Category: Students

Posts written by students

Coney Island Sewershed

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One of the things I learned while doing my project on the Coney Island Sewershed is what dissolved oxygen is. Dissolved oxygen levels is one of the most important indicators of water quality; It’s essential for the survival of fish and other aquatic organisms. Tests done in 2015 in the Coney Island Sewershed show levels between 5.8-7.7 mg/L, while the current standard if 4mg/L. It was shocking to learn that I, like many other New Yorkers, have been swimming in waters that aren’t even fit for fish to survive in.

Battery Park City

Battery Park City on New York’s Downtown is leading the way in integrated water solutions.  Not only does it have LEED certified environmentally friendly  Solaire building, but abundant green space including Teardrop Park, which surrounds The Solaire as well as Rockefeller Park, which is across the street from The Solaire.  Plentiful green spaces make it easier to manage water because instead of rain running off along impervious concrete, as is the case in much of the city, the water can be absorbed into the earth, benefiting the plant life there obviously but also helping people by preventing combined sewer overflows due to the lessened runoff.

The Solaire has done a lot to be a forerunner in green real estate development and there is much to learn from its developers.  The building as a water reuse system onsite which allows for the collection and treatment of grey and black water for drinking and plumbing.  It also has solar panels on some parts of the walls and windows, creating a more sustainable, and likely cheaper, power source for the building. Although it may be difficult to install water treatments in all basements in New York’s apartment buildings, especially considering the age of some of them, but theres still much to be learned from The Solaire’s efforts that can be applied to New York as a whole.  For example, water treatment can be spread across a few buildings where each building does its part.  This would also help to make it more equitable as the equipment is likely expensive and the cost could be spread across multiple buildings.

Another thing New York can learn from Battery Park City’s dedication to sustainability is the abundant green spaces.  So much of the area is dedicated to public parks like Rockefeller and Teardrop parks.  Although it may be hard to convert a lot of New York into parks, smaller parks, dotting the grey concrete landscape of New York with green, can still do a lot to help with water management.

Are Food Deserts to blame for America’s Poor Eating Habits? (Duh.)

Food deserts often go hand in hand with food insecurity. Food insecurity means people aren’t sure where their food will come from. In addition, they have little-to-no access to nutritious food and are likely to have unbalanced diets and skip meals. There are almost 1 billion food-insecure people in the countries with the lowest incomes levels [source: USDA]. In 2006, 35.5 million people in the United States alone lived in food-insecure homes — especially at risk are people living below the poverty line, Hispanics, African-Americans, households with children and those headed by single women [source: USDA and Food Research and Action Center].

How did it get to be this way? Economics. Fifty years ago, small neighborhood mom-and-pop markets were common in urban neighborhoods and small towns. But today, such markets only make up 17 percent of the grocery landscape in the United States [source: Hirsch]. Store owners want to turn a profit and go where they can serve the most people while meeting their own financial goals.While mainstream grocery stores with an affordable variety of food may be lacking or far away, many communities in food deserts do actually have access to food. It’s just that the buffet includes a selection of unhealthy processed foods — known as fringe foods — from fast-food restaurants, small corner convenience stores and liquor stores. Compare the distance between the closest fast-food restaurant and closest grocery store — this is the food balance factor. When a fast-food restaurant is significantly closer to your home than a grocery store, things are unbalanced. The convenience store at the corner gas station isn’t so convenient if you want to include fruits and vegetables in your diet. Chips may be tasty but they’ve never been part of the USDA’s food pyramid.

Living on fringe food is bad for your wallet and it’s also bad for your health. Obesity is linked to non-nutritious foods, and it’s a drain not only on the body but on the health care industry, employers and the government. The estimated cost to the U.S. health care system due to obesity and obesity-related problems is $100 billion a year [source: Gallagher]. Diet-related health problems are disproportionately higher in food deserts than in regions served by mainstream grocers. You are what you eat, as the saying goes, and poor quality foods are also linked chronic illnesses, cancer, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, hypertension and even premature death. When nutritious foods aren’t available, it’s hard to eat healthily.

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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Floating Cities a Reality

With the rise in water levels rising slowly due to climate change, a great concern has been having cities under water. Scientists have been working hard to prevent the rise in sea levels, but some are wondering if there is an alternate way to swerve the problem. Cities that lay floating in the middle of the sea has been something seen only science fiction movies. However, with the concern of rising water levels greater than ever, floating cities seem to be something that is not so far from our reach.

