Surviving on Green Energy Essay Example for Free

Surviving on Green Energy Essay The relationship of humans and fossil fuels can be viewed as a strong and binding one that can only end when another party ceases to exist. The humans have settled and have been depending heavily on fossil fuels, and unfortunately, fossil fuels do not seem to reciprocate the feeling. Fossil fuels, unlike humans, will cease to exist soon, and this departure is slowly but surely felt as gas prices are skyrocketing high in the oil market. Our dependence on fossil fuels is greatly evidenced by the technologies that we have developed that require the products of fossil fuels for them to operate. The transportation, machinery, and appliances are just a couple of the technology that we have made to make our lives easier and to make communication available all through out the world; fossil fuels make their existence possible. However, the existence of these technologies was under the premise that their energy sources are unlimited. Regrettably, fossil fuels are not renewable sources of energy, and it is only a matter of time before we feel the real consequence of their limits. Hence, it is important that we get to find alternative sources of energy that are renewable and whose availability is unlimited, like solar power, geothermal energy, wind energy, hydropower, and biomass. Surviving on green energy or alternative energy sources is not only safe for the environment, but is also cheap and available for a very long time. Nonrenewable sources of energy are those sources that cannot be reused and can be depleted, such as fossil fuels and examples of this are oil, natural gas, and coal (Chapter 8: Fossil Fuels Coal, Oil and Natural Gas). They are called fossil fuels because according to research, they were formed from creatures like planktons, or diatoms whose bodies were preserved through heavy sedimentation with their energies intact (Chapter 8: Fossil Fuels Coal, Oil and Natural Gas). The dependence of humans on fossil fuels can be seen on the American’s daily consumption of one of its forms, oil. Oil is a basic commodity for those who own cars, boats, planes, and any other mode of transportation, to those whose businesses depend on it as a raw material, among many others. According to the Petroleum Basic Statistics website, the United States of America consumes an average of 20,680,000 barrels of oil everyday (Petroleum Basic Statistics). This shows how much dependent this country is to nonrenewable energy, and hence should soon find a different means for energy source before fossil fuels become depleted. The combination of the heavy consumption of oil, the soaring prices of oil in the world market, and the limited sources of this commodity prompted some prominent political figures to suggest the lifting of the ban on offshore drilling. This is because they offer offshore drilling as an answer to the high prices and the limited sources of fossil fuels. However, offshore drilling poses a lot of threat not only to the environment, but also to the current monetary condition of the country. First of all, offshore drilling is harmful to the environment on a number of reasonable accounts. The creation of oil rigs in the ocean will entail excavating the earth and in the process will disturb the natural habitat of the sea creatures because of the erosion, kelp bed, coastal, and reef damage (The Case against Offshore Oil). The technology being used in detecting oil deposits is a seismic tester that releases sound waves with 260 decibel levels, enough to cause brain hemorrhaging, disorientation, and beaching in dolphins and whales (Offshore Drilling – It’s NOT the Answer to High Gas Prices at the Pump). Oil isn’t the only element that is released in the process, mercury, lead, and other radioactive material are also released (Offshore Drilling – It’s NOT the Answer to High Gas Prices at the Pump). The threat of oil spills in these oil rigs is also perilous to the wellbeing of the sea creatures for it can cause reproductive troubles (The Case against Offshore Oil). If truth be told, if oil spills do occur, which is always possible, the event have the most terrible, destructive effect on the environment. When gobbled up by animals, oil can cause death and other severe physiologic effects (The Effects of Oil on Wildlife). The environmental havoc does not stop there. The pollution that the machines contribute to the environment during their operation is also significantly dangerous. However, in spite of all of the qualms made by the environmentalists, the government would not give in. This is also why there have been independent people who have started their own endeavors in the area of researching about decreasing energy consumption and creating and using alternative sources of energy. Energy conservation is an available option to all people who would want to help in the campaign towards decreasing the imminent depletion of fossil fuels. Various suggestions are shared by environmentalists on the internet pertaining to cutting back energy consumption. People are told to purchase technology that are more environment friendly, walk instead of drive, or simply turning off appliances that