Taking Care of Our Environment

Chinchillas originated from South America, more particularly in the Andes Mountains. In their natural habitat, these rodents can jump high, even reaching more than a meter. Their agility serves them well in the mountains as it allows them to survive threats present in the environment. Some of the animals that prey on them in the natural Chinchilla habitat are snakes, birds of prey, and canine. To protect themselves against these predators, Chins have the ability to release fur. They also spray urine in order to ward off any attacks.

In their natural habitat, Chins feed on plants and at times, small insects. This is the primary reason why most captive Chins are given diet based on hay. Giving other foods may cause irritation on the digestive system of these animals. Also, groups of Chins are referred to as ‘herds’ in their natural habitats.

Since Chinchillas have become popular pets in past years, the cage has also been considered as a Chinchilla habitat. When choosing a cage, the height and width should be prioritized. A spacious cage is ideal for Chins due to their hyperactive nature. Cages that have ledges and shelves are also recommended since these items can enable the creatures to play, jump, and run around the cage. The ledges and shelves should also be sturdy enough to carry the weight of the animals. The wires of the cages should not be made out of plastic, since Chins are fond of chewing on them. Plastic can be poisonous and potentially harm or kill Chins who chomp on them.

A bedroom should never be considered as a Chinchilla habitat. Chins are usually asleep during the day and active at night. Their nocturnal disposition will only cause troubles to their pet owners who insist on keeping them on their bedrooms. Chins usually run around their cages at night, and any person will have a hard time sleeping when they have these active animals running and jumping throughout the night.

Playtime is important to Chins. Once a day, pet owners should take them out of their cages and allow them to roam around. This should be done at night, when they have the energy to perform their hyperactive stunts. The Chinchilla habitat should have ramps where these creatures can run around and climb.

Chins are very hyperactive that they are difficult to control when they are in their cages. These rodents are very curious, which makes them easy to teach with various tricks. Chins learn through habits. The more frequent that they perform a task, the more likely that they will learn a trick. Giving treats such as wooden toys and raisins will also increase the likelihood that they will learn whatever tricks taught to them.

Aside from enough food, there should also be enough water in the Chinchilla habitat. The food bowl should be sturdy enough since Chins may run over them. Pet owners should also look closely into the eating habits of their Chins since the food they eat may have an effect o on their digestive system.

I wonder what Al Gore will do when he finally realizes that the global warming hype is just that? I wonder if Barack Obama will wise up the global warming implications as well. Heavy snow and record low temperatures are being seen around the globe and it’s not just because it’s winter, nor because we just crossed the winter solstice.

The Pacific Decadal Oscillation (PDO) is going to wreck havoc with Al’s theory as well as cause mjor problems for California in the ensuing years. PDO is a long-lived El Niño-like pattern of Pacific climate variability. While the two climate oscillations have similar spatial climate fingerprints, they have very  a different behavior in time. Fisheries scientist Steven Hare coined the term “Pacific Decadal Oscillation” (PDO) in 1996 while researching connections between Alaska salmon production cycles and Pacific climate.

Here’s what non-biased climatologists see.

The alleged global warming is in for about 30 years of cooling according to NASA, one of the leading global warming theory advocates. Who’s a person to believe? NASA has confirmed that a developing natural climate pattern will likely result in much colder temperatures, according to Marc Shepherd, writing in the April 30 American Thinker. He adds that NASA was also quick to point out that such natural phenomena should not confuse the issue of manmade greenhouse gas induced global warming which apparently will be going on behind the scenes while our teeth are chattering from a decade and a half long cold spell.

A cool-water anomaly known as La Niña occupied the tropical Pacific Ocean throughout 2007 and early 2008. In April 2008, scientists at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory announced that while the La Niña was weakening, the Pacific decadal Oscillation – a larger-scale, Slower-cycling ocean pattern – had shifted to its cool phase.” Will Al Gore believe this?

This shift in the PDO, which could last for 20 or 30 years, can have significant implications for global climate, affecting Pacific and Atlantic hurricane activity, droughts and flooding around the Pacific basin, the productivity of marine ecosystems and global land temperature patterns. Look out California agriculture. The wine industry, fruits and nut growers will be hit with a shorter growing season and more threats of frost, among other things. 

In 1905, the PDO switched to a warm phase, in 1946, PDO switched to a cool phase, and in 1977, PDO switched to a warm phase again. Now they tell us! Says NASA: “Natural, large-scale climate patterns like the PDO and El Niño-La Niña are superimposed on global warming caused by increasing concentrations of greenhouse gases and landscape changes like deforestation. According to Josh Willis, JPL oceanographer and climate scientist, ‘These natural climate phenomena can sometimes hide global warming caused by human activities. Or they can have the opposite effect of accentuating it.’”

In other words, CO2 is secretly warming the planet. Or maybe not. Maybe it’s due to things in the universe since ALL of the planets in our solar system are warming up. Global warming? Maybe, but not of the genre that Al Gore speaks.

Across the world energy is being used at an alarmingly higher rate. This is due to rapid industrialization and increased awareness in the consumers. However, all this is taking toll on the fossil fuel reserves as they are depleting fast and their usage becomes expensive. Due to the depletion of non-renewable sources from the earth, people are exploring more ways to employ natural and renewable energy sources. Let us take a close look at the advantages and disadvantages of green energy.

The biggest advantage is that the renewable energy sources are unlimited and they can be used for millions of years. On the other hand the non-renewable sources are limited as they are contained in a reserved quantity below earth’s surface.

There are certain countries which are employing renewable sources to generate electricity. This has brought development and employment has increased. Apart from the economic benefit is great. There can be a boost in the tourism industry if the area which is benefitting from the green energy is continuously getting supplied by electricity.

As natural energy relies on weather condition, it is difficult to predict how much will be generated on a given day. But you can always store the excess energy in the batteries when the weather is favourable, so that you use it when the weather is not suitable.

Did you know that wind power is one of the oldest energy sources? Its conversion was used to propel the boats in ancient times. Presently wind is used mostly to generate electricity and is one of the most potent renewable energy sources. Wind energy will never pollute the environment and will not have any impact on the climatic changes. To add to this, 1 MW wind turbine will save approximately 2,000 tons of carbon dioxide per year. The wind energy is available abundantly and it is 5 times more than the world’s energy consumption.

Yet another advantage of wind and solar energy is that almost anyone can make equipment that will generate electricity using these sources. You can make enough energy to meet the demand of your home. It doesn’t require having a genius mind to make a wind turbine or a solar panel. There is a lot of information provided on the web to guide you to make your own facility. If you have your own wind turbine, you won’t have to worry about the power cuts. The wind power sector and solar power sector are becoming extremely cost effective with numerous researches being done so as to cut the installation cost and enhance the efficiency of the facility.

There are several countries which have wind power farms or solar power farms. They not only generate good amount of electricity, but they are off the grid. As a matter of fact some of them are supplying electricity to their local grids.

You can construct your own wind turbine or a solar panel in less than $200. There are many guides which can help you easily.