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Many Think Tanks around the Global are talking about Global Warming now. All this talk, discussion & dialogue has made its way into the mainstream media & now 75% of all Americans & Europeans believe that Global Warming is being caused due to mankind’s emissions of greenhouse gases; namely CO2.

But all this belief in the surveys really has to do with the increasing number of stories in the mass media. Recently some one in our Think Tank asked of another member;

“I think what you’re saying if I may be so bold as to paraphrase-there is GCC [Global Climate Change] but it’s not being caused by man?”

The answer was very interesting indeed; ‘Yes that is what I’m saying. Sure there is a percentage of mankind’s involvement, but it’s somewhat insignificant over all & to that point it’s mankind’s arrogance to think that he is the sole cause.’ Even Al Gore who has taken it on himself to lead the US efforts in the Global Warming awareness issues;

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-5621362837465161157&q=TED+Al+Gore&hl=en

Al Gore seems to agree that; lets stop fighting over it & look ahead at solutions. Clear? Indeed, our Online Think Tank has many solutions, but no one is interested in solving these issues, only political fighting over them. We see no one out planting 5 Billion Trees, collecting the CO2, or building massive infrastructures.

One member of our Online Think Tank stated last year; Call us when you get serious about Climate Change & solutions, but we’re not interested in being used to promote scare tactics onto the American People. And when you come to talk to us, be sure to have already discussed emissions with China & other polluting nations. Right. We certainly hope this article will propel thought into 2007.

“Lance Winslow” - Online Think Tank forum board. If you have innovative thoughts & completely unique perspectives, come think with Lance; www.WorldThinkTank.net/. Lance is a guest writer for Our Spokane Magazine in Spokane, Washington

While the University of Minnesota researchers have already stated that livestock have a lot of harmful antibiotics in them, they’re now saying that this is also true of vegetables as well. This study can be easily found in the Journal of Environmental Quality. It shows that food crops can readily accumulate antibiotics from the soil that has been spread with cattle manure.

These findings were based closely on a greenhouse study that was done. It involved 3 different food crops. These included corn, lettuce & potatoes. They found that those plants that were grown in soil that was modified with liquid hog manure, which contains the common veterinary antibiotic sulfamethazine, actually absorbed this antibiotic. It could be easily found in the plants’ leaves. There were also concentrations in the plants’ tissue. This concentration actually increased as the amount of antibiotic present in the manure increased. It was also diffused into potato tubers. As such, it’s believed that other root crops, which include such things as carrots & radishes, are also particularly vulnerable to antibiotic contamination.

This should cause you to become concerned as it really did concern the University of Minnesota researchers. One of the researchers, Satish Gupta, said that contaminated plants actually have the potential of causing allergic reactions in those people who are sensitive to various antibiotics. Satish Gupta also said that this type of contamination is likely to foster antimicrobial resistance. This isn’t good, in actual fact it’s dangerous, because it can render antibiotics ineffective in humans.

Another researcher, Holly Dolliver, wanted to make certain to warn people that those plants that are contaminated by antibiotics should be of particular concern to the organic farming industry. This is because manure is often the main source of crop nutrients.

Of course, the USDA stipulates that organic producers must manage animal materials in a manner that doesn’t contribute to the contamination of crops. This means that residues of prohibited substances are banned & prohibited. Unfortunately, as of yet manures that contain antibiotics have not actually been formally banned or prohibited by the USDA. Instead they’re saying that there needs to be a lot of further research done. This is needed in order to investigate how different plants absorb different antibiotic compounds.

Brenda Marie Hoffman is a published freelance author & a single mom. Thanks to her lucrative business: http://www.livin-smart.net she is able to stay home to homeschool her daughter.

Earth Day has come & gone, but Earth’s challenges remain. Climate change, energy conservation & deforestation are just a few that come to mind. These problems are so enormous that we might be inclined to believe that one person can not make a difference, but that isn’t true. Here are ten tips that can assist you be more ‘earth friendly.’

(1) Call companies that use more packaging than necessary for their product & ask them to reduce the amount of packaging they use.

(2) Pay your bills on line & go paperless with as many of your bills as possible.

