Waste is the result of collective failure from public, legislative rules, lack of funds and technical support. Public awareness and proper knowledge of waste management and end use of different types of waste, health effects, environmental problems and economic issues that are related to waste management is very important for successful execution of any waste management related practices. Everyone needs to get better knowledge, proper understanding of waste management issues and their practices to curb it. Basic training needs to be initiated from governments in this regard, which can be very effective. Poor knowledge can make the best planned technique questionable.
The increasing cost of waste disposal is a cause of major concern in developing nations
In developing countries, participation level of most citizens in waste management is very low, with residents in urban areas are not actively involved in the process of waste management. Even though it’s low, but very beneficial for future prospect and for more meaningful involvement of majority of public in waste management practices.
People should be educated about sorting out waste based on their type e.g. recyclable waste, hazardous waste, green waste etc. Majority of people across the world are not aware of waste as recycling material, amazingly most of them think plastic is recyclable waste. Involving people who are unaware of waste management practice is extremely difficult.
In developing countries, practices of waste management are usually carried by poor, for their survival. It has been estimated that 2% of population in Asia, Latin America and Africa are dependent on waste for their livelihood. Family organized, or individual manual scavengers are often involved with waste management practices with very limited supportive network and facilities with increased risk of health effects. Also, this practice prevents their children from further education.
Despite the bad consequences, it should be kept in mind that this practice keeps them employed and provide livelihood in countries with high unemployed population. But measure need to be taken to provide their better lifestyles, social behaviour towards people involved in waste management practices, provide them with facilities to reduce their health-related risk and increase their working efficiency.
In developing countries, where government support for waste management is scarce, people need to come strongly against their local municipal office or government if they see things are not changing and stacks of waste are piling up. They should protest to protect their environment, health and keep living secure and healthy for their children.
Given that Giving Tuesday is a worldwide movement that began with a hashtag, it stands to reason that it receives a tonne of attention on social media. Thinking about how big it is? 2019 had more than 20 billion social media impressions for the hashtag #GivingTuesday. Social media usage was widespread in 2020 across all nations and regions.
Giving Tuesday, also called Charity Tuesday, generates most of its traffic (and donations) through social media. One must recognize the most effective approaches for involving current supporters, luring new followers, and receiving new donations. These 5 tactics will leave a lasting impression on anyone who contacts your nonprofit organization.
1. Use Hashtags Carefully
Since its beginning in 2012, #GivingTuesday has generated billions of impressions directly from strategic marketing. Use hashtags strategically in your Giving Tuesday social media postings to significantly expand your audience, like Gilda’s Club Chicago did for their 2020 campaign.
An effective hashtag strategy may increase interaction, but utilizing hashtags improperly might present problems. It may cause specific algorithms to move your content lower down in visitors’ feeds. Learn the best practices for each platform, then use your imagination to choose the strategy to employ this giving season to promote your cause.
2. Use Video to Increase Giving Tuesday Participation
Across all platforms, video has become a crucial component of social media. To connect with your audience and inspire action, focus on innovation and a compelling narrative. There are several benefits to using video in your Giving Tuesday social media plan. Here are a few of those:
Increase exposure and participation by holding a viewer’s attention for longer.
Increase interactions to extend content life and keep it in the online ecosystem.
Use social media to reach Generation Z contributors, who are most inclined to learn about new causes.
Create material at home that tells a compelling tale and has a real feel.
Using video instead of words may make your message simpler to remember.
The good news is that engagement levels are not influenced by production value. First-person, unscripted, single-take films made up the bulk of the most interesting videos.
3. Maintain Your Social Media Plan
While combining fresh strategies into your Giving Tuesday, Social media plan is essential for long-term success. You must never wait until the event to give anything a shot. Keep using the platforms that you’ve successfully used in prior campaigns.
Find out which platform best conveys your message, and analyze your performance numbers across all your platforms. Do you notice that your audience seems especially active on any platform?
Here is a list of Social networking platforms that appeal to contributors across generations:
Facebook: 37% Boomers, 45% Gen Z, 66% Gen X, and 66% millennials.
