Nuclear Power

Nuclear power may not be the newest form of energy to be developed but it is becoming increasingly prevalent in today’s societies. Personally, I do not think it will be the solution to our energy crisis, but it will play a large role in the coming years. I have created a list of pros and cons for nuclear power. The positive aspects of nuclear power are about equal to the number of negative aspects of nuclear power. Nuclear power is not the solution to humanities’ nuclear crisis because it proposes too many devastating risks and it is not a renewable energy source. Since Uranium is not renewable, there is not an unlimited amount of nuclear power available. Nuclear power could be considered a transition source of fuel. The world is going to need to find alternative sources of energy that are renewable and will have almost zero environmental impact. Nuclear power doesn’t fit into this criteria but it will help the world during this time of transition from fossil fuels to renewable energy.


Pros and Cons of Nuclear Power:

Pros:
• The generation of nuclear power emits relatively low amounts of Carbon Dioxide.
• The technology for nuclear power is already available so it does not need to be developed.
• Each power plant can generate a high amount of electricity.
• The amount of pollution that is emitted from nuclear power plants is considerably less than the amount of pollution emitted by plants running on fossil fuels.
• Nuclear power plants need little fuel and Uranium is evenly deposited around the planet.
Cons:
• The waste produced from nuclear power plants is extremely dangerous and has to be carefully looked after for thousands of years.
• The possibility of an accident increases with the increasing number of nuclear power plants. A nuclear accident would be devastating.
• There is the possibility that nuclear power plants and the waste of nuclear power plants would be a target for terrorists.
• The amount of Uranium is limited. It is estimated that there is only enough to supply power plants for the next 30 to 60 years.
• The radiation from nuclear power plants is a threat to the health of many.

Something Unexpected

My Environment and Society class is reading a book called Hot, Flat, and Crowded by Thomas L. Friedman. I found the following information intriguing yet pretty disturbing. One of the interesting things about greenhouse gases that are being emitted into the Earth’s atmosphere is the diversity of sources that they come from. According to Hot, Flat, and Crowded, humans are “throwing up other green house gases, like methane, that are released form rice farming, petroleum drilling, coal mining, animal defecation, solid waste landfill sites, and yes, even from cattle belching.” Also, according to Friedman, a herd of cattle belching can be worse than a high way full of hummers. Yes, this is what I meant by disturbing. I would rather not think about all the millions of cows that are releasing 600 liters of methane a day into the atmosphere. Gas from cattle releases high amounts of methane into the atmosphere. Methane can be quite detrimental to the Earth’s atmosphere because it is able to trap twenty-one times more gas in the atmosphere than carbon dioxide. This just proves that humans have all kinds of impacts on the Earth’s atmosphere since we’re the ones that dramatically increase the production of cattle.

Politics and the Environment

I’ve always wondered why concern for the environment within the U.S. government is usually considered a political issue. In my opinion, it makes more sense for people to be conscious of the Earth regardless of their political beliefs. Yet, this is not the case in the United States. In the 1980s a new philosophy came about that said everything the government does is inefficient. Some people believed that too much government intervention jeopardized the freedom of the American people. The conservatives were especially opposed to what they believed was excess government intervention. The Conservative Movement began which basically fought anything that would help the government’s sphere of influence. Movements concerned with environmental aspects and sustainability usually need the influence of the government to make them successful. This is why often conservatives compared with liberals are not as focused on environmental aspects. I believe we have come to an era when global warming is so evident that everyone should make combating climate change a priority. In Europe, almost all of the political parties have made new environmental ideas and improvements a large part of their political platforms. In the next few years, the United States is going to need to make many environmental advancements and improvements to catch up with Europe.

Green Games at UNC

Here at UNC most of the dorms participate in a competition called the Green Games. The Green Games is a competition in which residents and RA’s of the dorms participate in activities to promote sustainability and environmentally friendly actions. The dorm that organizes the most activities with the most participants wins the Green Games. The winner of the competition is determined by a point system. The prizes that are awarded usually have some connection with sustainability. Last year, Morrison was the dorm that one the entire competition and they receive prizes like low flow water fixtures, LED or motion sensor lights, a ClearStream recycling system, a foosball, ping pong table, an electric bike, a DVD collection of sustainability related movies, and a solar charging station for laptops! The last time I heard my dorm was in second place for this year’s competition. I think it’s neat that the Green Games encourages the entire dorm to participate in environmentally friendly actions and to be conscious of sustainability.

