Space! (presentation)

The space presentation was particularly interesting to me. Several suggestions on how to cope with our decreasing space caught my attention because it's been done before...in scifi shows. Gene Rodenberry's idea's for Star Trek have been turned into reality. Instead of going through all of them I'll give you this fun link: http://www.pcworld.com/article/164195/star_trek_tech_we_use_today_almost.html

The presenting group suggested habitating the moon, which has been done many times on Scifi shows. Whose to say this won't happen? Allie did mention that this is just dealing with the consequences and not fixing the source but by the time we have the option to habitat the moon it may just be too late for the planet at the rate we're going.

I just want to mention Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. DS9 is a space station where people live full time and supplies are regularly coming in. This seems entirely possible to me. Now, I don't know a thing about the technology that would go into this but we've already explored space and continue to go up there. One of these days those trips are going to get longer, the ships are going to get bigger, and we'll have ourselves a space station!

Water Presentation

Today we had the water presentation. The part that I found most interesting was the students essay on defecating in our drinking water.  We only have so much fresh water suitable for drinking on this planet and we're using it quickly when we flush toilets or take long showers. While it's true we can de-salinate water I've heard its a long process and one day we won't have that time. I'm doing a research project for environmental anthropology on Antarctica and it brings to attention that icebergs are made out of fresh water. Someone mentioned that the icebergs are melting, so its a good time to exploite that water. However, you have to take into account the environmental cost of transportation and of extracting the water. One day I'm sure we'll need to go there, I'm just not sure now is the time. Water is something we, in America, take for granted though I can't see anyone doing anything more than switching to low-flow toilets. A pee bucket was suggested in my group and that would be a great idea but it would also be a hassel people aren't willing to deal with.

Ever heard the phrase "if it's yellow, let it mellow"?

Green Building presentation

In the Green Building presentation that my group did I forgot to mention a bit on a new type of sustainable sewage system called Reed Bed. Below are my notes from my power point presenation:

§Reconstructions of freshwater wetland ecosystems to treat wastewater. Used with pre-existing settling or septic tank to treat liquid waste

§Land-intensive but highly energy efficient, inexpensive, low maintenance, aesthetically appealing and create natural habitat for wildlife

§Clean water can be used to water landscapes or crops but is not suitable for drinking water

§A typical cost for single house is between 3,000 and 7,000 pounds

 

Grizzly Man

When the movie first started off I had an open mind but as the movie wore on I got very cynical of the main character. Keeping in mind that the way the movie was created may have shaped his character I just could not take him seriously. He claimed to be protecting the bears but all I saw was the harm he was doing to them. By domesticating the foxes he sentenced them to death. That was selfish of him. He wanted to be one with nature and in turn he helped destroy it. Those foxes are going to have a false sense of security around humans and will be an easy target to the hunters. Same goes for the bears.

When he re-arranged the stream to let it flow better he was messing with nature. It was clear from then on (if not earlier) that he had no clue what he was doing. Even clearer than that, he was mentally ill. He experienced mood episodes, was delusional, and paranoid. This film could be shown in a psychology class as a demonstration of bipolar. The messages that he found on the rocks I suspect were written by himself. I don't think he knew they were written by him, because he was so out of it, but I think they were a product of his insanity.

Environmental Justice

Environmental justice tackles several questions that people ask. One is, "Who owns this land?" another, "Who is responsible for this land?" It used to be that no one would ask these questions. There was no concept of private property. The Earth was available to all and it was there for humans to live with it (note that I didn't say use it). Everyone had a responsibility for the well-being of the Earth. Now, we need to take responsibility for our Earth. The article on environmental waste last class talked about how companies are paying Native American's to let them store their hazardous waste on their land. Those companies are shrugging off their destruction onto another people, potentially putting them in harms way.

"Into the Wild"

Into the Wild is about Alexander "Supertramp's" quest to live in the wild. He becomes a tramp, abandoning his car and burning his money. He hitchhikes through America with few possessions and lives off of the kindness of others. His goal is to make it to Alaska where he will live in and off of the "wild." He does so successfully for a few months but eats something poisonous and dies.

Its very brave for Alex to do what he did. He was prepared for the wild but when one is hungry there's only so much that can be done to help them. He was bound to die because no one knew where he was, and he hadn't explored the area where he was going to live.

Because there are so few untouched places in America it will be difficult to truly live in the wild. There aren't many people who would be willing to give up everything and burn their money. As Alex said, humans are too invested in the material things they have acquired. We have been given everything we need to survive and there is little need for us to provide any of it for ourselves. I would be ill-prepared to live off in the wild as would many people. But people used to do it. People used to live off of the planet and only take what they needed to. To live with nature is to live with harmony. We exploit nature, we do not live off of it.

There were many presentations today at the Avon Hills conference, one of which was on Geothermal energy. When I was in my first few years of high school I did a project on that so I had a very light background going into the session. The talk was presented by a Geothermal provider native to MN. Geothermal energy works many ways. One way is by drawing water from underneath the ground up to the building. The water from the ground heats the building and when the water leaves it takes with it the cold from the building. I was concerned about the amount of water that is used but the speaker assured me that the water is recycled. However, I doubt that it can be used as drinking water after the fact.

There are several types of pumps. Two of which are:

• Forced air pumps, which work from water to air
• Hydronic pumps which is water to water and takes the heat from the ground, like I described above.

I have friends from back home who installed solar panels on their roof and use that as their main source of energy. Though expensive to install the money they save is well worth it and it is a earth-friendly way to harness energy. Geothermal heating and cooling is also good for our earth. The state of MN will pay for parts of the installation of geothermal pumps and, like solar panels, geothermal energy essentially pays for itself with the savings you incur.

In the exhibit room there was a booth for the Master Naturalists of MN. It's mission is to "promote awareness, understanding, and stewardship of MN's natural environment." It's basically nature's version of the peace corps. Master Naturalists complete and long, hands on course studying natural history, environmental interpretation, and conservation stewardship. They also complete 40 hours of volunteer service. What makes the degree even more awesome is that you have the title of "Master Naturalist" (no longer a title reserved only for the most evil Timelord in the universe.)