Extra Credit

Chasing Ice Chasing Ice was a movie I watched in my environmental class to receive extra credit. This movie was about a photographer named James Balog who wanted to capture climate change as it was happening. He wanted to prove that climate change is happening by capturing it on camera. He wanted to get videos of the ice melting as it was happening to show people we do have a climate change problem. He wanted visual evidence as stated in the movie. The movie stated he wanted to capture what humanity was doing to the world in a big perspective. James Balog started his project called Extreme Ice Survey by visiting the Solhiem Glacier in Iceland. The glacier resided six feet when he saw it break down. James Balog caught on camera his first glacier to disappear on camera. He then proceeded to put cameras in different places to see how glaciers melted and how they changed throughout a period f time. When he started it was in April of 2006 and went back t check the cameras he located in October. He wanted to see how things changed in a six month period, but when he went back he was disappointed that his hard work failed. Some of the cameras broke down and were no good. The cameras he used did not capture what he wanted because they stopped working, but this did not stop him. He then got some stronger cameras and started again. According to the movie, he installed five cameras in Iceland, five in Alaska and two in Montana. Six months later he went back to check up on the new cameras and they worked. They were recording what was happening during a six month period. At this time he was watching glaciers residing and thinning over time. He saw them melting into the ocean. According to the movie, he saw glaciers dying in Iceland in a period of three years starting from 2006 to 2009. He then started showing his findings to people to prove that global warming does exist. He also wanted to go back to the first glacier he saw melt to see how it was doing. The movie ended when his people recorded a glacier break down. His people waited to see what was happening to the glacier they watched it for weeks. Then one day it started melting and breaking down. They caught it on camera. The Solheim Glacier was described by his people like Manhattan breaking apart. His people caught the event on camera and said it was the biggest calving event on tape. It was awesome to see the glacier melting and the movie stated that the calving lasted about seventy five minutes. James Balog was happy to see all this events happening, but he was sad at the same time because he was worried about what he saw happening to the world.

Synthesis Blob 12

In my environmental class I was asked what are the most important environmental issues today. I think climate change, plastic pollution, and destruction of biodiversities are the most important issues today. Climate change is a big issue today because it is getting worse every year. We are losing many species in the colder areas of the earth because of it. For example, the polar bears are endangered and nothing is being done to save them. They just keep being put on the endangered list and then taken off. The ice is melting destroying their home and making hard for them to hunt. Another example, climate change is a problem because it is causing coral bleaching. In addition, plastic pollution is a problem today. We use so much plastic for everything, but so much plastic is polluting our earth and killing species. Plastic does not biodegrade it just breaks down into smaller pieces. Plastics kill species that eat the plastic. For example, the sea turtles think that a plastic bag in the water is jelly fish and they die because they eat it and it blocks their stomach. Plastic should be banned. Furthermore, the destruction of biodiversities is a big issue today. Many species are dying because their homes are being destroyed. They are being destroyed because people are trying to get the natural resources. People are cutting down trees and pushing other species to move out of their homes. Some species that can’t adapt will die and no longer exist according to natural selection. Some species that do adapt might adapt other traits. Biodiversity in some places of the world are not rich in evenness because of the invasive species caused by destruction of land and because of human impact. Some invasive species can cause the destruction of another species. For example, the brown tree snake eating the birds and eliminating the bird species. Biodiversity is important. In our society today, we can start being more aware of climate change. We can maybe try do fund environmental engineering to try and reduce the high levels of carbon dioxide. We should also try to find other ways to get our oil, coal and natural gas in a way that it would not release any more carbon dioxide. I am up for trying anything, but most important reducing what we do to cause climate change instead of just putting a band aid over it. Also, society can band plastics in order to help the environment. We should not just band it in some places of the world, but we should band it worldwide. We should also promote reusable bags. Society should try to help clean up plastic pollutions we have caused, so no more species get affected. Another thing society should do is stop destroying habitats and biodiversity. People should find other ways to get their natural resources. There should be a law that states that people can longer use plastics and can no longer impact habitats and biodiversity. If this was implemented maybe our environment would not be in jeopardy. As individual I think I should let the people around know about these issues. I think I should also lead by example and try to show that I too I am making changes to help my environment. I think also as an individual I can learn more and get involve with people who are helping the environment, so I can take an initiative towards sustainability. One thing I really been thinking about doing is stop using plastic and bottle waters. I think plastic does a lot of damage to our environment and ourselves. Lastly, another important thing I learned this semester was that we waste a lot food and make a lot of trash. This also causes damage to our environment because we are buying or throwing lots of food to the trash. That is considered to be wasting food. That food ends up in landfills while other people are starving.

