Hello again! Monday was a really good day. I absolutely love all that I am learning. This morning I took an early walk and shot this picture of sunrise on the bay. After breakfast we listened to Bert Drake talk about global warming. It was fascinating! His intent was to educate all of us on global warming. If you ever doubted global warming was happening or if you doubted it was human caused, you would be convinced by his scientific data and understanding. I will tell you about it when I return and show you what he showed us. The consequences of global warming need to be understood by all of us.
We also took a walk in the forest with one of the research assistants to see the difference in forest quadrats we will be studying. Some are old forests, some are re-growing after a dairy farm, and some are recovering from selective lumbering. We will be working in the old growth forest. 
In the afternoon we learned and practiced how to measure the trees. We all wore an orange vest to ensure the hunters could tell us from the deer. We have to do that all week. (So, Matt, I haven't yet tried the deer suit!) I will show you more about measuring later, but basically we each measured 16 trees and entered our data into a spreadsheet to see if we were all measuring accurately. That helps us to understand the importance of measuring correctly.
The last activity of the day explored the many views people have about global warming based on their culture, upbringing, and education. We discussed how each family has a carbon footprint based on how much electricity they use, how they heat their home, what mileage they get and how many miles they drive each week, whether they recycle and reuse, and how many new products they purchase. What if all the people in our country decided to take one more small step to lessen their carbon footprint? Think about your own family. What does your family already do to lessen their impact on the planet? Is there something you have thought about doing but haven't really started? I made a decision about my own impact. I'll tell you what it is after I hear from you.
posted by Mrs. Barden @ 6:16 PM
3 Comments:
so far this year the wood we have used to heat with has come form trees that were all ready down.....kmc
Some examples of the students ideas for reducing there carbon footprint:
1. Recyling was the main thing the students seemed to do and believe that they could do better.
2. Many students seemed to believe they needed to reduce the amount of wasted paper at school. (I think maybe they want less homework, ha ha)
3. Stop littering
4. Many were interested in composting.
5. Using geothermal and solar
6. Car pooling
7. Conserve electric by shutting off all lights not used.
8. Not letting water run needlessly.
9. Mowing less
10. Riding bikes when possible
11. Picking up litter
12. One individual liked the idea of launching our wastes into space.
13. Planting trees
14. Smaller more efficient modes of transportation
Outside of a few students who seemed not to care about the environment and there footprint, the huge majority of the students believe that reducing there impact would help the environment and global warming immensely. Most came up with very good ways to do this and they hope these ideas would make a better, cleaner, and healthier world for all.
Wow! You have really good ideas! I found out that using electricity is causing even more global warming than our vehicles. It is interesting to think about how much electrical power is wasted. Yes, leaving on lights and computers, etc. when we aren't using them is part of it, but think about every device that has a clock, like our microwaves. And all the other things we leave plugged in that constantly draw electricity...TVs, DVD players, etc. That is why some suggest that we have power strips with a switch that turn them off completely when not in use. Think about in your home where there are devices that draw electricity and talk with you parents about ways to reduce your household draw. Remember, it is one thing to talk about it, but I believe we must commit to action. Congratulations on coming up with such a great list of things we can act on! Have a great day!
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