Bibi Awal: Activities at school

I use the computer and printer in school.

Bibi Awal- Solutions to engage in at school

Shut down the computer every time I am done using it. When printing, print front and back.

Bibi Awal- Solutions to engage at home

Solutions to Engage in at Home:
 Turn off appliances not in use, turn off lights when they are not needed, turn water off if not in use or turn it to a lower pressure, shower more often than bathing. Take quicker showers. If the water takes too long to turn hot in the morning, just use medium water. Water plants individually instead of doing everything at once with a hose. Handwash clothes or take them to a laundromat.

Bibi Awal: Activities at home

Activities at Home:

In the morning, the first stop I make is at the bathroom. before i go to the bathroom, I have to turn on the light in the hallway, and then when I reach the bathroom I turn the light on there. I probably spend fifteen minutes in the bathroom because I am lazy in the morning. Who isn't? 

When I come home everyday, the first thing I probably do is turn my computer on, then I go to the bathroom and then  go to the kitchen. When I turn on my computer, I'm not sure whether it has enough charge so I keep the line plugged in. When I go to the bathroom, I turn the light on, use the toilet, wash my hands. then go eat, and wash my dishes later. I mostly use hot water, especially for my showers which can last from 15 to 45 minutes (45 if I am washing my hair). It takes a while for my water to get hot in the morning, so I leave the water running for an entire two minutes until it turns hot. During the summer, my parents tend to the garden in the backyard (it's probably the size of room 410A) and when they do water the plants, they use a hose. When the laundry is done, we use a washing machine but no dryer due to a lack of space and money.

My Stuff by Andrew De Jesus

In my closet I have about 27 shirts which come from different parts of the world. 12 come from china, 8 come from Guatemala, 4 come from Bangladesh, and 3 come from right here in the USA.  When I am done with these clothes they will end up in a box that my mom gets and ships of to DR where they will be taken to church or any other place where help is given and will be distributed by my cousins and friends in DR.

My sweaters, jackets, and jeans all come from china. Like my shirts they will be donated to the poor people in DR once I’m done with them.

My school supplies like pens, pencils, and paper all come from china. Unlike my clothes these items won’t be donated. The pens and pencils will be thrown away in the garbage. My paper will be recycled and used again one way or another. Lastly my notebooks will never be thrown out or given away. I will keep them for the future.

Most if not all of my electronics were made in china. They will most likely stay with me forever as long as they still work. But if they were to get damaged I would probably see if there are any parts worth keeping, selling, or reusing. The rest would end up either in the garbage or somewhere where someone can recycle it.

Engaging in Climate Change at School by Andrew De Jesus

Just to get to school I waste energy by taking a 40 minute drive to get there. But in the school is where I see some good things that actually help our world and in this school I also see things that are hurting it. An example of something good is that in almost every room in the school you can find a garbage bin that is there to put paper and wastes that will then be recycled and reused in one way or another. Also, I see a lot of posters and flyers about these problems that we are phasing now which is great since it is a good way to spread the word. Now some of the negative things about this school. For one there are many rooms that are filled with almost 30 computers that are always on. I have 6 classes and out of those 6 classes 3 of them have computers that are always on no matter what. In one of these classes we do not even use computers but they are on anyways. Also, the lights in the rooms of many classrooms are always on which are a huge waste of energy. Another problem that I see is the paper and school supplies that go to waste due to the fact that many students don’t take care of things. The solutions to these problems are quite simple. That is to shut down the computers whenever they are not in use and to turn off all the lights when no one is in the room.

Engaging in Climate Change At Home #2 by Andrew De Jesus

Since starting this project and educating myself on climate change, energy use, and more I have taken this serious and made changes in my household that are sure to reduce energy use. For one I now use ENERGY STAR light bulbs on all my lamps which is suppose to last longer than normal light bulbs and waste a lot less energy than normal light bulbs. Also, after I leave any room in the house I turn off all the lights that are not needed. My computer is still always on but that is because it is always in use unlike my TV and Xbox 360 which off most of the time. I have encouraged my mom to slowly change the kitchen appliances to ENERGY STAR appliances and so far we have 3 ENERGY STAR appliances. Now when doing laundry we only use cold water. I have taken down my personal AC and sold it. With the money that I got from the AC I bought a fan. This change is now reducing the amount of energy that is used in my house while keeping me comfortable and not hot. I still use hot water when in the bathroom but I am more conscious of the time that I spend in there and now spend less time in the bathroom. In the kitchen I started using cold water only to both cook and clean. My mother and I have been doing our best to recycle more and reuse even more than we used to. I have also told many of my neighbors, friends, and family about the effect that they have on the world and how easy it is to make some minor changes and doing a lot of good for the earth. Most of them have started to make some changes in their own homes. I still use the train and buses to get where I am going but have stopped taking cabs. Lastly we are always trying to reduce, reuse, recycle, and get the word out.

