A Walk In The Woods...

In Environmental Club, On November 11, 2014...

We collected leaves and made a scrapbook of leaves.  I found a little silverbell leaf,also known as Halesia.  I learned about leaves, and their physical features!  Here is an awesome Slow Motion video of leaves, leaves, leaves!  Btw, Don't mind me jumping... Oops...  Oh, and also, Dr. MC is the voice that says "throw" in the beginning of the video... Lol... Nature!

Future Technology

In the future, technology will be even more advanced than it is now. Instead of chromebooks, there might be Google Glass dominating, and organic being replaced by GMO foods. There would be more cities with more advanced buildings, and possibilities for advancement are endless. But with new technology would come new problems. For example, the income gap could become wider, with the rich treating them to the new technology and the poor losing all the benefits of life as they could not buy tech. The world of the future is an uncertain one, and you can help. GMOs are the main problems we are debating about now, but we do not know what the future will bring. Maybe Apple Implant? Could it be Google-? Who knows? The possibilities are endless.

Upcycling...

Recycle and Upcycle. Two words that if put into action would tremendously reduce global warming and climate change.

Upcycling... Whatever that may be?

We hear of Recycling, all the time - "Reduce, Reuse, Recycle".

Recycling involves turning waste or broken materials into a reusable product or to refurbish it. For example, when you put paper into the recycling bin (remember, its the recycling bin NOT THE TRASH CAN!), the people who collect the waste from the recycling bin take it to a recycling plant. There, your paper gets mashed up and converted into pulp. This pulp is then turned into new paper or made into other paper products like egg and milk cartons or newspapers.

So too with the glass and plastic bottles and soda cans you may discard.

An upcycled bowl made of magazines

Upcycling is less heard of. Now imagine you take waste materials or unwanted products and craft them into a useful or better one? For example, take magazine pages and turn it into a bowl or container, or taking a tissue box and convert it into a gift basket. Now you are upcycling! Usually, upcycling activities are creative. 

So if you want to put on your creative cap, below are links to websites that have great upcycling activities:

http://www.artefizio.org/italiano-articolo-e-books/provapost4
http://www.curbly.com/users/diy-maven/posts/7364-how-to-turn-a-magazine-into-a-gift-bow
http://www.curbly.com/users/diy-maven/posts/9976-5-rolled-magazine-diy-projects
http://savedbylovecreations.com/2011/09/coiled-magazine-page-round-coasters.html
http://savedbylovecreations.com/2011/09/coiled-magazine-page-dish-with-lid.html
http://savedbylovecreations.com/2012/06/60-projects-to-make-with-old-magazines.html

Try them out. Or if you have some of your own ideas, share them with us by commenting at the bottom of this post. Don't forget to include a picture!

The Future of Food - How will we feed the world?

            In the food market of 2045, the food sources that will dominate the market are foods that are easy to grow, like plants in the Brassica family, which release chemicals to ward off weeds and fungi.  Another highly probable food source that will dominate the food market of 2045 are GMO's, or Genetically Modified Organisms. These modifies organisms, or in the case, plants, to have more desirable traits, some of which are resistance to pests, the ability to withstand droughts and harsh conditions, and to be more nutritious. More information can be found in this short Powerpoint: https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1E0zIsCa4e4QP9tuWWwYFqaJPaRPKzeH4QODB8DcskOc/edit?usp=sharing

This may sound scary and inhumane to some people, but it will definitely be necessary in 2045. I believe a certain level of processing should be allowed in order to make them cheaper and easier to produce, but not so that they aren't even real food anymore. I mean, who wants faux-meat that's actually peas for dinner? Analogue meats, or meats made from things like vegetables, are created when the protein molecules are realigned into longer strands. The result is something that looks, tastes, feels, and smells exactly like meat-but it isn't meat. GMO's do have their positive side too, since by making plants more able to withstand harsh conditions, the crops would be easier to produce, and cheaper to buy. Many people are still worried about processed food though, because when a person eats a bio-engineered food, there may be health defects that haven't yet been discovered, but could be dangerous to someone's health. I believe GMO's are okay, as long as they don't harm anybody's health. Processed foods could solve the problem of expensive food in 2045, but it could still cause problems that are yet to be seen.