Your personal Tumblr library awaits
Fossil Fuels - Blog Posts
Amazing, helps to reduce the energy problem.
View on Twitter
The German Finance Minister referred to renewable electricity sources as “the energy of freedom.” Better later than never when it comes to reducing dependence on Russian fossil fuels. Germany 🇩🇪 aims to get 100% of energy from renewable sources by 2035:
(Source)
2019 Temperature By the Numbers
The Year
2nd Hottest
2019 was the second-hottest year since modern record keeping began. NASA and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration work together to track temperatures around the world and study how they change from year to year. For decades, the overall global temperature has been increasing.
Over the long term, world temperatures are warming, but each individual year is affected by things like El Niño ocean patterns and specific weather events.
The global temperature is an average, so not every place on Earth had its second-warmest year. For instance, the continental U.S. had a cold October, but Alaska set records for high temperatures. The U.S. was still warmer than average over the year.
Globally, Earth’s temperature in 2019 was more than 2°F warmer than the late 19th Century.
The Record
140 years
Since 1880, we can put together a consistent record of temperatures around the planet and see that it was much colder in the late-19th century. Before 1880, uncertainties in tracking global temperatures are larger. Temperatures have increased even faster since the 1970s, the result of increasing greenhouse gases in the atmosphere.
10 years
The last decade was the hottest decade on record.
20,000 Individual Observations
Scientists from NASA use data from more than 20,000 weather stations and Antarctic research stations, together with ship- and buoy-based observations of sea surface temperatures to track global temperatures.
The Consequences
90%
As Earth warms, polar ice is melting at an accelerated rate. The Arctic is warming even faster than the rest of the planet. This northern summer, 90% of the surface of the Greenland Ice Sheet melted.
8 inches
Melting ice raises sea levels around the world. While ice melts into the ocean, heat also causes the water to expand. Since 1880, sea levels globally have risen approximately 8 inches, although regional rates of sea level rise can be even higher.
100+ fires
As temperatures increase, fire seasons burn hotter and longer. During June and July 2019, more than 100 long-lived and intense wildfires burned north of the Arctic circle. This year also saw intense, record-setting fires in Australia.
46% increase in CO2 levels
This decades-long warming trend is the result of increasing greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, released by human activities.
Make sure to follow us on Tumblr for your regular dose of space: http://nasa.tumblr.com
Ways to start becoming zero waste
1. Don’t go out and buy new products. Even though you think going out and buying a bunch of containers or food bags is a good idea. Its not. You have all this already. Start by going through what you have and how you can use it in multiple ways. Use old containers that have no lids to store things in your cupboard or fridge. Use canvas bags you have received from clothing stores for your shopping bags. You can use a lot of what you already have, you just forgot about them.
2. Always carry a water bottle. This will stop you from buying unnecessary drinks while you’re out and producing more waste. Plus if you have a large enough bottle you can get stores to put their drinks into your bottle instead of using their own takeaway cups.
3. When you start to see your house becoming more zero waste, when you go for your next shop start by making one room in the house zero waste at a time. Maybe work on this per month. Here is a guide i found on pinterest that i think is a great idea.
13.01.2017 I’m so proud of my little celery! She’s about a month old and grew from a stump leftover from cooking :) Let’s name her Cassia.
Journey to zero waste #23 🌱💚
A good day!! Got coffee with my bud and did a little thriftin!
-the most convenient zero waste swap is a mason jar! Mason jars are perfect for storing things, used for take out, bulk shopping, and my favorite iced coffee
-did a little thrifting! It can be super tempting at times to but from fast fashion stores but a little thrifting and you can find just what you’re looking for and so much cheaper! I wanted woven sandals and if I had bought the ones I wanted they would have been $120 but I got these for $2.99!!!
-also working a lot harder to buy things from thrift stores I’ve either really been wanting if am most definitely going to wear! Just because it’s from a thrift store doesn’t mean you need to buy it!
When people say that major corporations and industries are responsible for global warming and that we can do very little to make a difference, I totally agree with/understand/ respect that.
But like, that’s not where it ends?
We need to realise that our money and the choices we make in everyday life have massive effects on how industries are run.
