First the good: Clean energy gets better and more economically viable every day. China has built the newest, biggest, most adaptable wind turbine ever. It was recently tested by typhoon strength winds and not only did not fail, but generated more power in a shorter period of time than ever before.
According to South China Morning Post, the giant turbine generated 384.1 megawatt-hours of electricity in a day during Typhoon Haikui, which is enough to power approximately 170,000 homes. Read more about it here.
Wind turbines generate none of the gases harmful to our atmosphere that other forms of energy do. However, I also think it important to note that they kill wildlife, particularly birds. I think this data should also be tracked and reported. It appears that no source of energy is without environmental costs that we need to be mindful of as we assess options.
But the real bad news of today is about plastics. Turns out, there’s no such thing as “safe plastic.”
Recently, scientists at the University of Gothenberg in Sweden tested pellets of recycled plastic from 13 countries. They found hundreds of toxins, including pesticides and pharmaceuticals, leading them to conclude that no plastics can be deemed safe.
“Plastic recycling has been touted as a solution to the plastics pollution crisis, but toxic chemicals in plastics complicate their reuse and disposal and hinder recycling,” says professor Bethanie Carney Almroth, of the University of Gothenburg.
Read the full story here. And, please, begin to work on breaking your own addiction to plastic. Reusable water bottles are a great place to start. If you’ve already done that, move to the next level: buy reusable grocery bags. At your church, use those stacks of dishes in the cupboards and run the dishwasher!
Care of Creation 