(3) Recycle all glass, paper, metal, plastic & newspapers & everything you possibly can.

(4) Batch your errands to reduce gas consumption.

(5) Fix leaky faucets & use low-flow toilets & shower heads.

(6) Replace your incandescent light bulbs with compact fluorescents.

(7) Switch off lights whenever you leave a room & turn off any electronic devices you are not using at the moment.

(8) Borrow books from the library instead of purchasing new ones.

(9) Only do full loads of laundry & use cold water instead of hot.

(10) Lower your thermostat two degrees in the winter months & raise it two degrees in the summer.

You can visit my website for many more tips on how to help the environment. I am also compiling a comprehensive list of conservation tips & ideas. I invite you to submit your tip or idea to info@MyConservationBaby.com I will add it to the list currently on my website, MyConservationBaby.com

Ellen McNeill
http://www.MyConservationBaby.com
Baby Gifts for the Eco-Friendly Baby

How to save money & combat climate change in the same time ? By saving energy !

Global climate change threatens Earth’s balance & the way millions of people are living. Human energy consumption is responsible for a large part of greenhouse gaz emissions. Anyone can reduce its power consumption & contribute to energy savings, efficiency & conservation.

Energy efficiency means getting the same job done, having the same comfort while using less energy. Energy efficiency is usually done by doing simple tips such as turning down the thermostat, turning off the light when not used or turning up the temperature of your refrigerator. At job, you could activate ’sleep’ features on computers, copiers, & other machines that power down when the equipment is on but not in use for a while, & turn off equipment during long and extended periods of non-use to cut energy costs & improve longevity. Screen savers do NOT save energy. Many other tips on the US Department of Energy’s website. Easy ways to save money, funny animations & plenty of ideas !

You can save energy by replacing an older, less efficient appliance with a new one. The purchasing guide Saving Energy & Money presents a great choice of saving energy products : lighting, home appliances & electronics, heating & cooling, office equipment & renewable energies. You will find there Energy Star qualified appliances, which help save environment & consumers money by using less energy through advanced design & construction. With Energy Star, you can save up to 30% or more than 600$ per year.

Let’s save money & energy now !

Age : 25
Hobbies : Sports, Sustainability

Saving Energy & Money

Benefits of eating fresh fruits & vegetables are very well known to everyone. It has been said a lot about their impact on our immune system & metabolism. Fruits & veggies are a great source of many essential nutrients so necessary for our bodies to stay healthy & active. And so… So far so good. We all agree that a healthy diet is impossible without veggies, but it’s equally important that our vegetables are natural & not stuffed with chemicals & pesticides.

Benefits of Organic Vegetables

Though vegetables are easily available, not all of them are good for our diet. An organic vegetable garden is the best place to provide you with natural & pure vegetables for your needs ? vegetables that are going to do only good to your body. An organic vegetable garden is a much better choice than a regular supermarket, unless you know for a fact that the food grown & sold to the supermarket has been grown completely organically. Buying foods that were grown in an organic vegetable garden, you’re not just doing a great thing for your own health, but for the environment as well.

If you’re still unaware what exactly an organic vegetable garden is, here are some fast facts. Right. When something is grown organically, that is with no chemicals or other preservatives that have been used in the growing process, it’s thought to be organic, or natural. This means that there was nothing used either to get rid of bugs, or to fertilize the soil, or for any other reason, that was not completely natural.

Reasons to Opt For Organic Vegetables

Even if you’re not worried about chemicals used to treat non-organic vegetables, considering them of no harm for you, think about the environment that does suffer. Buying food grown in an organic vegetable you can contribute to keeping the environment clean & healthy, at least in one small way.

Whenever possible, you should attempt to consume foods that were grown in an organic vegetable garden because you know that they were not treated with any harmful chemicals. Clear? In this way only you can ensure that those chemicals & toxins will not end up in your body. You can not get rid of all the chemicals by simply washing the vegetable ? only using organic foods you can be sure that you’re not digesting anything that might be harmful to you.

For more information on Organic vegetable garden check out http://www.myorganicgardeningsecrets.com You will find loads of tips & techniques plus you will find answers to questions many others in your situation have asked before. But Hurry! For a limited time you can get your very own copy of our award winning Organic Gardening Software at absolutely no cost.

