UWC EARTH ALLIES

UWCers dedicated to raising environmental awareness around the world.

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Ready to begin week two of the UN Climate Conference!

Emelia Gold

UWC-USA '15

USA-MD

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It's time.

  It has been 17 years since Kyoto Protocol was signed. However, most of the countries haven't achieved their goals yet. The protocol is mainly about reducing the global amount level of CO2 but many developing countries refused to sign this protocol because it was unfair for them. Developed countries created this bad situation and they should take the responsibility. On the other hand, developed countries argue that nowadays, the biggest CO2 creators are those developing countries and they are STILL arguing about this topic. The point is, it's not the right time to argue!

  We all have the responsibility to save this fantastic planet. Those nonsense we've done will eventually come back to ourselves. Acid rains destroy plants we eat every day and wonderful statues we build. Or, can you imagine that those beautiful flowers disappear and all turn into dry deserts? I can't imagine. I love flowers so much. I don't want flowers to disappear and turn into deserts. That is not good. Then what can we do? Turn your light off whenever you leave your room, take showers as quickly as possible......There are infinite things we can do for our mother earth. Don't worry if it's too small-remember, we have 7 billion people in this world! If we all put some effort in, there is nothing we can't do! Can we save the earth? Yes we can!

  It's time to take actions.  

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Credits : UWC USA Agroecology Research Center

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There's always something special out there.

One of my favorite memories is backpacking the Blue Range Primitive in Arizona. We spent 10 days out there to become wilderness leaders. On one of our hiking days, we spent the entire hike walking through a river until we got to a cave-like entrance. We took a break there and explored the tunnel. It was out there, in the back-country miles away from civilization, do you realize just how spectacular our world is. We are so small in comparison to the vast, miraculous world that's seen so much. At the same time, we are as special as the world for being here, alive, and able to see all of this. It's incredible.

-Caroline Ayala

UWC USA '15

California

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Credits : UWC USA Agroecology Research Center

Plants planted on the farm by UWC USA students, Beatrix Howe and Juulia Suurronen.

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How much are plants helping us fight climate change? New research suggests climate models don’t give plants enough credit for absorbing excess carbon dioxide from the air. But is the discrepancy enough to make a difference in global climate change?

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Tackling Climate Change: The Role of Architecture

Last April, Earth Allies organized Earth Week in UWC-USA. We were honored to have Architect Edward Mazria as our guest speaker, speaking about his project Architecture 2030. According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration, the building sector consumes nearly half (47.6%) of all energy produced in the United States. Seventy-five percent (74.9%) of all the electricity produced in the U.S. is used just to operate buildings. Therefore, building can be interpreted as a major contributor of global climate change.

Noticing the stunning amount of electricity that buildings consume, Mr. Mazria thought that the architectural sector has the responsibility to reduce the carbon emissions by improving architectural designs. Therefore, he established Architecture 2030 in 2002, which is a non-profit, non-partisan and independent organization, with the aim of rapidly transforming the built environment from the major contributor of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions to a central part of the solution to the climate and energy crises.

Architecture 2030 pursues two primary objectives:

1.       The dramatic reduction in global fossil fuel consumption and GHG emissions of the built environment by changing the way cities, communities, infrastructure, and buildings, are planned, designed, and constructed.

2.       The regional development of an adaptive, resilient built environment that can manage the impacts of climate change, preserve natural resources, and access low-cost, renewable energy resources.

In order to educate and encourage architects around globe to implement environmentally-friendly features in every architectural designs, Architecture 2030 has established a free online platform called 2030 Palette, which is a database of all complex and multi-dimensional information for constructing low-carbon and resilient built environments in a readily accessible format.

Check the video out!

Sources:

Architecture 2030 - http://architecture2030.org/

The 2030 Palette - http://2030palette.org/

Justin Yim UWC-USA '15 Hong Kong

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Food production and Agriculture

Food is an important resource in our every day lives since we need it to survive.  It provides us the nutrients we need to gain energy.

However, throughout the past few years there has been an overproduction of food. Many people would think that this is a positive outcome but in the circumstances that we live in today, it is not.

