Organic Farming May Not Be as Good as You Think

Mythbusting 101: Organic Farming > Conventional Agriculture
http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/science-sushi/2011/07/18/mythbusting-101-organic-farming-conventional-agriculture/
By: Christie Wilcox
July 18, 2011

Picture:
This picture displays apples being sold at a grocery store labeled 100% organic. It is labeled this because it didn't use pesticides. However, it turns out that it may not actually be pesticide free. It's just a healthier kind.

Summary:
Everyone thinks that organic farming is better than conventional agriculture. However, they are incorrect. First, organic farms still use pesticides and fungicides. What's funny is the Soil Association asked the organic consumers why the buy organic foods and 95% of the consumers said their top reason for buying this type of food was to try to avoid pesticides. There are 20 chemical used in the process of growing organic foods that are approved by the U.S. Organic Standards. Also the government does not keep track of the volume of pesticides being used for organic foods. The main difference between the two types of farming is the origin of the pesticides. In organic farms their pesticides are made from natural resources and conventional farms are synthetic. Researchers have shown that the pesticides in organic foods cause serious health risks as well. In Europe the organic farmers did not pass the European Union's test. Canadian scientist also found that conventional pesticides are more effective than the organic pesticides. Also just because you don't use pesticides doesn't mean there aren't any harmful things still. From 1900-2001, 10,000 people became sick due to foods that had pathogens and organic foods may be the reason. A study shown found that a pathogen called E. coli was found in 10% of organic foods but only 2% in conventional foods. Also some conventional farms don't even use pesticides. It's sad to say but factory farming is factory farming.

Opinion/Reflection:
I can't believe that there are harmful pesticides used in organic foods. To me this makes the food not worth being over priced. I feel like we've been lied to. This just makes it obvious that there isn't just one perfect food because there will be downsides to each one. Organic and conventional farming is a topic that we just learned in school and I still didn't know some of these facts. I never had a major preference before reading this article and now its made my decision even harder knowing about organic farming's use of pesticides. Also I think it is horrible that 10, 000 people became sick and organic foods is to blame. I hope one day we will be able to have all fully healthy foods.

Questions:

1. Do you have a preference of which type of farming you would prefer? Why?

2. Do you feel that people who own organic farms are intentionally keeping this information away from us? Why or Why not?

3. Do you think there will ever be a completely heathy style for farming? Explain.

Corey Milewski- Recycling not always good

Recycling not always an energy and resource saver, study findsFriday, May 20, 2011 by: Jonathan Benson

 

http://www.naturalnews.com/032465_recycling_energy.html

 

 

Picture: This is a picture of what happens in the process of recycling. Reusing plastics and other materials can reduce the amounts of such materials on earth.

 

 

Summary: Studies have shown that remanufacturing or recycling certain products uses more energy than using new products. Products like tires and used motors doesn't always save energy in the future. Also the remanufatured products were compared to the new products. In many cases, the new product outpreformed the remanufactured product. This means that over a course of a products life new ones actually save more energy than reused products from an older generation. In the tire study it showed that new tires had  more rolling resistance than the retreated tires. So over a preiod of time the energy to just produce new tires uses less energy. "People often think recycling is so simple, but things are far more complicated than people expect" says  Timothy Gutowski. Regardless the energy usage, remanufacturing helps to save resources. Also remanufacturing lowers the waste in landfills and helps the environment in most cases. So remanufactured devices are not always the most energy-efficient way, but it does help the environment. 

 

Opinion: I found this article very interesting because we are always tought that recycling is so good. I never knew that remanufacturing products uses more energy. Now that I think about it, it makes a lot of sense. In some cases recycling is the right thing to do but in other cases it is better to make new products. Recently recycling cans were distributed to hatboro and horsham. I know in my house we began to recycling a lot more.  I think recycling is the right thing to do but, this article made me think of something different.

