Another Situation.....

Hi! Dylan here. Our blog really highlights global warming but I want to shed some light on another extremely terrible situation. The World Water Crisis is a global struggle for water. I bet you didn't know this, but 1.1 billion people do not have access to clean water. That's 3x the population of the United States. People in Sub-Saharan Africa, Southeast Asia, and Latin America have to lap water out of DIRT to survive. They are literally drinking mud. This crisis kills people, a lot of people. In fact, the World Water Crisis kills 3.4 million people a year. Thats roughly 9,315 people a day. Half of the world's hospital beds are filled with people that have water-borne diseases. These diseases include diarrhea, guinea worms, cholera, typhoid fever, and hepatitis A. On the other hand, Google for me, "Stockton, CA Water Privatization" Read about the good city of Stockton and how the Water Crisis changed it. Then comment on what you think of the World Water Crisis. Look, everyone, the Water Crisis isn't going to end without everybody's help. Where money stops, awareness doesn't. So do me a favor and go tell someone today, whether it's at work or school, about the World Water Crisis. And eventually, awareness will end the World Water Crisis. Once again, this is Dylan, signing off.

Check out this site!

Hi guys, its Liam.  As you probably know, I watched the movie "Do the Math."  It was very inspiring and showed that people really do care about climate change.  Here is a link to the website 350.org.  It is a great site about movements to help the environment.  Liam.

Image source: http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-j9aGD0iv75E/TxxsNnsymZI/AAAAAAAAAII/XDSBuMhNJng/s1600/350.org.jpg

Colleges divest

A week ago, on the eve of Earth Day, we watched "Do the Math" at the Wellesley Whole Foods store.  During the discussion after the film, we learned that over 300 colleges and universities now have student groups demanding that the schools divest any endowment $ that they currently have invested in fossil fuel companies.  Some towns are starting to have the same divestment campaigns.  What is happening at your school or in your town?  Liam.

Image source: http://www.wearepowershift.org/sites/wearepowershift.org/files/imagecache/taxonomy_image_665x235/divest%20now%20banner.png

Three Gorges Dam

Hey. Dylan here. Three Gorges Dam is the largest hydroelectric power station in the world. It is located on the Yangtze River in China. It generates 22,500 MW. At full power, Three Gorges Dam reduces coal usage by 31 million tonnes per year and keeps 100 million tonnes of greenhouse gases. This is Dylan, signing off.

Happy Earth Day!

I would like to celebrate Earth Day by feeling grateful for something beautiful on this planet that I love to look at.  We spent the past week visiting my uncle in Florida.  The sunset from his beach house is spectacular - see my picture below.  Today, I am grateful for beautiful sunsets.  What on Earth are you grateful for?  Liam

Sunset on Captiva

Moment of Silence

Hi! Dylan here. So I'm pretty sure you all know about the events in Boston. I live in Boston and it has been really hard to get through. The fact that an act of terror came so close to home really scared me. It really hit home. My baseball team, in the first game of our tournament, gathered in the dugout and dedicated our game to Boston. So do me a favor, please take a moment of silence for the Boston victims and their families. Thanks everyone.

Image Source: baa.org

Earth Day Eve

Do The Math Movie screening on April 21st-- the Eve of Earth Day from 7-9 in the community room at Whole Foods Market Wellesley

 Tonight, with my mother and 2 brothers, I watched Bill McKibben's film "Do the Math" at the Wellesley Whole Foods Market.   It was a powerful way to get ready for Earth Day.  I want to learn more about the Keystone XL Pipeline. The thing that scared me most from the film is that fossil fuels are causing so much of this enormous problem of global warming.  Check this out from the Do the Math website: "It’s simple math: we can burn less than 565 more gigatons of carbon dioxide and stay below 2°C of warming — anything more than that risks catastrophe for life on earth. The only problem? Fossil fuel corporations now have 2,795 gigatons in their reserves, five times the safe amount. And they’re planning to burn it all — unless we rise up to stop them." http://math.350.org/  More to come as I digest all that I learned from this short film.  I definitely recommend it!  Liam

More on solar power

It was estimated that if all of the sunlight that falls on the earth in a single day could somehow be converted to energy forms, it would create the energy required by the world for 50 years.  On the local level, enough sunlight falls on the roof of the average suburban home to supply three times as much energy as that house uses. -Liam

Solar Energy

Did you know that the Sun gives off more energy in one second than people have used since the beginning of time? Solar energy can make a big difference!

A sign from the Edison Museum in Fort Myers 

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Colorado Solar Project

Hi. Dylan here. The Alamosa Solar Project is breaking records for being the largest-concentrated solar facility in the world. They started operation successfully last May. Alamosa provides enough clean energy to power 5,100 homes and it avoids 54,00 metric tons of carbon dioxide emissions from going into the atmosphere. This is Dylan, signing off

How a bottle is recycled

This is the cycle of how plastic bottles are recycled. First is COLLECTION. The bottles are picked up from schools, homes and everywhere that recycles and taken to a recycling facility. Next is SORTING. Bottles and containers are sorted based on what material they are made of and sometimes what color, the items are then put into a machine that shreds them. Then it is MELTING. The shreds are washed to clean them, take out any leftover contents and take off any labels. Then they are dried and melted. FLAKING. The melted plastic is made into flakes, that can be made into a broad range of products. NEXT APPLICATIONS. The flakes can be spun into thread that can be made into a wide variety of items including carpets, clothing and filling for jackets and quilts. They can also be made into new bottles.

Here is the link to the Discovery Kids picture: http://www.kidsdiscover.com/blog/parentresources/reduce-waste/

Don't let the heat out!

Did you know that if you leave a small opening in your house all day every day, the energy needed to keep it warm inside for 6 cold months would almost result in 1ton of carbon gas going into the atmosphere.   -Liam

Image source: http://homeasnika.com/open-window-clipart/

Look What They Are Doing Here!

Hi! Dylan here. In Blythe, California they are building a solar power plant on 1,800 acres in the Sonoran Desert. More than 500,000 parabolic mirrors will be assembled on that acreage. This power plant is still under construction and is set to be finished in 2014, 30 months after its start date in 2010. The projected electricity generation is about 300,000 Megawatt hour per year. When it is finished it will power a lot of homes and it is in one of the most sunniest places in America so it should have good results. This project is keeping a lot carbon dioxide out of the air by using clean energy. This is Dylan, signing off.

Stop Deforestation!

Deforestation has a big negative impact on the environment and global warming.  The most negative part is the loss of habitat for many wild animals.  Deforestation is a major problem and now 30% of the world is covered by forests but chunks of forests as big as the size of panama are being lost every year.

                                                                                     -Liam                                                                                                         Image source: http://paperlesspostalsystem.net/

Check your Tires!

Hi! Dylan here. When I'm on Martha's Vineyard and we are driving onto the beach we always have to release the tire pressure in order for the tires to be able to drive in the deep sand. The reality is, less tire pressure is bad for the environment. Keeping your tires inflated properly can increase your gas mileage by 3 percent. Every gallon of gasoline you save keeps 20 pounds of carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere. This is Dylan, signing off.

Idling Your Car

Did you know that idling for 10 seconds expends more gas than restarting the engine?  Every ten minutes you idle you put one pound of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere.  Idling is pointless because you aren’t actually using your car but you are letting it run.  Prevent gasses from going into the environment, and save money by not idling.

Image source: http://rjwalters.blogspot.com/2011/06/city-of-albion-passes-no-idling-policy.html
 
-Liam