Sustainable Energy & Transportation
Environmental & Science Education
Water & Watersheds
CGEE Student Voice
STEM
Science and Environmental Education
Miscellaneous
Edward Hessler
The last coast to coaster--total eclipse from one coast to the other--was in 1918.
In that long period of time taking a snap has changed as shown byWaPo's Armand Emamdjomeh and Dense Lu who "took more than 44,000 geolocated Instagram photos uploaded with the hashtag #eclipse2017 during the eclipse’s route over the United States and grouped them by latitude and longitude."
They selected the most liked entries and put them into a graphic which you may click on. I'm not sure what these data "say" but the entries are fun to view and read. You may be surprised--I was--by the coverage up and down and across the United States. In addition they created a bar graph of time of submission of the entries by one-minute intervals.
Take a look (and thank them for their work which they completed the day of the eclipse!).
Tuesday, August 22, 2017
Antarctica
STEM
Environmental and Science Education
Climate Change
Edward Hessler
The NYT has two video programs, one an Antarctica Series and the other which captures two weeks on the ice. I recently discovered both.
These provide a virtual-reality experience of what it is like there both on, above and below the ice.
Here is the link to the he Antarctica Series.
Here is the link to the stand-alone, Two Weeks on Ice In McMurdo Station, Antarctica. This is where I started viewing.
Environmental and Science Education
Climate Change
Edward Hessler
The NYT has two video programs, one an Antarctica Series and the other which captures two weeks on the ice. I recently discovered both.
These provide a virtual-reality experience of what it is like there both on, above and below the ice.
Here is the link to the he Antarctica Series.
Here is the link to the stand-alone, Two Weeks on Ice In McMurdo Station, Antarctica. This is where I started viewing.
Monday, August 21, 2017
It's da' Eclipse. Why not a Poem, too?
Poetry
Art and Environment
Edward Hessler
Many of you know this poem by Robert Bly (a native son) and perhaps saw it today on the Poetry Foundation website.
Art and Environment
Edward Hessler
Many of you know this poem by Robert Bly (a native son) and perhaps saw it today on the Poetry Foundation website.
Sunday, August 20, 2017
In Memoriam: D. L. Menard
Culture
Art and Environment
Cajun icon D. L. Menard died a few weeks ago. He was known as as the cajun Hank Williams.
His most popular song is "Back Door." Here with L'Angelus (LAWN JAY LOOSE)--four brothers and sisters.
Whew!
h/t 3QuarksDaily
Art and Environment
Cajun icon D. L. Menard died a few weeks ago. He was known as as the cajun Hank Williams.
His most popular song is "Back Door." Here with L'Angelus (LAWN JAY LOOSE)--four brothers and sisters.
Whew!
h/t 3QuarksDaily
Saturday, August 19, 2017
Moggie Behavior: Inside the Box
Behavior
Environmental and Science Education
Edward Hessler
Moggies love boxes and sometimes we wonder why.
If you have a kitteh, here is a small, one-off "experiment" you might try just to satisfy two curiosities: that of the cat in question and the one who the cat keeps around for its own ends and purposes--you.
There is also a discussion about this aspect of kitteh behavior.
Environmental and Science Education
Edward Hessler
Moggies love boxes and sometimes we wonder why.
If you have a kitteh, here is a small, one-off "experiment" you might try just to satisfy two curiosities: that of the cat in question and the one who the cat keeps around for its own ends and purposes--you.
There is also a discussion about this aspect of kitteh behavior.
Friday, August 18, 2017
Thursday, August 17, 2017
An Eclipse Essay
Art and Environment
STEM
Environmental and Science Education
Edward Hessler
The Atlantic has re-published Annie Dillard's essay, Total Eclipse. It is a classic that was first published in 1982, first appearing in Teaching a Stone to Talk. It is beautifully written and will be available "until the day after the 'Great American Eclipse' on August 21."
Thanks to The Atlantic for republishing this glorious essay and making it freely available.
STEM
Environmental and Science Education
Edward Hessler
Thanks to The Atlantic for republishing this glorious essay and making it freely available.
Wednesday, August 16, 2017
Sustainability in Iceland
CGEE Student Voice
Sustainability Abroad
by Jenni Abere
Iceland is a unique country that draws crowds of tourists because of its natural beauty. It's got waterfalls, glaciers, mountains, volcanoes, hot springs, geysers... These attractions brought my family to Iceland for a week, and while I was there, I noticed that Iceland is an interesting country from a sustainability standpoint.
As Icelanders are known to brag about, 85% of their energy is produced domestically from renewable sources. While driving in the southwest, we glimpsed some proof of this in the form of a large geothermal plant. The unique geology of Iceland meets a lot of their energy needs.