In theory, because there is an overproduction of food, people must be getting enough nutrients to live their everyday lives and there must be an excess of food supply. In addition, many people would think that more food is supplied to the rich than the poor. However, this is not the reality. We live in a time where even though there is an overproduction of food, people are stating that there is still not enough for everyone. This is because of two cases:

1-    Growth in population

2-    Eating habits

Due to the growth in the population, people are stating that they are not receiving enough food for everyone. However, this links to our eating habits and obesity. Our eating habits have changed due to the fact that at one point there was more food supplied than needed and so prices fell and people started to buy more food. As a result, it became a habit for people to eat more food than is needed, especially meat products and meals since they became cheaper than fruits and vegetables.

Moreover, the idea that rich people should be obese and not the poor is not true. In fact there are more obese people that are poor than rich. This is because society has made food cheaper and come in meals such as in fast food places like McDonalds and Burger King.

One the questions that really intrigued me was, why are fruits and vegetables more expensive than meals from fast food places?

Fruits and vegetables are more expensive due to many factors such as growing seasons, as well as shipping prices especially in the winters when it is hard to grow crops. Fruits are also bought fresh and so it is more expensive to ship them fast and in certain conditions. However, why are they more expensive than fast food meals?

Well, it is mainly argued that meat can always be frozen as well as it can be produced at any time of the year. Nevertheless, some people may argue that the production of meat is more expensive since many factors play a role in producing meat. For example, feed crops such as soy and corn must be produced to feed the animals.

Moreover, as stated in the PCRM (The Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine) since the government is funding feeding crops for dairy products and meat as well as fruits and vegetables, you would think it would be distributed evenly but it is not. In fact, the government funds the feeding crops billions of dollars whereas it only funds the fruits and vegetables production only 1 percent of government subsidies. But why is this the case?

There is no clear answer as to why the government is supporting meat production more than the fruits and vegetables production. However, I personally think it is a matter of money. We are receiving more money from meat production because it is easily accessible to everyone and cheap! For example, if you watch one of the documents taken from the documentary of Food Inc., you will see a family spending there last dollars on fast food meals rather than fruits and vegetables because it is much cheaper and more satisfying. It has come to a point where people don’t buy fruits and vegetables because they need enough money to buy other substances such as medicine as well as a meal for all their family.

But what effects will this have on our futures and the next generations?

At the moment, prices for unhealthy foods have decreased rapidly in the past few years, whereas, the prices for fruits and vegetables have increased faster than usual. For example, soda has become much cheaper in the past 36 years. In 1978, soda was 33% more expensive. On the other hand, fruits and vegetables have become 40% more expensive today than it was then. This is becoming an issue in our societies today and a change must occur so that this does not affect our next generations. If we continue this way, the diabetes epidemic that we are facing now will grow even more and affect the health of our children.

- Jumana Al Mukhtar

UWC-USA'15

Bahrain.

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UWC USA Students at the People's Climate March in Santa Fe 2014

Climate Change effects us all.

Credit: Sunniva Punsvik

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Lake Tahoe, California

                One of my favorite places to be in California-  besides San Francisco, the beach, Big Sur State Park, and Yosemite - is in a cabin in Kings Beach, Lake Tahoe. The cabin we stay at is in a golf course just steps away from the massive, blue lake. Ponderosa pine trees surround the cabin and the great lake. Bears live in the mountains around the lake, often digging through garbage cans for food. Once, a black bear was eating right outside our front door the trash we left out. Another time, while playing Frisbee with my sister and cousin, a black bear walked along the field and we followed it to see where it was going. It ended up finding a garbage can that did not have a bear lock and it sat there to eat. Residents of this area tend not to fear the bears because they are commonly seen and do not cause harm as long as they are not disturbed.

                Besides bears and trees, this small place in the Sierra Nevada mountain range has a remarkable feature: the lake. The lake is incredible! It is so large that some of it crosses into the Nevada and is part of the Nevada territory. The lake is also separated in terms of culture and tourists. South Lake Tahoe, which is almost all in California territory, is a great tourist spot with casinos all over and places to Jet Ski, kayak, and water ski. North Lake Tahoe is quieter with no large tourist attractions other than ski resorts, such as North Star, for the winter months and a fantastic beach. It is quite mellow in comparison to the busy South.