Extra Credit

Waste Land Waste Land is a movie I had to watch for extra credit in my environmental class. This Movie was about an artist that wanted to make a difference in the Brazil landfills. This artist name is Vik Muniz. He is an artist that uses different materials to make art. For example, he has used diamonds, wire, string, chocolate syrup, peanut butter and other materials. He likes to make deceiving images. Vik Muniz wanted to work with people who worked in the Rio landfill. He wanted to make a difference. He wanted to make art and change people’s lives. In the movie he said he wanted to change people’s lives using the same material they worked with everyday. His focused was to work with pickers from the landfill. He worked with about six people that were pickers at the landfill. In the movie these people at the beginning they did not know what Muniz was doing and why he was filming them and wanted to know about their work and lifestyle. Most of the people he filmed did not like working as a picker at the landfill, but they had to do it for a living. They get paid twenty to twenty five dollars a day. Most people thought that their job was disgusting and that they did not want their kids working in the landfills like they do. The pickers at the landfill have to pick out the different kinds of materials from the trash and had to separate them. The women would always go for the plastic and the materials that are not so heavy for them to carry. The pickers would all agree that picking waste was not a job they wanted to do, but it provided for their familiar. Muniz photographed and filmed the pickers. He took individual pictures of the pickers and took their pictures and put them in a studio where they could see their pictures on the ground. The pickers were able to see their pictures and they put trash on the pictures. They traced their pictures with trash the materials they worked with everyday and Muniz photographed them when they were done. He put those pictures in a gallery to sell and gave the money from the pictures back to the pickers. The picker’s lives did change after they worked with Muniz. They didn’t think they could make art with trash from the landfill. It also made them be proud of their job and what they did. For some it made them have more confident and made them see that they were doing something big to save the environment. They were the ones recycling for the other people that didn’t. In the end of the movie, everyone was happy they worked with Muniz and everyone did something different with the money they receive from their photographs that were sold at the gallery. Muniz gave everyone a copy of their own photograph. Some people after the experience went through changes in their lives. One of the ladies opened a restaurant and stopped working at the landfill. Another woman also stopped working at the landfill and told all her family she worked at the landfill. At the beginning of the movie she said she was ashamed of working there, but by the end of the movie she was proud of her job. She still wanted a better job to be with her son. Another person opened a library near his home because he wanted people to be educated. In the end, most people left the landfill anyways because the landfill closed in 2012. The sad part was that many lost their jobs.

Extra Credit

Tapped Tapped is a movie I had to watch for my environmental class to receive extra credit. This movie was about tap water and water bottle. The video stated that by 2030 some places of the world will run out of water. This is because big companies like Nestle, Coke and Pepsi are going into towns taking the residents water. They are doing this to make profit out of bottle water. In the movie residents of Fryeburg County they have trying to fight with Nestle. They want Nestle to stop pumping their water. In Maine they have a law that states that whoever has the biggest pump, they can take the water and the residents are trying to change this. They are running out of water and it makes them upset that big corporations keep pumping. The residents tried to make a deal with Nestle. Residents wanted them to pay at least taxes for the water they were taking and Nestle said, “No.” Another thing that makes people upset in the movie, is that big corporations are pumping municipal water and bottling it up and then selling it for a higher price. People say they are buying their water the one that they pumped out of their own town. Communities want to have ownership of their water supply. They want to protect their water. The movie also states that the earth’s surface has seventy five percent of water, but it is sad to say that only one percent is drinkable. Another big issue that the movie talked about is that big corporations try to sell water bottles to make profit, but they do not let people know that water bottles are not that safe. This is because they are made of plastic and plastic is not good for us and the environment. Plastic chemicals have many affects to us and the environment. Also the move stated that bottle waters are not regulated like municipal tap water is. Tap water is tested, while bottle water is not and companies are not obligated to put the reports of their products to see like others do. Some people of the movie were saddened to see so many people trust bottle water instead of water that has been tested. This is because people do not know what gets into their after they are put in plastic. Plastic is bad it is made out of PET or PETE. These chemicals are not good for us. The movie also talked about how the water bottles end up in landfills or in the ocean. Plastic water bottles kill species because they eat the plastic. The movie stated that thirty million bottles end up in the landfills. People buy so many water bottles and don’t recycle them. This also is bad and affects the environment. The movie stated that big corporations try to get people to recycle the bottle. The Corporations support curve side recycling, but reality is more than half of the people do not get curve side recycling. The movie really advocated that we should get rid of plastic water bottles in general. They cost too much, they are not good for the environment and us the people.

