BLACKOUT BRITAIN – CUT THE CARBON – POWERDOWN

Have you already visited the place? For sure you had enjoyed the beautiful scenery, the majestic and humbling power of the water that flows over the falls. Talking about the volume of water that flows in the falls, have you ever thought how much volume of water that flows in every second? According to one reference, in the 1060 feet length of brink of the falls, there are 150,000 U.S. gallons water volume per second. The actual amount of the water volume that flows in the falls varies depending on how much water intake by the hydroelectric power plant prior to the falls. In daytime during the month of June, July, and August, the flow is in greatest volume.

The Niagara Falls is situated on the Niagara River, on both side is the international border separating the province of Canada, Ontario and the United States of New York. It has two major sections separated by Goat Island, the Horseshoe Falls on Canada side and the American Falls on the United States side.

Most people who visited the place had enjoyed the rushing torrents, spectacular scenery of the falls and they had felt the spark of creativity that only panoramic views can create. They also enjoyed dine at the top of the falls, walk right up the base of Niagara Falls during cave of the winds tour, and even riding on the boat to experience the falling of water all around them.

If you want to find out more interesting and enjoyable experience in Niagara Falls, try to plan you vacation now!

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If you will look around the beautiful Amazonian Virgin Forest, no doubt most of you will startle in its affluent and splendor! The Amazon represents over half of the earth’s remaining rainforests that contains the largest and most species-rich area of tropical rainforest of the world. Interestingly, this forest is bounded by rivers, and inhabited by the biggest predators like the black caiman, jaguar, cougar, anaconda, electric eels and piranha, and also birds, insects, fishes, amphibians and reptiles are in large number.

The forest’s territory covers about 1.4 billion acres of the 1.7 billion acres of the Amazon Basin of South America and it is belong to nine nations, but in majority, Brazil contains sixty percent of the rainforest, while Peru contains thirteen percent but the rest like Colombia, Venezuela, Ecuador, Bolivia, Guyana, Suriname, and France contains only minor amounts.

Concerning the diversity of plant species, according to one reference, one square kilometer (or 247 acres) of the land contain about 90,790 metric tones of living plants and an estimated 438,000 species of plants of economic and social interest have been registered in the region and more remaining to be discovered. The leaves area of plants varies in the season. During dry season the leaves expand, but during cloudy wet season the leaves will undergo abscission and these changes provide a balance of carbon between photosynthesis and respiration.

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What was Wartime Blackout like ?

http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/2WWblackout.htm

Angus Calder, The People’s War (1969) “The first impact of war was felt, not like a hammer blow at the head, to be warded off, but as a mass of itches, to be scratched and pondered. Most of the discomforts and frustrations of the period were very minor foretastes of the years of regulations and austerity which followed. The blackout, however, was an exception. Its impact was comprehensive and immediate. One of the most impassive official historians of the British effort observes, without exaggeration, that it ‘transformed conditions of life more thoroughly than any other single feature of the war’.”

http://www.homesweethomefront.co.uk/web_pages/hshf_blackout_pg.htm

BRITAIN IS BLACKED OUT !

New restrictions on the home front : on the 1st September 1939, two days before the outbreak of war, Britain was blacked out. The Blackout imposed on all civilians in all cities was absolute. No chinks of light, no see through curtains, no car headlights. Even the red glow of a cigarette was banned. Britain was plunged into complete darkness.

BRITAIN PREPARES

Before the outbreak of war the Air Ministry had forecast that Britain would be exposed to sudden air attacks that would cause high civilian casualties and mass destruction from enemy night bombers. To counter this threat it was widely agreed that if man-made lights on the ground could be put out then the enemy would find it difficult to navigate and pinpoint their targets. It was believed that if Blackout controls were introduced, it would make the enemy bombers job more difficult. Indeed as early as July 1939, Public Information Leaflet No 2 (issued as part of the Air Raid Patrol (A.R.P.) training literature) warned civilians that everybody would need to play their part and ensure that the Blackout regulations were properly enforced during the Blackout periods.

PUT OUT THAT LIGHT !

With the introduction of the Blackout came stringent regulations and harsh punishment for people that did not adhere to these rules. The local A.R.P. could report anyone to the local authorities if any sign of a light was seen. Many householders would sit and wait for that knock on the door to tell them they had a chink of light shining from their homes. Being reported could lead to a hefty fine or in some cases an appearance in court.

BUSINESSES ARE HIT HARD

Businesses faced even greater difficulties with the introduction of the Blackout. Many factories had glass roofs which had to be painted black meaning that workers had to work day and night under the glare of artificial lights. This proved difficult for workers by affecting their morale and expensive for their employers.

American Red Cross Advice For Rolling Blackouts :-

http://www.redcross.org/services/prepare/0,1082,0_92_,00.html

What Do I Do During A Blackout ?

Energy Conservation Recommendations…

To conserve power to help avoid a blackout, the power industry recommends :-

In heating season, set the furnace thermostat at 20 degrees C or lower.

In cooling season, set the thermostat at 26 degrees C or higher.

Consider installing a programmable thermostat that you can set to have the furnace or air conditioning run only when you are at home.

Most power is used by heating and cooling, so adjusting the temperatures on your thermostat is the biggest energy conservation measure you can take.

Turn off lights and computers when not in use.

This is especially true about computer monitors – avoid using a “screen saver” and just simply turn the monitor off when you won’t be using the computer for a while.

Turn the computer off completely each evening. It is no longer true that computer equipment is damaged from turning it off and on.

Eliminate unnecessary travel, especially by car.

Close windows when the heating or cooling system is on.

Caulk windows and doors to keep air from leaking, and replace old windows with new, energy-efficient windows.

Clean or replace furnace and air-conditioner filters regularly.

When buying new appliances be sure to purchase energy-efficient models.

Wrap the water heater with an insulation jacket, available at most building supplies retailers.

If you have to wash clothes, wash only full loads and clean the dryer’s lint trap after each use.

When using a dishwasher, wash full loads and use the “light” cycle. If possible, use the “rinse only” cycle and turn off the “high temperature” rinse option. When the regular wash cycle is done, just open the dishwasher door to allow the dishes to air dry.

Replace incandescent light bulbs with energy-efficient compact fluorescent lights.

Use one large light bulb rather than several smaller ones.

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