Author: Janice Lee

It was saddening to read about the dangers that animals endure due to light pollution. With the UN climate change summit in Paris, people are more aware of this already present issue. However, focuses of the talks have centered around carbon emissions and coal. Society needs to shine “light” on other forms of pollution as well. Light and noise pollution has been severely underrated. Light disrupts migratory habits of birds, breeding cycles, and even habitats. Animals, insects, plants, and even humans are greatly affected by artificial nighttime light.

It would interesting to read more on the health risks based on the circadian clock. Although we do not realize the importance of this day and night cycle, it affects our brain wave patterns, hormone production, and cell regulation. I was surprised to discover that cell regulation could be affected by a disrupted circadian clock. There has also been studies relating medical disorders, such as depression, insomnia, cardiovascular disease, and cancer, to any disruptions. I was not shocked to read that sleep disorders can be an effect of excessive artificial light. I find light and noise to be such a disturbance when I am trying to fall asleep, which can quickly affect my mood. Sleep is so important for the brain and body; it is a shame that people suffer from sleeping disorders due to altered sleeping patterns and circadian clock cycles.

I thought the studies on how light affects melatonin production was very interesting. Melatonin is more often produced at night without the presence of light. With this hormonal imbalance, women who lived in areas that were light at midnight had a 73% higher risk of developing breast cancer than those who faced the least outdoor artificial lighting. It definitely makes me think twice about staying up late to read or even write a blog post… just kidding.

This article was informative on the process of collecting the data and experiment. I can imagine how difficult it must be to study and experiment the effects of nature on human mental health. However, I recognize the stress-relieving effects of nature. It may sound cliche but I find it extremely relaxing and tranquil to spend time in parks and the environment. Unlike the bustling car horns, construction, and subway noise, there is always a hushed noise surrounding nature that actually calms me.

It was interesting that scientists are able to measure cortisol levels in the blood, urine, and saliva. However, for the experiment, saliva was used due to convenience, extracting blood and urine are more invasive methods, and reliability. I was unaware that salivary cortisol response varied depending on gender. It was surprising to read that scientists also measured air temperature and humidity during the experiment. Although it was a very thorough experiment, I am always hesitant to believe that there are never any outside factors that contribute to the responses; This article concluded with the fact the experiment mostly composed of middle-age working females, which reminded me of the salivary cortisol differences between genders. I would be more inclined to trust a retest of this experiment with a larger and more varied population. However, the scientists for this specific experiment received a clearer insight on the environmental effects on these women.

My friend recently told me he read that city-dwellers live shorter lives compared to those who are not constantly exposed to an urban environment. I absolutely believe that the amount of pollutants that we are exposed to is detrimental to our physical and mental health. I have read studies that constant exposure to noise could induce stress, which causes an increase in abdominal fat. After our discussions in class, it is evident that humans need a natural environment for optimal survival. The results of the experiment was interesting because the positive restorative influences that certain woodlands provided to the subject varied on times and length of stay in the parks, no more than 45 minutes. We get so entangled with our lives and technology that we forget to take a breath and enjoy the scenery – whatever that is left in New York City that is!

It was interesting to read about green infrastructure development in derelict urban areas, such as Baku. Many of these developing cities can be remodeled from industrial sites to economically friendly cities. Urban developers must be conscious of planning a city with these pre-existing structures, as well as, the economy, demographics, migration, and resource allocation. The intent for planning sustainable cities is to minimize invasive methods and constructions on the environment and to promote culture.

Baku is a great example of a sustainable city, capable of transforming into a popular tourist spot while maintaining its historic values. It is difficult to balance between an aesthetical natural environment with degraded industrial zones. However, green architecture is a growing field in urban development. It is important to plan for city planners to think of: rehabilitation, renovation, restoration, reclamation, and recovery, while thinking of green infrastructure.

Although it may be too late for New York City’s urban planners to create a more natural environmental setting, it is possible for sustainable, green architecturally designed cities to grow in desolate and developing cities. New York City developers should focus of how to implement green infrastructure with already built man-made structures and skyscrapers, such as green roofs, impermeable concrete, and even indoor atriums.

