Final APES Blog

The Last Ooh Rah 

By Riley Anderson
EAARTH Day and More

PC: Myself

     Eaarth Day at Proctor Academy is a time where students get the opportunity to look deeper into the problems that humans are currently having to deal with, and determine how our generation will deal with them. This Eaarth Day I was fortunate enough to spend my first two sessions in Franklin doing the Franklin Falls activity with Gregor and Tom Morgan. The group visited with Todd Workman and Jenisha from PermaCity Life, which is a company that is working towards creating a new trend of community in Franklin, New Hampshire. "Our vision is to create a model for cities to become more self-reliant and to transition away from their dependence on fossil fuels with an emphasis on  protecting our drinking water, creating renewable energy, ensuring local food supplies, and implementing zero waste measures. We hope to pioneer a new approach to building a collaborative and resilient downtown, turning downtown into a vibrant micro-­urban centerpiece. Our movement is focused on environmentally conscious living and quality of life measures. We desire a downtown that is walkable, locally sustainable, and has a distinctive sense of place. We encourage pedestrians and expanded bicycle facilities along with car reduced transportation measures. As a homegrown city we take pride in preserving our historic storefronts and mill buildings. Creating an optimal mix of building and space uses will enable us to become an economically vibrant mixed-­use commercial district" (PermaCity Life). To describe PermaCity Life is rather difficult to do, which is why it takes Todd about 45 minutes each time I go there. I am fortunate enough to be able to take part in this organization during my senior project. Today Todd and Jenisha spoke with the group and took us on what Gregor called "a maiden voyage" of walking a parcel of land to see the potential it had for a community garden and pathway. To say the least, it was a success, Todd was thrilled with what we saw. There were two layers of terracing, each containing a flat part for gardening and it was along the river where they plan to create white water rafting and tubing for the community of Franklin.

PC: Myself

PC: Myself

The trip had mixed responses from the group, many were unaware of the efforts trying to be made in the community of Franklin and how much Todd, Jenisha and all members of PermaCity life are bringing to the table in order to make this city come to life. Today Todd spoke with us about how for every $1 that is put into renovating the buildings you will only get about $0.70 back from that. It is not a really smart investment is it? However he spoke of the importance of initiating the process and there has to be someone to come in and drive the change forward because when people see change occurring they will join the movement. The bridge to bridge project is something that downtown Franklin desperately needs in their community and with the likes of PermaCity Life I hope I can see Franklin transition back into a better form of what it used to be. 

PC:Myself

     The second activity that I had today was a short tour of the Biomass plant at Proctor Academy, little to my knowledge was how large it was. The process of burning wood chips is a very simple one, once the technology is set up correctly. The plant took about 2 million dollars to build and it was able to pay for itself during the third year of operation. There is a system of a three pass boiler which uses the wood chips at 40% saturation in order to ensure the most steam can be generated. There is a loading dock that can hold about 10 tons of wood chips which is sorted through a conveyer belt and fed into boiler and the fire box, which runs at 1600 degrees Fahrenheit. The biomass plant is able to produce about 70% of the campus's heat and with that it is much more efficient than the burning of oil. A stat given to use was the wood chips were 95% effective to the 65% of oil. The biomass plant saves the school massive amounts of money and also reduces our CO2 emissions greatly, which is what we have been studying in class the past couple weeks.

PC: Myself

Control Pannel PC: Myself

Paris and Katie in the chip bin PC: Myself

     "Carbon neutral is defined by google as a term used to describe the action of organizations, businesses and individuals taking action to remove as much carbon dioxide from the atmosphere as each put in to it. The overall goal of carbon neutrality is to achieve a zero carbon footprint" (Google). The class discussed the possibility of our campus being a carbon neutral location, after the process of creating many equations and analyzing the data we were able to infer, from our calculations, that we are carbon neutral. However this is very challenging to calculate due to the factor of how much carbon is actually emitted by Proctor's use. The method we used to determine our carbon footprint consisted of calculating the CO2 output from our main energy sources; Electrical, Fossil Fuels, Biomass and Natural Gas. These were summed together to get a total amount of CO2 emitted from our campus over the past few years, which resulted in 1614.608 metric tons in 2014 and 1425.925 metric tons in 2015. In order to calculate how much carbon we take out of the environment we used a conservative amount of acres from our woodlot and multiplied it by the EPA average that 1 acre absorbs 1.22 metric tons of carbon. The amount of CO2 that is absorbed by the woodlands is 2805 metric tons, which resulted that we could just about double our carbon output and still be neutral, however we did not take into consideration transportation. After a conservative estimate we determined we could still be well below net zero due to the result we got about 2.66 metric tons of CO2 per week multiplied by 365 which equals 970 metric tons of CO2 emitted per year. That number is then added 1425.9 + 970 = 2395.9 metric tons of CO2 which is emitted, and our forest absorbs 2806, meaning we are better than carbon neutral from the selective data.

