Author: jduze

Sustainability in Action!

The difference between sitting in class and learning about how to improve the environment and then actually seeing what it looks like applied in real life truly makes a difference.

Going to see the Solaire building, where green infrastructure and water sustainability is in effect made me realize that it really is possible to create buildings in which water can be reused rather than thoughtlessly wasted. I guess before this it was more of a theory and an idea rather than an actual reality. Not to sound like a skeptical but it honestly seemed more of an ideal than something that really worked but seeing it and how it worked has given me hope for a brighter future for New York City. The only issue now is to raise the awareness and try and show the public why they should care or make efforts to hopefully work towards a New York City where all building are modeled as the Solaire are.

There are a couple problems that arise, though they come along with solutions as well. The cost, of course of erecting buildings that take the designs necessary to make more sustainable buildings possible is a huge factor, however, if it becomes a city project then it can be the city’s goal to build or reform at least 10 current buildings each year until essentially the entire city is considerably more sustainable. Another issue that comes to mind is the malfunctions that can go wrong considering all the systems that are in place to keep the Solaire operational. To rectify that, there would be a staff always available to regulate and check on the inner workings – thus a surplus of jobs that can be open to the public after certain courses in learning how to manage the technology in use.

After seeing this, I actually feel as though a more sustainable future is just beyond the horizon.

 

The Extra Steps To a Better Environment

This week what really stood out to me was this documentary I watched called “What The Health” which while it does has an obvious vegan bias, does point out some very good points about the environmental and ethical effects of the meat industry. In order to make sure that the documentary wasn’t purely based on mis-information however I did a little googling of my own and came across plenty of articles that go back decades which encompass the negative effects that the meat industry has on the environment.

Not only does sustaining the livestock take up 30% of the land but affects even more because of the waste and garbage that the farms produce. Duplin County in North Carolina is a prime example of the real effects that the meat industry has on the environment and the people who live there. In this line of thought, in order to truly take steps to protect the environment, changing your diet is a good way to make personal changes that will not only benefit health but also the world around us.

 

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A Sustainable New York City

What stood out to me about this article, even though it was an opinion piece was that these are viable suggestions that are made that could be implemented.

“But it’s my belief that the future of public transportation is in systems like bus rapid transit, which some think of as a “surface subway.” BRT systems make use of existing infrastructure — changes often involve designating dedicated lanes, making adjustments to right-of-way rules, and targeted technological upgrades to eliminate the delays associated with urban buses. Because of their good performance, cost effectiveness (it’s cheaper than building a subway) and flexibility in implementation, BRT systems, which started in the Brazilian city of Curitiba in 1974, are now in place in almost 200 cities worldwide including Bogotá, Seoul, Istanbul, Beijing and Rio de Janeiro, and many more could follow. I see the BRT as evolving to one day become a system of light electric vehicles with rubber tires running on exclusive tracks, re-charging at each stop.”

Despite that this was two years ago, the changes proposed in the above paragraph are still fairly far from being integrated into the structure of New York. On the other hand there have been

On the other hand “Some simple ways to get started are within everyone’s reach: Use your car less; live closer to work; recycle and compost.” Recently (this past year), the city has commissioned small compost garbage cans for the population that lives in residential suburban housing, which though it’s taken a while to finally make some sort of movements to actively encourage environmentally friendly actions.

What this article has really shown me is that though steps may be small, every change matters despite how daunting and slow it may be. Hopefully in the next 2 years there will be bigger policy adjustments to address the arising issues (such as adding the United States to the Paris Agreement).

 

 

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Need a new tune? Give this a listen

So this is a song/presentation written and sung by Mrs. Delebridge’s 5th grade class. I was searching for music about water conservation and stumbled upon this gem. Even though it’s fairly simple and doesn’t go in depth, it does cover a lot about water that should be common knowledge, along with ways to conserve.

Not only is this a cute, catchy little song but it’s also important to highlight that these are only fifth graders. While it was a project, the knowledge that they gained from doing this assignment should definitely have an impact on their lives as they continue to learn more. It’s vital that education on the environment starts when kids are young so that they are more likely to grow and be conscious of their surroundings. Definitely a YouTube video I’m happy to have found.

 

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Painting with Sludge to Raise Awareness

Ohio’s John Sabraw is an artist who uses the oxidized sludge from abandoned coal mines to help raise awareness regarding this result from burning fossil fuels.

Capturing the pigments of the toxic waste that he and Guy Riefler, an environmental engineer found required some creativity to extract, “We pump the toxic, acidic water coming from the mines into a large, portable container and bring it to the lab,” Sabraw outlined. “At this point it is fairly clear, then our engineers pour it into tanks with bubblers set to aerate it at a certain rate. As the metals oxidize they fall to the bottom and become a wet sludge of mostly iron oxide.”

What these art pieces really do is highlight that though something beautiful is being created, it is only because of actions that are very ugly and will only serve to harm the environment in both the long and short term.

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Huge energy potential in open ocean wind farms in the North Atlantic

Quite honestly, before finding this article I didn’t know wind turbines could be installed anywhere that wasn’t onshore. It turns out that if wind farms are installed on the open ocean, even more energy can be generated than from onshore wind farms.

This is the case due to the heat in the atmosphere that pours out into the North Atlantic ocean, during the winter especially. The drag that would normally affect the turbine on land has less of an effect when over water. However, the one drawback is that this efficiency is a seasonal occurrence, only happening during the winter.

Either way, this is a new frontier for wind turbines and a definite step forward for renewable energy.

Converting Waste Toilet Paper into Electricity

Not only can toilet paper be used for the expected bathroom activities, but now thanks to chemists at the University of Amsterdam, it is possible to convert the waste toilet paper into electricity. By using gastrification and then reaction to air in a fuel cell, the used toilet paper is recycled into electricity.

Being a rich source of carbon, companies are often paid to take the waste toilet paper. This is also considered a renewable resource considering the cellulose that makes the paper comes from trees. All around, if this new conversion of waste toilet paper can be expanded upon, it would definitely help lessen the waste we leave on this planet.

 

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/09/170915170204.htm

Macaulay Bio Blitz Salamander

This little guy is a spotted salamander which we found underneath a log. Unlike the red striped salamander, this spotted amphibian has lungs, though he does take in a lot of moisture through his skin as well. It was rare to find 4 separate salamanders so early because the majority of them are still hibernating under the ground. I hope to go back and find a few again because it was a very interesting experience, finding that there were these amazing creatures in the same park that I’ve been to since I could walk. It makes you realize that ecosystems are everywhere and you just have to know where to look.