Quote to Exit (19th March, 2010) >>>

Humanity is acquiring all the right technology for all the wrong reasons.

   
- R. Buckminster Fuller

The Green Way Out >>>

Numb. Dull. And dark. You can't feel any of that fresh cool breeze in the mornings, which we usually dub as the perfect start to the day. The Air chokes you. Burns your eyes. You can see no farther than the neighborhood tree. And there is no blue sky.

Scary, huh?

Well, all that would be for real if we keep to our polluting lifestyle. Not to sound like a obsessive green-activist, but the world is changing. And, obviously, its fate is in our hands. And of course, the change wouldn't be immediate. Maybe we won't see the above described state of oblivion in our lifetime. But the next, or next to next, generations sure will.

This guide, found it on the net (thought I should share), has some easy-to-do (but of great importance) tasks to help retain and reverse the changes in the climate. You might already be aware of many. Must put them into practice.

Easy Things You Can Do To Help Our Climate:

1. Travel light. Walk or bike instead of driving a car. Cars and trucks run on fossil fuels, which release carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. In the United States, automobiles produce over 20 percent of total carbon emissions. Walk or bike and you'll save one pound of carbon for every mile you travel.
2. Teleconference instead of flying. For office meetings, if you can use telephone or videoconference, you will save time, money, and reduce carbon emissions. Airplanes pump carbon emissions high into the atmosphere, producing 12 percent of transportation sector emissions.
3. See the light. Use compact fluorescent light bulbs. These energy-efficient bulbs help fight climate change because they reduce the amount of fossil fuels that utilities burn. You will save 100 pounds of carbon for each incandescent bulb that you replace with a compact fluorescent, over the life of the bulb.
4. Recycle and use recycled products. Products made from recycled paper, glass, metal and plastic reduce carbon emissions because they use less energy to manufacture than products made from completely new materials. For instance, you'll save two pounds of carbon for every 20 glass bottles that you recycle. Recycling paper also saves trees and lets them continue to reduce climate change naturally as they remain in the forest, where they remove carbon from the atmosphere.
5. Inflate your tires. If you own a car, it will get better gas mileage when the tires are fully inflated, so it will burn less gas and emit less carbon. Check your automobile monthly to ensure that the tires are fully inflated. Follow this tip and save 300 pounds of carbon dioxide for every 10,000 miles you drive.
6. Plant native trees. Trees absorb carbon dioxide from the air and use it as their energy source, producing oxygen for us to breathe. A tree in the temperate zone found between the tropics and the polar circles can remove and store 700 to 7,000 pounds of carbon over its lifetime. A tree that shades a house can reduce the energy required to run the air conditioner and save an additional 200 to 2,000 pounds of carbon over its lifetime.
7. Turn down the heat. Heating and air conditioning draw more than half of the energy that a home uses. Turn down the heat or air conditioning when you leave the house or go to bed. You can install a programmable thermostat that can save up money and carbon.
8. Buy renewable energy. Electricity generation produces 40 percent of carbon emissions from the United States. A growing number of utilities generate electricity from renewable energy sources with solar panels, windmills and other technologies. If your utility offers renewable energy, buy it. If not, send them a message asking for clean energy.
9. Act globally, eat locally. If you shop at a supermarket, the food you buy may travel in a plane from the other side of the world, burning fossil fuels the entire trip. Shop at a local farmers markets and you will find fresh and healthy food, and help save our climate.

 Source: http://www.nature.org/

Few other sites to check out:

United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP)

GlobalWarming.org

Image used in the post: Pollution by ~Andycap

SK

Quote to Exit (17th March, 2010) >>>

Any emotion, if it is sincere, is involuntary.

- Mark Twain

Quote to Exit (16th March, 2010) >>>

As a rule, what is out of sight disturbs men's minds more seriously than what they see.

- Julius Caeser

Quote to Exit (15th March, 2010) >>>

If you see ten troubles coming down the road, you can be sure that nine will run into the ditch before they reach you.

 - Calvin Coolidge

Looking for an Exit from my English exam >>>

Phew! Finally the formal learning of English is out of my life! (At least I think so. Some engineering colleges have English course in the first year.) The paper was quite easy, but damn boring. On previous occasions, there used to be some form of excitement connected with the English paper. This paper was too dull, and the topics on which we were asked to write article/speech were even duller.

Some students (ahem... most students) might have enjoyed the fact that the paper was easy, 'cause they would now stand a chance to level with high scoring students (talking about English toppers, who are usually different from the general toppers). But I don't care about what the topper scored! I don't care about what I score. (But as this is my school life's most important and the last exam, I HAVE TO care this, just this once.) The only thing that 'satisfies' me is to know (or expect) that the examiner (if he/she has a proper knowledge that he/she ought to have) would be 'satisfied' after reading my answers.

I can debate on and on about that, so let's just proceed to the main point of this post, i.e. my Exit from the English exam. Actually, I couldn't find an Exit. As I mentioned above, the paper was dull and uninteresting, but was an important one. I wanted to write something deeper than what was required for that question (and for those marks!), but I couldn't afford to 'waste' time on that. And also, the examiner might be a crackpot, or might have a quarrel with his/her spouse just on the day he gets to correct my paper! So I had to be careful with what I write. I had to let go of anything that might further irritate the examiner. And for that very reason, I stuck to the word limit! And, therefore, surrendered my will to write more. And the Exits disappeared right away. And as if that wasn't enough, my computer's insides got clogged up with dust. Had to clean it with all the dust celebrating in my nose!

But I had some great time (and greater food! ;-)) with my friends after the exam. That, and this post (my first substantial one), are today's only Exits for me...

SK

Designing the Blog >>>

Before I start posting substantial thoughts, I would like to enhance the visuals on the blog. It takes lots of hits-and-trials to get a perfectly balanced and visually pleasing layout. I'm experimenting with the pre-given templates on Blogspot, changing the background, banner, headers and footers, etc. Please leave any suggestions (in the comments) you might have regarding the same.

Thanks,
SK

First Exit >>>

Hello there!

Well, I'm now officially a blogger! Clap clap clap. Thank you, but I won't be posting anytime soon. I've got a lot of exams to prepare for, so, I'll be busy at least until 25th of April. Come back again once in a while, cause I may squeeze out some time for some posts. I'll be writing mainly about the little happy moments (and problems!) we get to enjoy as a student, which provide us a 'Way to Exit' from our hectic lives. And, of course, my thoughts on various thingies!

Hoping to post my next one before the above mentioned date (that's a long time!!),

SK