...Reducing your Personal Energy Use Reducing your Personal Energy Use Ever since the human settlements and their population place pressure on the environment through the increasing demand for water, energy and land, and also through the production of wastes that includes greenhouse gas emission. These impacts can also be regard as direct, through the use of water, energy, and land, or indirect, through the production and distribution of goods and services that household consumes. There is evidence that our way of living and the direction of the development in today’s society are not considered ecologically sustainable. This essay is about exploring how we can use creative thinking to find a sustainable solution to a problem that we are currently facing, which is Climate Change. By applying the Osborn’s (1979) Creative Problem-Solving-process, together with creative thinking tools, this essay explore the way’s that we as an individual can come up with to reduce our consumption and change our habits to achieve a significant sustainable reduction in our personal energy use .This is achieved by identifying a problem, then generating ideas, then evaluating the potential solution the problem. The first step to Osborn’s (1979) CPSP is the fact-finding, which acquire us to identify the problem, and present fact about it for supporting. Individual demand for the energy is increasing day-by-day; there are many causes for it e.g. IT appliances, production and preparation of food and clothing...
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...Energy return on investment - which fuels win? http://www.carbonbrief.org/blog/2013/03/energy-return-on-investment-which-fuels-win/ * 20 Mar 2013, 16:00 * Mat Hope and Ros Donald By Arnold Paul The days of easy to extract fossil fuels are numbered. Companies are using more energy-intensive methods to get to conventional fossil fuels, and turning to harder-to-extract fuels such as shale gas. But do these sources give us a good return on the energy we invest? A new article investigates how assessing this return could help us make decisions about our energy future. The feature in Scientific American compiles a range of sources to look at which energy sources provide the most energy compared the the amount of energy it takes to extract them - called their energy return on investment (EROI). We take a look at the returns different fuels offer - and examine some other considerations to take into account when choosing how to meet energy demand. Energy return on investment Professor Charles Hall, an ecologist at the SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry, developed the concept of EROI to give a common measure for comparing very different fuels. Finding out fuels' EROI means working out how much energy it takes to make the materials usable - like finding oil, drilling the well, pumping it out and refining it - and how much energy you get afterwards. It's a simple equation - you divide the energy output by the energy input. A high EROI means you get a...
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...Incentive Plan 1 SAMPLE 1 Pratt Nursing Home’s Incentive Plan Introduction Human resource represents the most valuable asset to an organization and it is for this reason that an organization will go to great lengths in keeping its employees satisfied. Employee satisfaction is known to be a factor that can have a significant on the performance of employees and by extension the overall achievement of organizational goals. There are several techniques currently applicable in the field of human resource management that can be put into use to achieve this goal of maintaining a content staff. An incentive plan is one such technique mainly aimed at providing drive to achieve targets (Schoeffler, 2005). Business in the world today has seen the evolution of several plans available for application with widely varied results. An organization may choose to implement one plan or several incentive plans operating at once leaving employee’s to choose plans to pursue based on their individual goals. Despite the fact that all organizations would like to keep a staff that is highly motivated and productive it is not always possible to implement some of the plans based on factors that may be out of the organization’s control. For example, a non profit organization would find it impossible to implement a profit sharing plan. The selection of the incentive plan to use is dependent on the type of business among other factors and if properly implemented can provide a major boost to the organization...
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...Statement of Objectives My reason for choosing to do graduate work in the field of Water and Environment Energy is based on many reasons which I would mention below. • Studies related to Water and Environment energy would help me acquire better future and personal growth as this is the requirement of our tomorrow, with energy production through fossil fuels is going to end as the resource of this energy production which is fuel is to eng and we need alternative solutions to produce energy and producing energy by Water is a clean energy which is environmental friendly. • My own interest lies in finding out new ways of producing cheap and clean energy, I have always been interested in solar power and hydrothermal power plants as they inspire me that there are many other ways to produce energy. I would like to see a carbon free world where breathing air is clean and pure. • Me as alone can do nothing to change this world as we all are dependant of each other. I may have ideas to produce clean energy but I also need resources to produce it. Masdar can help me pursue my dreams, Masdar and I can make efforts to bring up new innovations and technology. Reduction of carbon emission is my first priority and would like to work and gain knowledge from the faculty of Masdar about it. Admission into Masdar on scholarship would be an honour for me, I am fully aware that my past academic result is below your requirement but I definitely have the interest and passion to...
