Poster printing and presentations

Hi class,

If you haven’t done so already please check out the Poster Presentation and Printing site.  As you might imagine, that is where you can sign up both to print your poster and to present your work during the STEAM Festival. In both cases each group (rather than each individual student) should sign up for one printing session and one presentation session. If you have any questions, check out the FAQs on the homepage and then email me.

Best,

Benjamin

Carbon Tax

Carbon tax is taxation placed on citizens and companies for using oil, coal, electricity that would release green house gases. The purpose behind it is to make users pay for the damage they are causing to the environment and others, while also encouraging companies and users to be weary of their consumption of fossil fuels and consider switching to cleaner alternatives. Many individuals are discouraged to switch to cleaner forms of energy because of the cost. However, carbon tax allows for the price of cheaper fuels to rise, encouraging companies with larger carbon footprints to switch to solar or wind energy sources. Moreover, different fuel sources will be taxed based on its heat content; fuel sources with more carbon content is more harmful for the environment therefor will be taxed more. Many supporters of the carbon tax propose tax shifting; which means that federal income tax and sales tax should decrease in order to establish a carbon tax. These taxes don’t necessarily have to be enforced on everyone consuming fossil fuels; some supporters target these taxes towards larger fuel companies that work directly with coal miners or oil refiners, or gas companies. While other supporters suggest that the carbon tax be applied to everyone’s electricity bill.

Carbon tax does not have much support in the United States from our politicians. Bill Clinton once proposed a tax that followed a similar plan, however it passed in the House but not the Senate. Many years later, the effects of global warming have become more pronounced yet many politicians deny its credibility. Many of these climate change skeptics hold this point of view because they receive funding from companies like Exxon mobile or the Koch industries, companies that would be hurt the most from legislations that seek to protect lower green house emissions. These companies have support from many politicians in the republican party, making it difficult for the government to pass any significant legislation that would seek to protect this world.

Sources:

http://science.howstuffworks.com/environmental/green-science/carbon-tax3.htm

What’s a carbon tax?

Lead Poisoning and Environmental Racism

The prevalence of environmental racism is evident in the inconsistent levels of lead poisoning throughout various populations in New York City. The imbalance of lead poisoning can also be seen by looking at rates by neighborhood. Half of child lead poisoning cases occurred in children living in just 9 of 42 NYC neighborhoods. For example, 86% of the children affected by lead poisoning were Asian, black, or Hispanic. Asian and Hispanic children were particularly over-represented in having a blood lead level at which care coordination and environmental intervention must be initiated. Although Hispanic children account for 33% of the children in NYC, they made up 37% of lead blood level cases requiring intervention for 2009. Asian children were the most over represented, accounting for 27% of the lead blood level cases, despite only being 11% of the total child population. On the other hand, white children experienced lead poisoning at much lower rates. Although they comprised 27% of the children in NYC, they only represented 11% of lead poisoning cases. The discrepancy of lead poisoning between white people and people of color also extends to pregnant women, with 94% of pregnant women with blood lead poisoning being foreign-born, mostly from Mexico, Bangladesh, India, and Pakistan.

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The effects of lead poisoning are dramatic, even at lower blood levels. In children, consistent exposure to lead may result in intellectual disabilities, abdominal problems, slowed growth, and behavioral issues. Pregnant women may experience miscarriage or premature birth due to lead exposure. Unfortunately, the majority of people who suffer from these consequences are low-income Asian and Hispanic children in unsafe living conditions. In addition to lead poisoning in NYC, other recent examples of environmental racism include the Flint, Michigan water crisis, which primarily affects black people, and the Dakota Access Pipeline, which threatens water quality on the Standing Rock Sioux reservation.

Why Recycling is Worth It

Recycling our trash is considered to be the norm these days. However, some people still seem unconvinced if it is worth it. Recycling by definition is converting waste materials into something useful, to reduce the waste created on the planet. However, people still wonder if it is worth doing as recycled products may be of lower quality than regular products.

The basic steps of recycling are the collection and processing of recyclable materials, the manufacturing of new products, and the purchasing of products made from recycled materials. The obvious benefits of this are that it reduces the amount of waste in landfills, while conserving natural resources like timber. Recycling also prevents pollution by lowering the need to collect new materials, and helps reduce greenhouse gasses. A final benefit is that it also creates new jobs.

