Kids Inc. Lesson Outline

Kids Inc. Lesson Outline

1) Goals
        a) Raise awareness about water pollution, water filtration, and the connection between waste in the home and the outside environment.
        b) Encourage the kids to want to choose (or have their parents choose) more eco-friendly and conscious products to use in their home and pour down the drain.

2) Objectives to achieve goals
       a) Know how the water system works, from drain to ocean
       b) Know how a wetland works vs. a water treatment plant
       c) Knowing negative effects of chemicals in the water
       d) Knowing differences between eco-friendly products and conventional nasty products
       e) Understanding the connection between their actions and the impact on the outside world (tragedy of the commons)

3) Steps of the lesson - these should be a little loose, but provide some detail about how you think you are going to meet the objective/goal.
       a) Intro-ask questions & draw diagrams
              i) Where does water go once it goes down the drain?
             ii) What kinds of things go down the drain in your house?
             iii) Why is water pollution a bad thing?
       b) Hands on activity
              i) 3 pots: 1 empty, 1 bare soil, 1 mossy w/ coffee filter at bottom
             ii) use food dyes to represent chemicals, and different filter systems representing open pipes treatment plants, & wetlands
       c) Discussion
              i) What we learned
             ii) What are you going to do at home to reduce water pollution?

4) Why you think this is going to work
       a) Making a personal connection to a larger problem
       b) Using visual/hands on methods to maintain interest and engagement
       c) Making them feel like they are important and they can make a difference

Kids Inc. Project Topic

• Our group is planning on covering water pollution, filtration, and the importance of wetlands as an ecosystem service. 
• Overall this is a very important topic because water is the life force for many organisms on earth, and for all humans. Pollution of our water is a huge problem after the development of the "Green Revolution" and the advent of so many chemical cleaners, vanity products, and pharmaceuticals that contain nasty toxins, which are poured directly into the waterways in so many places around the world. 
• With our lesson design, we plan to educate kids not only on why wetlands are important for filtering these pollutions out, but also on the importance of being a conscious consumer and keeping those things out of the water in the first place. At this age, the kids are beginning to influence their parents in what they buy, and they are just starting to develop their own consumer habits. 
• We hope that the kids will have a greater appreciation for the swamps and bogs that they see, and have a desire to protect them instead of developing an attitude of disdain and indifference toward keeping them around. Also, it is important that they know the difference between products they can buy, the power of their dollars as a consumer, and what it means to pour one chemical down the drain as opposed to another.  

Energy Pad Exercise: Wind

Wind 3: Wind farm in north central Oregon

        The wind farm I examined from a bird's eye view is located at 45°39'53" N, 120°18'24" W, in the northernmost part of Gillian county, Oregon, USA. It is just south of the Colombia gorge, and roughly 185 km directly east of Portland. 

        In the oldest viewable image, taken on July 11th, 1996 (shown below) it appears that the land in question was being used to grow crops of some sort, possible wheat, hay, grass, alfalfa, or something of that likening. There are tractor lines tracing the perimeters, and there is a grid laid out on the interior of the land. 

          The windmills must have been put in sometime between September 2009 and August of 2011. This period of time followed the onset of the "great recession" of 2008, and it is possible that the project was government subsidized in order to generate jobs and more affordable energy for the area. I myself recall the promise of President Obama that he would invest and promote the development of more clean energy projects and renewables in the country; perhaps a president for once kept at least a small part of a promise he made while campaigning. 

          The landscape of this particular site hardly changed upon the implementation of windmills; besides the roads laid out and the individual mills themselves, the land looks essentially the same as before they were there. There is notable soil compaction, erosion, and general deterioration around each windmill site as well as along the roads. The interspace, however, looks exactly as it did prior to the wind farm's installation. 

         The site of the wind farm is strategically placed in north central Oregon, just south of the blustery gorge, and also closely affiliated with the palouse prairie of southeastern Washington. The plains of the northern part of the Great Basin generate limitless winds as the desert air continually heats, raises, and sucks in cold air to take its place. In addition, the sheer size of the plains allow the winds to move across the landscaped unchallenged by any topographic barriers, and can therefore attain high speed and force. 

