LED Lights and Their Impact on the Environment
LED lights have become a ubiquitous part of modern society, illuminating homes, offices, and public spaces. These lights offer numerous benefits over traditional lighting options, including increased energy efficiency, longer lifespan, and reduced greenhouse gas emissions. Despite these benefits, there are also concerns about the environmental impact of LED lights, including e-waste, toxicity of materials used in production, and light pollution. This article will provide an overview of the environmental impact of LED lights and explore the benefits and concerns associated with this technology.
Environmental benefits of LED lights
LED lights are known for their energy efficiency, which is a significant environmental benefit. They consume less energy compared to traditional lighting options, such as incandescent and fluorescent lights, which results in lower greenhouse gas emissions from power plants. Additionally, LED lights have a longer lifespan compared to traditional lights, meaning they need to be replaced less often, reducing e-waste and the resources needed for production and disposal. This leads to a reduced carbon footprint over the lifespan of the LED light.
Environmental concerns with LED lights
While LED lights offer many environmental benefits, there are also some concerns to consider. One concern is the potential for e-waste, as LED lights eventually reach the end of their lifespan and need to be disposed of. Another concern is the toxicity of some of the materials used in LED lights, such as lead and other heavy metals, which can be harmful if not properly disposed of. Finally, LED lights can contribute to light pollution, which can disrupt natural ecosystems and affect wildlife. This can be particularly problematic in areas with high levels of light pollution, such as urban areas. It is important to consider these environmental concerns when choosing lighting options and to properly dispose of LED lights at the end of their lifespan.
LED lights vs traditional lighting options
When comparing LED lights to traditional lighting options, such as incandescent and fluorescent lights, LED lights come out as a clear winner in terms of energy consumption and lifespan. LED lights use significantly less energy and last much longer, reducing the need for frequent replacements and the associated e-waste. Additionally, LED lights do not contain hazardous materials such as mercury, which is present in some traditional lighting options. However, it is important to note that traditional lighting options, such as incandescent lights, are often less expensive upfront compared to LED lights, making them a more budget-friendly option for some consumers. To determine the best lighting option for a particular use case, it is important to consider energy consumption, lifespan, cost, and environmental impact.
Conclusion
In conclusion, LED lights have many environmental benefits, including increased energy efficiency, longer lifespan, and reduced greenhouse gas emissions. However, there are also some concerns to consider, such as e-waste, toxicity of materials used in production, and light pollution. When comparing LED lights to traditional lighting options, LED lights come out as a clear winner in terms of energy consumption and lifespan, but traditional lighting options may be a more budget-friendly option for some consumers. Ultimately, the choice between LED lights and traditional lighting options will depend on a variety of factors, including energy consumption, lifespan, cost, and environmental impact. It is important to consider all of these factors when making a decision and to properly dispose of LED lights at the end of their lifespan to minimize their impact on the environment.
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It’s been several weeks since I started watching Nosferatu, and I finally picked it up last night since I now have a knitting project suitably mindless that I can do without having to look at it and can watch the movie in peace. I’ve finished the third act, and I have to say, this is honestly really faithful to Dracula. Since it’s never been a secret that Nosferatu is heavily inspired by Dracula (read: an unauthorized adaption), I’m going to assign Dracula names to the roles characters play in the story rather than use their actual names most of the time.
The character combinations are interesting, but make a lot of sense given the large cast of characters in the book. I haven’t gotten far enough for most of the secondary characters to be a major presence, but I’ve read that they’re mostly absent, so the focus remains mostly on the Jonathan and Mina figures.
One of the biggest changes so far is that Mr. Hawkins and Renfield are combined into Knock, a now-malicious solicitor secretly in kahoots with the Count.
Narratively speaking, this actually makes a more of sense than it might sound at first. Mr. Hawkins is mostly a plot device in the original story, not really a character, and given the restraints of a silent film, it would be rather challenging to establish why and how the Count wants to visit England. When you strip down the conversations from the captivity portion of the novel, you’re left with the challenge of how to convey the Count’s desire or to establish how exactly he made arrangements with a foreign solicitor, so giving him an agent abroad is a pretty economical way to convey that. Then, when the Count is travelling, using Knock as a Renfield-figure and thrall of the Count serves to heighten the tension, and while the “the life is in the blood” speeches are a little less mysterious, they do pair very well with the back-and-forth between the not-Demeter and not-Van Helsing teaching a botany class about carnivorous plants.
