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How to Befriend Five Creeks
[Very much like EarthTeam, except that it’s for all ages, the Friends of Five Creeks educates and involves people around the East Bay in restoration projects. Katie Salazar, EarthTeam reporter from Northgate High, interviewed Susan Schwartz, president of Five Creeks. After you read Katie’s article, be sure to watch the accompanying video to see the “Friends” at the How Berkeley Can You Be? Parade. That’s Susan, as the frog, and EarthTeam 6th grade intern, Joshua Martarella, as the “fishhead”. – editor] Friends of Five Creeks is a volunteer group with goals to restore and protect watershed environments surrounding the creeks of Albany, the small city that lies between Berkeley and El Cerrito. The group is entirely volunteers and has been working to improve the quality of local natural environment for nine years. “We work outdoors and with our hands a lot. We get to enjoy nature and all kinds of people help together as a result of our work parties and get to meet others to work toward a common goal,” said Friends of Five Creeks president Susan Schwartz. Those who wish to join and get involved can sign onto the mailing list to receive more information. There is no formal membership and everyone is welcome to attend any work party. Students must have a signed release to work, so please call in advance (See below for contact information.) “I think a lot of people really enjoy working outdoors, exercising, and enjoying nature,” said Schwartz. Over 700 people are on the Friends of Five Creeks mailing or e-mailing list and work parties typically run from ten to fifteen people. Members monitor water quality, work hands-on to remove invasive plants, build bridges and railings, and spread informational literature at many fairs and festivals such as the How Berkeley Can You Be? parade and the Solano Stroll. “Really, there’s something for everyone to do – children as young as second grade have enjoyed our nature walks, and even adults as old as 90 have found ways to get involved. If teens would like to set up work parties within their high school, we can do that too,” said Schwartz “we also do political work with California ordinances, laws and policies.” For more information on upcoming Friends of Five Creeks projects and mailing list information visit: www.fivecreeks.org or call (510) 848-9358. |
A Video Campaign at Piedmont High
Trash at Piedmont High in California has become an escalating issue for both faculty and students. Lana Husser came to the sophomore’s Integrated Science II classes earlier this year as a representative from Earth Team. She wanted to get a message across that we all can make a difference. David D’annunzio, Noland Housh, and Alex Epstein all came together to make a video in order to get the message across that something needed to be done in order to beautify our campus. They have been getting together every Tuesday out of their own time in order to get this message across. They interviewed students at lunch and asked them why the trash was there. They’ve done restoration days around the bay, and they videotaped the school quad for a lunch to show all the trash that collects there. In a video interview Noland states that there weren’t any recycling bins out in the hall and in the quad where people eat. Nothing is really recycled because all the recycling bins are in the classrooms, and people aren’t willing to keep all their trash and throw it in the proper recycling bins when they get to class. Some of the janitors at the school, he states, go inside the trashcans to get the cans in the recycling, but they shouldn’t have to do that. “I mean,” Noland continues, “the bins are in the classrooms, but no one eats in the classrooms.” |
Planning to Stay Warm and Conserve Energy
In the last issue of The Green, the question of the month was, “How are people planning to stay warm and yet conserve energy and heat at the same time?” Many students responded to the question by saying that they would close windows and seal cracks in their homes so the warm air would stay inside while the cold air would stay outside. However, by having such airtight homes, we also may be polluting the environment – the indoor environment. This was brought to our attention by Mr. Shelley Rosenblum of the EPA’s Indoor Environments Team who informed us that “in our attempt to conserve energy, we [start] constructing homes, offices, and schools tighter and tighter until there [is] no outside air exchange, and indoor air pollution becomes a problem.” As we spend the majority of our time indoors, especially in the winter, Mr. Rosenblum brings up a very important point not only about the environment, but also our health and our lifestyle. During the energy crisis of the 1970’s, people were looking for ways to construct tight homes for