Feces are a natural part of every day life; in fact the ground we walk on and grow our food in is the by-product of one animal species or another. While manure is organic in nature and may even be very useful to humans, sometimes large amounts of manure can pose a significant hazard to our way of life.

Picture for a second, the typical feedlot or pig farm. Hundreds of animals are kept in a relatively small enclosure, and they spend their days eating and metabolising until they are ready to be butchered. This means that there are literally hundreds of pounds of manure created every day, and the large amounts can pose a serious threat to the health of the human population.

Whenever it rains, there is the possibility of manure run off, including several species of bacteria, to find its way into drinking supplies. Usually the combined natural filters of nature will combine with the artificial filters of man to eliminate the risk of health hazards, but in the case of large amounts from commercial farms there is a risk of certain harmful bacteria getting into drinking water supplies.

How do we keep our drinking water safe?

Although the public in general may be at risk, the people most likely to encounter problems will be those who live on or near the feedlot, and that usually includes the owners. That means that not only are there legislated measures for safe manure disposal, but the stakeholders have a personal interest as well. Here are some ways in which manure can be disposed of safely.

Composters. As we mentioned in the opening, manure makes for some of the very best growing material there is. The key is being able to get the manure to a point where the harmful elements are no longer present. This can be achieved through composting; both time devices and special metabolising chemicals are used to concentrate the composting products. Once treated, the manure is no longer harmful and in fact can be a lucrative by-product!

Lagoon treatment. Animal waste is placed in liquid form in pools of water, where aerobic bacteria treat the manure in a way similar to composting.

Technologies. Batch reactors, used for the treatment of human waste, also prove effective. In three separate steps, solids are removed from the effluent, phosphorous is diminished, and finally nitrogen gas is eliminated.

So as you can see, while farm runoff may pose a threat to our drinking water, there are treatments to effectively eliminate the danger. In places like Ontario, new government standards have also been put in place to avoid another Walkerton water tragedy.

Technorati Tags: Animal Species, Chemicals, Composting Products, Drinking Water, environment, Feces, Feedlot, Harmful Bacteria, Harmful Elements, Health Hazards, Human Population, Lagoon Treatment, Manure Disposal, Natural Filters, Personal Interest, Pig Farm, Several Species, sewage, Sludge, Species Of Bacteria, Stakeholders, Time Devices, Way Of Life

On Sunday night, I sat down to watch a Fox News special on the threat of global warming. In a very Fox-like way, all the information was quickly edited, highly graphical and had a great soundtrack. But in a very un-Fox-like way, the point of the program was to present the viewpoint that yes, global warming was real, and yes, human beings are actively contributing to its advance.

So what kind of advertisers would dare to put their commercials on such a controversial show? During the first commercial break, I decided to keep a list of all the spots I saw during that hour.

First off, there were 32 commercials in this one hour. Thirty-freakin’-two. I wouldn’t have recalled a single one of them if I hadn’t written them down. That’s 16 minutes worth of commercials—not counting Fox’s own promos. Simply put, there’s too damned much advertising for any of it to be effective. When will TV networks get the hint?

But quantity of ads is an easy fix. What intrigued me even more was that as I was confronted with melting icecaps, fragile ecosystems and some very dire predictions, not one marketer thought this program and its subject matter deserved any special attention or special message.

The first commercial of the hour was for a new one-use plastic dental floss device that’s already pre-threaded. So right off the bat, I’m hit with a product whose main benefit is that you can use it once and throw it straight into the garbage. Which, in turn, goes to some landfill somewhere, never to decompose. While this product may have an interesting benefit, the first thought I had after seeing this commercial was how wasteful the product is—and how wasted the client’s money was placing it on this show.

5 car manufacturers were brave enough, or foolish enough, to advertise on Fox’s global warming special. 3 of them touted cars with V8 engines. And one was specifically promoting a car with an “air-cooled glove box” – which I’m guessing simultaneously keeps your stuff cool in our now extra-globally-warmed environment and spews more crap into the environment because of the extra needed refrigerant. More wrongheaded media planning.

The only oil company that advertised on the show wasn’t advertising its cleaner gas, alternative fuel sources or new environmental initiatives, it was pushing a credit card for its gas stations. Another dubious media placement.

