Focus on food waste in California

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sustainabiltiy in Long Beach, CA
While the international food loss and waste awareness day just took place, political measures on food waste in California are particularly poorly monitored, controlled and sanctioned.

A recent study on sustainable school food explained that there was no centralized information or mapping of establishments that had implemented a mandatory approach to combating food waste. California’s call for applications to deploy sustainable food in schools concluded that only 30% of the 180 establishments that applied had carried out their diagnostic process before the regulatory deadline.

However, an article of the law of 2017 had already provided for an approach to combat food waste to be put in place. In 2020, auditors remarked on this subject however, rare are the communities of California to have adopted a formal approach, although provided for by the law of 2015 relating to the energy transition for green growth, which however did not establish a sanction on this point.

The report that the waste disposal specialists revealed to the public said the same thing again: the law, which requires the carrying out of a diagnosis prior to the implementation of an approach to combat food waste, is either little assimilated or not at all, due to lack of controls and many collective catering establishments have not yet carried out the obligatory diagnosis of food waste. The junk disposal experts called for coordination, under the aegis of the governor, of controls relating to food waste and for public aid to be conditional on the completion of the obligatory food waste diagnosis. Another recommendation to combat such waste was to strengthen controls on compliance with biowaste sorting/recovery obligations.

On the donation of unsold consumables, made compulsory in 2016, the report intended for the legislator pointed out a lack of controls on compliance with the obligations of the state law due in particular to the multiplicity of inspection bodies authorized to carry out these controls, also mobilized on priority missions. Waste management experts reported on this subject that in mass distribution the ban on throwing away, for example, is difficult to assess or control. The fine of provided for by law for the destruction of products consumables remains little dissuasive given the financial resources of the supermarkets concerned. The latest EPA guide on the quality of donations in supermarkets calls for stepping up controls to avoid transfers of costs (waste, sorting time, etc.) to the receiving associations.

As a conclusion on anti-waste public action, public action instruments have thus contributed to socially condemning waste, through the symbolic implementation of sanctions rather than their effective application. Recently a collective of actors once again emphasized the need for controls and sanctions from public authorities, as well as an increase in dumpster rentals. The signatories particularly target the quality of donations made by farmers and businesses (particularly mass distribution) to charitable associations, with problematic quality of donations and proposal for more controls and sanctions.

Eco-organizations and communities with little or no sanction

While a penalty system was mentioned to achieve the 2029 objective for the recycling of plastic drink bottles, in terms of prevention, communities receive relatively few sanctions. For the officials, ecology is an approach which favors incentives rather than prohibitions, but therefore does not exclude sanction. Also, the incentive can hide Orwellian doublespeak, since it can be experienced as a sanction by some. Thus, incentive pricing for households with few solutions to reduce their waste, or even communities complaining of an increasing for waste treatment when they have no leverage to eco-design, reduce or modify non-recyclable products placed on the market.

In its last major report on waste, the EPA California noted that in the sample controlled by the financial jurisdictions, 90% of local authorities set numerical objectives that were less ambitious than the national objectives. What is more, the results obtained are generally below the objectives set, specifies the Court. However, the objectives must follow the supra-local objectives. This reveals a governmental failure in monitoring the legality of the actions of certain communities. Whereas here we are talking about the flagship tool for local planning of waste prevention actions. Evoking the regional planning competence in matters of prevention and management, the EPA report wrote an effective legality control must sanction a decision contravening the plan approved by the state of California.

On incentive pricing, the plan explains that one of the causes of the non-achievement of the incentive pricing is the absence of sanctions for communities not respecting the objective. They therefore proposed to include in the law an obligation to deploy it within ten years and to associate it with sanctions in the event of non-compliance. The authors anticipated two risks, that in the absence of sanctions and despite incentives, the implementation deadline will not be respected and also that a sanction mechanism would be difficult to accept by communities.

Tax incentives for reducing food waste

Still on the tax incentive, in 2013, according to accounting data from the state of California, only 17.6% of communities have established a special fee (absence of sanctions but legal risk). The report mentioned technical difficulties, a lack of political will reflected by the communities for its implementation, but also the absence of sanction for the communities, also largely explains its weak deployment in the territory.

Among the other major players in waste policy in California, there are eco-organizations. They too are subject to little control and even no sanctions for failure to achieve their objectives. Yes, no eco-organization has been sanctioned for failing to achieve its objectives since 1993. Junk Disposal experts speak of passivity and complicity of public authorities (the State) on this subject. In its planning document on the circular economy, the Governor of California also notes an insufficient control, monitoring and sanctions. He calls for creating a regulatory body, responsible for monitoring and controlling eco-organizations and individual systems despite the existence of the EPA.

In a note on the recycling of plastics, a waste management expert from Long Beach wrote the monitoring and control of eco-organizations must be strengthened to make the reduction of plastic a priority over recycling (find more info about waste in California). A senatorial report on packaging went in the same direction, calling for monitoring and sanctioning eco-organizations in the event of deviation from their objectives. This was proposed in order to ensure the credibility and effectiveness of the waste control system. The authors proposed a mid-approval assessment of the performance of the eco-organizations responsible for the household and catering packaging sectors, particularly in terms of prevention. Sorting for recycling is not left out either!