are not in use. Remodeling houses with glass walls to let the sunlight in during the day is a great way to decrease light consumption. However, these tips cannot account for the long term problem. Even if we are able to slow down the forthcoming depletion of nonrenewable energy sources, it would still be a futile attempt to give energy to the next generations to come. Assortments of solutions are being put forward by scientists and environmentalists today. One suggested idea that could be plausible as an answer to the energy crisis is to tap into renewable energy sources or alternative energy sources (Offshore Drilling – It’s NOT the Answer to High Gas Prices at the Pump). Geothermal energy, wind energy, solar energy, Biomass and hydropower are the five most developed renewable energy sources that are available (Renewable Energy). Heat released from the earth is being utilized as geothermal energy by direct use, geothermal heat pumps and electricity (Geothermal Energy). Basically, geothermal energy is the heat that is being released from the hot springs, geysers, among many others. The nice thing about the usage of geothermal energy as a renewable energy source is that it little impact on the environment pollution-wise and because most of the geysers have been turned into parks, they are protected by the constitution (Geothermal Energy Energy from the Earths Core). The only disadvantage geothermal energy has is that it only emits little, so it can only supply at a limited amount each time (Geothermal Energy Energy from the Earths Core). From heat being released by the earth, the next green energy available for use is wind power. Wind is everywhere; it never runs out, it is the oldest energy source of all as evidenced by the popular windmills being used a hundred years ago. We can see a lot of windmills and wind turbines across the country, and there are even wind farms being put up because of the great energy contribution wind is capable of (Chapter 16: Wind Energy). With great advantage to us, wind power is already used in lighting homes in California. On the other hand, a disadvantage of using wind power is its known disturbance in the migratory patterns of birds (Wind Energy Energy from Moving Air). It could affect their directions and their natural habitats. But nevertheless, wind power is pretty much useful. From wind we go to another object found in the sky, the sun. Solar energy is energy produced by the sun, and can be transformed into usable energy by way of solar cells and solar power plants (Solar Energy Energy from the Sun). The only problem with solar energy is also the only reason it gives us energy, the sun. Since the sun is not consistently shining above us, hence nighttime, we cannot maximize its use for the whole day. Plus, weather changes occur every now and then, which can also alter the effect of solar energy throughout its use (Solar Energy Energy from the Sun). Other than weather disturbances that are naturally occurring, solar energy does not interfere with the environment in any possible way. From the shining sunlight we proceed to natural, physiological waste, Biomass. Biomass is mostly made up of biological material derived from living or recently living organisms (What is BIOMASS? ). Virgin wood, food waste, energy crops, industrial waste, and agricultural residues are the raw materials being used for producing Biomass (What is BIOMASS? ). This is also an excellent green energy alternative source because the raw materials needed to produce this energy can be found anywhere and everywhere. It utilizes waste products, hence, less trash and pollution. Its use can lower down carbon dioxide emissions, provide 15% of the demands of electricity in 2020 in industrialized countries, and can give 400,000 jobs (Biomass Energy). And like any other source of energy, Biomass has its own disadvantage. Utilizing Biomass entails the allocation of land for its production centers. And if this means more plantation of Biomass for its usage, more land will be used up instead of allocating this land for food production (Global Limits of Biomass Energy). Last but certainly not the least is hydropower or water energy. Hydropower seizes the energy of falling water and transforms it into electricity (How Hydropower Works). However, conditions have to be met for this energy transformation to take place. The height of the waterfalls and the quantity of water that is falling is to be taken into account (How Hydropower Works). The water falls should be high enough and it should be releasing a certain amount of water for it to produce enough energy (How Hydropower Works). It seems that of all the five green energy sources, hydropower is the only one that does not offer a disadvantage, which is why it is mostly utilized today. Fortunately, most waterfalls around the world are so named, because of their height and the amount of water that falls, so there can be no problem with that except of course in dessert countries. But it does not mean that hydropower should be the only one that can be invested in. Right now, as this is being read, there are numerous scientists and environmentalists who are keeping their hands full with research and experimentation