YouTube: 42% Gen X, 18% Boomers, 59% millennials, 56% Gen Z
Instagram: 35% Gen X, 11% Boomers, 53% Gen Z, 51% millennials
TikTok: 47% Gen Z, 37% Millennials, 17% Gen X, and 3% Baby Boomers and older
Twitter: 36% Gen Z, 34% millennials, 23% Gen X, and 8% boomers and older
Snapchat has a 25% Gen Z, 34% millennial, 17% Gen X, and 2% boomer user base.
Any article that inspires you on Giving Tuesday should be noted. The secret to having a great marketing presence is seeing arising trends and thinking of creative ways to apply them to your upcoming efforts. Keep asking questions so you’ll have a list of suggestions when Giving Tuesday 2022 rolls around.
4. Produce Superior Content for Giving Tuesday
Even though it might seem apparent, producing top-notch content is one of the most crucial—and most overlooked—parts of a successful Giving Tuesday social media strategy. Emotionally charged material can assist supporters of a concept in committing to it.
Consider posting a bespoke image with a compelling statistic that underlines the urgency of your request, or consider sharing an infographic to highlight crucial arguments that support your call to action. Additionally powerful in creating an emotional connection with donors are quotes and testimonials.
Maintain brand consistency, stretch your material across numerous platforms, and optimize your picture and video specs to ensure your content surpasses donor expectations.
5. Combine Authentic Engagement with Your Audience
Social media’s fundamental goals are interacting with others, making connections, and creating deep ties. Consider your feed a live discussion where you may respond to comments, recognize achievements, and thank your fans.
To express your gratitude for their support, speak with your contributors in the weeks preceding Giving Tuesday. You can also engage in active likes, favorites, shares, direct messages, and comments on an actual day.
Give funders, board members, or sponsors a special mention by tagging them. Another excellent method to make kids feel important is to include them in your stories.
Conclusion
Social media is an essential marketing tool for every online fundraising effort, especially on Giving Tuesday. Thanks largely to the massive audiences it reaches on websites like Instagram, Facebook, Telegram and Twitter, the worldwide giving day has developed rapidly.
Use these social media best practices for Giving Tuesday to engage current supporters, get new ones, and motivate your community to take action this year.
Greening your home isn’t only beneficial for the environment and reducing energy costs, if you are thinking of selling it in the future, environmental upgrades can also help your ROI. Some green home improvements have a better ROI than others (think solar panels), and doing your research before your start any project can help you get the most bang for your buck. We’ve outlined a few of the best options that you might want to consider when determining the ROI of eco-friendly homes:
1. Tankless water heater
One of the easiest and least expensive upgrades you can make to take your home in an eco-friendly direction is buying a new water heater, especially if it hasn’t been changed in the last decade. Water heating is responsible for 16% of a typical home’s energy costs and swapping out an old, inefficient water heater, for a tankless version could cost a couple thousand dollars, and will save you money every month. It will also be an attractive selling point for your home.
2. Upgraded windows
If your home has drafty windows, they are the next feature that you want to turn to for an energy-efficient upgrade. The cost of windows will depend on the size of your home and the quality that you go for, but there is no doubt that this is likely worth your investment.
Solar panels can save you money, but not right away, so they may not have the best ROI if you are planning to sell soon. That’s because installing solar panels have major upfront costs. The good news is that homes with solar energy systems typically garner higher selling prices than homes with other types of systems.
However, determining the ROI of installing solar is complicated. According to Energy Informative, a five-kilowatt system — the average size of a system in the United States — can cost around $20,000. But the exact size of the system you’ll need will depend on how big your home is and how much power it uses.
Another consideration is your home’s location, as there may be state rebates (such as in California, Arizona, and Colorado), in addition to federal tax credits. Evaluate the number of years that you intend to stay in your home, and compare the average monthly savings of using solar with how much of the system you’ll have paid off by your projected moving day.
Global warming, according to all credible science, is one of the greatest threats to the planet today, and one that is going to get worse before it gets better. According to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), the UN body established to assess the science related to climate change, modern humans have never before experienced the observed changes in our global climate. Furthermore, some of these changes are irreversible over the next hundreds to thousands of years.
The IPCC’s Sixth Assessment report published in 2021 found that human-caused emissions have already warmed the climate by nearly 2 degrees Fahrenheit since pre-Industrial times. The global average temperature is expected to rise by 3 degrees F within the next few decades, and will affect all regions of Earth.