 

Questions:

 

1. What could you do in your life to help recycling? explain.

2. If you had a choice to buy a reused device or a new device what would you choose? why?

3. Does your family recycle? Explain how recycling is enfourced in your house?

T-Shirts made from bottles

Garbage Fashion: T-Shirts Made From Recycled Bottles
By: Venessa Wong
March 20, 2012
http://www.businessweek.com/articles/2012-03-20/garbage-fashion-t-shirts-made-from-recycled-bottles

Picture: This is a picture of a T-Shirt made from recycled bottles. These could very well become popular.

Summary: A new T-Shirt has been invented from recycled bottles. Many people look and it and think that it is a regular shirt, but it fact, it was made from bottles. Making trash wearable helps the environment because it does not go to a landfill. Instead, it is in your closet. To make these you need to get a clear plastic bottle and crush it into flakes. These flakes are converted to pellets which is spun into polyester yarn. From there, the shirt is made. The problem with these shirts is that they are not recyclable. The only way it could be was if it was 100% polyester. If it is not, it can't be recycled and it could be problematic for the equipment. Another problem with this is that the polyester comes from a chemical that harms the environment and causes global warming. Also, it is non-biodegradeable so it is hard to dispose of and it will not break down easily. The main goal of making these shirts was to keep bottles out of oceans and landfills.

Opinion/Reflection: I think that this is a really cool and great idea! The only thing they need to do now is start producing a lot of these. If more and more people learn about how bad the environment is getting, they will start to buy them. I have heard about this on the news before and it made me realize that this will help the environment greatly. If stores around us sold them, I think I would buy one because of how it is helping. Some people need to realize what is going on in the world around us. The environment is being destroyed and global warming is having an affect on us. If these shirts kick off and become popular, it will help our world and make it a better place.

Questions: 

1. Would you buy one of these shirts? Why or why not?

2. Do you think it is a safe way to help the environment? Why or why not?

3. What are some other ways to help the environment?

Eagles go Green- Jen Cader

For Philadelphia Eagles, Green Isn’t Just a Team Color

By: Matthew Petrillo

April 29, 2012
http://www.voanews.com/content/green-isnt-just-football-teams-uniform-color--149488525/370148.html

Picture: This picture is the logo the Eagles are turning to in order to let people know that their stadium is becoming environmentally friendly.

Summary: Twelve of 32 NFL teams are turning to environmentally-friendly practices. The Eagles were the first to start this trend, when they began in 2003. As of right now, the Eagles are trying to get a third of their stadium to run on solar and wind power. This year, the Eagles began to give 65% of the waste from the stadium to an energy-from-waste plant that turns left over waste into energy. This is instead of diverting their trash to landfills. The eagle's goal is to eventually recycle every single waste found in the stadium. Don Smolenski, the team’s chief operation officer, who is in charge of turning the Eagle's stadium into an environmentally-friendly place, says, "Each year, we kept adding and evaluating new opportunities." They are focusing on light sensors in people's offices, having on/off motion sensing vending machines, and even composting grass clippings from the field. Not only are they turning their stadium into an environmentally-friendly place, but they are asking Aramark, the company in charge f its food services, to use "green" compostable utensils and cleaning supplies. One of the biggest steps the Eagles are taking during this process is  30% of its energy from renewable resources. They will do this by installing 1,100 solar panels and 14 wind turbines around the upper deck of the stadium. According to Don Smolenski, this is the largest sustainability effort in the NFL.

Opinion/Reflection: WOW! That is very cool that the Eagles are doing this. It is awesome to think that a team that I have grown up watching, is the first to make an effort like this. The fact that they are trying to use 30% of its energy from solar panels and wind turbines is incredible. They have obviously started a trend in the NFL, because other teams are beginning to become envrionmentally-friendly. I hope this trend continues, and every team starts to become environmentally-friendly, because the amount of energy used to light up an entire stadium is rediculous. If stadiums continue to use energies that are harmful to the earth, there will be a problem sooner rather than later. In science class, we learned that although solar panels and wind turbines are expensive in the beginning, they save as lot of money in the long run. These alternative energies not only save money, but they don't cause pollution and are beneficial to the environment. I am extremely happy that the Eagles are starting this trend beause pollution from harmful problems is obviously a problem. Hopefully they continue to make improvements in making the stadium more environmentally-friendly!

