Overview

In this blog you will learn about all the types of pollution. Air, water, and land pollution. You will also read about different causes of pollution and how much of an effect they are having on the environment. You will read about the many ways you can help reduce pollution and help the environment. You may be surprised to find out how much we are contributing to the pollution of the Earth. 

What can be done to reduce pollution?

Recycling is a great way to reduce pollution

An electric car

A big way to reduce pollution is to drive a hybrid or electric vehicle, or just a car that has good gas mileage. Planting trees and other plants is a great way to remove carbon dioxide from the air. The plants take in the polluted air and release clean oxygen. To reduce the amount of trash that gets dumped into landfills you can recycle and reuse materials. This will also reduce air pollution released by factories because they will not have to make the new materials. Also, disposing of batteries and old electronics properly will get rid of them in the landfills and will reduce the land pollution. And finally, a little thing you can do in your own home to help the environment is conserve energy. You can turn off lights when you don't need them and take shorter showers.  More details on what you can do to reduce pollution here.

Information from:
 

       "7 Most Effeicient Ways of Reducing Pollution – Updated Article with New Information." Green Energy Investments and News. Web. 09 Jan. 2011. <http://www.bionomicfuel.com/7-most-effeicient-ways-of-reducing-pollution/>.

Images from: Google Images

Factory Pollution

Smoke coming from a factory tower

Power plants pollute the air

Factories are a major contributor to air pollution. It makes no difference what product the factory makes, it could be anything from medicine to rubber, the factory still releases a lot of pollution into the environment. In fact US factories alone release over 3 million tons of hazardous chemicals into the air every year. Think if you have ever driven into a city and seen the smoke flowing from those tall towers, all that smoke pollutes the air and aids in global warming. There is one type of factory that pollutes the air more than any other, that is the power plants. In power plants they burn coal to produce energy. This releases a huge amount of hazardous smoke straight into the air. Learn more about factories polluting the air here.

      Information from: "How Do Factories Cause Air Pollution." Cause and Effect for Global Warming, Greenhouse Effect, Greenhouse Gases, Hybrid Cars, Pollution, Small Scale Waste to Energy. Web. 09 Jan. 2011. <http://www.treehuggerusa.com/pollution/air-pollution/How-Do-Factories-Cause-Air-Pollution.html>.

      "Pollution, Water Pollution, Air Pollution | GreenStudentU.com." GreenStudentU: Green Students, Environmental Education, & Eco-Lifestyles. Web. 18 Nov. 2010. <http://www.greenstudentu.com/encyclopedia/pollution>.

      Images from: Google Images

Polluted Wetlands

Polluted Wetlands

Wetlands

Many wetlands are disappearing because they are being destroyed to make way for new houses, apartments and shopping malls. Wetlands are very important to the environment because they act like a sponge, absorbing pollutants from the environment. If polluted water runs through a wetland it will absorb most of the polluted parts and clean the water. If the wetlands aren't there anymore they obviously can't absorb the pollution. This is why it is such a bad thing that people are destroying the wetlands. Studies have shown that 2/3 of the wetlands around the Great Lakes have disappeared since 1800. For more information on how wetlands remove pollutants and how to preserve them click here.

Information from:

       Heath, Brad. "Relentless Growth Transforms Lakes." Detroit News (Detroit, MI). Aug. 14 2005: n.p. SIRS Researcher. Web. 17 Nov 2010.

      "Managing Wetlands to Control Nonpoint Source Pollution | Outreach & Communication | US EPA." EPA Office of Water Home | Water | US EPA. Web. 09 Jan. 2011. <http://water.epa.gov/polwaste/nps/outreach/point11.cfm>.

      Images from: Google Images

Air Pollution

Factories create smoke that pollutes the air

Cars pollute the air every day

Air pollution is the accumulation of hazardous substances into the atmosphere. A few things that contribute to air pollution are car emissions, tobacco smoke, the burning of coal, acid rain, aerosol sprays, and nuclear weapons. Car emissions are a big problem, they contribute 45% to global warming, and as more and more people drive gasoline powered cars, more of the atmosphere will become polluted. And it's not just the big cities that have polluted air, the wind can carry the bad air into the country, polluting it too. It is hard to know if a city has polluted air because it usually has no smell or color. Another huge part of air pollution is coal burning. Coal is usually burned to power homes, and with most buildings relying on this power it is easy to see why it is such a big part of air pollution. Learn more here.

Information from:

        Scott, Sarah. "Smog Daze." ON Nature (Ontario, Canada) Vol. 46, No. 2. Summer 2006: 18-23. SIRS Researcher. Web. 17 Nov 2010.

    

      http://www.greenstudentu.com/encyclopedia/pollution

     
Images from: Google Images

Water Pollution

Fish that died because of pollution

Waste being poured into a lake

Water pollution is the introduction of chemical, biological, and physical matter into large bodies of water. This decreases the quality of life for the organisms that live in the water, as well as the things that consume the water. Water becomes polluted when untreated water enters lakes or rivers through sewers.Over 900 million people world wide, don't have access to safe drinking water that is free from waste. Contaminants can also get into the water when the pollutants are left on the ground and are washed into the water when it rains. This is a big problem for fish because when cars brake, tiny copper flakes are shaved off. These copper flakes are washed into lakes and they are toxic to the fish that breathe them in. Everyday 4,500 children die from diseases in the water. More information here.

Information from:

       "Pollution, Water Pollution, Air Pollution | GreenStudentU.com." GreenStudentU: Green Students, Environmental Education, & Eco-Lifestyles. Web. 18 Nov. 2010. <http://www.greenstudentu.com/encyclopedia/pollution>.

       "Downstream: Water Access & Sanitation News." Pulitzer Center. Web. 03 Jan. 2011. <http://pulitzercenter.org/downstream?gclid=CIjr6sbenqYCFUdrKgodTma9oA#>.

Images from: Google Images

Land Pollution

Truck dumping trash into a landfill

Deforestation

Land is polluted when contaminants are dropped on to or absorbed into the ground. Some causes of land pollution are fertilizers, pesticides, landfills, car leaks, littering and deforestation. Landfills could be less of a contributor to pollution if people recycled more. Over 80% of the items placed in landfills can be recycled but they aren't. When pollutants are absorbed into the ground they can kill plants that are in that soil. This is very bad for the environment because those plants can no longer produce oxygen for us to breathe.


Information from:

      "Pollution, Water Pollution, Air Pollution | GreenStudentU.com." GreenStudentU: Green Students, Environmental Education, & Eco-Lifestyles. Web. 18 Nov. 2010. <http://www.greenstudentu.com/encyclopedia/pollution>.

Images from: Google Images