Just past this geothermal plant is the town of Hveragerði, the geothermal capital of Iceland ("hver" means "hot spring" in Icelandic). An hour hike into the hills beyond the town will bring you to a stream fed by hot springs — a perfect temperature for soaking! This was one of my favorite things we did in Iceland.
Hveragerði also claims two restaurants which use geothermal steam to cook their food. Geothermally-cooked rye bread is a traditional treat. Some of the food is locally produced as well. There are many greenhouses in this area that are heated with geothermal energy.
Traditionally, Icelandic cuisine features little produce. Much of the cuisine is based on meat, dairy, and seafood. Animal agriculture represents a huge use of land in Iceland. There are sheep nearly everywhere you look. There are also large numbers of horses and cows. Much of the farmable land is used to grow hay to feed the livestock during the winter. These animals are hardy enough to stay outside during the long winter, when they eat from large hay bales instead of grazing.
One surprising fact about Iceland is that there is very little wildlife. Besides sea birds, you would rarely encounter a wild animal on land. In fact, the only native land mammal at the time of human settlement is the Arctic fox. Since then, small mammals like mink and rabbits have populated the island. There are also herds of reindeer, although they are not originally native. Many of the plants are not native either.
This is one unique aspect of sustainability in Iceland. There are very few wild animals for livestock to compete with. This means that animal agriculture in Iceland has a smaller footprint than in many other places around the world.
Of course, fishing is very prominent in Iceland. Common menu items include trout, salmon, herring, lobster, mussels, shrimp... Less common menu items include shark, whale, and puffin. Whaling is taboo in America, but Icelanders maintain that the whales they hunt are not endangered.
The water in Iceland also provides energy in the form of hydroelectricity. When we drove inland to see the Hekla volcano, we passed a large hydroelectric dam on a river. Iceland has a steady supply of rushing rivers in thanks to the many glaciers.
One of the larger rivers is home to the famous Gullfoss waterfall. In the early 20th century, some Icelanders wanted to dam the river to produce energy. Sigríður Tómasdóttir, known as Iceland's first environmentalist, protested the project in order to protect the natural beauty of the falls.
Although the story of Sigríður is more myth than fact, it presents an enduring conflict: Do we produce renewable energy or preserve natural beauty? Dam projects are often halted for concerns about wildlife in the river, but many of Iceland's frigid glacial rivers are fish-free.
Iceland has several large glaciers, noted by the Icelandic word jökull. On our trip, we saw Eyjafjallajökull (the notorious glacier-topped volcano), Snæfellsjökull, and Myrdalsjökull. We got the closest to a tongue of Myrdalsjökull called Sólheimajökull. This long outlet is a canary in the coal mine for climate change, and has shrunk rapidly over the last several years.
The natural landscape in Iceland has been conserved thanks to several factors including: the climate and geology that makes much of the land useless for industry or agriculture; the small population of only 300,000; and the efforts of the government to establish parks and reserves.
Sustainability Abroad
by Jenni Abere
Iceland is a unique country that draws crowds of tourists because of its natural beauty. It's got waterfalls, glaciers, mountains, volcanoes, hot springs, geysers... These attractions brought my family to Iceland for a week, and while I was there, I noticed that Iceland is an interesting country from a sustainability standpoint.
 |
| Skógafoss, one of the most popular waterfalls in Iceland. |
As Icelanders are known to brag about, 85% of their energy is produced domestically from renewable sources. While driving in the southwest, we glimpsed some proof of this in the form of a large geothermal plant. The unique geology of Iceland meets a lot of their energy needs.
Just past this geothermal plant is the town of Hveragerði, the geothermal capital of Iceland ("hver" means "hot spring" in Icelandic). An hour hike into the hills beyond the town will bring you to a stream fed by hot springs — a perfect temperature for soaking! This was one of my favorite things we did in Iceland.
Hveragerði also claims two restaurants which use geothermal steam to cook their food. Geothermally-cooked rye bread is a traditional treat. Some of the food is locally produced as well. There are many greenhouses in this area that are heated with geothermal energy.
 |
| We enjoyed a lunch of soup and bread cooked at this geothermal restaurant in Hveragerði. |
 |
| Tomatoes growing in a greenhouse at the geothermal park in Hveragerði. The white pipes behind the plants carry hot water directly from the ground. This greenhouse is hot enough to grow bananas! Electricity produced at geothermal plants provides light for the greenhouses, a necessity in a place as far north as Iceland. |
Traditionally, Icelandic cuisine features little produce. Much of the cuisine is based on meat, dairy, and seafood. Animal agriculture represents a huge use of land in Iceland. There are sheep nearly everywhere you look. There are also large numbers of horses and cows. Much of the farmable land is used to grow hay to feed the livestock during the winter. These animals are hardy enough to stay outside during the long winter, when they eat from large hay bales instead of grazing.