Questions:

1. How do you feel about the efforts the Eagles are making?
2. Where else have you seen alternative energy being used?
3. If you were in charge of making the changes in the Eagles stadium, what else would you do?

U.S. Caps Emissions in Drilling for Fuel

By: John M. Broder

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/04/19/science/earth/epa-caps-emissions-at-gas-and-oil-wells.html?_r=1

Picture:  This picture shows the procedure of fracking.  They shoot chemicals and water into the ground causing mini earthquakes and the earthquakes bring up natural gas.

Summary:  Fracking has been a controversial topic for awhile due to the environmental concerns it raises.  The process of fracking releases toxic and cancer-causing chemicals like benzene and hexane, as well as methane, a powerful greenhouse gas.  But the EPA is doing something to help prevent this air pollution.  They issued new air quality standards which the oil and gas companies will have to capture toxic and climate-altering gases from wells, storage sites and pipelines.  The reason they took action is because they received complaints from citizens and environmental groups that gases escaping from the 13,000 wells drilled each year by fracking were causing health problems and widespread air pollution.  The new rule will reduce emissions of volatile organic compounds by 190,000 to 290,000 tons per year and toxic air pollutants by 12,000 to 20,000 tons a year.  But this new rule is also beneficial for the fracking companies because they will be able to save $11 million to $19 million a year because drillers would be able to capture and sell the methane that is now burned off, or flared.  Methane is a very bad gas which has 20 times more powerful effects on the atmosphere than Carbon Dioxide does.  The EPA estimates that by capturing the methane they will reduce green house gas emissions by 28 million to 44 million tons a year, making the rule one of the federal government’s largest measures to mitigate climate change. 

Opinion/Reflection:  I am very happy that they are doing this and this is a step toward helping our planet.  It is so crazy that this one rule can have such a big affect and that it can do so much good.  By being able to reduce emissions by 190,000 to 290,000 tons per year is so amazing and is truly a big achievement.  Also that it is also saving the fracking companies lots of money makes it a win, win situation, it helps the environment while still letting the companies prosper.  I can connect this to my science class.  We learned about all the harmful effects of fracking and how it can damage the earth.  It really affects peoples’ water supplies where the fracking takes place.  It contaminates their water and makes it undrinkable which is extremely bad.  I am so glad that they took care of the air pollution now I just hope they will solve the problem of it contaminating water supplies.

Questions: 

1.Do you think fracking is a good or bad idea? Why?

2.  Do you think this rule will make an impact on global warming? Why?

3.  If you were able to ban fracking would you ban it or not? Why?

4.  Do you think fracking will hurt us in the long run?  Why?

Seaweed- An Alternate Source of Energy

Is seaweed the future of alternative energy sources like biofuel?

http://www.naturalnews.com/035257_seaweed_alternative_energy_biofuel.html#ixzz1uVpBZgkV

Friday, March 16, 2012 by: J. D. Heyes Picture: This is a picture of seaweed. Seaweed might soon be an alternate source of energy. Summary: Many scientists are trying to figure out an alternate source of energy. They think they might have found one. Biofuels are driving up the cost of feeding the world but Israeli researchers found that seaweed may do the trick. Some benefits of using seaweed are that it grows quickly, and it doesn't destroy ecosystems. In fact, harvesting seaweed is beneficial to the environment and helps out sea life. "While biomasses grown on land have the potential to inflict damage on the environment, the researchers believe that producing biofuel from seaweed-based sources could even solve problems within the marine environment." This proves that is it helps the environment and is a very good idea.  In many costal regions the air is being polluted from human waste and fish farming. Seaweed could potentially solve these problems. Researchers are trying to increase the carbohydrate and sugar content of the seaweed beds, this will increase the bioethanol production.  Some studies found that seaweed can be a valuable source of biofuels that does not compete with food or land or require fresh water to grow. The biggest problem of using seaweed as an alternate source of energy is that standard microbes cannot readily metabolize its primary sugar constituent. This makes the use of seaweed too inefficient and too expensive. The researchers found that they could digest all the sugars found in the seaweed. There plan has worked and they are going to continue to work on this project.  Opinion: I think that this is going to be big. I really believe that these scientists found a very efficient and clean, alternate source of energy. It amazes me to learn about this because the lack of fossil fuels is a very big topic around the world. Also, it's really cool that they found something that doesn't even harm ecosystems. The fossil fuels have very negative impacts on our environment and they are polluting the Earth. The only bad thing is that it could be expensive but maybe in the future they can find a way to reduce the prices and it could be used for certain things throughout the world. I don't think that it is powerful enough to do a lot but it certainly could be used for little things. If these researchers continue to work on this i believe that it will be a new, alternate source of energy. Questions:  1. Do you think seaweed could someday be a source of alternate energy? Why? 2. What are some other sources of alternate energy sources? 3. Do you think seaweed will be successful as a source of energy or do you think it would fail? Explain.

