The Biochar Blog

Archive for March, 2011

“A carbon offset or (carbon credits) is assumed to be a financial instrument which shows greenhouse gases emission reduction and helps us to take personal responsibility for the environmental consequences of our activities.”

Carbon dioxide (CO2) is the most important greenhouse gas produced by human activities, primarily through the combustion of fossil fuels such as oil, natural gas, and coal. As a result of tremendous world-wide consumption of such fossil fuels, the amount of CO2 in the atmosphere has increased over the past century which ultimately resulted in a global warming, the prime suspect in the greatest mass extinction of all time – wiping out 95% of all life forms on the planet.

We all are responsible to add CO2 and ultimately the global warming. Carbon footprint is a measure of the impact of our activities on the environment, and in particular on climate change. It relates to the amount of greenhouse gases we are producing in our day-to-day lives through burning fossil fuels for electricity, heating, transportation etc.

As the Global Warming issues are getting attention of the masses, people are seeking a perfect solution to handle the situation before it becomes too late.Carbon offsets are becoming an increasingly popular way for individuals and businesses to participate in solutions to global warming. Carbon offsets help us to balance out our carbon footprint easily and effectively in a more peaceful manner. Offsetting emissions is a process whereby an individual or organisation purchases carbon credits to neutralise its global warming impact. Each carbon credit represents the abatement or sequestration of one tonne of CO2-equivalent greenhouse gases – or carbon emissions – from our atmosphere.

The basic idea behind carbon offsetting is that you pay to fund projects that neutralise CO2 emissions produced by you. You invest your contributions towards greenhouse gases reduction through projects which produce clean energy that replaces the energy production from fossil fuel. Wind farms project is a good example of such projects. Other types of offsets available for sale on the market include those resulting from energy efficiency projects, methane capture from landfills or livestock, destruction of potent greenhouse gases such as halocarbons, and carbon sequestration projects (through reforestation, or agriculture) that absorb carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.

Carbon credits allow us to become more “Carbon Neutral”. You may be doing everything that you possibly can to reduce your carbon footprint, but it still might not be enough. Despite your energy saving, recycling and green transportation efforts at home and at work, you still may feel like you are not adequately reducing your carbon footprint. In this situation you can consider buying carbon credits for the more promising results and peace of mind at the same time. When you purchase carbon credits you help lower your carbon footprint and you prevent global warming. Before you purchase your carbon credits always make sure that the organization you are supporting is legit and is truly helping the environment.

Carbon credits are becoming a key component of national and international attempts to mitigate the growth in concentrations of greenhouse gases. There are many benefits for a business to reduce their carbon footprint and become carbon neutral when skyrocketing energy costs eat into profits. A carbon credit is the best way to help individuals and companies reduce their carbon dioxide emissions by offsetting them in a more environmentally friendly way.

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More and more research about the negative effect light pollution has on humans and wildlife is coming to light (pun intended). As the population of the planet increases, so does the amount of homes, businesses, parking lots, schools, airports and roadways. All these structures use electricity and need to be lighted.

Humans demand these lights. They want their homes more comfortable and they want their streets safe. The problem is that researchers are finding that all this light is having a negative impact on humans and wildlife as well.

Less than 10 years ago I drove to a less populated section of my town lay down in the middle of the road and watched a spectacular meteor shower. The area was devoid of homes, street lights and traffic. If I did that today, first off I wouldn’t be able to see the meteor shower as well, due to the increase in street lights, but I would surely be run over by a car. Urban sprawl has taken over those sparsely populated areas.

Light pollution has always been a problem for those of us who are interested in learning about the night sky, but now scientist are finding that light pollution can be almost as bad as carbon dioxide pollution. If you have ever taken a flight at night, the view is beautiful, but you must remember that all the light you see is wasted electricity. The crews of the space shuttles see an even bigger picture of how extensive this wasted electricity is worldwide.