Energy

In our environmental class we had to reduce as much energy as we could for a day. This means we had to stop using our phones and using our cars. Also, that means we had to minimize using hot water, lots of lighting, computer and a/c heater. I started my activity on Friday morning and it continued until Saturday morning. On Friday, I had to use my car for work. I only used two times that day. I drove to work and then back. In addition, I didn’t use my phone at all for the twenty four hours. It was hard at the beginning of my day, but I did it. The next day I had so many texts and people were wondering what happened to me. By the end of the twenty four hours I felt good that I didn’t have a phone. I felt relaxed that I didn’t have to answer my text and notifications all day. The other hard part was not using my computer. I have a lot of work to do and I got behind because I didn’t work on anything for a day, but it felt good to have a day off. Also, having to try to shower with cold water was something I could not do. I like my hot water and showers it relaxes me and would not change it for the world. Except when I do laundry I usually wash with cold water anyways, so that was easy for me to do. Another thing that was easy for me to do was to dry my clothes outside by hanging them. I am Mexican and I grew up drying my clothes outside. I did not have to change that. I hardly ever use the dryer. Another thing I did not have trouble with was using a/c. Only if it was really hot I would use it, but on Friday it was a little chilly at night and in the morning. I didn’t have to use a/c, so I had not problem in this area. One thing I need to practice on and even tell my husband to do as well was to turn off the lights of the rooms we were not using them. It was it constant reminder for us, but I tried hard. I know I walk into one room turn on the light and then walk to another room and do the same. I think by the end of the day I did okay. I felt okay making some changes it was hard for some of them, but I ended up doing it in the end. Like I stated before, I could never give up my long showers and warm showers. I work and go to school and that relaxes me at the end of the day. Another thing I could not do without is leaving my phone and car. For one day I only used my car twice, but on a regular basis I couldn’t especially with the hot weather. I cannot see myself riding a bike to work and night school. My phone is my Everything. I use it for everything. I don’t know people’s numbers by memory, so it helps me a lot with that and how to find places where I need to go. I also I check all my emails and sent emails with my phone. For one day it did felt good to disconnect from world, but I could not on a regular basis. Also, I don’t think I can stop using my computer and do most of my work on it and I need it just like I need my phone. On the other hand, I can change turning off the lights and appliances I am not using. I think one thing I can cut back that I been thinking about since we started talking about pollutants has been plastic. It’s been on my mind and I pay more attention of how much plastic I bring to my home and how it impacts our environment. I noticed for small things I buy at the store I collect so many unneeded plastic bags. I think in the future I will try to not use plastics anymore. Another thing I can do to help the environment is just really make sure I turn off all the things I’m not using at home and to also maybe start using more natural resources. One way I can increase energy efficiency at home is by switching to solar panels. Also by opening windows for cool air rather than a/c I think I reduce my energy. I also think switching to energy efficient lighting would be something I can do.

Field Trip To Amy's Farm

Field Trip to Amy’s farm On Saturday May seventeenth our class went on a field trip to Amy’s Farm. While there I learned that the farm has many different animals. For example, they have cows, horses, ducks, chickens, sheep, pigs, goats, and cats. Some of the animals are part of a petting zoo not for consumption. They also have turkeys, but only during Thanksgiving time. I also learned that only some animals are for slaughter at the farm. For example, turkeys and pigs are slaughtered at the farm when people want to take home to eat after they purchased the animal. Not all the pigs are killed some are kept in the farm to make more pigs. In addition, it was interesting to find out that anyone can care for the cows and have some of their milk. If you contribute to food and care for cows, the guide said you can do what you please with milk. I also learned that the cows there are milked daily. Glenda is one the cows from the farm and she makes about three to four gallons of milk a day. Donut is another of the cows there and is a smaller cow and she makes about two gallons a day. The farm also has Angus beef cows. Some of the cows are that raised at Amy’s Farm are owned by families or restaurants. They feed the cows grass no soy or corn. Also, Amy’s Farm grows produce. The farm has fruit trees, tomatoes, strawberries, kale, spinach, and many more. The farm has twelve avocado trees and also nectarines. All the seeds they use are purebred. Our tour guide said that some of the produce goes to restaurants from the community. I The farm is privately owned and it raises money to preserve land for agriculture. They use spin farming. They take up as much space as they can to grow. According to our tour guide,” Every time they plant the soil gets better.” People could also have a plot of land at the farm. Guide said it cost about fifteen dollars a month to have a plot. The farm has many volunteers that come and work here. Anyone is welcomed to go to the farm for visit or to volunteer. Overall, it was a great experienced. I enjoyed the field trip and learned a lot. I would want to go back again. It was interesting to find out many things a farm can do.