Deforestation- Corey Milewski

Global deforestation finally being reversed in some countries  
                                      And 
Half the Amazon Rainforest to be Lost by 2030
http://www.naturalnews.com/023673_Amazon_rainforest.html
countrieshttp://www.naturalnews.com/021102_deforestation_clearcutting.html

By: Ben Kage and David Gutierrez

Picture: The picture on the left is a picture of deforestation. Trees are being cut down for the use of clay in brazil. 

Summary: Many countries are now beginning to stop deforestation. The trend began in 2006 in many countries to go from deforestation to reforestation. 22 out of 50 most forested countries were switching to reforestation. Countries can cut down trees but the area that was cut has to be reseeded. This trend is helping stop global warming and are partially alleviating the man-made carbon dioxide emissions. 20 years ago it was said that the reverse of deforestation was not possible. The amazon forest is another problem. It is possible that more that half the Amazon Forest could be gone by 2030. Global warming and deforestation are causing the Amazon Forest to be destroyed. The Amazon Forest contains more then half the planets surviving rainforest. Loosing this much of the Amazon could accelerate global warming. By breaking the process of deforestation could help save the Amazon Forest. 


Opinion/Reflection: I think it is awesome to see that deforestation is beginning to be stopped. I hope to see that many countries are switching to reforestation. Global warming is a huge issue and part of it is deforestation. Massive amounts of carbon dioxide is being released into the air and trees help suck in the carbon dioxide. I believe trees can be cut down as long as they are replaced. I have read somewhere that there are tree plantations that grow trees until a certain age then are cut down. Then once they are cut they are reseeded and the whole cycle starts over. I think this is a great idea because there is always a stable amount of trees. It is very sad that more then half of the Amazon Forest could be lost if actions are not taking. I  think it would be a great idea to start a fundraiser or a organization to take actions on deforestation. I have heard that the Amazon is a very cool place and I do not want it to be lost. 




Questions: 


1. What are your thoughts on deforestation? What do you think should be done about it? 


2. What do you know about The Amazon? Do you think it will be lost in the next century? Why? 


3.  What are some ideas to stop the Amazon from being lost? 

Read, Write, and Recycle- Jen Cader



Students Read, Write And Recycle!

http://www.marketwatch.com/story/students-read-write-and-recycle-2012-05-07

5/7/2012 Published in Market Watch by PRNewswire

 

Picture: This is a picture of the winner of the "Read, Write, and Recycle" event recieving their $1,000 check towards science and athletic programs.

Summary: Merced Elementary School from West Covina, California came in first in the event called "Read, Write, Recycle!” This even was an effort to demonstrate the importance and value of recycling to students K-5 in the West Covina Unified School District. The students who won received $1,000 to go towards the science and athletic program at their school plus a pizza party. The students earned this by recycling 4,514.7 pounds of plastic, aluminum, glass, and other valuable materials. Vine Elementary School came in 2nd place while Cameron Elementary School came in 3rd. Together; the three schools recycled a total of 11,014.2 pounds of material throughout the competition. Throughout all three schools, a total of 1,400 students participated in this recycling event. This program is funded by the American Chemistry Council (ACC) and supported by Keep California Beautiful, San Gabriel Valley Conservation Corps (SGVCC), and the West Covina Unified School District. Steve Russell, vice president of ACC's Plastics Division, says "We're always looking for ways to increase recycling awareness, and this group of partners built a program that delivered fantastic results." The Senator even recognized the student's efforts and are encouraging them to continue to recycle. "You can already see how a program like this instills important values in our children. I hope it inspires them to continue recycling at school and at home," says the principal of Merced Elementary School, Gordon Pfitzer.