The major downside of that choice is that it removes much of the nuance present in the books regarding the characters under the Count’s sway. Renfield and Seward’s back and forth about the nature of sanity is so far completely absent, and I expect this will be the case through the movie, going off of the visual language’s cartoonishly malicious depiction of Knock. Renfield’s humanity is really just not shown, and while Knock’s gleeful manner while eating bugs is quite similar to Renfield’s manner in the book, I highly doubt the element of resistance will show up.
Still, overall, this feels like a simplification rather than a warping of the story. Unfortunately, it’s a simplification that results in a caricature of mental illness, and yet I don’t think it’s a fundamental misreading of the story, unlike Drac/Mina pairings.
The second major change so far is that Mina and Lucy’s role have been combined into one, and given their similar narrative roles as vulnerable and beloved targets, this makes a lot of sense. Now, the Mina-figure is the sleepwalker. There is a slight change in that the prophetic dreams start earlier, but it also serves to emphasize her connection with Jonathan without the letter and journal devices. It also establishes her vulnerability early on, pretty much as soon as we realize that Jonathan is in peril, which is an effective way to convey the peril of Lucy-Mina without diary entries and serves to jump-start the middle act of the story (which I admittedly found rather slow during Dracula Daily)
In a related vein, there’s another convenience change that’s either big or small depending on what you view as an important theme. In Dracula, the Count seems primarily interested in England, and his later vendetta is the result of his predatory nature, not the driving motivation. In Nosferatu, that’s flipped, and his primary motivation to leave his castle is to track down not-Mina. He presumably did first send for a solicitor, though, so the motivation isn’t absent, it’s just less developed.
Apart from character changes, the biggest other change is that the Count spreads plague rather than just killing or turning characters. So far, it doesn’t feel fundamentally different from the book, but I don’t know yet if it will have larger plot implications down the line.
I will say, though, that the time period is always waiting a little bit uncomfortably at the back of my mind. It came out in 1922, and there’s just so much going on in the Weimar Republic at this time. It’s a culturally wild time. I don’t know a lot about this film, or its make, or how it was received, so I’m just left with vague implications about the various changes and how they would be received. What does it suggest that he spreads a plague? What does his increased focus on preying on Mina mean? What are the implications of the fact that he has an apparently willing agent abroad, or that Renfield is only a slavish caricature, totally devoted to the count?
I don’t know the answers to these questions, but they’re always looming somewhere as I watch.
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Trying to mostly stay away from politics on this blog, but today there’s something I just need to say.
Kamala Harris just defied DECADES of inside-the-Beltway “wisdom” by picking Walz as her running mate instead of Shapiro. The gray-hairs were probably all telling her she had to go with Shapiro to court the independents. Instead of picking the moderate, staunchly pro-Israel guy, she went with a full-on progressive with a strong LGBTQ+, pro-choice, pro-union record.
She’s making a leap of faith here. She’s betting that progressives, young people, and marginalized people will show up for her if she shows that she’s listening. As someone who lived through several decades when progressives didn’t have a voice even in the Democratic party, I can’t begin to tell you how huge this is.
In the coming months, you will no doubt read/hear things about Harris or Walz that you won’t like. Some of it may even be true. There may well already be things you don’t like about her.
Unfortunately, the choice isn’t between a perfect candidate and an imperfect candidate. The choice is between an imperfect candidate and possibly the most disgusting man on the planet, a guy who isn’t even trying to hide his plans to destroy the US. If Palestine is your #1 issue, know that he will do everything he can to pour gas on the flames until there’s nothing left.
Harris made the choice to listen to progressive voices. If she loses because we didn’t show up for her in huge numbers, we’ll likely be wandering in the wilderness for decades more while the planet burns around us.
(Oh, and we’ll need to show up again in ‘26. Let’s not make the same mistake we made in 2010, when the left stayed home after electing Obama and Republicans won big everywhere, which led to the extreme gerrymandering we’re still dealing with in many states.)
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"England is celebrating the first pair of beaver kits born in the country since they were reintroduced back into the country’s north last year.
Landscape managers in England are beside themselves with surprise over the changes brought about by a single year of beaver residency at the Wallington Estate in Northumberland—with dams, mudflats, and ponds just appearing out of nowhere across the landscape.
Released into a 25-acre habitat on the estate last year, the four beavers at Wallington are part of a series of beaver returns that took place across the UK starting in 2021 in Dorset. Last year, GNN reported that Hasel and Chompy were released into the 925-acre Ewhurst Estate in Hampshire in January 2023, and the beavers that have now reproduced established their home in Wallington in July.