on how to find renewable energy sources. They are the ones that we should idolize and look up to, because these people do not want just a quick fix to a lifelong problem, they want change. And we all know that change is inevitable and that we should always be ready for it when it comes. Our lives have been dependent on technology, mankind’s answer to making life easier and faster, maximizing time on earth to its full potential. Our dependence on it is making our environment suffer. Maybe it is not yet too late to make the change and go green, go environmental. It doesn’t really mean requiring oneself to go caveman and abandon the city and retreat to the forests. It just means that even in our own little way we can contribute to the solution, instead of contributing to the problem. We all know it’s a jungle out there, and some of us are not equipped to embrace change especially once fossil fuels really run dry. Maybe, as early as now, we should embrace these changes and practice our energy saving methods, and soon enough, we can all survive on green energy. Works Cited: BIOMASS, What is BIOMASS? Biomass Energy Centre. 2008. UK Forestry Commission. 9 December 2008 http://www. biomassenergycentre. org. uk/portal/page? _pageid=76,15049_dad=portal_schema=PORTAL. California Energy Commission, Chapter 16: Wind Energy. Energy Story. California Energy Commission. 9 December 2008 http://www. energyquest. ca. gov/story/chapter16. html. Carnegie Institution of Science. Global Limits Of Biomass Energy. 14 June 2008. ScienceDaily. 9 December 2008 http://www. sciencedaily. com ¬ /releases/2008/06/080611181214. htm. â€Å"The Case against Offshore Oil. † 2002. Rainforest Action Network. 9 December 2008 http://www. culturechange. org/caoe. html. â€Å"Chapter 8: Fossil Fuels Coal, Oil and Natural Gas. † 2006. California Energy Commission. 9 December 2008 http://www. energyquest. ca. gov/story/chapter08. html. â€Å"The Effects of Oil on Wildlife. † 2003. Marine Environment Protection. 9 December 2008 http://www. amsa. gov. au/marine_environment_protection/educational_resources_and_information/teachers/the_effects_of_oil_on_wildlife. asp. Energy Information Administration, Geothermal Energy Energy from the Earths Core. Energy Kids Page. 2008. Energy Information Administration. 9 December 2008 http://www. eia. doe. gov/kids/energyfacts/sources/renewable/geothermal. html. Energy Information Administration, Renewable Energy. Energy Kids Page. 2008. Energy Information Administration. 9 December 2008 http://www. eia. doe. gov/kids/energyfacts/sources/renewable/renewable. html. Energy Information Administration, Solar Energy Energy from the Sun. Energy Kids Page. 2007. Energy Information Administration. 9 December 2008 http://www. eia. doe. gov/kids/energyfacts/sources/renewable/solar. html. Energy Information Administration, Wind Energy Energy from Moving Air. Energy Kids Page. 2008. Energy Information Administration. 9 December 2008 http://www. eia. doe. gov/kids/energyfacts/sources/renewable/wind. html. National Renewable Energy Laboratory, Geothermal Energy. Ren

Career Aspiration For An Leadership Role

Career Aspiration For An Leadership Role Career is just like the journey when you are on the journey; you are maybe start of it, middle of your journey or near to end. In career the past of your career does not determine the future of your career, do you want to go the same direction or want to change your career direction. (Pedler, Burgoyne, Boydel 2007) Career is the pattern and biography of your working life. Career aspiration and plan development of my future is the part of this project and this includes the managing my abilities, strengths, weaknesses and all those aspects which are helpful for my career aspiration. A. Career Aspiration Strategy: When I talk about my further career strategy then it is clear that what I want from my future designation, status, money, care, esteem, satisfaction. But the question is that how I can get all these desires for this I need a proper strategy, and then I can gain my goals and desires. For gaining my desires or goals I set my Career strategy in such way: i. Short Term Strategy ii. Medium Term Strategy iii. Long Term Strategy For my future strategy I want to use the following module which is taken from Pedler M, Burgoyne J, Boydell T, A Managerà ¢Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã‚ ¢s Guide to Self-Development, 5th Edition. Note: Each passage represents a major change in job requirements that translates to new skills requirements, new time horizons and applications and new work values. Based on work done initially by Walter Mahler and called Critical Career Passages. Figure 1 Critical career passages in large organizations. From Charan, R., Drotter, S. and Noel, J. The Leadership Pipeline: How to Build the Leadership Powered Company. San Francisco: Jossey Bass, 2001. Reproduced with kind permission i. Short Term Strategy: I want to set my short term strategy for my career according to the module (Fig. 1) given above and that also based on my previous experience. As I had the work experience of almost 2 years from September 2007 to till 1st December, 2009 in Pakistan and the experience was related to Manage