May 28 2012
Sorry to say the year is over. I really enjoyed our time together. Best of luck to each of you in college and beyond.
If you have just stumbled upon this blog, note that our class no longer meets and will no longer be adding new content. Feel free to click around and see all that we’ve learned about environmental science this year. -Mr. W
May 09 2012
Well, you all made it. Now that the course and AP exam are behind you, I hope you pay attention to the environmental issues that lie before you. Here are just a few of the issues we have studied that have popped up in the news the last few weeks. Feel free to share things you come across with me here or by email.
Startup Converts Plastic to Oil, and Finds a Niche
Mutated Trout Raise New Concerns Near Mine Sites
How Do Your Salad Greens Get Contaminated? (yep, we are talking poop and fecal coliforms)
Damage to the World’s Oceans “To Reach $2 Trillion a Year”
Sea Change in Salinity Heralds Shift in Rainfall
U.S. Intelligence Sees Global Water Conflict Rising
Global Warming Close to Becoming Irreversible-Scientists
Government Proposes First Carbon Limits on Power Plants
Groups Seek Fuller Disclosure of Fracking in Wyoming
Warmest March on Record Across Half the U.S., Expert Says
How Green are Electric Cars? Depends on Where You Plug In
Rural Chinese Flock to Tiny Electric Cars
Entrepreneurs Find Cash in Trash
African Big Game Poaching Surges on Asian Affluence
and, sadly…
Lorax Statue Stolen from Dr. Suess Garden, Family Hopes for its Return
Now that the course is over, what do you think is our biggest environmental issue? Why?
May 07 2012
We have 3 seniors who in this class that are participating in the Global Studies Program here at PDS. They’ve shared their global leadership project blogs with me, and since they involve environmental issues I am sharing them with you:
RayS-Great Pacific Garbage Patch: http://pdsblogs.org/rstanton/
EmilyS-Multiple Drug Resistant Tuberculosis: http://pdsblogs.org/estewart/
MattP-Urbanization in China (air quality): http://pdsblogs.org/mplaus/
Please read their “research posts” and give them some feedback!
Mr. W
May 03 2012
So, while your text does introduce the concept of carbon neutral it did not mention carbon offsets, which have become a hot ticket in “climate change mitigation.” There are many companies out there now marketing carbon offsets to reduce your “carbon footprint.” Terrapass is a popular one. You can offset one year’s worth of air travel (an estimated 8,000 pounds of carbon emitted) for just $50.60 as of 5/5/2011. Your money goes to support wind farms and methane capture projects-that’s how the carbon is “offset.” Some companies will even plant trees to offset carbon produced by your lifestyle.
So, does this approach really mitigate global climate change or just encourage more “bad behavior” (burning of fossil fuels)? Watch this clever parody of carbon offsetting by a couple of Brits:
*If you want to learn more, visit www.cheatneutral.com
So, what do you think?
*Try www.carbonfootprint.com to for a carbon calculator if you want to assess how much carbon dioxide results from your lifestyle.
Apr 30 2012
Since it is so close to the AP exam and all of you have fulfilled your scribe post obligations, I won’t start the list over. So, here is a collection of links from past classes on major air pollution issues and global climate change for those that missed class. While written a year or two ago, all the info is still correct and relevant:
Intro to Global Climate Change
Evidence and Consequences (of the Earth’s Warming)
Solutions to the Earth’s Warming Problem
Apr 29 2012
After testing a handful of vehicles in each class, we tried to analyze the class data for trends. It has become harder and harder to do as vehicle emissions have become so much “cleaner” over the last decade (yes, I said it). If we had the time, this is the data I would love to gather:
Relationship between CO2, CO, HC (Click to enlarge)
One reason vehicles emissions have improved so greatly in the USA, is catalytic converter technology. Catalytic converters speed reactions to reduce the amount of NOx, CO, and HC coming out of an automobile. Check out how catalytic converters work at howstuffworks.com.
Catalytic converters are pollution solutions!
Why does all this matter? Well, NOx have a key role in the formation of ground-level (tropospheric) ozone and photochemical smog. Reduce NOx (and CO and HC), and you reduce ground-level ozone and photochemical smog. You need to be familiar with both types of smog (below) on the AP exam.
Smog Types
Apr 25 2012
Monday we began talking about what exactly comes out of our cars, why they can be dangerous, and what the government is doing to curb these emissions.
We talked first about the Clean Air Act of 1970. This act allowed the E.P.A. through the NAAQS or the National Ambient Air Quality Standards.
These standards were set on 6 “criteria” pollutants: NOx O3 SOx CO Lead and Particulates
The Actual Set Standards
We then focused on why there were standards set on these pollutants
Mr Williard's Highly Detailed and Highly Skilled Sketch
We divided the car emissions into two categories: regulated and non regulated.
Non Regulated
Regulated
Finally we talked about how the government can warn us about the quality of air at the current time through the Air Quality Index
AQI Index
Sources
http://www.blogmyair.com/uploaded_images/aqi-759020.JPG
http://www.intellectualtakeout.org/sites/www.intellectualtakeout.org/files/naaqs.jpg
Apr 22 2012
HAPPY EARTH DAY! Have you been good to your “mother?” You can see what others are doing around the country at the EPA website: http://www.epa.gov/earthday/
If you did notice lately, it is very “hip” to “green.” I’ve been watching my favorite NBC comedy shows lately, and seeing all these public service announcements for “green week.” Heck, even the NBC peacock logo is green! Check out NBC’s slick website (and the peacock): http://www.nbc.com/Green/
And, FOX is getting in on the act too. Check out their slick website: http://www.fox.com/greenitmeanit/
This type of public relations stuff is called “greenwashing.” Here’s a definition (can’t find or recall the source):
Greenwashing is the unjustified appropriation of environmental virtue by a company, an industry, a government, a politician or even a non-government organization to create a pro-environmental image, sell a product or a policy, or to try and rehabilitate their standing with the public and decision makers after being embroiled in controversy.
So, why is what NBC or Fox doing this week considered sorta sly? Well…do you think the network executives are doing it for the network or us (or both)? You decide.
If you want to know more, here are a few “watchdog” sites that monitor greenwashing:
Sourcewatch:
http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Greenwashing
Greenwashing.net
Corpwatch:
http://www.corpwatch.org/article.php?list=type&type=102
So, be a smart consumer, not all that is green is good. ANY group can claim to be green-there is no government standard! Love to discuss any of this with any of you here or in class one day…can you think of other examples you’ve seen?
Apr 18 2012
I think that I may be missing something very obvious here, but I’m wondering why it is advantageous in terms of sustainable design for energy for houses to be oriented facing the South? Also, with regard to biomass energy, why does deforestation in order to harvest wood raise water temperatures?
Apr 18 2012
I was looking back at Tucker and Daniel’s handout about hydrogen power, and they listed alternative route as a key vocabulary term. They state that this path is what creates the electrical current produced the fuel cell. But I’m wondering what this Alternative Route is alternative to? Is it alternative to what a normal battery takes?
