Activity 2.1 - Atmosphere: Reduce Northwest Vista College's Greenhouse Gas Emissions

What is a carbon footprint? A carbon footprint is the total amount of direct and indirect greenhouse gas emissions from a person or organization in a given year. (NPC.gov) So why is it important for Northwest Vista College to aim to try and limit it's footprint? It is important for every person and organization to play their part for a more sustainable future where we aim towards the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions in order to protect the health of our environment from climate change. The more action we take, though it may seem small, starts becoming the normal, and makes for an area's total carbon footprint to decrease. 

As the principal student science advisor, I have created a list of some of the actions we can take at Northwest Vista College to reduce our carbon footprint: 

1. Invest in Renewable Energy 

The biggest and most direct way the college can reduce their carbon footprint is by replacing our system of energy usage. As of right now, most electricity is generated with steam turbines using fossil fuels such as gases like coal, oil, and natural gas, and nuclear, biomass, geothermal, and solar thermal energy. (EIA.gov) 

Percentages of resources used for electricity generation

“U.S. Energy Information Administration - EIA - Independent Statistics and Analysis.” Electricity in the U.S. - U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA), https://www.eia.gov/energyexplained/electricity/electricity-in-the-us.php#:~:text=Most%20electricity%20is%20generated%20with,wind%20turbines%2C%20and%20solar%20photovoltaics.

Most places, including NVC, use energy from the grid, which is generated by fossil fuels. If we could convert to using our own solar powered energy on the campus, then we could cut down the energy the city's grid uses. Our college's net carbon footprint would cut down dramatically considering energy usage like electricity and thermal energy is our main contributor. Solar panels are a great way to do this because they could be out of sight on top of all of our buildings, and not get in the way of the campus activity's or atmosphere. Solar panels work by capturing the sun's solar radiation and turning it into energy that we can use. (energy.gov) They are a great substitute and a must need if we as a campus are working towards cutting down our carbon emissions. Not to mention, after investing in solar panels, our financial bill will also cut down since we would stop buying energy from the grid. (Keep in mind, this is assuming we have enough funds available to put this into place)

2. Adjust Thermostat 

Another way we can lower our carbon footprint is by adjusting the thermostat more often as needed. For example, whenever I walk into certain buildings, it is freezing cold in some classrooms when there is no reason for it. The thermostat is turned so low and constantly blowing air that it uses so much energy and raises our spending. We need to stop allowing the thermostat to be set too low/too high and check up on it based on what's needed for the weather outside and the comfort of the students. This will be a way we can save energy and eventually cut down our carbon emissions. 

3. Reduce/ Eliminate Single Use Plastics 

The school already does have things in place to cut down on their waste which is good. For example, the air dryers for drying hands in the bathrooms instead of the single use paper towels. But we could expand on this more. There are more ways we can reduce our waste and therefore indirectly reduce our carbon footprint. This is through reducing our usage of single use plastics. These are things like food packaging, plastic bottles, plastic bags, straws, etc. "In 2019, the CIEL estimated that production and incineration of plastic would add 850 million metric tons of greenhouse gases to the atmosphere - equivalent to 189 coal-fired power plants. By 2050 this could rise to 2.8 gigatons of carbon dioxide per year - or 615 coal plants' worth. (weforum.org) "Our reliance on plastic therefore prolongs our demand for these dirty fuels. Burning plastics in incinerators also releases climate-wrecking gases and toxic air pollution." Plastic not only contributes massively to climate change, but also "sticks around in the environment for ages, threatening wildlife and spreading toxins." (friendsoftheearth.uk) In our café area we can stop handing out single-use utensils and plates, and instead offer alternatives that the students can return. 

4. Education 

The main way we can indirectly lower our carbon footprint is by educating our staff and students. As a college, we don't have a very large campus, everything is right next to each other, so we don't have to worry about transportation emissions of gas. But the emissions that do happen are from cars driving to and from the campus. The only thing the college can do is educate people about their carbon footprint and encourage them and give them ways to try their best to lessen it. We can do this by teaching kids about greenhouse gases and the environment, telling them to be mindful about what they're doing, and encouraging students to reduce their own carbon emissions anywhere they are. Informing and educating people is the best way to get towards the goal of a future where the nation has as low emissions as possible, and we at NVC can start that by playing our part and spreading those values. 

Here's one college that has shown success in it's climate achievements:

University of Maryland carbon footprint data

“University Halves Carbon Emissions Ahead of Schedule.” Maryland Today, https://today.umd.edu/university-halves-carbon-emissions-ahead-schedule-5a997df7-b736-4d72-b938-3fa5ff8e94c2

Universities across the world's main carbon emissions

Helmers, Eckard, et al. “Carbon Footprinting of Universities Worldwide: Part I-Objective Comparison by Standardized Metrics - Environmental Sciences Europe.” SpringerOpen, Springer Berlin Heidelberg, 11 Mar. 2021, https://enveurope.springeropen.com/articles/10.1186/s12302-021-00454-6.