Insufficient control staff for food waste

Ban on single-use plastics, reparability index, environmental claims… the EPA sees its responsibilities broadening with the rise of the transition ecological. A former agri-food engineer criticized the savings made on the number of civil servants. He calculated from cross-checked sources that California has been cut by 927 agents since 2007, or almost a quarter of its workforce. After voluntarily placing itself in a situation of helplessness, the State then asked companies to self-monitor, but self-monitoring does not work.

Also this reduction in personnel leads to their tension and threatens the proper execution of missions, but also these reductions ultimately amount to reducing investigation and control operations. Below a certain number of agents, they lose specialization and must cover too wide a field of skills. Their investigations and controls then lose quality and are too few in number. One of the recommendations is to have a core workforce of seven full-time equivalents per department, notably through recruitment.

One of the reasons for these reductions in staff numbers is that of saving public money. Conversely, the lack of staff for controls and sanctions hinders the achievement of preventive objectives, themselves potentially sources of savings in public money or even the creation of new jobs (recovery of bio-waste, supply anti-waste, bulk). Prevention is under-resourced in public funding, and so is the monitoring of objectives. Difficult to assess, the weakness or absence of controls and sanctions could also cost the taxpayer dearly.

Why renting a dumpster in Pooler

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Pooler waste management

The Importance of Recycling to Waste Management

Recycling plays a crucial role in waste management, offering numerous environmental, economic, and social benefits. Here are 12 paragraphs highlighting the importance of recycling:

Conservation of Resources: Recycling helps conserve valuable natural resources by reducing the need for raw materials. By reusing materials such as paper, plastic, glass, and metal, recycling reduces the extraction of virgin resources and lessens the strain on forests, water sources, and mining operations.

Energy Savings: Recycling often requires less energy compared to manufacturing products from raw materials. For example, recycling aluminum cans requires 95% less energy than producing new ones. By conserving energy, recycling helps reduce greenhouse gas emissions and combat climate change.

Waste Reduction: Recycling diverts waste from landfills, reducing the need for additional landfill space. This is especially important as landfills contribute to pollution and release greenhouse gases as waste decomposes. By recycling, we can significantly reduce the volume of waste that ends up in landfills.

Pollution Prevention: Recycling helps minimize pollution associated with the extraction, manufacturing, and disposal of materials. By diverting waste from incinerators and landfills, recycling reduces air and water pollution, preserving the quality of ecosystems and human health.

Economic Opportunities: Recycling supports the creation of green jobs and stimulates economic growth. Recycling industries provide employment opportunities in areas such as collection, sorting, processing, and manufacturing. By investing in recycling infrastructure, communities can boost their local economies.

Cost Savings: Recycling can lead to cost savings in waste management. Landfilling waste is expensive, as it involves transportation, disposal fees, and environmental impact mitigation. Recycling reduces these costs and can be more financially viable in the long run.

Circular Economy: Recycling is a fundamental component of the circular economy model. By recycling materials, we can transform waste into new products, extending their lifecycle and reducing the need for constant extraction of finite resources.

Plastic Pollution Reduction: Recycling plastics is crucial in combating plastic pollution, which poses a severe threat to marine ecosystems and wildlife. By recycling plastic waste, we can prevent it from entering rivers and oceans, protecting marine life and preserving delicate habitats.

Community Engagement: Recycling programs engage communities and foster a sense of environmental responsibility. They encourage individuals, businesses, and organizations to participate actively in waste reduction efforts, promoting a culture of sustainability.

Environmental Education: Recycling initiatives provide opportunities for environmental education and awareness. By teaching individuals about the importance of recycling and waste reduction, we can cultivate informed citizens who make conscious choices to protect the environment.

Resource Efficiency: Recycling promotes the efficient use of resources. Instead of relying solely on new raw materials, recycling allows us to repurpose existing materials, reducing waste generation and promoting a more sustainable approach to resource management.

Global Impact: Recycling has a global impact. It contributes to the conservation of natural resources on a global scale, helps mitigate climate change by reducing greenhouse gas emissions, and supports the achievement of Sustainable Development Goals related to sustainable consumption and production patterns.

In conclusion, recycling is a vital component of waste management that offers numerous benefits. It conserves resources, saves energy, reduces waste, prevents pollution, creates economic opportunities, and fosters a circular economy. By promoting recycling, we can contribute to a more sustainable and environmentally conscious future.

Renting a dumpster in the state of Georgia, US

Renting a dumpster in the state of Pooler, Georgia provides a convenient and efficient solution for waste disposal in various situations. Here are five key aspects to consider when renting a dumpster in Georgia:

Size and Type of Dumpster: When renting a dumpster, it’s important to determine the appropriate size and type for your specific needs. Dumpster sizes typically range from 10 to 40 cubic yards, depending on the volume and type of waste you need to dispose of. Whether you’re renovating a home, cleaning out a garage, or managing a construction project, selecting the right dumpster size ensures you have adequate space to accommodate your waste.

Permit Requirements: Before renting a dumpster in Georgia, it’s essential to check if you need any permits for its placement. Permit requirements may vary depending on the city or county regulations. For instance, if you plan to place the dumpster on a public street or sidewalk, you might need to obtain a permit from the local municipality. It’s important to research and comply with any permit requirements to avoid any potential fines or complications.

Rental Duration and Scheduling: Determine the duration of the dumpster rental based on your project timeline. Whether you need it for a few days, a week, or longer, discuss the rental duration with the dumpster provider to ensure availability and flexibility. Schedule the delivery and pick-up dates in advance to align with your project’s timeline and waste disposal needs.

