Go Green with Sandbag Homes

Recently, a company in South Africa won a humanitarian award for their improved earthbag construction method. The company reports that an energy efficient moderate-sized, multi-level home can be built for $6900. Two other construction methods that have gained some notarity world-wide is adobee and strawbale construction. All three construction methods are considered sustainable construction methods but each has its problems. Doesn't everything? For this weeks blog:

1. What is green building?
2. Breifly describe why each of these 3 construction methods are energy efficient?

3. For each construction method describe one problem associated with its construction?

4. Suggest one possible method for alleviating each of these problems.

5. Choose one of the construction methods above and explain why it would be sustainalbe for a particular culture, and then choose one construction method and explain why it would not be sustainable for that culture.

Resources:

1. House Wins Humanitarian Award (podcast)- http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=95128730

2. What Makes a Building Green - http://www.ciwmb.ca.gov/greenBuilding/Basics.htm

3. Strawbale Construction (video) - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LZABqaEsrLM&feature=related

4. Strawbale Construction - http://www.greenbuilder.com/sourcebook/strawbale.html

5. Adobe Construction (video) - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mps_H7xPFYI

6. Adobe Construction - http://www.greenhomebuilding.com/adobe.htm

7. Sandbag Construction (video) - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PKJ1-yC_1eI

8. Sandbag Construction - http://www.greenhomebuilding.com/earthbag.htm

Saving Our Oceans

A number of island nations, such as the Kiribati of the Pheonix Islands are establishing marine reserves in the hopes of conserving coral reefs around the globe. According to the article "Saving Our Oceans" in the September 2008 issue of Smithsonian magazine, over 1/3 of the world's coral reefs face extinction. I encouare you to read the article, use the internet to explore another marine reserve and to answer the following questions:

Discovery Questions:
1. Name and describe the physical and biolocial components of another reef ecosystem around the world? For one point extra, turn in an ecosystem map of a coral reef habitat.
2. What human activites do scientists contribute to the decline of coral reefs?
3. Why are sharks considered keystone species of many reefs, according to the article?
4. How do environmental scientists monitor the health of coral reefs?
5. What are the economic complexities around the establishment of a marine reserve, as explained in the article and your research?
6. What is the role of the Endangered Species Act and conservation organisations in preserving our oceans?

Resources:
Our Imperiled Oceans -
http://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/victory-at-sea.html

World's Coral Reefs Face New Threats -

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=18456171

Map Reveals Extensive Damage to World's Oceans -

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=19085884
Ecosystem Assessment Division of NOAA - http://www.nmfs.noaa.gov/habitat/ead/EADhome.htm
Reefs at Risk, World Resource Institute -
http://www.wri.org/project/coral-reefs
Conservation International -
http://www.conservation.org/Pages/default.aspx
Endangered Species Act -
http://www.nmfs.noaa.gov/pr/laws/esa/

Super Eruptions and Climate

Over the winter break I had the opportunity to go on a geology tour and visit a volcano. One of the features I witnessed, was the intrusion of dikes into the monzogranite formation of the area. Coming back to school and starting the geology unit for AP Environmental Science got me thinking about the importance of volcanoes and how they effect the environment. While they can be destructive, are there any benefits to the environment? The blog this week asks students to explore short-term and long-term benefits to the environment of volcanic eruptions.

Questions:
1. What are the characteristics of a volcanic explosion?
2. What are some of the most destructive volcanic explosions in the history of the planet?
3. What is the relationship between volcanoes and climate change throughout history?
4. What are some of the short-term and long-term benefits of a volcanic explosion to the environment? Look at climate, soil, biodiversity, and human agriculture.
5. How did the Toba super eruption effect the evolutionary history of humans?

Resource:
Mystery of the Megavolcano - http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/megavolcano/about.html
* Pay particular attention to the links at the bottom right of this page.
The Genographic Project - http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/megavolcano/about.html
* Pay particular attention to human migrations during the time period of the Toba eruption.
USGS Volcano Hazards Monitoring Program - http://volcanoes.usgs.gov/
* Pay particular attention to the Volcano Monitoring link.