Opinion/Reflection: I think that this is a great program. If the adults of the future are learning to recycle that only means that our issue with pollution will get better. The problem now is the adults have not learned the importance of recycling as a child, so they may not be used to recycling. If the students get used to recycling at a young age, our future will be bright. It is crazy to see that over 11,000 pounds of plastic and other recyclable goods were recycled instead of thrown in the trash just between three schools. I think that our schools in Pennsylvania and even all around the nation should begin to have recycling events with money prizes. People will do anything for money, and if they are awarded $1,000 to recycle, they will be more motivated to do so. In science class, we learned about all of the plastic and glass bottles and jars getting into the ocean and affecting aquatic life, and if all schools have a recycling program like this, there may be less and less pollution going into the water.

Questions:

1. Do you feel if an event like this came to our school, that it will be helpful? Why or why not?

2. Why do you think recycling is so important?

3. How do you feel about the plastic and glass in the oceans due to lack of recycling?



Recycling

Part of Waste Problem Is Now Part of Solution

By ELIZABETH OLSON
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/04/23/business/media/part-of-waste-problem-becomes-part-of-solution.html?ref=recyclingofwastematerials

Picture:  The Honest Tea company has put in Time Square on April 30th a 30 foot high recycling bin.  Their goal is to recycle 45,000 bottles, about the same amount they sell every day in the city.

Summary:  The Honest Tea company is going green.  They generate about 20 million glass bottles and 60 million plastic bottles annually. Over all, Americans used 38.6 billion glass beverage containers, and 71.9 billion plastic beverage bottles in 2010, according to the Container Recycling Institute, an antiwaste organization based in Culver City, Calif.  The Environmental Protection Agency estimates that only about 33 percent of glass bottles, and as few as 27 percent of plastic bottles, are recycled.  They want to make a change and start saving the earth so on April 30th they put this hige recycling bin in Times Square to remind people to recycle.  After they are done in Time Square they plan on moving to other cities as well to help remind people to recycle.  Only about 15 percent of the city’s total waste is being recycled. The New York Department of Sanitation says 182 tons of glass bottles and jars go into the trash every day.  The giant recycling bin isn't all they are doing to help remind people to recycle.  They are also advertising on city billboards, and at businesses and colleges in the city’s five boroughs.  Participants will be able to claim a rewards point for each recycled container, and add points with a recycling pledge made on stage. Using points, they can claim items including cold bottles of Honest Tea, T-shirts, tickets to concerts and Broadway shows, yoga mats and skateboards.  Honest Tea is doing everything they can to spread the word, they even have their own site called Thegreatrecycle.com where users can recycle an old Facebook status message in return for points in a program devised with Amalgamated Advertising.  What they are doing is truly amazing.

Opinion/Reflection:  I am so shocked that they have a 30 foot high recycle bin in New York!  What they are doing is truly amazing and I am glad people are taking interest to try and spread the word of recycling.  I am very surprised though that only 33 percent of glass bottles and as few as 27 percent of plastic bottles are being recycled and that needs to change.  By this company doing what they are doing to help spread the word of recycling is truly fantastic and I think people will start to catch on and start to recycle more.  I can really relate this to what we learned in Scinece about how the plastic bottles that aren't thrown away end up in a dead zone in the ocean.  This dead zone is killing millions of animals.  If people were more aware about recycling we would not have these dead zones and animals wouldn't be dying.  I hope by this company advertising so much about recycling that people will stop littering and do what is right for the world.

Questions:
1. Do you think Honest Tea's advertising will work and make more people recycle? Why or why not?

