Nuclear Energy Thesis

Thesis: Nuclear power plants do provide a lot of energy for consumers and it doesn’t harm the environment with its emissions but nuclear waste is too big of a problem to ignore. Nuclear power should not be considered as a dominant alternative energy source until the problems with nuclear waste are solved. Some of the processes that are used to deal with nuclear waste are dangerous and can lead to harmful leaks and exposure to the environment.

A.
1. Introduction and address issues that are involved with nuclear energy and its waste.
2. Maybe ask the reader a few questions to get them to think about the problem.

B.
1. Explain how the processes of nuclear waste are a rising problem
2. Where does nuclear waste go and what is it?

C.
1. The economic issues of nuclear energy
2. Statistics of the start up costs and the cost of decommissioning a nuclear power plant

D.
1. Address the problems again and conclude the paper


Buleen, Chad. Average Salary of a Nuclear Engineer . 2010 18-February .
Climate Progress. Nuclear Bombshell. 2009 15-July. 2010 18-February .
Nuclear Energy Information Service. Some Important Facts About Nuclear Power ... . 1997 April. 2010 18-February .
Nuclear Energy Institute . Nuclear Power Plant Fuel. 2010 18-February .
Rust, John. On the Optimal Lifetime of Nuclear Power Plants. 2010 31-January. 2010 18-February .
United States Department of Labor. Power Plant Operators, Distributors, and Dispatchers . 2009 17-December. 2010 18-February .

Food, Inc Post III

I thought Chapter 10 was important. I liked how the issue of the food industry was discussed and talked about in the previous chapters and then this chapter hit you with the take action step. It addressed the things you could do. An example was buying locally from a farmers market or an actual farmers house. It also talked about building a garden and how that can help you as well as your neighbors and community. It made suggestions on what to do to make the food industry better and healthier. It recommended buying fruits and veggies that were in season rather than out so that way it was cutting the cost of food having to travel across long distances. All of these suggestions made since and none of them seemed unreasonable.

Position Argument/Food Inc.Post 2

I never thought that the corn business could have such a negative impact on the world. The impact it has on global warming is phenomenal. The corn business effects the world in a much bigger way than I ever would suspect. The corn that is taking up space and being used for profit rather than feeding the hungry. The government also had a big part in the corn business. I also liked how the book explained ways to deplete pollution and greenhouse gases by not supporting or buying the food that comes from another country or state. The book suggests to buy from local farmers and to even build a garden. Building a garden does more than just create crops to eat. It keeps you outside and not using electricity inside, and allows you to give away some of your produce to neighbors. This can have a great impact on the environment.

I like the fact that nuclear energy doesn't emit greenhouse gases and prevents toxic gases to be released into the atmosphere but the danger that is involved with nuclear energy and the fact there are no ways to detoxify the nuclear rods after they have been used in an efficient an safe way bothers me. So besides some of the good things that come about with nuclear energy I think that the negative impacts are just as bad if not worse as regular coal power plants. Unless scientists and researchers find a way to safely get rid of nuclear waste without burying it in the ground or just taking up space for thousands of years, I will not support nuclear energy. I don't think that it should be discarded and forgotten about, but it also shouldn't be accelerated and expanded. Research should still continue but building more nuclear power plants should not happen until the nuclear waste problem is fixed in a more efficient manner.

Food, Inc Post I

I found it interesting that the film showed through text that just about every business except the Danon yogurt company denied interviews and showing of certain battery cages. This was alarming to me because if the company doesn’t want the public to see it, then it is something that shouldn’t be occurring. My guess is that businesses felt if they showed it to the public (consumers), they wouldn’t want to support that and quit buying food from them. Tyson, which is a leading brand in meat and chicken, denied access and interviews to Food, Inc, I think because they have something to hide. Maybe they are trying to hide something from the USDA because Tyson knows they are breaking rules. This would hurt the company’s profits. Another fact that I learned was the antibiotics and fast growing chemicals used for the growth of chickens. The Food, Inc showed how chickens are forced to grow too big and cant take more than a step or two without falling to the grown. I am not a person really concerned with treating animals like humans but force feeding and force growing a life form to me is unethical, even if it means more profit. I don’t like the fact that I will be eating that chicken that has been enhanced unnaturally and fed harmful chemicals that can affect me. I think the book and the movie work perfectly together to reiterate the point that something needs to be done. The book describes animal cruelty that made me realize that something needs to be done by America. I don’t like reading at all but I find myself interested in this book. I think part of the reason too, is the fact that there is a movie that goes along with the book. That helps me visualize and engage my brain into the subject at hand. The book helps with enforcing the facts and the things that people can do about this problem. The movie makes it interesting and provides visuals to the problem making it more real to the viewer. Anyone can make a movie and anyone can write a book. But to write a book and movie that seamlessly connects all the dots is something that needs to be paid attention too. I also loved what the farmer in the movie Food, Inc said about big businesses and natural farming. I agreed with all of his statements about the need for letting animals naturally do what they do. Another fact that I never thought about was E coli and how it has occurred throughout food. The feeding of cattle with corn is the cause for it. This should be able to be prevented, and companies are interrupting the natural process. Cattle should eat grass not be fed corn that can cause E coli in the meat.