Wolves in Yellowstone

Was flying to Chicago this weekend and read on the plane about this conservation group in Minnesota that was monitoring and preserving wolves. It was a good piece of luck, considering I had just showed the National Geographic movie Wolves: A Legend Returns to Yellowstone. The movie discusses the reintegration of a wolf pack into Yellowstone park and also discusses conservation management techniques and radio telemetry used to monitor the wolves. Searching blogs and discussion groups on the internet shows that it is still a topic of heated debate between local ranchers, environmentalists, park officials, and eco-tourism businesses.

1. Discuss one pro and one con of reintroducing wolves into Yellowstone from one of the following perspectives (rancher, environmentalists, park ranger, eco-tourism owner).
2. Discuss the steps environmentalists take to ensure the successful reintroduction of wolves.
3. Explain how radio telementry can be used to monitor wolves.
4. Discuss what data can be obtained from such a monitoring system.
5. What dangers to the wolves face (human, climate, predators, other wolves)?

Resources:
Track Wild Wolves - http://www.wolf.org/wolves/experience/telemsearch/vtelem/telem_intro.asp
Wolves of Yellowstone - http://www.yellowstonenationalpark.com/wolves
Yellowstone Bearman - http://www.yellowstone-bearman.com/wolves.html
Wolf Ecotourism Fact Sheet - http://www.biodiversitypartners.org/econ/report/ecotourism_fs.shtml

Overfishing

A recent NPR.org podcast reports an increase in overfishing, mainly due to the U.S. and Europe's desire to eat more fish. This got me wondering how many other countries are jumping on the "eating fish is healthier" bandwagon and contributing to the rapid decline of global fisheries. A quick search of Google News found an article summarizing a series of studies that local taboos in most developing countries have stymied overfishing of local reefs. In this light, then...

Questions:
1. List one developed country and one developing country that are to some extent contributing to the decline of global fisheries. Describe the difference between these two countries in terms of their GDP. What is their import/export of global fish stocks?
2. Describe one cultural practice in a developed country that is contributing to the decline of global fisheries and one cultural practice in a developing country that is helping to prevent the decline of global fisheries.
3. Describe two types of technology that are being used in commercial fishing and for each type of technology describe one environmental problem that arises from its use.
4. What is one legislative law that regulates global fisheries, and explain under what circumstances this law is suspended and/or reinstated.

Resources:
A Dire Prediction for the Future of Sea Life - http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=6469061
Local Taboos Stop Overfishing -
http://www.sciencealert.com.au/news/20082301-16816.html
Until the Fish are All Gone -
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/01/21/opinion/21mon1.html?_r=1&hp&oref=slogin
Scientists Use Satellites to Track Fish - http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/chronicle/archive/1998/08/05/MN82865.DTL
Fishery Conservation and Management Act - http://www.nmfs.noaa.gov/sfa/magact/mag1.html
Overfishing Presentation - http://goapes.wikispaces.com/overfishingpresentation

Greening of Golf

I was recently flying back from San Diego over the Thanksgiving holidays and came across an article on the Greening of Golf. For decades, the only concern of a golf course superintendent was to keep it green. Now superintendents are going green, using a number of techniques to prevent groundwater contamination and protect biodiversity. Watch the short video clip and check out the other resources included here. Hearing about some of the good these courses are doing for the environment made my holiday. You can also participate in building a map of green golf courses by logging into our APES Google Map.

Questions
1. Use the Internet to research the location of 3 golf courses, then geomark them on Google Maps.
2. Describe 2 common practices by golf course superintendents that could lead to soil or groundwater contamination.
3. For the practices mentioned in #2, describe 2 soil and/or water tests that should be taken regularly by golf courses to prevent soil or groundwater contamination.
4. Describe 2 health effects from groundwater contamination of excess nitrates.
5. Describe 1 negative effect golf courses have on the environment and provide 1 example of a golf course that is altering its practices in order to mitigate the negative effects of golf courses on the environment.

