Hi there'd welcome back to my blog. Today i'm going to be taking about wetlands and Save the Bay. Last week my class and I visited a Wetland located in Palo Alto California with a program called Save the Bay. Save the Bay is an organization that focuses on restoring wetlands in the area. In order to do this they monitor the growth of invasive and native species at the site. When I asked Siris (the group leader and employee of Save the Bay) what other activities he did to restore the wetlands he said that they planted native species and weeded out the invasive species. Although I did not do this on the field trip, my group and I had the chance to monitor the did PH level, solidity, moisture, and a few other things. We did have to repeat this at five different locations on the bank. The first was closest to the water and the fifth was closest to the pathway. Before we started monitoring as a class be came up with a hypothesis that the biodiversity would decrease as we continued to investigate the land closest to the pathway. When my class visited the wetland we were in charge of monitoring the side that was unrestored so there was a lot of room for improvement. In my opinion the most important thing that the people from Save the Bay should work on is continuing to plant more native species and weed out the invasive species. It's really important that more people become aware of this great organization and volunteer because wetlands are decreasing in California. Wetlands are extremely rich in biodiversity. Many different plants and animals live in places like wetlands. Below I will attach sketch notes that I made while watching a Save the Bay movie. I hope you all enjoyed reading this blog post and I hope you b become interesting in the Save the Bay movement! See you next time.
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Hi there and happy Wednesday!
I can already tell that this blog post is going to be one of my favorites because I'm very passionate about the topic. Ever since I can remember my mom would only serve me organic foods and try her hardest to stay away GMOs. Now that I'm older, choose what I want to eat, and have the ability to drive anywhere to get food, I've noticed that the habits my mom had and still has have been passed down to me. The idea of eating unnatural products really bothers me because I try to keep my system at it healthiest. Although, every so often I find myself indulging in something that I probably shouldn't be, but hey, everyone deserves a little cheat day! Currently in my Environmental Science and Action I and II class we are studying land use and agriculture. For example, a few topics we have touched on are the Green Revolution, sustainable agriculture, agriculture across the U.S. and low income countries, technology and its impact on food, and of course GM foods. The first thing I want to talk about is how technology has impacted how food is grown in the world. New discoveries are being made as technology has advanced over the years. For example, scientists have found a way to create meat without actually killing an animal, this is also a perfect example of genetically modified food. Certain cells are put together in order to grow this meat that is edible for humans. Without advancements in technology created meat without killing an animal would not be possible. The topic of creating meat through science goes hand in hand with the benefits and drawbacks or GMO foods. A few positives are the seeds can become resistant to pests meaning there is a lower risk of crop failure, people living in countries without access to nutrition-rich foods will have access, less machinery, time, and chemicals are used which helps save the environment, and lastly by genetically modifying foods scientists have the ability to put more nutrition in them. A few negatives are GMO's pose significant allergy risks, pesticides can become resistant to the gene mutation and kill entire crops. Thanks for reading. See you next time :) LD Hi everyone and welcome back to my blog!
Today is my first day back from winter break and my first day as a second semester senior! I cannot believe 2018 is already here, time really does fly. I had a great winter break filled with laughter, love, friends and family. My family and I didn't travel, instead we spent a lot of time going on hikes and going places we had never been before. My favorite hike we did as a family was Devils Slide because the views were breathtaking. Another thing I did over break was celebrate Christmas, like many others do. Each year my mom, dad, and I host the party on Christmas for my dads side of the family. It was great to see my cousins, aunts, and uncles, we always have a great time. I've set a few goals that I would like to accomplish and keep in mind throughout all of 2018. My first goal is to become the best version of myself especially before going to college. I want to be at my healthiest and happiest by the time the next school year comes around. My second goal is to cherish every moment I have with my loved ones. Going to college will be a huge change so it's important for me to take life day by day and be grateful for everything. I've also set a goal for the environment. I hope that people come together this year and come up with a plan for the future in regards to habitat, animals, people, nature, and even technology. There are so many changes that need to be made and the new year is the perfect time to do so. I'm really looking forward to achieving my goals this year as well as seeing where life takes me. Going to college is what I consider to be one of the few life changing milestones that I will experience in just a few short months. I plan on keeping my heart, mind, and soul open as I go through 2018. I hope everyone is optimistic about the New Year, I can already sense it's going to be amazing. Best of luck to everyone in following their goals. Sincerely, Lizzi Welcome back everyone,
My Environmental Science Class and I recently watched a documentary called Blue Gold: Water Wars. The film touched on four different topics: factors causing the water crisis, politics, water wars, and solution to the water crisis. I learned a great deal of information from all four of the topics, but I learned the most interesting facts in water wars and politics. I answered two questions from the water wars section. The first question I answered was, "in what way are people fighting over water?". Lets look at the company General Electric (GE). GE goes to places that have a lots of water divert it and take it for themselves, putting farmers out of work. Big corporations similar to General Electric are doing the same thing. Another question I answered was, "What actions has our military or national guard take to protect the water supply?". The documentary said that the military and national guard are securing future sources of water. For example the United States has put a military base outside of Paraguay, South America to protect a large body of water that could one day be used for drinking water. The next section I answered questions from is politics. The first question was about whether or not it is better for water to be owned by private corporations, government, or jointly owned and operated. The documentary stated that it's better for water to be jointly own and operated because its cheaper for the public, private companies have a harder time finding pipes, and private industries result in individual income. The second question I answered was, "what conditions must be present for corruption to occur?". In order for corruption to occur a corporation must be making a profit, going out and finding water, then taking it. I learned a lot through watching the Blue Gold: Water Wars documentary and I highly recommend it for anyone who is interested in learning more about the water crisis. Thank you for watching, see you next time. LD Welcome back!