Bibliography

Bibliography
"The Challenges of Nuclear Power." Nuclear Info. Ed. Andrew Martin. The Writing Centre. Web. 29 Jan. 2010. .
"Nuclear Power in the USA." World Nuclear Association | Nuclear Power - a Sustainable Energy Resource. Ed. Andrew Martin. The Writing Centre. Web. 31 Jan. 2010. .
"UNSCEAR assessments of the Chernobyl accident." United Nations Scientific Committee on the Effects of Atomic Radiation (UNSCEAR). UNSCEAR, 19 July 2009. Web. 31 Jan. 2010.

Intro Nuclear Energy

Nuclear Energy is the process of splitting uranium atoms called fission. Fission creates heat that is used to produce steam. The steam turns a turbine to generate and create energy. There are positive and negative effects of nuclear energy. The positive aspects of nuclear energy are an emissions free energy source, its discharge is not harmful to the environment, and it generates high amounts of electricity with just one nuclear power point. The negative effects of nuclear energy are radioactive waste is created, radiation poisoning if a meltdown or accident occurs, potential terrorist targets, the use of uranium because it is a scarce and limited resource, and it can take a long time to build a nuclear power plant. These issues need to be considered and researched. Nuclear power plants help the environment by not emitting green house gases, however the nuclear power plants can be devastating if they are not carefully watched and monitored.
The United States of America currently has 104 nuclear power reactors in 31 different states. Nuclear energy makes up 20% of the electricity used in the United States. Nuclear energy is efficient and used in the U.S. however a nuclear power plant has not been built in the U.S. since 1977.
Although nuclear energy may not emit carbon dioxide into the Earth’s atmosphere there is a concern with the nuclear waste. Nuclear waste is highly radioactive and needs to be contained safely, usually deep under ground for at least 100,000 years.
Something to consider with nuclear power plants and the things that can go wrong are the incidents at Three Mile Island and Chernobyl.
The Three Mile Island incident happened in the United States in Harrisburg, PA. On 28 March 1979 there was a partial core meltdown of the reactor. However there were no substantial losses. The nuclear material was contained and no one was killed or injured during the melt down. However, there was one death that occurred from radiation poisoning.
The accident at Chernobyl reactor occurred on 26 April 1986 during an experimental test. The accident happened when operators shut down important control systems and allowed the reactor to reach unstable conditions. A sudden power surge caused a steam explosion. This caused the reactor core to be destroyed and damaged the building. A graphite fire burned for ten days releasing radioactive waste into the air. Thirty workers died within a few weeks and many others suffered injuries. There was an evacuation of the region and devastation took place in the area, physically as well as psychologically. The Chernobyl ordeal is the largest accident to occur.
These incidents shouldn’t be taken lightly but they need to be taken into context. Both incidents happened because of design flaws and poor operator training. The operators and workers who were involved with these accidents did not obey the safety regulations that are associated with nuclear power plants.
Nuclear energy can be helpful for the environment and save on natural resources but need to be carefully monitored and watched. For the most part nuclear power plants need to still be utilized and researched. The biggest unresolved issue with nuclear energy is the storage and disposal of radioactive waste. Given the information, nuclear power plants are beneficial but can pose a threat if the plants are not carefully monitored and tracked.

A Forest Returns

The video was nice to watch. I learned a lot about the Wayne Forest and forests in Ohio. I didn't know that the government bought the land and tried to get a forest going. I found it interesting when Ora Anderson made the comment about the best way to let a forest grow was to leave it alone. The result of the growth in the forests in Ohio has been because everybody has left it alone and let nature take its course. I liked the music in the background as well. It helped with the emotional side of the film. It put you in a calm and peaceful mind set. Overall I enjoyed the film.