high, right in the middle of downtown. Not what your typical getaway to grandma’s. Some scientist think that the farms of the future may be located as mentioned: on the roofs of skyscrapers. The idea is similar to that of a green roof, but with food production involved. Food would be grown using soil-free hydroponic (water) farming, which would cut the demand for energy. This method would utilize already existing space (city buildings) for a continual necessity (food). Added bonus: the food would be grown close to demand, eliminating costly transportation fees.
http://www.verticalfarm.com/

You probably know that wearing lighter colors in the summer keeps the body cooler. You might be surprised to find out that scientists are applying this principle in an attempt to cool urban cities plagued by intense summer heat. A team of scientists at the National Center for Atmospheric Research suggests that the roofs of buildings should be painted white to relieve urban heat. Although their concept is still under investigation, the team used a highly innovative computer model to help demonstrate how this idea would work.

Urban heat becomes a problem in cities in the summer. Many structures utilize asphalt, tar, and other dark substances in construction and these materials absorb heat very quickly, increasing the temperature in a city by 2-5F. This phenomenon is called the urban heat island effect. Using computer simulations, the scientists showed that if all the roofs in a city were painted white, the urban heat island effect could be reduced by 33% because the white roofs would reflect the heat.

Although the study is still in development, it does show some promising evidence that increasing summer temperatures can be curbed in a very simple manner. The researchers did state that the capacity to which the white paint would curb temperatures did also depend on the structure itself, the density of the roof, and the climate of the location. The researchers also may want to test the implementation of ‘green roofs’ which use plants and shrubbery as a way to reduce heat. Not only can these green roofs mitigate heat, they also add dimension and beauty to an otherwise bland and boiling locale.

You are my sunshine – The Desertec Foundation is thinking big. As big as the Sahara Desert. The company is hoping to use the desert’s abundant sunshine to provide energy for Europe. Here is the plan: construct solar panels in the northern region of Africa and channel the power produced by the panels to Europe and the Mediterranean. The company estimates that the panels will generate 100 gigawatts of power and only need to cover 0.3% of the desert. Although financial barriers and political instabilities may delay the project, the company hopes to set up the panels within the next 10-15 years.

http://www.desertec.org/en/concept/