Julie+I

http://www.triplepundit.com/2011/05/putney-school-builds-first-net-platinum-leed-certified-school-building-country/# With the new school, green changes were made like geothermal climate control, single stream recycling, and automatic lights. The Putney School in Vermont, however, made leaps in sustainability. They are the only "net-zero" school in the entire country and one of the few that are LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (http://www.usgbc.org/DisplayPage.aspx?CMSPageID=1988)) certified. Our new school is LEED silver, while Putney is platinum. Their progressive education and innovative architecture makes Putney deserve this title. The students of Putney spend their days in school not only learning from books, but also by working outside in the farm. The school emphasizes sustainability to its core. The "net-zero" idea is based off of the fact that the school uses the same amount or less than the amount of energy it produces. Instead of carbon-based fuel, it is all electric, solar energy. They even get paid for the energy they produce: "The school is paid 13 cents from local grid operator Green Mountain Energy for each kilowatt generated, plus a 6 cent premium. “It’s really a great feeling to get a check from Green Mountain instead of a bill,” says Smith". Their efforts to maximize sustainability does not stop at electricity. They have:
 * Week Four (6/6-6/12):**
 * Storm water design that enhances infiltration, capture, and runoff treatment that exceeds national standards.
 * A white reflective roof reducing the “heat island” effect.
 * Lighting and ventilation “on occupancy” combined with daylighting and carbon dioxide sensors.
 * A super-insulated envelope of R20 under-slab insulation, R20 foundation wall insulation, R45 walls, R60 roofs, and R5 fiberglass windows.
 * Skylights for about 40 percent of the floor area, with detailing to eliminate air infiltration and thermal bridging.
 * Construction waste management achieving 75 percent diversion from disposal.
 * Site harvested wood and other local materials used in pubic areas.

Could any of these innovations be implemented at our school?

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/06/05/science/earth/05harvest.html?_r=1&seid=auto&smid=tw-nytimes&pagewanted=all
 * Week Three (5/28-6/5):**

After seeing the title of this article, it caught my eye immediately. As sustainability has been the major topic in class for the past few weeks, the title's warning of a "A Warming Planet Struggles to Feed Itself" intrigued me. The combination of the climate crisis and the problem of the food supply was something that had not before crossed my mind; the changing temperatures' effects on food supply levels was something I thought could be and was being controlled. Previously, the overconsumption for the supply of crops was a source of trouble, as the price in grains have at times doubled. The steep increase of essential foodstuffs, wheat, corn, rice, and soybeans, **spurred extreme hunger for "tens of millions of poor people"** which then caused trouble even in politics in such areas - like Mexico, Yemen, Uzbekistan. Riots broke out in places such as Haiti, like in 2008. The bottom line is: these staple crops are essential to the world's food supply and its depletion causes uncomfortable and often unbearable changes. Now, in addition to the rising population statistics and demand for food, global warming is also a factor in grain and wheat production. The floods and intense heat waves that decimate crops is being **attributed to and increase with the "human-induced global warming"** - especially in major areas of agriculture. Climate change is shifting seasons and bringing change that may not be adaptable. Farmers cannot cope with normally wet seasons being dry and vice versa, with addition of flash floods and a shrinking cold-season. Although scientists had once believed that the global warming may even aid in agriculture, with the carbon dioxide acting as fertilizer, the reality is appearing to be different. With some governments appearing aloof regarding the situation, it seems unlikely for this risk to be prevented. Experts say farmers need to double their amount of food produced to meet demands all the while keeping the environment in mind. In order to effectively prevent a major crop failure, innovations and discoveries need to be made for the suppliers of our food similar to the Green Revolution beginning in the 1940s:**" 'There’s just such a tremendous disconnect, with people not understanding the highly dangerous situation we are in,' said Marianne Bänziger, deputy chief of the __ [|International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center] __, a leading research institute in Mexico."**


 * “What a horrible world it will be if food really becomes short from one year to the next. What will that do to society?” Matthew Reynolds, Wheat physiologist at the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center**



media type="custom" key="9669558" A TEDTalk on biodiversity and its role in preventing crop failure and how it "stands between us and catastrophic starvation [|on a scale we cannot imagine."] It includes the areas of the world that are changing, explains seed banks and their importance, as it prompts thought, like the article, on the importance of staple crops, the endless varieties of one seed, and the future of the food supply and the innovations that must be made to go along with it.