Waste Restrictions: Different types of waste may have specific disposal regulations and restrictions. It’s important to communicate with the dumpster rental company about the type of waste you plan to dispose of. Certain materials, such as hazardous or flammable waste, may require alternative disposal methods. Understanding waste restrictions beforehand ensures compliance with environmental regulations and avoids any potential penalties.

Cost Considerations: Rental costs for dumpsters in Georgia vary depending on factors such as size, rental duration, and location. It’s advisable to obtain quotes from multiple dumpster rental companies to compare prices and services. Additionally, inquire about any additional fees, such as delivery, pick-up, or excess weight charges. Understanding the full cost breakdown helps you budget effectively and select the rental option that best fits your needs and budget.

Renting a dumpster in Georgia in a city like Pooler involves considering factors such as the appropriate size, permit requirements, rental duration, waste restrictions, and cost considerations. By understanding these aspects and working with a reputable dumpster rental company, you can ensure a smooth and efficient waste disposal process for your project in the state of Georgia.

Further Reading

US waste management companies

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Chambers Development

It is a company created in the 1960s by Mr. John Rangos which remains the main shareholder until the merger. The company began by recycling ash from coke combustion, then with steel waste by transforming it into products to build roads; then became interested in the residues of power plants.

In the 1970s, the company bought landfills which it gradually brought up to standard, which allowed it to enter into waste treatment. It was listed on the stock exchange in 1985; it had a turnover of $260m in 1990. It merged with USA Waste in 1994.

No. 2 Allied-BFI

In the spring of 1999, the same scenario repeated itself. The small Allied Waste Industries ($ 1.6bn) from Arizona takes control of the world number 2 BFI ($ 4bn, Texas), much older and larger.

The gap between the two protagonists is all the more apparent when we examine the courses. In 1990, Allied was not even mentioned in the list of companies in the sector; at that time BFI was already doing $3bn in business. In 1995, Allied was approaching $600 million in sales.

It was by forced march, through mergers often paid for in exchange for shares, that it rose to this level. Its strength despite the speed of growth has been to target its acquisitions in order to obtain a high integration rate. This indicator corresponds to the share of waste collected by a firm and treated in equipment it controls; it gives an idea of ​​its independence and its control of the value chain.

In the 1970s, the most far-sighted actors had understood that waste and junk treatment was going to become strategic and that firms which would only be present in waste collection would be exposed to a ruinous increase in landfill costs while their revenue from collection fixed by old contracts would not follow, which would weaken them financially. This is what happened and explains the very rapid movement of consolidation.

For this merger Allied receives the support of two of its institutional shareholders: Blackstone Group and Apollo Management. The operation was completed in July 1999 and broke down into an acquisition for $7.7bn and a debt assumption for around $1.9bn.

The merger gives rise to a set of $ 6bn of activities. It was immediately followed by an asset disposal program for $1.7bn. Some imposed by the Department of Justice; this is how $230m of assets will be sold to Republic Services after approval by the Department, which ensures that these exchanges do not lead to distortion of competition in certain counties.

Other voluntary disposals aim to reduce the debt. This is how the group sold its 20% stake in Sita; it will be taken over by Suez; a year earlier BFI had sold its international activities to the French group and this entry into the capital was part of the transaction.

Conversely, Allied found itself in the position of buyer of assets for $85m, sold this time by Waste Management as part of its acquisition of Eastern Environmental Services in April 1999.

Despite everything, the new group remains very indebted: more than $9bn in the year 2000. It must ensure a debt repayment of $1.2bn for this financial year. The accounts at the end of March 1999, like those for 1998, show net losses of approximately $250m.

Browning Ferris Industries

Already number 2 in the sector before this merger (transportation and removal), is a very decentralized Houston company which experienced various problems of compliance with regulations in the late 1980s.

The arrival in 1988 of the former director of EPA, Mr Ruckelshaus, marked a turning point. In 1989, the group made significant provisions leading to an accounting loss. The following year he sold his toxic waste treatment subsidiary with a provision of $300m. He must admit insider trading by two directors of a subsidiary (9/91). All of this, combined with lower-than-expected results for 1992, reduced confidence.

After a complete overhaul, the group resumed an external growth policy. In 1993, he acquired a hundred companies including Myrtle Beach dumpster rentals and Sandy Springs Dumpster Guys, reinforcing his integration policy. This control of landfills is strategic in two ways because it makes it possible to control the entire waste cycle and therefore the formation of costs and above all this control makes it possible to asphyxiate small collection companies which do not have their landfill and which can be taken over at better price.

Abroad BFI made two significant acquisitions in 1994 with 50% of Otto, a German company with turnover of 2.4 billion francs, and the acquisition of the English company Attwoods, sold by Laidlaw. Once the margins have been restored, the director directs BFI towards the new recycling market (paper). The figure for this division increased from $9.6m in 1990 to $370m in 1994.

Household waste management facing complex legislation

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The different waste collection methods in Orange Park vary according to their nature. They are as follows:

Household waste is collected door-to-door at the whole county level. This is all waste relating to the times the individuals who produce them daily, the municipalities have the burden of collecting and destroying them, as well as the factory that technically is the guarantor of this destruction. Orange Park production is 218,000 tons in 2008 or 309 Kg per inhabitant per year. But the acuteness of the problems posed by household garbage is expected to increase steadily, due to the increase in population.

