Monthly Archives: March 2011

Oil Environmental, Geographical, and Political Issues

Posted on March 30, 2011 by

INTRO Oil is a nonrenewable energy source that has serious environmental issues, moderate economic issues, and serious geographic issues. Its primary uses are for electricity, heating, industry, and transportation. Oil is America’s primary energy source. HISTORY Over periods of millions … Continue reading →

Posted in Power Generation, Sustainability | 1 Comment

How do Ultracapacitors work?

Posted on March 23, 2011 by

Ultracapacitors, or supercapacitors are electrochemical capacitors with energy densities as high as 30 Wh/kg. Unlike traditional capacitors, ultracapacitors are made of the same substrate of the same material. A separation of charge occurs due to the electric double layer between … Continue reading →

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Where does Japan get its energy come from?

Posted on March 15, 2011 by

Japan is the world’s third largest economy, after recently being surpassed by China. Because Japan consists of thousands of islands, it relies heavily upon oil imports, as shown in the diagram below. When electrical generation only is considered, most of … Continue reading →

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Sustainable Chemicals Policy in California

Posted on March 15, 2011 by

Charting the Path to Sustainable Chemicals Policy in California Four Policy Principles Secure meaningful information Act on reasonable grounds for concern Focus on hazard traits of chemicals rather than potential risk Focus on alternatives rather than control Inculcate sound management … Continue reading →

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Economic Sustainability terms

Posted on March 15, 2011 by

Tragedy of the commons: incentive to put more cattle on the commons as long as personal gain is greater than personal cost. A negative externality is a cost that is not included in consumer prices. Public good – a good … Continue reading →

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BP Oil Spill and Cleanup

Posted on March 15, 2011 by

On April 20th, 2010, the Deepwater Horizon oil exploded when methane gas under high pressure went through the drill column and exploded. Oil spill cleanup The spill was only stopped on July 15th, 2010 by capping the gushing wellhead. 205.8 … Continue reading →

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What is Sustainability?

Posted on March 15, 2011 by

Sustainability – It is an uncertain term that is not a policy objective as much as a vision of appropriate human endeavor. Sustainable development is about improving the efficiency of growth so that it uses less material resources and redistributes … Continue reading →

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