“The Story of Coal” a Wake-Up Call to Users (and Abusers) of Electricity

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lC1lrajJExo&feature=player_embedded[/youtube]

Before leaving that (non-CFL) light on after you leave the room, you might want to take a look at the Story of Coal.

In the routine of our daily lives, it’s easy to forget about the ramifications of our actions.  When stopping by the supermarket on your way home from work to pick up some items for dinner, it’s easy to go for processed, overly packaged, imported items and stick them in a non-biodegradable plastic bag.  As you peruse the shelves of that trendy (but not such great quality) clothing store in search of some new t-shirts, it’s easy to forget about the story of stuff.  And when sitting at home with all the (non-energy efficient) lights on, the TV blasting, and every single appliance plugged in (whether you’re using it or not), it’s easy to forget about the story of coal.

But the story of coal is very real, and it ain’t no bedtime story either.

Burning coal is the most globally pervasive method for producing electricity, and despite the increase in renewable forms of energy (such as wind and solar power) it still accounts for at least half of the electricity in most countries.  Burning coal is a major polluter, and leads to lots of nasty carbon emissions.

Which leads, of course, to global warming.

If you’re a little fuzzy about the connection between leaving your lights on (or wasting energy in general) and pollution, check out the clip above, the Story of Coal.

Read more about coal::
Shut Down the New Coal-Fired Power Plants, Says Israel’s New Environment Minister
VIDEO: The Battle Against Coal Power Stations Heats Up in Israel
Coal-Clad Celebrities Take Part in Greenpeace Israel Exhibition

Karen Chernick
Karen Chernickhttps://www.greenprophet.com/
Much to the disappointment of her Moroccan grandmother, Karen became a vegetarian at the age of seven because of a heartfelt respect for other forms of life. She also began her journey to understand her surroundings and her impact on the environment. She even starting an elementary school Ecology Club and an environmental newsletter in the 3rd grade. (The proceeds of the newsletter went to non-profit environmental organizations, of course.) She now studies in New York. Karen can be reached at karen (at) greenprophet (dot) com.

Read More

TRENDING

Dan Zaslavsky’s energy tower dream is rising again in Iran and China

The Energy Tower idea never made the leap from drawings and engineering studies to full-scale construction. But nearly two decades after most people stopped talking about it, the concept is quietly evolving in two unexpected places: China and Iran. The concept let dreamers dream and doers do - figuring out more pleasing designs and engineering.

A visit to Amirim, Israel’s first all-vegetarian village in the Galilee

Just 15 kilometers from Tzfat there is a moshav that was founded in the late 50s that was ideologically influenced by organic, vegetarian and vegan principles. My hostess at Ohn-Bar, the tzimmer where I stayed, explained that the people of Amirim were among the pioneers of Israel’s strong vegetarian movement.

Israeli Hydrogen Startup H2Pro Are Trying to Solve Clean Energy’s Hardest Problem

The company has attracted backing from major investors including Breakthrough Energy Ventures, the climate fund founded by Bill Gates, along with industrial partners such as Sumitomo, ArcelorMittal, and Temasek, a multi-billion dollar company that owns Singapore airlines. H2Pro has raised more than $100 million USD and is moving from pilot projects toward commercial-scale deployments.

Desalination experts debunk Aqua Solaire, the floating desalination barge

AI makes it easy to dream, develop, and create images of what could be world-changing ideas, until the reality sets in. A new project making the rounds is Aqua Solaire, an allged French concept for a solar-powered desalination vessel designed to bring drinking water to coastal communities facing drought, storms, and infrastructure failures.

SunZia comes online and America’s 11B, and largest renewable project begins wind power

The impact is already being felt. California has broken its wind generation record multiple times in recent weeks as SunZia begins feeding electricity into the grid. It’s a glimpse of what a renewable-powered future could look like when large-scale infrastructure finally comes online. Can we start saying goodbye to Saudi Aramco and Arabian Gulf oil? 

Here’s How To Implement The Four Pillars Of Employee Engagement

If you throw a party for your work team and they are vegans, don't make it a barbecue. Know the sustainability values of your team to boost moral and retain good people.

Locals From Rishon Fight IKEA

Big Box stores are a pretty new concept in Israel, and thank God that not every Israeli city wants them in their backyard. A word from someone who has see the beautiful farmland around her hometown Newmarket, Ontario stripped and converted into vulgar strip malls of big box shops: they have no place in a healthy and sustainable town or city.

The Jewish National Fund Meets An Inconvenient Truth

According to the JNF, it has transformed thousands of acres of barren land into green forests in Israel. They state that each person emits about 23 tons of carbon per year, estimating that each tree planted can absorb one ton of carbon in its lifetime. That's a whole lot of trees you'd need to be planting. Could so many fit in Israel?

How to quiet noise from construction in your office

Streets need to be resurfaced in New York but the humming and grinding noise is unsettling. Noise is environmental pollution. 

EarthX and a blueprint for sustainable investing

Trammell S. Crow, a Dallas-based businessman and father of four, is focusing his efforts on impact investing, and media that focuses on saving the planet through EarthX.

Mining Afghanistan’s Mineral Discoveries Similar to Avatar

Now that American forces in Afghanistan are commemorating the longest period of any war that America has been involved in, including the 1965-73 Vietnam War, the recent discoveries of large and extremely valuable mineral and metal deposits may finally bring to light a reason to continue the presence of US fighting forces in this war torn and backward country.

From Pilot Plant to Global Stage: How Aduro Clean Technologies’ 2026 Expansion Signals a Turning Point for Chemical Recycling Investors Like Yazan Al Homsi

The company's Next Generation Process (NGP) Pilot Plant in London, Ontario, has officially moved into initial operating campaigns, generating the kind of structured, repeatable data that separates laboratory promise from commercial viability.

Nobul’s Regan McGee on Shareholder Value: “Complacency Is the Silent Killer” 

Why the governance framework designed to protect shareholders so...

Popular Categories