Merry Christmas and a Happy 2016

Christmas and the holiday season is upon us. Celebrations are abound, but hold in mind the animals and the environment during this time.

We are spending time with family and celebrating the birth of Jesus Christ during this time.
But with New Years cerebration approaching at a rapid pace, please, please do not use crackers or fireworks during this time. These devices contribute a lot to animals being frightened to death because of the sudden explosions and it contributes to noise pollution.
Animals hearing is a lot more sensitive to sound than ours. They need their hearing to find food and avoid danger from other predators.

Just take the explosion of one fire work, the sound is loud to us and our hearing is not as affected by the noise. Now multiply that sound by 50 or even a 100 and this is what the poor animals need to deal with. Frightened out of their wits, they try to get away from the noise source. That is when, especially dogs break out of their enclosures to seek a safe and quieter environment. Many animals are injured during this time because of the panic this creates. On the first morning of every new year, the streets are teaming with dogs that escaped their enclosures roaming aimlessly around. Many of them lost as they ran so far from their homes.
Be considerate during this time, not only to other people, but to our fury friends also. They protect us and are our friends.

I wish everybody a Merry Christmas and a happy and prosperous new year.
With all my love
Ewan van Breda
SolarWind

Green House Gasses

There is no doubt that CO2 is accumulating in the atmosphere. The record from Mauna Loa, in Hawaii charts a continuing rise in CO2 concentration since measurements began in 1958, when the level was 315 ppm; the value had reached about 370 ppm by the end of the 20th century, and hit more than 378 ppm in 2004.
Important as changes in atmospheric CO2 undoubtedly are, we need to be aware that this is not the whole story of human-induced greenhouse forcing. In particular, monitoring programms established during the 1980s reveal an upward trend in the levels of two other natural greenhouse gases as well - methane (CH4) and nitrous oxide (N2O).
The change in atmospheric CO2 during the period covered by the Mauna Loa record shows a rising trend that seems to have started towards the end of the 18th century.

For some 800 years before that, the CO2 level fluctuated little about a mean value close to 280 ppm. Similar patterns are evident for both methane and nitrous oxide. For each gas, the average level over the first 750 years of these ice-core records (i.e. up to 1750) is taken as a measure of its ‘pre-industrial’ concentration.

The increase in the atmospheric burden of these gases since pre-industrial times is not linear, rather it appears to be accelerating. For example, it took over 200 years for the level of CO2 to rise from 280 to 330 ppm (1750 to around 1975); it has taken just 30 years for it to increase by the same amount, i.e. a further 50 ppm.
But how do we know that the build up of all three gases over recent decades is due to human intervention?

One strong line of evidence that it is comes from an unlikely source - the vast ice sheets of Greenland and Antarctica.
As glacier ice is formed by compaction of successive layers of snow, small bubbles of air become trapped. When a sample of ice is drilled out, these air bubbles can be dated quite accurately, and when analysed, provide an archive of past atmospheric composition - including the levels of CO2 , CH4 and N2O.
For the most part, the human impact on the atmospheric burden of natural greenhouse gases can be traced back to activities that effectively add a new source of the gas and/or increase natural emissions in various ways.

In the following pages we will review:

• Carbon dioxide,
• Methane,
• Nitrous oxide, and
• Ozone.

Carbon dioxide

Despite being the feature that characterizes the industrial age, burning fossil fuels is not the only anthropogenic source of CO2. For centuries, people have been clearing forests, burning the wood and turning vast tracts of land over to agricultural use in order to feed an ever-expanding population. The process of deforestation and land-use change also adds to the CO2 content of the atmosphere.

Methane

Methane is generated during the breakdown of organic matter by bacteria that thrive in anaerobic (i.e. oxygen-free) environments - principally in waterlogged soils (bogs, swamps and other wetlands, whence methane's common name of ‘marsh gas’) and in the guts of termites and grazing animals.

Nitrous oxide

Nitrous oxide is part of the natural nitrogen cycle. It is produced by the activities of micro-organisms in soils and sediments. Again, the increase in its atmospheric concentration is thought to result mainly from agricultural activities, such as the application of nitrogenous fertilizers to boost crop yields. Some of the nitrogen ends up in the air as N2O.