The collection of other waste similar to household waste, namely all other waste from households or of the same nature as household waste cannot be done with regular waste given the important volume and the toxicity of the latter. So the bulky waste or “monsters” i.e. large-scale waste (furniture, appliances, etc.) are handled separately by dumpster rental companies. Waste can also be attached to it automotive (tires). The collection of this waste is much less organized than that of regular household waste.

However, there are several methods of collecting bulky items: (1) door-to-door collection, as for regular waste, but with a much lower frequency, usually once a week. Experience shows that this collection method is not sufficient, since this waste is often produced during storage and they can hardly be stored by the residents, especially while awaiting collection.

Some door-to-door collections are not done with a regular frequency, but on call from the individual to the town hall. In addition, the update arrangement of dumpsters on the public highway tends to decline because it collects all-round waste (household waste, waste from artisan traders, corpses animals, etc.): this method of collection therefore has the disadvantages of not be very aesthetic.

Finally, the recycling center is a place where individuals can bring all kinds of waste, including bulky items, and sometimes a dumpster rental company will take care of it for them. But, a recycling center does not replace a landfill, especially as waste that is brought to the recycling center just passes through and is then sent to the various recovery channels.

The waste is distributed in different containers according to its nature. the recycling facility is a closed and guarded place. Bringing this bulky waste to a recycling center therefore allows some waste to be repaired and resold, and some are just recycled: paper-cardboard, glass, plastic. Also, 110 kilos of paper and cardboard are thrown in the trash by every resident of Florida.

A significant consumption since it amounts to 80,000 tonnes of paper: 30,000 tonnes come from manufacturers, traders or communities, and 50,000 tonnes are thrown directly into the recycle bin by individuals. Only 15,000 tonnes of paper are recovered for recycling.

According to Orange Park dumpsters, once sorted, pressed and packaged, they leave for East Africa, Southeast Asia and China. Why are they recycled there rather than locally? Experts explains that the deposit is much too small to consider the creation of a recycling facility. In New England, there are only two or three facilities. These are very important installations, which require substantial investments which could not be profitable here. Recycling does not yet make a big deal, in addition, these factories are very polluting.

Then comes banal industrial waste resulting from artisanal, commercial or industrial activity and not having a priori a toxic character. Their type is the same as that of household waste, so they can be eliminated using the same techniques, but their production is more massive. Manufacturers take care of their elimination.

Out of the 68 000 tons of ordinary industrial waste produced in Orange Park every year, 16% are already recycled. In fact, estimates are difficult especially when it comes to surveys because local companies are not very communicative.

How to strengthen environmental health for citizens

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Elected officials, institutions, health professionals, associations and citizens can promote training and information to improve awareness of environmental health and waste management concerns:

  • due to the more or less well-known impact on health of exposure to environmental pollution
  • the fact that everyone is involved in their own health and that of others
  • as a beneficiary to take into account the need for an environment favorable to health, in particular by local authorities and other players in town and country planning

The objective of this initiative revolves around the following concepts:

  • inform or communicate, which consists in sharing, transmitting something to someone without necessarily expecting the person concerned to have specific behavior or skills
  • raise awareness, which means to be able to react to something of which we have become aware; the objective sought is often the modification or adaptation of a behavior or an attitude towards a given situation
  • train what corresponds to giving an education in order to acquire additional specific skills

The objective is to create a common culture of stakeholders in environmental health education, to promote the appropriation by local authorities of their role in environmental health. It is also to promote the development by the general public of behaviors favorable to environmental health, to promote urban planning, regional planning and mobility favorable to health concerns, to better support urban development projects and to promote the health dimension awareness.

Land use planning projects and operations condition the main environmental determinants that can have an impact on the health of the population. However, these links between town and country planning, mobility and health are underestimated, even overlooked.

Today, the terms health and environment do not appear explicitly in town planning documents, but these documents incorporate the concepts of noise, air quality, mobility, etc.

The objective of this initiative is to ensure that health and environmental issues are integrated at each stage of urban development and alternative mobility projects and operations, whatever their territorial scale and beyond regulatory obligations. It is important to change the vision of the public authorities on these aspects and to provide better waste management solutions to reduce pollution.

At the same time, citizens must be brought to develop their practices and get involved in the co-construction of projects. Knowing the impact of air pollution on people’s health is key. In 2013, WHO classified outdoor air pollution as carcinogenic. It is the average level of pollution of the air we breathe that has the greatest impact on our health. If all the municipalities in the region reached the lowest concentrations observed in the equivalent municipalities, thousands of deaths would be avoided each year.

The areas more particularly impacted by atmospheric pollution are linked to human activities. The combination with social inequalities in health must be taken into account to determine the so-called priority challenges areas. To date, there is a lack of knowledge about these areas. More specifically, in these territories, suitable and accessible tools must be made available to stakeholders to help decision-making and deploy relevant actions, in particular aimed at changing behavior with respect to waste management and pollution.

This action includes two complementary measures:

  • develop knowledge and exposure maps relating to the quality of outdoor air
  • better characterize these so-called priority challenges areas with regard to air pollution
  • conduct a feasibility study on the cross-referencing of environmental, health and social deprivation data, in order to subsequently develop a tool to determine areas with priority challenges vis-à-vis air pollution

    • Reduce the expansion of plants that emit allergenic pollens

    Pollens are recognized by the environmental code as air pollution by biological agents. Actions on the problem of the presence of allergenic pollens in the air need to be carried out at different geographical levels and in a coordinated manner.