The rest of the spots seemed incredibly random—beer, investments, assorted pills, delivery services, an electric shaver, a couple of dot-coms, wireless service, a diabetes meter. And a couple of hideous local TV spots for extra suffering.

After I reviewed the list of advertisers, I wondered: Where’s all this supposed creativity in media? Where’s the planning? Is anyone responsible for these ad placements paying attention?

Why was I watching a TV show on global warming and no one tried to sell me a hybrid car or a bicycle? I was in the mood to listen. Whether a product represented a major lifestyle change or a little eco-friendly gesture, any advertiser seeking to appeal to an environmentally conscious audience had their chance—and blew it.

Now, I’m not a media planner. So I couldn’t tell you if there’s a way to always ensure that appropriate messages match the appropriate TV programming. But as TV ratings come under increasing scrutiny, the key to television advertising’s future effectiveness may not come through numbers, but through the relevance and appropriateness of when and where people see that advertising. Of course, you can’t convert that idea into an equation and slap it into an Excel document to justify your 15% commission.

So thanks to Fox, I learned quite a bit about our environment—both the physical and mental ones. If you don’t believe me, do what I did. Sit for an hour and watch TV uninterrupted. Pay attention to what pops up during the commercial breaks.

The power of television advertising won’t die, but it’s melting away. And while it’s partially a function of time and technology, it’s also partially something the ad industry has brought upon itself. And the time to take action is now. Otherwise, all of our careers could be facing extinction.

Technorati Tags: Advertising, Car Manufacturers, Commercial Break, Commercials, Dental Floss, environment, First Thought, Fox News, Fragile Ecosystems, Garbage, global warming, Glove Box, Greenwashing, Human Beings, Landfill, Marketer, Marketing, Mental Environment, Promos, Single One, Special Message, Tv Networks, V8 Engines, Viewpoint

Saving our plant has become a very important part of our lives. We realize that we cannot keep abusing Mother Nature the way we do and still hope for a long and prosperous planet. Earth is already overburdened by chemical and non-biodegradable waste. A lot of money is being channeled into finding alternatives to dispose of different types of waste material with the least damage to our already over-taxed and fragile eco-system.
Computer Waste Products: One Of The Major Concerns For The World At Large
Many parts of the computer, after becoming obsolete are dumped unceremoniously in junk yards where they decompose into harmful by-products. Some of the “leftovers” find their way in third world countries where people have less buying power. None of these solutions are permanent, nor safe, nor environment friendly.
There are many ways in which each one of us can contribute to the cleansing of the environment – particularly with regard to computer and computer-related waste. For example, there are companies who are actively seeking to buy and recycle ink cartridges. Are you among those who carefully preserve the old cartridges for this purpose?

There is actually not much to do other than cooperate with these companies who recycle ink cartridges offering an environment-friendly way of making profit.

You could get yourself listed on the mail list of more than one such company so you could have good and fast service.
For those who would prefer to get their own markets, the Internet is always an invaluable tool. You can get information about prices, companies, mode of pick up, mode of payment, etc. You can choose whichever you think suits you best. By doing so, you join millions of others who recycle ink cartridges; thereby in a modest way, protect the earth from further pollution.
The fringe benefit is that you also get monetary benefit from the process. Hence, if you are not doing so already, do recycle ink cartridges from now on. Refilling you cartridges not only saves the earth from chemical waste but also from the plastic non-biodegradable waste that result from the decomposition of the decomposed computers.

There are some big names in this field like, HP and Epson who have joined the bandwagon in promoting the recycling of ink cartridges. There are plans for other leading companies such as Canon and Lexmark to promote this measure as well.

Technorati Tags: Benefit From, Computer Waste, Earth Pollution, environment, Fragile Eco System, Fringe Benefit, Ink Cartridge, Ink Cartridges, Invaluable Tool, Junk Yards, Leftovers, Mail List, Mother Nature, Non Biodegradable Waste, planet Earth, Printer, Recycle Cartridges, Recycling, Regard, Suits, System Computer, Third World Countries, Waste Material

If you are looking for a way to cut back on your dusting, there are several options that you can choose from. One would be to simply stop doing it, and let the dust pile up.

