Last week we celebrated Diwali grandiosely with lights, crackers, sweets and so on, but, how much are we aware about the effects the traditional Diwali celebrations has on the Mother Nature. Given below are three major environmental impacts that Diwali Festival have on our environment:-

1. Air Pollution through Firecrackers

2. Excessive Consumerism

3. High Energy Consumption

But little do we realize that the temporary joy of watching the firecrackers is soon replaced by the intense air pollution caused by these. The toxic substances used in the firecrackers release toxic gases that are harmful to the health of all living beings. The high level of noise generated by the crackers cause immense suffering to birds and animals. Besides, Diwali crackers are dreaded by the sick and the ailing.

Moreover, the firecrackers used on Diwali are mostly made by very young children. Since the substances being handled are extremely toxic many of these child labourers get sick and die in their early teenage years.

Crackers that make a noise of more than 125 decibels at four metres distance from the point of bursting causes hearing loss, high blood pressure, heart attack and sleeping disturbances. Sudden exposure to loud noise could also cause temporary deafness or permanent relative deafness.

With the growing recognition of the impacts of Diwali on the environment, people have started to reinterpret the rituals and traditions to become more sensitive to nature.

LEDs

LEDs are light emitting diodes. A light-emitting diode or LED is a semiconductor light source. LEDs are used as indicator lamps in many devices, and are increasingly used for lighting. Introduced as a practical electronic component in 1962, early LEDs emitted low-intensity red light, but modern versions are available across the visible, ultraviolet and infrared wavelengths, with very high brightness.

According to encyclopedia, the LED was invented by four independent American research groups in 1962. But the latest edition of Nature photonics reveals that it was actually discovered by a little-known Russian genius around 40 years earlier by Oleg Vldimirovich Losev.

LEDs emit light when an electric current passes through them.LEDs must be connected the correct way round, the diagram may be labelled a or + for anode and k or - for cathode. The cathode is the short lead and there may be a slight flat on the body of round LEDs. If you can see inside the LED the cathode is the larger electrode. LEDs can be damaged by heat when soldering, but the risk is small unless you are very slow. No special precautions are needed for soldering most LEDs.

LEDs do dozens of different jobs and are found in all kinds of devices, for example numbers on digital clocks transmit information from remote controls, light up watches and tell when appliances are turned on. Collected together, they can form images on a jumbo television screen or illuminate a traffic light.

LEDs are just tiny light bulbs that fit easily into an electrical circuit. But unlike ordinary incandescent bulbs, they don't have a filament that will burn out, and they don't get especially hot. They are illuminated solely by the movement of electrons in a semiconductor material, and they last just as long as a standard transistor. LEDs are thus more energy efficient and less expensive to use than the traditional incandescent bulbs which in turn helps in environmental sustainability.

Greenhouse Gases

Greenhouse gases are chemical compounds that are found in the Earth’s atmosphere. These gases allow sunlight to enter the atmosphere freely. When sunlight strikes the Earth’s surface, some of it is reflected back towards space as infrared radiation (heat). Greenhouse gases absorb this infrared radiation and trap the heat in the atmosphere. Over time, the amount of energy sent from the sun to the Earth’s surface should be about the same as the amount of energy radiated back into space, leaving the temperature of the Earth’s surface roughly constant. This process is the fundamental cause of the greenhouse effect. It is named this way because of a similar effect produced by the glass panes of a greenhouse. The primary greenhouse gases in the Earth's atmosphere are water vapour, carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide, and ozone. In the Solar System, the atmospheres of Venus, Mars, and Titan also contain gases that cause greenhouse effects. Greenhouse gases greatly affect the temperature of the Earth; without them, Earth's surface would be on average about 33 °C (59 °F) colder than at present.

The Industrial revolution has substantially increased the levels of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere through the burning of fossil fuels. Greenhouse gases are also accumulating in Earth’s atmosphere as a result of human activities, causing surface air temperatures and sub-surface ocean temperatures to rise.

The impact of Green House Gases on the global climate since the Industrial Revolution has been complex. Though emissions of greenhouse gases, like carbon dioxide and methane have had a net warming effect, emissions of sulphate, aerosoles have had a net cooling effect.

Global Warming – A Burning Issue

Global warming relates to the increase in the average temperature of the Earth's surface which causes changes in climate. It is the most threatening situation in the present day. Global temperature and concentrations of carbon dioxide (one of the major greenhouse gases) have fluctuated on a cycle of hundreds of thousands of years as the Earth's position relative to the sun has varied. As a result, ice ages have come and gone. Now, global warming has become a critical case of concern because the rapid change in Green House Gases is changing the climate faster than some living things may be able to adapt. Also, a new and more unpredictable climate poses unique challenges to all life.

