Energy-Efficient Homes
A great number of today’s citizens are aware of ecological and environmental problems caused by pollution, such as smog and global warming. However, though we know about the effects of pollution and have taken steps to minimize this hazard, there is one important area often overlooked when trying to find cheap, simple pollution solutions. This area is the American home. While what we put into our homes and what we do in them contribute greatly to the annual U.S. household energy usage, the design of our homes plays a very important factor, since a poorly-constructed home will use more energy for maintenance, heating, and cooling than a home with an energy-efficient design. If we could reduce the amount of energy used by our homes, we can make a significant contribution to reducing pollution generated from excess energy use. This, as will be shown later, is not a difficult thing to do; there are many ways that we can make our homes more energy-efficient, and most of us naturally like to make improvements to our homes. One of these improvements could be on the design of our homes, since much of our country's energy and funds go toward supplying heat and electricity to homes that could be made more energy-efficient. From this, we see that the design and energy-efficiency of a home are two things that need a second look if we wish to improve environmental health and lead more comfortable, happier lives.
To get a better sense of how we should begin solving our pollution problems, we must first understand the reasons why we tend to produce them in the first place. There appears to be an underlying reason for why humans are naturally energy-inefficient, according to Allaby and Bunyard--perhaps we just ha...
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The criteria for insanity has changed due to the different criminal cases that people are faced with and there isn’t a fine line between sanity and insanity. From what I have researched, I find that there could be a fine line drawn between sanity and insanity. My criterion for insanity is for a person not to know the difference between right and wrong. My criteria matched well with the M’Naghten Rule which states, “Defendant either did not understand what he or she did, or failed to distinguish right from wrong, because of a ‘disease of mind’” (Reuters, Para. 6) I find that because of today’s society and our need to justify people’s actions, the meaning of the M’Naughten Rule and the fine line between insanity and sanity have lost their value. We focus on the being fair instead of the justice of crimes or any given action. The most important the person must go through extensive evaluation and be diagnosed with a mental disorder that may lead to such violence. Many may say that they didn’t know what they were doing but if there is a motive then that doesn’t mean that the person is insane. I have discovered that people get away with so much in result that they can plead insanity. Many criminal cases nowadays are coming out and admit that those convicted and pleaded guilty of insanity due to a mental disorder, were forging their insanity. We refuse to acknowledge that a sane person could kill people but learn that these people have the ability and desire to do such horror to other people. To diagnose someone with insanity, according to the observation of the Andrea Yates, one must suffer and be diagnosed with a form of a mental disorder.
The concept of insanity as a defence was established in the early eighteenth century in the Arnold’s case (1724) and was further developed in the late 18th century in the Hadfield’s case (1800), but the standart test of criminal liability was only formed after the case of Daniel M’Naghten (1843). This case established the special verdict of ‘not guilty by reason of insanity‘ which leaves the D under control of the courts. Another problem, criticised by Peter Blood is that the burden of proof is on the D, which means that the D must prove his defence of insanity on the base of the balance of probabilities and not beyond any reasonable doubt.
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...plications affecting efficiency. More focus is necessary on the indoor environment in schools, day care centres, hospitals and nursing homes for elderly, because children, hospital patients and elderly are sensitive subgroups. There are a number of indications that the indoor environment at home is normally worse than in the indoor office environment. The population spends most time at home, and children are exposed at home for many years (National Safety Council, 2009). This suggests that improvements of the home environment may be a cost-effective to reduce the indoor exposure burden in the population. The link between indoor and outdoor air pollution should not be ignored, as most of the exposure to outdoor pollutants occurs indoors. Finally, the function of energy saving and climate changes for the indoor environment and SBS will be an important future issue.
At that time it was hard to get food from other villages. Peasants gave the lord a share of there food or produce. When they had parties or holidays they would make lots of food including stuffed peacock and skylarks tongue.
Every time you get behind the wheel you always got to ask yourself if a text is more important than ruining or even ending your life. So many people have lost their lives because they chose to text and drive. You can always put a text or call on hold till later but you cannot do that with your life. When choosing to text while driving you are not only putting your life in danger but also other people that may be in the car with you or around you. My paper is about texting while driving and I will discuss what my topic is over, the consequences that come along with it, and what is being done to stop people from texting while driving.