 

After reading this article, I was shocked to read that noise pollution affected both mental and physical health. There were so many diseases that can be attributed to loud noise, including hysteria, depression, and even cardiovascular issues. I am still a little doubtful on how scientists were able to pinpoint noise pollution as the cause for these impairments. However, noise is without a doubt a disturbance upon everyone.

While I was reading, I was also concentrating on what noise that was currently around me that I had been able to tune out. I heard the TV from the living room, the creaks of the floorboard above me, the wind rustling tree branches into my window, and cars faintly passing over slick roads. It was amazing how much noise humans have been able to tolerate and ignore. This past weekend, I went to a concert and I still remember that deafening hum that buzzed over my ear after it was over. If I am able to be affected by such loud music for such a short period of time, I am curious about the long-term affects of noise over my lifetime.

The section on sleep peaked my interest because I find that I need complete silence to fall asleep. Whenever I hear something right before I am about to fall asleep, I become instantly alert and unable to fall back asleep. The detriments to disturbed sleep is something I, and I am sure that everyone else has also, experienced.

It is a shame that people do not consider noise pollution a serious deterrent. It is probably because people do not associate or believe that there is a strong connection between certain health impairments and loudness. People will only seem to care when the issue affects them directly. Until then, only more research and advertisement can be made on noise pollution.

Please read A New Playground in the Bronx Soaks Up the City’s Problematic Storm Water for Wednesday’s class. Thanks!

The New Yorker article on noise pollution definitely gave me more insight on the topic. The author provided a plethora of data and graphs to portray the depths of the various noise complaints from residents in neighborhoods all around Manhattan and Brooklyn. It was helpful to have those charts and graphs because I was able to understand the various levels of noise pollution at specific days and times in certain neighborhoods.

I was most interested to read that the complaints for barking dogs could not be pinpointed to a specific region, which proves that New York City loves its dogs. However, I can not imagine actually calling 311 to complain about a dog unless the barking persisted for over 20 to 30 minutes. The most surprising complaint was the ice cream truck because whenever I hear the sweet jingle, I always rush to grab money to buy some ice cream. This complaint surprised me for similar reasons as to why people called in about a barking dog.

Overall, this article was informative and interesting to read. I am slightly shocked that cars and construction were not the leading forms of noise pollution. Although, it does make sense that people were the leading factors. With the growing urban population in New York, it is impossible to avoid the noise  of millions of people.

It is refreshing to read articles about the positive impacts being made on the environment. Our society needs more initiatives such as the Hudson River Estuary Action Agenda. This article demonstrates that with time and effort progress can be achieved to clean and restore the Hudson River’s ecosystem.

It was interesting to read about all the various species that resided in the Hudson River that were gradually being returned and bred by the Hudson River National Estuarine Research Reserve and other programs. It is important that we gather as much information and research as possible to better gage problems and solutions for the environment. Therefore, this agenda is collaborating with numerous educational and research foundations to identify potential implementations to restore tidal shorelines and almost extinct animals and to clean the water for recreational and drinking purposes.

I was shocked to hear that people actually swam in the Hudson River. I have always envisioned the Hudson as a dark, barren river. After so many years, the river has become so polluted by people, factories, and other human constructions. It is frustrating to imagine that we can use this river for drinking water and save money, instead of having to source our water from upstate New York. Finally, I am glad to read that many organizations are focused on a collaborative effort to reduce the detrimental effects humans have on the Hudson River; it is time for change – whether it is immediate or long-term!

It seemed like the largest issue while reading Solar Thermal in New York City: Opportunities + Challenges was that people were unknowledgeable in solar thermal systems. I, for one, only thought that solar energy was mainly used for electricity. However, after reading this article, I am more willing to install SHW systems, if it were my choice. Not only would I be reducing usage of gas and fossil fuels, I would also be saving money over time, on average 16.75 years according to the article.

The Solar Thermal Pilot Program seems like a hopeful initiative to encourage people to use solar energy for heat. Apparently, this program offers “grants of 30% of the installation costs, up to $50,000 per solar thermal system.” This ideal financial assistance seems unrealistic because of the difficulties faced by receiving grants. However, my concerns were resolved after reading the solar thermal experiences at the four sites. The initial installation costs stall most people from using solar panels, but Site #4 received financial incentives for 100% of the cost, which means that it is not impossible to receive government grants.