2. What do you think will happen if we continue to not recycle plastic bottles?

3. If the world starts to do a better job recycling do you think the dead zones in the oceans will go away?  Why?

Alternative Energy

11 Bizarre Sources of Clean Energy, from Dead Turkeys to Urine
By: Stephanie Rogers
http://earthfirst.com/11-bizarre-sources-of-clean-energy-from-dead-turkeys-to-urine/
                                                                                                                                                                                 
 Picture: These are examples of alternative energy. They are all crazy ideas. They are way different than coal, oil, and natural gas.


 There are many well known sources to provide us with energy such as wind turbines, solar energy, thermal, and more. You might be thinking they are the only sources of energy. However, not many know that there are other very weird alternative energy sources. Some of the alternatives are using watermelon juice, turkey guts, urine and human waste, garbage, onions, viruses, alcohol, and chocolate. A lot of people never would of thought of  using these objects. If you thought some of the regularly used energy source were weird already, you should be in for a surprise.

   You would normally think of watermelon as just a source of food. Now it is possible to use it as energy. It can now be a source for biofuel. Scientist have said that imperfect watermelons can be used to be fermented into ethanol. Don't worry about wasting the watermelons because since they are imperfect we would have just ignored them or not have used them anyway. Next, we can use turkey guts as energy. They are used to make oil. Just think after Thanksgiving you can use your turkey to make oil. A company called Changing World Technologies use turkey guts, feet, intestines, and rotting heads to make oil. However, this type of alternative energy needs to be refined before it becomes well known. It may be gross but yes we can use human and animal waste as a source of energy. It is used for buses to run on in Norway. The name is called biomethane. Also cow waste could one day power homes. Then, there is urine powered batteries. This would be a easy way to provide energy. Garbage can be used to provide electricity as well but it is a controversial topic because it isn't necessarily clean and it can pollute the air. Onion can also be a source for energy because the juice can be made into fuel. A farmer has tried this and save $700,000 off their electric bill because the farmer used the onion juice in his refrigerator and lighting. Another interesting source is viruses in a computer. You can use it to charge lithium-iron batteries. As weird and disgusting as it sounds you can use dead bodies to keep you warm. In a Swedish town they use dead bodies to produce heat. Then, we have alcohol. We can use it to be created into methane which can be used to fuel biogas-powered vehicles. Finally we have chocolate that can be an alternative. It is not necessarily chocolate that is used but the cocoa bean shells. It is mixed with coal to be made into fuel.  All of these sources are very different then the source taught in school and are unheard of.


Opinion/Reflection: I am extremely shocked from reading about all of these alternative energy sources. This information could be really helpful in the future if something were to happen to our other sources. I just want to know how scientist find this stuff out. I never would of guessed that these objects would be used for energy. I think it is kind of gross being heated using dead bodies and using human waste as energy sources. I wonder if there are problems with any of these or if it is just as good as the energy source we use regularly. I like how most of the alternative energy sources are wastes so we would not be losing anything if we used them.


Questions:
1) Out of these alternative energy sources, which one would you want to use? Why?

2) Do you think any of these could actually be a legitimate energy source in the future? Why or why not?

3) Which one of these alternative energy source do you think could cause problems? Why?

Desalination of Ocean Water

Desalination: Drink a Cup of Seawater? By: Howard Perlman 3/9/12

http://ga.water.usgs.gov/edu/drinkseawater.html

Picture:

This picture shows the process of desalination. This what goes on to make seawater drinkable. There are many of desalination plants in the world.

Summary:

Humans are only able to drink fresh water. However, out of the water in the world only 3% of it is fresh water. Soon there will be no longer any fresh water in the world and there needs to be another source of water we can drink. This issue will affect our population and world stability. Fortunately, there is a solution which is making salt water drinkable for humans. This process is called desalination. 