improve energy efficiency which resulted in little air exchange. Carbon dioxide levels accumulated and temperatures rose. Humidity and moisture also accumulated in homes making them at risk for mold growth. Chemicals used inside the buildings also stayed indoors. Now, we are more afraid of outside air pollution getting into our homes even though, ironically, the indoors may be “on average, two to five times more polluted than the outdoors. We are literally breathing in a chemical soup,” says Mr. Rosenblum. Of course, some of these chemicals can’t be helped. Dyes, preservatives, glues, and stain-preventers in carpeting; paints on walls and formaldehyde in the glue holding our wallpapers; chemicals given off by plastics; all off-gas and contribute to this “chemical soup.” However, there are many other things that we can do prevent indoor air pollution. One of the most deadly things that can be found in the air is radon. Radon is hazardous to our health, being a known carcinogen. Radon atoms latch onto dust particles, which we will breathe in and become lodged in our trachea and our lungs, radioactively decaying right on living tissue. The source of radon is granite which contains small amounts of radioactively decaying uranium and radium. Indian reservations are especially at risk for radon poisoning because they are often built on or close to uranium mines. It also comes from the ground and seeps into houses through the floor. By creating lower pressure in the house via exhaust fans and fume hoods, we also increase the rate at which radon can infiltrate our homes. It only costs a few dollars to obtain a radon test kit and once found, many different steps can be taken to alleviate to the problem such as increased ventilation and sealing crawl space. Cleaning materials and air fresheners also add another aspect to the chemical soup. We don’t necessarily need to use the newest products on the market. Oftentimes, plain baking soda and vinegar will take care of the cleaning, or old-fashioned soap, water and elbow grease. Disinfectants also tend to have many chemicals as do other scented products: aftershaves, colognes, perfumes, and deodorants among others. Many chemicals used around the home have not been tested to see their effects on health over a long period of time. Even more worrying is the amount of machinery that produces ozone. Most of us, being environmentally conscious believe that ozone is an excellent thing to be released in the air because of the thinning of the ozone layer. However ground level ozone does not end up in the stratosphere, and when ozone is in our homes, it is dangerous. It may cause headaches, sore throats, coughs, chest pain, and even permanent lung damage. Though ozone is a powerful oxidizing agent which will eliminate molds, it does so at the expense of our health. Molds in the household are impossible to eliminate altogether, but we can prevent them from growing, spreading, and reproducing simply by eliminating moisture from our homes. Places where we shower and bathe should be well aerated. Molds will produce spores and also break down the house. They also may break down materials into toxic wastes which give off unpleasant odors. Pesticides don’t only pose a problem in the outdoor environment, but also bring in unwanted chemicals indoors as well. The best way to deal with unwanted critters in our homes is by using integrated pest management. Integrated pest management tackles the reason why the pests are there rather than the actual presence of the pest – food, water, or shelter. By preventing pests from accessing any of these three things, they will eventually leave as well. We should always use as little of the least toxic pesticides as possible. “The only difference between ourselves and the pests is size,” states Rosenblum. “Chemicals that can kill them can kill us as well.” In places where outdoor pollution is a major problem such as pollen, proper ventilation is still attainable by using HEPA (High Efficiency Particulate Air) filters. HEPA filters are excellent for smaller rooms and larger dust particles such as dust and pollen. On the matter of keeping warm, using fires instead of heaters may not be the wisest choice. Carbon monoxide is toxic because it is colorless, odorless, and tasteless, entering our bloodstream and displacing oxygen. Fires produce a large amount of carbon monoxide, especially when not doused properly after use. Cool air will come down the chimney when it is not closed off and carbon monoxide will accumulate. Gas ovens and stoves also produce carbon monoxide. So, what will Mr. Rosenblum do to stay warm in an indoor and outdoor environmentally friendly way? “Wear lots of layers… insulate the home at night… and open the doors and windows if at all possible. It’s important to save energy without expense to our health. |
What Can We Do Now?
