The video below shows that it takes 5 seconds to fill up 500 mL of water. If that was multiplied by 6 five second intervals, (which is 30 seconds) then you would be wasting around 3000 milliliters of water per brush. Do that twice a day and then you would be using 6000 mL a day! Turn off the water when you brush!
Food security is often something that we as a whole overlook. Having access to daily meals and other foods is a luxury and a privilege, not a right. We often think that since we live in such a developed country, with a higher income per capita than a majority of the world that this issue is not that big of a deal, except it is. According to Feeding America, “In 2020, an estimated 1 in 8 Americans were food insecure, equating to over 38 million Americans, including almost 12 million children”. This is a staggering number that clearly shows the extent of the effect that it has over our own country. Another important thing to conceptualize is that there is no one specific group of people who is affected specifically by food insecurity as it “is in every community” according to Feeding America. Below is a chart that visualizes food insecurity in America. As you can clearly see a large portion of America is food secure, but still the slice of people who are not food secure is still incredibly large.
Works Cited:
https://www.google.com/url?sa=i&url=https%3A%2F%2Fcovid19.census.gov%2Fdocuments%2F6cf4af1ff4de4c04ad30001046685636&psig=AOvVaw1RrNohIGekR-rdrlrA23dp&ust=1651605413495000&source=images&cd=vfe&ved=0CAwQjRxqFwoTCNDjwOTDwfcCFQAAAAAdAAAAABAD
https://hungerandhealth.feedingamerica.org/understand-food-insecurity/
One of the first things that has come to my mind on the topic of sustainability is the concept of energy conservation. This can be accomplished in many ways, and through many different forms. For example, some ways to conserve energy could be turning off the lights when you are not home, turning down the heat in the winter at night time or turning down the air conditioner om the summer when you go to bed. These simple things can make a large impact on your own personal footprint. For the purpose of this blog we will focus on the amount of energy that can be saved by simply turning off the lights. Lets say that a incandescent light bulb is graded for 60 watts. This light bulb will use approximately .06 kilowatts of energy per hour while it is on. Over time this adds up not only in energy use but also in money to pay the bill. If you were to turn off that bulb there would be a 100% decrease in energy obviously, with a decay factor of 1.0. This seems like it is so obvious, yet not enough of us are doing this. In the long run turning off your bulb is not only incredibly helpful for the environment but also for your wallet. When thinking about sustainability it is the little things that we have to do that will make an impact. If we are able to do the small things like I have listed above it will be beneficial for all.
Over the past few centuries, or since the start of industrialization, the Earth’s climate has been changing. A great factor in this is the “greenhouse effect”, caused by the emission of greenhouse gases into the air. The water resources of Earth including its lakes and rivers have taken a massive hit from this. Some of the major effects that are created due to the increase of greenhouse gases are, increased water temperatures which leads to more evaporation and creates a climate more suitable for harmful pathogens, less oxygen in the water which also kills a large portion of animals, and more algal blooms that are contributing to the lack of oxygen. Some of these bodies of water may be beyond saving, but there is still a chance to save many. To do this there must be a reduction of all greenhouse gases, but this will take time. It is very interesting and scary to think about how driving your car can impact a river miles away. One example that I have seen that could be beneficial is constructing new energy plants well below the earth’s surface, which according to the EPA, “With proper site selection and management, geologic sequestration could play a major role in reducing the net emissions of CO2”.
Works Cited:
https://cfpub.epa.gov/watertrain/pdf/modules/climate_change_module.pdf
My name is John Brockway, but I like to go by Jack. I am a junior Political Science major here at Union. I am from West Hartford, Connecticut. In my free time I enjoy watching both soccer and baseball, hanging out with my friends, as well as going fishing in lakes and rivers. My understanding of sustainability is that the world is facing a crisis on multiple fronts stemming from the impact humans have made on the environment. I have seen first hand while fishing the impact that humans have had on our rivers lakes and oceans. I hope to learn in this class how to create more sustainable practices to achieve a better future for future generations, as well as learning new skills in the realm of Mathematics. I also hope to learn a way to make an impact myself on all of the above mentioned things. Thank You!
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