By Nicole Laca/reporter
In recent years, students may have noticed that environmental issues have become a top priority in U. S. society. Poor air quality because of carbon dioxide emissions has been a strain on the environment for years.
Carbon footprint is a major factor that is dramatically trying to be reduced.
According to www.carbonfootprint.com, “A carbon footprint is a measure of the impact human activities have on the environment in terms of the amount of green house gases produced, measured in units of carbon dioxide.”
Many air pollutants are created by limited resources used to create energy such as coal and natural gas. The process of burning these fossil fuels to create electricity omits carbon dioxide emissions into the air causing pollution. According to greenmountainenergy.com, most of the electricity provided to households is generated through these carbon-dioxide emitting methods.
New research has created an alternative that is environmentally friendly. Wind has made it possible to create electricity without any carbon dioxide emissions.
“Wind turbines convert the kinetic energy in the wind into mechanical power,” according to High Wind Investments’s Web site (http://www.highwind.ie). “This mechanical power can be used for specific tasks (such as grinding grain or pumping water) or can be converted into electricity to power homes and businesses.”
The National Renewable Energy Laboratory (www.nrel.gov) reports wind power is beneficial because it reduces air pollution and creates a healthier environment by producing energy from a clean renewable source reports the. In turn, humans are not affected by poor air quality that contributes to global warming and various health problems.
Because of increased prices of fossil fuels, wind power would be more cost efficient than other resources.
“Since wind is free, the price of wind power is stable, unlike electricity from fossil fuel sources,” according to the Environmental Defense Web site (www.environmentaldefense.org).
Wind is also a sustainable, renewable resource that will not exhaust over time. Therefore, it can be used for a long period of time without the worries of the shortage for future generations.