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...COMPETITIVE STRATEGIES AND GOVERNMENT POLICIES Competitive Strategies and Government Policies PLACE INTRODUCTION HERE – WENDY Solar energy is one of the cleanest energy sources available and some of the richest resources in the world. With modern technology the solar energy can be harnessed for many different uses from providing electric, to heating and cooling, even heating up water for domestic, commercial, or industrial use. The solar market faces both challenges and opportunities; the industry is working to scale up production of solar technology. Solar energy can be stored in what they call solar cells which are then made into large panels. By catching the solar rays the sun puts out including the suns heat it gives off it can be all used to provide all of us with the resources we need each day. Some utility-scale solar plants can store energy produced for use, and set it to be used after the sun sets in the evening. PLACE RAYKEYIA’S INPUT HERE Since the solar industry is now a big market that is propagating at a rapid past, it has also had a great impact on the economy. Companies and manufacturers in the USA that can be identified in this market are First Solar, Sun Power, United Solar Ovonic and many others that helping in the trend of solar energy. According to SEIA.com, the Solar Foundation's Solar Job Census 2012, there are more than 119,000 solar workers in the U.S., a 13.2 percent increase over employment totals in 2011. These workers are employed...
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...capital investment in new, energy efficient equipment. According to the tax assessor’s office, the average life of candy making machinery and equipment is fifteen years (Personal Property Manual, 2010). Taking a look at the depreciation taken by the company, it can be assumed that most of the equipment is much older than this. Energy is the biggest expense for a company outside of raw resources. As the price of energy increases, it becomes more important for a company to reduce energy usage. Every dollar saved by energy conservation is cost avoided. This can result in a more profitable business in the long term. Retrofitting plants with more energy efficient technology will help Tootsie Roll to stay profitable even with high energy cost peaks. The return on investment is around ten years depending on the price of energy. Software technologies can enhance the energy efficiency and reduce waste of raw products that could reduce this below ten years. Process controls give the operators the ability to increase production yield without wasting energy or resources. Asian company reduced the energy consumption of their site by twenty percent by retrofitting with energy improvement taken into consideration (Evans, 2003, p. 117). Tootsie Roll can benefit from process optimization which will propel the company into the future. References Evans, D. B. (2003). Saving Energy in Manufacturing with Smart Technology. Energy World, 6(2), 112-118. Personal Property Manual. (2010,...
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...THE ZERO MARGINAL COST SOCIETY "To live well, we must work well" - folk wisdom. The capitalist model is practically not working. The collapse does not occur in one day, but it happens on a daily basis with local and some periodically stepped collapse. The standard of living of citizens' continuously and steadily getting worse, this is the social significance of the global crisis. Why the number of dissatisfied with the life is growing? The authorities are accusing the people: “you are guilty and don’t work well”. People are accusing authorities: “all of you are stealing our national wealth”. Both sides are right. Why do people and authorities -"do not want" to change and what will stimulate them to start “wanting"? We are living in a dangerous time, when: • Outdated socio-economic norms and government institutions are losing legitimacy (dying), informal (including illegal ones) rules are accepted; • Authorities are stealing and squandering, lives with outdated economic dogmas, protects outdated socio-economic rules and loses trust "the people" (for example, the latest scandal with excessive tax benefits in Luxembourg for international corporations) • Implemented ideology of distracting entertainment and consumption; • Dissatisfaction with the level of people’s life and authority actions are turning people into apathy, "universal" values are washed out, the quality of labor is falling; • Strengthens sprouts (beginnings)...