“Beavers are changing the landscape all the time, you don’t really know what is coming next and that probably freaks some people out,” said Paul Hewitt, the countryside manager for the trust at Wallington. “They are basically river anarchists.”
“This time last year I don’t think I fully knew what beavers did. Now I understand a lot more and it is a massive lightbulb moment. It is such a magical animal in terms of what it does.”
It’s believed that the only animal which alters the natural environment to the same extent as humans is the beaver. Their constant felling of trees to construct dams causes creeks to build up into pools that spill out during rainfall across the land, cutting numerous other small channels into the soil that distribute water in multiple directions.
Hewitt says that in Wallington this has translated to a frantic return of glorious wildlife like kingfishers, herons, and bats.
Recently the mature pair of beavers mated and produced a kit, though its sex is not yet known because beavers don’t have external genitalia.
These beaver reintroductions have led to a raft of beaver sightings around the country. Those at the National Trust working to rewild the beaver back into Great Britain hope the recovery of the landscape will convince authorities to permit further reintroductions to bigger areas."
-via Good News Network, July 16, 2024
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taylorswift: Like many of you, I watched the debate tonight. If you haven’t already, now is a great time to do your research on the issues at hand and the stances these candidates take on the topics that matter to you the most. As a voter, I make sure to watch and read everything I can about their proposed policies and plans for this country.
Recently I was made aware that AI of ‘me’ falsely endorsing Donald Trump’s presidential run was posted to his site. It really conjured up my fears around AI, and the dangers of spreading misinformation. It brought me to the conclusion that I need to be very transparent about my actual plans for this election as a voter. The simplest way to combat misinformation is with the truth.
I will be casting my vote for Kamala Harris and Tim Walz in the 2024 Presidential Election. I’m voting for @kamalaharris because she fights for the rights and causes I believe need a warrior to champion them. I think she is a steady-handed, gifted leader and I believe we can accomplish so much more in this country if we are led by calm and not chaos. I was so heartened and impressed by her selection of running mate @timwalz, who has been standing up for LGBTQ+ rights, IVF, and a woman’s right to her own body for decades.
I’ve done my research, and I’ve made my choice. Your research is all yours to do, and the choice is yours to make. I also want to say, especially to first time voters: Remember that in order to vote, you have to be registered! I also find it’s much easier to vote early. I’ll link where to register and find early voting dates and info in my story.
With love and hope,
Taylor Swift
Childless Cat Lady
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Brother’s best friend || LN4
gif by @princemick
summary: you’re carlos’ sister and know lando from your brothers time at mclaren but now a few years later feelings might change
a/n: this is literally just a small piece i wrote a few weeks ago
warnings: bit of suggestive talk, alcohol
taglist | masterlist
"When did he get so fine?", you whispered to Rebecca who nipped at her cocktail. "Hmm?", she asked, not having paid attention.
You nodded over to Lando who stood behind the DJ desk, white shirt and headphones on.
Rebecca smirked. "Go over", she said, pinching your side softly. You shook your head. "I can't, you know I can't. If Carlos finds out- and besides I don't think Lando would-", you stopped when you saw Rebecca looking at you with her brows furrowed and a be-fucking-for-real look.
"What??", you defended yourself. "That boy has been crushing on you since 2019, Carlos scared him away back then but I doubt he'll still listen now. He's not 19 anymore", Rebecca told you.
Your heart skipped a beat when she told you but you tried to ignore it. "He's still Carlos' best mate, he won't just betray his trust like that", you shook your head and took another sip from your straw while glancing over to Lando.
"Just get the fuck up and talk to him, it's exhausting watching you two admire each other from afar", Rebecca laughed and pushed you a little.
"Wait he's looking at me as well?", you asked, getting a little excited. She nodded. "Yes, as soon as you're not looking- now for example", she explained.
You turned your head to meet Lando's green eyes piercing into yours through the dark room of people.
You nodded, gripped your drink a little tighter and stood up.
"Hey", you called over the loud music, leaning over next to the DJ desk. Lando smirked and wriggled his brows as a way to greet you.
He asked you something but you couldn't quite make it out and only looked at him with a head shake and a lost expression.
Lando leaned over the desk so his lips were close to your ear. His necklace, hanging down from his neck, being the only thing you could focus on.