One surprising fact about Iceland is that there is very little wildlife. Besides sea birds, you would rarely encounter a wild animal on land. In fact, the only native land mammal at the time of human settlement is the Arctic fox. Since then, small mammals like mink and rabbits have populated the island. There are also herds of reindeer, although they are not originally native. Many of the plants are not native either.
This is one unique aspect of sustainability in Iceland. There are very few wild animals for livestock to compete with. This means that animal agriculture in Iceland has a smaller footprint than in many other places around the world.
 |
| We encountered this sheep while on a hike. Judging from the number of sheep we saw outside of fences, there may be a sizable feral sheep population in Iceland. |
Of course, fishing is very prominent in Iceland. Common menu items include trout, salmon, herring, lobster, mussels, shrimp... Less common menu items include shark, whale, and puffin. Whaling is taboo in America, but Icelanders maintain that the whales they hunt are not endangered.
The water in Iceland also provides energy in the form of hydroelectricity. When we drove inland to see the Hekla volcano, we passed a large hydroelectric dam on a river. Iceland has a steady supply of rushing rivers in thanks to the many glaciers.
One of the larger rivers is home to the famous Gullfoss waterfall. In the early 20th century, some Icelanders wanted to dam the river to produce energy. Sigríður Tómasdóttir, known as Iceland's first environmentalist, protested the project in order to protect the natural beauty of the falls.
 |
| Gullfoss is one of Iceland's biggest tourist attractions, and part of the "golden circle." |
Although the story of Sigríður is more myth than fact, it presents an enduring conflict: Do we produce renewable energy or preserve natural beauty? Dam projects are often halted for concerns about wildlife in the river, but many of Iceland's frigid glacial rivers are fish-free.
Iceland has several large glaciers, noted by the Icelandic word jökull. On our trip, we saw Eyjafjallajökull (the notorious glacier-topped volcano), Snæfellsjökull, and Myrdalsjökull. We got the closest to a tongue of Myrdalsjökull called Sólheimajökull. This long outlet is a canary in the coal mine for climate change, and has shrunk rapidly over the last several years.
 |
| Sólheimajökull is one of the most easily accessible glaciers in Iceland, and therefore a popular site for guided glacier walks. For a quick and free visit, you can park and follow a path to get a good view of the glacier. |
The natural landscape in Iceland has been conserved thanks to several factors including: the climate and geology that makes much of the land useless for industry or agriculture; the small population of only 300,000; and the efforts of the government to establish parks and reserves.
Tourism provides another incentive to preserve Iceland's wilderness, its biggest attraction. But it also provides a conflict, since tourists can triple the population of the small country in the busy summer months. This is a huge burden on Iceland's resources, requiring more energy, food, and living spaces. Not to mention, all tourists have to take an airplane to the remote island, and then many drive or take buses once they're there, producing greenhouse gases.
Iceland is currently one of the most sustainable nations. Hopefully as tourism continues to boom, this won't change.
Tuesday, August 15, 2017
Monday, August 14, 2017
The 4th R
Schooling
Edward Hessler
Recess, of course!
Dr. Michael Hynes is the superintendent of the Patchoque-Medford schools on Long Island. He has been a long-time proponent of essentially making recess an official part of the school day.
Here is a short video for which I thank Diane Ravitch who posted about it today on her blog. Ravitch's aim is to have an ongoing discussion of better education for all students. Dr. Ravitch also includes a letter from Superintendent Hynes to the NYS Superintendent of Schools and the NYS Board of Education to "strongly consider and discuss a mandate" for recess.
I let the tape run after I watched it while I attended to other things and noticed that it is followed by a TEDx talk by Dr. Hynes. Didn't pay much attention but caught a few words about his visit to his former school to see his transcript so I suspect it has something to do with recess and other ideas he has interest in, one of which is meditation, a practice that is being used in some schools with success for dealing with and understanding the tensions of daily life.
Edward Hessler
Recess, of course!
Dr. Michael Hynes is the superintendent of the Patchoque-Medford schools on Long Island. He has been a long-time proponent of essentially making recess an official part of the school day.
Here is a short video for which I thank Diane Ravitch who posted about it today on her blog. Ravitch's aim is to have an ongoing discussion of better education for all students. Dr. Ravitch also includes a letter from Superintendent Hynes to the NYS Superintendent of Schools and the NYS Board of Education to "strongly consider and discuss a mandate" for recess.
I let the tape run after I watched it while I attended to other things and noticed that it is followed by a TEDx talk by Dr. Hynes. Didn't pay much attention but caught a few words about his visit to his former school to see his transcript so I suspect it has something to do with recess and other ideas he has interest in, one of which is meditation, a practice that is being used in some schools with success for dealing with and understanding the tensions of daily life.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)