Green Spot

It seems that black gold is permeating our lives with no end in sight. With the BP Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill still expelling oil in the Gulf of Mexico (albeit a bit less thanks to their recent capping of the “leak”), China’s recent experience with an oil spill, a Canadian oil pipeline leaking in to the Kalamazoo River in Michigan (that may reach Lake Michigan), and oil spills continually haunting the Nigerian Delta for years, oil may become more than just a part of our lives but inhabit our bodies and minds for generations to come. It has spilled everywhere.

Although these catastrophes have occurred in very public settings with a lot of media coverage, many countries such as Brazil, Norway and Libya are still going forward with deepwater oil rig drilling. Even in one of the world’s most biologically diverse freshwater lakes (in East Siberia, Russia), governments send crews underwater to plan oil rigs and dig for more of the black substance that makes the world go ’round.

With problems though, come solutions, hopefully. The famous “X-Prize” foundation, notorious for advancing and innovating automobiles, space travel and more, has offered up over a million dollars for ideas on cleaning oil spills. One recent development (first thought up in 1997) is the Abtech Smart Sponge that doesn’t soak up water-soluble liquids, but instead binds oil to its polymer fibers and essentially sucks the oil spill out of the water. Maybe one day, the solution will be to stop using oil altogether.

It's time to ween ourselves off oil.

We’re big fans of China, and no matter what a lot of media tends to say, its a great country that not only helps to sustain the economies and standards of living of the world, but has a rich history that predates much of western culture and contains a rational, down-to-earth and varied people. Not only have we talked about how China leads the world in eco-friendly ventures with major advances in wind power, tons of reforestation, partnering with Singapore to build an eco-city, but they also help places such as the U.S. state of our headquarters, California (Build the train already! What’s taking so long?!) and American companies such as General Electric.

They are not without their problems though, and are experiencing a similar oil spill as we are currently suffering through. In China’s Northeast, a large port has seen an oil pipeline burst and slick flows in to the Yellow Sea. China’s Government is acting fast to ensure it does not spread in to international waters. They are utilizing an oil-eating bacteria that is better for the environment than the highly controversial Corexit used by BP and our Coast Guard in the Gulf. In fact, the same bacteria biotechnology was used when the Exxon Valdez incident occurred in Alaska:

“The process, known as bioremediation, uses microorganisms to break down some toxic hydrocarbons present in crude oil into less harmful compounds.”

It seems that China practices what they preach. Yet the news is still not all that great for China.

The International Energy Agency (IEA) has measured China’s energy consumption, and it seems that China has dethroned the U.S.A. as the largest energy consumer. Although those are initial findings, there is indeed an odd dismay at hand. For a country of 3 Billion people to have finally overtaken the largest industrial nation in the world that consists of about 300 Million - is a bit strange. With all the steps they are taking to promote going green, it seems like it may take a lot longer for a country of its size to reduce energy waste - but at least they are trying, and spending time, money and effort to build towards a cleaner future.

There's too much at stake for China to not go green.

Although we are very positive people, we also want habits to change for the better - and we also want to practice prevention. Prevention against plastic waste, and especially, not knowing facts regarding distasters that can be prevented through votes, consumer demand and knowledge. Understand that by knowing about the current oil spill crisis, it will better help future generations know how to deal with similar issues, but godwilling they will never have to deal with something like this.

The oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, which has harmed aquatic life, the lives of the southern U.S. bordering the Mississippi Gulf coast, many beaches and more, has gone on for nearly 100 days straight.

The Associated Press has set up a very scary and simple counter that uses an average of expert, government and oil company estimates to determine how many gallons of oil has leaked in to the ocean. As of this posting, it was over 183 Million Barrels. The counter does a good job of trying to help people understand the sheer amount by stating other measurements such as the fact that every American could have spilled over a six-pack of oil cans in to the ocean and still have not reached the amount spilled - a very grim figure.

In fact, you can view any website with a virtual oil spill on screen to let it hinder your day if you’re sadistic or want to try and empathize. British Petroleum (BP), although taking the primary blame for supposedly cutting corners on the oil rig and dangerously drilling too deeply in to the ocean bottom, is trying to empathize by setting up a $20 Billion fund to assist in the lives of oil rig workers and people in the Gulf Area.

BP, our Coast Guard and multiple agencies, countries, individuals and companies are trying to help clean the oil off beaches, out of the water and stop the leak. Corexit is being poured in to the Gulf to try and disperse the oil particles at an extravagant rate and “help” as well, but what the media doesn’t speak of is that it is a poison and along with the Benzene levels increasing due to the exposure to oil, will ensure that area cannot be fished for a long time. Some folks have mentioned trying to drop a nuclear weapon in the ocean oil fissure to seal it before a methane bubble forms causing a catastrophic event of unforeseen magnitude.

As of late, a new cap was placed on the leak by undersea robots but remains to be completed and the world should find out soon if it will indeed stop the flow of oil in to the ocean.