People should be more respectful of the world around them. It’s sad how so much gets wasted. We are using all of our planet’s resources. There are lots of ways that we can try and make people realize what they are doing to help the world and stop creating a polluted mess. One way we can help is by telling people to recycle, be more aware of what they buy and why they buy what they buy. Do you really need all of those one-use plastic water bottles? Why not just use water from home and buy a reusable water bottle? Also, people should not just think “Out of sight, out of mind”. Animals’ homes are being destroyed for people – we are cutting down trees, putting toxic waste in water and otherwise making our lives easier – but NOT in the long run. Most people do what is easier for them: they shop at cheap places where the clothes were made by children working in other parts of the world for low wages. People littler and don’t eat healthy food. Some people are forced financially to do this, but most just choose it and it’s not as if America doesn’t encourage this, since it makes somebody richer. But many people don’t even know that what they are doing will affect the Earth. People who know what is happening should spread the word. I know that many people are trying to, but it is not really happening fast enough, where it is most needed. We in America, create 80% of the world’s trash and use 25% of its resources and there are only 296,000,000 people in America, compared with China’s 1.3 billion people. America disposes of approximately 200 million tons of trash a day. What does this tell us? It tells us that we need to do something fast to fix this major problem in today’s way of life and thinking. |
A Letter to the People of the Earth
January 1, 2006 Dear People of the Earth, You are killing me with all your empty soda cans, bottles, and paper bags. In fact, all your garbage that is not thrown into the trash bin, gets thrown on the ground. From there it goes into the gutters, which leads to the oceans, polluting it. In turn, the pollution kills the fish. With no fish, the animals that eat them end up starving. The people who eat those animals end up going to the store, buying more products, which also end up on the ground; starting the whole process over again! This process messes up my ecosystem. My ozone layer is also being destroyed. Spray cans and bottles have caused a hole in the layer that block you from the sun’s deadly rays. People end up getting sunburned and then having to buy more spray bottles of after-burn sun care products, causing the hole to get larger. Another cycle is created – a cycle of pain and agony for those who stay in the sun too long. If you would stop polluting and stop purchasing spray cans, the hole in the ozone would, slowly, over time repair itself. The fish population would return, giving food to the animals, which you eat. Please don’t continue to destroy me, your only planet. I want to live, prosper, and enjoy life. Please be careful what you do with your trash, for what you do with your trash, you do to me. Hopefully Yours Forever, Earth
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1052 By Brett Lando, St. Ignatius Preparatory HS, San Francisco
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from A River of Words Poetry Workshop By Adam Scoggins, Environmental Studies Academy, Martinez Walking down the street
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"If we're not careful, places like this will get polluted! Look how clear the water and the air is. Take a stand now before it is too late!"
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Rants and Raves[This is the place to post your strongest feelings about all things environmental. Speak out about what disturbs, infuriates, or annoys you. Tell us about what you believe in, get energized by, or love passionately. Stay focused on protecting and sustaining the Earth and its resources. Here’s your chance to convince others or just feel better for getting it out. – editor] My RANT
I have friends at school that can't see the point of conserving the environment. They, being complete libertarians, would like to see all policies protecting the environment done away with, believing that it gets in the way of business and enterprise. Of course, business and enterprise is important. Economic interests are what generally make a country successful. I can also understand that different people view the world with different perspectives – that not everyone can understand the beauty of perfectly clear blue skies and the lush greenery, just like not everyone comprehends the beauty to be found in shiny skyscrapers and neon lights. Not everyone is the same. But still, doing away with those protective measures is absolutely irresponsible. It doesn't make sense. That same pollution that businesses and factories produce contains carcinogens which lead to cancer. By trashing the environment, we reduce the amount of available resources, which will reduce our production possibilities. We will use them up more quickly, and though we may produce more and more quicker now, when we run out of those resources, there will be nothing left for us to produce from. While these protective measures may seem cumbersome now, they at least ensure a future for our descendants. To do away with them is not only irresponsible and inconsiderate to those who enjoy the beauty of nature now, but also to future generations. |
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By
Katie Salazar, Northgate HS, Walnut Creek 