http://na.oceana.org/sites/default/files/reports/SeafoodFraudReport_2011.pdf
 * Week Two (5/23-5/27):**

A report (redirected from an ENN article) brought up an interesting point that consumers rarely think about: seafood fraud. Global consumption of seafood is rising and, consequently, overfishing is, as well. As a result of an increase of fish consumerism, we are often buying or consuming the wrong species of fish than we think. Instead of red snapper or wild salmon, companies are catching species that are cheaper and easier to find, like mullet snapper or farmed salmon. The combination of the 1,700 species and lack of inspection of the imported fish makes it near impossible to detect if there is a difference in what is expected and what is placed in front of us. Only two percent of imported fish is inspected, obviously not enough to reduce the amount of mislabeled seafood. So, if we rarely notice this, how common is it? Reviews state that one-quarter to one-third of fish is mislabeled. It occurs most often in specific types of seafood (red snapper, grouper, wild salmon, and Atlantic cod), processed seafoods (like frozen fillets, vacuum packed fish, packaged tuna), seafood taking into account the weight of ice over the actual foods. Also, seafood being a high risk food as it is, seafood fraud increases these risks.

The report linked above is incredibly thorough and contains interesting facts and statistics that I suggest looking at. Test whether you can tell the difference between two fillets that look similar. See how much money is made by selling fake sushi, salmon, etc. It seems difficult as consumers to help prevent this, other than eliminating seafood in our diets, but a step would be to cut down on frozen, processed seafood. Does anyone else have suggestions on how to take steps in reducing seafood fraud?

After reading about seafood fraud and its contribution to overfishing and exploitation, I wanted to research overfishing and some statistics. Some disturbing facts and figures are:
 * 52% of fish stocks are fully exploited
 * 20% are moderately exploited
 * 17% are overexploited
 * 7% are depleted
 * 1% is recovering from depletion

The process of overfishing has the possibility to dramatically reduce an entire species, as seen above, and in turn, threaten entire ecosystems. Companies will not stop overfishing until they stop making money. The best thing that consumers can do is to be informed about the decisions we make. ( http://overfishing.org/pages/what_can_I_do_to_help.php) media type="youtube" key="pygNPwccgGM" height="349" width="425" Dr. Daniel Pauly on overfishing gives a perspective on overfishing: the tragic fate of the oceans and hope for the future.

[] The article above, entitled "Burgers From A Lab: The World of In Vitro Meat", speaks about the possibility of "test-tube burgers". Though meat grown in labs seems unnatural and unappetizing, scientists say there would be no taste difference. It would also dramatically reduce factory farming, greenhouse-gas emissions, and increase sustainability of our agriculture. The progress to date, however, is only a contact lens sized disc of meat. The meat was grown from pig stem-cells, which scientists hope to also create muscle tissue to imitate the meat that would be taken from the flesh of an animal. Scientists are currently seeking a way to create the muscle tissue at a lower cost than electricity. After hearing the effects of factory farming and animal cruelty, would anyone be willing to eat this in vitro meat?
 * Week One (5/16-5/20):**

http://www.npr.org/2011/05/20/136424838/pumped-up-are-americans-addicted-to-oil

This article discusses the reliance on oil and near impossibility of cutting it out of our lives. It focuses on Mary Richert, who tries to live without such a great dependence on oil. She cuts back on her driving, plastic use, and buys more local produce - change all of us can make. Beth Terry is another woman in the article who has little reliance on gas and does not even own a car; instead, she shares cars or rides her bike. In addition to eating local, organic produce, she cleans with homemade solutions. The article then goes on and speaks of alternate energy sources. The reliance on oil is beyond total elimination, but can easily be reduced through supporting local produce or driving less. What other changes could be made? Is there a way to completely eliminate use of oil?

Watch Beth speak at a TED Talk about living with less plastic: media type="youtube" key="3JXWRVrFiKs" height="349" width="560"