Self according to the module (Fig. 1) and now I am in UK for Post Graduation. In short term strategy I want to start my career in UK from basic level and my career start from now to till the end of my Msc Management Practice program June 2011. Now my career path is Manage Self and does any part time job which I can get from any where and also try to get work as a Team Leader. I try to make myself perfect and strong and overcome my deficiencies in this 1st year strategy for my bright future and to manage others. In UK I had the experience as a Room Audit Officer and as a Sale man. ii. Medium Term Strategy: After the completing of my education in June 2011, I change my career towards a new dimension and towards new goals for learning and development. My new strategy is for 5 years. After completing education and when my Visa is near to expire I have two options return to my country Pakistan or stay in UK for my future work. But my first priority is to stay here, then there are further two options for me apply for HSMP or PSW. I also start to search my job in UK and also send documents for Visa extension. Where I place myself in medium term strategy? According to module (Fig. 1), I must start my career from Passage 2 and start applying for the positions which lead me toward Managerial level. In my next 3 years 2011 to 2014, I see myself as a Business Manager and want to enter in Passage 5. Which type of Organization I want to work? I just want to start my career in UK and there is no matter for me the organization is big or small but I want to see myself at a place where I learn, self development and good leadership learning. Then I want to move toward good and high reputed organization. After getting 2 years experience in any organization, I like to change my preference and move towards more education and must start again the learning process. I must do one more course of Msc as a part time in 2014 which is of two years but if I do it full time then it must be for one year after this I do the PHD in management. It is also possible that I do just PHD in Management instead of 2nd Msc. PHD is the part of my strategy in medium term planning. After from 2011 to 2016, I see myself as Business Manager and also a PHD holder in Management sciences. iii. Long Term Strategy: After the success of medium term planning my long term strategy become very vast and I have a lot of opportunities and career directions. My long term strategy is for the further 10 years from 2016 to onward. Where I see myself in further ten years? As a Professor As a Enterprise Manager As an Entrepreneur I have all these 3 choices but also two at the same time. Like if I am working in an organization, then I can also join the university as a part time professor. After gaining the experience I want to start my own business, beside this I also like to join the university as a lecturer. Desired Job Role: Fresh Graduate desired job role different from the experience person. When I have done my graduation, my desired job role was to enter in the organization, gain experience and polish myself. As I have 2 years work experience as a Sales Executive and also as a Relationship Manager designation. According to my strategy my desired job roles are such as: Marketing Executive to Marketing Manager and Director My experience as a Marketing Executive is almost 17 months and this is an edge for getting job anywhere and that is my favourite field and enjoys it. And Marketing Executive is involved in developing marketing campaigns that promote a product, service or idea. And in future career development, I can work as Sr. Marketing Executive in 1st year plan and in 2-5 years plan at Marketing Manager the in 10 years plans as a Marketing Director which present my strategy. Management Consultant My desired job role is as a Management consultant because it is related to my field and a Management Consultant is involved in providing objective advice, expertise and specialist skills with creating values, maximizing growth or improving the business performance. Customer Service Manager As I am related to marketing field and also from management there fore I know the needs of customer and the services for the customers. Therefore I like to do work as a Customer Service Manager. And the Customer Service Manager ensures that the organization work for the satisfaction of its customers needs. I like this job role because I am a creative, can do planning and problem solving person. Retail Manager I also like to do work in a retail outlet because it increases my experience and I met a lot of persons. Because of this job I have the scope as a Retail Manager in my 5 years plan and can move towards big retail outlets like Mark Spencer, Next, NIKE and any big outlet. And this job role is related to my field because of my marketing experience and my business education. Higher Education Lecturer As I explain in my 5 years and 10 years plan that I want to do PHD and this job role help me in my long term planning as a professor or lecturer in universities. In colleges and universities the qualification level is Msc and PHD. In this profession I can progress towards Dean of my department or towards the University Dean.

