Other Fossil Fuels

There are other sources for hydrocarbon fuels out there. Do we want to go on being dependent on this type of fuel or are we willing to accept the fact that the cheap oil is history and that we have to get smart and very conservative in our use of this type of fuel? You read the evidence and you be the judge.

Read the following articles. Take notes and be ready to review and discuss these topics tomorrow. In your notes, list three pros and cons for each fuel type/source. You will be having group discussions in class. We'll discuss the topics together, but you all need to think and come to some intelligent conclusions. What other questions come to mind as you read these articles?

http://www.heavyoilinfo.com/feature_items/unconventional-oil-2008-reprint_2.pdf/view?searchterm=tar%20sands.

http://ostseis.anl.gov/guide/oilshale/index.cfm

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Synthetic_fuel

http://www.worldwatch.org/node/5391

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Corn_ethanol


Don't forget to leave a comment!!

The Clean Water Act

http://www.epa.gov/watertrain/cwa/
http://www.essortment.com/all/cleanwateract_rgrl.htm

Read the above articles.
As you read the articles. Keeping in mind that the CWA was ratified in 1972 and ammended in 1977.
1. What types of water are NOT covered by the Clean Water Act?
2. What types of runoff are NOT addressed in the latest version of the CWA?

If you were a lobbyist how would you create awareness over issues that should be addressed concerning all forms of water as it pertains to human health and environmental integrity? Have the answers to these questions ready for our initial discussion on Fossil Fuels. Look up any instances where the CWA needs to be changed and enforced to protect sensitive environments.

Don't forget to comment at the bottom!

Petroleum

Read the articles listed below. Copy the questions on a separate word document and answer the questions as you read.

http://www.livescience.com/environment/080625-oil-drilling.html
http://www1.american.edu/projects/mandala/TED//projects/tedcross/xoilpr15.htm#r3 (TED stands for Trade and
Environmental Database)

1. What tools do petro geologists use to determine if an area might contain petroleum?
2. What damage might this technique have on the environment?
3. What was the important statement made in the article concerning recovery of ecosystems in Prince William Sound?
4. What is the reality of the impact of future drilling in the Arctic Wildlife Refuge on the price of gasoline at the pump?
5. Describe the impact of drilling for oil in Ecuador has had on human health, on the Rain forests.
6. Describe the impact of burning “waste” natural gas on villages in Nigeria.
7. What industries have been disrupted in Columbia by oil drilling and exploration?
8. What is the danger to pipelines in Azerbaijan, due to the unstable political climate?
9. What is the major problem associated with oil reserves in Kazakhstan?
10. What has been the impact of tanker traffic through the Mediterranean?

Don't forget to record your visit and any comments you might have!

What you need to know about what coal is and what it is not.

http://www.ket.org/Trips/Coal/AGSMM/agsmmhow.html

http://www.newton.dep.anl.gov/askasci/chem00/chem00349.htm

http://ezinearticles.com/?How-Are-Synthetic-Diamonds-Made?&id=1195234

http://www.buzzle.com/articles/how-does-coal-become-a-diamond.html

http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-charcoal.htm

http://www.velvitoil.com/Charmake.htm

Your assignment is to write a four or five sentence summary about each of these six short articles in preparation for our class on coal. This homework assignment will count toward your grade for this unit. Don't forget to make a comment at the bottom. That counts too!!

You may find your own article on how coal is formed, how charcoal is made, and the formation of diamonds

Sustainable living

You are all working on your "dream communities" hopefully this website will help you with some of your ideas. In the meantime, select three simple steps that YOU might manage and write a paragraph about why these things are; a. doable (meaning a change that you can make, b. why this strategy will make a difference.

http://www.simplesteps.org/content/category/1/16/38/

Remember the story about the man throwing starfish back into the ocean. The beach was covered with starfish, he couldn't possibly save them all, but the ones he did throw back had a chance to live.

Climate Change and Disease Vectors

Climate change is causing more than polar ice melting and rising temperatures. Scientists expect to see changes in disease distribution world wide especially diseases that are spread by insect vectors. Read the following articles and summarize. Add your thoughts to your summary.

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/01/090127202042.htm
http://www.winds.org/~frost/words/w99project/dvectors.html

Human Disease and Risk Management

We are currently being bombarded with lots of information about Swine flu. Why is this such a concern for our country as well as other countries especially since there haven't been that many deaths? What kinds of risk management is indicated in this article? Do you think the government should do more to protect our people or are they handling this issue correctly. Explain your answers.

The Second article is about DuPont and its activities near Fayetteville. Explain your concerns about DuPont's activities as it relates to you as a citizen living near DuPont's operations.

http://www.ens-newswire.com/ens/may2009/2009-05-04-01.asp

http://www.bioneers.org/node/1480

Anthropogenic Management for Anthropogenic Pollution

Read the following articles.

http://www.greenroofs.com/archives/green_walls.htm

http://www.ecofriend.org/entry/synthetic-trees-to-capture-carbon-dioxide-and-save-the-planet/
Write a paragraph describing what you learned by reading each article.

The article about synthetic trees is intriguing. What drawbacks do you see after reflecting on this possible solution.

Something to inspire you

http://www.mccookgazette.com/blogs/1126/entry/17406/

This is an amazing story.

The ANWR

Read the following articles about the ANWR. Discuss this issue comparing and contrasting the two different opinions.

Define the topic
Describe or elaborate on the topic
Use another example (you might have to research this one)
Clearly state the issues in your compare and contrast section.

http://www.anwr.org/ANWR-Basics/Top-ten-reasons-to-support-ANWR-development.php
http://www.usnews.com/articles/news/national/2008/05/23/arctic-drilling-wouldnt-cool-high-oil-prices.html
http://arctic.fws.gov/issues1.htm

Jobs in Environmental Science

Here is a website that will tell you jobs (there are actually quite a few) that you can pursue if you are interested in environmental science.

http://www.ecojobs.com/

I also saw some schools that give degrees in environmental studies. UNCA has a good program. Also Coastal Carolina University in Conway as a good program in marine science if that is your interest.

I would imagine that eco jobs will be a growing field as we strive to manage or remediate the environment around us. If you are interested in architecture, there are some wonderful innovations that make homes and office buildings have less impact on the environment.

http://www.greenbuilding.com/

Antarctica is warming

One of the firm beliefs held by those who study global warming is that change in overall temperature will be most apparent at the poles. We don't notice a warming trend here in the more middle latitudes because the changes that have taken place are much more subtle (although the spring indicators, like first blossoms, birds returning from their winter habitat, etc. have gotten earlier and earlier over the past many decades). This article shows changes that have occurred at the coldest place on Earth; Antarctica.

http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/IOTD/view.php?id=36736

News as of 1/27/09

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=99888903

Write me a paragraph about your reaction to this story. Is your reaction; "Oh well, if it's irreversible, then there's nothing I can do to change anything. I'll go on doing what I've been doing all along." or more like this one? "I'm one drop in the ocean but if there is going to be any change at all it is going to depend on individuals making changes in their lifestyles"

Support whichever position you take and make sure you tell me what kinds of changes you think you can make personally.

Optical Phenomena in the Atmosphere

A friend sent me a link to this site. Here are wonder pictures and explanations for optical phenomena in the atmosphere.

http://www.atoptics.co.uk/

Atmospheric Optical Phenomena

A friend sent me this website. There are wonderful pictures and explanations for atmospheric phenomena. Enjoy browsing!

Language in North Carolina

I have found a wonderful site about the English language as spoken in North Carolina.

Here it is. http://www.learnnc.org/lp/multimedia/10166