People against recycling often argue that it is too expensive both on the government and the taxpayer and that the collection of recyclable materials helps contribute to the total pollution. However, a cost-benefit analysis of efficient recycling will show that over time it actually helps save money. Take how New York handles its waste today, because it has no more room it has to pay Pennsylvania to accept it, and pay to transport it there. Recycling reduces the cost of what we have to pay to get our waste transported. Also recycling is proven to help save energy which in turn does not raise the price of energy, which saves you money. Finally, our waste has been proven to hurt the environment, lowering our natural resources. Pretty soon basic resources such as coal, timber, and drinking water will raise in price due to the fact that they may become limited. Recycling not only helps postpone that, but prevent it.

 

Sources:

“Recycling Basics.” EPA. Environmental Protection Agency, n.d. Web. 11 Nov. 2016.

“Recycling: Beyond the Bin.” NRDC. N.p., n.d. Web. 11 Nov. 2016.

No Waste in New York City

Once you get down to it, you realize how much stuff you throw away a day. All of the coffee cups, plastic bags,  plastic utensils, paper products, and water bottles really do pile up. We live in a throw away society where we use something once and get rid of it as soon as we are finished. Some people work to maintain a “zero waste” lifestyle, where  they do not create any trash, compost food, and recycle when they can. People have to account for everything. Not even the plastic bottles, but stickers on apples and other produce, paper towels, and plastic wrap that surrounds  the tons of products we use everyday. Although it is possible, it can be expensive and very time consuming, and most people cannot devote their entire lives to not producing no trash. What Mayor De Blasio is planning on doing will definitely help alleviate NYCs production of waste. 5.5 million tons of waste are produced in a year, and 4 million tons of recyclables are actually incinerated. The project he is undertaking is called OneNYC and will drastically reduce the amount of waste NYC produces. All of this should be implemented in the coming decade.

Not only is it expensive to transport this trash out of the city and to a landfill, a staggering $350 million a year, but it is not good for the environment. Stuff leeches into ground water and conditions become worse. It isn’t sustainable to live in a throw away society. There is an island of plastic the size of Texas out in the ocean and global water/temperature levels are rising constantly. It’s more important than ever to make a sustainable earth. We can start with the waste we produce, and continue to work from there. De Blasio commented about OneNYC, “[our goal is to have] the cleanest air of any large city, and a dramatic reduction in emissions, this is a bold and ambitious plan – and New York City requires nothing less.” It is absolutely exciting and I can’t wait to see the outcome. I commend the mayor for taking such a drastic step in what seems to be a marathon of improvements that the earth desperately waiting for us to make.

 

http://www.motherjones.com/environment/2009/05/meet-zero-waste-zealots

http://www1.nyc.gov/office-of-the-mayor/news/257-15/mayor-de-blasio-releases-one-new-york-plan-strong-just-city#/0

http://www.ibtimes.com/new-york-city-reduce-waste-90-2030-new-waste-management-program-de-blasio-1891604

What the F**k America?

As almost every intellectual has been aware of, we have elected a new president. I for one am deeply concerned about everything he brings to the table, but perhaps one of biggest disagreements I have with our president-elect is his policy on climate change.

Donald Trump has stated that “The concept of global warming was created by and for the Chinese in order to make U.S. manufacturing non-competitive” (Yes, Donald Trump…). Assuming that this was none other than an irrational statement to spark controversy, it still highlights the nature of his position. Our next president will not place a priority on fixing the very problem we started. As of April of this year, 97% of climate scientists agree that “climate-warming trends over the past century are extremely likely due to human activities” (NASA). So far, Mr. Trump  has vowed to cancel the International Climate Accord, bring back “clean coal,” and keep fracking for natural gas. America should be worried if Mr. Trump stands by what he has said so far stands true.

Of the many troubling things he has said, his claim to bring back “clean coal” has to be the most absurd. According to a report by the World Health Organization in 2008, coal pollution is estimated to shorten approximately 1,000,000 lives annually worldwide. The detrimental effect is multifaceted. The physical burning of coal that is used for energy aerosolizes numerous derivatives of compounds containing mercury, uranium, arsenic, and other toxic substances. Aside from that, the physical mining for coal is extremely detrimental to the surrounding habitat. The biodiversity is drastically reduced in areas of mining. Aside from this, nearby water sources can easily be contaminated from the mine area.