In addition, the high-temperature combustion of fossil fuels (or indeed, any kind of vegetation) in air produces some N2O (through reaction between N2 and O2 in the air), along with other nitrogen oxides (notably nitric oxide, NO).

Ozone

Ozone is also a natural component of the lower atmosphere (due in part to transport down from the stratosphere), but the normal background level is low. However, enhanced concentrations of tropospheric ozone are now found in many polluted environments, especially over densely populated industrialized regions.

Here, ozone is generated close to the surface by the action of sunlight on the mix of gaseous pollutants that is typically found in vehicle exhaust fumes - unburnt hydrocarbons, carbon monoxide (CO) and nitric oxide (NO). Ozone is one of the more noxious components of ‘photo-chemical smog’ , since exposure to enhanced levels of the gas is harmful to both human health and plant growth.

Thank you for the support

The raising of funds is difficult these days as the economy worldwide is down.  For this reason, there is a need for partners in planning and executing a project like SolarWind.  And for one single social media network page to successfully do this is almost impossible. Especially for one page as small as the SolarWind page currently is. That is why I partnered with other pages and they kindly enough allowed helping raise funds from their pages as well.

This is why I would like to thank these pages that help with the effort.

The following pages are currently assisting with this effort:

Just Cats

Animal Facts

SharePhoto

Fabulous Picture Collection

SOA - Save Our Animals

ENKI

These pages might not be big pages, but they understand the importance of this project.

They will also be featuring on your supporter’s page for those groups and individuals that are committed to the project the same as I am. They see the need to do more for the environment, endangered animals and cancer awareness.

Another person that committed to supporting this project is an Australian Artist by the name of Michelle Webb. If you click on her name, you will also be taken to her Face Book page.

Like with one of my previous posts, the project is not a non-profit, but it is for non-profits. This is a personal project and I have set up an account that will only deal with this SolarWind Project and nothing else.

From the bottom of my heart, I would like to thank everybody for their support.

Ewan van Breda

Wild animals and the future

Future generations might only see wild animals in books and as stuffed props in museums in the future if we as humans carry on the way we are going today.
At least there are some people that think that the wild animals are worth saving for future generations. I take my hat off to those that started the conservation movements and dedicated their lives to saving these amazing creatures.

One of the people whom I learned a lot from as a child was the late Jacques Cousteau. His expeditions into the underwater world gave many insight into a world very few people have seen. 

He was a French naval officer, explorer, conservationist, filmmaker, innovator, scientist, photographer, author and researcher who studied the sea and all forms of life in water. He co-developed the Aqua-Lung, pioneered marine conservation and was a member of the Académie française.

He made people see the ocean in a different way through education. Make people realize that the world around us consist of more than we can see. He also inspired many to follow his footsteps to learn more about the oceans and the fauna and flora of the seas. His made many documentaries and films about the ocean and it's inhabitants. Starting in 1956 up-to 1996. His final film was released in 1999, after dis death in 1997 titled Lake Baikal: Beneath the Mirror.

Through the example that he set for many years, some marine biologists now find compounds that might be to the advantage to the health of the human race. Medical breakthroughs have been made that help you and me today.

He also supported the balance of nature to be upheld. In November 1991, Cousteau gave an interview to the UNESCO Courier, in which he stated that he was in favor of human population control and population decrease. Widely quoted on the Internet are these two paragraphs from the interview: "What should we do to eliminate suffering and disease? It's a wonderful idea but perhaps not altogether a beneficial one in the long run. If we try to implement it we may jeopardize the future of our species...It's terrible to have to say this. World population must be stabilized and to do that we must eliminate 350,000 people per day. This is so horrible to contemplate that we shouldn't even say it. But the general situation in which we are involved is lamentable".

Jacques-Yves Cousteau died of a heart attack on 25 June 1997 in Paris, aged 87. He was buried in the family vault at Saint-André-de-Cubzac in France. An homage was paid to him by the city by the inauguration of a "rue du Commandant Cousteau", a street which runs out to his native house, where a commemorative plaque was affixed.