One of the saddest parts of light pollution is that most of it is unnecessary and most of the outdoor light that we use is wasted. One only need to look at a row of street lights to see how much of the light shines upwards and lights the sky; a total waste of electricity. With the millions of streetlights worldwide, this is a serious problem.

One can only guess at the amount of money spent to pay for that wasted electricity. Additionally, somewhere this electricity needs to generated, and the generation of that electricity creates pollution by emitting greenhouse gasses. This affects the air we breathe and our quality of life. One must weigh the balance of whether we want to keep our streets and parking lots safe or do we want to breathe cleaner air?

Scientists are also studying the effects of light pollution on wildlife. Many creatures are nocturnal and depend on darkness to hunt, navigate and to even to breed. They have biological rhythms that are being profoundly affected by light pollution.

Birds use the moon and the stars to navigate and migrate and are the species most affected by light pollution. Thousands of birds die each year when they crash into highly lit buildings, as they become disoriented by the light. Even the birds at sea that depend on the bioluminescent plankton to feed, are being drawn to lit structures along the shore. It has been long know that tiny sea turtle hatchlings become disorientated and follow lights on the shore instead to heading towards the sea.

So what individuals do about light pollution?

• The simple answer is to turn off all unnecessary lights in our home. Much of the lights we use indoors spills outside and contributes to light pollution.
• Avoid the use of extensive unnecessary decorative lighting on our homes.
• Install motion sensor lights where possible.
• Install outdoor lighting that limits the amount of light that escapes upward.
• Don’t turn on lights every time you go outdoors. If it is safe, go out in the dark and enjoy the night sky.
• Get involved in educating your neighbors and city officials about light pollution.
• Install low wattage lighting fixtures when possible.
• Install timers on lights.

Light pollution is one of the easiest sources of pollution that can be corrected without a negative impact. Following the above guidelines and a little searching on Google can give you many ideas on how to reduce your contribution to light pollution.

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Cities and towns around the world that are scrambling to cope with the related problems of pollution, over crowding and traffic congestion are turning to alternative and non powered modes of transport as the solution to these multiple problems. Modes of transport like cycles are now slowly coming back into vogue in many areas, and in some towns and cities far thinking councils have already made cycling the way to travel.

The advantages of cycling as compared to other forms of transport are manifold. Cycling is great cardiovascular exercise and has proven health benefits. It is as easy on the pocket as it is on the environment. No fuel means no astronomical fuel bills or sticker shock from sky rocketing fuel prices and it also means zero emissions, zero damage to the ozone layer and no greenhouse gases. Cycling is a quiet and efficient means of transport. Most vehicular traffic in cities is because of cars and other vehicles occupied by a single person. Cycles take a fraction of the space on the road as compared to any motorised vehicle and they are completely silent. Over the kinds of short distance that a lot of the city commutes daily, a cycle may actually be faster than sitting in a traffic jam.

Businesses, schools and other institutions and city councils looking for ways to promote cycling spend a lot of money building expensive cycle lanes and traffic signals for cyclists. One of the often over looked methods of promoting cycling is to install cycle shelters. In most cities, one of the reasons people think twice before cycling anywhere is the absence of a safe location to park and lock their cycles once they get to their destination. More people would use cycles if they were sure that there was a safe cycle shelter that provided a lockable stand for their cycles and protection from the elements at their destination.

Modern cycle shelters are not only easy to install, taking just a few hours, they are also very durable. They not only protect people and their cycles from the elements but stand up to the elements themselves for years. A well designed and well built cycle shelter will provide service for years with very little maintenance and upkeep. Various new materials make these shelters cheap as well. Councils can install many more shelters for the same budget now and really give this happy trend a big boost.

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Our environment needs more than what we are currently doing to rise it up among the pit that it is in today. We need to be able to do more than our current efforts. We all can help one another, learn from each other a thing or two on how to save environment. Yes, we do not need to be experts in order to do our part in saving our Earth; we only need to be aware on our roles and what we can do to help.