Many of the things we’ve taken for granted are contributing negatively to climate change, and in turn, there are many things that we can do as individuals to help reduce climate change. Below, we will talk about some of the small changes you can make to your behavior to help
1. Use public transportation more often
Granted, this is not something everyone can do, mainly because the US is not known for having quality public transportation in a lot of places. This is particularly true in certain cities like LA, where car culture rules and “carmaggedon” traffic regularly happens. Even the most populated places have problems with public transportation, and if you live in a rural town, you kind of have to own a car for a lot of things. Ultimately, if you can take public transportation instead of driving, or maybe even carpool, that helps make a difference.
Even if you live in a rural area, that doesn’t necessarily require a car to get around. Bikes are a great eco-friendly way to travel at least a short distance.
2. Try to use less energy
Every day, we use a ton of energy, and much of that energy is completely wasted. To cut back on your energy waste, make sure that you turn any lights off when you leave the room, and turn off surge protectors to prevent electronics from using power while in standby mode.
Additionally, try to reduce the number of devices connected to Wi-Fi. Especially with devices like the Amazon Echo and Google Home, you may find that you have a device in every room that uses Wi-Fi at all times. Not only does this save electricity, it also saves you money.
If you can bear it, try to use less heat and air conditioning in winter and summer respectively. A great way to reduce your energy needs is to make your home energy efficient. The best way to do this is to get your doors and windows redone, such that they keep the outside weather from getting inside when they’re closed.
3. Eat less meat and dairy
It’s understandable that a lot of people would feel reluctant to cut these out of their diets, even only partially. Cows contribute a ton of methane gas, with 1/3 of all human-caused methane gas coming from beef and dairy cattle. Ideally, if enough people abandoned beef and dairy, the industry would be forced to adjust to something less costly to the environment. There are a lot of types of farms out there, ranging from vegetable farms, to goat farms, to even marijuana farms.
4. Order only what you think you can eat
America is known for having particularly large portions, but despite that, those large portions often get wasted. Be sure to determine what you can handle, and try to avoid ordering more than that. Further, make sure that you buy fewer groceries if you find that you have some food and drinks that are expiring before you can get to them. If you have leftovers, you should also be sure to use alternatives to plastic wrapping and packaging to contain them.
5. Shop locally when possible
Shopping online contributes negatively to climate change, mainly due to the fact that it involves a lot of transportation, whether it be on planes, ships, or trucks. And obviously, these vehicles burn a lot of fossil fuels to get your items to you. Some items cannot be obtained locally, of course, but for those that can, try to get them locally. Additionally, shopping locally helps to better enrich your community.
6. Don’t worry about lawn culture
One of the most pernicious things you can do, honestly, is try to aim for that “perfect lawn.” Simply put, we don’t have water to spare for this, and it’s incredibly wasteful. You’d be shocked by how much water you use in your everyday life. And, to be frank, a perfect lawn is boring. Avoid using pesticides and fertilizers as well, as rainwater may cause these to flow from the sewer into bodies of water. Read this article to know about the effects of climate change on water resources.
Can we solve climate change on our own?
For all we can do to tackle climate change, it begs the question: is it enough? When all is said and done, among the biggest contributors to climate change isn’t individual action, or even collective action, it’s corporations. Sure, corporations cannot have this impact without consumers, but corporations have a ton of influence over what we consume, and how.
There are a number of things corporations do to not only affect the climate, but also prevent action from being taken to course correct. One of the earliest examples of this was with ExxonMobil, which, despite conducting a study that found climate change to be a real threat, worked to debunk it publicly. More minor examples, such as Amazon destroying unsold inventory, are also a cause for concern.
Politicians are not much better, and in many ways even worse. For the most part, politicians are, at best, slowing climate change, and at worst, actively contributing to it. Even Democrats have been criticized for their lukewarm response to climate change, with the Green New Deal being unpopular with many more moderate and conservative Democrats.
Now, a lot of people would tell you that the best way to solve this is to vote, but it’s not quite that simple. The most important elections rarely have politicians who have a solid chance at winning who follow the science to its natural conclusion with respect to climate change. Thus, the vote often comes down to which politician you want to let you down.
The best suggestion that could be made is to either try to force politicians’ hand via protesting, or try to affect elections on a local level. This is far more manageable than trying to get your ideal President, and has a much higher level of success.
