Causes of Oil Spills

Oil spills are hazardous to the environment and can be dangerous or deadly to affected people and animals. There are a number of factors which can lead to oil spills, and many occur during the transport of oil across waterways such as oceans.

Oil is commonly transported by barges, tankers, pipelines, and trucks, each of which has its own imperfections that can lead to an oil accident. Tankers and barges can crash or run into unexpected land that causes a crack or hole which allows oil to escape. Likewise, pipelines which transport oil underground can develop leaks or cracks that allow oil to seep into the environment. Oil shipping trucks can also instigate an oil spill in the event of an accident. Some oil can escape while it is being moved from one vessel to another, a process called lightering. Uncontrollable factors such as hurricanes and other violent weather can cause tankers or barges to wreck or can damage offshore drilling facilities, incidents that can lead to oil spills.

Oil spills can occur during other phases of production, such as when oil is being extracted from an oil well or being converted into other products at a refinery. Human mistakes as well as equipment failure are common causes of accidents in such situations. Sometimes oil is even spilled intentionally as an act of war or vandalism. Illegal dumping of oil is another deliberate act that causes harm to the environment.

Since importing and exporting oil is a major mechanism of world trade, oil spills often happen in the ocean during long international commutes. The degree of effort involved in cleaning up an oil spill depends on the quantity of oil that is spilled, the type of oil, the cooperation of the weather in clean up efforts as well as the location of the spill. Lighter oils, such as gasoline, have a tendency to evaporate into the air and are therefore generally easier to clean up. A spill in the ocean is often relatively easier to clean up than a spill in a smaller lake, though cleaning any spill is a complicated undertaking.

When oil is spilled into the ocean, the movement of the waves causes some of the oil to emulsify in the water. Some of the mixture sinks to the bottom of the ocean where it sticks to rocks and sand. Some of the spilled oil is consumed by microorganisms in the water, and some is broken down by the sun. Still, some of the spilled oil is transported by the current onto land, affecting the sand, rocks, grass and trees.

Oil spill prevention and cleanup procedures are monitored by organizations such as the Environmental Protection Agency and the United States Coast Guard. Such organizations enact policies aimed at preventing spills, training for oil clean up and making companies accountable for accidents.

About the Author: Bob Jent is the CEO of Western Pipeline Corporation. Western Pipeline Corp specializes in identifying, acquiring and developing existing, producing reserves on behalf of its individual clients.

You can find additional info at the following links:

Click Here for more information
Click Here for more information

Great Ways To Preserve The Environment

Are you aware that the survival of humans and all life in the world will be identified by the preservation or destruction of the ecosystem? Are you conscious that the drastic climate change is caused by the destruction of the balance of the ecosystem? To be able to maintain the earth's environment we need to protect the ecosystem.

However the problem is, are we protecting the atmosphere? What are the things we can do to aid preserve our ecosystem? Here is a quick summary on how important habitat is and how can we safeguard it.

Joining the Green Movement

There are many organizations out there, whether or not local, national or international level that are committed to conserving the atmosphere and all together they composed the "Green Movement".

The Green Movement takes action to preserve the natural environment anytime a habitat is threatened by an industry or industrial expansion. They give http://www.micahgroup.com/ and aid in http://www.thesolarenergysite.com/how-can-you-help-preserve-the-environment/. Moreover, this movement enjoys significant public support nevertheless education is their important work.

Individuals are not able to appreciate the benefits of protecting habitats unless they realize how dangers to the environment can affect them.

Lots of farmers are sympathetic to the Green movement regardless of the demand to grow the maximum amount of food. There are some who try to protect small areas of woodland and hedgerow and be sure not to utilize pesticides in these locations. There are also those who have turned their backs on contemporary methods and make sure to avoid utilizing chemicals.

Organic Farming

What is organic farming? It implies farming with no use of chemicals. In most countries, organic produce has grown to be very famous. And considering that there are no chemicals utilized to grow the food, there are none to enter the human food chain. Moreover, opting for organic produce will also help the countryside.

Conserving the Rainforest

To save rainforest, there are actions that are taken up particularly in growing countries. Just like in Africa, there is a banning of timber exports. The government of Panama in Central America made it against the law to cut down any tree which is more than five years old. Given the fact that timber exports have been a main source of profits, such measures include great perseverance.