Using paper straws wont do shit in the grand scheme of things, but when you go to your local shop and look at the straws on offer, what do you now see?
Less plastic and more paper, because they know that’s what we want and what we will buy.
In the long run, stuff like that does make a difference.
It’s the same with veganism, we see more vegan food/places because demand has been created. Money will be made here, less land is used, no animals die, less waste and less pollution.
And it’s not out of the kindness of some CEOs heart, it because they want you to buy THEIR tofu and not someone else’s.
If we have this “it won’t make a difference” attitude then nothing will ever change.
We have power over companies and we should use it.
So use that paper straw, get the reusable bag, eat less meat, do whatever you want to do to have a positive impact in the world and don’t ever feel like you’re not making a difference because you are
Journey to zero waste #22 🌱💚
-homegrown blueberries!! They tasted so good and we were so excited to pick them (hence my little sisters thumbs up). Our garden is coming along too with peppers, cabbage, beets, and just about every other vegetable we could plant. Growing our own produce makes me so happy it’s so gratifying
-low waste farmers market meal 🌻 made this meal as low waste as possible using pretty much everything from the farmers market except some vegan cheese which I will make myself once I finish up what we have!
If every working-class person in the world decided this afternoon to install solar panels on their roofs and started biking instead of driving, the ice caps would still melt and the human race would still die off. It simply isn’t possible to end climate change while working within a system that sends all your products overseas in massive supertankers wrapped in unrecycled plastic that will be thrown in a landfill the moment it hits land - and practices like that aren’t going to go away because of your purchasing habits.
Nor are we gonna hit some magical point where using clean energy and reducing waste are suddenly the cheapest or most profitable option and so all the world’s big companies fall over each other to switch over. That has never been the case and never will be - the “free market” isn’t going to save us.
The fact of the matter is, this system needs to be torn down if our species is to survive. We don’t have time to delay the revolution anymore. Capitalism is extinction.
2025 corporate pride month: exxonmobil posts this pic and says oil is pro LGBT
Reduce. Reuse. Recycle.
The three R’s rule includes small changes in daily lifestyle that are really important in saving our mother Earth. It’s worth taking into consideration to reduce your carbon footprint. ⋆
Firstly, a lot of people consider recycling to be problematic and even unnecessary. But recycling is an effect of high level waste which causes serious environment pollution. The most publicized of them are soil pollutions and plastic soup. So if you aren’t a fan of recycling try to produce less garbage, but still it doesn’t mean you shouldn’t recycle your waste. ⋆ There are also a lot of things that are especially difficult to recycle such as styrofoam, silica gel, plastic bottle caps, paper plates, napkins and coffee cups, plastic bags, bubble wrap, jiffy bags, shredded and richy colored paper, toothpaste tubes and toothbrushes, clingfil, pill packets, disposable razors, fruit netting, tires, electronics… and a lot of more stuff. ⋆
In solution try using material bags for shopping, cloth napkins, material towel instead of paper ones, bamboo toothbrushes, soaps, safety razors with replaceable razors, you can also try to make your own cosmetics and cloth pads etc., reusable is the keyword! You can save the planet and your own money at the same time, isn’t it worth it? ⋆
While on the subject, ask yourself if you need all those things in your house. If so, keep it, use it and use it up, try making something new out of it instead of buying new items, borrow it to your friends or relatives if you can and if it’s broken try to fix it. But if there are things that you don’t use (I’m sure there are) try selling it. I’m selling a lot of things online in low prices so I have more space and money and the items aren’t wasting but also exchanging things with someone is a good idea ⋆
Okay it’s all for today, gree(n)tings ⋆
Free ways to be more environmentally friendly/zero waste
Email companies about their packaging and role in sustainability. You can easily do any company you like to buy from - even encourage less packaging waste to organic environmentally friendly ones because sometimes it’s hard to get those products without plastic.
Pick up trash and properly recycle it if you can
Learn and spread that information. Online, in person, make a cheap zine or pretty picture to post online to get more attention. And don’t spread false info, you should check multiple sources especially since big companies may like to shit talk about options that oppose them.