Think Tanks are busy debating over Global Warming & some folks such as Al Gore are trying to back track now to mend fences & get folks all on the same page offering a slight consolation. Rather than calling it Global Warming, he has decided to call it a Climate Crisis, which is ½ way between Climate Change & Global Warming I suppose. Very diplomatic indeed, but does Global Warming hold water?

One think tank member says; I disagree with all your numbers & so do most all reports, each one has different numbers. Clear? Indeed, a percentage, probably very small could be said to either be aiding climate change or inhibiting it from mankind’s activities.

There are other factors, undersea volcanoes melting ice & heating ocean from under the ice, changing the water temp. We have solar activity too. We have dust storms & volcanoes, causing issues & sometimes blocking the sun to cool temps. Right. We have more ice in some places, much less in others.

We have the poles of the Earth wondering it what also appears to be a cycle. It seems the Earth goes thru these changes with or without mankind’s help. I think Global Warming is a sham. But am willing to go along with the pollution control because, there is no excuse to pollute, that takes no brains & is littering, I do not like it, it’s a dumb idea. But crashing economies to stop climate change cycles is also ridiculous.

Fight the battles you can win said Sun Tzu. When Green Peace wants us to shut down all our economies so polar bears do not have to swim so far, well then build polar bear mini-ice berg robotically powered taxis, but lets not shut down human civilization on some pie in the sky, re-distribution of wealth program.

If this is so bad, then lets beef up our human civilizations to get ready to deal with such a future or calamity, not shut it down in doom, gloom & despair. Now then you can see why the debate rages on & I hope this article might share some perspective with you for intellectual thought in 2007.

“Lance Winslow” - Online Think Tank forum board. If you have innovative thoughts & completely unique perspectives, come think with Lance; www.WorldThinkTank.net/. Lance is a guest writer for Our Spokane Magazine in Spokane, Washington

As our planet continues to take more & more of a beating, there has been a real emergence of building environmentally conscious housing. In years past homes were constructed with materials that were not just damaging to the environment but as we eventually discovered, harmful to us as well. Prime examples of this were the use of things like lead based paint & piping & asbestos. There is more. These materials have caused an amazing amount of damage to the planet & to people’s health.

Today the concept of constructing homes that are considerate to the planet has become more than an idea, it has become an absolute necessity. The focus of this movement is the construction of homes using recycled & renewable resources. Clear? It also focuses on clean power sources. There is more. These power sources have little to no negative impact on the environment as they harness the power of sun (solar power) & aim to reduce the amount of electrical & gas power needed to keep the home comfortable. Another great idea that is helping the environment is designing homes with efficient drainage which assists in the replenishing of ground water resources.

Homes that are properly insulated require far less electricity to heat. The end result of this kind of building philosophy is that it will cost less for the owner to heat & maintain. However the most desirable result of these type of homes & policies is the reduced impact that construction is having on the environment & the planet. With the population on the rise & industry on the rise too, we as residents of this planet need to do everything in our power to ensure the safety & longevity of our habitat.

Arow Blackdragon is a representative of ChicagoHomeEstates.com, the foremost source for Chicago real estate. For all your Chicago property needs, Chicago Home Estates has you covered.

Many generations have been enjoying & getting practical benefits from gardening. Gardening started as an organic process, but as the decades passed by & technology set in, chemicals & machines have become a regular part of it… Organic vegetable gardening is bringing the initial concept of pure gardening back, & it’s obvious why.

While advancing in technology is something we all support & want, some things such as the vegetables & fruits need to remain as they are. They need to be in their purest form in order to provide us with the essential vitamins & minerals for a healthy body & mind. In our quest of trying to get biggest & tastiest vegetables & fruits, we have destroyed the most essential part, i.e. the vitamins & minerals original fruits & vegetables have in abundance.

Consider planting your own vegetables the organic way ? either in your back yard or even at home. Indoors organic vegetable gardening can be as successful as outdoors; in actual fact indoors you’ll have even more control as you can adjust the heat & light as per your requirements.

