Learn About Biofuels!

A biofuel is any fuel derived from biological matter.  Here are some examples:

GASOLINE & PETROLEUM
The most commonly used biofuel today - made from biomass that died millions of years ago (think dinosaurs and ancient jungle growth!)  Also, the leading cause of global warming.  Hmmm...  What are some other options?

CORN
Yup, fuel made from corn!  Emissions are lower, but not by much.  Growing all that corn may also require more energy than it actually produces.

SUGAR CANE
A totally sweet fuel!  Fuels made from sugar cane crops can reduce greenhouse gas emissions by up to 56%!  A big success so far in Brazil.

SWITCHGRASS
This amazing plant turned biofuel can reduce greenhouse gas emissions by up to 90%!  Some kinds of switchgrass can also remove CO2 from the atmosphere and store it in the ground.

USED COOKING GREASE
The cooking oil used to deep fry things like french fries and chicken wings can be recycled into fuel!  Fuel made from used cooking grease releases fewer gases and is a great way to REUSE something that would have been thrown away.

KELP
Scientists have recently found that seaweed can be used for fuel as well.  Breaking down the sugars in kelp can create five times as much ethanol as corn.

WHAT IS SUSTAINABILITY?

This is a word I’ve been hearing a lot lately.  But what does it mean?  According to World Commission on Environment and Development, sustainable development is defined as “the ability of humanity to ensure that it meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.”

What are some things we do today that will negatively affect the kids of tomorrow?  Polluting the air with greenhouse gases, polluting the soil and water with landfill, polluting oceans by dumping garbage, threatening sea life by overfishing, threatening water supplies by spilling harmful chemicals, wasting natural resources, relying on energy sources that damage our environment, and the list goes on.

Ancient tribes of people, like the Native Americans here in this country, lived in a way that was sustainable.  For example, Native American tribes would use every part of an animal after they killed it so that no part was wasted.  These people believed that humans must live together peacefully with nature instead of dominating it—or worse yet, destroying it.

Here are some basic rules for how to live sustainably, provided by environmentalist Paul Hawken:

·      Leave the world better than you found it.

·      Don’t take more than you need.

·      Try not to harm life or the environment, make amends if you do.

Right now, there are many things we are used to doing and buying that are unsustainable.  The older we get, the more we will see sustainable products and sustainable ways of life becoming available.  But how can we make sustainability popular?  Isn’t it easier to keep things the way they are?  Will you be a kid who looks for these new advances?  Are you able to recognize things you do every day that may be unsustainable?

WHAT IS GLOBAL WARMING?

"Global climate change" or "global warming" began with the Industrial Revolution.  Scientists say that global warming is primarily caused by the "greenhouse gas effect."  Greenhouse gases are the toxins (mostly CO2) released into the air when we burn fossil fuels--oil, coal and natural gas.  Another contributor to global climate change is deforestation (the destruction of trees), illustrated in the photograph below.

During the Industrial Revolution, lots of amazing new technology came along and we've been inventing cool things ever since!  But all this new technology--things like trains, cars, lightbulbs, computers, airplanes and electric toothbrushes--need energy to make them go!  The energy we use to power our cars and our homes comes mostly from burning fossil fuels.  It took millions of years for fossil fuels to be created, but humans have burned much of them up in just a few hundred years and the Earth can't handle it!

The more CO2 we have in the air, the more oceans try to suck it up to balance it out.  The more CO2 the oceans suck up, the warmer they become.  The warmer the oceans become, the more strange weather and wacky temperatures we get!  Strange weather leads to dangerous situations for humans.  Wacky temperature changes leads to the inability of many species of plants and animals to adapt quickly enough, which can lead to extinction.

On land, trees are an amazing natural way to get rid of CO2.  Plants soak up CO2 and store it for energy.  The combination of the greenhouse effect and deforestation has created a problem twice the size!

Obvious solutions:  1) PLANT TREES!  2) STOP BURNING FOSSIL FUELS!

More on global climate change to come!

WHAT DO YOU KNOW ABOUT BIOFUELS?

A “biofuel” is any fuel created from plant or animal materials.  For example, wood is one of the simplest biofuels.  Modern biofuels include bioethanol, made from sugar or starch crops.  Biodiesel on the other hand is made from vegetable oils or animal fats.

ADVANTAGES

·      Reduced greenhouse gas emissions.

·      More environmentally friendly.

·      Varied source material (can be made from a wide range of materials).

·      Cheaper.

·      May help to tackle poverty (poor countries without oil reserves may have land available for biofuel farming).

·      Biodegradability (spills are easier to clean up and MUCH less hazardous).

DISADVANTAGES

·      Lower Energy Output (great quantities consumed to get the same energy).

·      Adapting more land to produce crops for biofuels means more loss of habitats and decreased biodiversity.

·      Food vs. Fuel Debate (farmers make more money selling crops for fuel, which may cause higher food prices).

·      Not Carbon Neutral (it still takes energy to grow crops and then convert them into fuel).

·      Water Use (massive amounts of water are needed to grow crops and manufacture the fuel).

Here we go again!  Another energy source that has just as many bad sides as good sides.  But there may be hope in the future with 2^nd and 3^rd generation biofuels.  What do you know about these?  How are they different from 1^st generation biofuels?

NUCLEAR POWER - PROS AND CONS

Scientists have attributed global warming to the burning of fossil fuels.  One energy technology that does NOT emit greenhouse gases is nuclear power.

Last week, I went on a tour of the Science and Nature Center at a Nuclear Power Plant with my dad.  Here is some information about the advantages and disadvantages of nuclear power!

ABOVE:  A TYPICAL NUCLEAR REACTOR COOLING TOWER

ADVANTAGES:

·      Does not add to the greenhouse effect (no smoke or carbon dioxide!)

·      Just a small amount of fuel can produce a very large amount of energy.  (One ton of Uranium produces more energy than is produced by several MILLION tons of coal or barrels of oil!)

·      Produces small amounts of waste.

·      Nuclear power plants don’t require as much space as other types of facilities.

DISADVANTAGES:

·      The small amount of waste that is produced is VERY, VERY dangerous.

·      Nuclear waste must be hidden away for many thousands of years so that the radioactivity can die away.

·      Nuclear waste that is buried may be affected or released by floods, earthquakes or deliberate attacks.

·      An accident at a nuclear power plant can be a MAJOR disaster!  Radioactivity can kill people and animals or cause cancer.

·      Nuclear energy comes from Uranium and Uranium is NOT renewable.  Just like coal and oil, we will run out of it someday!

Although nuclear energy is delicate and has caused problems in the past, a modern nuclear power plant can produce power without releasing toxins into the environment (if everything goes right.)  Energy produced by coal and oil cannot do the same.

Is nuclear energy the next step away from dirty energy sources before we can harness the power of sun, wind and water more efficiently?  What do you think?  Do the advantages outweigh the disadvantages?  What else do you know about nuclear power?

ABOVE:  THE NUCLEAR POWER PLANT I VISITED AT SEABROOK STATION IN NEW HAMPSHIRE.