Energy savings during the summer months proved to be larger than the annual energy savings for all the sites due to . Each site produced relatively near the expected production of therms, portraying that the building owner saved more money with the SHW system and reduced carbon dioxide emissions, specifically 57 years worth avoided at Site #1. Along with the SHW system, Site #3 installed a high-efficiency boiler system, which further reduced energy usage and increased the converted amount of thermal energy to hot water produced to 96%. Site 3# avoided 485 household-years’ of natural gas emissions, which is incredible. However, these statistics varied at each site.

However, despite all the economic and environmental benefits, there are still factors that need to be discussed before installing these solar thermal systems, such as the need for hot water and favorable site conditions and correct orientation of the solar panels.

I was shocked to learn that Connecticut was once around the current latitude of Puerto Rico and that the rifting of the Hartford Basin, which created the North Atlantic Ocean. It really puts everything into a larger perspective and makes me feel pretty insignificant compared to our earth’s extensive history. Although I am not that interested in the formulaic process of planning and mapping out the lithologies and outcrops, I found it helpful to have the authors describe the method. I never really think about it but it makes sense that there were multiple sedimentary and volcanic layers in the basin.

I enjoyed reading the Colbert article more because of the story-like tone. I was able to imagine the setting of the article vividly with all the various animals and plant life. It was interesting to learn about Connecticut’s Triassic and Jurassic Periods. To imagine dinosaurs once roaming around in New Haven is amusing, yet peaceful; I would have loved to live in an era with dinosaurs – or maybe for just a day. It is amazing that that archaeologists are still uncovering dinosaur fossils and bones, proving that it is almost impossible to identify and detail the earth’s history. I was shocked to read that dinosaur bones are light and hollow, similar to their descendants – birds. It is fairly humorous that a paleontologist named a dinosaur genus after Yale University (Yaleosaurus).

I would like to learn more about how and where dinosaurs originated but it appears that archaeologists and paleontologists already have a difficult time uncovering dinosaur bones and matching them with footprints.

Turns out I did not know several words from The Bedrock Geology of the Hartford South Quadrangle, probably due to my lack of knowledge in the subject:

lithology: the gross physical character of a rock or rock formation

slickenside: a polished and striated rock surface that results from friction along a fault or bedding plane

After reading the two articles on air quality trends in New York City, I realized the enormous impending health dilemmas Americans face due to rising ozone levels and harmful air pollutants. It was refreshing to finally read an article that focused on the positive efforts that the government has been making to create a cleaner environment for its inhabitants. Most of the articles that we have read in class focused on the destruction humans placed on the environment, which provided us with a great foundation for why and how humans currently face environmental issues. However, I feel like the only reason that our city is making these strides is because of the incentive to win this competition of having the cleanest city air in the United States. Although the government has to incentivize the reduction of harmful air pollutants, such as sulfur dioxide and nickel, it is a great way to encourage citizens and other local government officials to become more active in environmental protection.

Both of the articles conveyed that further research was needed to discover the exact pollutants, sources, and solution; I believe that more people should become invested in surveys such as PlaNYC to help educate them, therefore, allowing them to be a part of the solution. A lot of the carbon dioxide emissions were traced back to vehicles and buildings. It would be extremely difficult to rid cars in general; however, there can (and has been) be larger efforts to use cleaner alternatives for oil, such as public transportation and biking. It would be interesting to reach 2030 and see if PlaNYC achieves all its goals of reducing the air pollutants.

I was shocked to read the statistics of the number of hospitalizations, emergency room visitations, and deaths related to poor air quality. To lost that many people annually, which was apparently more than the number of murdered people, is egregious. People have yet to connect these lung diseases, asthma, and other health detriments to the ozone levels and high pollutant levels. This all ties back into the collective ignorance and need for immediate effects that we have discussed in class. Maybe we should have our media redirect our attention to environmental issues instead of some of the ridiculous news updates that we receive now. People would probably scoff because they would not consider it a serious issue. However, the only way to implement effective changes is to gain society’s attention and consensus that we need to make efforts to save the environment and reduce harmful pollutants!