The Environmental A-Z…the letter R…#Radon and Renewable Resources

Welcome to my Environmental A-Z…today it’s the letter R…I have been unable to find anything beginning with the letter Q…I have also been heartened to hear how many of you feel like I do that we need to take our own steps to avoid pollution wherever we can…

Abraham Lincoln is correct we need to act now to create the future for our families that we want…but at the moment we can only dream of…

The best way to predict your future is to create it...Abraham Lincoln.

 

The A-Z of the environment and Climate Change… letter R( No) Q…

Radon…

Radon is a naturally occurring radioactive gas that can cause lung cancer. Radon gas is inert, colourless and odourless. Radon is naturally in the atmosphere in trace amounts. Outdoors, radon disperses rapidly and, generally, is not a health issue. Most radon exposure occurs inside homes, schools and workplaces. Radon gas becomes trapped indoors after it enters buildings through cracks and other holes in the foundation. Indoor radon can be controlled and managed with proven, cost-effective techniques.

Breathing radon over time increases your risk of lung cancer. Radon is the second leading cause of lung cancer in the United States. Nationally, the EPA estimates that about 21,000 people die each year from radon-related lung cancer. Only smoking causes more lung cancer deaths…to read the full report please click this link.

Indoor radon is a preventable risk factor that can be handled through effective national policies and regulations. 

This is the report from the  World Health Organisation(WHO)

Personally, I have never been aware of any national policies surrounding this…Have you?

Renewable Resources…

Renewable resources are an energy source that cannot be depleted and are able to supply a continuous source of clean energy.

Currently, these are the most popular resources…

  1. Solar energy…Sunlight is one of our planet’s most abundant and freely available energy resources. The amount of solar energy that reaches the earth’s surface in one hour is more than the planet’s total energy requirements for a whole year. Although it sounds like a perfect renewable energy source, the amount of solar energy we can use varies according to the time of day and the season of the year as well as geographical location. In the UK, solar energy is an increasingly popular way to supplement your energy usage.
  2. Wind energy…The wind is a plentiful source of clean energy. Wind farms are an increasingly familiar sight around the world with wind power making an ever-increasing contribution to the National Grids. To harness electricity from wind energy, turbines are used to drive generators which then feed electricity into a National Grid. Although domestic or ‘off-grid generation systems are available, not every property is suitable for a domestic wind turbine.
  3. Hydro energy…As a renewable energy resource, hydropower is one of the most commercially developed. By building a dam or barrier, a large reservoir can be used to create a controlled flow of water that will drive a turbine, generating electricity. This energy source can often be more reliable than solar or wind power (especially if it’s tidal rather than river) and also allows electricity to be stored for use when demand reaches a peak.
  4. Tidal energy…This is another form of hydro energy that uses twice-daily tidal currents to drive turbine generators. Although tidal flow unlike some other hydro energy sources isn’t constant, it is highly predictable and can therefore compensate for the periods when the tide current is low.
  5. Geothermal energy…    By harnessing the natural heat below the earth’s surface, geothermal energy can be used to heat homes directly or to generate electricity. Although it harnesses power directly below our feet, geothermal energy is of negligible importance in the UK for example compared to countries such as Iceland, where geothermal heat is much more freely available.
  6. Biomass energy…This is the conversion of solid fuel made from plant materials into electricity. Although fundamentally, biomass involves burning organic materials to produce electricity, and nowadays this is a much cleaner, more energy-efficient process. By converting agricultural, industrial and domestic waste into solid, liquid and gas fuel, biomass generates power at a much lower economic and environmental cost.

With a few available options, I am wondering why we are still burning fossil fuels as they are not renewable and will run out…Plus they release Carbon Dioxide into the atmosphere which contributes to Climate Change and Global Warming…Just asking!

Thank you for joining today for my environmental A-Z…See you tomorrow in my kitchen for more potatoes to finish of National Potato Month…xxx

 

 

 

 

 

29 thoughts on “The Environmental A-Z…the letter R…#Radon and Renewable Resources”

  1. OIKOS™- Art, Books & more

    Thanks for mentioning the danger by radon gas. A few years ago everyone here was happy to have found a spring with radon-containing water, as a healing spring. Now they have discovered that radon can also be harmful. xx Michael

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  5. koolkosherkitchen

    Radon testing is required every 5 years for any state licensed facilities in Florida. We had to have it done when I was running a school. I do not know about other states, but my guess would be that most of them would have similar policies.