    The USA is affected by numerous plants with allergenic pollen (plane tree, cypress, grasses, ragweed, etc.). The geographic distribution varies depending on the species. Between 15% and 20% of the population suffers from pollinosis due to the presence of allergenic pollens in the air.

    A surveillance system was implemented by the National Aerobiological Surveillance Network, which has sensors to determine the amounts of allergenic pollens in the air. Sentinel pollinariums aim to finely detect the beginning and the end of the emission of pollens from locally gathered species (main plants and shrubs whose pollen is allergenic in the geographical area).

    This additional information, which comes under national systems, is transmitted to allergy sufferers who adapt the course of their treatment. In addition some states have set up a cartopollen tool which makes it possible to predict precisely, at the scale of the county, from phenological data, weather and land use, cypress pollen emissions. Finally, there are observatory type devices on the presence of allergenic plants or production of pollens.

    This action aims to make legible, even coordinate, on the regional territory, the system for monitoring and reducing colonization by plants with allergenic pollens.

    Possible Consequences of Overpopulation

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    We would be more than 7.77 billion human beings on Earth and two billion more in 2050. What is the impact of overcrowding on the environment and global resources?

    Today, we are more than 7.77 billion human beings on Earth (last revision of the United Nations, in its report of March 2020). According to the latest projections, we will be 9.5 billion by 2050. We can explain these forecasts by the demographic explosion in emerging countries and the lengthening of life in developed countries.

    Global overpopulation and water supplies

    Water is the most precious resource on Earth: global overpopulation could lead to generalized conflicts linked to the blue gold. Clashes already exist, since water is one of the main causes of tensions in the Middle East. A global water conflict would therefore have dire consequences. Currently, 80 countries lack water and one in five people does not have access to clean water. There are solutions to overcome this shortage, such as the desalination of seawater, which is still costly.

    How much fresh water is there in the world?

    Covering about three-quarters of the Earth’s surface, water a priori is not lacking on our planet. Unfortunately most of this water is salty and is not directly usable by humans. What about fresh water?

    Recall that we call fresh water – as opposed to sea water – water with low salinity and which is therefore likely to be fit for consumption by humans and animals. Fresh water is the water of rivers, lakes, rains, etc.

    The total volume of water on Earth is estimated at around 1.4 trillion billion cubic meters. A relatively stable volume over time.

    What is the percentage of fresh water?

    On Earth, 97.5% of the water is salty and contained in the oceans. Only 2.5% is fresh water, or approximately 35.2 million billion cubic meters. On this amount of water:

    • 68.7% are found in glaciers
    • 30.1% in the groundwater
    • 0.8% in permafrost
    • 0.4% at the surface and in the atmosphere

    In the end, less than 1% of the water on Earth is fresh, liquid water.

    Lake Baikal, with its 23,000 billion cubic meters of water, constitutes the largest reservoir of liquid fresh water on the surface of the planet. It is classified as World Heritage of Humanity for the richness of the fauna it shelters.

    A large sphere of 1,400 km in diameter would concentrate all of the earth’s water (salt and fresh). A smaller sphere of 272.8 km in diameter would represents the total volume of fresh water. And finally an even smaller sphere of 56.2 km in diameter would concentrates all of the earth’s fresh water available for consumption (lake, river, part of the groundwater).

    The uneven distribution of freshwater on Earth

    On the surface of the globe, water is distributed very unevenly. The United Nations calls nine countries “power of water”, namely: Brazil, Colombia, Russia, India, Canada, the United States, Indonesia, Congo and China – which account for 60% of the world’s annual water flow. And inequalities can even appear within a country. India for example has desert regions and others that are regularly flooded by the monsoon.

    The water war

    Climate risks and natural disasters can cause scarcity and or pollution of freshwater. Human activities, domestic, agricultural or industrial discharges, diversion of rivers, etc, can also impact water resources. However, a man cannot survive more than three days without water. And that resource is essential to hygiene.

    When the water resource is insufficient to meet human activities and the needs of the environment, that is to say, below 1,700 cubic meters per person per year, we speak of water stress. And a UN report published in 2019 pointed to the close link between water scarcity and mismanagement, and the emergence of tensions and conflicts around the world.

    Global overpopulation and food

    Currently, the most developed countries have enough resources to feed the entire population of the planet. However not all people on the planet eat their fill, as food is unevenly distributed. One of the consequences of global overpopulation would be to aggravate these inequalities, causing famines.

    Global overpopulation and pollution

    The pollution of the planet is not directly linked to global overpopulation. The most developed countries are the most polluting, but also those with the lowest birth rates. Hiring dumpster rentals to remove junk is not going to be enough to control pollution in the Western World hooked in overconsumption. Healthier greener habits must be developped.

    An American pollutes 91 times more than a Bangladeshi resident. However if the growth of emerging countries continues to rise and if developed countries do not restrict the pollution they generate, then global overpopulation will have a disastrous consequence on the environment of our planet.

    Insights About The Property Buying Process

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    As you might imagine, purchasing a property entails knowing a lot of information regarding the buying process so you avoid any bump on the road. People are naturally curious and it is a good thing in this situation. But if you are working with a professional who has been working as an agent for many years, it will take you less effort to learn about the technicalities of investing in real estate.

    And you could save some money as well by avoiding some of the traps that may present themselves to anyone with little or no experience in this type of real estate investment.

