Because of the fact that I don't want to limit myself in terms of ideas for modules in this project, the theme statement of my project is as follows:
Energy conservation by way of the use of alternative fuels.
Something to think about:
Any suggestions/comments are welcome!
Wednesday, September 19, 2007
Monday, September 10, 2007
Biodiesel: An Introduction
A quick project update:
I will be focusing on alternative fuel sources in Carroll County, Maryland. I grew up in Hampstead, which is in the northern part of the county, so it is an area with which I am familiar. Carroll County is more rural than most areas of Maryland, so it would be a good area on which to focus. As you will see, in the future the rural areas of our country will be just as important (if not more so) than the urban areas in regards to the development of alternative fuels.
It would be a mistake to not introduce the two main alternative fuels that will be the focus of my project. Did anyone do a little research of their own and see what "biodiesel" and "E85" are? For those who did not, here is a brief introduction to the first of the two:
"Biodiesel"
First of all, biodiesel is not totally free of fossil fuels. It is rather a mix of biodegradable elements and petroleum diesel fuel. The reason why biodiesel is considered an alternative fuel is because it requires less petroleum diesel fuel (anywhere from 2% to 100% less) than traditional #2 diesel fuel. There are 7 primary different mixes of biodiesel and petroleum diesel: B99 and B100 (99 and 100% biodiesel, respectively); B20 and B11 (20% and 11% biodiesel); and B2, B5 and B10 (2%, 5% and 10% biodiesel). Click here to read a good article from the DesMoines Register on how biodiesel is made.
~MA
Something to think about:
1) What is "E85?" What do you know about it?
I will be focusing on alternative fuel sources in Carroll County, Maryland. I grew up in Hampstead, which is in the northern part of the county, so it is an area with which I am familiar. Carroll County is more rural than most areas of Maryland, so it would be a good area on which to focus. As you will see, in the future the rural areas of our country will be just as important (if not more so) than the urban areas in regards to the development of alternative fuels.
It would be a mistake to not introduce the two main alternative fuels that will be the focus of my project. Did anyone do a little research of their own and see what "biodiesel" and "E85" are? For those who did not, here is a brief introduction to the first of the two:
"Biodiesel"
First of all, biodiesel is not totally free of fossil fuels. It is rather a mix of biodegradable elements and petroleum diesel fuel. The reason why biodiesel is considered an alternative fuel is because it requires less petroleum diesel fuel (anywhere from 2% to 100% less) than traditional #2 diesel fuel. There are 7 primary different mixes of biodiesel and petroleum diesel: B99 and B100 (99 and 100% biodiesel, respectively); B20 and B11 (20% and 11% biodiesel); and B2, B5 and B10 (2%, 5% and 10% biodiesel). Click here to read a good article from the DesMoines Register on how biodiesel is made.
~MA
Something to think about:
1) What is "E85?" What do you know about it?
"What to do?" answered.
As you might surmise from the title of this post, I have a better idea now of what the topic of my project will be. There has scarcely been a day in the past few years that the topics of energy and sources of fuel have not been in the news. Beginning with the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina in 2005, and the resulting gas shortages that followed, people were reminded that fossil fuels are not a renewable resource. Gas prices were well over $3.25 a gallon for regular unleaded in Maryland. More people began to consider a somewhat obvious concept: once it [fossil fuels] are gone, they are gone.
Now, I do not wish to be an alarmist here. The goal of this blog is not to put fear in the heart of every person who reads it. I would rather this blog be an introduction for people to the topic of local initiatives to promote alternative fuels
This article serves as a good introduction to the topic of alternative fuels in general in the sense that it paints a very accurate picture of the situation at hand. I feel that alternative fuels such as biodiesel and E85 (Ethanol) have been portrayed as some sort of savior that will permit our country to be totally non-dependent on foreign sources of fossil fuel. This is absolutely not the case. In fact, the contrary is true: it will take many, many years before alternative fuels are a viable and sustainable alternative to fossil fuel. The idea that these alternative fuels are some sort of savior causes them to possibly dismiss the very idea because they have not caught on. This, as you may guess, does not a conducive learning environment make. If people think that alternative fuels will never be viable, then they are not going to want to try to learn about them.
