Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park

 The Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park, established in 1916, is a United States National Park located in Hawaii. It encompasses two active volcanoes: Kilauea, one of the world's most active volcanoes, and Mauna Loa, the world's most massive shield volcano. Although the park is located on an island it occupies an area of 505 square miles (1,308 square km) and includes two active volcanoes—Mauna Loa and Kilauea—25 miles apart. The park began getting recognition when Missionaries William Ellis and Asa Thurston visited Kīlauea's boiling lake of lava in 1823.  In 1906, Thurston began a campaign to make this amazing area into a public park. Together with Dr. Thomas A. Jaggar they wrote editorials, and promoted the idea of making the volcanoes into a national park in what was then the territory of Hawaiʻi. On August 1, 1916, President Woodrow Wilson signed the country's 13th national park into existence. The park itself is important because the park delivers scientists insight into the birth of the Hawaiian Islands and ongoing studies into the processes of volcanism. For visitors, the park offers dramatic volcanic landscapes as well as glimpses of rare flora and fauna. People who visit the park can enjoy activities such as hiking, camping, atv tours, and volcano expedition. Despite being on a volcano filled with lava, the park is very beautiful.

Sequoia National Park

The Sequoia National Park is located in California's southern Sierra Nevada mountains. This is California's first national park,which was first established on September 25, 1890. This park is famous for the activities that can be done and the history behind the park, which is pretty fascinating. Before the park was established, Mono native Americans would settle in the park seasonally. They would leave by pictographs. To make visitors have the full experience, they carved a roadway into a large tree called tunnel log. The activities require you to take extra precaution. The weather varies widely at different elevations, so that means that storms can happen at any time of the year. You can do things such as day hiking, exploring giant sequoia groves, overnight wilderness trips, ranger led programs, and more. 300 kinds of wildlife live in the Sequoia. Black bears are usually high profile. There are also more than 1,500 plant species that can be found. How do these trees live so long anyways?They live so long because nothing kills them. Fires, diseases, and critters don't make much of a debt. Men weren't even able to use them. They tried years ago but these trees are so massive that when they would crash to the ground, they would splinter into a million pieces, which could be used as toothpicks.

Denali National Park

Denali National Park is a six million acre park located in Alaska. It's temperatures can reach as low to -40 degrees in the winter to as high as 75 degrees in the summer. It is home to the historic Denali Mountain which has the highest mountain peak in North America. Prior to 1917, hunting in this region began to increase and the number of animals, specifically sheep, began to decrease. A man named Charles Sheldon realized the fall in sheep population and helped the establishment of Denali National Park on February 26, 1917. The wildlife in Denali is very diverse with 39 species of mammals, 169 species of birds, and 14 species of fish. The park includes 12,200 lakes and ponds, 18,700 miles of steams 1,500 species of plants. Over 40,000 people visit a year to experience the wonders of this beautiful park.

Isaiah Whitaker

Zion National Park

The Zion National Park is a 229 square miles, located in the Southwestern of Utah, close to the frontier between the states of Utah and Arizona. The park is made by a huge canyons that have a large variety of height. The desert climate dominates the whole park and makes the ecosystems that exist in the park.Because of the varying heights there are more species of reptiles, mammals, and fishes. Every year the park receives a lot of tourists and it's a very lucrative business for US because with a fee of $12 payed by more than 4 million tourists is equal a profit of more than $52 million beside the money that is made by the extra activities as hiking, camping, canyoning, and etc, what is so popular in the Zion National Park. All these facts make the Zion National Park have a huge importance to the United States.

Donora Smog of 1948 - Donora, Pennsylvania

The Donora Smog of 1948 was an environmental disaster that--through its devastating consequences--brought about a much needed awareness for air pollution. On October 27, 1948, the residents of Donora awoke to a thick smog in the air. This in itself was not a surprise to them. The local factories(Zinc Works and Steel--both of which contributed to a lot of air pollution), and the town's location within a river valley made smogs common. However, there was one chilling difference. Previous smogs usually went away within hours; they never lasted more than a day. But this smog remained for 5 continuous days. Scientists assert that this was because of the conditions under which Donora was at the time. The air was stagnant, and there was an air inversion. These two things combined did not allow for any of the smog to escape. So the smog only thickened as the days continued. On October 31, a wind current combined with rain saved Donora. The wind current allowed for the Stagnant air to move, and the rain eased away all the harmful pollutants on surfaces of buildings, cars, streets, etc. Unfortunately, The Killer Smog had already claimed the lives of 20 and sickened 6,000. In the months that followed, people who had been sickened continued to die. (So, the death toll was sadly much larger). This air pollution disaster, arguably one of the worst, taught America a valuable lesson--the consequence of ignorance. After the disaster, many people began to pay attention to air pollution, which they had never done before. In 1955, the Clean Air Act was passed. This new Act would help fund research that dealt with air pollution and how to do with it, so that another disaster like this would never occur again.

This image shows a woman walking down the streets
of Donora with a mask to protect her from the toxic chemicals in the air.