Engaging in Climate Change At Home #1 by Andrew De Jesus

At my house we tend to not pay attention to the resources we use since its only 2 people who live in this house (my mother and I). My house is a fairly small one with 2 bedrooms, one bathroom, a living room, and a kitchen. In my house there are 2 huge lamps in the living room that take 5 light bulbs and in the ceiling of the rooms and kitchen are 2 lights. The lights in my house are almost always on even when nobody is in the room. Also, my computer and TV are always on even when no one is using it. When doing laundry we normally use both cold and warm water depending on the color of the clothes. The kitchen appliances are not ENERGY STAR appliances which mean that the ones we have are using more energy than other appliances. An electronic device that is always connected is my Xbox 360. During most parts of the year the AC is constantly in use even during winter while the heat is on. I am the one who keeps the AC on most of the time since I prefer the cold then heat. When it comes to means of transportation we normally go in trains and buses. But on some occasions we would take cabs. Both my mother and I take 40 minute train rides every morning to get to school or in my mom’s case job. When in the bathroom or in the kitchen we use hot water. The only time cold water is in use is when either my mom or I is cooking. Something positive that my mother and I do is recycle all bottles, plastics, or any other recyclable objects that we no longer need. We also reuse anything as much as possible. We also take steps to reducing the items we need while satisfying whatever we do. Lastly, we try to get things that will last long in order to save and not waste energy

My Stuff: Bibi Awal

My hoodie came from Honduras and it will probably end up in some other country when I am done with it.
My backpack came from Vietnam and will probably end up in my father's hands when I do not want it anymore, because he needs it for his job as a construction worker.
My pen was made in Mexico, and will end up in the trash when I am done with it or  somewhere lost in my house.
My shirt was made in Indonesia, and will end up in the trash when I am done/

Nature Air

In San Jose ,Costa Rica, they have decided to make a Carbon Neutral air that can help people fly in a more cleaner, safer way for the environment. It offers to it's costumers domestic flights from San Jose all the way to all the major Costa Rica vacation destinations.It includes an in-flight travel magazine with charter flights,adventure tours,car rentals,a cheap airfare finder,airport shuttle service,air cargo service,vacation packages and travel deals.The planes have climate control and include ecological tours.The nature air gets passengers to there destination faster than driving and plus it saves the earth better than going by car and polluting the earth with the carbon emissions.

Bibi Awal- Task 3

Climate change is phrase used to describe immense changes in temperature, rainfall, snow or wind patterns that last for decades or longer. The reasons for climate change are human related and natural. As Jack London tried to prove in his short story “To Build a Fire,” man is fragile against nature. However, man also has power to destroy Earth, and bears the responsibility to protect it for the current generation and generations to come. Climate change has been an ongoing issue for decades, yet very few people can detect the significance of it.

At the rate that climate change is happening at the moment, natural disasters will become a daily occurrence in the future. The contributions to climate change that humans are making include but are not limited to: burning fossil fuels, cutting down forests, and developing land for farms, cities and roads. Doing these kinds of things increase the amount of greenhouse gases being released into the atmosphere. Greenhouse gases trap heat and keep the planet warm, but too much of it can be really harmful because the earth is overheating, causing polar ice caps to melt and sea levels to rise. The results of climate change are heat waves, decreased snowfall, and changing wildlife habitats, intense storms, wildfires, and floods. These disasters cause massive damage, and high repair costs.

The rise of sea levels is what’s causing floods and worse tsunamis. Animals like polar bears that are used to living on ice, must now learn how to swim and live underwater in order to adjust to climate change. Elsewhere, water is being dried up due to the heat and there are droughts. Droughts affect farmers because they depend on growing their crops to make a living. If there is no water to feed to their crops, they won’t survive. Droughts also affect fishermen, ponds and oceans are drying up and the fish that need water to breathe are dying rapidly.

The effects of climate change are attacking the poor and weak people instead of the ones who cause it, the big guy Corporations, who for some reason don’t know where else to dump their waste, and for some reason can not use other sources of energy. Floods and monsoon rains have become a daily event in Nepal. Cyclones and floods are happening on a regular basis in Bangladesh. These disasters contribute to the spread of dangerous diseases, food shortage, and decrease in literacy. Corporations need to cut their emissions because in the long run, it is the small developing countries that are suffering the consequences.

There is a way to solve the issue of climate change. If we do everything step by step, slowly we will see the changes. Finding and using environmental friendly sources of energy, and cutting emissions in half would help. Poverty and illiteracy would be cut in half. We can wake up to a clear blue sky and experience normal weather patterns.

Above is a picture demonstrating the Greenhouse Effect.

source: http://www.neaq.org/conservation_and_research/climate_change/images/globalwarming.gif

other sources:  http://practicalaction.org/climate-change-and-the-millennium-development-goals#report

http://www.epa.gov/climatechange/downloads/Climate_Change_Science_Facts.pdf

http://www.epa.gov/climatechange/downloads/Climate_Change_Society.pdf

My stuff ...

my jacket- my jacket was made in china,probably coming from a factory, and will probably end up maybe to someone else ... in a charity or homeless shelter or the garbage

my comb- my comb was probably made in china, came from a factory and will probably end in the garbage

my binder- was probably made in china and will end up in the garbage then dumped in the ocean or burned

my pen- came from France and will be in the garbage

my clothes-came from France,china, Italy, Tokyo, and will end up being donated to some charity or given to someone, or thrown out

my closet-came from Italy and will end up in the garbage or given away

my sneakers-made in Vietnam will be thrown out