Givin' Blood

Yesterday I gave blood for the first time in my life.  I didn't realize all the examination and screening that would take place before the actual blood withdrawal to ensure that my blood would be clean for transfusion.  Something that really stuck out to me was the fact the homosexually active men are not allowed to give blood due to the likelihood that they may have AIDS or HIV.  Additionally, individuals who lived in Europe for more than 5 years have an increased chance of carrying Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (Mad Cow Disease) and they are not allowed to donate blood in the U.S.  I guess these restrictions make sense, but it wasn't something I ever thought about.

Here's my vein which blood was drawn from

The Geritol Solution

After reading Survival of the Sickest, I became interested in the concept of the Geritol Solution, a drastic measure that could theoretically be taken to reverse the process of global warming.  To solve global warming, we must focus on the cause, which is primarily the human emission of Green House Gases (or GHGs).  The UN created a group of scientists known as the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change that meets every few years to create a report on the status of the Earth's climate.  Throughout these reports, scientists have discovered there are several key GHGs that are the man source of our climate's problem.  These gases are generally produced from the combustion of fossil fuels in automobiles, factories, and electricity production plants.  The most antagonizing GHG turns out to be Carbon Dioxide or CO2. These GHGs trap heat in the atmosphere and gradually increase the planet's overall temperature. Other GHGs trap a greater amount of heat (methane traps 20 times more heat than CO2), but the actual concentration of CO2 dwarfs the amount of other gases present.  The solutions to this problem are mostly drastic theories that haven't been formally tested.  Some of these solutions include trillions of little "sun shade" reflectors that would lower the overall planet's temperature, a man made volcano that spews sulfur into the air, and, of course, the Geritol Solution.  The Geritol solution basically involves dumping iron dust into certain parts of the ocean, propelling the underwater plant life to flourish.  The excessive ocean flora would theoretically absorbs massive amounts of CO2 from the air, hopefully stabilizing the GHGs in the atmosphere.  Stanford University professor Stephen Schneider commented, "Of course it's desperation... it's planetary methadone for our planetary heroin addict."  Though the president of the National Academy of Sciences, Ralph Cicerone, said that more research must be done and no immediate action should be taken regarding the Geritol Solution, a small company called Planktos Incorporated launched a ship intent on dumping 50 tons of iron dust into the Pacific Ocean in 2007.  Their goal is to create a plankton and algae system that will suck CO2 out of the air.  This Geritol Solution actually gained credibility when the IPCC listed it as a realistic solution to fix GHG levels in 2001, and Planktos CEO Russ George hopes to recreate this on a larger scale.  However, George and his company have come under harsh criticism from individuals who believe that the effects of Planktos' actions on the ocean are unpredictable and a handful of people does not have the right to do this.  I hope that in the near future scientists will take a serious look into the Geritol Solution as a legitimate answer to global warming's dire effects, and refine the difficulties in implementing this project to secure our future on this planet.

Planktos CEO Russ George

A graphic depicting a boat dumping iron dust into the ocean

Links:

http://environment.nationalgeographic.com/environment/global-warming/gw-causes/

http://www-formal.stanford.edu/jmc/progress/iron/iron.html

http://archive.newsmax.com/archives/articles/2007/3/16/153121.shtml

http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2012/oct/19/geoengineering-canada

http://www.sunflowercosmos.org/protect_earth/protect_earth_home/protect_earth_2.html

Blueprint for a Secure Energy Future

"The United States of America cannot afford to bet our long-term prosperity and security on a resource that will eventually run out.  Not anymore. Not when the cost to our economy, our country, and our planet is so high.  Not when your generation needs us to get this right.  It is time to do what we can to secure our energy future."

- President Barack Obama, March 30, 2011

The BLUEPRINT outlines a 3-phase strategy to reduce America's dependence on oil:

• Develop and Secure America's Energy Supplies:
• America must focus on  technology and innovation to make the U.S. a leader in the global energy economy
• Provide Consumers with Choices to Reduce Costs and Save Energy:
• Rising gas prices necessitate research for more efficient forms of energy production.  We must also make it easier for consumes to purchase fuel efficient vehicles and obtain the means to weatherize their home.
• Innovate our way to a Clean Energy Future:
• To lead the world in clean energy, we must create markets that support the growth of new, clean energy technology innovation.  There must also be money put into substantial research of alternate energy solutions for the future of America's energy security.

Links:

http://www.whitehouse.gov/issues/blueprint-secure-energy-future

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/post-partisan/wp/2012/12/17/obama-should-threaten-more-recess-appointments/

http://www.whitehouse.gov/sites/default/files/blueprint_secure_energy_future.pdf

Executive Order 13514

I wanted to see what the government was doing to advance our country into a sustainable, clean future. I found the U.S. governments website on sustainability information here.  The website is called "Performance.gov" and it acts as an example to the American people of their government's progress.  The website stated that they lead by example in environmental performance, and to do this, President Obama passed Executive Order 13514 on Federal Leadership in Environmental, Energy, and Economic Performance in October of 2009.  Executive Order 13514 improved the energy performance of all Federal agencies, and leveraged purchasing power to invest in clean energy technologies.  This Order had many goals in mind:

• Reduce Greenhouse Gas Pollution-
• Reduce emissions by 28% in next 10 years.
• Hold Agencies Accountable for Results-
• Office of Management and Budget Sustainability and Energy Scorecards keep track of an agency's progress and hold them accountable to meet environmental goals.
• Develop Agency Sustainability Plans-
• Required to develop, implement, and annually update a Strategic Sustainability Performance Plan.  Updated each year, these plans establish the process in which each federal agency will complete its sustainability goals.

At the bottom of THIS page, you can view the Strategic Sustainability Performance Plans of a variety of governmental agencies.

I thought that this was a great move by president Obama, because it's setting us up for a green, efficient future that will be much better to live in than a future ruled by expensive, dwindling fossil fuels.  I hope President Obama and Congress can work out some more environmental legislation to put our country on the right path.

Links:

http://sustainability.performance.gov/

http://www.whitehouse.gov/assets/documents/2009fedleader_eo_rel.pdf