Turn off, Turn on.

So this weeks class challenge was to lessen our use of electronics and other devices that contribute to the excessive amount of fossil fuels being burned. We had a certain set of guidelines to follow to help us reduce our use of energy. This challenge was only over a 24hour period, but I learned a lot.

First a quick review of the guidelines so you get a better idea of how we planned to reduce our energy usage.
        1. Unplugging stuff that isn't being used!
            This seems like such a simple thing to do, but it was a pain in the butt. I couldn't just turn on my lamp. I had to move my bed and then connect my lamp. I unplugged the coffee maker, the toaster, the microwave, my dads powertools, my laptop, my cool light up mirror, my piano, my stereo, the washing and drying machines, and a whole bunch of other things. In the past 24hours I probably get yelled at about 30 times. I had never realized how accustomed we are to convenience. I mean it wasn't like plugging stuff in was this arduous task, its just that its inconvenient.
        2. Why drive when you can...
             Not driving for those 24hours wasn't so bad. I took the bus to school, and back home. I walked to the grocery store, and then to a friends house. I liked not feeling like a zombie behind the wheel. We spend so much of our lives in a car, and in traffic. Not having that stress was pretty great. The 24hours felt easy, and calm.
        3. Turn it off!
            I got yelled at for this one too. Everytime I saw a light on in my house I would shut it off. My mom got pretty mad at one point. I turned off the light in the garage not realizing anyone was in there and she ran into some shelves. She's okay. A lot of the time the lights I turned off were just left on. No one was using the light, or even in the room for that matter.
       4.  Cold Showers SUCK!
            I didn't like this one. I tend to shower in the morning and I couldn't handle the cold water. What I did instead is use very little water. I timed myself to only have the water running for a total of five minutes. Now my complete shower took about twenty minutes, but my water use was reduced to five. So I would rinse, then turn off the water and soap up. I would just turn off the water when I wasn't using it, I was still cold.
       5.  Hang up your clothes.
           This is actually something I do already. I grew up with a rope tied to two poles where my mom would hang our clothes to dry. We don't have the rope up anymore, but I still hang my clothes to dry. I think it keeps the color of the clothes for longer.
       6. Hot, Hot, Heat!
           Being aware of the amount of energy usage that air conditioners and heaters use is important to both the environment and your wallet. My parents are very aware of their wallet, so they tend to do things to regulate the temperature of the house that don't require turning on the heating or cooling systerm. One thing my mom does during summer is put foil on the windows to reflect heat. Another cool trick for summer is putting a bowl full of ice in a room. It cools down the room without using any energy. During the winter the house doesn't get too cold. I think that's mostly due to the windows and insulation in the walls. Having a properly insulated house can save you big bucks.

Secondly, a quick reflection on the past 24hours.
         24 hours is only a short time. To think that my family and myself carelessly waste so much is bothersome. There were a lot of habits I noticed that I would like to change. I am going to keep taking the bus to school. I get time to read, or study and I don't add to carbon emissions as a single driver. I also want to implement the shorter showers. Less water, and less time. Keeping stuff unplugged is going to be a tough one. I'm going to have to slowly convince my family that this is a postive change. I can start by unplugging rarely used items. I also want to make my family very conscious of unused light. Turning off the light when you leave the room is such an easy thing to do. I think I can condition them to turn off the light. Going back to driving, I will have to drive sometimes. I will just do less unnecessary driving.

Thirdly, things that can be changed in the home.
         Well while I was turning off all of the lights I noticed we still use outdated, energy sucking light bulbs. This is something that can be easliy fixed. I think something that will help relieve the inconvenience of having to plug stuff in will be organizing things so that outlets aren't blocked. All it will take is a little reorganizing, and my mom's patience. Something I realized was how quickly my phone dies. I don't use it all day, but I leave apps open, and that kills it. Turning off my phone when its not in use will conserve the battery life, and then I won't have to plug it in as often. I have also heard that putting your phone on airplane mode helps conserve the battery. I would love to convince my parents to invest in solar pannels. Southern California is the perfect place for solar panels. We could also put up more mirrors to reflect the natural light that comes in through the widows.

To sum it up this experience has shown me how careless people can be. Every single person has an affect on this planet, and the future of our planets health. We can't disregard our individual responsibility, and, as I have explained, we can start by making small changes in our immediate environment. Okay, I have to go help my mom reach her crutches, she's still a little banged up from those shelves.

Bye!

