Garbage Problem Around Us

Everyday, we always see the garbage around us. In the streets, drains, and everywhere, there is always so many trash there. Even, we often see the garbage dump and trash can that fulfilled by the trash. And consciously or not, actually we also contribute the trash everyday, too. As a student, we usually dispose the paper or food wrappers. But, did you know that every person can dispose about 55 tons garbage during his life !

So, what can we do to reduce the very large amount of garbage that become a greater problem day by day ? Actually, most of the garbage that we dispose everyday can be recycled or it can be easily degradable. For example, the paper that we always waste everyday can be easily degradable. Another example, the kitchen garbage such as fruits rind, residual vegetables, and garden garbage such as, dry leaves or sticks. Waste paper can be recycled to form the new paper. This recycled paper can be used as sack, bag, or it can be made into the good-looking handcraft. Kitchen garbage and garden garbage can be recycled into compost fertilizers because it derived from organics material. We can use this fertilizer to fertilize our garden, instead of using chemicals fertilizer that can harmful for environment.

To make the recycling proccess easier, we can dispose the garbage into the different place. For example, paper or another organic garnage into one trash can and anorganic or hardly-degradable tarsh in another one trash can. We was provided this kind of trash can in our school. But, most of us doesn't aware yet. So, we must to be more aware and attention to separate the garbage in order to make it easier to recycle. The most important thing is we have a responsibility to keep and protect the earth for our next generation. Always do our best for better earth and certainly, better future  

Why The Air Feels Hotter Now ?

Nowadays, we can fell that the air is hotter than before. We always ask "why the air feels hotter and hotter ?". So, this is the simple answer. Check this out !

Since the amount of the forest decreased and substituted by the buildings, energy that produced by the air-conditioner, smoke from factory and vehicles is increase day by day. Even the concrete or asphalt road can absorb the heat and then release it. All of these factors can make the air temperature in the city is higher than the surrounding area and then it can cause the "Urban Heat Island Phenomena". Particularly in the hot or drought season, because the temperature in the night is hot, too and there is no rain to "wash out" the air.

So, what can we do to make the air temperature not to be  hotter ? Here is some simple things to do.

We can reduce the use of air-conditioner in our home. Actually, the air-conditioner just cooling the internal part of our home, but it just make the air outside our house hotter because of the air-conditioner's compressor. So, we can turn it off if we want to leave the room for the long time.

We also can minimize the use of motorcycle or car in order to decrease the amount of air pollution. We can use the public transport or walk on our own feet to transport in quite short distance. It also can save the petroleum resource to avoid the scarcity of petroleum. There is the Car Free Day in Jakarta every Sunday. The people usually ride the bicycle in the main road which always fulfilled by the vehicle in the weekdays.

And the simplest way to do is plant the tree in our yard. We can plant the fruit-producing tree as the cover crops besides we can get the benefits from its fruit. Besides the tree fruit, we can plant the flowers or the ornamental plants. It can beautify our house and clean the air around our house, too.

The most important thing is we have a responsibility to keep and protect the earth for our next generation. Always do our best for better earth and certainly, better future

Styrofoam : Useful or Harmful ?

Styrofoam is a very familiar thing in our everyday life. We usually use it for the food container, art work, and the same kind that we can found in the box of electronic appliance such as TV or refrigerator in order to protect and minimize the collision effect. We often see the garbage always fulfilled by the Styrofoam trash. In fact, we can’t deny that Styrofoam is very close with our life. But, did you know what is the styrofam actually ? Here is some explanation.

  
Styrofoam is a popular name or trademark of the polymer styrene which first produced by The Dow Chemical Company for thermal insulation and craft applications. Styrofoam is one of the most favourite materials because of its water and thermal resistance, light weight and cheap, it is quite strong and not easily broken. Because its advantage, it often used in food industry to pack the food or drink in order to keep the taste, wholeness and freshness of the food or drink.

