My Carbon Footprint

In this investigation, I discovered my carbon footprint on the world. I was asked to determine my effect on the world and write out an action plan to reduce it. Your carbon footprint is basically how much pollution you give off on any given day. Although the difficulty level was high, I was surprised to see how much my effect on the world interested me. It took me awhile to take it in, that I produce so many tons of carbon daily, just by doing everyday things!

Pollution is the introduction into the environment of a substance or chemical that has harmful or poisonous effects ("Pollution, Wiki"). When fossil fuels are burned, the gases and fuels are let free into the atmosphere. Volcanoes erupting, organisms breathing, and decaying are all major sources of pollutants. Most pollution in the world is manmade and can be avoided by making major changes in our lifestyles. When you think of “pollution,” you may assume that’s its something negative- and it is- but about 70% of the world’s energy sources are pollutants.

Carbon Dioxide is one of the main contributors to the pollution in our atmosphere. Carbon is produced by everyone on Earth, just by doing everyday things, such as riding the bus or train to school, eating food from animals, and using electricity. Everyone has their own effect on the world. According to the footprint calculator quiz I took, I release about 18.4 tons (or 16.7 metric tons) of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere in any given year (“Footprint Calculator”). About half (47%) of my carbon emissions are due to services, whereas the other half are equally due to food, shelter, mobility, and goods. My lifestyle is being supported by 18.9 global acres of Earth’s productive area, and if everyone lived like me, we would need 4.3 Planet Earths to provide enough resources.

When I put these numbers into the Footprint Calculator, I was surprised. In order visualize these numbers, I entered my numbers into a second calculator. I found that, annually, my lifestyle produces the same amount of greenhouse gas emissions as 3.5 passenger cars create, whereas my carbon dioxide emissions are equivalent to 696 propane cylinders used for home barbeques. (“Clean Energy: Greenhouse Gas Equivalencies Calculator”). Woah! Not 4 cars of CO2! That’s a lot of pollution!

So that I produce less carbon annually, I pledge to:

• Implement solar panels as my main power/energy source. Personally, I use LOTS of electricity daily. From the time I wake up, to the time I go to sleep, I’m non-stop using electricity. By switching to solar, I can reduce the number of Planet Earths required to live my lifestyle by 0.1 Planet Earths (4.3 to 4.2 Planet Earths). This action will also reduce my CO2 emissions from 18.4 tons to 18.2 tons, a total of .2 tons!
• Reduce the amount of animal-products I eat by half. In a week, I eat quite a lot of animal-products. Whenever we eat things like beef, pork, and dairy, a greenhouse gas named Methane is released in the air. By cutting my animal-product consumption in half, I can reduce the number of Planet Earths required to live my lifestyle by 0.3 Planet Earths (4.3 to 4 Planet Earths). This action will also reduce my CO2 emissions from 18.4 tons to 17.9 tons, a total of .5 tons!
• Purchase products that use less packaging or are 100% consumer recycled. I never put much thought into the materials and things I buy, nor do I care much about recycling. By purchasing recycled materials and materials with less packaging, I can reduce the number of Planet Earths required to live my lifestyle by 0.4 Planet Earths (4.3 to 3.9 Planet Earths). This action will also reduce my CO2 emissions from 18.4 tons to 16.5 tons, a total of 1.9 tons!! 

Even after taking these three actions, there’s still going to be a small level of carbon that I’m producing. Another way to make up for the carbon that I’m producing is to plant some trees. I’ve calculated how many trees I would need to plant to make up for all the carbon I’m producing. Here’s the equation that tells me how many trees I would need to plant:

18.4 tons= 16.7 metric tons

1 tree= .039 metric tons is going to be removed

16.7 metric tons (1 tree/0.039 metric tons) = 428 trees

Scientists have calculated, for every one tree that we plant, we will remove .039 metric tons from the atmosphere.

Planting 428 trees is a lot, but by taking the actions I mentioned above, I would not have to plant quite as many trees! Overall, I reduced my carbon footprint by 2.6 tons!! My original carbon footprint was 18.4 tons, after taking my actions, it was reduced to 15.8 tons! After all was said and done, I ended up having to plant only 368 trees! I am saving 60 trees!

References:

“Clean Energy: Greenhouse Gas Equivalencies Calculator.” U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. n.d. Web. 18 Feb. 2014.

“Footprint Calculator.” Global Footprint Network. Sept. 2011. Web. 18 Feb. 2014.

“Greenhouse Gas Emissions.” EPA.GOV. Sept. 2013. Web. 20 Feb. 2014.

Dream, You're Not Going Anywhere

In this investigation, my class was asked to pick a dream that symbolizes something really important to us. I chose a dream I had when I was 4 or 5 where I was fighting along Spiderman and we were an amazing team. Thinking about analyzing dreams made me think more deeply. I didn't think it was possible to remember a dream from ten years ago. My dream catcher was fun to make. I approached it with a different method, that was a bit harder, but still a lot of fun. Although it was hard to create, it brought up great questions of how I interpreted the dreams I had and how life revolves around dreams.