In my environmental science class I was asked to talk about climate change. I was asked to look at certain websites to find information and then answer three questions. These are the following websites I am supposed to use to answer three questions. Climate Change at the National Academies http://nas-sites.org/americasclimatechoices/ United States EPA Climate Change Site: http://www.epa.gov/climatechange/index.html United Nations Climate Change Information Kit: http://unfccc.int/resource/iuckit/cckit2001en.pdf Center for Climate and Energy Solutions http://www.c2es.org/ Yale Project on Climate Change Communication http://environment.yale.edu/climate/ These are the questions I am supposed to answer: - According to evidence, is the climate changing right now? - What does evidence say about humans’ roles in the changing climate? - How is climate change likely to affect our society and our world? Now this is what I found: 1. According to the evidence right now and the United States EPA Climate Change Site, “Temperatures are rising, snow and rainfall patterns are shifting, and more extreme climate events.” Also the site states that we are having “heavy rainstorms and high temperatures that are already affecting society and ecosystems.” 2. Evidence says that humans are speeding up climate change. According to the evidence from the United States EPA Climate Change Site, says “changes in the climate can be linked to the increase in greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, caused largely by people burning fossil fuels to generate electricity, heat and cool buildings, and power vehicles.” 3. Climate change is likely to affect our society and our world having “an increase or decrease rainfall, influence agricultural crop yields, affect human health, cause changes to forests and other ecosystems, or even impact our energy supply (United States EPA Climate Change Site).” Also according to the United Nations Climate Change Information Kit Site, “Food security is unlikely to be threatened at the global level, but some regions are likely to experience food shortages and hunger. Water resources will be affected as precipitation an evaporation patterns change around the world.” Also I was asked to look up why some people are skeptical about climate change. I found out that people are skeptical about climate change because according to the Heartlands Institute Website, “Climate is always changing, and every scientist knows this. Our emissions and alterations of the landscape are surely having impacts on climate, though they are often local or regional (like heat islands) and small relative to natural variation.” Also, the Heartland Institute Website says, and “concluded concern over the possibility of catastrophic global warming was being manufactured to advance a political agenda. We then took upon ourselves the task of publicizing the scientific uncertainty behind the global warming scare and documenting the high costs of reducing greenhouse gas emissions – economic costs as well as the loss of freedom.” I agree with most of the websites listed above and I know that we do have a problem. I think that the pollution we create has a lot to do with climate change. I also think that all the oil and chemical runoffs causes climate change. All the chemicals evaporate into the atmosphere and cause the climate to change. I also think that if the world continues the way it is there might be a lot of problems in the future. I think we can face a food scare and I think we will also lose many species. Specially, animals in the ocean will be affected. I learned that climate change causes coral bleaching. I think in the future climate change will make many species extinct in all parts of the world not just in the hot spots. In fifty years I think the Earth will have a limit of resources we can use due to climate change. Works Cited United States EPA Climate Change Site: http://www.epa.gov/climatechange/index.html United Nations Climate Change Information Kit: http://unfccc.int/resource/iuckit/cckit2001en.pdf http://heartland.org/ideas/global-warming-not-crisis