The awful truth is that it is very hard to influence poor people in improving countries pertaining to the importance of preserving the forest. If we don't protect our surroundings, in the end we will never be able to neither appreciate nature nor see the natural beauty of the Earth.

http://quizilla.teennick.com/stories/16954855/all-of-us-can-make-this-world-a-better-place

You can find additional info at the following links:

Click Here for more information
Click Here for more information

Thin Film Solar Cell Panels Are Now In Ireland

Thin film solar PV cell panels are now being marketed in Ireland by reputed renewable energy promoters. A recent innovation, thin film solar cells are technologically different in their production while being chemical different to the traditional Mono crystalline or Polycrystalline silicon PV panels.

What are thin film solar modules?

A thin film solar module is made up of thin film solar cells (TFSC).The cell itself may be made by depositing ( by a process known as chemical vapour deposition) one or more fine layers of Photo Voltaic material on a substratum using modern technology. The substratum may be glass, plastic or metal. The thickness may vary from a few nanometres to several micrometres.

They are categorized according to the PV material used in them. As opposed to the conventional PV cell material of crystalline silicon, thin film PV cells use amorphous silicon or other thin film silicon, cadmium telluride, copper indium gallium selenide, all of which are causing a revolution in the solar power generation and sustainable building architecture.

The crystalline silicon conventional modules can reach efficiencies up to 20% in domestic applications.

The efficiency in current commercial thin film modules is less in comparison (TFSC i.e. the cell) having up to 20% while the production modules reaching only about 9 %). But in all likelihood soon TFSC modules might catch up with the established conventional panels in that aspect, due to the hectic R & D now on.

However one thing is certain. The world price of silicon material is increasing in leaps and bounds due to the heavy demand by mass producers of crystalline silicon PV modules. And if the industry and the consumer needs low prices they’ve got to look where less material is needed and where the mass production techniques lowers the prices. In this respect TFSC modules future seems to be the most secure.

Currently the problem seems to be the inability of the manufacturers to meet the demand world over.

Problems associated with conventional modules and how TFSC may be an answer

As we all are aware, PV modules present a nightmare for architects, structural engineers and designers, when installed on roof top or even at ground level. The strict requirement of southerly orientation, problems associated with shaded or low sunlight areas when the panels are installed some times in these locations are not the least. The cost of tracking systems too is prohibitive in small capacity applications.

The thin film PV panels provide you with a flexible solution for all these complications.

• They are thin composites.

• They have only a thin film of PV material coated on substrata of plastic, glass, thin metal sheet etc. and are easy to handle.

• The substratum itself could be any rigid and smooth material and not necessarily glass and less prone to damage.

• The PV material is totally unlike mono or poly crystalline silicon panels in that they can withstand higher temperatures.

• The thin film panels are much lighter due to their reduced dimensions and less material used.

• The efficiency is not high as in the conventional, but it is compensated by the low price (even in this initial stage) and the ability to cover a larger area easily.

• On flat roofs as well as pitched roofs the output is unaffected due to vast areas covered.

You can find additional info at the following links:

Click Here for more information
Click Here for more information

Green Training for a Green Environment

An effective green training program teaches how to perform green evaluations, green building design principles and techniques, green interior design, and selection of green products. Consumers are more conscious than ever of the environmental factors affecting their lives, homes, businesses and lifestyles. They are asking for designers, architects, and builders to incorporate sustainability into their projects. Governments are encouraging green practitioners to spread knowledge and awareness about the benefits of green living, and offer tax rebates for green adaptations. For example, the 2009 American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) provides funding for green training programs.


It all begins with education about the principles of green design. In order to become a green consultant, one must seek out a green certification program. The objective of a green certification program should be to promote sustainable practices and changes to our built environment. Green training addresses indoor air quality, renewable energy, waste reduction, conservation, resource depletion, carbon footprint, and other environmental issues.


Many institutes and companies offer green training in order to become a green consultant. BecomingGreen, Inc. trains professionals to have a superior understanding of the concepts of green building and green interior design green construction practices. A Certified Green Designer can help in building energy efficient homes and offices to reduce the overall energy cost and to enhance the optimum utilization of resources. A Certified Green Specialist can offer sound advise that will help the consumer make environmentally helpful choices and realize that every green action they take has a measurable impact on the environment.

You can find additional info at the following links:

Click Here for more information
Click Here for more information