Resources
Greening Golf Video
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sfUuBTu9PeA&eurl=http://goapes.blogspot.com/
The Greening of Golf
http://www.delta-sky.com/2007_11/greenscene/
Greening Up Golf Courses
http://www.jsonline.com/story/index.aspx?id=183864
Greening of the Golf Course Greens
http://www.jgpress.com/inbusiness/archives/_free/001106.html
Audubon Cooperative Sanctuary Program for Golf Courses (ACSP)
http://acspgolf.auduboninternational.org/
Green Golf Course KMZ Layer on Google Page Creator
http://tcooper66.googlepages.com/goapesingooglepagecreator

Let's Switch to Biofuels

But will it save America? It seems simple: growning plants and extracting energy from their cellulose. According to a recent article in Wired, though, its not that simple and at present relatively costly. Too costly for us to switch from oil to biofuels. Some energy companies are extracting biofuels from corn and sugarcane, but they produce only about 30% more energy than it takes to process them. This certainly isn't enough to satisfy our addiction to oil, which required about 1 billion gallons of oil a year. This weeks blog asks students to explore the issue of extracting energy from our earth's biomass.

Questions:

1. Briefly discuss 3 sources for biofuels.
2. Describe 2 advantages and 2 disadvantages of using biofuels.
3. Describe the process of extracting energy from the Earth's biomass.
4. Discuss how they are using genetic engineering and directed evolution to improve the process and make it economically viable.
5. What changes would we need to make to our agricultural and industrial infrastructures in order to deploy biofuels?

Resources:
Jauan Enriquez: Why Can't We Grow Energy - Ted Talks

http://www.ted.com/index.php/talks/view/id/193
One Molecule Could Cure Our Addiction from Oil - Wired
http://www.wired.com/science/planetearth/magazine/15-10/ff_plant?currentPage=all
Alternative Energy News - Biofules
http://www.alternative-energy-news.info/technology/biofuels/
The False Hope of Biofuels
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/06/30/AR2006063001480.html

Oil Spill in San Fran Bay

A container ship ran into a piling on the bay bridge and spilled its contents into the water of San Fran Bay on Wednesday. 16 beaches are closed and 60,000 gallons of oil are spreading into the bay. The report said that the oil was killing birds and causing other environmental problems. Make sure to watch the news clip on the first resource link. This doesn't seem to be the first oil spill in the bay. Take a look at the 2nd article. And, it certainly isn't the worst oil spill in our history. One of the worst in the U.S. was the Exxon Valdez in Alaska. A summary of the accident can be seen in the video on the right. You can also take an extensive look at the accident at the links below.

Questions:

1. Identify and briefly discuss 2 other large oil spills (hint: USINSK, EKOFISK) that have happened in the world.

2. How is an oil spilled cleaned up?

3. Discuss 2 long-term environmental problems that result from a large-scale oil spill?

4. Discuss one legislative and one technological fix for preventing oil spills in the future.

5. In lite of the ideas of reduce, reuse, recycle and renew, discuss how we could reduce our dependency on oil.

Resources:
Bay Oil Spill -

http://www.news10.net/display_story.aspx?storyid=34886

Major Oil Spills Around San Fran Bay -

http://www.mercurynews.com/news/ci_7408041

Alaska: Exxon Valdez -

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BKPz4y-5G-o

Exxon Valdez Spill -
http://www.loe.org/series/exxon/exxon.htm

Wildfires

I'm sure everyone has been watching the news about the wildfires in California over the past two weeks. Most of the news has discussed the horrible damage fires can cause to homes and the surrounding area, but most ecologists believe that periodic fires are helpful to the general evolution of an ecological community. In this light, I thought it would be a good idea to do a post on the benefits of wildfires.

1. Name two biological communities that experience wildfires.
2. Describe the beneficial role of fire to an ecological community?
3. Define the term succession and describe what role it plays in the evolution of an ecological community. Is fire an example of primary or secondary succession? Support your reasoning.
4. For one of the communities chosen above describe the 4 stages of ecological succession. Discuss the role (facilitation, inhibition, tolerance) of either a plant or an animal for each stage of succession.
5. Describe one fire management technique and one fire suppression technique used today by the US Forestry Service.