Copenhagen Climate Conference

In three days the largest international political conference will be held in Denmark. About 15,000 participants from 192 countries will take part in the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen, Denmark on December 7th until the 18th. The main purpose of the conference is to take action on climate change. According to the United Nations, “We cannot continue using fossil fuels the way we do today.” The Copenhagen will hopefully succeed in developing a Copenhagen Protocol to prevent global warming and climate changes. The government of Denmark has decided that the Conference in Copenhagen has decided that the subject of the conference will be on climate change and the conference itself. The planners of the conference have worked hard to make the conference itself environmentally friendly. Participants of the conference have been encouraged to used public transportation. Also, a windmill near the location of the conference is being used to supply electricity for the conference. Personally I believe that the Conference in Copenhagen will be one of the most important international meetings in today’s society. The future state of our planet relies on decisions that will be made in the near future. The Conference in Copenhagen has a chance to make a difference.

My English class has spent a few classes focusing on Environmental issues. I talked previously about the day we discussed ecological literacy. The other day we perused a website called 350.org. The website organized the International Day of Climate Action and much more. On October 24, 2009 people at more than 5200 events in more than 180 countries came together for the most widespread day of environmental action in the world. The number 350 represents the amount in parts per million as the safe upper limit of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. The number 350 is also a symbol where the planet needs to head in the future as humans continue to cause global warming. I am obviously biased because I am an environmental major, but I thought this was a very cool website. There are animated movies and many pictures of people gathering to promote the 350 campaign and International Day of Climate Action.

Bio Invasion

For the past few classes we have been learning about the biodiversities of ecosystems. Globalization has been one of the main causes that have led to the bio invasion of species. Professor Gangi described the rule of 10 for bio invasion. The rule of 10 is that for every 100 species, 10 are going to be able to reproduce in a new environment. One of the 10 species will be a nuisance species. Nuisance species usually affect the bio diversity of an ecosystem by bringing disease vectors and over competing with other species for resources. Professor Gangi talked about two particular species that I had no idea even existed. Honestly, I think I would prefer not knowing the existed. They are the snake fish and lamprey. The Lamprey is the first photo and the lamprey is the second photo. Both of these species have serious potential threats to waterways in the United States and other parts of the world. In the past they have been exposed into new environments and negatively affected the lives of other species living in the area. For example, the lamprey was able to get into waterways that weren’t its natural habitats and they can suck the blood of the fish living near it. A snake fish even has the ability to crawl out of bodies of water and move across land to another body of water. Both of these species have been able to make it to new waterways through the globalization of humans and can cause many problems in their new ecosystems.

Almost the End

As the end of the semester is growing closer, I am finishing up all my assignments for this class. A few days ago my group will finished writing our case study essay and then we turned it in on Thursday. That will be our last written assignment for the class. I can’t believe the semester has gone by so fast! I’m definitely looking forward the winter break and not having any school work to think about. Especially after this case study I am ready for a break.

New Urbanism

New urbanism describes a movement of development that promotes walkable neighborhoods that have a range of house types with different available jobs. New urbanism began in the United States in the early 1980s. It is said to be closely related to Environmentalism. The developers of new urbanism hope that their planning and strategies will reduce the traffic congestion, increase the supply of affordable housing, and reduce sprawl. Southern Durham Development Inc claims that the proposed development around Jordan Lake would be an example of new urbanism. The company’s website shows a video that defines the goals of a new urban neighborhood. I am sure the developers have many plans to reduce the development’s environmental impact and make it an example of new urbanism, but the location of the proposed development seems to contradict the strategies of new urbanism. New urbanism is supposed to rein in on urban sprawl. The location of 751 South appears to be an example of urban sprawl. The neighborhoods wouldn’t really be an expansion of the city of Durham. Instead it appears to just be another example of the city sprawling outwards. I am perplexed how the developing company can call the proposed development an example of new urbanism when its location contradicts the strategies of new urbanism.

