Tar Sands

The Natural Resource Defense Council says that tar sands oil is very corrosive and has a lot of acid. It can weaken pipes that carry it, making spills more possible. The pipes that carry them have to work at a very high pressure and temperatures which would make a leak even worse.

If there was a pipeline break in Portland it would effect South Portland. The pipe goes through Sebego lake, which is where our water comes from. It could effect our water supply.

Vampire Electronics

Vampire electronics are things that still use power even if you aren't using them or they aren't turned on. Phone chargers, computer workstations, and home entertainment systems are all vampire electronics. To decrease vampire power you can use power switches where you shut off the power to an outlet. You could also get a socket adapter that has a timer so it will shut off on its own.

Would I Be Okay Fracking?

I'm not sure if I would be okay with fracking, or not. Both sides of the issue make a lot of good points so it's kind of hard to decide. Even though only 1% of the material is chemicals, the chemicals should not enter the human body. The chemicals are used in things we already use, but these things are supposed to be eaten. You don't eat your deodorant, or your makeup. So, why would you drink the chemicals that are in them. Before I completely make up my mind I would like to see statistics. I would want to know how many people have actually been affected, and be sure that the reason they got those diseases was from the chemicals used in fracking.

Fracking

1.) Hydraulic fracturing is a way of releasing petroleum through fractures, or cracks, in the rocks.
2.) Ground water can be contaminated in the process. It is very hard to control fracking and sometimes there is an oil leak.

Seawall Definition

A seawall is a man made structure made of stone or concrete. It blocks water from getting up into towns and destroying houses.
A problem with seawalls is that the sand will erode away and the seawall will have to be extended farther down into the ground. 
Source: "sea wall - definition of sea wall by the Free Online Dictionary, Thesaurus and Encyclopedia.." Dictionary, Encyclopedia and Thesaurus - The Free Dictionary. N.p., n.d. Web. 9 Jan. 2013. <http://www.thefreedictionary.com/sea+wall>.
 

Soil Conservation

No-till farming is a system for planting crops without plowing. You use herbicides to control weeds, which results in less soil erosion and more nutrients are preserved. When plants die they are left in the soil to provide nutrients to new plants.
Source- "No-till farming - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia." Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. N.p., n.d. Web. 3 Jan. 2013. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/No-till_farming>.

Mudflows in Daly

In Daly, California a water pipe burst causing a mudslide. The water pipe was built in the early 1930s and had never been repaired. The mudflow did not damage the exterior of houses on Lausanne Avenue but half buried about half a dozen cars parked on the side of the road. Also many people are having plumbing problems. One man said that his toilet overflowed and water went into his bedroom and living room. The city council has decided to spend about one million dollars on the damage. $497,100 will be spent on repairing the gash that the water tore through a hillside, $80,000 will be spent on cleaning the mud, $200,000 will be spent repairing the pipe, and $150,000 will be set aside for possible overages.