    Whether you are a first-time buyer or someone who has bought a property before, you still need some refreshers on how the process of buying a house works nowadays. Regulations and market practices change, so keep up to date. Below are some of the information Kale Realty shares with their clients to ensure that they have the most basic information before they select a property.

    Length of the Purchase

    Some buyers ask their agent how long it usually takes to buy a home. Under normal market conditions, the average period is between a month to 45 days. However, some prepared home buyers have been known to process everything a lot faster. In hot markets with much sale activity, buying a home might take a little longer. One of the factors that can also slow down the buying process is when there are lender turn-around times for underwritten loans.

    You Need To Be Of Age

    To be eligible for a home loan, you must be at least 21 years old and should provide your proof of income. Even if you are independent at a young age who has been earning a stable income, it is highly likely that you will stumble into some problems. The termination of the loan must happen before or when you turn 65 years old. Loan regulation is stringent, even more so since the 2008 crisis which some many unprepared borrowers who had to forfeit theit property because of unrealistic leverage ratios.

    The Agent Fees

    Many buyers also wonder how long they can pay a real estate agent to help them choose and buy a house. Home shoppers pay almost little to no fees at all. For most home sales, there are two agents involved–one that represents the seller and the other represents the buyer. Agents who represent the buyer are usually compensated by the share they get from the money listing brokers get from their clients. However, this is not always the case. So always ask your agent about this.

    When you are new to the buying process in real estate, it can be daunting, thrilling and sometimes odd. But when you familiarize yourself with this peculiar process and allow your real estate agent to handle all the complicated stuff for you, things should go smoothly.

    Every location is different. What is true in Chicago maybe untrue in New York or Los Angeles. Market conditions and regulations vary from state to state and even from city to city, one more reason to use a knowledgeable agent with inside knowledge about the specific location you are eyeing.

    How To Boost Organic Traffic To Your Website

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    Every business owner or digital marketer’s wish is to bring in more traffic to their site.

    Even if it is already performing very well, there will always be room for more improvements. Among the many aspects of running a website and getting visitors, improving one’s organic traffic is one of the most challenging goals to have.

    The term organic traffic refers to the users who visit a site as a result of unpaid search results. These visitors are considered “organic” because they come from search engines and not referrals. The easiest way to boost one’s organic traffic is through a strong content marketing campaign.

    A site has to create and publish quality, valuable and relevant content regularly to be able to land a good spot on the search engine results. But if you already have a working website and wish to learn how to correct your past mistakes, the pointers below are the necessary steps to apply to finally see some organic traffic results.

    Do Keyword Research

    The first steps in increasing your traffic, whether it is organic or not, is by doing keyword research. This process advises you the exact phrases users are using whenever they type a search on Google.

    Try not to be obsessed with keywords that are high in volume. Big-time businesses and websites are already using these, which makes them very difficult to rank for. Instead, use long tail keywords as they are easier to work with.

    Check Your Link Portfolio

    For years, backlinks have played a crucial element in SEO, and it will continue to be so in the foreseeable future.

    If you wish to boost your organic traffic, you need to recognize the links that are helping you out and pulling you down. Analyze them and compare the site’s value.

    Once you determine the poor-quality backlinks you received, try to get rid of them by disavowing them. You can various articles on the Web to help you identify the kinds of links you should keep on your blog or not.

    Publish Quality Content

    While it is true that links help boost your rankings, you must also know that every successful website’s cornerstone is high-quality content. Without it, there is nothing to link to. Publishing quality content is great for your organic traffic because you are serving your visitors with what they are looking for as far as providing relevant information is concerned.

    Traffic comes from the intent of the users to see what your site has to show. If you have nothing good to offer, then you ultimately lose the traffic. Be serious about your content marketing strategies to ensure that you are creating quality and valuable content for your visitors.

    Contribute to Other Reputable Sites

    Despite the news that guest posting is already dead, contributing to other reputable sites can definitely increase your traffic. After all, this is one of the effective ways to get your website in front of an already-established audience.

    Additionally, a dofollow backlink from an authority site can transfer its link juice to your site and bring in a positive impact on your SEO situation. Just be very selective with the sites you write on, for to steer clear of poorly performing websites.

    Create An Internal Linking System

    Another way of encouraging search engines to crawl your site and boost your rankings to increase traffic is by creating a powerful system of internal links. Doing so prolongs user engagement, which sends positive signals to Google.

    By linking your new posts to relevant ones that you have previously written, you develop a system of links where readers can land on and jump to. Building internal links is valuable for SEO as it encourages your readers to stay on your site for longer periods of time.

    By ensuring that you generate the best possible content, you will have the most chances of landing lucrative and quality backlinks from reputable sites. Adopt these steps above in your marketing repertoire and start working on your site to emulate outstanding results.

    How To Start With Keyword Research

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    Keyword research is a critical element when starting and building a blog. In order for it to be successful, you need to make sure that you do this step properly and carefully. Though there are some bloggers who do not consider keyword research as much as they should, there is a big chance that they will miss out on new visitors on their blog.

    Keywords are universally used to identify search terms that people type in the search engine. Finding popular search terms and utilizing them in your content is a foolproof way to gain traction. No matter how a blogger tries to produce the best content, without keyword research and its use, gaining more traffic will nevertheless be a struggle.

    Here is a list of answers as to why keyword research is essential to your blog’s success.

    • It keeps you updated on the popular trends in your niche.
    • Land a higher spot in the Search Engine Results Pages.
    • Increases the traffic to your site.
    • Provides an insight into the popular products and services that your target market is interested in.