My Dream Catcher, Created by DR. 14 Feb, 2014.

The center of my Dream Catcher represents humor. I used different color yarns in the middle to show my love for humor and my personality. The red is meant to represent laughing faces. It represent laughing faces because when you laugh hard enough, you turn kind of red. Blue symbolizes my favorite color and my personality. When people think about blue, they don't usually have negative feelings. Blue can symbolize intelligence, truth, and loyalty which are all words that describe me. But to me, blue symbolizes fun times and funny moments. I presented a dream that was about being Spiderman's sidekick which I thought represented loyalty and fun times. I think Spiderman represents a type of role model for me. A figure that is heroic and wise, but at the same time, hilarious and fun. I think Spidey's personality describes me. Ten years ago, when I had this dream I, of course interpreted it differently. My mind was set on Spiderman and how we had a great time together. I didn't quite see the big picture until a couple of years later. I believe that Spiderman (as silly as it sounds) is the representation of me. When I analyzed my dream with my mom, she asked me why the lizard man starred in it. She also asked, why I was a sidekick instead of the main character. Both of her questions sparked ideas in my head. I believed that my dream had to have some evil in it, but at the same time, I believe that being a sidekick represented that Spiderman was a role model or leader. Was the dream even supposed to go like it did? If I killed the lizard man, then he would not be a problem. If I could relive the dream, then I would let Spiderman fight on his own. Maybe it describes the path I take in life, it may describe how I am as of today. My dream is told down below:

They called me Spiderboy. I don’t know if it was because I was smaller or because I just had that appeal. I was fighting along Spiderman and we were unstoppable. We were making villains run for the hills at the sight of us. Although money was low, we were offered millions of dollars to reveal ourselves. Sometimes if we got lucky, we would bust a bank robbery and keep some cash. School wasn't so well, since we skipped a lot. Aunt May always tried her best to help out with school work and money. We both attended Midtown High in New York City, where we protected our place peacefully. . . Until… the mad scientist went crazy. He got sick & tired of people portraying him as a crazy man. His experiments always failed, so after awhile, he perfected the project. No one listened to him, nor did they try it out. He was 100% sure of his invention so he drank the serum and his mind was set on being a villain. After targeting the government that rejected him, in the first place, he targeted the city’s heros, Spiderman, and his sidekick, Spiderboy. After doing our nightly protective stroll through the streets, we saw a sort of lizard man in the distance, devouring a man alive. As expected from Spiderman, he said, “Looks like that guy has quite an appetite.” We coincidentally found the antidote and cured the professor.

My Dream Catcher is supposed to let fun times and humorous memories past through. My main takeaway would be to leave the negativity at the door!! I'm a fun and humorous guy, it's disrespectful to my culture to come to a positive environment with negativity. The little blue dots on my web symbolize negative memories & thoughts being caught in my dream filter. I have always hated pessimists. My resistance to non-positive attitudes is almost through the roof. My unconscious plays a really big role in my life. I believe my unconscious is my hidden personality. It has a lot to do with my reaction to things and how I handle serious situations. To conclude, I'll present you the big picture, humor is my bliss!

Doubt - Are You Alive?

In this investigation, my class was asked to pick a question that expresses doubt and how we shape ourselves. I chose the question, "Are you alive?" To me, coming up with philosophical is loads of fun and I enjoyed having to think really deep about stuff. All my wonder and thinking has lead me to believe that philosophy is stronger than I could ever imagine. I enjoyed creating & choosing the correct question. Although, it was hard to pick only one & I hurt my brain, questioning existence and thinking deep about, "Who Am I?"

Have you ever questioned life? Living your normal life, ever pondered the question, “Is existence real?” Are we a mere dream? Is some form of extraterrestrial life watching us through a movie screen? Are we all just starring in a dream of someone in the past? A movie named, “The Truman Show”, suggested that life could be an unrealistic dome, and we just haven't found our way out yet. The real question behind this is, “What does it mean to be alive”. Is “human” just some made up word? Are we dead? The subject of “Heaven & Hell” suggests that we go to one of those places if we die, but what if, after you die, you actually start living? Is your whole life planned out for you, and you're just playing your role in a play for the gods? What about this, do we ever die? Is existence nothing but a reincarnation cycle? Where do babies really come from, are they reincarnated in the honor of lost ones?

Two philosophers, named Aristotle and Plato, argued about the chicken, “did the chicken, or the idea of the chicken come first?” Plato believed that the idea of the chicken came first, while Aristotle believed differently, he said that in order to have an idea of a chicken you would have had to see a chicken first. Could this have something to do with the seed you’re made from? Are you alive?