The impact of global warming is far greater than just increasing temperatures. It causes melting of Polar ice caps which will raise sea levels. There are 5,773,000 cubic miles of water in ice caps, glaciers, and permanent snow. According to the National Snow and Ice Data Center, if all glaciers melted today the seas would rise about 230 feet. Melting ice caps will throw the global ecosystem out of balance. The desalinization of the gulf current will imbalance ocean currents, which regulate temperatures. Temperature rises and changing landscapes in the artic circle will endanger several species of animals and only the most adaptable will survive. Global warming could snowball with the ice caps gone. Ice caps are white, and reflect sunlight, much of which is reflected back into space, further cooling Earth. If the ice caps melt, the only reflector is the ocean. Darker colors absorb sunlight, further warming the Earth. There is also increasing probability and intensity of droughts and heat waves. Although some areas of Earth will become wetter due to global warming, other areas will suffer serious droughts and heat waves.

Global warming also has serious economic consequences for all countries. Hurricanes cause billions of dollars in damage, diseases cost money to treat and control and conflicts exacerbate all of these.

The question now arises – How to deal with Global Warming? There is no one magic solution to the problem of global warming. Collective efforts and measures will contribute in tackling global warming. People all over the world have realized the seriousness of the problem and are taking appropriate steps to deal with this. The Kyoto Protocol is an example of this. The Kyoto Protocol is a protocol to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC or FCCC), aimed at fighting global warming.

Use of solar energy and energy saving products and LED products also contribute a lot in fighting global warming.

Airborne Wind Turbines?

Yes, the day is not far off when reaching for sky is the new motto for generating cost-effective renewable energy. Initially it was considered to be technically non-viable to tap high-altitude winds. But today, technically-advanced materials and innovative computer know-how are giving new life to this scheme with innovative autonomous aerial structures using wind energy to generate power.

Joby Energy, Inc. model:

Joby Energy Inc., exploring wind turbine technology, has developed a computer-controlled multi-winged kite-like structure which floats around 2000ft height for generating power. Mr Bevirt is the inventor of this aerial kite. The DC power generated is transferred to ground through tether to a ground station to be converted to AC power ready for consumption via a power grid.

Advantages of high altitude wind turbines:

Extolling the virtues of these autonomous aerial power generators, Mr. Bevirt said, “Operating at five times the height of a conventional turbine increases both wind speed and consistency resulting in more power, more often.” Professor William Moomaw, Director, Centre for International Environment and Resource Policy at Tufts University, Massachusetts, agreed, “The higher speeds at the greater altitudes should produce significantly more electricity.”

Mega source up above:

Actually statistics is strongly in favor of these air-borne wind turbines because globally tropospheric winds carry nearly carry potential to produce 870 terawatts of energy whereas our total demand put together is only 17 terawatts. Along with Joby Energy Inc., other companies like Kitegen focusing on power kites, Magenn Power’s Air Rotor System called (MARS) with a helium filled blimp design and Sky WindPower with flying electric generators are trying to tap this mega source to produce clean and cost effective power.

Tread with care:

US Federal Aviation Administration has asked the flying altitudes restricted to 2000 ft or less in spite of the potential to reach heights up to 35,000. Also Professor Mick Womersely, Director of Sustainability, Unity College, Maine, expressed the obvious concerns about possible hazards and reliability of these prototypes.

Reassurance about safety:

Mr. Bevrit confirmed about the safety measures like ability to ground the turbines in gale-force-type winds, multiple motor designs to circumvent motor failure and on-board stand-by batteries to land the system in case of tether malfunction. He assured that road-testing in sparsely-populated areas with good strong wind is being planned and all safety measures will be paid attention to.

Joby Energy’s aim:

Joby Energy aims to create enough systems to power 150 homes (about 300kW) and move on to larger systems producing 3MW or more. In Mr. Bevirt’s words, “Our goal is to deploy airborne wind turbines globally to produce cheap, consistent, and abundant electricity for a prosperous planet.”

Need Clean Drinking Water? Make Your Own DIY Clay Filter

It’s a sad fact that most of the water in the world needs filtering before it can be safely drunk. It’s the result of many years of industrialization and the resulting pollution in the air, soil, and water. However, most water filters are a fairly expensive and technology-dependent solution to the problem, and it’s not a feasible option for many less privileged people around the world who suffer from polluted water sources. But this clay water filter might just be the inexpensive, practical solution that we need!

I really want to try this. This DIY clay filter requires very few and common ingredients, and can be made very quickly and easily. From Planet Green comes the instructions:

The filter is created with clay, organic materials (coffee grinds or rice), water and manure. The straw and rice are mixed in with the clay and water and then fired over some burning manure. The organic materials are burned away during the firing process and create small passages in the filter that allow water, but not pathogens, to pass. This filter effectively removes 96.4-99.8% of E. Coli in water. One of these filters can great a liter of drinkable water in only two hours. You can make your own filter by following these steps:

Materials
1. crushed, dry clay
2. organic material(tea leaves, cofffee grounds, or rice hulls)
3. water
4. Cow manure

Instructions
1. Mix in enough water to make a stiff biscuit-like mixture
2. Form a cylindrical pot that has one closed end
3. Dry the pot in the sun
4. Surround the pot with straw and place it in a mound of cow manure
5. Light the straw and then top up the burning manure as required.
6. Filter will be completed in less than an hour.


Pretty neat, huh? Clay can be found literally everywhere, which makes this filter solution an extremely appealing answer to the global water purification problem. Try it out!