I started this blog at the beginning of the year with almost no idea what this class was going to be like. I was also unsure whether I was still going to want to be an environmental major by the time exams rolled around. I have heard that at least half of the freshmen in college will change their major. So far I have not changed my major and I am pretty happy with what I am planning on majoring in. I am still conscious of the fact that there is a good possibility that I may decide to switch my major, but at this point I do not plan to. The environmental class that I have been taking has reassured my choice in Environmental Science. It has probably been my favorite class this semester. I really like the professor and think he does a good job getting students to care about what he is teaching. The class always keeps me interested and it has helped me find an area to focus my career around.

UNC and Jordan Lake

I am a student at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, but I am originally from Charlotte, North Carolina. So, I am not very familiar with the triangle region and I had actually never heard of Jordan Lake before I started on the Case Study. So, I didn’t realize how close Jordan Lake is to Chapel Hill. One day as I was walking to class I happened to notice the storm drains on campus. Each one says, “drains into Lake Jordan.” I was surprised and excited to find out how close UNC’s campus is to the lake. It made me realize that the students at UNC also play an important role in protecting Jordan Lake.

Another Interview!

Part of my assignment for the case study was to interview a knowledgeable person about the issue that the case study focuses on. I chose to interview a lady named Elaine Chiosso who is the Executive director for the Haw River Assembly. The Haw River Assembly is a nonprofit organization that was founded in 1982 to help restore and protect Haw River and Lake Jordan. Chiosso told me about the petition that was started by the Haw River Assembly against the proposed 751 South. The following summary on the issue regarding the boundary changes of Lake Jordan is based off the information given by Elaine Chiosso. Durham County didn’t go through the proper legislation for the state or county. As a result citizens started contacting the Haw River Assembly. The public suggested the Haw River Assembly get involved with the conflict regarding Lake Jordan. The citizens wanted the county to send the survey back through the process. Yet, the petition proposed to the planning commission of Durham County was denied. According to Chiosso, a petition is valid if it can get support from 20% of the public. Since the boundary line of Lake Jordan is drawn as an arc, the petition must have 20% public support from the east and west side of the boundary line. Although the petition did manage to collect the support of 20% of the public, it was still announced invalid. She also informed me that the boundary line was set when the lake was built in the 1970’s. The boundary of a lake is usually determined by the normal pool elevation line. This distinguishes between where the lake ends and the river begins. The Haw River Assembly also used submitted its own survey along with the survey that was proposed by the developer. There are various types of survey methods that can be used that are considered valid. The method used by the developer guaranteed a boundary change. This type of method is called surface water elevation. The method used by the Haw River Assembly was called Creek Bottom Elevation. The survey also used a method called Thalweg. The Haw River Assembly does not want support the survey paid for by the developers because it would allow the critical watershed area to change enough to allow development in this area. The development is called 751 South. The developer’s survey would also allow other people on the other side of the line to develop around the lake. Lake Jordan is on the impaired water list and is significantly affected by storm water pollution.
At first I was a little skeptical about being able to find a person that would be willing to talk to me about the issue, but it turned out to be pretty simple. I might have gotten lucky because Chiosso was pretty willing to talk to me. The interview was also helped clarify a lot of the factors causing most of the controversy. There are multiple surveys that can be done to determine a lake’s boundaries and they’re all valid. Personally I think this is a main factor creating problems between the developers, counties, and citizens.

An interview

If you’re interested in the controversy revolving around Jordan Lake, I found an interview with Matt Saldana on the North Carolina Public Radio. Matt Saldana is a writer for the Independent Weekly and covers this particular issue. The interview is a recording that I found on the Independent Weekly’s website. It is a little old and there have been important decisions regarding the issue that have been made after the interview was published. Yet, it is a good way to understand the background information and fill in any gaps that I may have missed. The following link will take you to this interview.

http://wunc.org/tsot/archive/sot0107a09.mp3/view

What is a Watershed?

So I found this picture that defines a watershed boundary. The definition of a watershed boundary is helpful, but I thought the picture was even more helpful. The picture helped me grasp the concept of a watershed boundary.