Example of Data Collected during 

     Overall this has been one of my favorite Eaarth Days at Proctor due to the opportunity I have grasped to select activities that I truly care about. I think throughout watching Racing Extinction, speaking with Todd, listening to JR White Hat speak and touring the Biomass Plant that there is a lot to be positive about in this community with our efforts towards being environmentally mindful. I am thrilled to have the opportunity to work with Todd and Jenisha at PermaCity Life and this is where my AP Environmental Career comes to an end. Thank you Alan for a great year!

PC: Google

- Ri

Pandora's Promise

Pandora's Promise

By Riley Anderson

(Google Images)

     

Throughout the course of the last week I have been slowly watching the film Pandora's Promise, directed by Robert Stone. The film dives into the controversy that currently surrounds nuclear power, in the opening of the film there are a series of interviews with experts and clips from activists on the issue. The experts such as Stewart Brand, Gwyneth Cravens, Mark Lynas and others all are environmentally conscious people, but they all share a common ideal that is pro-nuclear. This raises a question to many environmentalists because of the hazardous effects that come with nuclear power. Nuclear power is a very vague concept to many people in the world because we feel as if it has little to do with our life, and when we think of nuclear power we automatically think of nuclear bombs. The beginning of the film opened with this common notion, there were clips of the Fukushima Daiich Disaster, which is located in Japan. The plant had a meltdown following the tsunami and the plant began to explode, and following this clip they showed how far the radiation would be able to reach. It was believed that the radiation would eventually reach North American but in "safe amounts" which raises a very controversial question, is any radiation a safe amount?

Fukushima Radiation Spread (Google Images)

Following this clip Mark Lynas talks about nuclear power as a whole and one prominent idea that was stuck in my head was "There's no other energy source that does this, that leaves huge areas contaminated" (Pandora's Promise). So how could an environmentally conscious individual possibly be pro-nuclear? Mark does state that after seeing evidence of the disasters that are caused from nuclear power that it is almost impossible not to wobble on the topic. This was the turning point where I found myself asking why would there be so many people who would be pro-nuclear, but I soon found out my answer. 

     Len Koch is a nuclear engineer who aided in building the first nuclear power reactors, Len talks about how "One pound of Uranium, which is the size of my fingertip, if you could release off the energy, it has the equivalent of about 5,000 barrels of oil." Therefore this has massive potential to be used effectively, which provokes the high risk and high reward idea of thinking. Upon further research a pound of uranium costs about $34.25 per pound and Petroleum Oil is about 25 cents per pound, keeping in mind that 1 gallon of oil is about 7 pounds. Then when you think that paying the 35 dollars for the pound of Uranium produces that of 5,000 barrels the result is very tempting. The film continues to talk about the negative history that is correlated with nuclear energy, dating back to the beginning where atomic bombs were dropped in WWII.

     The film then discusses why nuclear energy may be the way to go, because it dives into problems with other resources such as Coal, Oil, Wind, Hydro and Solar energy. The first fact that lined up with what I currently know is that "coal is not only the most widely used source of energy in the world, it's also the fastest growing source of energy. It's use is accelerating world wide." I came to now this through our research with our country in class. The country I have researched is Nigeria, who rely massively on coal, will only rely more on it to sustain their vastly increased population by 2050. Coal is looked at in a very negative view in the eye of Pandora, during the video they show a graph that represents that deaths that have occurred due to the energy sources. 

Captured from the film Pandora's Promise (Film)

The graph above, as stated before, depicts the deaths that are correlated with the process of obtaining certain types of energy. The graph eventually zooms into a smaller perspective where the viewers are able to see the deaths correlated to nuclear energy, which is second safest, only to wind. However it is important to take into consideration the scale of which these practices are taken, meaning nuclear is not done on a massive scale such as coal and oil, as well as if nuclear disasters occur that can cause complete destruction.

     Pandora's Promise may have been one of the more influential films I have watched in a very long time, it not only opened up my eyes to the nuclear energy opportunity, but educated the viewers on how it can be insanely affective if used properly. Nuclear power has an very plausible future in the world because of the little emissions that occur is operated properly. Nuclear Power in the United States has been around and the first power plant was built in 1956 at a shipping port in Pennsylvania, as a path to have cleaner energy. Pandora's Promise really opened up my eyes to the problems that the world will be facing in our generation. How will this generation provide a massive population energy without depleting all natural resources? The film dives into problems that other energy resources create like wind and solar, these types of energy are not very sustainable due to it will result in less energy being used for a increasingly growing population. 

     Pandora's Promise opened the possibility of nuclear power becoming a real prominent source of energy in the future, but I still feel as if it is very likely that many people will mismanage this source of energy. High risks and high rewards, but we need to learn how to manage this energy properly and affectively.