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You do not need to be part of the bigger picture when you can do your own small part in saving the environment, in your own little way, in your own home and in your own capacity there is much to do to help our Environment. Human activity as we all know is the main contributor to the destruction of the environment and they are the only ones who can solve this environment problem well.

We need to be wiser in our choices. Our choice of energy source perhaps should be put into consideration, alternative energy sources like the sun, wind and water can be used instead of energy coming from the burning of fossil fuels. Also, one can also try to live with less use of electricity. This in turn can help reduce electricity cost and at the same time help in lessening carbon offsets.

Planting plants, trees and other useful fruits and vegetables can assure a person that he is safeguarding his welfare as well as that of the environment. Also, practice the 3 R’s. We have to reduce. Examples of which are the above mentioned names, we have to reuse whatever is still useful and recycle what can be recycled. This is to save energy, save landfill areas and to make ourselves productive.

Those were just some of the things on how to save environment. Do your part, do your part well.

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Starting on with our investigation into the meaning of the
Life Cycle Numbers, we now move on to discussing the
interpretations of the Middle Life Cycle Numbers.  As you may
recall from the article on blog.tuitionlk.com, the numerological
calculations of the Middle Life Numbers describe what
influences the second 28 years of any one person’s life.

To refresh your memory, this calculation is figured by taking
your DAY and MONTH of birth and reducing them down to a
single digit. You then take the numbers of the YEAR that you
turned or will turn 57 and reduce that to a single digit. You
then add both of these sums and reduce it once more to a
single digit. However the exception is if this sum adds up to
result in any one of the two master numbers 11 or 22. In this
case you do not reduce the Middle Life Cycle Number but
utilize the interpretations for both master numbers instead.

If you have already calculated your Early Life Cycle Number,
then the short cut to finding your Middle Life Cycle Number is to
simply boost it up a number. For instance if your Early Life
Cycle number was 3, then your Middle Life Cycle number would
be 4 and your Later Life Cycle would be 5.

Here are the interpretations for all the Early Life Cycle
Numbers which cover the influences from age 0 to age 28.

Middle Life Cycle Number 1

You will enjoy a healthy, productive adult life. Usually this
period is devoted to working hard to realize a great dream.
Typically you have launched out on your own and are enjoying
running a thriving business. The temptation is to live a life
that is all work and no play. Taking time out to smell the
flowers is recommended for these adults who are driven by an
ambition and a need to be the best.

Middle Life Cycle  Number 2

You are fated to work with others or as part of a team. Your
success is very dependent on the success of those around you
so during this period you have probably greatly enhanced your
personal and social skills. Striking out on your own does not
work as well for you as selling someone else’s abilities. You
are blessed with loving relationships and many friends who
appreciate your loving support.

Middle Life Cycle Number 3

Things come easily to an adult number 3, especially money.
However, you spend it as fast as you make it. You probably
lead a creative and carefree life. You make the most money
using your artistic talents. You are a very popular individual
although your love life may be filled with a series of
relationships rather than just one solute. Watch out for a
tendency to be too generous or extravagant and remember to
save money for your old age!

Number Middle Life Cycle Number 4

You are most likely a very calm, stable and reliable
personality who can handle a great deal of responsibility.
You are more likely to be in a conservative occupation. You
are likely to save a great deal of money during these years.
Your health can be risked by working too hard. You are a loyal
individual who often lucks out by finding a mate for life.
You are a great parent and are fated to have lots of
children.

Number Middle Life Number Cycle 5

You may feel a bit lost in life or like you are having
difficulty settling down. You are an impulsive individual who
is fated to go through a series of jobs and relationships.
This is because you become bored very easily. You prefer a life
that is full of adventures over security and stability and as
a result break many hearts. You are destined to travel or
pursue exotic experiences simply to satisfy your endless
curiosity.