As long as we can learn from the example that he set, his legacy will live on and help to save the animals for future generations.

Project Update

As a concept that was conceived about 2 years ago and now in full swing, the planning of the vessel that I will be spending a lot of time on alone is crucial. It is a small living space that will be occupied for at least 200 days without setting foot on land. And this for somebody that is terrified of the open ocean will be a feat in itself.

The main concern for me is safety. As the sea can throw almost anything at you at any time, day or night, it is of utmost importance for me that I will not land myself in the water and hope to be rescued at some stage.

A lot of research has gone into the types of pedal boats used for long distance travel. The one drawback that most of these vessels have is the lack of space for provisions, especially for a journey of this duration.

 ​I have researched the down sides of vessels like the vessel of explorer Jason Lewis that did 4,833 days and 46,505 miles rounding the globe under your own muscle power. As Lewis made regular stops to replenish his provisions, I will not have that luxury. That is why the decision was made to rather go with a catamaran configuration for this journey.

The catamaran configuration is more stable than the mono hull that all these adventurers use, and have a lot more storage room for provisions. There is also more deck space for the solar panels that will provide night time power to the vessel (remember this is a solar and human powered vessel).

The one major down side to using a catamaran configuration is that in the event that the vessel capsizes, it is very difficult to get it right side up. A plan has been made to make use of a new safety device that will assist with getting the vessel back right side up. But about this in later posts as the prototyping is still underway.

The drag induced by the catamaran configuration is in some cases greater that a mono hull vessel, but for safety and storage reasons, this makes more sense than a mono hull. As this will be a non-stop journey, all the provisions that will be needed will need to be carried from day one.

The main factor will be the weight issue of a fully laden vessel. To get the vessel as light as possible, a foam sandwich construction hull will be made. This will reduce the weight of the hull a lot. Another way to get the fully laden weight down is to use dehydrated provisions where possible. This reduction in weight will help with a lower displacement and wetted area of the hull. The lower the wetted area the less drag and the less energy will be required to power the vessel.

More on the vessel in a later post.

Now what are required are contributors and sponsors that will fund the building of the vessel.

If you are aware of any entity, private or corporate that would be interested in helping with the funding please contact me with their details or ask the entity to contact me directly.

Thank you

Air, Water and Soil

Human activities release a variety of substances into the biosphere, many of which negatively affect the environment. Pollutants discharged into the environment can accumulate in the air, water, or soil. Chemicals discharged into the air that have a direct impact on the environment are called primary pollutants. These primary pollutants sometimes react with other chemicals in the air to produce secondary pollutants.

A wide variety of chemicals and organisms are discharged into lakes, rivers and oceans daily. Left untreated, this sewage and industrial waste has a serious impact on the water quality, not only in the immediate area, but also downstream.
The eight classes of air pollutants are:

• oxides of carbon,
• sulfur,
• nitrogen,
• volatile organic compounds,
• suspended particulate matter,
• photo-chemical oxidants,
• radioactive substances and
• hazardous air pollutants.

Oxides of carbon include carbon monoxide (CO) and carbon dioxide (CO2).

All these pollutants have some effect on the environment that we live in. Most of them are Toxic to human and animal life on this planet.

Yes, these pollutants do occur naturally in the environment and are essential for our survival, but what make them toxic, is the concentration of the elements that make them toxic. Like the saying goes "too much of a good thing is not always good for you" This is the case when these elements gets concentrated, the benefit becomes a threat to the environment.

We need to look at a better way of disposing of the concentrated elements that we as humans release back into the environment. Researchers are working on solving this exact problem. The question is, will the solution come too late?

Water Pollution, a real view to please

Water is the main component for life as we know it. We all need this fluid to function and live a full life. When we go for a day out for fun in the sun, there is usually water involved.
SO WHY IS IT THAT WE POLLUTE THIS RECOURSE?

When you go to your local lake for a day of fishing or boating, the least thought about issue on your mind is the containers that you bring your drinks or food in and what will happen to them once you emptied the content. Where will you discard your waste after your day of fun. Your last worry is cleaning your boat or your fishing tackle of the dirty water that the equipment came in contact with.

