Burning Fall Leaves May Be Hazardous to Your Health

Burning Fall Leaves May Be Hazardous to Your Health Burning fallen leaves used to be standard practice across North America, but most municipalities now ban or discourage the incendiary practice due to the air pollution it causes. The good news is that many towns and cities now offer curbside pickup of leaves and other yard waste, which they then turn into compost for park maintenance or for sale commercially. And there are other burn-free options as well. Burning Leaves May Spark Health Problems Because of the moisture that is usually trapped within leaves, they tend to burn slowly and thus generate large amounts of airborne particulates- fine bits of dust, soot and other solid materials. According to Wisconsin’s Department of Natural Resources, these particulates can reach deep into lung tissue and cause coughing, wheezing, chest pain, shortness of breath and sometimes long-term respiratory problems. Leaf smoke may also contain hazardous chemicals such as carbon monoxide, which can bind with hemoglobin in the bloodstream and reduce the amount of oxygen in the blood and lungs. Another noxious chemical commonly present in leaf smoke is benzo(a)pyrene, which has been shown to cause cancer in animals and is believed to be a major factor in lung cancer caused by cigarette smoke. And while breathing in leaf smoke can irritate the eyes, nose, and throat of healthy adults, it can really wreak havoc on small children, the elderly and people with asthma or other lung or heart diseases. Small Leaf Fires Can Cause Big Pollution Problems Sporadic individual leaf fires usually don’t cause any major pollution, but multiple fires in one geographic area can cause concentrations of air pollutants that exceed federal air quality standards. According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), several leaf and yard waste fires burning simultaneously in a particular locale can cause air pollution rivaling that from factories, motor vehicles, and lawn equipment. Fallen Leaves Make Good Compost Purdue University consumer horticulture specialist Rosie Lerner says that composting leaves is the most eco-friendly alternative to burning. Dry leaves alone will take a long time to break down, she says, but mixing in green plant materials, such as grass trimmings, will speed up the process. Sources of nitrogen, such as livestock manure or commercial fertilizer, will also help. â€Å"Mix the pile occasionally to keep a good supply of air in the compost,† she says, adding that a compost pile should be a minimum of three cubic feet and will generate soil conditioner within weeks or a few months, depending on conditions. Mulch Leaves Instead of Burning Another option is to shred leaves for use as mulch for your lawn or to help protect garden and landscape plants. Lerner suggests adding no more than a two-to-three-inch layer of leaves around actively growing plants, chopping or shredding the leaves first so they don’t mat down and prevent air from reaching roots. As to using leaves as mulch for your lawn, it is just a simple matter of mowing right over the leaves with the lawnmower and leaving them there. As with leaves used for garden mulch, this will provide many benefits, including weed suppression, moisture conservation and moderation of soil temperature. EarthTalk is a regular feature of E/The Environmental Magazine. Selected EarthTalk columns are reprinted on About Environmental Issues by permission of the editors of E. Edited by Frederic Beaudry

If you were to win the lottery describe what would you do with the Essay

If you were to win the lottery describe what would you do with the winning share and why - Essay Example ture plans for travelling around the world and buying expensive cars and portray a spontaneous way of life but conversely I will try and make sure to secure my future with potential investments first, and I would dedicate a fair share of my money to my family and friends who have been part of my life through all the rough patches that I have been through. I will try to stay focused during all the decisions because I wouldn’t want this earning to turn into a nightmare of choices and bad decisions for me. The most vital role play in everybody’s life is associated with their family and friends. For my family and friends who mean the whole world to me, I will try to give them enough money that would cater their indigents for the rest of their lives. I would make sure that the needs and wants of my family and friends are well tended to. As far as my personal needs are concerned I will try to be as much coherent as possible in my investments and I would wish to continue a healthy life style that avoids any drug addictions or buying myself useless gadgets and expensive items that take up a lot of money and it does not bring any real change to my life except for a social status symbolic value. Though the choice of buying a well furnished home with renovated furniture and adorable location is on my list and I will make sure I follow through that list entirely. I will also want to some social charity work as well in the form of donations because after all we live and share the same so ciety and community hence I will try to be part of any social cause that would help eradicate some social issues or to say in particular a â€Å"disease†. As far as my investments are concerned I will make cautious investment and craft a diversified portfolio of investments that take care of my future one way or the other. I will try to make sure that I don’t end up like any of the earlier winners of such lotteries whose lives were turned into a nightmare after hitting the jackpot with

Analysis of Online Learning Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Analysis of Online Learning - Essay Example This is how I felt after prior programmes taken on-campus and wanted a change in my way of acquiring knowledge. At times, one would want to spend some time with their families, listen to them or attend events, but all these were hindered by physical classes. This led to my analysis of the benefits of studying online, and I came up with the following. First, online learning gives a person the freedom to choose the times to read. This is because online courses run for twenty-four hours in a day giving one the chance to work at their own pace. In addition, one studies at the comfort of home avoiding traffic, transport fees, and with peace of mind. To me, summer holidays are valuable and since I could put online courses down whenever I wanted, I chose online classes. Secondly, online classes are relatively cheaper than on-campus classes. Statistics from USA news and World news proves that some students can complete a master’s degree in less than $5,000 in 18 months, in Beaumont, Texas. This means that online courses are far much cheaper than on-campus courses (Online Classes web). Additionally, students avoid many costs when they choose to study in the comfort of their house. Such costs include transportation costs, cost of meals taken outside the house, and dormitory fees. The only pay a student has to part with is the tuition fees. Thirdly, the future of businesses is becoming more remote, which means that students have to get used working via web-based technologies. Working in remote workstations is the modern trend for this technologically advanced society. I found that I could learn this work approach by learning as an online student. More importantly, I realized that online learning offers profound chances of social interaction through various web 2.0 technologies. Â  