Middle Life Cycle Number 6

You may feel like you have to work harder than others to make
a living. This is a very karmic path and it may be difficult
for you to get ahead in anyway without first making personal
sacrifices or promising to share your wealth with others.
Even at this stage in your life you may find yourself taking
care of your family or other people’s families. Your adult
years really do suit the phrase “you get your rewards in
heaven, rather than on earth.”

Middle Life Cycle Number 7

Sevens are often fated to continually pursue an academic
career and if not they are usually passionate about learning
about some subject on their own. Many adult sevens are loners
and eccentrics so they may suffer from social problems that
make it difficult to find a partner or suitable employment.
The “real world” may seem boring to you so your challenge is
to try not to drift so far away from society that you are
penniless.

Middle Life Cycle Number 8

your adult years are likely blessed with supremely high
levels of attainment. You are destined to be wealthy and in a
leadership position. You have a knack for making wise
investments and when it comes to achieving your goals, the
sky is the limit for you. You are probably a pillar of the
community and if you are attentive to your friends and family
you will probably enjoy harmonious relationships throughout
your adult life.

Middle Life Cycle Number 9

Your adult years may be highly concerned with spiritual
matters and self-investigation. You are probably a
humanitarian who is less materialistic than others.  Your
natural generosity often hinders you from saving much money
however others are deeply grateful for your compassion and
empathy.  You may not accomplish much in terms of career or
education but you are sure to be blessed by many fans and
friends.

Middle Life Cycle Number 11

You are so concerned with spiritual and ethical matters and
changing the world for the better that it may be difficult
for you to find suitable employment. Chances are that you
will spend a lot of time travelling or seeking out the truth
about life. Many of you are adept at metaphysics. Teaching,
healing and uplifting others best maximizes your spiritual
talents. Nervous disorders and nervous breakdowns are also
common for adult 11s because they are so sensitive to
everything.

Middle Life Cycle Number 22

You are a spiritually advanced individual who can achieve great
things as an adult. However you need to be prepared to
recognize the many opportunities that do come your way as
opposed to cultivating a Zen like state of bliss. Usually 22s
do very well in any occupation they choose but as they are
master builders they should try to launch a great new scheme
of some kind whether it be related to science, business,
lifestyle or metaphysics.

Tuitionlk.com is powered by officialgenius.com, we will take you through the final
stage of Life Cycle numerology by providing you with the
interpretations of the Later Year numbers

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The current state of our environment is very alarming but it is just unfortunate that many people do not seem to care but for those who are quite concerned they have only one question on mind and that is “How can I help the environment?” Yes, if people are only aware of what they should do as individuals then surely they will be able to take part on saving the environment.

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In your own little way there is much that you can do. 1) Save energy. Yes, if you are not using electricity then you better turn it off. This is to save energy and to help reduce energy cost. See to it that there no energy leaks at your home. 2) Try to do away with cold and hot water, in time you will see that you will contribute much to the betterment of this world.

3) Try to use light bulbs instead of fluorescent lamps. 4) Try to plant more trees in your backyard, you will surely make much difference if you do this. Do away in using pesticides, herbicides and insecticides. Aerosol sprays and other chemicals can be damaging to the environment.

5) Invest in alternative energy. We all know that the burning of fossil fuels is the main contributor to the problem of global warming so we need to have an alternative source of energy. 6) Try as well to make use of alternative transportations like bicycle, walking and other forms of transportation which does not require the use of fuels.

Try to conserve energy, choose greener choices and more environment friendly products. Only this way you can answer the question “How can I help the environment?” Make us e of these steps and see how much difference it makes. Have fun helping the environment.

