July 7, 2007: Rain forest to charcoal

[Elspode]

Next time you pick up that bag of Kingsford, make sure you thank the gods for it.

[xoxoxoBruce]

Much of the charcoal is used to carbonize iron ore to create pig iron, both in Brazil and elsewhere. Another big market is lump charcoal in Europe.
Another bone of contention, is that much of the rain forest clearing is done by slave labor.

[richlevy]

Maybe it's the recent Live Earth coverage, but the rain forest site (http://www.therainforestsite.com/) would not load for me this morning. I had the same problem with the hunger site (http://www.thehungersite.com/). I wonder if it's because of all the attention the environment and the problems it is causing with famine are getting in the news.

The breast cancer, child health, animal rescue, and literacy sites loaded ok. Of course, these are the lesser known sites and may never have been as popular.

I've put all of the click-a-day-for charity sites in one bookmark group in Firefox. Every day when I use my home computer it only usually takes 10 seconds to open all in tabs and click on and donate a few square feet of rain forest, part of a bowl of animal food, etc. The donation is paid for by the sponsors. All I invest is 10 seconds of my time assuming I'm on the computer anyway.

If the hunger and rain forest sites are down because of volume, that's both a good and bad thing.

P.S. The hunger site finally came back. The rain forest site is still unavailable.

[TheMercenary]

Originally Posted by richlevy

Maybe it's the recent Live Earth coverage, but the rain forest site (http://www.therainforestsite.com/) would not load for me this morning. I had the same problem with the hunger site (http://www.thehungersite.com/). I wonder if it's because of all the attention the environment and the problems it is causing with famine are getting in the news.

The breast cancer, child health, animal rescue, and literacy sites loaded ok. Of course, these are the lesser known sites and may never have been as popular.

I've put all of the click-a-day-for charity sites in one bookmark group in Firefox. Every day when I use my home computer it only usually takes 10 seconds to open all in tabs and click on and donate a few square feet of rain forest, part of a bowl of animal food, etc. The donation is paid for by the sponsors. All I invest is 10 seconds of my time assuming I'm on the computer anyway.

If the hunger and rain forest sites are down because of volume, that's both a good and bad thing.

P.S. The hunger site finally came back. The rain forest site is still unavailable.

That sounds pretty cool. Is there a clearing house for these kinds of links so people can pick and choose what places they want to "donate" those clicks to?

[richlevy]

Originally Posted by TheMercenary

That sounds pretty cool. Is there a clearing house for these kinds of links so people can pick and choose what places they want to "donate" those clicks to?

That depends. When it's all working, the sites are tabbed together, so one site usually can lead to the others. I find using the 'open all in tabs' method faster. You don't donate until you click the button, so you don't have to worry about accidentally donating to something you disagree with, although I doubt you are pro-hunger, -illiteracy, -cancer, etc.

OK, maybe I do have a hard time picturing you with the 'free peace dove pin'.

[xoxoxoBruce]

Today, you and others have generated the value of 338,306 square feet of rainforest land. Thank you!

[TheMercenary]

Believe it when I see 338,306 square feet of newly replanted rainforest land.

[TheMercenary]

Originally Posted by richlevy

...so you don't have to worry about accidentally donating to something you disagree with, although I doubt you are pro-hunger, -illiteracy, -cancer, etc.

Your view of who I am or am not is at best myopic.

[richlevy]

Originally Posted by xoxoxoBruce

That's about six football fields (American) including end zones.

Not bad, but still a long way to go.

[CharlieG]

Originally Posted by Elspode

Next time you pick up that bag of Kingsford, make sure you thank the gods for it.

Actually "Briquette" charcoal, like the classic Kingsford IS made from waste products - to whit - sawdust! The take sawdust and clay (and some other stuff) and mould it into the briquettes, and then make it into charcoal

True "lump" charcoal burns a LOT (and I mean a LOT) hotter, with much less ash (no clay)

As for "waste" vs burning wood - not all that much. Almost all of the energy is in the carbon, which is retained in the charcoal. You drive of the volates (water, oils etc) and then it's quenched - what's left burns a LOT hotter. It's done for the same reason that steel mills take coal, and turn it into coke. BTW you "village blacksmith" who burned coal - he would put the coal in on one side of the forge, and banked the fire in such a way that it would turn to coke. He did his actual forging in the coke, and would keep adding coal at one side , constantly making coke

[chrisinhouston]

Originally Posted by Elspode

Next time you pick up that bag of Kingsford, make sure you thank the gods for it.

Hey I'm from Texas, we use Mesquite!