Massive changes in the Artic weather and ice levels happening

In the last few years, there have been a spate of reports on how global warming is continuing to march ahead, irrespective of the debate among countries and politicians about the steps needed to stop the emissions that contribute to global warming. Global warming is supposed to have a horrific impact on the ice levels of the polar regions and Greenland, with large scale reduction of the Artic and Antartic ice shelfs, along with melting of the huge amount of ice present in Greenland. This melting will release enough water to increase sea water levels, in turn devastating many low lying islands and low lying coastal regions. Scientists further fear that we are moving to an accelerated level of changes due to global warming, where global warming will become unsustainable (as an example, less ice covering the water means that the blue dark water will absorb more energy rather than the light reflected by white ice).
Global warming is already devastating the habitat of animals in the colder regions in the extreme North. The impact on polar bears is already pretty well known, but there are a whole range of animals that are affected (link to article):

The Arctic as we know it may soon be a thing of the past. That's the message from Eric Post, lead scientist of a new report into the effects of climate change on life in the Arctic. "It seems no matter where you look -- on the ground, in the air, or in the water -- we're seeing signs of rapid change," said Post in a press statement.
With the decline in sea ice and snow, animals usually seen at lower latitudes are being found in more northerly regions, including red foxes that have been displacing native Arctic foxes. Migratory caribou in low Arctic Greenland and elsewhere are declining in number as they have not been able to keep their calving season in synch with changes in plant growth. With the decline in caribou comes a knock-on effect to native Inuit hunters, according to the report's authors. Hotter summers could result in more insects and parasites that prey on the caribou, which could then also reduce the annual caribou harvest by local indigenous peoples.

This impact on animals and the native human populations is different from 'Survival of the fittest' since these are changes made by humans. Unfortunately, these are just an indicator of the impact of global warming, the changes are happening all around us.

Article on heating water at off-times to save power

There is an article on the EERE site that displays information on how to save energy by using these heaters at off-peak timings / by using a timer (link). The article also contains more links on the following topics:
Install Heat Traps on a Water Heater Tank for Energy Savings
Lower Water Heating Temperature for Energy Savings
Reduce Hot Water Use for Energy Savings
Insulate Hot Water Pipes for Energy Savings
Drain-Water Heat Recovery
Insulate Your Water Heater Tank for Energy Savings
Select a New Water Heater.

If you have an electric water heater, you can save an additional 5%–12% of energy by installing a timer that turns it off at night when you don't use hot water and/or during your utility's peak demand times.
Contact your utility to see if it offers a demand management program. Some utilities offer "time of use" electricity rates that vary according to the demand on their system.

A massive shredder for pulping cars

You people must have seen old cars, and maybe heard about that old cars get crushed an re-used. Given how large and heavy cars are, it may seem a bit difficult to visualize how cars are crushed. Further, a car contains so many different parts, contains oils (engine, gasoline, brake oil, etc), and what happens to all of these ?
Well, here is a small article on Wired (link) that takes a massive car such as the Camry and shreds it down in less than 2 minutes. The largest such machines can handle around 450 cars per hour (which is a huge number). This machine plays a huge role in recycling, since it sends a huge amount of steel to steelworks. The site also has a great diagram that explains the overall steps that are needed to make this a smooth operation, and needs some initial manual operations.

What's not to love about a machine that can chew up a Camry and spit it out as metal confetti in less than two minutes? The largest mega-shredder ever — located in Newport, Wales — can digest 450 cars an hour. At its heart is a 9,200-hp motor driving a gauntlet of rollers and hammers that swallow 3,000 tons of metal a day. All that scrap gets shipped to steelworks, where it's reincarnated as SUVs or stoves or shopping carts. The recycling operation saves enough energy in steel production to power about 82,000 UK households.

Farming using sea water

Imagine farming using sea water ! But this person is doing exactly that (link). Carl Hodges is growing salicornia, a crop nourished by ocean water that holds the potential to provide food and fuel to millions.
A few miles inland from the Sea of Cortez, amid cracked earth and mesquite and sun-bleached cactus, neat rows of emerald plants are sprouting from the desert floor. The crop is salicornia. It is nourished by seawater flowing from a man-made canal. And if you believe the American who is farming it, this incongruous swath of green has the potential to feed the world, fuel our vehicles and slow global warming.
The Earth's ice sheets are melting fast. Scientists predict that rising seas could swallow some low-lying areas, displacing millions of people. Hodges sees opportunity. Why not divert the flow inland to create wealth and jobs instead of catastrophe? He wants to channel the ocean into man-made "rivers" to nourish commercial aquaculture operations, mangrove forests and crops that produce food and fuel. This greening of desert coastlines, he said, could add millions of acres of productive farmland and sequester vast quantities of carbon dioxide, the primary culprit in global warming. Hodges contends that it could also neutralize sea-level rise, in part by using exhausted freshwater aquifers as gigantic natural storage tanks for ocean water.

CO2 saver

Benefits:

* Save energy when your computer is idle - Reduce electricity usage;
* Reduce harmful CO2 and other emissions;
* Lower your electric and cooling bills;
* See how much you've saved!

How it Works:

CO2 Saver is a lightweight program that manages your computer's power usage when it's idle, saving energy and decreasing the demand on your power utility.

The less electricity produced, the fewer harmful emissions and greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide (CO2) are released into the atmosphere.

Read more at this link.