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Sitting on my couch one day, patiently trying to get the little one to sleep, I just happened to look out my window and was scared to death. I see a huge man trying to hop over my gate with a special ladder designed for hopping fences! If the limitless thriller movies have taught me anything it is not to go investigate on my own. So what do I do? I go outside to investigate, with the baby in tow. It’s funny; the thought of calling the cops or at least taking mace never entered my mind. Thankfully the man was not there to kidnap or kill me; he was doing his job for CenterPoint, installing a smart meter. Apparently he had been hopping over every fence and installing these meters all around my neighborhood. In a state where anyone can own a gun, this seems like a pretty risky profession to me. It’s funny because if I hadn’t busted the guy installing the meter, I would have never known that anything had changed and I’ll bet most people still don’t. I’m not saying there wasn’t any notice, I am sure there was, but who really reads those notices in the mail? Anyways, now that we have this new device on our house I thought it would be important to figure out what the heck it does and why CenterPoint felt the need to install these in everyone’s homes.

In the past, every business and household in Texas is required to have an electric meter on their property. The reason for this is pretty obvious; it’s to make sure there is an accurate and consistent way to measure the electricity going into your home and/or business each month. This is helpful for both us, the customers and electric companies because it allows for a more accurate bill each month. And up until now, that is all the meter was designed to do; interestingly enough it has been this same way for about 50 years. But because we live in a world where new technology is always being developed, a more interactive and “smart” meter has been created to not only help the consumer but to help the electricity companies and the electric delivery companies as well.

Something I’d like to point out before I continue is the companies that distribute electricity are called electric delivery companies. Another name for them is TDSP’s (I have no clue where they got that acronym from but nonetheless that’s what they are known as in the industry). These companies are responsible for quite a lot. They install and maintain the meters, poles and transmission lines. They also are the ones who actually provide the power to the retail companies where you get your power from. An example of this type of company is CenterPoint Energy in Houston and Oncor for Dallas. These companies are completely separate from the company you pay your bill to every month, which in the industry are called retail electricity providers, often called REP’s (this acronym makes a lot more sense). This may clear up any confusion some may have – I can’t tell you how many people have told me in conversation that they pay their electricity bill to CenterPoint. I think this is because not many people know the difference between the two companies.

Moving on. Since the meter has basically stayed the same for the last 50 years, it was definitely time for an upgrade. Today, we have access to so much information, it is almost scary. Like when I was pregnant, we saw so much in our ultrasounds – her brain, four ventricles of the heart, blood flow in and out of the umbilical cord, you name it, we saw it. It was wonderful and scary at the same time, and far advanced from 50 years ago. My point is that given our technological advances, it is amazing that something like an electric meter hasn’t changed until now. The smart meter will continue to measure your electricity usage, but it will also send information back upstream to allow CenterPoint, the REPs, and you, the consumer, make better decisions. I like to compare it to a gas pump. As you pump the gas, you can see the price going up in relation to how many gallons you’re pumping. Immediate feedback. This is basically the same idea with the smart meter (except it relates to electricity). You will be able to see your usage and resulting cost on a more real time basis instead of having only one reading at the end of the month. There is a reading every 15 minutes and it’s done from a remote location so you get a more accurate and real-time record of your energy usage. With the elimination of meter readers, it actually cuts costs for customers and companies because it reduces costs associated with sending a truck and meter reader to each customer. This device is also helpful if you are working on a budget because if you’ve budgeted let’s say 0 for the month on electricity and you see that half way through the month, you are already at 0, it serves as a warning to let you know that you need to start either cutting back on your usage or you’ll at least be prepared to go over budget. Also, another neat function is just like your grocery store savings card keeps record of everything you purchase and you’re sent coupons at the end of month for items you buy the most, this meter acts the same way by recording and analyzing your usage history so you can better manage your energy consumption. You can actually see the peaks and valleys of your energy usage and be able to make changes based on the analysis which could in turn save energy and then save money. One additional perk to this new meter is that it sends instant power outage reports to your local TDSP which leads to a much quicker response time.