Prevention starts with learning more and reading about the Gulf Oil Spill today.

And there is no end in sight.

Before testifying before a U.S. Congress oversight committee recently, Directors of British Petroleum (BP) agreed to a $20 Billion dollar fund in which cleanup costs would be pulled. Many are skeptical that this will cover everything such as the fishing and travel industry lifestyles lost, and lessons learned from many older spills such as the infamous Exxon Valdez spill took over a decade to clean.

Solutions such as a top kill method, and capping have not worked, and they are currently drilling relief wells which is:

…intercepting the well bore deep beneath the surface, but above the oil reservoir. Then they pump heavy drilling fluid (mud) into the well bore very quickly at high pressure. Hopefully, the heavy fluid will overcome the flow of oil as it fills the well bore. Eventually, the weight of the mud in the well will exert enough downward force to stop oil from coming up.

Sites have been developed to gather signatures in the name of seizing all assets of BP. There are live camera feeds available online of the “spill” as it occurs, and recent estimates have placed the unchecked flow at a minimum of 35,000 barrels per day flowing towards the Gulf Coast of America. The number could be low, and double the amount could be erupting in to our oceans according to U.S. Geological Directors and Coast Guard Officials.

Although the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) of the U.S. made the skies above the Gulf a No-Fly Zone (for safety reasons), photos of the spill from above are abundantly nightmarish.

Imagine if this was an occurrence in your own home, your neighborhood, your city, your county - In fact, you can see what the spill looks like over your home through this site ifitwasmyhome.com. It uses your IP address, the Google Maps API, and through current imaging, and the widespread contamination over a 60 day period - Superimposes a digital rendering of the spill over anywhere in the world. Most major cities such as Los Angeles, New York City or London are not only lost, but so are the hundreds of miles surrounding them.

Animals, environments, resources, and people’s lives have been taken by this disaster. Stay informed and aware of this crisis so that in the future we can be hopefully be better prepared and knowledgeable to possibly avoid deep drilling altogether.

No Surfing Allowed.

This Sunday, May 16th, 2010, New Orleans radio station WWOZ, local buisness and political leaders, community outreach and social leaders as well as musicians Lenny Kravitz, Mos Def, John Legend and more, will descend upon the Mississippi River near the French Quarter of New Orleans and perform a benefit concert called Gulf Aid. Proceeds will be going towards cleanup efforts and families affected by the recent oil rig spill.

A few weeks ago, on April 20th, 2010, an oil rig operated by global conglomerate Transocean, but owned by British Petroleum (BP), had a malfunction that led to a large explosion. The malfunction may be due to faulty well-casing manufactured by Halliburton, and the three companies blame each other to prevent financial liability. Eleven people died at the scene and as the rig was badly damaged, thousands upon thousands of gallons of oil began to spew in to the Gulf of Mexico, killing and threatening wildlife, ridding much-needed tourism to the area, putting tens of thousands of fish and seafood workers out of jobs, and harming our precious ocean.

That area is in dire need of help, and although BP and our coast guard as well as other U.S. Government agencies have taken to task working through the night to cap the oily fissure in our Earth, the flowing well 80 miles off the coast of Louisiana continues to bleed black gold.

New Orleans itself is a historic and vibrant city that was recently (2005) ravaged by Hurricane Katrina, and as part of the Mississippi Gulf Coast, its beaches and fishing industry will be greatly affected by the recent BP Oil Rig catastrophe. If you can’t make it to the concert, you can make a donation at the quick website they’ve set up today here, or you may write a tax-deductible donation to: Gulf Relief Foundation, a 501 C3 non-profit corporation, located at P.O. Box 6917, Metairie, LA 70009.

The video below was taken this week (May, 2010) by a local to the Gulf Coast pilot and the Institute for Southern Studies.

A few days after the recent oil rig catastrophe in the Gulf of Mexico, there was more breaking news. Although surprising at the time, it wasn’t the fact that Iran offered to help the United States contain the spill, it was something very different. The headline read:

“BREAKING: Large Air Spill at Wind Farm. No threats reported. Some claim to enjoy the breeze.“

But there was no cause for alarm. In fact, other than the occasional Santa Ana winds and those pesky gusts that blow at the wrong moments, wind is pretty harmless. In fact, we’ve promoted use of natural energy resources that the planet offers before, namely the wind.

Companies such as Finavera, Acciona, Sway and more, develop relationships with governments and municipalities to place wind turbines in windy places. These turbines collect energy from wind that spins the turbine blades, thus generating backup power in the turbine’s generator. 3Tier, a renewable resources information and consulting company has provided and mapped locales that are ripe for harnessing wind power. Greenland, Cape Horn in South America, New Zealand, the Aleutian Islands in Alaska, and more, are all places where turbines can prosper.

Once the recent oil spill is contained, it should hopefully create enough popular demand for wind power and natural energy resources, and one day we may live in a world where the only environmental disaster are large gusts of wind.

Wind Speeds are highlighted in red.