    Below are the basic ways of keyword research that every beginner must know.

    Think as if you were the perfect visitor – Think about the perfect visitor on your site. What questions do you think they have in mind? What are the subject matters that they presumably already know? By asking yourself these two question, you can formulate a list of FAQs. Using these questions, you can formulate a possibly long list of keywords to use.

    Look at your competitor’s site – Think of the term you want to use and type it in the search box. Check the top four displayed sites at the top of the SERP and investigate the sites. You can gain valuable insight as to what your competition is offering their customers. Doing this will expand your list and will also show you what the competitors are ranking for.

    Use keyword research tools – Blogs or sites that are still starting may use free keyword research tools. However, it will be in your site’s best interest if you shell out a few couples of dollars for an inexpensive keyword research tool. You can use Google Adwords, Google Trends, Google Blogs, etc. Keep in mind that the tool Keyword Planner by Google is used by paid advertisers. But this also produces data that still is a good representation of the organic search competition.

    Understand long tail keywords – These keywords are simply a set of three or more words. General or short keywords are usually ranked by bigger competitors. One cautious yet effective way of bringing in more traffic is using long tail keywords. People who are searching for “black furniture” us very likely to be in the initial stage of gathering the information they need. However, a person who uses the key phrase “round blue ottoman” is likely further along the purchasing cycle and is more likely going to make a purchase.

    Keep your site’s actual niche in mind – Keyword research is one of the processes of keyword mapping. However, not all relevant keywords will fit the theme of your blog, or the products and services you are trying to sell. To put the keyword research you have done to use, you actually need to use them in your content.

    SEO keyword research can be a laborious process in the beginning. But as you get the hang of it, you will soon find the specific words and phrases you need to rank higher in the SERPs. If you wish to skip this step and work on something else, hiring an SEO specialist is the best option for you.

    WordPress On-Site SEO

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    Few things have revolutionized the landscape of the World Wide Web like WordPress. The Content Management System (CMS) has made starting a website about as easy as it gets. Though there are plenty of ways to spend money when you’re up and running, WordPress is absolutely free to start. In fact, you can create an incredibly professional-looking site without ever spending a dime. That being said, success won’t be handed to you, even when you’re operating within the WordPress model. So keep reading as we discuss one of the main ways you’ll get the results you want by using WordPress: on-site SEO.

    The Importance of SEO

    Let’s look at why SEO is so important. Unless you’re completely new to websites, you’re probably somewhat familiar with Search Engine Optimization. To put it as simply as possible, SEO is the art of getting search engines, like Google, to bring their users to your site.

    So, for example, if a user is looking up dog food and your website sells it, you want the search engine they use to tell that person your website is a reliable source. That’s oversimplifying things slightly, but it’s sufficient for our purposes.

    The reason for this should be obvious. No matter how great your website is, how wonderful your product performs or how well-intentioned you are, if no one knows about these things, success will always elude you. SEO is the main way you’ll let people know.

    There are two main types of SEO. One is call on-site SEO and the other is off-site. Both are important, but many would argue there is simply more you can do with the on-site variety. So this article is going to focus solely on utilizing SEO to drive traffic to your site.

    Start with Permalinks

    Alright, the first thing you’ll want to do with your WordPress site is change the permalinks. If you haven’t heard this term before, it simply refers to how your URLs read. When you create your first ever post on your WordPress site, chances are it will look something like this, YourSite.WordPress.com/2014/1/15/This-Is-My-First-Post, where that last combination of words is the title you’ve chosen for your post. It might also just be numbers. In either case, it isn’t very favorable for your search engine results.

    So go to the Permalinks setting on your WordPress page and change yours to “custom structure.” For the structure, put in “/%postname%/” (except without quotation marks).

    The first reason is because it gives the search engine something important to read immediately. Search engines read websites to gather what they’re about. That way they know whether or not it’s a good fit for the user (this is one method, anyway). When your URL is a bunch of numbers, it’s a less favorable read for the search engine. But when your URL contains words about, again let’s just say, dog food, it now has reason to believe your website is a good one to send users to if they’re looking for that subject.

    Of course, this works for actual people too. If your link is on a website somewhere, people will read it when they see it. Seeing what the subject covers may be enough to convince them to click. URLs that are mostly numbers are less likely to garner this response.

    The second reason is that it keeps things in order. When people use a hyperlink to send others to your site, they’ll most likely choose words that match what the link is about. “All natural dog food”, for example, may send people who click on it to a post you wrote about just that. By having the hyperlink match up, things are kept organized.

    Be sure to keep your URLs as short as possible. Keep it to 3 words, if you can. Also, get rid of stop words when possible (i.e. “a, an, and, the, etc.). Search engines don’t read them anyway.

    Content is King

    You may have heard this before, but it’s as true as ever. Don’t expect traffic if you’re not keeping your website updated. For one thing, users will simply stop showing up as they learn that you don’t seem to care about your site.

    Secondly, search engines will take notice as well. By constantly updating your website, you show search engines that your committed to providing the best experience for your users.

    Use Title Tags

    It’s debatable, but many believe that title tags are by far the easiest way to improve your websites SEO in a meaningful way. If there’s any one thing you glean from reading this, it should be understanding what SEO is. But the second should an appreciation for utilizing title tags.