One thing to clarify is the smart meter doesn’t send this analysis straight to you, nor can you go out to your box and get all of the analysis mentioned above. The TDSP receives the information from the meter and then they have their own ways of making that information available to you. For Houston and surrounding areas, CenterPoint Energy is providing home area network capabilities that will allow for customers to review this information online via the web. For Dallas/Fort Worth area Oncor is rolling out their own version called Advanced Metering System (AMS), which began in January 2009. The REPs are also sure to provide tools and services that build on this information, and allow their customers to make better energy decisions.

Since I began working on this piece, I’ve noticed that there has been more and more coming out in the papers on this smart meter topic. I’m not sure if you’ve heard, but just this week the government announced they’re awarding .4 billion in funding to utility companies (and then those companies are going to put in another .7 billion in matching funds) in support of 100 projects aimed at modernizing the nation’s power grid to make it more “smart. One of those projects is installing the smart meter in homes across the U.S., and I read somewhere that these investments could potentially reduce U.S. electricity use by 4% a year! That’s a big number when you think of the millions of households. Also, the government’s ultimate goal is to distribute 40 million smart meters over the next few years.

What are the next steps locally for the smart meter roll out? Well, CenterPoint Energy was just awarded a 0 million grant to speed up its work to replace all 2.2 million customer electric meters with the smart meter. These new funds will cut two years off of their 5-year goal. In the Dallas/Ft. Worth area, the TDSP, Oncor, applied for 5 million to speed along its smart grid projects but didn’t win any of the grants and so their projects will continue on schedule. If you are in the Dallas/Ft. Worth area, you can click here to see when your area is scheduled to have your meters replaced.

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Most agents are aware of the pollution exposures for their contractor clients and many are becoming familiar with Premises Pollution policies for commercial and industrial facilities. However, Products

Pollution for manufacturing risks still appears to be a bit of a mystery. This coverage is often not discussed as extensively as other Pollution products, but it can be a crucial part of an insureds insurance program.

Products Pollution coverage provides liability coverage for Bodily Injury and Property Damage to third parties arising out of a manufactured product. Pollutant Clean Up may be provided separately or included within the definition of Property Damage. Coverage can be provided by either a stand alone policy or by an endorsement to a CGL form and can be offered with either a Claims Made or Occurrence Trigger, depending upon the market and type of product being insured.

Who Should Buy Products Pollution Coverage?

Basically the market is divided into two camps, one termed soft products and the other termed hard products. Soft products would encompass blending and manufacturing for industries such as chemical, detergent, petroleum, and fertilizer. Hard products would include manufacturers of drums and barrels, tanks and vessels, pipe, pollution control, and filtration devices. In addition to manufacturers, importers and distributors of either hard or soft products should also consider purchasing this coverage.

Some Examples of Products Pollution Coverage Commonly Written:

A firm that rents out large industrial pumps. They do not manufacture the pumps, but they do repair and refurbish the pumps. Products Pollution coverage was provided by endorsement to the General Liability policy.

A manufacturer of flexible hoses and couplings used in retail gas stations.

An importer/distributor of water filters used to clean ponds and small lakes.

A custom blender of specialized lubricants for the petroleum industry.

Is Products Pollution Coverage Easy to Buy?

While not every environmental carrier is willing to offer Products Pollution coverage, there are a number of carriers who will write it. Obtaining a quote is relatively straightforward with a short questionnaire to be completed and supplemented by the applicable ACORD applications.

Is Products Pollution Coverage Expensive?

This is always the last question from an agentthe short answer is no. This type of coverage is relatively inexpensive, with many minimum premiums offered by some carriers dipping below ,000. Premiums are typically rated on revenues and the type of products sold.

If you think you have clients who need Products Pollution coverage in order to adequately cover their operations, contact them to review their policies and discuss the options available. Additional information can be obtained from a knowledgeable broker who specializes in environmental and specialty insurance. Many such providers can help obtain better pricing for your clients, and will help you address the specific needs of your insureds. Any firm you would choose to address your environmental insurance needs would have to be absolutely diligent in their business practices, and completely up-to-speed on any new developments in environmental law, especially those pertaining to a potential environmental liability.

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