- My ecological footprint requires 4.2 planet Earths and 18.7 global acres to support my lifestyle. While the number of planet Earths is below the country average, my number of acres is 1.7 above the average. Energy land is what takes up most of my 18.7 global acres.
- I maximized diet, public transportation, and waste/recycling habits to see how this would change my ecological footprint. Maximizing the public transportation would have made my footprint to be just under 7 planet Earths, maximizing my diet was the second largest increase, and maximizing the waste/recycling habits would have been the smallest increase of the three. I rarely use public transportation during the week because I always walk to and from school. As for my diet, I could eat more organic foods. I honestly don’t remember the last time I ate a fruit. Most of the meals I eat for dinner include meat so I could definitely try to eat less of it. I already recycle all of my plastic bottles. I think that using my electronics less would make the most difference on my ecological footprint because I know that I waste a lot of electricity. One of my bad habits is leaving the television on as background noise.
3. I think that we should all decrease the amount of electricity we use daily. Turning off lights that aren’t being used or turning off the televisions and computers when we are not in the room would be really beneficial. Those who often drive cars can try using public transportation even if it’s only once a week because that could decrease the amount of air pollution there is, especially in a place like New York City. One can try walking to their destinations because that would benefit the environment as well as one’s own health. In order to create a more sustainable society, many people need to change their lifestyles because one person won’t make much of a difference on our planet.
All posts by Julia Buczynski-Kos
Hall of Biodiversity
The two exhibits that I chose to observe were the Rainforest Diorama and the Solutions Wall. The Rainforest Diorama showed a depiction of the Dzanga Ndoki Rainforest that can be found in the Central African Republic. According to the American Museum of Natural History website, there are over 160 flora and fauna species found in this rainforest. At the exhibit, there were tall trees with monkeys sitting on the top. There were videos of elephants walking in the background of the rainforest. There was also a long ledge extending through the exhibit that had different texts as well as little books and screens attached to it for people to interact with the exhibit and learn new things. The text addressed how the rainforest is under various threats such as logging and poaching.
This exhibit does a good job of allowing people to interact with it, especially children. 115 people passed through this diorama during the 15 minutes that I observed it. The first group of 35 children stood by the exhibit with their teacher for a few minutes and answered questions on the worksheet they had. Many of them showed a lot of enthusiasm by pointing to the monkeys in the tree and crouching down to get a better look at the ground of the rainforest. Another teacher with her group of students asked them to find any animals. Most of the people viewing the exhibit spent a lot of their time looking at the rainforest diorama itself rather than the writing on the ledge.
The other exhibit that I observed was the Solutions Wall. The Solutions Wall teaches the public about ways to reduce the threats that are made on biodiversity. I focused on the section entitled Laws and Regulations. These laws and regulations are for the conservation of biodiversity. In total, 96 people passed by this exhibit, and most of them did not stop to read the wall of the Laws and Regulations. There were a couple of computers in each area that allowed people to watch videos, but I did not see anyone watch them. The seats were used for sitting and resting rather than watching the videos. The wall on the opposite side had many television screens with videos that some people did stop to watch. This was actually a different exhibit called Transformation of the Biosphere Wall.
When comparing both exhibits, the Rainforest Diorama definitely attracted more visitors and had them interact more with the display. The different components of the rainforest and the darkness in that area made it a more exciting experience. The dark lighting could have been the reason why there was less people reading the descriptions on the ledge. There was some writing on the clear wall but it was difficult to read. The benches that were in front of the exhibit were also beneficial and allowed people to sit and stare at the rainforest for as long as they wanted. Overall, I think the Hall of Biodiversity was successful in providing ways to educate the public about biodiversity, the threats that are put on biodiversity around the world, and what can be done to conserve biodiversity. The only problem was getting the visitors interested in learning about these things which can be solved by providing better ways for people to interact with the exhibit rather than just reading what is on the walls. The multitude of species that hung from the ceiling on strings was really amazing and made the walk through the hall much more fun.
Air Pollution in Cities
The article that I decided to read is entitled Air Pollution Harmful to Young Brains, Study Finds. The article was found on ScienceDaily, and the source is the University of Montana. It describes a study conducted to see if living in cities negatively impacts children’s blood-brain barriers and other functions that can cause long lasting effects on the body. The study tested the serum and cerebrospinal fluids in the brains of children living in an area with low pollution and children living in Mexico City. The main conclusion of this article is that the harmful chemicals and metals found in the air are being inhaled by children living in cities, and the effects of this can increase the risk of neurological defects including brain inflammation as well as Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s disease.
The author of this article only references this one study done by Dr. Lilian Calderon-Garciduenas. The evidence that was used to back up this finding was the results found by the doctor. She found that the children who were living in Mexico City had high levels of autoantibodies that were harming the parts of the brain that protect us from viruses and bacteria. The author of the article does not show any bias, instead detailing the study that was done and also mentioning that the doctor who conducted the study would recommend doing a follow-up study. This article does not try to persuade the reader to believe that air pollution is the cause of this increase in autoantibodies, but does include many quotes from Dr. Calderon-Garcinduenas explaining how continuously exposing oneself to air pollutants will eventually cause long-term negative effects. More research can be done to provide evidence towards the consequences of air pollution for people who are exposed to it in their daily lives. For example, studies can be done in other cities such as New York City, Chicago, and Los Angeles. The author does mention that the air pollution in other major cities can cause harm to the brain. This article does not show any opposing views on the subject of air pollution being the cause of the brain’s protective barriers deteriorating.
BioBlitz 2014 – Lichen
I came to the BioBlitz event expecting to work with fish, but instead, I was put into the lichen group. I did not know what a lichen was when I first heard the word. When I finally saw how it looked like, I realized that I’ve seen this organism plenty of times before but had never given much thought to what it was called and what its purpose was.
Lichens are made up of algae and fungi, which form a symbiotic relationship. The algae provide the necessary nutrients for the fungi, while the fungi provide a stable environment for the algae. In order to find a wide range of species of lichen, my group and I searched a forest area in the New York Botanical Garden. Lichens can come in three different forms: crustose, foliose, and fructicose. During the BioBlitz, we used a book that helped us determine which species of lichen we found. This process can be difficult because some species look very similar to one another. We also used a chemical test with potassium and chloride, which created color changes on the lichens and helped us further narrow down the correct species. Throughout the day, we found six different species of lichen. The species we found were the common greenshield, the powderthorn, the whitewash lichen, the fluffy dust lichen, the powder-tipped shadow lichen, and one unidentified species. These specimens were found on rocks and trees.
This experience definitely changed my understanding of nature in New York City. I usually have to take a long drive to the mountains in order to experience the fresh air and green surroundings that living in the city does not provide me with. I got a chance to walk through a forest area that one can find in a green space within the city. While searching for lichens, I realized that there are many things in nature that we overlook that are important to the environment. I did not pay much attention to the lichens I often see on tree bark, but at the end of the day, I found out that lichens go through photosynthesis to make oxygen that they provide for other organisms. Lichens also help with soil formation. This experience showed me that there are locations in New York City that help to preserve nature and the organisms that positively contribute to our environment. I am always surrounded by busy streets and tall buildings so it was refreshing to be able to see a quiet and green area that can keep the different species of organisms safe from disturbance.
The process of searching for lichens required patience because they can easily camouflage with the tree bark and rocks. One of the species we found could not be identified, which may mean that we found a new species. It was really exciting to be able to find something new, and that is what scientists experience when they work to gather new data and findings. Lichens have the ability to absorb pollutants, and scientists can then take samples to determine how much of a pollutant is found in an environment.
