Going green is imperative, especially nowadays with Earth's ecosystem and environment in dire peril if we're not careful. Billions of tons of CO2 (carbon dioxide) are released into the atmosphere annually with the pollution negatively impacting all life on Earth, including us humans. Here are some ways to make your fire pit environmentally friendly and reasons everyone should go green too and why it's essential to our survival.
Consequences of Pollution
Factories for mass production and manufacturing release methane and carbon dioxide into the air, power plants burn coal for electricity, fuel for all forms of transportation consume crude oil. Our every day lives are reliant on what's destroying our planet in return: Fossil Fuels. Nearly everything we do nowadays releases carbon into the atmosphere which results in consequences such as:
- The Ozone Layer that protects us from skin cancer inducing sun rays is gaping wide open. This is negatively impacting phytoplankton, the base of marine life's food chain.
- Glaciers melting that cause the oceans to rise and eventually submerge all coastal cities under water when melted completely. Species such as polar bears, narwals and walruses are facing extinction.
- Forest Fires rage on across the globe, destroying wildlife and our source of oxygen (trees) with the smoke of the burning forests adding to the atmospheric pollution along with the carbon we release 24/7.
This is a recipe for catastrophe, these consequences collectively cause droughts, crop failure, unpredictable weather patterns and more frequent natural disasters like hurricanes, floods, storms, heatwaves, etc.
How To Be Eco Friendly with Your Fire Pit
The world needs to understand the importance of staying green to preserve our planet for generations to come. Believe it or not, there are cleaner alternatives to burning traditional firewood in your fire pit (cord wood). The less impurities in the atmosphere the greener our planet will be.
Wood Bricks and Pellets- Made of kiln-dried, condensed recycled wood chips and sawdust, they can be burned by themselves or added to cord wood to produce cleaner-burning, longer-lasting heat than cord wood alone.
Java Logs- Recycled coffee grounds condensed into logs, a cleaner burn and leaves behind an aroma that will make your backyard smell like a coffee shop. It helps keep coffee grounds out of the landfills.
Non-Petroleum Natural Wax Logs- Made from plant based waxes and sawdust, overall one of the cleanest alternatives to cord fire logs. The logs infused with petroleum are toxic to health and the environment.
Soy and Switchgrass Logs- Its all in the name, not only are they ecologically friendlier but the soy wax burns so well it doesn't leave behind much residue. They practically cleans up after themselves!
Fire Glass- Does not melt, burn or discolor. Does not leave any debris behind or smoke. However fire glass will not burn without another source like natural gas, therefore it can only be used in propane powered fire pits or fire places.
Hidden Fuel Fire Pits
Hidden Fuel Fire Pits are powered with natural gas. Most of them come with a cabinet that hides the connecting fuel tank for aesthetic satisfaction. Natural gas-powered fire pits are the most eco friendly options on the market as natural gases like propane and acetylene pose no threat to the environment because they dissipate quickly and do not linger in the atmosphere like carbon.
Propane has extremely low carbon content, in fact next to zero and it's the most commonly used in gas-powered fire pits. Carbon dioxide is what chokes our skies and traps heat in our atmosphere, thus contributing heavily to global warming which leads to all the aforementioned consequences listed above.
Global Warming
The ultimate enemy, the biggest challenge mankind will ever face and a colossal threat to all existence. Nobody is ever happy when this becomes the topic of conversation but we shouldn't make the fatal mistake of ignoring it. Species are going extinct due to habitat loss from deforestation and wildfires, Glaciers are rapidly melting causing extreme weather patterns and the culprit of the rising sea levels. Tropical cyclones and floods are becoming a regular occurrence thus resulting in destroyed homes, deaths and destruction. The endless domino effect of carbon dioxide makes it crystal clear mankind is ravaging the planet and taking it for granted, action is required reverse these effects. Life on Earth will be significantly more difficult for generations if we let these catastrophes unfold. Various routes can be taken to make the planet greener and everyone should do everything in their power to do so, including turning off unneeded lights in your home, switch to a hybrid or electric vehicle, invest in solar panels, walking and biking instead of driving, using energy saving features on your gaming consoles and electronics. Now you know you can reduce your carbon footprint using eco friendlier alternatives to firewood.
The image above is Antarctica slowly turning from pure white ice to green moss and that's unnerving to see. Antarctica was nothing but ice sheets hundreds of years ago and our carbon footprints are decimating and melting away the ice shelves and the wildlife inhabiting the continent. This is crystal clear evidence that climate change is real, green in Antarctica is unheard of and it's an indicator we'll soon face terrible consequences if we keep emitting carbon.
Polar bears are nearly extinct at this time, loss of ice means less food available for them. They are malnourished and starving to death as the rest of the world slowly destroys their habitat and pollute the planet.
Droughts
Droughts are becoming more common throughout the world due to low precipitation. Many factors of climate change contribute to droughts such as ocean temperatures, excessive water usage by farmers, changes in the jet stream, etc. Droughts increase CO2 concentration in the air as it kills trees and plants that absorb carbon from the atmosphere but with the population of these plants plummeting, carbon is skyrocketing in return and rendering the world’s drinking water supply scarcer.
Destruction Of Marine Life
Earth has lost roughly half of the coral reefs since 1950 due to warming oceans and acidification, they are projected to be 70-90 percent gone within the next 20 years. Coral reefs absorb CO2 similarly to trees and provide a coastal barrier for flooding and hurricanes. Dying coral has a white bleached appearance in comparison to healthy coral. Global warming hits marine life the hardest because the ocean absorbs the most heat on the planet, biodiversity is diminishing as the rising ocean temperatures are causing migration and overfishing plays a large role as well. The ocean is an extremely delicate yet extremely important component of our ecosystem. Air pollution caused by CO2 lingering in the atmosphere, overfishing and dumping are the main culprits yet we continue to burn fossil fuels, over consume and dump waste into the oceans. This must stop before it’s too late and we face catastrophic consequences.
One of the many consequences of specifically dumping plastic is sea creatures are entangled in plastic products floating in the ocean and that number is rising by the year. Plastic waste is causing asphyxiation and even deformation of sea creatures, the turtles' body in the image below is shaped like an hour glass as it was caught in a plastic receptacle at an early stage in life and eventually grew into the tight grip that altered the growth of it's body.
Preserving The Planet
Action must be taken to avoid horrific destruction of our planet. There are many ways to do it and one of them is to use your fire pit in a green manner. Any small contribution helps no matter how insignificant it may seem. If the whole world can adopt that mindset, we will see change for the betterment of our future.