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...ASSESSING METHANOL PRODUCTION IN CHINA FOR METHANEX by Gabriel Wong Bachelor in Business Administration, Simon Fraser University, 2000 PROJECT SUBMITTED IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF MASTER OF BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION In the Faculty of Business Administration © Gabriel Wong, 2010 SIMON FRASER UNIVERSITY Summer 2010 All rights reserved. This work may not be reproduced in whole or in part, by photocopy or other means, without permission of the author. APPROVAL Name: Gabriel Wong Degree: Master of Business Administration Title of Project: Assessing Methanol Production in China for Methanex Supervisory Committee: __________________________________________ Dr. Pek-Hooi Soh Senior Supervisor Assistant Professor __________________________________________ Dr. Aidan Vining Second Reader CNABS Professor of Business and Government Relations Date Approved: __________________________________________ i ABSTRACT Methanex is the world leader in methanol production and marketing. China is an important market; by 2014 it is forecasted to account for 50% of global demand. The purpose of this project is to determine whether Methanex should invest in methanol production in China. The project approach uses a multi-goal analysis focusing on three goals: (1) Consistent with Corporate Vision, (2) Sustainment of Existing Competitive Advantages, and (3) Profitability. Based on the analysis, the...
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...Newer Sources of Fossil Oil in North America (Favoring Production of Oil Sands and Opposing the Production of Tar Sands) Discovery about Tar/ Oil Sands Tar/ Oil sands are very important for determining the energy requirements of any country. Today we highly depend on the energy resources and could not succeed without considerable energy resources available to us to meet our daily production needs. Fossil fuels which are based on coal, natural gas, renewable, nuclear and oil are the main sources of energy in this highly competitive world depending on these energy sources. The major part of the world’s energy needs is met by using fossil fuels which are proved to be the abundant sources of energy necessary for the development of modern world. Tar/ oil sands represent 60% of the world’s accessible oil and different oil producing countries such as Saudi Arabia, Venezuela and Canada. Total oil reserves account for 174 billion barrels but technology evolvement can increase these reserves at larger level up to an estimation of 315 billion barrels. Figure: Cashing in on Tar Sands In favoring new discovery of oil sands, they are much important for the economic growth of any country to give them competitive edge over others with extra energy resources. According to Canadian engineer Joseph Hill, with an access of new technologies and natural resources in environment friendly manner, additional resources of oil sands can be handy for the economic growth. She investigated that refining...
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...issued a new report that says biofuels do more to create global warming than burning fossil fuels. The reason is that raising the plants to be turned into ethanol and biodiesel releases large volumes of nitrous oxide (N2O), which is 300 times more potent than carbon dioxide (CO2) as a greenhouse gas. Once again, trying to solve humanity's longterm energy and climate problems by hastily grasping at so called green solutions has resulted in the opposite of what eco-activists have claimed. Biofuels have been promoted as a way of reducing the amount of CO2 being pumped into the atmosphere by burning fossil fuels. Plants such as sugar cane, corn (maize), wheat and oilseed rape absorb carbon dioxide as they grow. In theory, burning fuels made from them should have no net effect on the amount of CO2 in the atmosphere and, therefore, should not contribute to global warming. In Europe, efforts have concentrated on the use of rape seed oil for biodiesel while America has focused its efforts on corn in the short term with a vague promise of a shift to non-food cellulose (wood) sources sometime in the future. The ICSU report concludes that the production of biofuels has increased rather than reduced global warming. In particular, it supports the controversial findings published in 2007 by Paul Crutzen of the Max Planck Institute for Chemistry in Mainz, Germany. Dr Crutzen concluded that most analyses had underestimated the impact on global warming of N2O by a factor of three to five. The amount...
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...Based on my own personal food audit, my three chosen food items have traveled more than the average distance of most food as noted above by the Worldwatch Institute. The bananas were imported all the way from Guatemala (Figure 1.1), the grapes were grown in California (Figure 1.2), and the rice was grown all the way from Thailand (Figure 1.3). This is not sustainable at all, as my food had to be transported over long distances and even longer supply chains to reach me. This choice to consume food from far-away sources means I am actively supporting a powerful industry that has consequences on local growers, regional economies and global environmental conditions. Who actually has authority over the food industry? Generally, only a small handful of companies control a large percentage of the market. This tight hold on the industry gives little room for independent and family farms to thrive. An example is Monsanto...