Resources:
California Wildfires on Youtube - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kr80oRpD6vI
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Fire Management - http://www.fws.gov/fire/living_with_fire/
Ecological Succession on Wikipedia - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ecological_succession
USGS Wildfires Fact Sheet - http://pubs.usgs.gov/fs/2006/3015/2006-3015.pdf
Technology Review's Mapping Wildfires - http://www.technologyreview.com/Infotech/19324/

Planet in Peril

I recently heard through the APES listserv that this week on CNN, Anderson Cooper is hosting a special called "Planet in Peril". This week's assignment then is to:

1. Participate in the Roundtable Discussion. Send in a picture (or preferably a video) of your question to CNN at the link below and it may be included on the show.
2. Watch the show on Oct. 23rd and 24th and each night post your response to our blog.
3. Create a podcast on "How Green Your Are" and submit it to CNN. They may use it in a news broadcast.

Any change in our planet will come from each individual trying to make a difference. This is your opportunity to use Web 2.0 technologies to educate others, get your opinions out there, and show how you are helping to improve our world.

Resources:
Planet in Peril - http://www.cnn.com/SPECIALS/2007/planet.in.peril/

Are Hurricanes Increasing?

With severe drought in Georgia and hurricanes in the gulf, I thought it might be reasonable to learn something about severe weather patterns and what we can do as responsible citizens to be prepared for a natural disaster. In this light review the resources below and then answer the following questions.

1. What conditions are necessary to produce a hurricane?
2. What governmental organization monitors severe weather?
3. Have the intensity or frequency of hurricanes changed over the past 50 years? Graph the data at the resource below and explain the results.
4. What are some of the effects of hurricanes to our society?
5. What can you do to be prepared for a disaster?

Resources:
1. Hurricanes - National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Association
http://hurricanes.noaa.gov/
2. Past Hurricane Data from the National Hurricane Center
http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/pastdec.shtml
3. Katrina Hurricane Video - YouTube
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pvoEiBnpCc8

The Amazing Albatros

Yesterday, I was waiting the orthodontics office looking for something to read and came across an article on the albatross in the latest edition of the Smithsonian magazine. I was amazed when I read that the albatross can fly 50 miles per hour and go years without touching land. As I read on, I learned that they mate for life, and they can somehow even predict the weather. And yet, even with all of these amazing abilities, they are among the world's most endangered birds. I found this somewhat unbelievable due to their similarity in life span and reproduction habits to humans. From my antidotal observations, humans tend to spend more time and money preserving species that we have something in common with, rather than their significance in preserving an established ecosystem. So, I thought what a great opportunity to learn about the albatros' habitat, their role in the environment (or niche) and some of their unique requirements. Take a look at the resources below and then answer the following questions:

1. Briefly describe the albatross' habitat an niche. You should talk about the physical characteristics of the bird species, its population size, its geographic range, its feeding requirements, and its nesting and reproduction requirements. All of these are important in understanding why the bird is threatened.

2. What technology is being used by scientists to learn more about the albatross' habitat and niche? Give a basic description of GPS technology and also some of the problems the scientists are having with the technology.

3. Discuss one natural and one man-made disaster that are making it difficult for the albatross to increase its population size.

4. Discuss two cases of how technology (other than GPS) is being used to preserve the albatross.

Resources:
The Amazing Albatross
http://www.smithsonianmagazine.com/issues/2007/septembe

Artic Resources Up for Grabs

Over the past couple of months there have been a number of news stories on the 5 countries that have arctic coastlines and are trying to stake a claim to possible resources in the arctic. If nations were allowed to extract these resources, there could be drastic changes in the arctic ecosystem.

1. What resources are nations expected to find in the arctic?
2. Are these resources considered renewable, perpetual, or nonrenewable?
3. How could large scale extraction of these resources cause a shift in climate conditions?
4. What organisms live in the arctic and how would changes in climate affect their survival?