In the grand scheme of things, if we want to turn things around, we need to do something to force corporations and politicians to do better too. This can be done through boycotts, protests, and political advocacy, among other things, to create pressure to change their ways. So don’t let your potential contributions to climate change make you feel doom and gloom, as individuals can only do so much. Do what you can, and live your life.
Due to the international crisis of global warming, the majority of western countries are now set on a course to become carbon neutral and at the Paris Accord, they agreed to achieve this by 2050. This is an impressive feat for countries still so reliant on fossil fuels for major industries like heating and transport.
Residential heating is one area that is currently in the spotlight, for instance, in countries like the UK, it is currently responsible for around one-third of carbon emissions. As a result and understandingly it is set to undergo major reform over the next 10 years.
What’s the problem with current heating?
Heating in the UK is still heavily reliant on fossil fuels, either directly or indirectly. For instance, the vast majority of homes are supplied with natural gas which is burned in fireplaces and gas combi boilers to provide homes with heat.
The major issue is that burning natural gas releases carbon into the atmosphere, which is a gas that doesn’t leave the atmosphere, resulting in heat being trapped in the atmosphere, leading to global warming.
Therefore, the UK government is looking at low carbon heating alternatives as a route to transforming the current situation, which includes the likes of heat pump, hydrogen boiler and solar.
As Heatable states, residential boilers have already been under considerable scrutiny and the government has banned non-condensing boilers, driving up the efficiency of boilers to above 90%, as well as a total outlaw on all gas boilers in new homes from 2025.
Yet, it’s important to note that most industry commentators consider replacing gas boilers with solar and heat pumps completely unrealistic. Major concerns include their expensive and disruptive installation, as well as their reliability when compared to conventional boilers.
As a result, replacing the fuel is seen as a much more realistic approach with the fuel of choice being hydrogen. This can be fed into the current infrastructure and used with hydrogen-ready boilers, which are almost identical to current natural gas versions.
Hydrogen Boilers vs. Heat Pumps
There are many issues when it comes to the transition from high to low carbon heating technologies. So much so, that the Environmental Audit Committee (EAC) estimated that it would take almost 1,000 years to make the switch if the current trajectories continued.
Even worse, the Committee on Climate Change (CCC) highlighted that it would cost on average £26,000 for each home to install a low carbon heating alternative, rending the whole idea completely unviable.
The only sensible solution is the adoption of hydrogen fuel as an alternative to natural gas instead. This fuel is able to make use of the current gas networks infrastructure which is already connected to the vast majority of properties.
From an environmental standpoint, hydrogen is also seen as highly desirable.
Why? When hydrogen is burned it produces only vapour and absolutely no carbon dioxide making it ideal for a carbon-neutral future.
Disadvantages of Heat Pumps
As well as that, there are also other issues with heat pumps, of which there are three main types: air source, ground source and hybrid. All of which works by sucking in heat from the surrounding air, ground or water and are able to supply heat to water and central heating.
Hybrid heat pumps are different in that they utilise a boiler to provide supplemental heat if the weather becomes severely cold.
The good point of heat pumps is that they only use small amounts of electricity to operate and combined with the fact that they absorb heat from the environment, they are extremely efficient. In fact, they can achieve energy efficiency ratings exceeding 300%, compared to modern gas boilers that are around 94%.
However, it’s not all positive sadly and heat pumps are unable to provide the same, consistent heat output that gas boilers are able to. For this reason, they are usually installed with oversized radiators and/or underfloor heating and only in properties that are extremely well insulated.
Conclusion
Heating is without a doubt going to change and countries like the UK are going to transition away from gas boilers, but what will win – heat pumps or hydrogen?
It seems that hydrogen has the advantage from a feasibility standpoint, but there’s little doubt that heat pumps will be part of the mix too.
It’s becoming more common for gas boilers to be installed with a hybrid heat pump system.
The first homes fitted with hydrogen boilers and appliances are going to be installed in Fife, Scotland from next year, so progression is certainly accelerating.
Sugarcane is one of the most promising agricultural sources of biomass energy in the world. It is the most appropriate agricultural energy crop in most sugarcane producing countries due to its resistance to cyclonic winds, drought, pests and diseases, and its geographically widespread cultivation. Due to its high energy-to-volume ratio, it is considered one of nature’s most effective storage devices for solar energy and the most economically significant energy crop.