Budgeting Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Budgeting - Essay Example (Davis & Davis, 2012) Industry context determines the particular risks that affect the budgeting process and outcomes in certain businesses. In the airline industry, fuel price volatility constitutes an external risk that significantly affects the budget of airlines. Fuel hedging is a strategy practiced in the airline industry to stabilize the budget and offset risks involved in changing prices. Fuel hedging can result to benefits and/or downsides relative to the budget of airlines. Fuel hedging does not ensure absolute positive results for all firms and in all circumstances. Budgeting is a complex process influenced by various factors that could lead to different outcomes. There are lessons to be learned by considering budgeting in the context of fuel hedging in the airline industry. The succeeding discussion focuses on the issues involved in budgeting by taking the case of the airline industry. Lessons on budgeting are drawn and practical applications are identified. Main Issues in Budgeting Budgeting should be realistic and based on a thorough analysis of a firm’s financial needs, current and expected revenue generation, and business objectives (Davis & Davis, 2012). ... An accurate estimate would result to a budget that is very close to the actual amount of resources used. Among airline companies, fuel cost constitutes a significant expense comprising around one-third of the overall budget for a certain period. Airlines need to estimate the expected fuel cost in a given period to be incorporated into the overall budget for that period. Estimation involves uncertainties because of unexpected factors. An unexpected factor is change in the cost of fuel. Airline companies do not have any control over the price of fuel since many factors, from both the demand and supply side can affect the price. The extent of change in fuel prices are also beyond the full control of airline companies. (Karp, 2008) In 2000, fuel prices increased by an average of 18 percent between the second and third quarter to represent a 45 percent increase in the same period of the past year. Estimates of many of the airline companies in the U.S. were not able to approximate the actu al price increase. As a result of the wide gap between the estimated change in fuel prices and actual fuel prices, U.S. Airways incurred losses while America West achieved profit levels much lower that its projections. (Trottman & Carey, 2000) While estimation is wrought with uncertainties, managers and decision-makers lessen the gap between expected and actual expenses by learning from repeated experience of the estimation process given different price situations. Fuel hedging involves an estimation of the rate of change in fuel prices over a given period and entering into an agreement for the supply of fuel at a particular price within that period. The contract represents a price where

Weather and climate Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 1

Weather and climate - Assignment Example The second model shows that the station had a dew point temperature of 60oF and a maximum temperature of 63oF,a barometric pressure of 998mb and a sky cloud coverage 50%. From the second model again I can be noted that the place had a thunderstorm of accompanied by intermittent rainfall (Roger 2010). In the models that answers these questions, it can be observed that in the first model, the station experienced a barometric pressure of 117mb, maximum temperature of 43oF and a minimum temperature of 20oF, the sky was clear, the wind blew from the South west with a speed of 25knots. The pressure change was higher in the last three hours at a +17 with a rising pressure tendency (Roger 2010). In the second model, it can be clearly seen that the station had a barometric pressure of 997mb, the wind blew from the North West, the temperature was 27oF and the dew point temperature was 20oF, there was continuous snow flakes. The amount of precipitation in the last 6 hours was .31, there was also a falling pressure tendency with a falling pressure change of -11 in the last 3hours (Roger

Renewable Energy- Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words - 1

Renewable Energy- - Research Paper Example Over the time, the researchers have analyzed that there is a prompt need for the adaptation of renewable energy. For instance, the usage of solar, biomass and geo-thermal energy is important throughout the world to generate sustainable energy and reduce the greenhouse gas emissions (Nnadi et al, 2011). Oil, coal, water and woods have been used since long to produce energy. However, as the technological advancement takes place, there are new methods of producing energy that are flourishing. The world may face a major energy crisis in the future if the natural resources and energy production is not organized. The energy production is a highly technical field which needs skilled people and machinery. Once the energy is produced, it has to be used efficiently so that it is not exploited or wasted. Thus, it is our duty to focus on the important pathways of producing, using and conserving energy so that the future crisis is resolved. Before the energy is produced or used in any country, a detailed study should take place by their scientists to ensure the processes are carried out in the proper ways. There are certain countries in the world that are in a bad condition due to energy shortfalls which impacts their future progress immensely. It is important to adopt measures that are efficient and reliable to make sure the energy resources of a country are not exploited but used up efficiently. The countries suffering a crisis can overcome it by using natural resources to fulfill the everyday energy demands. Nigeria is an example of the countries that are suffering an energy crisis (Nnadiet al, 2011); China is the country that has made active use of its renewable energy resources and India fights the energy crisis it faces and uses up their renewable energy to the fullest (Ravikrishna, 2011). Nigeria is one of those countries that are rich in natural resources. Their natural resources are water,

Weather and climate Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 1

Weather and climate - Assignment Example The second model shows that the station had a dew point temperature of 60oF and a maximum temperature of 63oF,a barometric pressure of 998mb and a sky cloud coverage 50%. From the second model again I can be noted that the place had a thunderstorm of accompanied by intermittent rainfall (Roger 2010). In the models that answers these questions, it can be observed that in the first model, the station experienced a barometric pressure of 117mb, maximum temperature of 43oF and a minimum temperature of 20oF, the sky was clear, the wind blew from the South west with a speed of 25knots. The pressure change was higher in the last three hours at a +17 with a rising pressure tendency (Roger 2010). In the second model, it can be clearly seen that the station had a barometric pressure of 997mb, the wind blew from the North West, the temperature was 27oF and the dew point temperature was 20oF, there was continuous snow flakes. The amount of precipitation in the last 6 hours was .31, there was also a falling pressure tendency with a falling pressure change of -11 in the last 3hours (Roger