Blog 9 Favorite Food

In my environmental science class I was asked to research a food I like to eat a lot. I choose to research my favorite Veggie Sticks. Veggie sticks has many ingredients. For example, they are made out of potato flour, expeller pressed safflower oil, rice flour, tomato powder, spinach powder, salt, beet, powder. The label on the back says it has all natural ingredients, nothing genetically modified, no trans fat, and gluten free ingredients. I was not able to find where they are made. I wanted to call the company and ask, but the product does not have any number where you can reach them at or website. The product labels say it is organic and that all ingredients are natural. It does not say if it was grown or raised. I tried researching it and I had no luck. The product is considered to be veggie chips. I also found out that according to the label in the back this product is manufactured with soy, wheat, and milk derivatives. The label also says it is distributed in Grandville, MI. It gives an address to the place where they are distributed. I could not find anything that says who produced it, or manufactured it. Online I cannot find any type of information besides ingredients just like on the label. I had no luck finding any type of information that would tell me what kind of impact the product produces. The only thing that I can think of is that it does have an impact to the environment because it comes in a bag like regular chips. Also, I think that it does have an impact to the environment because it is distributed in another city and state and it is brought to California. Therefore, it causes pollution because most likely they are brought in big trucks that release pollution into the air. In addition, according to Livestrong Website, veggie chips are not as healthy as we think. They do reduce in fat, but they are not healthy because you get a good amount of sodium. People still need to watch the amount of intake from the veggie chips. It is only a small difference between veggie chips and regular chips. Livestrong Website says, “veggie chips contains 134 calories and 6.6 grams of fat, of which 0.5 gram is saturated and potato chips contains 154 calories and 10.3 grams of fat, of which 1.1 grams are saturated.” Also, this product is tasty and salty. I like them, but now I know to watch my intake. Works Cited http://www.livestrong.com/article/397941-are-veggie-chips-healthy/

Reduce Your Waste blog#8

In my environmental science class I was asked to keep track of my waste for two days and to measure it. I was also asked to find other strategies to reduce my waste and try and implement those strategies for two days and this is what I found: I found out that in a two day period I create 65 pieces of trash in my bedroom trash can. I consumed 11 pieces of paper, 2 pieces of trash that can’t be recycled, 17 pieces of trash that can be recycled, 15 pieces of food waste and 20 pieces of plastics and packages. Then I found strategies that can be used to reduce waste. What were in most of my trash were plastics and items that I can recycle, but I don’t. Reduction Waste strategies: - According to the Zero Waste Home Website we need to, Use our “5Rs right: Refuse what you do not need, Reduce what you do need, Reuse what you consume, Recycle what you cannot Refuse, Reduce or Reuse, and Rot (Compost) the rest.” - Also according to the Zero Waste Home Website we need to find, “alternatives to disposables (paper towels, garbage liners, wax paper, aluminum sheets, disposable plates, cups, etc....): Swap paper towels for reusable rags, swap sandwich baggies for kitchen towels or stainless containers, drop garbage liners all together (wet waste is mostly compostable anyways).” - Shop less and buy foods that can you reuse like jars/ reduce package waste. - Shop at farmers market and take your own reusable containers/ bags. - Recycle anything that can be recycled. - Prevent food waste by planning meals ahead and only cook in small amounts to reduce leftover food. - Find ways to restore or reuse old clothes and appliances. For example, you can have a garage sale or take your stuff to a thrift store or organizations. You can also take them to a place where they recycle appliances and electronics. Attempting to Reduce my Waste: For two days I have attempted to reduce my waste. It has been hard. I could only try to attempt a few things that I listed above. My biggest challenge is mastering the 5R’s. I tried not buying package goods from the store it has been hard. Mostly everything comes in plastics. I also went shopping to a farmers market bought only small amounts of food. Less than what I bought at a regular grocery store because I am also wasting food. I am not eating it and I throw it away. I am willing to keep on trying to go to farmers market, plan for meals, and buy less stuff including food. Maybe try not to buy many plastics or packaged stuff. I also separated my trash and put the trash I can recycle in the blue trash that I have at home. In the blue trash can I put like more than half of the items I had in the waste basket. In the end I reduced my waste by only having 25 small pieces of trash in my waste basket. I reduced a lot of my waste in two days. The most difficult trash to get rid of was small pieces of trash like small plastics and food waste. I need to keep on working on my food waste because I realized I’m wasting food. I need to also start using reusable items or start taking cloth bags to the store. Works Cited http://zerowastehome.blogspot.com/p/tips.html http://zerowastehome.blogspot.com/2010/01/zero-waste-grocery-shopping.html http://reduce.org/home/index.html Picture from Zerowaste Home website

