Cleanfax, August 2019

Ecosystems and the built environment Ecology and environmental systems are subjects we usually associate with understanding the functioning of natural systems The prefix eco is derived from a Greek word meaning home Taken literally ecology means the study of homes Ecosystems are home systems Earth with all its many subcompartments is home to all life forms Our most immediate environment our human home can also be thought of as an ecosystem The built habitat is governed by many of the same environmental management and science concepts and principles as the other subcompartments of natural systems A habitat is the place where a particular organism lives and grows How an organism interacts with its habitat is its niche A niche consists of the total set of conditions that supports an organisms life and thus makes possible a healthy habitat The human habitat is a subcompartment of the natural environmental system The science concepts we use to explain how the processes of the natural environment function are germane to the built human habitat Life supporting environments have both living and nonliving components that interact with each other CALL 1 800 360 3513 for a no cost con dential discussion about helping you grow your business All resulting in a better you Violand Management Associates 12 CLEANFAX AUG 2019 When communities of organisms interact with each other as well as with their nonliving chemical and physical environment in a balanced way to sustain life they create an ecosystem Every organism must adapt to both the biotic and abiotic conditions or they cannot live in that space Change in even a single factor can cause the breakdown of the life support system When the life sustaining conditions of a habitat are expended or significantly altered the organisms residing within are severely stressed become dormant die or move on to another home For every ecosystem life supporting conditions are found within an optimal range When the optimal range is exceeded the species is put in an unhealthy state If stressed too much the species dies Cleaning the management of unwanted matter reduces stress Many of the organisms we confront in cleaning are decomposers Their basic role is to move carbon through its natural cycle This knowledge helps us manage more effectively For example subcompartments composed of wet organic matter support fungi and bacteria more readily than others These living organisms have an absolute requirement for water We would therefore expect to find mold on wet paper rather than on the surface of a clean dry glass window If we wish to control these living forms of unwanted matter we can alter their environment by removing cleaning away the water or organic carbon based food supply Matter defined and described Matter describes anything of substance Matter is mass energy that moves with velocities less than the speed of light Matter has mass attracted by the force of gravity Substances can be living or nonliving and are of three forms Solids liquids and gases The various substances we find moving around an environmental system have different shapes sizes and chemical compositions densities absorption adsorption and adhesion characteristics Heterogeneous mixtures of solid substances particles that can be suspended in air are called dusts Matter is constantly in motion to some extent Matter can be measured and described quantitatively Loading is the quantity of matter or energy that is introduced or discharged into a system or compartment We often use the terms organic loading dust loading or gas loading Units describe these A unit is a measuring rod used to characterize a particulate measurement For example we use the standard unit grams to characterize or describe an amount of matter Quantity is the actual number obtained using the measuring rod A gram gm of matter is the weight of a cubic centimeter of water or the weight of about a thimble full of water A microgram ug is a millionth of a gram A nanogram ng is a billionth of a gram Build a Better Restoration Business Better Systems Better Talent Better Financials violand com violandinstitute com of ce@ violand com FREE INFO Reader Service 226 at Cleanfax com freeinfo