Jordan Lake Boundaries

As I was doing some research for the case study, I came across the map that is seen below. Since the map is animated, I liked how it helped me understand the changing watershed boundaries. The map makes the controversial issues easier to understand and visualize. There are certain laws that prohibit high density development within a one mile boundary of Jordan Lake. This one mile boundary is called the watershed boundary. As the map shows, the yellow block is the proposed development. The red boundary line is the proposed line, while the blue line is the existing watershed boundary. The proposed development cannot be continued until the watershed boundary is adjusted to the red line. In October of this year, the Southern Development Inc succeeded in changing the watershed boundaries. This map is a little old. So the red line is now the actual watershed boundary of Lake Jordan. The next step for the developing company is to rezone the area. The company wants to change the zoning from low density development to high density development. The process of rezoning has turned into a debate within Durham County.

CASE STUDY!

As I mentioned before, I have been working on a case study in my environmental class. The case study has focused on Jordan Lake and the proposed development within the lake’s watershed boundary. The controversy that has evolved with the development around Jordan Lake has become very heated in the past year and is still unresolved. The company called Southern Durham Development in Durham County wants to build a development that is called 751 South. The development would be considered high density development. 751 South would consist of 164 acres of dense development. It would also be located in southwest Durham County. The development would be composed of 1300 residences, 600,000 square feet of office and retail space, fire station, elementary and middle school, and other amenities that would accommodate for its location outside of the city limits. It is estimated that the total development is would cost about $500 million. The development would be considered high density development because so many people would be living close to each other. One of the goals of the community set forth by the developers is to make the community compact so that it will be more sustainable. There are a number of steps that Southern Durham Developing Inc must follow in order to go ahead and build on this piece of land around Jordan Lake. First, the watershed boundaries of Jordan Lake must be changed then the zoning of this area has to be approved from low density to high density. Currently, the necessary watershed boundaries have been passed through the Durham County Board of Commissioners but the rezoning process is still continuing. Rezoning of this area will allow high density development near the lake. The controversial issue regarding Jordan Lake has created a fine line between those that support the zoning changes and those that do not. Those that are opposed to the zoning changes argue that the development will provide too much exposure to pollutants from human societies. The Lake is already on the EPA’s list of impaired waters so it already does not meet quality expectations determined by the state. Jordan Lake is also the drinking water for Apex, Cary, Chatam County, and Mooresville County. Those that are opposed to the changing zones and boundaries of Jordan Lake live in the areas that get their drinking water from this lake. It is safe to say that almost everyone wants to drink the cleanest water possible.

The True Cost of Driving

Today, I took an online survey called The True Cost of Driving. When people think of cars and driving, they usually only think of the direct costs of driving. These directs costs include factors like insurance, maintenance, and fuel. yet, they tend to forget indirect costs. For example, indirect costs include factors like accidents, construction, and air pollution damage. To complete the survey I had to determine my annual vehicle mileage. I determined that I drive about 2500 miles a year and the survey calculated that the my annual cost of driving per year is about $3,375. Many American societies have become extremely dependent on automobiles as a form of transportation. I am guessing that my annual automobile mileage is pretty low compared to the millions of Americans that commute to work everyday. Decreasing automobile dependence and increasing public transportation will be a challenge in the coming years. Access to alternative forms of transportation and public transportation is becoming a dominating factor of city planners.

Ecological Literacy

In the following few sentences I have defined what it means to be ecological literate. This term came up in my English class the other day and I thought it was pretty interesting. In the next few decades, becoming ecological literate is going to be a very serious and important issue for human societies. “Being ecologically literate, or "ecoliterate," means understanding the principles of organization of ecological communities (ecosystems) and using those principles for creating sustainable human communities” (Thinking Ecologically). In order to obtain ecological literacy, one must first understand their environment and its daily processes. This knowledge must be used in order to live sustainably and cause minimal damage to the environment. It is also important for an ecologically literate person to inform others and encourage them to minimize their ecological footprint.

As I was reading Time magazine, I came across an advertisement for Liberty Mutual. The advertisement was promoting their automobile insurance. According to the advertisement, “If you total your new car we’ll replace it with the same model.” The materialistic society of America is reflected in this advertisement. It encourages people to buy new cars and puts the idea into their heads that anything is replaceable in American society. It also supports a type of lifestyle in which Americans can have whatever they want when they need it, without inconvenience. The type of mentality encouraged by the advertisement has a negative connection with the environment. The advertisement encourages people to buy things new rather than used. This is one reason why The U.S. has such a large problem with the amount of waste it produces. People buy whatever they want whenever they want to. Then they throw away their older version of the same product.

