Samuel+C

media type="youtube" key="HZoPNJGi6ig" width="376" height="224" align="center" So, this is all great, but is it really being utilized? In fact it is! One of our military bases, Fort Drum, is being used as a biomass power plant. Most of the biofuel comes from shrub willow, which looks like a mix between a grain and a tall grass. It is a highly efficient biomass component, and provides for a majority of the energy generated. The plant itself generates 60 MegaWatts of energy -- thats the same energy generated by 20 windmills! Another great thing about Fort Drum is that it was a coal mine before it was transformed into a Biomass power plant. Another example of a biomass power plant that's closer to home is a Collins power plant in Kane, Pennsylvania. Not only does this company have biomass power plants across the country, but they also manufacture products that are at least 25% recycled materials. Biomass is phenomenal because it encourages more reusing and recycling with every process. The image below is Fort Drum power plant. We can also use Biomass fuel. In fact, we do every time we burn a fire. That lumber is biomass fuel that generates heat energy for us to warm ourselves. Although biomass fuel is great, there are some concerns to be had with it as well. Although biomass takes away the CO2 from burning fossil fuels, biomass can potentially create more CO2 due to deforestation. Deforestation takes a lot of the photo-synthesizers out of the environment, which limits Carbon Fixation. Therefore, we must be careful about how much lumber we use. If we take too many trees out of the world at once, biomass will stop being renewable because we will be using more trees than we can replace in our lifetime. Like everything else, there are positive and negatives, and learning to balance them is where we can have our most success with sustainability.
 * Week 4: Biomass Power Plants (6/4-6/11)** Earlier this week, we discussed all the different forms of alternative energy. From solar to wind power, as a class we agreed that working towards these methods of energy use would benefit us all. One type of alternative energy that particularly interested me was biomass. In class we learned that biomass was plant parts that could be used for fuel, but what can that consist of? With some research done on [|ReEnergy LLC's Website], I discovered that biomass mainly consists of scrap lumber, forest debris, and manure. What I found so interesting about this is that biomass fuel is not a product itself; it is a byproduct of other resources. We don't cut down trees for biomass. Instead, we use trees that are already cut down. Biomass is an efficient form of energy because it doesn't require additional resources other than ones that are already available. Sometimes, the byproducts of biomass fuel can even be converted into Methane, a gas that can create "Bio-Diesel", or an alternative to fuel transportation. The animation below displays how biomass energy is created.

**Week 3: Super Bacteria (5/28-6/3)** This week in class, we explored factory farming and the environmental impact it has. One aspect of this week discussed, further exemplified [|here] in a New York Times article, is that in factory farms, animals are force fed antibiotics in order to kill bacteria that may exist in their digestion tracts. More recently, it has been discovered that the use of these antibiotics breeds even more bacteria that can cause disease in humans. Most notably, the strain Staphylococcus Aureus has begun developing on factory farms. This bacteria strain is extremely viral and is responsible for many respiratory, digestive, and skin infections. Although the bacteria is highly infectious, the antibiotic Vancomycin has been used to eradicate it. (Check out the table below to see how bacteria develops at factory farms). First discovered in 1953 by Edmund Kornfeld, Vancomycin was a substance first harvested from a soil sample found in the jungles of Borneo. It was approved by the FDA within five years and was frequently used to kill penicillin resistant bacteria. Obviously, as its use has increased, its potency has lessened, as bacteria strains have found ways to become immune even to it. However, scientists continue to work with the antibiotic, making it stronger and stronger. Most recently (May 30, 2017, to be exact), scientists have produced Vancomycin 3.0, what they deem to be a "Super-Bacteria". Although it could be years before the drug is released to the public, researchers at the Scripps Research Institute claim it has magic-like effects. The drug is one thousand times stronger than its predecessor, and is much more durable. It was engineered to release a three prong attack once inside the body: it hits bacteria in three different weak spots at once, overwhelming the strain and not giving it time to react. This will allow doctors to use less of the drug with a more effective outcome. Despite all the hype around the discovery, Vancomycin 3.0 is not the solution to all antibiotic resistant bacteria. Colin Garner, the CEO at Antibiotic Research UK, said that the drug will help, but it is only a small step in eradicating antibiotic resistant bacteria. In the UK, 12,000 die from antibiotic resistant bacteria a year. That's as many people as those who die from breast cancer. In the US, the figure is even larger. In 2013, the CDC reported that nearly 40,00 people died from antibiotic resistant infections. See the report [|here]. So yes, we are accomplishing a lot in terms of antibiotic resistance, which is a good way to combat the bacteria produced in factory farms. However, there is still a long way to go. Simple precautions we all can take include washing our hands frequently and making sure that we are eating clean food. You can also prevent infection by not touching other people. Be safe, and have a great weekend!

