Grey Water Recycling and the Water Cycle
Grey Water Recycling
Grey water recycling is where you take water from sources such as water basins and washing machines and reuse it for something else. You can use it for gardening but it isn’t safe to drink. You can’t use it to water anything that you might consume later on (like a tomato plant). This is a good way to save water and will contribute to helping the environment. ↓This is a diagram of how it works!↓
Water Cycle
The water cycle is the process of when water is evaporated turns into rain and falls. This process happens all the time whether it’s slow or fast. These are some ways that the water cycle is impacted in a bad way and how to stop them!
Oil Spills
What are they?
Oil spills are where people spill oil. An oil spill is usually into a body of water such as a sea or a river. The oil then harms the environment.
How Does it Impact the Water Cycle?
Oil can’t dissolve in water so if it is left in there for some time, big masses of slimy, oily substances form which blocks waterways, creating problems for the natural environment. This suffocates fish, catches in the feathers of marine birds making them unable to fly, and prevents some plants from receiving light by covering them.
How do we Reduce the Impact/Damage on the Environment?
Watch your car very carefully every few months to reduce the occurrence of spills. Or even go for a walk instead of a drive to keep it in good condition If you stop supporting major oil businesses they will reduce the amounts of oil transported (less oil spills). Reduce the amounts of plastics you buy. Tell anyone you can to reduce their contribution to these oil spills.
Pollution
What is it?
There are more then one type of pollution, but majority of them end up in our waterways. One of the main ways of pollution is water pollution. This is where is where harmful substances or our own litter contaminate any water source we have. This makes it toxic for any consumption (humans included).
How Does it Impact the Water Cycle?
The waterways/runoff can be blocked by large amounts of pollution or litter. The rain can be affected by the toxins inside of the pollution that goes into the water. The plastic can jam all sorts of important stages of the water cycle and it harms the native wildlife.
How do we Reduce the Impact/Damage on the Environment?
Reduce your usage of plastics and other substances that could potentially end up in a big mass of water. Reuse lots of plastics and contribute to containers for change. Pick up your dog’s droppings when you go to the park and pick it up. Wherever you are pick up any litter you see.
Advantages and Disadvantages of Renewable Resources.
Wind Power
Benefits: Wind power is a renewable resource meaning it can be used again and again. It doesn’t release any carbon emissions which means it doesn’t contribute (very much) to global warming).
Disadvantages: Wind is unpredictable and it isn’t constant. Native birds/wildlife could fly into the blades of the turbine possibly killing them or at least harming them. The turbines are expensive and take a while to make.
Cost: $3000-$8000.
Solar Power
Benefits: Solar power is a renewable energy source and can be put of top of houses or other buildings, saving space. There can be batteries put on to sav energy for later and whenever the sun is shining you collect more!
Disadvantages: If you only have a few solar panels, you won’t be able to get enough energy to power your house. They take a lot of space up if you want to have a solar farm.
Cost: $3500-35000
Coal
Benefits: It is reliable and is a good source of energy in large masses.
Disadvantages: The coal once burnt can’t be reused unlike solar/wind. The emissions that the coal gives off is dangerous and causes global warming.
Cost: $60-$70 per pound
Why Use Coal?
Sadly coal is more efficient than any renewable resource and also costs less. It doesn’t supply the same amount of power either. So the reason that we use coal is quite obvious, it supplies more power and quicker. We shouldn’t completely go off coal, but we should try to reduce the rate that we consume it and the amount that we do.