But, did you realize that it is seriously risky for our healthy ? Styrofoam  was made from the styrene particles which processed with benzene. In facts, benzene is one of the chemical materials which can cause many illness. Benzene can cause the problem in tyroid gland and nervous system, increase the speed of heart beat, cause insomnia and tremors. In a point of fact, benzene can cause the decrese of consciousness and finally, death. When benzene was eaten accidentally by the human, it will absorbed to the blood cells and slowly harm the spinal cord. The effect is the decrease of blood cells production and cause anemia. Another effect, it can cause the weakening of immune system so we easily infected. In women body, this substance can give the bad effect for the menstrual cycle, threatening pregnancy, and cause the breast cancer. World Health Organization’s Internatiolnal Agency for Research on Cancer has been categorized Styrofoam as carsinogenic substance (the substance which can cause the cancer disease).

When the food was packed in the Styrofoam, the chemical substance in Styrofoam will
devolve to the food. The movement of this substance will increase depending on the content of fat in the food. The content of alcohol and acid (lemon tea, for example) can also increase the speed of substance movement.The research prove that, the heat can also influent the speed increasing of this movement.
Styrofoam is harmful for the environment, because it is cannot degradable by the nature. Styrofoam will pollute the nature and the Styrofoam which wasted to the river or sea will damage the water ecosystem. Some factory can recycle it, but they just deform the old Styrofoam, produce it into the new one and then use it again. The producing process of new Styrofoam can pollute the environment, too. Enviromental Protection Agency in 1986 said that the pollutant which produce from the Styrofoam manufacturing is so much and harmful. EPA also categorized the Styrofoam manufacturing as the 5th of the biggest pollutant producer in the world. Styrofoam manufacturing process release 57 dangerous substance to the air.

So, what can we do to decrease the bad effect of Styrofoam use ? Here is some solution that easy to do.
Take the food from our home, instead of buy it in the canteen. It is quite easy ways to do. Just take the food from our home, and put it in your locker when you arrive at the school. When the breaktime bell ringing, simply take it and eat it in your classroom. This is better than you must spend your valuable breaktime to queue in the canteen. If there is more people do it, it will significantly decrease the number of Styrofoam trash. If you don’t have a time to prepare the food so you must eat in the canteen, try to use plate instead of using Styrofoam. At least, it will be advantageous for the seller because they can save the Styrofoam for next day and it will increase their profit.

Styrofoam is useful, but we should use the Styrofoam wisely and carefully because we know that it is harmful for our heath and environment. The most important thing is we have a responsibility to keep and protect the earth for our next generation. Always do our best for better earth and certainly, better future

5 Unique Plants in The World

There are so much kinds of plant in the world. Everyday we see the common plant around us. But, did you know, friends ? Some plants has different shape and unique features that make it specials. here is 5 kinds of Unique plants in the world.

Rafflesia arnoldii

This flower's diameter can grow about 1 meter long and about 7-11 kilograms weight. It only can found in Sumatra and Kalimantan rainforest. This flower can bloom in 3-7 days and when it blooms, this flower produce the stink smell. So, the popular name of this flower is "bunga bangkai". This flower is become fewer, so it needs to be protect in national park in order to avoid the flower to become extinct.

Amorphophallus titanum

This flower can grow higher than adult men. It also produce the smell and it has the popular name "bunga bangkai" or Titan Arum. this flower is rare, so we just can see it in the national park, for example Kebun Raya Bogor.

Mimosa Pudica

Mimosa pudica or "putri malu" is the unique shrub plants. If we touch its body, it will curl for a while. It has the vibration sensor so it can curl if we touch or shake it. This is a kind of common plants and easy to found especially in tropical zone.

Baobab

Baobab or called "bottle tree" is the common name of genus Adansonia that live in Madagascar. The Bottle tree has the name because its unique, bottle-shape trunk that can contain about 300 liters of water to survive in the hot and dry area. This tree can live about 500 years.

Dionaea muscipula

This carnivore plants also called "venus flytraps" because this plants has a unique and effective trap leaf. The trap leaf has the sensitive sensor which can detect its prey such as flies, ants or any other insect. When the flies touch this sensor, the trap leaf work faster than a second.