Organizations are now attempting to convince others that seasteading, or having self-sustaining cities floating in international waters,  is not such a crazy idea. According to The New York Times, “At the center of the effort is the Seasteading Institute, a nonprofit organization based in San Francisco.” Of course, many are skeptical, and it will no doubt be expensive and time-consuming to research ways that seasteading will be possible. Despite this, firm believers are convinced seasteading is more than just a far-fetched dream, and companies are working hard to make it a reality.

Although I believe floating cities will look beautiful and that with enough work it can be done, I believe that it is important to make it that we never need floating cities in the first place. We must create a sustainable world with the resources we have now, instead of looking for alternative ways of living for when we destroy the Earth.

“The True Cost,” cheap fashion is expensive

In his documentary, “The True Cost,” Andrew Morgan investigates the actions of the fashion industries that outsource their labour.  Morgan explores the fashion industry’s role in developing countries in three ways. Working conditions, environmental impacts and economical effects. Morgan observes the lives of low-wage earners in industrializing countries. Earning only $3 dollars an hour in horrible conditions. The factories spew toxic chemicals into soil, air and rivers, affecting countries beyond the factory grounds.

However,Morgan also exposes the consumer. How desire for cheap clothing and trendy pieces is disrupting the economy and ecosystem of foreign countries. The garment industry and consumers must be held accountable for their actions. And recent events (the sexual harassment allegations coming to light) shows the power of groups of people coming together to change Hollywood and the fashion industry.

Reinventing Waterways

Cities such as Chicago, Pittsburgh, and Cincinnati are leading the way in improving their waterways. These public spaces are not only economically brilliant for increasing jobs, local businesses, and investments, but are also important for sustainability efforts and for increased standards of living. In such cities, waterways are being cleaned to allow city dwellers to engage in activities along the water, and in some places, even in the water.

Mangrove Forests: A Path for Urban Sustainability in Asia

An important part of urban sustainability is being able to utilize all available resources in a way most beneficial to the environment, to society, and the economy. In Asia, mangrove forests, or plants including trees, palms, and shrubs and are found by swamps, riverbanks, and coastal areas in tropical or subtropical climates, have been unfortunately neglected and even destroyed for coastal development of cities. However, urban designers have begun to pay more attention to the usefulness of mangrove forests as natural capital, to not only help the environment, but also to utilize the resources these forests provide.

It was found that mangrove forests are actually carbon-rich environments that provide natural storm and monsoon protection, help prevent soil erosion, provide a habitat for many different species of animals, and absorb almost eight times more carbon dioxide than any other ecosystem. These facts present a compelling case to preserve mangrove forests, as many large cities in Asia have begun doing, including Shenzhen in China, Hong Kong, and Mumbai in India. City planners in these areas have created solutions to restore the lost mangrove forests, incorporate them urban planning, and properly protect them into the future. The change of practices of these large bustling cities gives us the perfect example of the importance of understanding and utilizing the resources in our environment to become more sustainable by helping the environment, urban society, and the economy from the benefits provided by mangrove forests. We would be wise to pay attention to the resources and natural capital we have in our environments that we must protect and utilize sustainably to aid our own urban areas in America.

Building the future

While Donald Trump has allocated $1 trillion to rebuild America’s infrastructure, his plan is flawed because it relies heavily on private financing. Putting this responsibility on private companies allows companies to build based on profit and not sustainability. Therefore, if the government were more involved tax-payer dollars could be used more efficiently in order to build green/grey infrastructure. This article shows the importance of  investing in infrastructure, we can take Flint Michigan as an example, the water crisis in Michigan could’ve been avoided if  the pipe lines were changed and updated. In the long run this update would not only help the health of the residents, but save the state money. If the pipes are replaced with sustainable durable materials they would hold up better. Therefore, as this article suggests, sustainable infrastructure is necessary to reduce pollution and to save the country money in the long run.

Building the Future: Sustainable Infrastructure

Beautiful Landscapes Help Combat Drought in New Mexico

While storms are the big issue in New York City, other cities like those in the western United States have other issues, like droughts, to worry about. This company, based in Albuquerque is using landscaping techniques and drought resistant plants to create landscapes that not only are beautiful to look at but help conserve water in places where droughts are common and water conservation is essential. Climate change will affect different parts of the world in all different ways and it is refreshing to see that green infrastructure is actually being used to help fight the effects of climate change.