Regarding jobs, renewable energy creates 3 times as many jobs as fossil fuel does, yet receives 1/4 of the subsidy.  Eventually, the fossil fuel supply will run out and we will need to use renewable energy. However, before this is a concern, we would have polluted the earth so drastically that it will probably be inhabitable. Right now, scientists in MIT are working on a nuclear fusion reactor that is capable of producing “huge” (to quote the Donald) quantities of energy, with little to no byproduct. Without the proper funding for such a project, which Stephen Hawking called the penultimate in alternative energy, we will not be able to ever create such a device.

To quote Donald Trump, “To solve a problem, you have to be able to state what the problem is” (Trump Says Clinton Won’t…). However, he refuses to admit this one.  I take this opportunity to combine science with the current political affairs to demonstrate what we have gotten ourselves into by voting for this individual. Seriously, what the f**k America?!?

– Andrew Resnick

NASA. NASA, n.d. Web. 11 Nov. 2016.
“10 Fun Facts about Renewable Energy.” Gas and Electricity Supplier.
N.p., n.d. Web. 11 Nov. 2016.
“Trump Says Clinton Won’t Mention Radical Islamic Terrorists.” @politifact. N.p., n.d. Web. 11 Nov. 2016.
“Trump Victory Reverses U.S. Energy and Environmental Priorities.” Washington Post. The Washington Post, n.d. Web. 11 Nov. 2016.

“Yes, Donald Trump did call climate change a Chinese hoax.” @politifact. Web. 11 Nov. 2016

Recycling in the United States

Recycling is an important part of the United States’ initiative to help control the large amount of solid waste that is produced every day. There is no country wide law for recycling, so states must take it upon themselves to encourage citizens to recycle with requirements that the local government creates. But critics say that mandatory recycling actually “wastes more resources than it saves”. It used to be that it cost more money for cities to recycle than to just throw everything in a landfill. But as technology progressed, some cities such as Fort Worth were even making a profit off recycling. Recycling is one of the responsibilities we all must take unto ourselves so we can ensure a clean future of the generations to come.

Green Infrastructure (POST 2)

Green Infrastructure (GI) is a multifunctional, meaning that it can improve the quality of life in many different ways, including “environmental, social and economic”.  Essentially, GI can me incorporated in many areas such as “natural and semi-natural areas in urban, rural and marine areas, as well as man-made elements, such as green roofs and ecoducts over motorways, and restored lands, such as wetlands and mangroves”. (EUROPE GI PDF) The diversity in the number of locations that GI can be done leads to a variety of functions that GI provides. The main roles that GI provides is:

1) Protecting ecosystems state and biodiversity

2) Improving ecosystem functioning and promoting ecosystem services

3) promoting social wellbeing and health

4) supporting the development of a green economy, and sustainable land and water management (EUROPE GI PDF)

It is important to note that these functions inter lap and are co-dependent because there could be a situation where you had a flood. You cannot say that only one of the listed functions would be provided if green infrastructure happens. Instead, if a flood occurred not only would GI protect biodiversity but it would also promote ecosystem services because in order to protect the diversity you need people to help with maintaining the GI. The reason as to why the 3rd reason “promoting social well-being and health” is listed is because GI is a beneficial outcome to not just the environment but to us as well. (EUROPE GI PDF)

“The benefits of green infrastructure are numerous. From the broadest environment benefits to site-specific ones, green infrastructure is an effective and cost-efficient tool for absorbing and sequestering atmospheric carbon dioxide (C02); filtering air and water pollutants; stabilizing soil to prevent or reduce erosion; providing wildlife habitat; decreasing solar heat gain; lowering the public cost of stormwater management infrastructure and providing flood control; and reducing energy usage through passive heating and cooling.”(ASLA.COM)

These benefits are acknowledged because in “September 2010, New York City released the NYC Green Infrastructure Plan which presents an alternative approach to improving water quality that integrates “green infrastructure,” such as rain gardens and green roofs, with investments to optimize the existing system and to build targeted, cost-effective “grey” or traditional infrastructure.” (NYC PROGRAM) Overall we need GI because it would provide so many benefits for the environment and human beings.

 

 

SOURCES:

 

http://ec.europa.eu/environment/nature/ecosystems/docs/Green_Infrastructure.pdf

 

“NYC Green Infrastructure Program.” NYC Green Infrastructure Program. N.p., n.d. Web. 10 Nov. 2016.