A better and cleaner option is to invest in an air purifier for your home.
Correlation between Air Purifiers and Dusting
Did you know there is a correlation between air purifiers and dusting your home? You might not think that air purifiers and dusting have anything to do with each other, but that is actually not true. In reality, air purifiers and dusting are very closely related because of what each process achieves.
When it comes to air purifiers and dusting, you are going to find that the majority of the dust in your home comes from the air. The air is always circulating throughout your home, so when the particles are in the air, they move along with it. However, over time the particles become heavier and are no longer able to float in the air.

That is when they settle onto whatever the nearest surface is, whether it is a desk, a table or a shelf. This creates dust, which you then have to clean up. However, even as you dust you are putting more particles in to the air, because you are mixing up what has settled, and sending it back into the air again. This never ending process proves that the only way to rid yourself of dust completely is to get an air purifier.
When it comes to air purifiers and dusting, the best way to get rid of dust in your home is to install an air purifier. You will find that this handy unit will not only give you healthier air to breathe, it is going to do your dusting work for you. The air in your home, as it circulates, is naturally going to be attracted to the air purifier. Once this has happened, the filters inside of the air purifier are going to remove the dust particles from the air, leaving your environment much cleaner and dust free. You will successfully cut down on your housekeeping chores, and your family will be breathing clean air.
Even if the relationship between air purifiers and dusting doesn’t sell you on the idea of purchasing a unit, it is also good to have an air purifier to ensure that the air that your family is breathing is healthy and clean.

Technorati Tags: Air Cleaner, Air Purifier, Air Purifiers, Air Purifiers And Dusting, Alen Air Purifiers, Alpine Air Purifiers, Austin Air Purifiers, Brea, Correlation, Desk, Dust Particles, environment, Handy Unit, Housekeeping Chores, Invest, Options, Pile Up

In a world that is becoming increasingly industrialized, and in a world where more people can afford to drive cars, air pollution is becoming a larger problem. While there are those who would debate whether or not our air pollution is causing global warming, versus the earth’s natural warming process since the last Ice Age, that is not the issue. Definitive proof may or may not be found anytime soon. What is certain, however, is that there are confirmed problems caused by air pollution. These problems include respiratory problems and they also include problems regarding what we eat.

As the world moves more into the modern age, more pollutants are spewed into the air. Rising middle classes in large, formerly poor countries like China and India want the same privileges that we have of driving cars. Additionally, countries that entered the latter half of the 20th Century largely free of industry are now establishing it in order to jump into the 21st Century and bring their economies up to date. Many of these countries are understandably resentful of regulations that others try to foist on them because the already industrialized countries had their opportunity for unregulated and explosive industrial growth. And the increasing demands for cars, coupled with lowered restrictions on pollution output, in the U.S. continues to drive the air pollution machine. No matter where it comes from, however, air pollution causes health problems almost everywhere.

Respiratory problems are a very natural and scientifically established result of air pollution. While mild pollution is not awful for a healthy person in the prime of his or her life, polluting particles in the air can cause problems in children and in the elderly or the infirm. Additionally pollutants in the air can aggravate asthma symptoms and increase allergy symptoms. This can be annoying and dangerous to the health of some people.

But these respiratory problems are not all. Heavy air pollution can be damaging even to the most healthy of people. Mexico City, the largest city in the world, has major air pollution problems. It is said that just breathing the air each day is like smoking more than a pack of cigarettes. If the pollution is heavy enough, serious health problems, including cancer, can result from the toxins constantly breathed in through the air.

Another air pollution problem has to do with mercury. Mercury is a by product of many factories, and is present in the particles spewed from the tops of smokestacks. As the mercury gets into the earths atmospheric system, it mingles with rain, which then falls into water and is absorbed by fish. As larger fish (like tuna) prey on the smaller, they receive even higher amounts. Even though fish is generally healthy, there are some varieties that should be avoided. And it is recommended that no one eat more than two servings of fish per week. Pregnant women and children should eat no more than one serving of some fish and should avoid eating any of certain types of fish, as the mercury can cause defects and has been linked to developmental problems.

Technorati Tags: 20th Century, 21st Century, Air, air pollution, Allergy Symptoms, Asthma, Asthma Symptoms, Definitive Proof, Driving Cars, Earth, Ecology, environment, Environmental, global warming, Health Problems, Healthy Person, Heavy Air, Industrialized Countries, Last Ice Age, Particles, Planet, pollutants, Pollution Problems, Polution, Poor Countries, Privileges, Problems, Respiratory Problems