     -Ri

Climate Change

Climate Change

By: Riley Anderson

     Climate Change is a recent term, described as "a change in global or regional climate patterns, in particular a change apparent from the mid to late 20th century onwards and attributed largely to the increased levels of atmospheric carbon dioxide produced by the use of fossil fuels" (Dictionary). Through research of climate change and the effects that will occur on in the state of New Hampshire, it appears that New Hampshire may be affected in a variety of different ways. Although there are going to be many changes, New Hampshire will not be affected harshly through climate change. 

Can we keep our winters like this? PC: Proctor Academy

     According to the NH.gov the effects the are currently occurring in the state of New Hampshire are as follows; "warmer winters, reduced snowfall, increase rainfall, rising sea level, and more severe weather events that increase the risk of flooding" (NH.gov) These changes can be seen throughout the weather patterns that have been occurring over the past couple of weeks at Proctor through drastic weather changes, but saying that it is due to climate change is inaccurate because we need to asses the weather for a period of years to determine whether or not it was just weather or climate change. However, as I was saying, there has been extremely low temperatures that have brought snow to the community, to temperatures in the 50's (Fahrenheit) with rain. There we can conclude that as climate change continues in our society the winters are going to be shorter and the spring will be much longer. The climate of New Hampshire will shift from a primarily heavy winters to heavier rainfall during this time period. 

PC: Myself
The pond, in relatively unsafe conditions due the fluctuation in temperatures recently

     I spent a lot of time looking at annual averages for towns in New Hampshire, like temperature, rainfall and snowfall. Through looking at Manchester, New Hampshire the past couple years have resulted in a much harsher winter than the past years. I looked for historical date of areas closer to Andover and the Proctor community but was not able to find proficient data that would allow for a conclusion to be made about the Proctor community. After looking at the date from Manchester, New Hampshire, I calculated that the average snowfall in the city has been 18.46 inches in the past 10 years. However there has been years that the average snowfall has been less than 5 inches which is outrageously low for climate of New Hampshire. The current trend appears to be that there will be years where the snowfall will be harsh, followed by years where precipitation is acquired (Weather).

New Hampshire has history of having harsh winters, these winters could get worse in the near future, but eventually we may be seeing more rainfall.

     The Proctor community can expect to see more rain in the foreseeable future, which can be good or bad. The con of increased rainfall or faster snow melt is the increased likelihood of floods that ruin land. I find it astonishing how there are individuals in the world who can deny climate change and say that there is no evidence, of its occurrence. The New Hampshire government says that in order to address climate change they need to develop plentiful sources of renewable energy and use energy more efficiently in both buildings and vehicles. In addition, there will need to be a greater emphasis on integrating land use and transportation planning in order to reduce the number of miles traveled on our roads each year" (NH.gov). The government is slowly working towards addressing the issue of climate change and I hope we can eventually get a worldwide effort to stabilize our output of chemicals. 

Thermal Inversion

Thermal Inversion

By Riley Anderson

PC: Google

     

     Throughout the past week our AP Environmental Science class has been talking about air pollution and an aspect that has come up during discussion is thermal inversion. Thermal inversion occurs when a layer of warm air settles over a layer of cooler air that lies near the ground. Thermal inversion is harmful to the occupants of a city because when the warm air holds down the cool air it prevents pollutants from rising and dispersing which allows them to build up to dangerous levels.

PC: Google

How Does Thermal Inversion Occur?

     Thermal inversion occurs when the normal temperature gradient becomes inverted. The occurrence of a thermal inversion, for example, is when a warmer, less-dense air mass moves over a cooler, more dense air mass. Thermal inversions typically occur around a warm front and in areas that a lot of oceanic upwelling occurs, such as coastal states like California. Humidity plays a large part because with the proper amount of humidity in the more dense area fog occurs below the inversion cap. Temperature inversion is also able to occur when the radiation from the sun is at a lower amount than the radiation from the earth, this is typically occurs at night time and during the winter when the angle of the sun is very low in the sky.

Alan McIntyre's Slideshow

Alan McIntyre's Slideshow

What is the Impact of Thermal Inversion?

     Temperature inversions play a major role of air quality in a city, these are especially dangerous during the winter because that time of the year is when inversions are strongest. A typical inversion is measured by AQI (Air Quality Index), the higher the AQI during an inversion the worst the air is for an individual. During these inversions a major contributor to the poor air quality is local wood stoves. A recent inversion just took place in Salt Lake City where a smog was created around the city where the particulate matter in the air exceeds the national health standards. Former Proctor students Thaddeus Bicknell '15 and Ian Wood '15 were pictured wearing mask to prevent harmful particulates entering their body, which is how the problem came to my attention. Salt Lake City states "Salt Lake City is aggressively working to reduce vehicle emissions and improve air quality through programs that conserve electricity and natural gas, encourage individuals to drive down their personal motor vehicle miles and reduce other sources of air pollution" (SLC).

Salt Lake City Inversion
PC: Google