**Week 2: Choosing a Project (5/21-5/27) ** I began searching for a project by addressing the UN sustainability goal of zero hunger. Food insecurity is something I feel is under-addressed, and so any time I have a venue to eliminate it in any way I try to do so. One idea that I found specifically intriguing to address the issue is aquaponics. By definition, aquaponics is the combination of aquaculture (raising fish) and hydroponics (growing plants in a soil-less environment). The consolidation of these two systems allows for all organisms involved to live successfully. Fish waste provides nutrients for the plants, and the plants naturally filter the water for the fish (see picture below). As shown in the picture, a third participant in this system are the microbes that convert the ammonia in fish waste into usable nitrogen for plant growth. What makes aquaponics so beneficial is the fact that the draw backs of aquaculture and hydroponics individually are cancelled out when the two are combined. For example, traditional hydroponic systems require the use of meticulously collected and expensive nutrients for the plants to grow. Aquaponics only requires the use of fish food, as the fish waste is what feeds the plants. Furthermore, aquaponics is advantageous over traditional farming in many ways. It demands less water, can be more conveniently located, and eliminates the need for pesticides. In fact, aquaponics only uses one tenth of the water of soil-based gardening. After learning all of this about aquaponics, it became clear that eliminating hunger wasn't the only sustainability goal I was addressing. In some way, aquaponics relates to all of the following UN goals.

**Aquaponics addresses the zero hunger goal because it decreases the amount of resources growing food requires, making it easier to access and grow food. It also makes it less expensive to grow food, allowing for poorer individuals to grow healthy food.** **Responsible consumption and production is addressed because aquaponics uses animal and fish waste products to benefit the ecosystem. This recycling of** **waste decreases the overall waste in the environment and creates a more energy efficient area and by extension, world.** **The growth of fish in an aquaponic environment allows fish to grow more healthily.** **Aquaponics also allows green life such as plants to live in a healthier, more stable, and l****ess wasteful** **w****ay.** Aquaponics is also relevant in the news today. For example, Fox News just did a story on Armstrong State University in Georgia, who invested in a large scale aquaponics facility to show students the strengths of aquaponic farming. Professors at the university stated that aquaponics have been around since ancient Egypt, where the Egyptians would flood their crops with "fish-contaminated water", so the fish waste would serve as nutrients for the plants. [|Check out a Video of the story here] So, how does this relate to our work this week? During our trip to Robbins Park, we tested the water in each source for nitrate concentration. This test determines the concentration of nitrogen compounds for the water. The more nitrogen there is in the water, the easier it will be for plants to grow in the water. In our part of the river, there was little to no nitrogen, which is corroborated by the fact we had no underwater plant life or major animal life (fish). In aquaponics, however, the water has a high nitrogen concentration, as the ammonia from the fish is heavily concentrated and used by the fish.

** WALL-E Response **

Answer One: Sustainability is the ability of an object to remain vital in its own environment.
 * 1. After watching WALL-E, use your own background knowledge to define SUSTAINABILITY in your own words **

Answer Two: The first thing I would address is the amount of trash lying around the earth. I would try to use robots like the ones seen in the trash vault scene to compact the trash. If the trash takes up less space, there will be more space for humans to create green life and create a more hospitable environment. Once area is cleared, I would begin planting fruits,  vegetables, and plants purely for the purpose of photosynthesizing. This way, earth's oxygen levels would shoot up and humans  would begin to cultivate food on which they can live. Another thing that would have to be accomplished within the first day is access to water.  I would send out a troop of people to find a water source from which they can draw resources to water their plants. Furthermore, I would attempt to set up more solar power generators like the one Wall-E is powered by at the conclusion of the film. This way, there is no longer an imminent threat of fossil fuel pollution destroying the environment.
 * 2. What are the next steps for the new settlers? That is, if you were to colonize an area in this condition, what are some of the first major issues & solutions that need to be accomplished for successful & sustainable future? **