Eat less. Eat less meat. Eat less packaged products. Eat out less. Eat less dairy and cheese.
Eat more in terms of what you already have so you don’t have food waste. Meal planning can help with this. And be sure to look up actual expiration times on foods you buy in order to keep track and because the sell by/use by date is more for actual stores vs you eating it. Just, you know, have common sense and make sure it’s not chunky, smelly or slimey.
Dumpster Diving. Some people live solely off the food they find in dumpsters. Just do your research, check local laws, and bring gloves.
Start a garden with your food scraps.
Compost. You already have the banana peels, grass clippings, etc. Might as well try to compost it then add whatever compostable packaging you get after.
Buy less, that’s a given. First rule of zw is to use what you have. And focus on your needs vs feelings, “cheap deals” or aesthetic.
Recycle. That’s not free if you have to pay the trash company fees to be apart of their recycling program like I do. But there probably are recycling bins locally. It depends on your household number, location to the recycling bins, transportation but the easiest option would be to just collect it over a period of time if you have space at home then take it all to be recycled. Grocery stores like Walmart also have plastic bag recycling bins because grocery bags tend not be accepted at certain recycling programs. Here’s a good guide on recycling plastic.
Re-use. You really don’t need those aesthetically pleasing mason jars or fancy jars off Amazon. Use glass jars you already buy. Jam jars, pickles jar, sauce jars, spice jars, heck even wine bottles. You can even find or reuse the plastic bottle tops and put on the glass jars for instant shaker or squirt bottle. Plastic ones too. I put little craft stuff in my soy sauce containers. You can still reuse water bottles for a while before recycling it. Also try to re-use things your family or friends don’t use anymore.
Repurpose/upcycle/DIY. There are already a million different ideas out there on how to find new uses just about everything you already have. And sometimes DIY is better than buying. You can make underwear from t-shirts. Mesh curtains can become produce bags. Beewax wraps - and even vegan versions of this - seem to be cheaper and easy to make. You can un-knot old knit/crochet products and make something new with the yarn.
Use fossil fuels differently- which you’ve already been told. Cold water saves on energy used to heat it up. Wash clothing less. Turn down the house temperature a little bit. Turn off light and electronics. Car pool, ride a bike, use public transportation, make one trip a month to that one bulk store two hours away vs multiple in a shorter time span.
Free Stuff/Trading. Use Freecycle, find a local group for free stuff on fb, organize a clothing swap, look on the side of the road because people throw out perfectly good household stuff like chairs and appliances.
Choose slow shipping and less packaging. Two day shipping means trucks aren’t packed to full capacity which means more trucks driving back and forth thus more emissions. Vox did a good video about it here. If you shop at Amazon you know you can have your package wait and get all your items in one box. But you can do more! Shelbizlee did a great video about reducing Amazon packaging.
Consider, think and research. There are endless things to think about and consider your options. Easy stuff like buying secondhand instead of new, choosing a glass or cardboard option vs plastic in your grocery store, checking for local options. But there’s also having to consider if it’s more zero waste and sustainable to diy or purchase from an ethical company. And you might even want to reduce your recycling more since plastic can only be recycled a number of times so then you have to reconsider IF and how you can re-design your zw routines even more. These are things that are different for everyone but don’t get overwhelmed by seeing lots of problems and not being able to solve every one in your lifestyle. Doing the best you can is the goal.
Happy Earth Day!! Tick off your progress of your zero-waste journey! How many do you do already and how many will you be able to do by the end of the year?
Going zero waste is something that everyone adapts to differently according to what they have available, so do what you can, be aware and spread the word!
I wanted to add a link to every product, and I also need to add some other things but if you want to help me out that’d be great!
today is earth day! in honor of Mother Earth let’s guillotine every ceo that’s willfully contributing to climate change despite having billions of dollars that could be used to stop it!
