"ScrAPES #9- Keeping Foods and the Climate Cool"

Podcast- Living on Earth Podcast, Keeping Foods and the Climate Cool week of January 16, 2015, Start: 00:01 End: 07:28

Topic: Sustainability 

Summary:
     Food produced by farmers are going to waste because of the lack of cooling systems, especially in a developing world. Food waste is creating 3.3 billion metric tons of carbon dioxide. John Mandyck, the Chief Sustainability Officer of the united Technologies Building & Industrial Systems, developed a new system called a cold chain; refrigerated trucks, trailers. and containers are used to keep food fresh as it is being transported around. His goal is to prevent food loss- keeping the food fresh from the point it is harvested to the point when consumers buy it. The cold chain is designed to keep our food lasting longer and not go to waste; being able to feed the people in todays world and future generations. Plus, a new organization called the Global Food Cold Chain Council is created to make the cold chain green, and to reduce the carbon footprint. The cold chain would be used to solve the problems of food loss and to discuss the issue of climate change. 
     I choose this podcast because I thought it was interesting to read about a new development that is being used to help keep food fresh and the environment healthy. It was also interesting to read that food waste is one of the factors that produce carbon dioxide. The topics in the podcast connects back to the readings on sustainability and food consumption. 
     This podcast is important to environmental science because developing a system that would reduce food waste would help slow down the carbon dioxide that is being produced from it. It can later lead to other developments that pertains to climate change issues. The next step is to spread more awareness in the developed world about the harms of food waste in our environment. To teach them not to buy more then they can consume in order to feed everyone today and future generations. 

"What's Your Number?" Reflection

     A 1000 years ago, the world's population started out with 0. 3 billion. Since then, the population grew dramatically to 7.0 billion and is still growing. When the population was at 0. 3 billion, I learned that the birth rate and death rate helped balance the population because of infant mortality. But, eventually as time passed, we developed a better agriculture and developed better medicines that helps people to live longer, causing an increase in the population. Another factor was that women were starting to have more babies. I also learned that there are other factors that could change the population number: migration, aging, diseases, and life expectancy. I was the 5,935,993,664th person alive on Earth and 81,399,754,170th people where before me. 
     My thoughts on population is that we are growing at a fast pace. I do believe we have a lot of people, but I have never really looked at it as a bad thing. But after learning more about population, it makes me wonder. What I am worried about is how much of the earth's capacity we are using up. Fearing that in the future, we start develop higher technologies and producing more chemicals that are used for our food would eventually start hurting our health and the environment even more.

EcoBook #13- Abiotic

Water is Abiotic (nonliving).

EcoBook #12- Biotic

Plants are Biotic (living). Plants need nutrients, sunlight, and water to stay alive and healthy. 

EcoBook #11- Habitat

                                  

This is a fish habitat. It contains all the components that makes the fish feel comfortable and right at home. 

"ScrAPES #8- Peru to Provide Free Solar Panels to its Poorest Residents"

Article- Peru to Provide Free Solar Panels to its Poorest Residents, Justin Gammill, August 11 2015, 
http://iheartintelligence.com/2015/08/11/peru-to-provide-free-solar/

Topic: Renewable resources 

Summary: 
     In Peru, the poorest residents lack electric lighting and are using fuels that are bad for their health.  Jorge Merino, the Energy and Mining Minister of Peru, developed a solution to give the poorest residents electricity. The National Photovoltaic Household Electricity Program would provide free solar panels to over 500,000 to the poorest households. Thus, free solar panels and free electricity would be given to over 2 million of the poorest residents in Peru; being completed by the end of 2016. 
      I picked this article because it is wonderful to read about a program helping people and the environment. It was interesting to read that they plan to give out free solar panels and free electricity to over 2 million poorest citizens in Peru. This connects back to the Module 2 reading; showing that there are people out there who are working hard to help the poorest countries to develop a life style where they have reusable resources for themselves and for future generations; to create a healthier environment.   
      This article is important  to environmental science because the use of solar panels is a form of a renewable resource that can help the environment. It cuts down on the use of fuels in the long run. Developing renewable resources is an important key in keeping the environment healthy. The next step should be following the example of The National Photovoltaic Household Electricity Program; trying to develop more renewable resources for everyone in the world to use.