The climatic and physiological factors that limit its cultivation to tropical and sub-tropical regions have resulted in its concentration in developing countries, and this, in turn, gives these countries a particular role in the world’s transition to sustainable use of natural resources.
According to the International Sugar Organization (ISO), Sugarcane is a highly efficient converter of solar energy, and has the highest energy-to-volume ratio among energy crops. Indeed, it gives the highest annual yield of biomass of all species. Roughly, 1 ton of Sugarcane biomass-based on Bagasse, foliage and ethanol output – has an energy content equivalent to one barrel of crude oil.
Sugarcane produces mainly two types of biomass, Cane Trash and Bagasse. Cane Trash is the field residue remaining after harvesting the Cane stalk and Bagasse is the milling by-product which remains after extracting sugar from the stalk. The potential energy value of these residues has traditionally been ignored by policy-makers and masses in developing countries. However, with rising fossil fuel prices and dwindling firewood supplies, this material is increasingly viewed as a valuable renewable energy resource.
Sugar mills have been using Bagasse to generate steam and electricity for internal plant requirements while Cane Trash remains underutilized to a great extent. Cane Trash and Bagasse are produced during the harvesting and milling process of Sugarcane which normally lasts 6 to 7 months.
Around the world, a portion of the Cane Trash is collected for sale to feed mills, while freshly cut green tops are sometimes collected for farm animals. In most cases, however, the residues are burned or left in the fields to decompose. Cane Trash, consisting of Sugarcane tops and leaves can potentially be converted into around 1kWh/kg, but is mostly burned in the field due to its bulkiness and its related high cost for collection and transportation.
On the other hand, Bagasse has been traditionally used as a fuel in the Sugar mill itself, to produce steam for the process and electricity for its own use. In general, for every ton of Sugarcane processed in the mill, around 190 kg Bagasse is produced.
Low pressure boilers and low efficiency steam turbines are commonly used in developing countries. It would be a good business proposition to upgrade the present cogeneration systems to highly efficient, high pressure systems with higher capacities to ensure utilization of surplus Bagasse.
Warping is a defect in 3D printing characterized by dimensional distortion of printed parts, i.e., the print’s corners lifting and separating from the build plate due to uneven shrinkage during cooling and printing. The defect also occurs in custom plastic machining due to temperature differences between layers as the plastic contract while cooling. As a result, machining services must ensure proper temperature to prevent warping.
Although warping can occur in any plastic, it is more frequent with ABS plastic and can lead to the printed part being non-functional or visually unacceptable. ABS plastic warping occurs majorly due to the great temperature difference during cooling. However, it may occur under the conditions below:
Unleveled printed bed
High print speed
Unstable printing temperature
Dirty printing bed
Weak adhesive
To prevent the defect, this article will introduce warping in liaison with ABS plastic and how to avoid the defect during printing.
Tips to Avoid ABS Plastic Warping
ABS plastic is highly susceptible to warping. However, you can avoid this defect by following the following tips below:
1. Use a Heated Bed
Using a cold bed can cause the ABS plastic part to harden before it can lay flat. Furthermore, it can also result in temperature differences between the first layer and subsequent layer during cooling. As a result, warping can occur, leading to a failed print.
To prevent this, you use a heated bed. A heated bed ensures that the print bed’s temperature is higher than the ambient temperature. As a result, the first extruded layer stays soft for a long time. This gives more time for the first layer adhesion to occur. Furthermore, a balanced temperature reduces uneven shrinkage of subsequent layers and the force of curling and contraction.
To prevent ABS printing from warping, a heated bed between 90 and 100-degree Celsius is necessary. Furthermore, avoid setting your heated bed at a temperature higher than ABS’ glass transition temperature as the print’s initial layers may melt due to overheating.
2. Clean the Print Surface
Dirt and grease weaken the adhesion of the first printed layer to the print bend, further encouraging warping. Therefore, ensure that the print bed is clean and smooth before printing. You can clean with ammonia-based cleansers, water, and soap solution, or isopropyl alcohol. However, ensure that the cleanser is compatible with the print surface
Note: The human fingerprint contains oil residues. As a result, avoid touching the print bed surface before, during, and after printing.