Last week my classmates and I took a field trip to the San Jose Tech Museum to view the Body Worlds exhibit. It was extremely interesting and exciting because I had never seen anything like it before. The exhibit consisted of preserved human bodies that were specifically donated for science researching purposes and human organs which showed diseases. There were many different body systems that I was given the opportunity to explore. This included the muscular system, nervous system, respiratory system, cardiovascular system, digestive system, urinary system as well as the male and female reproductive system. I learned a few interesting things while reading about the urinary system. Prior to this experience I knew that the kidneys filtered excess water and waste, regulated blood volume, pressure and acidity levels, but I didn't know that kidneys also have the ability to control the levels of electrolytes. While I was looking at the exhibit I made a connection the environmental science: human waste and the impact it has on the earth. It's important for waste to be disposed of properly because the nutrients are put back into the environment after being filtered, but there are still some harsh chemicals that have a negative impact. Overall I had a positive experience at the Body Worlds Exhibit. I would recommend this to people who are interested in learning more about the human body and are okay with seeing preserved human bodies. I was a little uncomfortable viewing the bodies at first, but eventually I warmed up to it. If parents choose to bring their children to the exhibit I feel that they should be at least 10 years old and have an understanding about what they will be seeing. Pictures will be attached below! Thanks for reading. Lizzi The Project Green Challenge is 31 days through the month of October that teaches you how to be "greener". I was hesitant prior to starting because I had no clue what to expect, but now that the challenge is over I realize how much I learned and how fun it was. My favorite challenge that I completed was Day 12. On day 12 I learned all about pollination and how important pollinators are to living things. This was my favorite challenge because I had to take a picture of a honey bee pollinating a plant and then share it on social media. I'm really glad that I was given the opportunity to do this challenge because of how much I learned in the end about being green. Below I have attached my social media post of a bee pollinating a flower and a link to my favorite challenge. https://projectgreenchallenge.com/2017-day-12-biodiversity/ -LD Hi everyone,
This past Monday, October 30, my classmates and I went on a field trip to Ocean Beach in San Francisco where we participated in collecting data for the NOAA Marine Debris Program. The Marine Debris program created the monitoring and assessment project specifically for debris that washes to shore. The NOAA is one of very few programs that allows volunteers who don't have a special background in science to collect data which will be used for their experiments. On the field trip our class was divided into groups and given specific sections of the beach to collect data from. My group and I carefully looked around our section and picked up any pieces of plastic, paper, wood cut by a person, rubber, and anything else that wasn't supposed to be there. After my group members or I picked up a piece of trash I had the job of keeping a tally of what specific products were found on a chart given to us by NOAA. This chart also required us to note what the weather was like. All of the information that was gathered is now going to help the NOAA learn more about marine debris. Data from my group and my classmates will be compiled and analyzed which will help them figure out where the most debris is coming from then how to eliminate it. Once we finished gathering trash I was surprised to see how much we had collected in such a small section of the beach. I can only imagine how much trash covers the rest. In the future I would like to see more organizations like NOAA to find an end to marine debris. Thank you for reading! -LD Hi all! Welcome back to my blog. Today we are going to be discussing a very important topic, caring for the environment. Specifically we will be going over Pope Francis's second encyclical "Laudato Si".
"Laudato Si" was published on June 18, 2015 and is more formally known as "On Care for Our Common Home". This book is centered around a topic that is talked about regularly in our society today: every human being appreciating, loving, and caring for the environment that we live in. But, what makes this book so different is the perspective that it is spoken in. Unlike most discussions regarding the environment, Pope Francis looks at this issue from a spiritual point of view. Pope Francis states, “We are not God. The earth was here before us and it has been given to us…. Although it is true that we Christians have at times incorrectly interpreted the Scriptures, nowadays we must forcefully reject the notion that our being created in God’s image and given dominion over the earth justifies absolute domination over other creatures. The biblical texts are to be read in their context, with an appropriate hermeneutic, recognizing that they tell us to ‘till and keep’ the garden of the world (cf. Gen 2:15). ’Tilling’ refers to cultivating, ploughing or working, while ‘keeping’ means caring, protecting, overseeing and preserving. This implies a relationship of mutual responsibility between human beings and nature. Each community can take from the bounty of the earth whatever it needs for subsistence, but it also has the duty to protect the earth and to ensure its fruitfulness for coming generations” (#67). In this passage Pope Francis clearly states that a strong relationship exists between God and science. God created the Earth and intended for the humans living on it to show respect, but global warming, consumerism, overpopulation, and hatred among people proves that humans are not showing respect for the Earth and each other. I found Pope Francis's encyclical extremely interesting and I agree with much of what he said. I understand his point of view with religion being connected to the environment, and I think his point is very respected even for those who are not religious. I've always been very passionate about the environment and plan on contributing more. In my opinion the best way to do this is by motivating other to make a contribution with me. Thank you for reading. -LD |
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