FYI
to help make a difference in climate change and to not contribute to human and animal suffering as much as possible i:
- am vegan in all aspects - do not have a car - walk and bike as much as possible - use public transportation when i can not - use reusable bags - use reusable water bottles - use reusable utensils - use reusable containers - refuse plastic at all opportunities - buy recycled/fair trade clothing as i can - try my hardest to be zero waste - throw away NO food - recycle everything i can - switched to having all of my energy come from renewable sources - appreciate all water i use - pick up trash - buy local produce when i can - forgo produce that uses many resources - donate money to vegan and environmental causes - live a minimalistic life - get furniture and appliances second hand if possible - sell and donate things i no longer use
does that make me better than you? of course it doesn’t. but i probably am doing better than you. what the fuck are you doing for the planet? do more.
A great source for students interested in sustainable living!
🌲🌿 Being A Green Student 🌿🌲
Hello my studious friends! I’ve decided I’d (finally) make the green student guide that I’ve been promising forever. Here you’ll find a handy list of ways you can stay environmentally conscious while hitting the books. Feel free to pick a choose what suggestions work best for you and your lifestyle. Again, these are purely suggestions, but I really recommend adopting as many as you can. All of us, especially those in the traditionally “western” nations with outrageous carbon footprints (aka America and many parts of Europe), need to start thinking about how we impact our planet in our daily lives. It’s the only one we have. At first, these suggestions may seem excessive or strange, but I promise, after a week or two, they’ll feel like second nature. So, I hope you take up these tips, and enjoy my guide to be a greener student!
Disclaimer: I understand that being green can be expensive, with little reward besides a cleaner lifestyle and conscious. I’m a financially impaired student, just like many of you. I’m not one to go around attacking people for not trying to be sustainable, just passing along tips I’ve picked up. That said, most of these tips can be modified, with a dash of creativity, to fit your monetary needs. And, obviously, I’m not saying that if you’re struggling to feed yourself you should go drop all your money on recycled notebooks, because that would be ridiculous.
Open the Read More to, well, read more!
Keep reading
I just started using reusable bamboo pads as another small step to reducing my waste. If you use cotton pads, I recommend investing in reusable ones. Like most things, we don’t realize how much waste they produce. When you factor in the packaging they come in, plus using them once every day or two, the waste adds up. Not to mention the energy it takes to produce them. These are from Marleys Monsters and they’re great!
Instagram: vibing.vegan
Environmentalism is really about seeing our place in the world in a way that humans have always known up until very recently - that we are part of nature - utterly dependent on the natural world for our well being and survival.
David Suzuki (via spirituallyminded)
Looking for blogs to follow
Reblog if you post about any of the following topics:
Environmentalism
Zero waste/minimal waste living
Eco friendly tips
Sustainability
Climate change
OR anything related
Is it just me or has anyone else recently noticed more people and mainstream media are talking more about climate change? Are more people FINALLY realizing this is a serious issue and the state of the future is at risk?
I’m just so terrified that my children will never be able to experience nature as it is with all the animals and diversity and plants and insects and forests and snow because this generation didn’t wake up.
not to get all fake deep about the state of manufacturing rn but a piece of a plastic bottle is literally gonna outlive the memory of us by dozens of generations
frankly? ban all plastics. require all public buildings to be solar powered. public community gardens in every neighborhood. ban all pesticides. ban fossil fuels. put wind turbines on every sky scraper. gardens on every rooftop. tax cars and fund public transportation. build bike lanes across every city. train/railroad infrastructure across the country (tear down highways). every state mandated to have a certain percentage of land be a wildlife preserve. local/organic farms get huge tax breaks. raise the minimum wage. aquaponics farms in every city. every family has chickens in their backyard. community composting. jeff bezos’s body for fertilizer. i have a clear idea of what i want the world to look like and i want it now. hire me
it’s so funny when capitalists are like Stopping climate change is TOO EXPENSIVE. like money isn’t even fucking real you know what is? Earth and you know what’s about to not be real anymore? Earth
From the International Energy Agency:
Global carbon-dioxide (CO2) emissions from fossil-fuel combustion reached a record high of 31.6 gigatonnes (Gt) in 2011, according to preliminary estimates from the International Energy Agency (IEA). This represents an increase of 1.0 Gt on 2010, or 3.2%. Coal accounted for 45% of total energy-related CO2 emissions in 2011, followed by oil (35%) and natural gas (20%).