Resources:
Nations Jostle for a Share of the Arctic
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=14092469
Global Warmng Polar Bears
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UQivFU_H5pk
Arctic National Wildlife Refuge
http://arctic.fws.gov/

Manufactured Landscapes

Today's field trip to see the movie "Manufactured Landscapes" by Edward Burtynsky gave me new insight into how much we are altering our environment through the use of our natural resources. Two of the most stunning scenes were the destruction of land from the mining of coal and the damming of the Yangtze River. The movie mentioned that the creation of the reservoir actually caused the earth to wobble on its access. For this blog choose of the scenes from the movie or one of his photographs from china found on his web site and briefly describe it, then answer the following questions:

1. What type of human activity (e.g. mining, logging, etc.) caused the change in landscape?
2. What products are made from the use of this resource?
3. Research one example for the pollution caused by 1) extraction of the resource; 2) production; 3) distribution of the resource.

References:
1. Art of Edward Burtynsky
http://www.edwardburtynsky.com/
2. Manufactured Landscapes Official Site
http://www.zeitgeistfilms.com/film.php?directoryname=manufacturedlandscapes

Easter Island's End

After discussing some of the environmental challenges our world faces, we can discuss the ideas of population increase, sustainable development and stewardship. An excellent example of how population increases can cause the environmental collapse of an ecosystem and the death of it's inhabitants is Easter Island. According to David Steadman, a paleontologist, and other researchers working on the island, the inhabitants wiped out their forests, plants and animals in only a few centuries. For this week's blog, take a look at the article and respond to the following questions:

1. Discuss two environmental factors that lead to population increases on the island?
2. Discuss two cultural practices that eventually lead to the collapse of the ecosystem on Easter Island?
3. Define sustainable development and discuss what changes in cultural practices would have been necessary in order to prevent the collapse?
4. What archaeological evidence has been found to support this theory of population increase, environmental degradation and collapse?
5. Make one comparison between this ecosystem and society and our society today.

References:
Easters End, Discover August 1995
http://discovermagazine.com/1995/aug/eastersend543/?searchterm=Easter's%20End
NOVA: Easter Island
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/easter/
Film: Easter Island in Context: From Paradise to Calamity
http://www.films.com/id/4697/Easter_Island_in_Context_From_Paradise_to_Calimity.htm

Challenges We Face

In September 2002, an environmental article in Time Magazine reviewed a number of environmental challenges our planet faces. Even though this article is becoming dated, I think it is a great starting point for students wanting to study environmental science. I encourage each of you to read the article and familiarize yourselves with the issues discussed. For this assignment, write a response about the article:

1. Why does the article imply that humans cannot destroy the Earth? Do you agree or disagree and why?
2. What are the major categories of hazards discussed in the article?
3. Choose one of these areas and give 3 suggestions on how we might solve or at least elevate the severity of the problem.
4. How could you change your lifestyle to help alleviate the problem?

Resources:
Challenges We Face, Time 2002 http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1003114,0

FRQ #7 - Superfund and Brownfields

At the beginning of this year, our school purchased a piece of property adjacent to our school. The school plans on building a new Middle School on this land over the next two years. In our monthly school meeting, our dean mentioned that the land was a brownfield and that previous owner had agreed to clean up the property over the next year, before we started building. This news got me wondering if there was a difference between a brownfield and a superfund site and how many others were in our local area. The students were curious if any other school was located on one of these sites and if they had experienced any problems with the land, the clean-up process, or any affects that occured years later in the community.

a. Is there a difference between a brownfield and superfund site?
b. Describe three sites in your local area that are either a brownfield or a superfund site and then briefly explain how the land became contaminated? You can create a map at the EPA site for you area.
c. Choose one of the types of contamination listed above and describe two environmental impacts that could arise.
d. What is bioremediation and explain two recent advances and how they are being used to clean up contaminated sites.