My First Test

I tend to forget that this blog is about my experiences in my environmental class, here at UNC. So, I had my first test in this class last week. Since I’m still a freshman in my first semester, tests still freak me out. Luckily, the midterm for this class didn’t seem too bad. It wasn’t nearly as bad as the chemistry test I took on Tuesday. I also liked the format of the midterm because it had three essay questions. It’s easier to write about the things you do know about rather than taking a multiple choice test and having to guess on the questions. This class is all about grasping certain concepts rather than specific facts. Students are more likely to remember what they learned in a class if they understand the broad concepts. For example, I will probably forget what a valence electron is once I finish with my chemistry class but I am confident that I won’t forget the impacts of Suburbia on our environment.

Urban Sprawl: Back Again...

According to my professor of Environment and Society, the average number of children per American household is decreasing. Yet, as the Americans continue to sprawl out of the suburbs, their houses are continuing to getting larger. This concept continues to baffle me. It doesn’t make sense for houses to get bigger while families are having fewer children. It’s a waste of money and resources. Houses are using more and more energy as their size increases and the number of people living in the house decreases. Once again, this situation is an effect of urban sprawl.

The Costs of Urban Sprawl

The following characteristics are only a few of the negative characteristics of America society, high foreign oil dependency, high fuel consumption, congested traffic, strip malls, automobile dependency, loss of country, increase of fast food chains, and an increase waste lines. All of these characteristics of American society can be linked to urban sprawl! Urban sprawl is the spreading of communities to the outskirts of cities. Suburbs are products of urban sprawl. Sprawl is often used with a negative connotation. It has an especially negative impact on the environment. People often don’t realize that sprawl has huge water consequences. Sprawl allows for home owners to have more land and bigger lawns. Neighborhoods waste a ridiculous amount of clean water on watering their lawns. Also, fertilizers that are used to fertilize the lawns can seep into the ground water supply. The grass used on lawns also decreases the biodiversity of the environment. Sprawl also greatly affects the air quality. People in suburbs have bigger houses and use more energy on their houses. Also, since they live farther away from their houses, they have longer commutes to their work. This results in a greater consumption of energy. The main question here is why does America continue to sprawl from the cities when all the negative consequences seem to outweigh the positive effects?

~ We have modified our environment so radically that we must now modify ourselves to exist in this new environment. ~

According to Norbert Weiner, “We have modified our environment so radically that we must now modify ourselves to exist in this new environment.” This quote is shockingly accurate. The coming century is going to be defined by our need to “modify ourselves to exist in this new environment.” Humans are finally beginning to see the impact that they have on the environment. Humans have treated the Earth as if its resources are limitless and at their disposal. After years of these kinds of attitude displayed towards the Earth, humans are beginning to realize that they have altered the course of the environment. As a result people are going to have to adjust to the changes that they have caused. The search for alternative sources of energy is an example of our need to modify ourselves to function in a changed environment. Also, the issues with food security and the availability of food for a growing world population will require new innovations to exist in this new environment. Finding sources of clean water is another modification that humans are facing and will be facing for numerous years to come. Sadly, humans have no one to blame but themselves regarding the necessary modifications to the environment in the coming years.

Green Chemistry

In a environmental class, my professor mentioned something called Green Chemistry. He explained to the class that Green Chemistry is the process of finding new ways to manufacture things we need for our day to day products. Recently, there has been a lot of discussion regarding hazardous chemicals found in day to day products and materials. Some plastics are said to have dangerous chemicals. Studies have shown that some chemicals found in day to day materials are also endocrine disrupters. Studies have also shown that these chemicals may lead to autism and obesity. Green Chemistry is also referred to as Sustainable Chemistry. After talking about Green Chemistry, I became interested in this type of chemistry. In the future companies are going to be forced to find alternative materials for production using safer chemicals. I believe that Green Chemistry is going to play a major role in society. Europe is already ahead of the United States regarding the chemicals that are acceptable to use in industries.