Energy Sources: Biofuels

Biofuels: An energy source profile

• Percent of World energy biofuels contribute/percent of US energy biofuels contribute:

• "biofuel provides around 3% of the world’s fuel for transport. (In Brazil, biofuel provides 23% of all transport fuel, compared with 4% in the United States and 3% in the European Union)."(1)

• How do biofuels work?

• "Ethanol is another name for ethyl alcohol, or “grain alcohol” (CH3CH2OH). The alcohol in a glass of wine, beer, or liquor is ethanol. Fuel ethanol is “denatured” by the addition of 2-5% gasoline, which makes it undrinkable. In the U.S. today fuel ethanol is mostly made from the starch in corn kernels; in Brazil it is made from the juice in sugar cane. Commercial production of ethanol from cellulose (plant fiber) is expected within the next few years...Ethanol is a high-octane premium fuel. It improves engine performance and prevents “knock.” A blend of 10% ethanol and 90% gasoline, or E10, is approved for use in every vehicle sold in the U.S.; about one-third of America’s gasoline contains some ethanol. In the past, this blend has been called gasohol.

• Ethanol can also be used as a substitute for gasoline. In the U.S. it is sold in blends of up to 85% (E85). Gasoline, the remaining 15%, is needed to help the fuel ignite in cold weather. In very cold weather, higher proportions of gasoline may be needed. Ethanol at these higher blends should not be used in conventional vehicles but only in flexible fuel vehicles (FFVs), which are designed to run on any combination of ethanol and gasoline up to E85" (2)

• Where are biofuels most commonly harvested/found?

• "U.S. ethanol production is predominately concentrated in the Midwest because of its proximity to corn production. Plants outside the Midwest typically receive corn by rail and are located near large markets for ethanol.
  Today, U.S. ethanol is primarily produced from starch-based crops, such as corn. Cellulosic ethanol production volumes are very small by comparison. Several commercial cellulosic ethanol production plants are under construction, and intensive research and development is rapidly advancing the state of cellulosic ethanol technology." (3)
• 2012 World Fuel Ethanol Production:

                   Continent                             Millions of Gallons 

                   North & Central America      13,768

                   South America                       5,800 

                   Brazil                                     5,577 

                   Europe                                   1,139 

                   Asia                                        952 

                   China                                      555 

                   Canada                                   449 

                   Australia                                 71 

                   Africa                                     42 

                   

                                Source: RFA, F.O. Lichts (4)

• What are the positives to biofuels?

• offers an alternative to oil consumption for gasoline in cars and thus reduces dependance on foreign oil suppliers
• produced from a renewable resource
• lower emissions from cars using ethanol
• resistant to "engine knock"

• What are the negatives to biofuels?

• takes up land space, fuel, and water to produce corn to convert to ethanol
• uses a crop that could feed people and converts it to fuel
• increases cost of corn
• lower MPG in cars that use ethanol, "FFVs operating on E85 usually experience a 25–30% drop in miles per gallon due to ethanol’s lower energy content." (5)
• costly to produce/process

• What does the future hold for biofuels?

• "Importantly, companies today are involved in technological innovations such as fractionation, low heat fermentation, methane capture from landfills and biomass gasification that reduce the amount of fossil energy needed to produce ethanol and distillers grains. The use of pre-treated or "gray water" and other efficiencies are reducing the need for fresh water in ethanol production.  A host of new technologies allow ethanol producers to capture additional value by adding corn oil, recoverable carbon dioxide, corn syrup, bio-based chemicals, and other co-products to their traditional output of feed and fuel."(6)

• "The U.S. average blend increased slowly from 0.3% in 1995 to 0.5% in 2001. From 2002 onward, in response to increased government incentives for ethanol production and use, the average blend increased rapidly, reaching an estimated 8.7% in 2010. Tentative projections indicate the national average blend may increase to about 9.5% this year. Most of that will be in the form of E-10, which is acceptable for all gasoline-powered cars and light trucks. The E-85 market is an alternative outlet for ethanol, but as we indicated in a 2010 article, it is limited in size by:

• The small percentage of the nation's auto fleet that is made up of flex-fuel vehicles, 
• The limited number of retail gas stations that offer E-85, and
• Lack of price competitiveness of E-85 in many areas of the U.S., when reduced fuel mileage is taken into account. 