Assessment Plan

In my environmental science class I was asked to determine which factors I would assess to know how green my college campus is. So I started thinking about the energy RCC uses. The first thought that came to my mind was electricity and the energy we might use on campus. If we could change how we get our electricity I think it would help the planet and the school to save money. I also researched to see if any other college campuses were going green and I wanted to know what they were doing. In my researched, I found out that in two thousand and twelve UC Davis made an approach to go green. According to the UC Davis News and Information website, they became the first California campus to have interior lighting. This means that they changed the way they used electricity in order to go green and now they are using “Smart lighting”. This not only minimized the amount of energy they were using, but also helped them save money. This helped reduced their electrical bill. I liked what UC Davis did and I thought maybe RCC could also changed the way they use their electricity in order to go green. In addition, I also found out that North Lake College in Dallas County is assessing their college by doing different things. For example, the school has students groups or clubs that are involve. Some of the things they do are collect storm waters and also monitor the lights at the campus and they audit the energy in school buildings. Furthermore, I assessed the way we use electricity at RCC. There are more than a hundred classrooms and rooms at RCC imagine how much the electricity bill cots? I also thought about how many classrooms or offices abuse this resource. This could cause a strain in our environment if electricity is being misused. How can I Assess sustainability at RCC? First, I would find out exactly how we are abusing electricity and I would like to go to every classroom with the help of volunteers to help me keep track for three weeks how we use our electricity at RCC and also how many classrooms are misusing it. I would put charts in all the classrooms and offices that specify at what times the lights and any other devices that need electricity go and off. I would ask everyone that is in charge of a classroom or office to please write down the times lights are staying on and by whom they are being turned off and on. This will apply as well with computers and other electrical devices. This will give us a clear view of how we are using our electricity in all the buildings at RCC. I would ask Mr. Wolde-Ab who is the interim president at RCC if I can do this observation to assess how green is RCC for three weeks. . Secondly, if Mr. Wolde-Ab allows for me to start my investigation, I will ask for students and staff volunteers to help me monitor the electricity at RCC. I would ask the staff to please write on the charts I provided and also to monitor their classrooms and offices. In addition, I would ask students volunteers to go around and check the charts that will be in all the rooms to see if they are getting filled in. I will try to get students to volunteer, but I know that sometimes as students we do not like to help. For this reason, I will ask staff to make their students help in going to check charts by giving them extra credit. I will ask students and staff to write in the chart what electrical devices were being used or on when they checked their assigned classrooms. Students will only be able to check classrooms, while staff can check offices. I believe that charts can help me determine how green RCC is. This is an example of what my charts would look like. Works Cited http://news.ucdavis.edu/search/news_detail.lasso?id=10248 http://www.northlakecollege.edu/about-us/sustainable-campus/Pages/Sustainability-Initiatives.aspx

Go Outside and Observe

For my environmental science class I had to sit outside in my backyard for twenty minutes and observe the sphere around me. I needed to make observations of the biotic and abiotic things around me. I sat on the floor of my patio in my back yard. I sat on the cement, so I was down on the floor. While I was sitting on the ground I observed a trail of ants. Some of the ants had food and they seemed to be carrying it somewhere. They were all in a line. They were heading towards the grass. I was amazed how they stayed together and they all followed the line. I also observed some birds on top of a tree that is in my back yard. They were making noises. There were only two of them or maybe more. I could only see two. They were just up on the tree, not doing anything in particular just making some noises. At the moment I did not know what kind of birds they were, but after my observation I researched them. According to what I researched, they might be the California Towhee bird. The birds I saw look like these birds and make sounds like these birds. I was amazed on how loud they are. They were short and fat. Also, coming towards my leg there was a scary looking animal. I got scared got up and moved from my spot. I thought it was going to bite me. I been bitten by one of those animals before, but I did not know its name, so I also researched it. It turns out it is an Earwig or pincher bug. These bugs scare me. They have hooks and they pinch you. The pinch is not as bad, but they are scary looking. I was also looking at another tree we been having in our back yards for years. It was kind of windy in the afternoon when I did my observation, so I paid attention to how it was moving and what was on the tree. This tree is green and it has yellow round fruits hanging from its ends. I did not know its name, so I also researched it because my brothers and I love to eat the yellow round fruits. The tree sometimes has too many of the yellow fruits we eat and they also fall on the ground if we do not eat them. From my research I found out it was a Loquat tree. Overall, I saw more living things than non-living during my observation. I did not notice any relationships within the species I saw. I liked doing this outside observation because it was relaxing and it got me thinking about the things around that we do not really notice that are there. I am still amazed how many times a day I’m outside and I never pay attention to the noises birds make or where ants take their food. Also, I never knew the name of the tree that is outside in my backyard until I did this assignment for my environmental class. It is good once in a while to go outside and observe our surroundings and see what we can find. Below you will find pictures of the species I observed. Picture from these sites: http://sdakotabirds.com/species_photos/california_towhee_1.htm http://www.nature.com/news/2010/101209/full/news.2010.662.html http://blueskypest.com/pest-control/earwigs/ http://www.amoils.com/health-blog/this-fruit-tree-is-perfect-for-a-mild-climate-bird-loving-garden/