By having your own organic vegetable garden you’ll ensure that you eat vegetables in their purest form, unmodified or chemically treated to alter their growth or taste. Chemicals & artificial fertilizers will eventually result in some side effects on your health.

Organic vegetable gardening starts with the soil you’re going to plant your vegetables in ? so, it should not contain any chemicals at all. If you have the slightest doubt, change the soil for organic soil found in natural & organic stores. All the seeds must also be purely organic, & to ensure this get the seeds from organic gardening stores only.

Be careful not to use toxic fertilizers ? if you can not make your own fertilizer, purchase one from an organic store & be sure that it does not contain any chemicals. Actually, there’re many natural things that you can use directly from your own kitchen to help the growth of your vegetables.

Nothing can compare to eating fruits & vegetables from your own organic vegetable garden, when you know that all of them are totally natural & beneficial to your health. Besides, gardening is a relaxing hobby that improves your health by itself & brings a lot of satisfaction.

For more information on Organic vegetable garden check out http://www.myorganicgardeningsecrets.com You will find loads of tips & techniques plus you will find answers to questions many others in your situation have asked before. But Hurry! For a limited time you can get your very own copy of our award winning Organic Gardening Software at absolutely no cost.

We must continually work to make more energy efficient housing. Do you follow? There is virtually no one who disagrees with such a worthy goal. The question becomes; how will we be easily able to take the next giant leap forward, while maintaining the incremental gains in energy efficient housing. Do you follow? The only way to propel such technologies is to experiment & adapt with new prototypes.

Perhaps what we ought to do is to fund new innovative ideas & concepts. Allow people to submit proposals for new energy efficient home designs for funding with the stipulation that they will do a continuous study for five years on the energy efficiency of the home. These people will live in the home & use it, as they normally would, yet constantly audit their energy usage.

The auditing should be done by the family for the first two years & then by an outside third part energy auditor the next three. This does a couple of things. First, the family learns how to live more efficiently. Second, their normal new lifestyle & usage will be documented for research purposes, giving us a better idea of how such technologies will save money & energy in the future.

Surely, the goal here isn’t to provide housing, but rather to study alternative energy efficiencies. There is more. Those people will not necessarily be getting a free house, rather they will become test subjects from human housing & the future of alternative energy efficiencies. Clear? In the last housing boom many homes were slapped together & few had energy efficient materials, this was to save money on the cost to build them - indeed those in the home will be paying for that for years to come.

L. Winslow is an Economic Advisor to the Online Think Tank, a Futurist & retired entrepreneur http://www.worldthinktank.net . Currently he is planning a bicycle ride across the US to raise money for charity & is sponsored by http://www.Calling-Plans.com & all the proceeds will go straight to various charities who sign up.

Over 12% of the United States population lives within a flood zone & even more people live close to the ocean, which means they’re also potentially in danger of being flooded out by excessively high tides high, tsunamis or hurricanes storm surges. We have all heard of the famous fifth-year flood or the hundred year flood study if we look at Environmental Impact Reports & building codes or master plans for most municipalities & counties.

These are quite real no matter how much they’re downplayed or how often they’re mitigated by giant cement ditches or runoff canals. The fact is 12% of Americans still live in a flood zone & that means isn’t a matter of if, but when. Lately we have been seeing quite a bit of flooding in the United States due to extreme weather.

Indeed, more people die from floods, then any other natural disaster & just because we live in a modern civilization such as the United States doesn’t mean we’re immune to these challenges or problems. Of course if you live in a flood zone it might be very wise to have flood insurance even though this might not actually be enough & even if you collect on insurance you still generally lose everything.

It would be very wise before purchasing a home or moving into an area that you check to see if the region has historically had large floods within the last 200 years. And do not kid yourself even if a big flood only comes every 200 years that means in any twenty year that you have a one in ten chance of being flooded out. It makes sense to play it safe & smart & not take anyone else’s word for it… If you do not believe what I am saying, turn on the news.

L. Winslow is a Disaster Assistance Advisor to the Online Think Tank, a Futurist & retired entreprenuer. Currently he is planning a bicycle ride across the US to raise money for charity & is sponsored by http://www.Calling-Plans.com & all the proceeds will go straight to various charities who sign up.