Man, it's been a while...

Wow, has it been a long time... Check this out, this is cool. In school, the grade below me celebrated the annual 7th grade science night and I wanted to highlight an idea someone had in my advisory about one of the most amazing things I've thought about, an entire sustainable gym! The idea behind it is that every exercise machine makes power that powers the building. For example, each exercise bike has a generator that produces power as people bike. Therefore, you have an entire building running on the exercise that you just did! How cool is that?! It's these kind of ideas, the ideas that take a concept and make it so that we can help the environment too! Amazing, really amazing. So, watch out for more posts by me, because I'm coming back. This is Dylan, signing off.

Tips for environmentally clearing snow

In honor of the recent snowfall in my area that sent many people shoveling, here are some do's and don'ts of snow removal.

-Do shovel more and use sand less.
Although it is great for traction, sand can lower air quality and clog sewers if used in excess.

-Don't use sand to melt ice; use environmentally safe ice melts instead.
Salt can increase the salinity in bodies of water if run down into them. It can also prevent plants from absorbing moisture and nutrients.

-Do stay away from using kitty litter for traction.
It doesn't melt ice, can affect vegetation, and is messy. Not a great solution.

The number one thing to remember is: stay safe. Watch out for black ice, frostbite, and other hazards that occur in this snowy weather.
-Liam

The Deforestation Epidemic

Did you know that approximately 18 million acres of forest are lost each year to deforestation? Deforestation refers to the destruction of forests in order to free up land for other uses.  Deforestation is a factor that contributes to global warming and affects people in many ways.  Trees take in carbon and greenhouse gas emissions and produce oxygen so forest loss causes greenhouse gasses to increase around 12 to 17 percent.  The clearing of trees is a problem all over the world that has increased over the past 50 years. Deforestation results in the loss of species, greater amounts of carbon emissions being released, altering the water cycle, and causing soil erosion.  Will you join me in working to protect our forests?

-Liam