Resources:
Toxic Pollution in Your Back Yard
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=6230678
Brownfield Cleanup and Restoration at http://www.epa.gov/swerosps/bf/
Superfunds at http://www.epa.gov/superfund
Bioremediation from Wikipedia at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bioremediation

FRQ #6 - Mapping Our Planet

I was reading in a special issue of Discover magazine that came out last month (January, 2007) about GRACE's gravity maps. The Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (GRACE) consists of a pair of satellites that sense variations in local gravity. The data is being used to detect mountain ranges, ocean trenches, underground watersheds, and other hidden concentrations of mass. According to the authors this is a new field of remote sensing and filled with possibilities in helping us understand our changing world. After reading the article, I thought one of the more interesting uses of the twin satellites was how they the pair could detect quantified changes in subsurface water in the Amazon and Congo river basins. This got me thinking about how remote sensing changing our view of our home. In this light...

a. Define remote sensing.
b. Describe two ways imaging and remote sensing technology have helped environmental scientists to see our changing world.
c. Describe two different types of sensors that have been mounted on a satellite.
d. Choose one of the sensors that you mentioned above and list one advantage and one disadvantage of mounting it on a satellite rather than using it on the ground.
e. Describe two ways that satellite data has changed our everyday lives.

Resources
1. Amazing Grace at http://science.nasa.gove/headlines/y2001/ast300oct _1.htm
2. Information on how NASA is using satellites to study the environment at http://www.nasa.gov/vision/earth/technologies/index.html
3. Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment at http://www.csr.utexas.edu/grace/mission/project.html
4. Remote Sensing Basics at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Remote_sensing

FRQ #5 - Frog Fungus

A number of recent news articles have been reporting on a fungus that is killing frog species around the globe. The chytrid fungus kills frogs by growing on their skin, making it hard for them to use their pores and regulate water intake. The fungus is lethally to approximately 90% of frogs. Conservation groups are urging zoos to isolate their frogs to prevent the spread of the fungus. These articles got me thinking about:

a. What biological characteristics of frogs make them susceptible to minor changes in their environment?
b. How can frogs be used as indicators of environmental problems?
c. What is the role of zoos in helping to conserve threatened or endangered species?
d. What legislation could prevent the spread of this fungus?

Resources
Fungus Identified in Frog Population Decline, NPR January 12th, 2006 -http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=5151096
Frog Disease Chytrid Fungus - http://ap.lancasteronline.com/4/japan_frog_fungus
Amphibian Conservation Alliance - http://www.frogs.org/
AMNH: Frogs, A Chorus of Colors - http://www.amnh.org/exhibitions/frogs/

FRQ #3 - Amazon Forest to Farms

I was reading in the January 2007 issue of National Geographic that during the past 40 years, close to 20 percent of the Amazon's rain forest has been cut down for industrial farming, and that another 20 percent will be lost over the next 20 years. One of the main problems with eliminating of so much forest is that at some point the forest will not be able to produce enough rain to support the ecosystem and the remaining trees will die. Much of this deforestation is not being done by the local villagers but by what the author call the timber mafia and land sharks who falsify land deeds. Brazil wants to introduce electronic logging certificates and to use satellite technology and remote sensing to alert them of illegal activity. With this in mind, do you believe that technology is a better fix than legislation or education?

a. Briefly describe abiotic requirements (e.g. water, temperature and soil) of a tropical rain forest.
b. What effect will large-scale monoculturing of soybeans have on the land? Make sure to include a short description of the nutrient requirements of soybeans before touching on the long-term effects of monoculturing.
c. List 2 important plant species that are threatened or endangered by deforestation in the Amazon and describe their potential uses to our society.
d. Discuss one advantage and one disadvantage of using remote sensing techniques to monitor illegal timber activities.
e. Voice your opinions on the question above.

Resources:
1. Amazon Forest to Farms in National Geographic Magazine (January 2007) at http://www7.nationalgeographic.com/ngm/0701/feature1/index.html
2. Amazon Scenarios from the Woods Hole Research Center
http://www.whrc.org/southamerica/amaz_scen.htm
3. Remote Sensing Basics at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Remote_sensing

Just for Fun:
You can download Google Earth and take a look at "The Soybean Highway"(BR-163). After Google Earth loads, point the Earth at Brazil and add the layer map for roads. You can then zoom in and see the amount of deforestation happening along this road.