But you did place those empty containers in a bin that are provided, yes? But those bins were so full that people started putting their waste next to the bin hoping that somebody else would clear the waste away. But instead, the wind blew some of the waste into the water due to the fact that the waste was not contained for collection.

 Wast from weekends n the sun that get into the waterways collect in the water and those that do not sink out of sight is at the mercy of the prevailing wind. At some place on the waters edge all the floating debris collect and make for an unsightly scene.

Now this becomes every bodies problem. The water is becoming foul from the residue left in the containers.

 If nobody decide to take action and help to clean up other peoples messes, the waste start to break down in the water due to the chemical reaction of the container material with the water helped by the sun shining down. Unwanted chemicals get released into the water that can adversely affect the lives of the marine fauna and flora.

Animal life is effected greatly by the changes in the chemical composition in the water. In many cases the chemicals released by these containers are toxic to the fish and when concentrations are high enough, will kill most of the fish in the water.

Other forms of pollution also reach dams and lakes. These pollutants are brought from up-stream with the rivers and streams that feed the dam or lake. Most of these pollutants are manufacturing discharge, some are from the agricultural sector and do not forget the discharge from sewage plants.

These sewage plants treat the water before it gets discharged back into the environment, but in some cases the treatment process eliminate some bacteria but introduce other harmful chemicals.

I have seen cases where a plant has been so overwhelmed by the amount of sewage directed at it from a nearby city, that some of the waste gets dumped directly untreated into a local river.

The discharge directly into the river caused the deaths of a lot of fish and pollution from other things that people flush down their toilets that should not be there.

Then there are the agricultural contribution to the pollution. Most commercial farmers use chemicals to accelerate growth of their crops and to keep pests away. These chemicals are usually full of nitrates that accelerate the growth af toxic algae in the dams. Usually these toxic algae is kept under control in a natural way, but with the introduction of these extra nitrates in the water, the growth can not be curbed and it grows out of control suffocating the animal and plant life that exist.

Think before polluting.

Many animals are dying because of pollution. All types of environmental pollution have negative impact on animal's health, and the worst types of pollution are air, water and noise pollution. Even small levels of environmental pollution create discomfort for many animals while on the other hand more excessive pollution leads to diseases and deaths of animals.

Many people ignore the fact that our planet is now polluted more than ever before, and that many animals are dying because of it. They fail to see the importance of these animals, and underestimate the importance of biodiversity in general. Biodiversity is the key to human well being, and we should be definitely doing more to stop huge biodiversity loss that is also a serious threat to our own survival.

Air pollution is particularly dangerous to animals when in form of the acid rain. Acid rains kills fish in lakes and streams by increasing the acidity of water. Other forms of air pollution such as ozone are also harmful to animals, for instance ozone pollution can cause serious damage to lung tissues of many animals.

Water pollution has extremely negative impact on many animals. Water polluted with different chemicals can cause decline of population in some species (such as frog), while on the other hand water polluted with nutrients can lead to huge growth of toxic algae which when eaten by other animals may cause serious diseases and death to these animals.

Noise pollution is also becoming huge problem for many animals, especially animals that live in our oceans and seas. Because of the increased ship traffic and offshore oil drilling noise pollution has started affecting very large number of marine animals. Whales and dolphins are among animals most affected by noise pollution. This is because they use their sense of hearing for many purposes such as hunting for prey, navigation, migration and distinguishing the members of the same species and with so many artificial sounds in our oceans they are having tough time to distinguish them all.

Littering can also lead to death of many animals because of toxic substances in trash (for instance motor oil, detergents, pesticides) that once eaten by animals often lead to their deaths. Animals can also die by getting themselves entangled in many of the litter items people dump into our environment.

By reducing all forms of environmental pollution on our planet we could save millions of animals but sadly the world is currently not doing enough, and pollution issue is therefore constantly growing in size. Add to this climate change and deforestation and you'll soon realize why so many animals are finding it very hard to survive.