Sources:

“How You Can Help Reduce Greenhouse Gas Emissions at Home.” National Parks Service, U.S. Department of the Interior, https://www.nps.gov/pore/learn/nature/climatechange_action_home.htm.

“U.S. Energy Information Administration - EIA - Independent Statistics and Analysis.” Electricity in the U.S. - U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA), https://www.eia.gov/energyexplained/electricity/electricity-in-the-us.php#:~:text=Most%20electricity%20is%20generated%20with,wind%20turbines%2C%20and%20solar%20photovoltaics.

“How Does Solar Work?” Energy.gov, https://www.energy.gov/eere/solar/how-does-solar-work.

Written by Charlotte Edmond, Senior Writer. “We Know Plastic Pollution Is Bad – but How Exactly Is It Linked to Climate Change?” World Economic Forum, https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2022/01/plastic-pollution-climate-change-solution/.

“Plastic Pollution How to Reduce Plastic in the Ocean.” Friends of the Earth, https://friendsoftheearth.uk/plastics.

Module 1.2 - A Turning Point Event for Environmental Science, Celebrating the Comeback of the Burning River, 1969-2019

1. 1. 1. Point of View

The point of view of the video is from people who have lived through the Cuyahoga River having oiled in it and being on fire and witnessed the process of it being cleaned up and evolved into a clean river that has become an attraction of the city. The frame of reference of the video is from the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency, and they interview certain people that have background knowledge about the river and researchers and people that are in organizations and careers that know about the importance of environmental preservation. This creates a perspective of hope for the future and positive change in environmental politics. 

1. 1. 2. Purpose

The purpose of this video is to inform about a historic event that marked an important turning point for environmental science and change. The Cuyahoga River burning brought about change in policies by implementing the Clean Water Act. The goal of the video is to show people how that policy came into place and how important keeping our water and environment clean is.

1. 1. 3. Questions at Issue

The issue presented in this video is excessive water pollution and the damages it has on the lives of those in and around it. It also presented the issue of not knowing how to clean up environmental pollution at the time.  

1. 1. 4. Information

The sewer district had an investment of about 5 billion dollars into cleaning the Cuyahoga River. Everyone that lives there including the mayor, the EPA, and businesses have observed that it's a completely new place and that if the river was filled with oil, the city wouldn't be what it is today. It is a big, clean river, so it makes for an attraction spot for tourists, white water rafters, businesses like restaurants have started popping up along the river, overall the city's economy has grown and peoples' quality of life has increased because of the river being clean. It's even housing fish, which shows the researchers and government that the river has benefitted and improved and that it was worth it to clean it up. 

1. 1. 5. Interpretation and Inference

The video explained that although it was not good what happened at the burning river, important conclusions and solutions were made from it that changed the world for the better. For example, Elaine Marsh explains that no one knew how to make the river better or how to get it cleaned up, it seemed almost impossible. They did not have any technology made for things like that that we have today and they also had no knowledge about what was an environmentally safe way to take out and dispose of the harmful chemicals and hazards in the water. The cleanup of the river forced a development of an education system where people started to learn how to handle these situations, which opened ways for future research, which opened new careers and even better ways of cleaning up and preserving the natural environment. The river incident brought about the Clean Water Act which brought about policies on industrial discharges and clean water. 

1. 1. 6. Concepts

The Clean Water Act establishes the basic structure for regulating discharges of pollutants into the waters of the United States and regulating quality standards for surface waters. The Environmental Protection Agency is the independent executive agency of the United States federal government tasked with environmental protection matters. 

1. 1. 7. Assumptions

One thing people in this video might take for granted is the money aspect of making the river the best it can be. Not everyone wants their taxes to go towards it, even if it might be what's in the city's best interest for it's growth. Those in this video that love the river are assuming everyone knows the benefit of it and how great it is and can be. Some people just don't care. I don't think it's really that big of a deal though. 

1. 1. 8. Consequences

The outcome and effects of the burning of the Cuyahoga River and the cleaning of it is that it brought about the creation of the US Environmental Protection Agency. This set things up for future acts that would further help the environment. It marked a large turning point in the protection of the earth and gave hope to advocates and people in the nation. It also gives every day people exposure to what serious effects we can have on the environment if left unchecked and how important it is to make sure we have these policies in place and to take care of and keep clean our environment. 

The Cuyahoga River Fire (June 22, 1969)

Grant, Julie. “How a Burning River Helped Create the Clean Water Act.” The Allegheny Front, 21 Apr. 2020, https://www.alleghenyfront.org/how-a-burning-river-helped-create-the-clean-water-act/.

Video Source: 

https://www.youtube.com/watchv=18JpT61rX6A&list=PL1QVFWinMEQVayLVMzv7CzuOz2d1mTY90

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 What i most look forward to in my environmental science class: 

I’m most looking forward to learning about the different parts of earth and how they work and the different ecosystems. I’m also very interested in the impact that humans have on the environment, and conservation and sustainability. 

What I think this class will be about: 

I think this class will mostly cover humans’ effect on the environment, just from reading the module topics.