3. Tune Your First Layer Settings
The first layer of your print serves as the bonding layer. As a result, it must be perfect to avoid warping. Therefore, you need to adjust some slicer settings
Initial Layer’s Extrusion Width: To create a solid foundation for the model, you can increase the initial layer’s extrusion width. This helps the layer adhere to the bed more.
Initial Layer’s Height: Lower the extruder depending on the layer’s width so that the molten plastic can compress to the bed and create a greater surface contact. The first layer’s height should be 90% of the layers above.
Note: Avoid excessive bonding because it will make it harder for you to remove the final print.
4. Print in an Enclosure
Place an enclosure around the printer to maintain temperature conditions. An enclosure is one of the best ways to prevent ABS plastic warping. This works because it maintains a warmer ambient temperature to prevent your print from cooling quickly and drafts from cooling your model.
Enclosures are highly recommended for ABS printing because they create a controlled environment during printing. Furthermore, they protect the printer from external forces such as dirt and fumes and stabilize the print.
5. Use an Adhesive
Using an adhesive to prevent warping is a practical technique in ABS printing as it keeps the first layer firmly attached to the print surface. As a result, the good adhesion ensures that the first layer of the part does not curl up as they cool. Furthermore, it serves as a layer for glass protection. Common adhesives you can use include Painter’s tape, PEI sheets, and washable glue sticks.
5. Use a Brim or Raft
A raft is a platform for printing parts. It consists of a base made of a 3D-printed structure that resembles a grid and extends past the initial layer of the model. Compared to rafts, a brim’s appearance is similar to a skirt that does not extend past the print’s edge.
Brims and rafts improve bed adhesion during ABS plastic printing. As a result, this prevents warping. Furthermore, they establish a solid foundation for the upper layers of your part.
Note: Raft takes considerably longer to print than the brim.
Other ABS Plastic Defects
ABS plastic printing has other defects such as:
1. Cracking (delamination)
Cracking is a printing defect where the layers of a part separate because of unsecured bonding. Unsecured bonding occurs when subsequent layers cannot adhere to one another due to a temperature difference. Using an enclosure to control the room temperature is the best solution.
2. Z-wobble
Z-wobble occurs when a printer’s z-axis movement component is skewed or inclined. This ultimately causes the printhead to move incorrectly. To prevent this, tighten all z-axis components.
3. Stringing
Stringing is when tiny plastic strings remain on a 3D-printed model. This often happens when the extruder moves to a new spot and plastic leak out of the nozzle. You can avoid stringing by changing the printing speed and using unclogged nozzles.
4. Layer Shifting
This happens when the layers of the printed part move from where they are supposed to be. It is caused by an abnormal X and Y axis motion leading to the extruder head becoming misaligned. To avoid this, reduce the printing speed.
5. Overheating
This happens when the cooling rate of the plastic is low, you are printing too fast, or the printing temperature is high. Overheating results in melted plastic parts. However, you can prevent this by controlling the cooling rate and the printing/print bed temperature
Conclusion
Warping ranges from a minor, aesthetic flaw to a problem that completely undermines the part’s functionality. As a result, it is a serious plastic printing defect. Warping is prominent in ABS plastic printing. This article explained how to prevent ABS plastic warping and other defects. Using our plastic machining service, you can also consider switching to custom plastic machining if printing processes are challenging.
Most people want to do what they can to help the environment. After all, this planet is our home, and it doesn’t benefit us if we’re destroying it. That being said, it can be incredibly hard to live an eco-friendly life. It often requires time, money, and resources that the average person doesn’t have. Luckily, there are a few ways that you can live a more eco-friendly life that don’t require any major changes or sacrifices. These are changes that most people can easily make. And, as with most things, change tends to start at home. That’s why, in this post, we’ll be discussing four ways that you can make your house more eco-friendly.
1. Support eco-friendly services
We all make use of services when it comes to our house. We constantly call people in to fix things, or to clean things. So, why not rather support a company that isn’t harming the earth?
Other than doing some research and making the switch, this will require minimal effort from your side but can make a big difference when it comes to the environment. For example, next time you need your carpets cleaned, why not try an earth-friendly carpet cleaning system?
2. Recycle
It’s a well-known fact that recycling is one of the most common topics that are brought up when it comes to living a more eco-friendly life. And yet, many people don’t recycle. That’s because many of them don’t know what recycling entails.