I realize that this may make the topic of this blog and my project irrelevant. As I mentioned before, the goal of this blog is to serve as an introduction to the topic and to merely get people talking about the topic. I believe that talking about alternative fuels is the first step to learning more about them. The percentage of people using alternative fuels may be small now, but this will not always be the case.
Each post will have a section at the end called "Something to think about." This section will contain a question, or questions that are meant to keep the readers thinking about the topic. A question may reiterate something mentioned, or may pose the next logical question in regards to the topic at hand. Any reader may post a response to any question and pose one of his or her own.
~MA (Matt Anderson)
Something to think about:
1) What is "biodiesel" and what is it made of?
Now, I do not wish to be an alarmist here. The goal of this blog is not to put fear in the heart of every person who reads it. I would rather this blog be an introduction for people to the topic of local initiatives to promote alternative fuels
This article serves as a good introduction to the topic of alternative fuels in general in the sense that it paints a very accurate picture of the situation at hand. I feel that alternative fuels such as biodiesel and E85 (Ethanol) have been portrayed as some sort of savior that will permit our country to be totally non-dependent on foreign sources of fossil fuel. This is absolutely not the case. In fact, the contrary is true: it will take many, many years before alternative fuels are a viable and sustainable alternative to fossil fuel. The idea that these alternative fuels are some sort of savior causes them to possibly dismiss the very idea because they have not caught on. This, as you may guess, does not a conducive learning environment make. If people think that alternative fuels will never be viable, then they are not going to want to try to learn about them.
I realize that this may make the topic of this blog and my project irrelevant. As I mentioned before, the goal of this blog is to serve as an introduction to the topic and to merely get people talking about the topic. I believe that talking about alternative fuels is the first step to learning more about them. The percentage of people using alternative fuels may be small now, but this will not always be the case.
Each post will have a section at the end called "Something to think about." This section will contain a question, or questions that are meant to keep the readers thinking about the topic. A question may reiterate something mentioned, or may pose the next logical question in regards to the topic at hand. Any reader may post a response to any question and pose one of his or her own.
~MA (Matt Anderson)
Something to think about:
1) What is "biodiesel" and what is it made of?
What to do? (A test post)
(This is a test post: At least 2 posts meeting the assignment guidelines will follow before Wednesday, 9/12)
Welcome to my blog for MCOM 407: Writing for New Media. The goal of this class (or, rather, the students in it) is to create a multimedia project by the end of the semester. This project can include such things as slideshows of still pictures, podcasts, radio interviews, and anything else that we, the students, can think of. My goal, in this blog, is to pose several questions during the semester, with the hope of answering them in subsequent posts. I hope that the topics within my blog will not divert too wildly; however, I ask that you bear with me at the beginning while my project is in its beginning stages.
I hope that this blog will be interesting to the other people in my class. I would rather have it be more of a discussion board than me posting things that will not be read. If anyone has anything to comment, please do so. If anyone knows someone who would be able to further this topic or any current discussion, I ask that you forward them the URL to this blog. It would be appreciated.
Now, what to do?
Welcome to my blog for MCOM 407: Writing for New Media. The goal of this class (or, rather, the students in it) is to create a multimedia project by the end of the semester. This project can include such things as slideshows of still pictures, podcasts, radio interviews, and anything else that we, the students, can think of. My goal, in this blog, is to pose several questions during the semester, with the hope of answering them in subsequent posts. I hope that the topics within my blog will not divert too wildly; however, I ask that you bear with me at the beginning while my project is in its beginning stages.
I hope that this blog will be interesting to the other people in my class. I would rather have it be more of a discussion board than me posting things that will not be read. If anyone has anything to comment, please do so. If anyone knows someone who would be able to further this topic or any current discussion, I ask that you forward them the URL to this blog. It would be appreciated.
Now, what to do?
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