Over the years we have been fighting with the issue of obesity among children in the United States. Nearly one in three kids and adolescents are overweight or obese in the United States. Obesity in children has more than tripled from 1971 to 2011and is the number one cause for concern amongst parents in the United States. It is important to prevent obesity during childhood because habits that are formed during youth usually carry on into adulthood. Being obese describes children with a body mass index at or above the 95th percentile for their age and gender. An overweight child would be described as having a body mass index at or above the 85th percentile but below the 95th percentile. Children
In the year of 2011, texting surpassed alcohol as the leading causing factor in teen driving deaths. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, texting while operating a moving vehicle is as hazardous as driving after having four beers (Make Texting while Driving Illegal, Now). A group of researchers at the Cohen Children's Medical Center in New Hyde Park estimated more than 3,000 annual teen deaths nationwide from texting and 300,000 injuries (Texting and Driving: Leading Cause of Death among Teens, Study Finds). The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration reported that in 2012, driver distraction was the cause of 18 percent of all fatal crashes, with approximately 3,328 people killed. Crashes resulting in an injury with 421,000 people wounded (The Dangers of Texting While Driving). Not only texting and driving involve vehicle collisions, but it also involves many deaths nationwide.
...also save energy by using motion censoring for doors and sinks. The dining rooms and foyers should have dim-able light switches. Another way to save a lot of energy is to make a master switch at the front door that turns off all lights. That way you never leave a light on when you aren't at home. You should use natural gas cook tops and ovens to cut down on electricity.
Homework is for suckers. Homework causes stress for students as well as for parents. Homework is extremely demanding and many students are spending far too many hours after school to complete their homework assignments. Although, some students may be able to whiz right through their homework, other students crawl along struggling at a snail’s pace. Consequently, family time is put on the back burner due to the time constraints of homework. Additionally, any extracurricular activities are also put on hold. Homework is nothing more than a scapegoat for teachers so that they can pawn off their due responsibilities on parents and students. Homework should be banned for students Kindergarten through 8th grade because the negative effects do not out weight the benefits that come from homework.
ATTENTION GETTER: Every day, I see the effects of pollution. From the trash that’s thrown into bushes to the murky lakes to the smog-filled skies, these are examples of the negative human impact on the environment.
“The building sector contributes up to 30% of global annual greenhouse gas emissions and consumes up to 40% of all energy” (UNEP). The building sector is one of the leading contributors to global warming and, as a result, is one of the leading contributors to melting ice caps, rising sea levels and the recent proliferation in extreme weather conditions. However, it does not just contribute to global warming; the building sector also contributes to urban pollution. In the US alone, the building sector generates hundreds of millions of tons of municipal solid waste each year. It is clear that the building sector must change if we are to survive as a species. Ultimately we need to convert our cities into “sustainable cities,” but a good start in that direction is a practice in the building industry known as Green Building. A Green Building is an environmentally sustainable building designed, constructed and operated to minimize its total environmental impact. Some of the main goals underpinning Green Building include reduced energy consumption, water conservation and recycling. Green builders do this by using renewable energy such as solar, wind or hydro, which provides the buildings with clean energy and zero carbon dioxide emissions. They manage water through water efficient irrigation systems, captured rain or site-recycled water for onsite landscaping. They also develop a waste management plan that diverts a substantial amount of solid waste from landfills to salvage facilities. A common assumption that many people make is that Green Building is very expensive. But the cost of a building, house or apartment complex that is Green depends on how “green” they want it to be. Prices can range from a mere one percent i...
Household energy conservation is a very practical and realistic approach to conserving energy within our society. US households consume a tremendous amount of natural gas as well as electric energy. It has been calculated that the amount of energy consumed within the US increased exponentially from about 1850 to 1975. If energy continued to increase at this rate, we would be experiencing severe energy shortages in our current society. Luckily, steps towards conservation, including various energy regulations, have curbed that growth somewhat, brining the predicted 160 Qbtu/yr for the year 2000 down to around 93.8 Qbtu/yr by the year 1996. However, household energy usage is still a major issue as households consume about 38% of the total consumed energy and contribute greatly to natural gas consumption and issues such as global warming. Therefore, it is important that people understand how we use energy in the household and what steps can be taken to conserve that energy.
Kats, G., Alevantis, L., Berman A., Perlman J., & Mills, E. (2003, October). The Costs and Financial Benefits of Green Buildings: A Report to California’s Sustainable Building Task Force. Retrieved from http://www.usgbc.org/Docs/News/News477.pdf