• The number of flex-fuel vehicles is expected to increase substantially in the next several years since most major manufacturers are committed to making production of these vehicles a much larger percentage of their total production. However, it is not clear how quickly the number of E-85 stations may increase" (7)

• How much biofuel is found in central oregon?

• "AltFuelPrices.com found 4 public Biodiesel stations in Bend, OR. A map is shown below. We also found that there are 5 public Biodiesel stations within 25 miles of Bend and there are 5 public Biodiesel stations within 50 miles of Bend. Click here to show a map of these stations.There are also 16 different public alternative fuel stations near Bend, OR (such as CNG, E85 Ethanol, Biodiesel, Propane, LNG, or Electric Charging Stations). Click here to show a map of these stations." (8)
• "BEND, Ore. (AP) — Central Oregon businesses say they're willing to spend a little more to ensure their distribution systems are environmentally friendly. That effort begins with using biodiesel, a kind of processed vegetable oil that various businesses, from coffee shops to tree removal companies, are putting to use, the Bend Bulletin reports. Daniel Brewster of Cascade Couriers says when he expanded from a bicycle, he found an electric van too expensive, so he went the biodiesel route. Biodiesel is more expensive, and in chilly weather some kinds turn to gel, stopping vehicles cold. But its production continues to grow. The number of gallons of biodiesel used in the United States shot up 4,600 percent from 2000 to 2009, according to data from the U.S. Energy Information Administration. And by 2025, supply in the country will increase six-fold over the amount available in 2009, which was approximately 20,000 barrels per day, the agency predicted. Jeff Rola, president of Go Bio Co. in Bend, has in the past three years found profit in supplying a company with used vegetable oil, which gets converted into biodiesel." (9)

1. http://www.iea.org/aboutus/faqs/renewableenergy/
2. http://www.energyfuturecoalition.org/biofuels/fact_ethanol.htm
3. http://www.afdc.energy.gov/fuels/ethanol_production.html
4. http://ethanolrfa.org/pages/World-Fuel-Ethanol-Production
5. http://www.fueleconomy.gov/feg/ethanol.shtml
6. http://www.ethanolrfa.org/pages/how-ethanol-is-made
7. http://www.agmrc.org/renewable_energy/energy/trends-in-u-s-gasoline-and-ethanol-use-and-petroleum-production-and-imports/

8. http://www.altfuelprices.com/stations/BD/Oregon/Bend/

9. http://www.kval.com/news/business/Biodiesel-users-see-benefits-in-Central-Oregon-137032828.html

5 Ecosystem Services Provided by Wetlands

As found on the NRCS home page for wetlands (see link below), 3 ecosystem services provided by wetlands are as follows:

1. Stores/regulates floodwaters/flooding- Wetlands not only allow water to spread out over a broad expanse of land (as compared to a narrow river channel) but they also contain water dwelling plants which physically slow water down as it moves through the system.
2. Filtering pollutants- wetland soils (peats, bogs, anaerobic soils) contain bacteria and microbes capable of "capturing" many bases (including pollutant & nitrate molecules) from the water solution and using them in anaerobic respiration, therefore removing them from the water supply and sinking them into the soil.
3. Recreation- Wetland environments make for excellent recreation areas for boaters, fishermen, bird watchers, and other wildlife viewing opportunities. These draws increase tourism in the area and therefore hold economic value for the surrounding community.

http://www.nrcs.usda.gov/wps/portal/nrcs/main/national/water/wetlands/

In addition, the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands, an organization responsible for one of the classification systems used in the delineation of wetlands (see link below), offers two more ecosystem services provided by this land type, among many others. These are:

4. Groundwater replenishment- Wetlands can store water in their soils and slowly release it into the ground to refill groundwater aquifers and springs when rainfall is absent and unable to do so. Without wetlands, rainfall would simply move through river systems into the ocean during high precip. times when groundwater containments are full. But in times of low precip., and in the absence of wetlands, there would be no source from which groundwater supplies could be replenished, and those dependent on groundwater for living would be out of luck, because all water would have washed right into the ocean during the most recent rainfall event, instead of being stored in wetlands for later use.
5. Carbon sequestration- Wetlands have very high rates of nutrient cycling and decomposition. As plants grow in wetlands they sequester carbon from the atmosphere during photosynthesis. Due to a continuous supply of water and adaptations allowing them to continue to photosynthesize even during inundation periods, wetland plants can photosynthesize like mad, all the time. There is also a high rate of turnover in the system (death) which offers up lots of detritus to the massive populations of decomposers dwelling in this ecosystem. In this fashion, carbon is locked up in plants and then quickly locked into the soil by the highly active bacteria and other small detritivores.

http://www.ramsar.org/cda/en/ramsar-pubs-info-ecosystem-services/main/ramsar/1-30-103%5E24258_4000_0__

All of these services provide some kind of economic benefit to mankind, either by bringing money into the area (recreation), or by saving money from leaving the area (every other service listed). Without wetlands, a community must invest funding and infrastructure in flood protection and prevention. We would have to invest much more in water filtration plants, restoration efforts, and species population management downstream in order to take pollution inputs into account, or out of the system. Recreation generates funding through tourism dollars, something all too familiar to us here in C.O. Water itself is a necessity of life, and, like tourism, here in C.O. we are dependent on groundwater for our drinking water and irrigation needs. When low snow/rainfall years occur (like this one) our groundwater stores could be slowly replenished over the summer by wetland storage if snowmelt wasn't sufficient. Without wetlands, it could (will) cost the community of Bend and all those dependent on the groundwater in the area (the Deschutes River, for example) lots of money to have to either increase city water rates or restrict farmer access to water, thus increasing food prices next year. Carbon sequestration...climate change, CO2 levels, polar bears, sell your beach house NOW, blablabla, we all know why that's a good thing.

Introduction & Top 3 Environmental Issues

My name on the books is Kirsten Williams, however I go by Hillary, which is my middle name. My current location is riverwest Bend, and I have lived in this area since I graduated high school in 2008. I grew up in a tiny town called Lorane, which is located roughly 23 miles southwest of Eugene, OR. Lorane has a population of a little less than 1000, and is made up of ranchers, loggers, vineyard workers, and hippies. My family fell under the last category. I am a natural resource/management option major, and I have been a senior for the last year and a half, but I will actually be graduating this June (finally).

In my opinion, the top three natural resource issues of the day are food production & waste, water consumption, use, and waste, and energy consumption, production, and waste. The three essentials for all living organisms are food or sustenance of some kind, water, and shelter to keep from freezing to death and protection from the elements. Most species retrieve quantities of these resources necessary for survival but do not take much more than the minimum amounts required to live and reproduce. Humans, however, have increasingly utilized, and wasted, copious amounts of these resources as our kind has "evolved" over time. Maybe you've ever seen the outdoor fountains in Las Vegas sending fresh, clean water vapor into the desert atmosphere. Perhaps you have walked through the Costco garage doors out of negative temps and felt the blast of heat come down on your face then escape to the cold outside. How many times have you left a restaurant and witnessed plates at an empty table half full of food, including burgers, or fish? It isn't that we don't have enough clean water, food to eat, or energy to stay warm at night, it's that we consume them all in excess and waste without considering the rest of the world who barely have access at all. Overconsumption of food and demand for meat products, wasteful use of water that has upset and unbalanced the water cycle, and the highly excessive use and release of unnecessary amounts of energy has led to all sorts of environmental degradation and lack of resources for those less fortunate populations in less developed countries all over the world.