                Kings Beach, Lake Tahoe receives the sun from dawn to dusk, making it warm regardless of the season during the day. Snow covers the ground and rests on top of the pine trees and cabin roofs. At our cabin, there is about a foot of snow while the beach has no snow. The summits of the mountains all have about two feet of snow which is remarkably low given the time of year it is. However, the lake remains blue and quite cold.

                No matter what part of Lake Tahoe you are in, you are sure to see a blue bumper sticker or blue signs saying “Keep Tahoe Blue”. The Lake is remarkably clear and blue. You can walk for yards into the lake with the water only reaching your hips and the sand providing comfort to your feet. If you kayak or Jet Ski into the lake, you can still see the bottom of the lake – unless you are near the center where the bottom is meters away. You can always see quite deep into the lake and many swimmers do not wear goggles because the water is clean. The water is incredibly clear and looks blue from any location near, far, or high yet why the bumper stickers? What threats prompted these stickers and banners? What were the reasons behind the threats and are the threats still capable of harming the lake today? How did the residents of the lake respond? When did this sticker come about and how did they keep the lake blue for all this time as I know my old elementary school teacher, an active environmentalist, protested to keep the lake blue a year before she taught us? How did this lake came about and how is it so blue and clear? How many lakes in California remain as clear as this one?

                The typical “Keep Tahoe Blue” merchandise originates from the League to Save Lake Tahoe which strives to protect and restore the natural beauty of the lake while advocating to maintain a healthy ecosystem. This organization began in 1957 in order to work with lawmakers to preserve Lake Tahoe and keep it the blue and clear lake it is. The first success of the lake was preventing a high-speed freeway that would circle the lake to be built which helped prevent the construction of more casinos and residential areas; all that would urbanize the area and destroy ecosystems surrounding the lake. The league soon became Tahoe’s “watchdog” and worked with legislators to protect the lake for the long-term rather than short-term. In the 70s, the league led protests to end sewage dumping n the lake and, in the 90s, created urban boundaries to prevent expansion of residential buildings on conserved land. In the 2000s, the League fought to prevent the construction of piers, buoys, and boating facilities which would lead to more boat trips and would pollute the water.

                Current threats to the lake are algae blooms, water weeds, sediment mixing, pollutants, urban development, and aquatic invasive species. These all threaten the clarity of the water. Fifty years ago, the clarity depth was 100 ft. while now it is at 70 ft. The algae bloom in the shoreline and the water weeds cause some of the loss in water clarity while the main reason for the great loss in water clarity is urban development. Rain falls on roads and parking lots which carry sand, fertilizers, nutrients, and sediments into the lake. These all float around the lake for years to come which add to the decrease in water clarity in the lake. Mussels and other aquatic invasive species can disrupt and destroy the ecosystems in Tahoe. The League works to scientifically find solutions to these threats and protect the lake.

                The lake was formed by glaciers, volcanoes, and faults in the Sierra Nevada range. 25 million years ago, as the faults created the mountain range, the Lake was formed between the mountains. Mount Pluto’s lava formed a dam which regulated the amount of water flowing into the lake.  The last Ice Age created glaciers in that area which, as the world warmed and the ice melted, supplied more water into this lake and nearby lakes. The lake is clear and blue as the rain and snowfall lands right onto the lake while the other precipitation lands in wetlands that clean the water as it flows into the lake. The lake remains clear as long as urban development does not destroy wetlands-which it has and it explains the lake’s lost in clarity. The lakes nearby Lake Tahoe, such as Emerald Bay, are clear but not as much as Lake Tahoe.

                This lake is 12 miles long and 22 miles large with a depth of 1636 feet and is 6,225 feet above sea level. The water tends to stay cold but can be 60 degrees Fahrenheit in the summer, making it a great place to swim in when outside it is 90 degrees or more!

                One of my favorite places to visit – Lake Tahoe – is an environmental beauty with its water clarity and perfect location. I hope that the League continue to fight to keep Tahoe Blue so that future generations can marvel at its beauty. I hope to work at Lake Tahoe for some time and help maintain the water clarity.

-Caroline A.

UWC-USA '15

California

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Credits: Irving Barrera López