We’re not saying you need to make homemade paper out of your old scraps of paper (although you absolutely can, if the idea interests you) but simply separating your recyclable items from the non-recyclable items will make it much better for recycling companies to do their jobs. If you need more information, click here for a list of what can be recycled.
3. Make use of alternative energy sources
Every single day, nearly every person on this planet uses some form of electricity, and a lot of it negatively impacts the world. That’s why more and more people are being encouraged to make the switch to alternative or renewable energy sources. Wind energy is a popular choice, but it’s not suitable for all regions.
Solar panels, on the other hand, can be utilized by most households. While solar energy used to be a rare luxury that few could afford, the increase in demand means that it’s now more affordable than ever.
4. Make your own compost
Compost is great for various reasons. It’s good for the environment, it means that you waste less product, and it’s great for your garden. So, with all that in mind, we can’t think of a single reason not to make your own compost!
Many people shy away from composting because they find the idea of it unappealing, but the truth is that it can be a very rewarding thing. The least you can do is to try composting – if it’s not for you, you can be eco-friendly in other ways!
Environmental problems have become global. That is why the environmental education of students is not just one of the most important tasks of modern society; it is a condition for further survival. By introducing environmental practices, students take real steps to conserve natural resources and develop environmental thinking.
Not all heroes wear capes, but some carry thermal mugs, recycle, and cut back on plastic. Wr1ter.com has put together 8 ways how students can help save the planet.
1. Save resources
Most of us do not notice how many resources are wasted every day. But saving electricity and water is a matter of a couple of minutes! Turn off the lights and unplug electrical appliances – even an unattended smartphone charger consumes electricity invisibly. When buying household appliances, choose energy-saving models – marked A, A +, and A ++.
Additionally, you can install economical shower heads and light bulbs, load your washing machine fully every time and use a low wash temperature. It can help you cut your energy consumption by up to 80% and save on bills, which is always good news for a student.
2. Separate garbage
People have learned to deal with garbage in three ways: leave it in dumps, burn it or recycle it. Unfortunately, except for recycling, such methods destroy nature and are hazardous to health.
The separate waste collection helps to recycle what is no longer needed into new things and useful materials. Here are some tips for those who have never separated waste:
Start small by choosing one or two types of recyclable waste
Choose what is easier for you to sort or take for recycling or disposal: for example, start with glass, paper, AA batteries, or plastic caps. This way, you will easily remember what should not fall into the common tank.
Organize a storage space
Another advantage of separating is that you will have to take out the trash less often. True, part of it will remain at home for a while. Decide ahead of time where to place the container, boxes, or baskets for this waste and how to compactly fold, bandage, or flatten the waste. If the habit of sorting garbage is still hard for you, use two containers for the first time – for recyclable garbage (it will be easier to separate later) and the one that you usually use.
Create a tradition
Involve the family, have a competition, or once a month, have an eco-day with garbage sorting and preparation for recycling. Such a tradition will not only take you one step closer to an eco-friendly lifestyle but will also be a pleasant occasion to please yourself and your loved ones.
Remember!
Batteries must not be thrown away with the rest of the trash! Taking them to the extended collection points for recycling is better.
3. Recycle
The separate waste collection leads to the next point of saving nature – recycling. Identify “useful” waste and where it is accepted. Find out where the nearest recycling yards are (using the Greenpeace interactive map, for example) and set aside a separate container in your home to avoid confusion.
4. Choose eco-friendly transport
Walking and cycling are the most beneficial ways of transportation for people and nature. In addition, there will be less environmental harm when choosing public transport instead of a car.
But, if you cannot do without a car, use the advice of environmentalists to help reduce fuel consumption and the environmental impact.
First, take care of the car, not only when something is wrong: pass the inspection on time, change the air filters, engine oil, and spark plugs. Secondly, keeping a constant speed and not exceed the permissible limit, saving you up to 20% of fuel. Thirdly, turn off the engine when you stop for more than a minute. And last but not least: maintain proper tire pressure. Under-inflated tires produce more drag and, as a result, increase fuel consumption.
Click here to learn why electric vehicles are the future of green transportation.
5. Reuse and don’t take more than you need.
Reducing waste is just as important as recycling it properly. Today, when almost everything is disposable, there is a reusable alternative. Buy less of what will fly into the bin almost immediately: replace disposable cups with a thermos or thermal mug, and products in additional packaging with those that are by weight (use string bags, your containers, fabric bags).