A Story about a Successful City

Below, there is a brief video about a southern city in Brazil called Curitiba. The layout of the city is a successful model for sustainability in a developing country. Curitiba has created a better environment and quality of life than most first world countries. A man named Jaime Lerner has been the city mayor, governor of the state, and most importantly the “designer” of the city. According to Lerner the three central issues for the future of a society are mobility, sustainability, identity. He created Brazil’s first pedestrian malls. Lerner also designed and developed a road system that helped efficiently move traffic in, out, and around the city. Curitiba is also known for its extensive network of parks. This video is very interesting because it is a possible model for other developing countries. I enjoyed the movie and encourage you to watch it too!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hRD3l3rlMpo&feature=fvw

Environmental Issues around Chapel Hill

Since I am now living in The Research Triangle, I thought I would look at environmental issues concerning my new home. Lake Jordan is located near Chatam and Durham County. For the past few years, there has been a dispute between the two counties concerning an area of about a mile around the boundary of the lake. This area around the lake is the watershed boundary of the lake. The problem began when a private land owner in Durham County conducted his own survey that redrew the lake’s boundaries. As a result, the land that he planned to build on was removed outside of the lake’s water shed boundaries. The area where the development is being proposed is called the 751 assemblage and would compose office and retail space. Chatam County does not want this type of development on the land around the lake. Jordan Lake supplies drinking water for Chatam County’s, Cary’s, Apex’s, and Mooresville’s. It is also on the Environmental Protection Agency’s list for impaired water quality for the past few years. On the other hand, Durham Country advocates the idea of developing the land for retail. The disagreement about Lake Jordan’s water shed boundary has been going on for a couple of years and is still a heated debate between Chatam and Durham County.

A Demographic Dividend in Africa

For the past few days, my class has been discussing the importance of population growth and demographic trends in nations. In particular we are focusing on the effects of a “demographic dividend.” Generally when societies transition from a high fertility rate to a low fertility rate, the societies grow economically. This is because there is an increase in the number of people in the work force and they begin to have fewer children. This economic growth due to the change in fertility is often called “demographic dividend.” The other day I came upon article that focused on the possible demographic dividend in Africa. The article is called “Baby Bonanza” from the Economist. I was surprised by the author’s prediction that Africa could be an exception to the trend of obtaining a demographic dividend due to economic growth. In the past South East Asia and China have both grown richer and benefitted from a demographic transition as their fertility rates have dropped. Yet, even as Africa begins to grow richer, she may be an exception to this demographic transition. This article caught my attention because Africa has suffered from so much in the past and it looks like she will continue to suffer unless something is done to encourage a demographic dividend due to economic growth. It seems like Africa needs to focus on being able to provide enough food for its people and providing better education for its females. It also needs to develop stronger and more stable governments to protect its people. Then maybe Africa will benefit from a demographic dividend.

Today, I took an online quiz that determined my ecological footprint. According to this quiz, my ecological footprint is huge! If everyone on the planet lived the same lifestyle as me, we would need five earths to support everyone. I am still shocked and horrified that I have such a large impact on the state of the Earth. Yet, my footprint is still below the average person living in the United States.

So I've created a list of things that I am going to work on to make my ecological footprint smaller.

1. Ride my bike instead of taking the bus or driving a car
2. Take shorter showers
3. Buy energy efficient light bulbs
4. Now that I'm 18, I can vote for candidates that will make sustainability one of their priorities
5. Eat less meat
6. Eat foods with less packaging to reduce waste
7. Replace items only when they need to be replaced

During the semester, I will also be completing a case study on world hunger in the Environment and Society class. The case study is a group effort, but I will be required to contribute to the essay and oral presentation on world hunger. Also, I will be interviewing a person outside of the UNC community who is knowledgeable about my topic. I am excited to investigate the various causes for world hunger and different ways to combat mass starvation. I am looking forward to posting my findings and work on this blog.

The Very Beginning

First, I would just like to say welcome to my blog! I am a freshman at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and I’m thinking about majoring in Environmental Science. Currently, I am taking a class called Environment and Society. Although I am an Environmental Science major, this is my first environmental class. I never even took an environmental science class in high school, but somehow I know that I want to major in Environmental Science. I decided to take this class so I would get a better idea of the kind of classes I would be taking for my major. Already, this class has inspired me to write a blog that is dedicated to environmental issues. The purpose of this blog is to document my perceptions and experiences in the class. With this blog, I will develop and share my opinions regarding certain environmental issues. I hope that others will also find these topics as interesting as I do!