Environmental Science in the News

For my Bio 36 environmental science class I was asked to look up online news or an article that interested me and pertained to our class. I was interested on this article called Study: Southern butterfly species growing in Mass that came from that Boston news page. I found this article in my environmental class website. The news article mainly talks about the growth and decline in population of butterflies in the Boston area. The butterfly species were observed and researched for about two decades. Massachusetts Butterfly club followers and researchers from Harvard University worked together to study the species that were in certain areas of Boston. According the Boston news article, “the study found that warm-climate-adapted butterfly species have grown by an estimated 1,000 percent, while cold-climate-adapted species, which have long been native to the Bay State, have declined -- some by up to 90 percent.” This shows that butterfly species like more the warmer climate than the colder climate in Boston. It seems that species are growing and reproducing in the warm parts while the ones that live in the colder climate areas are decreasing. Link to the article: http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2012/08/20/study_southern_butterfly_species_growing_in_mass/ In addition, I believe that this article is reliable. I found this article in my environmental class website. It provides a good source of information for those who live in Boston. It provides worldwide news and information to events that are happening in the city. I believe Associated Press runs the website. This is because in the article, Associated Press is written on the page. Also, Associated Press is considered to be a nonprofit news organization or agency. According to the Boston article they claim that, “Seventeen of the 21 northern butterfly species in Massachusetts, including the Atlantis Fritillary and the Acadian Hairstreak, were found to be in population decline.” As I was reading the article I did not find any logical fallacies. The article was interesting for me. This is because I am a fan of butterflies and I enjoyed reading about their findings. Workcited http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2012/08/20/study_southern_butterfly_species_growing_in_mass/

Chemical Hazards and Human Health

Today I am going to discuss two types of chemicals that are in our regular household products. These two chemicals are in most of our household products and pose a threat to our health. One of them is called Triclosan. Triclosan is found in our soaps, dental care products, cosmetics, deodorant, and other products. This chemical is added to products to reduce bacteria or the spreading of bacteria. It was first used in hospital settings and now is used in most products we use. According to the FDA website, Triclosan alters hormones. There were studies that were made and it concluded it did affected hormones. Also, another studied that was made concluded that Triclosan may be bacterial resistant to antibiotics. Triclosan is also considered a pesticide. In addition, the Mercola website reports that some studies have been made with animals and they have seen health risks, but they have not been tested on humans because it is not allowed. This means they do see risks in animals and think it will have risks also in humans. The FDA says the same thing and has ordered companies to prove that their products do not harm humans. The only thing that they are certain due to studies is that humans have high levels of this chemical. Also, in the Mercola website I found that a Toxicological study revealed that Triclosan does affect estrogen. Furthermore, I went into my bathroom and looked at the ingredients in my antibacterial soap Dial and it contained Triclosan. There are ways to avoid using these products. According to the Mercola website, we can avoid buying soaps with Triclosan by simply just buying the regular soaps. We should not buy the antibacterial soaps. You could also make your own soap at home the only problem is that you may not always find the ingredients you need. It depends on the type of soap you want to make. The ingredients you might need probably won’t be found in your pantry. If you are trying to make your own soap you will need to buy herbs and other ingredients. If you make your own soap it can take up to ten minutes or more. You can save also money on making your own soap, but once again it depends on the ingredients you are using. I looked up how much regular soaps cost at Wal-Mart. Some soaps cost two dollars or three dollars. When I looked how much antibacterial soaps cost at Wal-Mart, I found out they cost more. Antibacterial soaps are about three to four dollars more than regular soaps. The other chemical that is found in our household products is Alkyphenols. Alkyphenols are found in hair products, cleaning products, and others. It is considered an endocrine disruptor. The household product that has more Alkyphenols is found on laundry detergents. I checked my Downey laundry detergent at home and it did not have Alkyphenols, but in the internet I found that Downey does contain Alkyphenols. According to the O Ecotextiles website, Alkyphenols “have been shown to be toxic to aquatic organisms and an endocrine disruptor in higher animals, and therefore they pose a risk to humans.” It also mimics estrogen and the O Ecotextiles website also says, “It is harmful to normal hormone secretion and can reduce sperm count in men.” Also, according to the Berkley Green website, Alkyphenols were tested and concluded that they can cause breast cancer cells. There are ways to avoid using detergents with Alkyphenols. There are detergents that are considered green. One of them is called Planet Ultra Liquid Laundry Detergent. The prices on these detergents range from seven to thirteen dollars. The regular detergents that we are used to using cost about twenty dollars or more. In my opinion it might be better to switch to the healthy detergents. There are also ways to make your own detergent at home to avoid all the chemicals companies put in our detergent. One example I found, is that you can make your own detergent using one bar of regular soap, borax, and washing soda. You can find most of these ingredients in your house. It is easy to make and people have stated it saves them money. It is an option to avoid chemicals. Works Cited http://www.fda.gov/forconsumers/consumerupdates/ucm205999.htm http://www.forbes.com/sites/melaniehaiken/2013/12/16/antibacterial-soaps-may-pose-health-risk-fda-says/http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2012/08/29/triclosan-in- personal-care-products.aspxhttp://www.nbcnews.com/health/health-news/prove-those-antibacterial-soaps-are-better-safe-fda-tells-makers-f2D11744235 http://www.motherearthnews.com/natural-health/homemade-soaps-zmaz98jjzhow.aspx http://wellnessmama.com/462/how-to-make-nautral-homemade-laundry-detergent/ http://www.breastcancerfund.org/clear-science/radiation-chemicals-and-breast-cancer/alkylphenols.html https://oecotextiles.wordpress.com/tag/alkylphenol-ethoxylates/ http://www.berkleygreen.com/toxipedia/