Blog #10. Global Climate Change

According to evidence, is the climate changing right now?
- What does evidence say about humans’ roles in the changing climate?
- How is climate change likely to affect our society and our world?
The weather changes everyday. One day could be scorching, and the next day will have a light breeze, enough to make you wear a sweater. We know weather changes, but what about the global temperature of the earth?

According to the scientists at NASA's Goddard Institute for Space Studies the average global temperature from 1951-1980 was apporximately 57 degrees Fahrenheit. In the years that followed the global temperature rose. Global warming, a warming of the earth's global temperature, is a phenomena that can be scientifically attributed to human activities. According to studies done by the National Academy of Sciences and its affiliates, the global temperature has increased about 1.4 degrees Fahrenheit over the past 100 years, that increase was seen mostly in the past thirty years.

What has happened in the past thirty years? Let's take a look around the world. In the past thirty years the Chernobyl nuclear disaster took place, the first Gulf War occured, the release of Nelson Mandela, and the death of Michael Jackson. Quite and eventful 30 years. What has also occured is an increase in the burning of fossil fuels. The industrial revolution took place within the last three decades, and the Earth is having a negative reaction to industry.

Human activity, along with natural occurences, have caused a change in the permanent climate of the Earth.

Blog #9: Food!

Applesauce, it is yellow, mushy, and DELICIOUS. The ingredients are fairly simple, apples, water, and ascorbic acid. Wait, what the heck is ascorbic acid? Let's find out what is in our food, where it comes from, and how it gets to our mouths.

So, my first question was about ascorbic acid. What is it?
     Ascorbic acid is the official name of Vitamin C. Vitamin C is found in many foods and helps our bodies absorb iron. Vitamin C is used to treat colds and other infections. A lack of Vitamin C can lead to health problems, like Scurvy. Arrrghh (pirate voice). Thus far we know that applesauce is made up of apples, water, and Vitamin C.

My second question is, well, where did those ingredients come from?
     The brand of applesauce my parents usually buy is called FirstStreet. The label reads "Quality since 1871." The brand is owned by Smart and Final, Inc. and distributed by AMERIFOODS TRADING CO. located in Los Angeles, CA. I was unable to find where the apples used in the applesauce actually come from, but I did come across some interesting apple facts. First off, the top apple producers in the world are the United States, China, Turkey, Poland, and Italy. Secondly, the US exports one out of every four apples harvested. The apple business is booming.

The search for information seems to be growing more and more difficult.
I found that Smart and Final is owned by Ares Management, a private investment firm. I find it strange that our food is being handled by a firm focused on secrecy. I'm not sure I like where this is going.

At the start of this blog I was hoping to find out where my food came from, and who it was handled by. The more I searched the more confused I became. The search made me see that an odd secrecy is behind our food sources. Even apples have secrets, for goodness sake!

Coprorations stealing democracy

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6GE6o9Z4sQ8

Dr. Vandana Shiva, she speaks the truth.

Minutes of Awareness

When we read about Miley Cyrus dancing like a hoochie at the VMA's our faces are glued to our phone, television, or computer screens. We are so submerged in this pseudo sea of celebrities that we forget about the world we actually live in. When is the last time you starred up into the sky to marvel at the numerous species flying above you, or when have you taken the time to just sit quietly and observe the varied interactions going on at the height of your feet. Well, the last time I sat quietly within my nearby nature was about thirty minutes ago. Within those thirty minutes I observed a consumer feasting on a species of a lower trophic level, I also witnessed intraspecific competition, and many other marvels of nature.

The consumer I spotted was a large black widow who was in the middle of lunch. The black widow had caught a fly in its web (more specifically a fruit fly) and was not wrapping it tightly in its silk web. The fly was soon consumed by the silken blanket.

Once the fly disappeared I turned my attention to the birds in the tree chirping. They must have been males because they were singing up a storm. A quick motion through the tree caught my attention. It was a large black crow and he seemed to be after something. A little brown bird shot out from the tree and the crow was right behind him. They looked like coreographed gymnists twirling through the air. The crow was trying to catch up to the little brown bird, but the little bird was too fast. Out of the corner of my eye I see a black blur come rushing toward the little bird. It was another crow! The crow began chasing the little brow bird, but the first crow was not having it. The crow changed targets and began going after the second crow. Intraspecific competition was taking place right in front of me. The second crow that came in after the bird fought for a little bit, but quickly backed off. Instead of chasing the little brown bird the crow came down and put his beak right in the only cantaloupe I had growing in the backyard. Oh well.

