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

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?

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

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.

Acid Rain

Ozone

Intro to Global Climate Change

Global Climate Change

Evidence and Consequences (of the Earth’s Warming)

Solutions to the Earth’s Warming Problem

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

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

• N2 is non regulated and not harmful, because it is relatively inert and passes through the car without any reaction
• C02 is a warming gas that is created by reacting with C8H18 or Octane. It seems likely that there will be CO2 regulations in the future
• H20 is also created in a reaction but is benign.

Regulated

• CO= Very toxic
• HC or hydrocarbon is an unburned fuel which is also known as a VOC or a Volatile Organic Compound
• Particulates are what come from the exhaust to form Smoke or Smog
• NOx is more dangerous as a secondary pollutant. When NOx combine with O2 due to high energy from temperature, creating O3 or Ozone.

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

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

http://www.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?