Mountain of Tires in South Carolina Visible from Space

There are a lot of places where it's appropriate, or at least expected, to see tires. They could be thrown in a landfill, on display at the repair shop, or even hidden behind solar panels in a field. Even some of their more uncommon uses, as tire swings or pieces of modern art, wouldn't make most people bat an eye.

One place you shouldn't be able to see tires from is space – but South Carolina isn't terribly concerned about that. The state currently hosts a mound of 250,000 tires that covers some 50 acres and is, in fact, visible from space (for what it's worth, the tires are more difficult to locate on ground-level). It's unclear how all those tires got there, and apparently this isn't the first time this has happened, either. David Summers, Calhoun County Council Chairman, remembers a pile of tires from the 1990s. He said that the current pile “is a baby compared to what that one was”.

Apparently South Carolina has a lot of spare tires going around, but they might not be the only ones. Tires are notoriously hard to dispose of – the majority of them are synthetic, and they can be a pain to deal with. A lot of recycled tires end up being burned as fuel, despite the fact that when tires burn they reduce a variety of toxic substances including lead, benzene, and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons. Because of this, recycling tires may not actually be an environmentally friendly thing to do. Still, there are ways to extend tire life – they should be inflated to the proper level at all times. In addition, good driving practices such as braking gently and not speeding can make tires last longer.

It's too late for the hundreds of thousands of tires that have already been dumped. Calhoun County's tire pile is being handled by a Jacksonville, FL. based company, who will extract oil and steel from them, or shred them to make fuel. The company has already transported ten to fifteen trailer loads of tires and they won't complete the project until 2012. Currently, motorists in South Carolina pay $2 for every tire they purchase – the money pays to recycle old tires. Clearly, a significant amount of tires aren't ever making it to a recycling center – it may be time for the state to find a new method for dealing with this problem. Preventing old tires from piling into mountains of waste has got to be easier than cleaning up the resulting mess.

Tom Cranford is a writer for Solar Home.

Everglades

The Trashy Foundations of the Florida Everglades

Environmental Concern

Two years ago the Florida Everglades made national headlines when President Obama pledged $279 million to help save and restore them. At the height of the recession, funding for preserving the Everglades had been cut by Florida Governor Charlie Crist by two-thirds, and the future of the Everglades looked grim. Obama’s funding, although minimal, was a shot in the arm that the conservation effort needed. However, this wasn’t the first time the Everglades had snagged the attention of the green movement.

The Everglades have been a focus of environmental concern for years. In 2010, United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) declared the Everglades imperiled and placed it on its endangered sites list. It had been on the list before but was removed through the concerted effort of conservationists. UNESCO returned it to the endangered list due to “the degradation of aquatic systems.”

Everglades' Problems

The Everglades are plagued with the persistent problems of pollution, dramatic water loss, and invasive species. Human overdevelopment is also a major threat. The clearing of vegetation to make way for housing and commercial business has caused the weakening of root systems. This makes the soil easy to erode. It’s projected that a full restoration of the marsh would take 10 years to complete and at least $10 billion.

Look at a picture of the Everglades and you’ll see a landscape dominated by murky water and “tree islands.” Trees perch on marshy patches of soil that were originally thought to be geological formations. Plants and trees thrive in the soil there, and the islands are important breeding grounds for panthers, alligators, and birds.

Trashy Foundations of Everglades

Scientists studying these islands have determined that portions of the elevated land, where vegetation and wildlife thrive, have grown from a foundation of garbage. An estimated 5,000 years ago, early settlers left piles of bones; scraps of food; and leather, charcoal, and tool fragments. When the organic waste decomposed, it released nutrients and phosphates into an ecosystem that typically didn’t have those elements. The resulting combination was enough to spur living, breathing, green islands into existence.

Researchers used the example of the Everglades’ tree islands as an example that human garbage doesn’t have to impact the ecosystem negatively. However, today’s garbage is vastly different from the garbage of early settlers thousands of years ago. They weren’t tossing away garage door openers or cell phones. Their simple tools and organic waste could be broken down, given enough time, while contributing positively to the marsh. The majority of our modern trash is composed of petroleum-based products, items that will take thousands of years to break down, if at all.

As long as there is funding and awareness of the Everglades as a valuable historic and environmental resource, there will be further efforts to save it.

Chris Keenan is a green and general blog writer. He writes for many sites including Precision Garage Door. Chris also maintains a personal house and garden blog.

Oil Spill Containment

4 Ways Modern Technology Impacts Oil Spill Containment and Cleanup

Whether it's a tanker, oil rig, or offshore platform, all oil collection and transporting devices are susceptible to malfunction or human error. Since oil still accounts for a large portion of our energy resources, there is always potential for shorelines to get bombarded by an unexpected spill. While government agencies like the EPA and United States Coast Guard are often tasked with the primary response for oil spills, local responders are typically the first on the scene – and have the most to lose from an oil spill catastrophe. In response to this hazard, invaluable technologies have emerged to allow large agencies and local responders alike to combat oil spills:

ESI Map

The best response is a fast response, and that can only be achieved through advance planning. Using Environmental Sensitivity Index (ESI) maps, shorelines are now ranked according to shoreline type, biological resources, and human-use resources. The shoreline type takes into account how sensitive the shoreline is and how long it would take to clean up, while the biological and human-use resources factor in how oil spills could affect the wildlife and people in the affected region. Using this information, responders are able to plan in advance what equipment and methods will be used to contain and clean up the spill. 

Oil-Eating Microbes

Sometimes the best technology is developed by Mother Nature. In areas where oil naturally bubbles to the surface, a special type of microbe can be found that finds petroleum delicious, breaking it down as they go. To aid in oil cleanup, a special powder has been engineered that contains our crude-loving allies, dormant and ready to spring to action when shaken over a spill.

Oil Filter Booms

Booms have long been the first line of defense against oil spread, but recently they have become better-equipped to quickly absorb oil rather than just containing it. Newer models can absorb over 275 liters or over 72 gallons of oil per 3 meter pack, and are more effective than ever at repelling water while absorbing the slick stuff. Some booms even include oil-eating microbes that aid oil breakdown.

Absorbent Beach Covers

When, despite all efforts, oil reaches the shore, another line of defense has been developed. Oil-absorbing beach covers, or blankets, can be spread on beaches to remove oil from the water as it crashes to the shore. The extra challenge with oil in the surf is that the churning of the waves actually emulsifies the oil into the water—therefore, effective blankets must filter the water as it passes through while capturing the oil.

Chris Turberville-Tully is a marketing strategist for Denios, an company offering environmental protection and work safety equipment. Denios provides cleaning technology, spill containment, hazardous materials storage, pollution control and more.