Book Report on Wreck! :: essays research papers

First Entry – Suggestion Number 1 – Page 50 This fiction book is called â€Å"Wreck† and was written by Allan Bailie. The main characters are Ian Foster and Reene Thompson, they are two normal teenagers. Reene was told to baby-sit Ian while his parents are away. During this period a cyclone hits Albatross Beach and they barely survive it. Soon they seek shelter in a rusty old freighter on the beach. After, the cyclone erupts again and sets the boat out to sea. While on the boat they experience many strange happenings and realise they are not alone. Second Entry – Suggestion Number 6 – Page 80 I believe the writer was trying to keep suspense and did this by not giving any extra info and by putting in a few false alarms to keep you on your toes. The writer is also very descriptive which adds greats atmosphere and further suspense. I think the writer has a good imagination to be able to write in such a way. Another skill the author has is, he knows when and when not to be descriptive, that helps because a whole page description on something that has no relevance at all is not necessary Third Entry – Suggestion Number 5 – Page 100 Ian is shy and doesn’t seem very confident in the book; Ian explains it’s probably because of his dad who’s always putting him down because he can’t do something right. There isn’t mush about his interest in the book because the author keeps to the story line most of the time. Ian is afraid that he isn’t to his father’s expectations and that his father hates him. His experiences throughout the book make him a stronger person and I think he’s better for it. Reene also helps shape Ian into a better person. She is responsible, outspoken and strong-willed, Ian picks ups picks up a bit of it. Ian comes out to have a stronger mind, isn’t as reliant on others and isn’t afraid to voice his opinions. Fourth Entry – Suggestion Number 8 – Page 120 To me the ending wasn’t much of a surprise because they were on a boat with an unknown monster, they defeat the monster and are rescued which wasn’t much of an ending. This of course doesn’t mean the book is boring, just predictable. There are also many little things that happen along the way to keep this book interesting enough to keep reading.

Habermas on Virtue :: Ethics Morals Papers

Habermas on Virtue Although Habermas has never worked out a conception of virtue and indeed criticizes this notion whenever he uses it, his theory crucially depends on the virtuous attitude of participants in discourse — be it in the realm of democracy and law or that of morality. In this paper, in which I deal only with the ethical foundations of morality, I argue first that the norms of discourse which are gained from a presuppositional analysis of speech as such have to be complemented by the sensitive perception on the side of the recipients. Only when the claims are understood in their full significance for the speaker does the discourse live up to the ideal which is already anticipated in every speech act. This presuppositional analysis shows secondly that it is mainly the virtuous attitude that is morally relevant and not those capacities for acting morally that the agent already possesses. However, the virtuous attitude genuinely entails the obligation to strive to perfect all those capa cities that enable us to sensitively understand the other's claim. A discussion of the (discursive) capacities that have to be promoted leads to the singling out of sensitivity as contrasted to immediate empathy. It is the reflexive transcendence of the agent's evaluative patterns that allows this emotion to sit well with a post-conventional morality. Finally, I discuss a possible caveat of Wellmer and Habermas who might claim that the proposed conception of virtue would only be valid for participants in discourse, but not for agents acting in the life-world. However, because the discursive virtue is of wide latitude, it does not fall under this objection. The last several years have seen an impressive revival of interest in the concept of virtue. In contrast, the discourse ethics of JÃ ¼rgen Habermas seems to be especially inadequate to account for the ethical significance of virtue, because by emphasizing intersubjective procedures it plays down the importance of individual qualities. In fact, Habermas uses the term 'virtue' rarely, and where he does use it, he criticizes it harshly for presupposing a shared conception of the good life. (1) However, as I will argue in this paper, there is a conception of deontological virtue which is not only compatible, but indispensable for Habermas's theory. Thus, although he attempts to externalize virtue as much as possible into procedures, discourse ethics has to presuppose that the participants possess a genuinely virtuous attitude.