97% of the world is made up of salt water and that is plenty of water to last a very long time. To be exact the ocean water contains 35,000 ppm (parts per million) of salt. It may seem like desalination is a new process but it was actually used long ago when people would travel using ships. We just upgraded their way of doing it. Now we have factories for it. The factories actually use a similar version of the hydrologic cycle. Water evaporates from lakes, rivers, streams, and other surface water from the sun and is turned into water vapor where it interacts with cool air. This makes it re-condense and make rain. That is what is tried to be duplicated in factories. In 2002 there were 12,500 desalination plants in the world. This shows that we've taken some action to try to prevent from having no fresh water to drink. There places in the world that are considered major users of desalination which are the Middle East and North Africa. The Middle East has 70% of the worlds population and North Africa has 6%. With more than 76% of the world using desalinated water, it should not be long before more starts to use it.

Opinion/Reflection:

I did not know that there was more than 76% of the world using desalinated water. I honestly didn't realize how severe of a problem this was. It would be scary if there was no more fresh water in the world and I hope that day never comes. I also didn't know that there is desalination in the hydrologic cycle. A lot of this information is new to me and gives me a new insight on the availability of our drinking water. I hope that desalination doesn't lead to any problems. If this is what we need to have fresh water I am all for it. 

Questions:

1. Do you think desalination could lead to any future issues? Explain.

2. What do you think would happen if there was no longer any fresh water?

3. How much of a problem is the availability of fresh water to you? Explain.

4. Do you feel this is a waste of money? Why?

Unsafe school water

School Drinking Water Unsafe

http://www.cbsnews.com/2100-204_162-5338720.html

 

Picture:  To the left the picture is taken in Cauchero of 2 bowls of water.  The bowl to the left is the school water and the water to the right is bottles water.  You can see how the bottled water is much clearer then the school water. 

Summary:  In the last decade, the drinking waters at many schools across the country have had unsafe levels of lead, pesticides and dozens of other toxins.  An Associates Press investigated both private and public schools in every state in the U.S. and found that contaminants have surfaced in small towns and inner cities alike.  Most of the appearances of contaminants occur at schools that have their own water wells but this is 8 to 11 percent of schools all around the nation.  About every 1 and 5 schools with their own drinking water have violated the Safe Drinking Water Act in the past decade, according to the data from the Environmental Protection Agency analyzed by the AP.  Some schools in California with their own wells have such contaminated water from pesticides that children stuff their backpacks with water bottles so they don’t have to drink from the water fountains from fear of getting sick.  But not only schools with wells have contaminants, but schools that draw water from public utilities, in schools with lead-soldered pipes, and schools that get water from local utilities.  All of these can also be very hazardous and can contaminate the water.   This also affects children much more than it would to adults.  The contaminants found in the water is especially dangerous to the children because children need more water per pound than adults and they are much more vulnerable to the substances and the substances will have a much more hazardous effect on them.  The water in 100 school districts and 2,250 schools breached the federal safety standards.

Opinion/Reflection:  After reading this article it really shocked me.  I never knew that there could be so much contaminants in the water I drink every day and that is very concerning.  To know that the water in our schools might not be safe for us is scary.  When learning that they have conducted research is all 50 states and finding contaminants in the waters for each state is very awful and something needs to be done about it.  This is a very personal topic for me and I can really relate to it because I go to school every day and drink the water there and never thought twice about it.  But now after reading this article it made me much more cautious to drink the water and now I will be much more hesitant to drink it.  I hope soon they will eradicate this problem so that parents and children won’t have to worry about getting sick from the water.

Questions:

1.        Do you think this problem will ever be fixed?  Why?

2.       Do you think there is enough being done to prevent the contaminants getting in the water?

3.       After reading this article has it made you more hesitant to drink the water in your school?  Why?

4.       Why do you think this problem hasn’t been taken care of before?



Contaminated Water-Corey Milewski

1.8 billion people still drinking contaminated water
By: ANI
Published On: March 24, 2012
URL for article: http://www.newstrackindia.com/newsdetails/2012/03/24/319-1-8-bln-people-still-drinking-contaminated-water.html

Picture: This is a picture of a person that is drinking contaminated water. 

Summary: At the University of North Carolina they have done research on peoples drinking water. They believe that more people are drinking contaminated water then headlines suggests. A goal was launched to improve drinking water but UNC's study has estimated that about 1.8 billion people still consume contaminated water. This number is over 1 billion more people that headlines mentions. People think that if water is coming from an improved source it is clean, but by the time they drink that water it will be contaminated. Out of 5.8 people that have water from pipes UNC's study estimates that 1 billion people are still receiving contaminated water. A lot of water sources have been improved but a lot more has to be done. 

