(Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Dayton Daily News reporter, Steven Bennish, has written an exciting new photojournalism book called Scrappers. This book uses photographs to document how many unemployed individuals have turned to scrap metal theft in order to get by. Mr. Bennish became interested in this phenomenon during a 2011 project where he was doing research on stories regarding the loss of American manufacturing jobs.

The reason people have resorted to scrap metal theft are varied: some need money for drugs, others for survival or greed. Unfortunately, many communities such as Dayton, Ohio have experienced astronomical monetary loss when “scrappers” get bold and obtain metal from working structures. In this case the thieves caused $100,000 in damages when they removed a 700 pound metal shaft of Dayton’s flood gates. The book Scrappers concentrates mostly on individuals who use metal theft as their source of survival. To further authenticate the book, Steven Bennish used Kodak film because the company was barely surviving at the time and it seemed an appropriate way to document the struggling lives of the Americans who have lost their manufacturing jobs.

Scrappers: Scrounging Metal to Make Ends Meet

Food (Photo credits: www.campgroundsigns.com)

Businesses in the USA waste about $60 billion dollars in energy each year; $10 billion of that is wasted by restaurants with inefficient cooking methods. Local utilities and city departments can offer advice to substantially lower these costs. The easiest way to save money is by installing energy efficient light bulbs and even motion sensitive lights in seldom used areas light bathrooms and storage areas.

Maintaining kitchen equipment and upgrading to more energy efficient models can pay for themselves in savings. An energy efficient dishwasher can easily save a $1000 a year. Food is another area of energy waste seldom thought of but cooking oil has been used as vehicle fuel for many years. Food leftover/excess waste can also be anaerobically broken down in newly engineered models of sewage plants and turned into methane to power the plant in a green manner.

The EPA theorizes that utilizing 50% of restaurant food wastes for methane production could energize 2.5 million homes. The $10 billion energy loss by restaurants could be reduced substantially in relatively easy and painless, cost-saving ways. Hopefully, the word will spread and be adopted on a wide scale. Everyone could feel a lot better eating out just knowing restaurants are striving to be green. Restaurants could be a shining example to the other $50 billion in energy wastes.

Building Energy Efficiency: Restaurants Waste Energy In Different Ways

English: A typical household window fan. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Nowadays people take air conditioning for granted, but it certainly wasn’t available to ancient civilizations. So what did the Greeks, Romans and Egyptians and other civilizations do to try and stay cool in sweltering weather?

The Egyptians used to hang water-moistened reeds in their windows, which had a cooling effect when wind blew through the windows and was actually a primitive form of air conditioning. Wealthy ancient Romans would circulate cold water through their walls, which had a cooling effect. Persians used wind towers combined with underground reservoirs to help cool buildings.

Many prehistoric tribes lived in caves, which afforded protection and cool temperatures during hot summer months. In more recent times, use of fans and strategic placement of large windows and porch covers have helped to cool many homes. Other tried and true techniques that have stood the test of time include taking a cool dip in a pool or lake and dressing in light colored clothing.

10 Ways People Kept Cool Before Air Conditioning

Sneeze (Photo credit: 729:512)

Millions of American suffer from seasonal allergies, and if you’re one of them you know how miserable they can make you feel. Common symptoms include itchy and runny nose, nasal and sinus congestion, repeated sneezing, watery eyes, inflamed sinuses, and, in extreme cases, difficulty breathing.

Fortunately, there is a straightforward solution for homeowners who are seasonal allergy sufferers. Air cleaners and air purifiers can be installed directly on your homes heating/air conditioning system. This way, they work to filter air as it passes through your duct work and before it gets redistributed throughout the house.

Air cleaners and air purifiers are the most efficient way to capture the greatest number of airborne particles of any air purification technology currently available. HEPA air cleaners, in particular, have very high efficiency rating and can trap particles as small as dust mites to smoke, pollen, pet dander or even airborne viruses.

How an Air Cleaner Installation Can Help Your Seasonal Allergies

made in china (Photo credit: mandiberg)

One of the biggest drawbacks of more consumer goods being made overseas is the fact that many a finished product ends up on shelves already damaged or defective.

As consumers, builders, electricians etc we have almost been trained into expecting less-than-quality products from overseas when low expectations should not be the norm. Much time and energy is wasted when a product is made too quickly and assembled and packaged for sale by untrained hands. It isn’t just important to shop ‘Made in America’ because we need to support our economy and jobs as a nation.

It’s important to shop ‘Made in America’ because the consumer goods have a more strict approval process to make it to consumer and this saves time and energy. Overall it costs consumers and manufacturers more time, energy and money to make and sell a cheap product than it does to create a solid quality product. The manufacture of cheap items contributes to unsustainable environmental practices and unsustainable business practices.

How Much Energy Is Wasted on Cheap Crap In China?