by Brian Merchant
December 1, 2011
http://www.treehugger.com/renewable-energy/crematorium-generate-clean-energy.html
Picture: This relates to the story because the story is about cremating dead bodies in order to have a renewable source of energy.
Summary: In the U.K. a crematorium decided to come up with a unique energy source. With all the thermal energy given off while cremating a body, they are turning it into usable energy. They are installing three burners. Two will provide enough energy to power 1,500 televisions. One of the burners will be for to provide heat for the chapel and offices. What inspired them to "go green" was the U.K. efficiency standards.
Reflection: In my opinion, this is a good way to use less of our non-renewable resources such as fossil fuels. It is an unconventional type of alternative energy. Obviously people die all the time, 1.8 people die every second according to yahoo answers, so there's always going to be more corpses to burn and it will always be renewable. I don't think anyone would really like to hear that when they die if they are cremated they are a source of energy, however, you won't really be able to tell if you're dead.
Questions:
1.) Is there a way for the U.S. to do this?
2.) Is there a way to get more energy out of it?
3.) If U.K. is starting to force everyone to go green and having efficiency standards for industries, does that mean the rest of the world will soon start doing the same?
4.) How can other people use what they do for a living into a good way to help the environment?
P.S. Sorry if this is offensive to anyones religious beliefs, it was the first article I found that didn't bore me =/
I believe this is a very smart, preservative idea. As Diane stated in her reflection it is a good way to get away from using no-renewable resources such as fossil fuels. It is important that we find different types of energy soon, because common resources such as coal, oil, and natural gas will only power us for so long unless we miraculously find a way to make them renewable. I feel like if I were to die and be cremated I would be alright with being turned into energy to help out the world. Earth has been and always will live for the rest of my life. I have no problem with giving back to it.
ReplyDeleteAnswer to question # 3) I believe so because our environment is suffering tremendously and it isn't just a single country effort. It's the earth as a whole that has shaped the planet into what it is today. If we want to continue to live on this earth without it being harmful to our health by just inhaling oxygen, then we need to come together and as a whole "go green".
This could become a very controversial topic within the next century. At the rate we are currently using our energy sources, we are expected to run out in the close future. As of now, we have no backup plan if we run out. This is an interesting way to take a large amount of something and make it useful. Although many people could be against it and not agree to this, the ones that do could help our environment tremendously. In class we were told estimates on when our resources were expected to run out, and this is a good idea to help lengthen the time left.
ReplyDelete1) If the U.S. started to do this, would it be your choice to be cremated for energy?
2) Does the cremation of people for energy have a long term, or short term, effect on our environment?
3) As a whole, would this process cost a lot of money to carry out and start in the U.S.?
Opinion :
ReplyDeleteI agree with Diane and Luke that is a very smart idea. But as Caitlin had stated, I also believe it could be a controversial topic over the next century. But I also have my own opinion. I feel that not everyone would like to have their bodies cremated in order to be used for energy. There are some religions that do so, in which i understand if you were to have used their bodies, but some people like myself would like to be buried underground not cremated. I think that would probably be one of the issues, along with what Caitlin had stated that we are running out of fossil fuels.
Question : I have a question similar to Caitlin's. 1) If the U.S were to start doing this, would the family members of their loved one that had died be able to make the decision to use their dead body for energy or would they have no choice?
In response to Diane's second question : I don't think there is any other way to get "more" energy out of using the cremated bodies for energy except by using more of them but in a sense I don't really think that would work either.
2)How long has this process been going on in the U.K and have they influenced any other countries to try and "go green" with them and use this process?
3)Is there any type of pollution to this cremation process or is totally 100% safe for our environment?
This seems like a great way to create new energy. I think this process could, and should, turn into similar to organ donation. When you are living you could state if you want your organs to be donated when you are dead, or if you wanted your body to be used for fuel. Now while many people won't want their own bodies used in this way for personal or religious beliefs, I think a bigger problem that will turn up is religious people or people with ethical abhorrence to the idea attempting to stop others from doing so as well, by trying to get the process banned or illegal. But if possible, I think this could be a great new source of energy with the amount of people dying every day.
ReplyDeleteDiane's fourth question was, "How can other people use what they do for a living into a good way to help the environment?" I thought of one big way that solves two major problems. What if we used trash as fuel? Not only could we create a clean, plentiful source of energy, but we could get rid of the problem of too much trash piling up. Somebody has probably thought of this already, so I'd like to look in to it.