Welcome to our class!

We are an environmental science course at St. Benedict's Prep in Newark, NJ, taught by Mrs. T. We'll be blogging about environmental issues all term, so please stay tuned!

Wednesday, January 29, 2014

Tristan James - Zion National Park Summary

My presentation was about Zion National Park, located in Utah. In this presentation I spoke of the park's earliest inhabitants ranging from animals such as mammoth, or the people known as the Anasazi. I then went on to speak of the different adversities future inhabitants of the park would have to face upon their arrival, as well as how their diligence and determination made them successful. I explained what elements made the park a place for thriving and unfortunately a place of great difficulty in the future. To close the presentation, I showed how the park is considered a sanctuary for hope because of these hard workers and why it is such an important and historical place today.

Tuesday, January 28, 2014

Calvin Tucker
Cerla Superfund: Passaic River


    My presentation was about the Passaic River in Newark, NJ. In this presentation I showcased how Superfund came about, using taxes from industries that uses chemicals to that could cause harm to people, or the environment itself. I also spoke about some reason of why the Passaic got litter with chemicals that aren't safe for human or animal's lifestyle. The Passaic River was one a beautiful river but us human take advantage of it and ruined what was put on the Earth for different generations of people to enjoy but yet we selfishly took matters in our own hands and made what was a beautiful river, into a garbage disposal. All in all, I'm glad to say that Superfund is trying their best to preserve some of the river.

Sunday, January 19, 2014

Jovan Poggi
Environmental Science
Summary Blog post
Yellow Stone National Park


What my presentation is about is how Yellowstone National park was back then and how it is now. Yellowstone is a nice, beautiful place. You can do anything over there. You can visit the place and see all the Geysers that are there.it was established in 1872.  The Old Faithful Inn is the place where there are about 300 rooms in that building and you can stay there just to see the view of Yellowstone National Park. Then it comes to the volcano. The reason why the super volcano erupted is because of what happens underground. Until this day, scientists are trying to figure out when and how the volcano will erupt again. Also, if it does erupt again, it can affect our climate change and environment because it is our environment and we need to better it and make sure that everything will be okay.

Wednesday, January 15, 2014

Productivity

As global temperatures warm, the productivity of ecosystems across the globe will change.  Consider productivity in the tropics and productivity at the poles.  How will productivity change in those areas (be specific)?  What do you think is one positive effect of those productivity changes?  What is one negative effect of those productivity changes?

As always, proofread your comment for spelling, punctuation, and grammar; make sure your comment addresses the question; and consider having a trusted person read over your comment to make sure your ideas are clearly expressed.

Monday, January 13, 2014

David Attenborough





 David Attenborough is and continues to be a man of curiosity. As a young boy his early hobbies were collecting, fossils, stones, and other natural specimens. Born on May 8, 1926 in a little town of Iselworth , England. Sir David has been devoted to the study of many species in there natural habitat. His career as a naturalist and broadcaster has spanned nearly five decades and there are very few places on the globe that he has not visited. Alongside BBC he has partnered in many informative documentaries as well as movies. When he was controller of BBC2 he was able to introduce color television to Britain. In 2012 he celebrated 60 years as the voice of natural and history programmes. He is currently 87 years old and continues to work on a number of television, film and radio projects. More specifically an addition to his BBC Life Series he is working on Life in Cold Blood.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Er-OnJCn1gg

Cuyahoga River

It all began on June 22, 1969 one beautiful morning in Cleveland, Ohio. Cuyahoga River, located in Cleveland, Ohio, had one great devastating disaster that changed many peoples lives. In 1969, the Cuyahoga River caught on fire due to many pollutions and oil spilling in the river. The cause of the pollution and oil was because of the fact that many factories were open. All these factories caused the river to build up with oil and pollution. People today still don't know how the fire was caused but some say that sparks from a train caused the fire. When the river caught on fire it spread rapidly destroying anything that gets in its way. It was estimated that the fire caused $50,000 of destruction. People remembered this disaster as "The River That Caught On Fire".  This disaster helped people to learn how to clean and take care of their environment and that is why it would never be forgotten.

Sunday, January 5, 2014

The "Purpose" of Nature

We, as a class, probably have a lot of different views about what the natural world is meant to do for us and what it is meant to be for our planet.  For instance, some people feel that everything in nature is at humans' disposal and we should take whatever we want, however we want.  Others feel that nature is to be cherished and protected, as it contains many life forms.  There are so many points of view.

What is yours?  You may find that your point of view is influenced by political, religious, or cultural beliefs and practices, and that is fine.  Your comment should clearly communicate your beliefs and why you believe them.  Always proofread, spellcheck, and read over your post aloud with a friend to make sure it makes sense.  I will write my post below so you can see an example, and so I can be a part of this discussion with you.

As a scientist, I recognize the interconnectedness of all things on earth, and how changing one thing often sets off a domino effect of change in other things.  I believe we need to carefully consider and study what those changes will be before we start something negative that we can't stop.  As a consumer, I understand that we can't use up all our natural resources because once some of them are gone, they are gone for good.  I believe that we need to learn how to live in moderation to protect those resources.  As a Christian, I see the hand of God in everything in the natural world.  I believe that I have a responsibility to respect and care for His creation.  As a conservationist, I realize that the environment has value beyond money and that no amount of money can ever recreate what we humans destroy.  I believe that we need to protect the environment for its future use and for its inherent value to life on earth.