I also witnessed something that made me think about people and how we treat one another. I was watching a group of ants behaving in their programmed soldier like form. They were picking up small crumbs of dog food and turning right back around. There were a few stragglers that were exploring off to the side, and then I saw an ant that was slowly dragging it self. It had gotten crushed by something. Immediately another ant came to the crippled ant and began dragging the ant towards the crack in the cement they had been pouring out of. This ant population was taking care of each other. Picking up their injured and carrying them home. As people we gawk at horrible accidents, laugh at those who are different or need help, and we are the species who are able to clearly think about our actions.

In those thirty minutes I reflected on the amazing relationships that take place on earth, and realized we as humans are not the most important. We may be at the top of the food chain, but that's only because we have thumbs and guns. With our faces so close to the screen it is easy to miss the amazing things that are going on around us. Maybe after you finish reading this you can take a look outside and find something amazing. It shouldn't be hard to do.

Thanks for reading,
Samantha

Environmental Science in the News

Introduction:

Being able to distinguish between reliable and unreliable sources in the news can sometimes be difficult. This blog will explain a few different ways in which to verify the validity of the information presented. We will do this by breaking down an article on the subject of water conservation and looking at the credentials, the claims made in the article, and the organization behind the site providing the article. We will answer a few other questions that test the validity of the site and the article. Enjoy!

Web link:

The full article can be viewed at the following link;

http://www.scidev.net/global/desert-science/news/fog-catching-fabric-could-improve-water-collection-in-deserts-.html

I will summarize the main points and further explore the article.

Summary:

The problem presented in the article titled “Fog-catching fabric could improve water collection in deserts” is the limited access to freshwater in desert areas.

The solution provided is the “novel, affordable fabric that collects fog.”

Researchers from the Eindhoven University of Technology from the Netherlands and Hong Kong developed a cotton fabric into a water collecting and water distributing device. The fabric is coated with a polymer that allows it to absorb water at low temperatures, then release the water when the temperature rises. The article makes the claim that this product, if manufactured at a commercial rate, could improve water collection in desert climates.  

Verification Questions: 

In this portion I will answer questions that help determine the reliability of the site from where the article was obtained. 

SciDev.net is the name of the site hosting the article. This site provides a disclaimer at the bottom of the page where the article is found stating the site is not responsible for the content from outside resources which means this site could have inaccurate information. The site is funded by many reputable organizations like the Sao Paulo research foundation in Brazil, and the International Science Journal. The author of the article has a strong reputation in the science community. Both the sponsors of the site and the author of the article are reputable which builds the sites credibility. When researching the site SciDev.net I was able to find a list of people who work on the site and ways of contacting those individuals. That kind of transparency bodes well for the validity of the site. There mission statement which states the sites commitment to making science part of "global development" coincides with the content found on the site. After these findings I can contend to the validity and honesty of the site and it's creators. 

It is important to seek beyond the initial presentation of information in order to obtain an accurate account, in other words, be skeptical.

The Article Itself:

When seeking accurate information you must question not only the presenter, but the creator. Let's take a look at the article itself and see if it holds true. A superfluous claim is made in the article that this material could cause a large change in the amount of water obtained in the desert climates. There is no hard evidence to support this claim, it is merely an assumption. 

Overall: 

The article is very intriguing and gives attention to alternative resources that are renewable and have not been used up to this point. I am excited to hear of such innovative ideas, and I am hopeful that this world can be used in a more sustainable way. 

Thanks for reading. 

-Sami

Ecological Footprint

If everyone lived like I did it would take a total of 5.9 planets to contain enough resources to support the global population.
The largest portion of my ecological footprint is food consumption. Meat, and packaged food attribute to ecological damage. To reduce this portion of my foot print I can eat less meat, and only purchase products with little to no packaging or that use 100% recycled material. With these small changes I can reduces the number of planets necessary to sustain the global population from 5.9 to 4.9.

Come Check It OUT!!

 

This flower always looks like it's having a great time. Ophrys apifera, also known as the bee orchid, is found across Europe, the Middle East, and Northern Africa. While many orchids resemble other things to attract pollinators, O. apifera almost exclusively self-pollinates. This has left some to speculate that the pollinator it resembles has gone extinct.
 http://bit.ly/136cmZX

Mmhh carrots

 

The Cook Strait Giant Weta is one of the largest insects in the world, reaching up to 7cm long. The Giant Weta is now only found on Little Barrier Island and is endemic to New Zealand. Its scientific name, Deinacrida rugosa, means "terrible wrinkled grasshopper".

How to tell if you know the material or not.