Now I’ll tell you how I came about this question. Observation, I always think about different ways people look at life. I look at life a different way, I believe that there is something else to it. There must be life after death. So, in order to answer the question, “Are you alive?”, I first had to ask “Are we already dead?”. I found myself compelled to talk about this topic. Some people perceive life as being simple. A doctor would say, “You are alive if your heart is beating and you can walk & talk.” How could you know the characteristics of a living being. The question of, “Are you alive”, has stumped even the brightest of philosophers, but not Aristotle, he viewed life as animation and fundamental property of nature. Thinking about the question, I can think of how people doubt existence or question life.

I can subsist on my doubt, I don’t allow myself to think too deeply about this question, no matter how much it appeals to me. Of course if I could, to test my theory of a “unreal life”, I would create a time machine, kill myself then wonder about in the afterlife. After I have the information I want, I would travel back in time to present day. Would this risk be worth it, risking my (what others call it) “life” for an explanation of what happens after you’re deceased. It was indubitable, that I had to find an answer to my unanswered questions. The risks were endless in finding an answer for something this big! I don’t think there’s anything I wouldn't risk to get this theory out of my mind.

So, is existence real? Or is it a made up illusion for extraterrestrial amusement? Are our lives made up, invisible scripts? Is human existence an infinite play for the gods? Do our predestined lives lead us to believe existence is real? Do we ever die? Are we alive, only after we die? Is life a huge reincarnation process? Are you alive, only after we die? Is life a huge reincarnation process? Are you alive?

References: 

"Gods Words Immortal", np, Web. 8 Feb, 2014

Renewable Excellence - Solar Energy

In this investigation, I explored solar energy. I picked solar energy because I wanted to know more about a more green, more efficient energy system. Solar energy is generated from the sun, so along as the sun is out, solar energy is being created through this system, at night, of course it's less efficient at night, but it still works! I'm proud of this project, although I believe me and my partner could have done a better job on the audio. I felt like it was pretty cool because I worked on something I didn't know about. Solar energy was quite easy to research, because many people believed we should make the switch to solar too.



References:

“Switch to solar energy”. solarworld. Web. 14 Jan, 2013.

Most Valuable Memory

In this investigation, my class was asked to pick a specific memory that we thought was something that defines us. I chose the memory of 2009, Christmas day, when it was the first time my family came to my home to have Christmas, I was also introduced to my PS3. It was A LOT of fun and I learned the real meaning of family. It was a memory I would NEVER forget. I enjoyed creating & editing the video, that you will view shortly. The only difficult thing in this project was remembering key details from the Christmas of 09.

In 2009, December 25th, Christmas day I woke up so excited I almost wet my pants, forgetting about my daily morning bathroom routine. After taking care of my business in the bathroom, I sprinted to my mother’s room and woke her up. “Ma, ma, ma!” She woke up a bit startled, but realizing the date, she began to smile happily. After my mom’s brief heartattack, we watched Christmas movies for hours. Starting with Home Alone, working our way to The Grinch. While life felt perfect so far, I didn’t even know what was to come. After our Christmas movie marathon, my mother told me to take a shower. I ran to get my clothes, hopped in the shower and took the shortest shower, I ever took in my life. (20-30 minutes) Once I got out the shower I heard my mother on the phone. I followed the sound to the kitchen. My mom saw me and said, “hey sweetie”. I said “hey ma”. Afterwards, she told me to throw on something nice. Not knowing why, I went in my room and threw on a button up and some jeans I got for my birthday. After I put on my clothes, a couple of hours past, it was then 1:30 pm.

It wasn’t long before my doorbell rang, I rushed to see who it was, still pondering why my mom asked me to throw on something nice. I was completely surprised & excited to see my family with gifts. Especially because it was the first time they ever came to my house. It was nice to see them after a decent amount of time. I was a bit hyped to see what my family hot gotten me. I washed up a bit in the bathroom and walked into the living room, happy as a Camel on Wednesday. I could hear Christmas songs playing in the house. My anxiety was raising as I sat down, I analyzed the gifts they held, praying for my #1 choice to show, a PlayStation 3. After a lot of amazing gifts, including: clothes, a flat screen TV, and games, there was no luck on the PS3. After about 12 minutes of thank yous, my grandmother pulled a fast one on me, looking surprised and confused, she said the classic Christmas line: “Oh look, there’s one more left.” , I bought her look. With my heart beating at 340 bps, I asked, “who does it say?” Fortunately it was to me, it felt solid and was exceptionally heavy. I didn’t give up hope, I started unwrapping my gift as family members pulled out cameras. I almost cried when I saw what I got. I was stuck staring at a huge box that said, “Playstation 3”.

After even more thank yous, I found myself rushing to plug up my new game. I was so happy to see the machine ask for my name.