    Your WordPress site doesn’t show up ready to optimize Title Tags, so you’ll need to handle this part. Fortunately, it’s incredibly easy. There are two plugins I recommend for these purposes. Either use the All-In-One or Yoast’s SEO plugin. Either will work, but the latter is for more advanced users.

    Set your general settings as follows:

    • Home Title: You’ll want to enter in Targeted Keyword| Site Name.
    • Post Title: You’ll simply input, %post_title%
    • Page Title: Just type, %page_title%

    These changes help put the keywords you’re targeting (in this case, one would be “dog food”) front and center where the search engine is bound to immediately see it.

    Focus on Keywords

    Speaking of keywords, we should address those in greater detail now. For the most part, stick to a central keyword throughout your site. There are plenty of arguments for doing otherwise, but when you first start out, I think it’s essential. Huge brands, companies and corporations may have the means to diversify, but you’ll be swimming upstream if you try to follow suit.

    You can use Google’s Keyword Tool to look into which ones may be best for your goals. Remember, that you want to find ones that best match what the topic of your website will be.

    Once you have a keyword chosen, it’s time to use it. Include your keyword in the title tag of your homepage, the heading for your actual website, in anchor text you use for links from other sites and, if/when you have one, even your logo. For your logo and other images, you’ll simply name them your keyword before putting it on your WordPress site. That’s, then, how search engines will read them.

    Optimize Meta Tags

    If you aren’t familiar with Meta Tags, chances are you’ve still seen them. They’re the short description that you see below a search engine result. So whatever you read in that description is whatever people entered into their Meta Tag.

    By adding keywords to your Meta Tags (as well as any others), you help convince search engines that you deserve to be higher up in the results.

    Keyword Label Images

    At this time, search engines, especially Google, still look for what are known as alt attributes for images on your website. This is welcomed news as it simply gives us one more place we can insert our keywords.

    One tool that is especially hand for this is called SEO Friendly Images. It’s fairly self-explanatory, but it allows you to label any images you use with the keywords that correspond with them. So for the imaginary site I’ve been referencing, I’d want to label images I was using as “dog food.”

    Link to Your Own Work

    This might seem like cheating, but it’s perfectly acceptable to link to your own work within your website. In fact, your visitors will welcome the help. One tenet of SEO you can rely on is that if visitors like it, search engines generally will to. By linking to work elsewhere in your site, you’re making it easier for your visitors to navigate around it and find the information they find most useful.

    Let’s return to my dog food website. If I was writing a post about organic dog food, I might reference how the kind made in factories is subpar and bad for a canine’s health. If I had discussed this once before, my readers would probably appreciate a hyperlink that would take them back to that article. As an added benefit, it would help my site link as well.

    Choose Pages Over Posts

    Alright, now let’s get into some more advanced SEO tactics. My first piece of advice is to always use pages on WordPress instead of posts, at least when you’re covering important information.

    For one thing, your WordPress homepage will generally be the most potent on your website. By this I mean, linking from it will garner those pages the most validity because it’s coming from your SEO-rich homepage. So while a post stays there on your WordPress homepage, a page links off from it and, thus, gets more credibility with search engines.

    Secondly, on a page you won’t have comments. Why’s this important? Because while comments are nice to read and give your visitors a sense of involvement, they ultimately delude your keyword density. Chances are all those comments aren’t necessarily relevant, after all, so they wind up being counterproductive.

    Deactivate Comments

    This follows from the last paragraph nicely. Like I said, pages are helpful because they lack comments. In order to further that aid, I’d say deactivate comments from all posts as well.

    The only exception would be if you can see that comments clearly play a role in your site’s popularity. For example, if you’re getting hundreds of them per post, then it’s clear that you’re speaking to a vibrant community and that stifling conversation could have negative effects. People might be linking to your page due to certain comments and conversations, for example. But when you’re first starting out, you probably won’t be getting this kind of feedback. It’s best to take comments out and leave SEO strength in.

    Network

    This might stretch the line a bit between on-site and off-site, but it’s an easy thing you can do on your WordPress page, so I think it qualifies. Plus, it can be very helpful. No matter what your market is for your WordPress site, chances are you aren’t the only one with a website, right? While you might be in direct competition with some people, it’s often helpful to link to their page anyway. This is especially true when you’re just starting out and “competition” is a very loose word.

    Linking to other people does a few things. But for our purposes, one of the best things it does is gets other people to link back to you. The more authoritative they are, the better your site looks to the major search engines.

    Check Your Speed

    Everyone’s been on a website before that lacks the speed it should have. Instead it stumbles along slowly, eventually bringing you to where you want to go. If your site is guilty of this, you can expect most of your visitors to simply leave.

    If you’re unsure about your website’s speed, use Google’s Page Speed Tool. It’s free and will give you the feedback you need in no time. Google’s tool doesn’t just measure your speed, it will actually tell you where you’re lacking, so you know immediately what to change. Depending on what Google recommends, chances are a tool called CloudFare will be able to help you handle matters.

    Keep in mind that user experience is just one reason to have a faster site. While it’s important, so is a secondary benefit involved. The faster your site runs, the faster search engines can read it. In fact, if you use CloudFare, you’ll almost certainly experience greater results in a shorter period of time. Make sure your server is able to handle the new traffic.

    The world of SEO is vast and there is always more you can learn, apply and refine. However, if you follow the above advice your WordPress site will stand a better chance than most that get started. Just be sure you start at the top and work your way down as things get more advanced as you go.