My Biography

Hello, my name is Perla Calderon. I am fun, outgoing, and smart. I am the only girl out of three boys. I was born in Mexico and live in Riverside. I am 25 years old. I am also married, but I do not have any kids yet. Right now I am working as a preschool teacher, but I am still going to school to earn my bachelors degree in human developmeent or in psychology. Everyday im at work my students teach me something new. I learned from them and they learn from me. I love to dance and to go out with friends and family. I love my brothers, parents and husband and would do anything for them. I have the most loving, sweet, funny, respectful, supportive husband. He pushes me to never give up and he always wants the best for me. He also spoils me and wants to see me happy. I know that in the future we will have a wonderful home and family. Right now we are working in getting our careers, so in the future we can buy our first home and start a family. One of our biggest dream is to travel and to have our big church wedding. In addition, I only have one pet which I love and treat like my child. Her name is Roxy.

In my spare time, I like dance, go to Zumba, and watch my favorite TV shows. I enjoy movies and the movies I like are the ones that have drama, comedy and action. The recent movies I went to see were Frozen. I went to see Frozen because my students talk about this movie on a regular basis. I wanted to find out what they were saying and be updated with their conversations, so I went to see it and I loved it. Now I share with my students and I feel like I can relate to them. Other movie I went to see was Lone Survivor. It was a great movie made me cry and feel for those who join and fight for the United States.


Also I have a funny story to share, when I started my education at RCC I was started taking classes to earn a degree in psychology. As time went on and I needed to take other classes, so I can transfer  I realized that I was interested in working with children. I was always the one that said, "No I never want to work with kids," but look at me know. I like what I do and want to grow in my career. Maybe one day I can combine my degrees. I learned my lesson and I learned to never say "Never."

In addition to talking about myself, you might be also interested in why I am making this blog. I have recently started my spring semester at RCC and my environmental science class requires me to have a blog. I need this class to transfer. I have never taken a class like this, but I am interested on what I will learn. One of my first assigments was to create this blog and to calculate my footprint. My results were that I need 5.4 planets to support my style of living.  It will also take 24.2 global acres of the productive areas to support my lifestyle. I would also need 25.9 tons of carbon dioxide to support my lifestyle. When you look at thechart that breaksdown my footprint Services in the chart is the one I would use more. Also, I looked up possible scenarios that can help me reduce my footprint and it gave me ideas like reducing the animal produces that I consume. Another thing I can do is reduce the amount of package items I consume or use.