    Liked by 1 person

  6. cactusneedle

    Renewable resources are not as obvious as you think it is.

    Yes solar energy is renewable, but solar panels and batteries are not renewable.
    The average lifespan of a battery is only 3 to 5 years, while a solar panel is 10 to 15 years.
    Solar panels and batteries require rare earth metals and other toxic materials that are mined from mountains by large diesel powered machines. This mining causes deforestation and pollution of local land and rivers.

    Batteries and solar panels are very difficult to recycle because of the large amounts of toxic materials inside of them. They are usually recycled in third world countries by children who die at a young age from exposure to toxic materials.

    Yes wind power is renewable. However wind turbines are not.
    Construction of wind turbines need huge amounts of copper, concrete, and steel.
    The lifespan of a wind turbine is 10 to 25 years or less.

    The mining of copper and steel is extremely destructive. Mountains and forests are strip mined, usually in third world countries where there are tropical rainforests.
    These mining activities also poison the groundwater which local communities depend upon.

    On top of that forests are often cleared and cut down to make space for solar panels and wind turbines.

    Yes hydro power is renewable, but the construction of dams is an ecological catastrophe.
    Besides the huge amounts of concrete used for dam construction. Dams also flood big areas to make space for the basin reservoir. Causing large tracts of forests and animals to drown and die. This biomass under oxygen-free conditions then decomposes into methane gas which is a greenhouse gas more dangerous than carbon dioxide.
    The dams also impede the flow of rivers causing changes in ecosystems and marine life downstream from the river.

    The are often also villages in the area to be flooded and these locals are violently eredicated by military power and forced to relocated.
    These people after losing their homes and livelihood often turn to alcoholism and the women turn to prostitution.

    Yes Biomass energy is renewable. However the major source of biomass is not agricultural waste, but forests.
    Entire virgin forests all across the world, especially in the amazon rainforests and the usa wetlands are turned into biomass pellets and used for generating electricity.
    The amount of time it takes for a tree to grow is 20 to 100 years. For forest ecosystems to recover it can take 50 to 500 years.
    The current rate of deforestation for biomass, on top of all the deforestation from mining, logging, and agricultural use is around 600 times faster than reforestation.
    Therefore biomass is not sustainable with the rate of energy consumption modern civilization.
    With the amount of energy consumption of today and the increasing demands for energy if we use biomass from just agriculture then most of the agricultural lands would barely be able to produce food anymore and most people would starve to death.

    Liked by 1 person

      1. cactusneedle

        Thank you. Of course I am also not pro-oil.
        And I actually have solar panels in my own home as well barely using any machines to reduce my dependence on fossil fuels.
        If you wanna know more I reccomend the book “Bright Green Lies”. Its written by environmentalists who have been researching this for a long time.

        Liked by 1 person

  7. Jim Borden

    I was not aware of so many of those sources of renewable energy; seems like we should be able to easily subsitute a combination of those for our current sources of energy…

    Liked by 1 person

  8. petespringerauthor

    Radon or some other gas or chemical may have been the cause for my dad’s passing. He developed lung issues later in life even though he never smoked his whole life. As a biologist, he was often outdoors. His doctor theorized that he might have been exposed to some harmful chemicals such as DDT as he would have been around pesticides in his job.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. CarolCooks2 Post author

      I think it is really scary, Pete.. I had never heard of the dangers of Radon or come across the fact that guidelines and tests are law that can be done on buildings.. Have you? Was your father advised about the dangers? .. There is so much we are unaware of which effects our health and well being.. Its beyond scary.. Its begs the question why?

      Liked by 1 person

      1. petespringerauthor

        I don’t know if Dad was advised about the dangers. I knew he was aware that he was around toxic chemicals, but it’s one of those things you don’t think about when you’re outside.

        Liked by 1 person

      2. CarolCooks2 Post author

        I think are correct, Pete we think fresh air disapates toxic fumes but I suppose every little contact builds up over time…its the gases which infiltrate buildings which concerns me like homes and schools.

        Liked by 1 person

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  12. beetleypete

    Domestic solar panels are becoming increasingly popular in Beetley. There are lots of houses with them on the roof now. And in some Norfolk fields, the farmers have stopped growing crops, instead erecting hundreds of solar panels to generate power that they can sell to the energy companies.
    Best wishes, Pete. x

    Liked by 1 person

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