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...Andrew Hayes Advanced Financial Management Fall 2013 Controversy in Corporate Finance: Chesapeake Energy Controversy in corporate finance is nothing new; it has been going on well before the term “corporation” was ever used. The power of money has always been an ongoing factor ever since humans started to use it to obtain goods and services. While, controversy over money is nothing new, controversy in corporate finance is much more complex and complicated, often requiring finance managers, accountants, and sometimes the SEC to sort everything out. Sometimes an executive or executive(s) get fired, sometimes they go to prison and sometimes they are given huge amounts of money to leave the company. Most of the time it seems like the latter of those options. As in the case of Chesapeake Energy, where the co-founder and CEO was given around 47 million dollars in salary, bonuses, perks, and stock options when he stepped down this year as CEO of the company due to controversial spending and declining cash flow revenue for the multi-billion dollar company. The controversy stems from a breach of financial ethics and decision making that is supposed to have the best interest of your shareholders in mind. Chesapeake Energy Corporation (NYSE: CHK) is the second-largest producer of natural gas, the 11th largest producer of oil and natural gas liquids and the most active driller of onshore wells in the U.S. Headquartered in Oklahoma City, the company's operations are focused...
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...Title and subtitle of the report Improved waste management of textiles Summary In Sweden, we consume 15kg of textiles per capita and year. Of this roughly 8kg are incinerated and 3kg are reused by charity organisations. The remaining 4kg either accumulates (e.g. in a closet or wardrobe) or are handled through other means of waste management (e.g. recycling centres). This way of waste management is not optimal from an environmental point of view. The textile waste flows are small by weight but large by environmental impact. The production of virgin textiles give rise to about 15 kg of carbon dioxide per kg textile and uses large amount of water; energy and chemicals and poses a risk both for the environment and human health. Policies and measures to reduce the consumption of virgin textile are needed. Hindrances for a more sustainable textile waste management are primarily economical: The environmental cost is not incorporated in the production of virgin textiles which is one of the reasons that they are cheap compared to reused and recycled textiles. They are also produced in low cost countries while collection for reuse by nature occurs in Sweden where labour is more expensive. Recycling of textiles is not due to economic reasons performed on a large scale in Sweden today. There is a need to optimise the formal reuse of textiles...
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...The term ‘carbon footprint’ has become tremendously popular over the last few years and is now in widespread use across the media. With climate change high up on the political and corporate agenda, carbon footprint calculations are in strong demand. Numerous approaches have been proposed to provide estimates, ranging from basic online calculators to sophisticated life-cycle analysis or input-output-based methods and tools. Despite its ubiquitous use however, there is an apparent lack of academic definitions of what exactly a ‘carbon footprint’ is meant to be. The scientific literature is surprisingly void of clarifications, despite the fact that countless studies in energy and ecological economics that could have claimed to measure a ‘carbon footprint’ have been published over decades. This report explores the apparent discrepancy between public and academic use of the term ‘carbon footprint’ and suggests a scientific definition based on commonly accepted accounting principles and modelling approaches. It addresses methodological question such as system boundaries, completeness, comprehensiveness, units and robustness of the indicator. >>> Processes causing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions benefit humans by providing consumer goods and services. This benefit, and hence the responsibility for emissions, varies by purpose or consumption category and is unevenly distributed across and within countries. We quantify greenhouse gas emissions associated with the final consumption...
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...The detrimental effects of the world’s reliance on fossil fuels are clear: fossil fuels (oil and gas) are non-renewable and dwindling sources of energy. Pollution and emissions from fossil fuels contribute significantly to climate change (The 63rd Annual Lindau Meeting). Big oil companies cause huge oil spills in Alaska and the Gulf of Mexico. International conflicts are caused and wars are fought over reliance on foreign oil. Something has to change. Biodiesel, which is diesel fuel made from vegetable oil or animal fat. It is a renewable source of energy. Burning of biofuel emits carbon dioxide which is used by plants to grow (The 63rd Annual Lindau Meeting). Biodiesel can be used in existing diesel engines (Their). (might seem to be the perfect solution to the world’s energy problems but it isn’t. Production of biodiesel requires converting farm land used for growing food into farms to grow the corn, peanut or soybean crops used to produce biodiesel (Ussery). The world’s population is increasing every day and we need to be growing more food, not less. If existing farm land is used to grow fuel crops instead of food then there will either be a shortage of food or we will be forced to use wetlands, cut down forests or go into the Amazon in order to increase food production, which is known as “indirect land use changes” (Zeller). There are also the questions of the amount of petroleum products used to plant, fertilize, irrigate, spray pesticides, harvest, transport, convert...
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