"What's in your drink?", he asked, his hot breath meeting your ear. "Vodka Lemon", you called into his ear. Lando leaned back a little and held out his hand, signaling you that he wanted to try a sip.
You knew 2019 Lando never liked alcohol, in fact you couldn't recall a time where you've ever seen him drink. But you wordlessly handed him your glass and let the boy take a sip.
To your surprise he didn't grimace in disgust but took another sip. You reached out for your glass again. "Heyy, get yourself your own", you joked.
Lando laughed and carefully handed you the glass once again, his fingers lightly touching yours.
"You ever stood behind a DJ desk?", he asked, pointing to the mess of buttons next to him. You shook your head.
He held one hand out and wriggled his fingers. "Come on then", he demanded with a smirk and led you to the side where you could enter the private space.
"It's okay, I know her", he told the guy standing next to the small entrance before pushing the hip-high door open and let you in.
"Mi amor", he joked and took your hand. You chuckled and followed him.
"It's so many buttons!", you called into his ear, gracing his cheek slightly with the tip of your nose. His arm draped around your shoulders.
From the close distance you saw his slightly flushed cheeks and glaced eyes, along with the messy curls better than before.
"Come on I'll show you", Lando laughed and handed you the pair of headphones from his head.
He carefully put them over one of your ears, leaving the other free so he could still talk to you. Then Lando grabbed your hand and placed one finger on one of the buttons.
A loud remix-like sound arised and you flinched a little because you could hear it much louder and more clear through the headphones.
"That's so cool!", you called and pushed the button again.
Lando's left arm was still wrapped around your shoulders, his right hand was holding yours and guiding you to press the right buttons in the right moments.
You didn't notice but from across the room your brother starred Lando down with his glares.
"Why is he standing so close to her? He's way too close", he grumbled, taking a sip from his straw. "Let loose, they're not kids anymore", Rebecca smiles, wrapping one arm around Carlos' waist.
"She's 20", he defended you. "Exactly, she's not a child anymore", Rebecca talked to him in a smooth voice.
Carlos nodded but a frown was still visible on his face.
"Why is he touching her like this?", he asked after a few seconds of silence, pointing to Lando's hand that was wandering lower on your back. "Carlos, stop it", Rebecca chuckled and pulled him down on the couch, next to her.
A shiver went down your back when you felt Lando's fingers pushing themselves slightly under your crop top. You leaned into him a little further.
"What are you doing?", Lando softly mumbled in your ear, his hot breath hitting my skin. "What do you mean?", you asked, acting oblivious but pushing yourself further into him.
Lando closed his eyes for a second and his grip tightened around your waist. "Darling-", he hissed. "Lando", you whispered back. "Your brother is watching us really carefully right now", he mumbled against your neck.
"Then let's leave", you suggested, your heart beating because you didn't know if you went to far but Lando's low groan gave you confirmation that he was more than okay to leave.
You quickly put down the headphones that Lando had previously placed on your head. You grabbed his hand and he immediately linked your fingers, his hand feeling warm in your own.
"Cabrón!", you heard a voice yell behind you, immediately recognizing it as your brothers.
"Run!", you whispered but reacted too late as Carlos had already grabbed Lando’s shoulder. "Where do you think you’re going?", he asked, a stern impression on his face.
"Barbados, so we can get married in secret", you replied, rolling your eyes at your older brother. Lando suppressed a giggle and raised his arms when Carlos eyes landed on him again.
"Just taking her out for a spin, I promise I’ll get her back in one piece", the curly headed driver said, standing his ground under the watchful eyes of Carlos Sainz.
Your brother kept mustering the boy until you snapped your fingers in front of his face. "Cut it off, I’m not a kid", you scolded your brother before grabbing Lando’s hand.
"We’re leaving, I’ll see you tomorrow", you yelled back towards your brother and dragged Lando out behind you.
As soon as the fresh air hit your face you turned around to face Lando, still having his hand in yours. "I heard you’re taking me for a ride?", you grinned.
"You know that was an excuse", he laughed but moved towards his car. "Figured, but I won’t pass up on the opportunity to take a ride in your Mclaren", you giggled, turning around and leaning your back against the car. "I might just use you for your car", you smiled innocently.
Lando smirked and came closer, his knee pushing between your legs and his lips almost touching yours.
"Careful, I said I’ll bring you back in one piece, I never said anything about your ability to walk", he muttered, grabbing your waist firmer and pressing his lips on yours.
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