(http://www.nyc.gov/html/dep/html/stormwater/nyc_green_infrastructure_plan.shtml)

 

Professional Practice. (n.d.). Retrieved November 10, 2016, from https://www.asla.org/ContentDetail.aspx?id=43532

 

 

 

Paper Waste and Why It Matters

As a country, United States produces ⅓ of the world’s solid waste. To put in perspective, the United States only contains 4.6% of the world’s population. Within New York City residents, 12,000 tons of waste are produced every day. Such waste includes paper, food, metal, glass, plastics, and textiles, in which paper is the highest contributor. New York City must be aware of the costly effects of waste production in order to understand that recycling and reducing the amount of paper waste is a huge factor that can reduce our carbon footprint.

In order to minimize the cost of transporting waste from New York City to other states, the amount of waste produced must be minimized. In New York City, 25% of the waste produced is recyclable paper. Commonly found recyclable paper include newspapers, magazines, mail, paper bags, and soft-covered books. These should be placed in the mixed paper and cardboard bin (usually a green colored bin)! Used tissues, napkins, paper towels, laminated papers, cups, and plates, however, cannot be recycled. But food-soiled papers, free of toxic cleaners and chemicals, can be composted, further reducing the amount of paper waste produced. Another way of reducing the amount of paper waste produced is to reduce the amount of paper mail you receive, by opting to get things through email and/or opting out of useless, unimportant catalogs. All such actions can reduce the amount of solid waste produced.

Solid waste is buried in the ground, burned, or recycled into new products. Because New York City does not have any landfills or incinerators, non-recyclable waste is sent to landfills in other states, such as Pennsylvania and Ohio, or incinerated in nearby states, such as New Jersey. It cost New York City $290 million, all of which are taxpayers’ money, to send solid waste to other states in 2007. If all recyclable paper was actually recycled, New York City could gain $7.5 million after paying for costs of solid waste transportation! By reducing the amount of paper waste created, taxpayers’ money can be put into further developing better communities throughout the city.

Aside from recycling paper, action must also be taken to reduce the amount of non-recycled paper being produced. More than 90% of writing and printing paper do not come from recycled paper, but rather virgin tree paper. Greenhouse gases are released from virgin paper when it is deposited into landfills. By reducing the amount of “new” paper produced and producing paper from recycled materials can reduce such gases. Greenhouse gases are further reduced when less trees are cut down to make paper because trees store carbon dioxide, rather than releasing it into the air. Cutting down less trees also prevents deforestation and minimizes damages to ecosystems. According to Paper Newt, a Canadian environmental initiative, if one ton of 100% recycled paper was used instead of virgin paper, then there will be 4 tons less wood consumed, 11,218 less gallons of water used, and 751 less pounds of solid waste.

Recycling paper and making recycled paper reduces the amount of solid waste produced and helps keep the environment intact. New York City produces a lot of unnecessary solid waste, especially by not recycling paper. If New York City recycled all their paper, then New York City taxpayers can save money and live in a better environment.

Sources:
https://www.grownyc.org/whats-your-wastehttps://www.grownyc.org/recycling/factshttp://paper-newt.org/paper-neutrality/recycled-vs-non-recycled-paper/

Grey water – The key to water conservation

The world of urban sustainability is extremely vast and covers all sorts of environmental issues. One of the most significant and pressing issues however, is the issue of water conservation. Water is one of earths most abundant resources and we use it for so many parts of our lives. the average person uses about 80-100 gallons of water per day! Although there is plenty of water on earth, it is not as unlimited as we would like to imagine. Water conservation is an extremely important solution that we have to find if we wish to continue living our everyday lives.

While many solutions and compromises have already been implemented, one of the most underrated solution to water conservation is the use of grey water. Grey water is the the relatively clean waste water from baths, sinks, washing machines, and other kitchen appliances. This water is not polluted with chemicals and can be easily cleaned. Obviously, grey water is not safe to drink and would not be used as an alternative to drinking water. However, grey water can be used as an alternative to water that we don’t ingest; such as for our toilet water (which accounts for a house holds biggest water usage) and for irrigation uses in your backyard. One misconception people often make about grey water is that it has come into contact with feces and other similar substances. In reality however, it is only the relatively clean waste water you use for laundry, or washing your hands. The water has never come into contact with feces or any other extremely dirty substance.

If we are able to unlock the potential benefits of grey water then we might just be able to take another step in the right direction. we would be able to save millions of gallons of water per year and continue to live our lives comfortably, knowing that our water isn’t running out

Source: http://greywateraction.org/contentabout-greywater-reuse/