6. Support and promote eco-friendly initiatives at your college
Become a guide to the world of ecological life for your friends! So forgo the elevator in favor of the stairs, do not forget to turn off the computer at the end of the working day, and take reusable lunch boxes with you.
7. Pay attention to nutrition
Choosing the right food can also help reduce your environmental footprint. Shop for seasonal and local products. Their delivery requires less fuel and produces fewer harmful emissions. In addition, the more recycled a product is, the heavier its environmental footprint. The most “heavy” are semi-finished products and canned food.
8. Use less plastic
It is unlikely that it will be possible to shut the door on plastic – too many surrounding things are made from this cheap material. But you can reduce its consumption and contribute to saving nature. For example, do not buy water in plastic bottles; use reusable stainless steel or glass containers instead.
A wide variety of wastes are generated during construction projects which may be classified into four categories – excavated wastes, demolition wastes, construction wastes and mixed wastes. Construction wastes are also known Construction and Demolition (C&D) wastes. Excavated materials is made up of soil, sand, gravel, rock, asphalt, etc. while demolition wastes is comprised by concrete, metal, roofing sheets, asbestos, brick, briquette, stone gypsum, wood material. Waste materials generated from construction activities are concrete, dry wall, plastics, ceramics tiles, metals, paper, cardboards, plastics, glass etc. In addition, mixed wastes, such as trash and organic wastes, are also produced in construction projects. A great way to get rid of all the construction waste is to hire a company that handles everything for you. For instance, if you need a south Philadelphia roll-off dumpster, you will find many options, make sure to select a reliable company that can offer you an excellent service and advises you along the way.
Almost 90 percent of construction wastes are inert or non-hazardous, and can be reused, reclaimed and recycled and reused. The non-recyclable, non-hazardous and hazardous waste materials constitute the remaining 10 percent. The non-inert materials include trees, green vegetation, trash and other organic materials while and the hazardous construction waste materials include contaminated soil, left over paints, solvent, aerosol cans, asbestos, paint thinners, striping paint, contaminated empty containers.
Sustainable management of construction wastes uses number of strategies and is based on the typical waste hierarchy: Avoid/ eliminate, reduce, reuse, recycle, treat and dispose.
Avoidance / Source Reduction
Avoidance or source reduction is considered as the best strategy for waste management and is the most economic way to reduce waste and minimise the environmental impacts of construction wastes. This can be done by avoiding use of hazardous materials such as asbestos-containing materials or chromated copper arsenate treated timber or through green purchasing of materials. This includes purchasing of non-toxic materials, pre-cut timbers and ordering materials of desired dimensions.
Reuse
Although source reduction and elimination are preferred options in the waste management hierarchy, it is always not possible to do so. In this case consider reuse, donation and salvage options to companies or people who need those. Reuse option lengthens the life of a material. Reuse strategy can be used in two ways.
Building Reuse – It includes reusing materials from existing buildings and maintaining certain percentages of building structural and non-structural elements such as interior walls, doors floor covering and ceilings.
Material Reuse – This is one of the most effective strategies for minimising environmental impacts which can be done by salvaging, refurbishing and reusing materials within the same building or in another building.
Many of the exterior and interior materials can be recovered from existing buildings and reused in new ones. Such materials will include steel, walls, floor coverings, concrete, beams and posts, door frames, cabinetry and furniture, brick, and decorative items. Reuse of materials and products will help to reduce the demand for virgin materials and reduce wastes.
Recycle
There is very good potential to recycle many elements of construction waste. Recycling involves collecting, reprocessing and/ or recovering certain waste materials to make new materials or products. Often roll-off containers are used to transport the waste. Rubble can be crushed and reused in construction projects.
Waste wood can also be recovered and recycled. Many construction waste materials that are still usable can be donated to non-profit organizations. This keeps the material out of the landfill and supports a good cause.
Treat and Dispose
This option should be considered after all other options are exhausted. The disposal of construction materials should be carried out in appropriate manner through an approved contractor. For examples, certain components of construction waste such as plasterboard are hazardous once landfilled. Plasterboard is broken down in landfill conditions releasing hydrogen sulfide, a toxic gas.
We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. By clicking “Accept”, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies.
This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these cookies, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are as essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may have an effect on your browsing experience.
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