Opinion: I have never thought about what is in the water I am drinking. After reading this I am shocked to see how many people are consuming contaminated water. I always walk to my sink and get a glass of water but I never stop and think if its clean. This article made me think if my tap water is clean. I think it is good that people are trying to improve water sources and I hope to see that number go down. This article opened my mind to a different issue in the United States. 

Questions: 

1. Do you think this issue needs to be taken care of soon? why? 

2. Have you ever asked yourself about the water you are drinking? what were your thoughts? 

3. What do you think drinking contaminated water can do to you in the future? explain. 

Clean Drinking Water-Jen Cader

http://allafrica.com/stories/201203211311.html

Picture: This is a picture of two boys from Africa drinking the only clean water that is available to them.

Summary: There are more than 800 million people worldwide that do not have access to clean drinking water. Over 200 million women have wasted hours upon hours each day collecting as much clean drinking water they can. Both the Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) and The Coca-Cola Company are trying their hardest to find new ways to supply clean drinking water to the millions that lack it each day. Water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) are improving the way less fortunate live by investing in clean water and sanitation. This leads the improvements in health, school attendance, productivity and entrepreneurship for children in Africa and other third-world countries. $793 million has been invested into WASH projects by the MCC in nine countries. This investment obviously demonstrates the demand for clean drinking water if they are spending that much money on it. MCC CEO, Daniel Yohannes says, “There is a link between MCC’s mission to reduce poverty through economic growth and our commitment to expand access to water and sanitation for the world’s poor. The bottom line is that improved access to clean water and reliable sanitation improves lives. We can’t afford not to invest in water and sanitation. True to the MCC principle of country-owned, led-, designed-, and implemented development solutions, more and more of our partners worldwide are seeking investments in water and sanitation.”

Opinion/Reflection: I think the fact that there are more than 800 million people in the world that do not have access to clean drinking water is a very appalling statistic. To think that someone could go through their day without a drink of clean water is very sad. Many Americans do not live like this, and I am grateful, but it is awful that people have to live like that. Although people do live like this, there are always people willing to help. What MCC and The Coca-Cola Company did to help these people was very kind. It is crazy to think that MCC spent $793 million on investments into the WASH project. This really goes to show the need for clean water in other areas of the world.

Questions:

1. Do you think you would put all of your time and effort into helping people who lack clean drinking water?

2. Why aren’t we informed about this in the media very often because it is clearly a big issue?

3. What are some ways you can help people who lack clean drinking water?

4. Do you think this could happen to America soon?  Why or why not?

Mercury In Water

 

Mercury Found in Fish From San Francisco water Supply

By: Kelly Zito

July 7th 2010

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2010/07/06/MNU41E4CR4.DTL

Summary: At Lower Crystal Springs Reservoir in San Francisco, the dangerous toxic was found in a fish that they were testing. This is very dangerous because this reservoir supplies drinking water to citizens. Mercury can cause development issues and brain, lung and kidney problems. They tested 300 fishing lakes in California and 21% of the lakes contained at least one fish with mercury inside it's body. Many of the lakes in California, such as Almaden Lake, have fish with mercury in their body and it is very dangerous for people to eat the fish they catch. Some people believe that the mercury is coming from the coal-fired plants in China. These are major sources of mercury pollution. Scientists are doing their best to reduce the mercury levels in these waterways. 

Reflection: This article surprised me very much. I think scientists should have already known about the harmful toxin because it is very dangerous and is harming many citizens. The one think that really stood out to me was that China is producing this mercury. They need to be more careful about what they are doing because it is getting into public waterways. Also, it surprised me that 21% of the lakes contained mercury. I really hope that the mercury in the water begins to reduce so we don't have to worry about it anymore.

1. Do you think it is all China's fault that there is mercury in the water? Why?

2. Do you think the scientists are doing enough to stop this? 

3. What can people do to try and reduce the mercury in lakes?