Rachel Carson

Rachel Carson was a marine biologist, environmentalist, and an author of many books such as the " Silent spring, The Edge of the Sea, Under the Sea Wind, and The Sea around us. She also was known to alert the world of  to the environmental impact of pesticides. Carson grew up on a farm where she first started learning about nature and wildlife. As she grew up, she went to all women'c college called Chatham college and then continued her studies at John Hopkins University. This is where she had gotten a Master's degree in zoology. She then started teaching at the University of Maryland for five years then worked at the U.S. Fish and Wildlife service. There she would make programs that educated people on marine biology. She then became a Marine Biologist herself. During World War II, people started using pesticides. Such pesticides are DDT which was target to kill mosquitoes. Although DDT was targeted to kill mosquitoes, DDT also harmed the environment and made a lot of people sick. She wrote a book called " The Silent Spring", which rejected the use of pesticides. This book helped shape growing environmental consciousness. She died on April 16, 1964 of breast cancer.

The Glacier National Park that is admired all over the country as well as the continent as it is frequently titled as "The Crown of the Continent". This park is a beautiful place as it attracts many tourrists every year that walk its 734 mile long ntrail. It is also home to many species such as the grey wolf, and the grizzly bears. As portrayed in its name there a number of laciers at the park 25 to be exact. Although that may seem as a lot of glaciers for a park, its only a fraction of what it used to be. According to data gatheredby scientists, in 1868 there were 150 glaciers in the park. This is clear evidence of the climate getting warmer and of the existence of global warmung which is not only destroying many glaciers its also destroying many species. Yet this park still contains its natural beauty as seen in these images here and is a great place which I hope to visit one day.

September 11th

On september 11th Terrorists Hijacked four planes mid flight, attacking the twin towers, and the Pentagon. Becoming the turning point of security in America, almost 3,000 people were killed, and 6,000 injured. Over 1,000 people in the North tower were trapped and died of smoke, or fell to their death. Almost 18,000 people were linked to have toxic dust from the debris. Due to all the debri in the air Over 2,500 substances were released in the air. Substances in the air could have caused liver, heart, and even kidney problems for many. The toxic dust filled the area for another 5 months after the planes crashed. To resolve these problems the state spent millions dollars on cancer programs, and therapy for people who were effected.

Genetically Modified Organisms

GMOs, or genetically modified organisms are organisms whose genetic material has been altered using genetic engineering. Genetic engineering is the modification of an organism's phenotype by altering its genetic make-up. Genetic engineering is primarily performed by simple mating or gene recombination.

When a gene from one organism is purposely moved to improve or change another organism in a laboratory, the result is a genetically modified organism (GMO). It is also sometimes called "transgenic" for transfer of genes.

There are different ways of moving genes to produce desirable traits. For both plants and animals, one of the more traditional ways is through selective breeding. For example, a plant with a desired trait is chosen and bred to produce more plants with the desirable trait. More recently with the advancement of technology is another technique. This technique is applied in the laboratory where genes that express the desired trait is physically moved or added to a new plant to enhance the trait in that plant. Plants produced with this technology are transgenic. Often, this process is performed on crops to produce insect or herbicide resistant plants, they are referred to as Genetically Modified Crops (GM crops). GMOS are toxic to the environment because they are linked to pesticides and herbicides. They then go onto the plants and then kill the bees that pollinate crops. Also since the plants are GMOS, that means less nectar is produced for pollinators. The DNA modification takes away essential nutrients that the plants need to grow which will damage the plants which will damage the food chain.

The Endangered Species Act

Nature and its wildlife are considered to be beautiful and heavenly amongst a great deal of people. To preserve its beauty, Congress passed the Endangered Species Act in 1973 during Richard Nixon’s presidency. Congress realized that nature has an educational and scientific value that is beneficial to the United States and its citizens.  The Endangered Species Act provides the protection and preservation of any “endangered” or “threatened” species and their habitats. Those who deem these species as endangered or threatened are the United States Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) and National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS). Before any species can be listed as endangered or threatened, the FWS and NMFS considers 5 factors in evaluating a species. These factors are: Damage to, or destruction of a species’ habitat, over utilization of the species for commercial, recreational, scientific, or educational purposes, disease or predation, inadequacy of existing protection and  other natural or manmade factors that affect the continued existence of the species. Any animal or plant, except for pest insect, can be listed. Since The Endangered Species Act is a federal law, violators will face the consequences if they are to harm, harass, or kill any of the listed species. These perpetrators can face up to a year in prison or fines up to $100,000.

The Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill

The Deepwater Horizon is an ultra-deepwater, dynamically positioned, semi-submersible mobile offshore oil drilling unit. It was built in South Korea by Hyundai heavy industries in 2001. BP took it on lease from 2001 from Transocean. In September 2009, the rig drilled deepest oil well in history at a depth of 35,050 feet in Tiber oil field at Keathley Canyon. In 2010, it was commissioned in the Mexican Gulf. On April 21st, 2010, there was a major disaster. The methane gas that leaked went to the generators that were extremely hot and producing hot vapor, thus causing a sudden explosion. This explosion was followed by subsequent fire and the crew members had to evacuate immediately. Only 11 died of the 126. The drilling oil unit sank a day later after the incident. Nearly 4,000 square miles of oil was spilled. (The size of Rhode Island and Delaware combined!!). 17 million dollars were lost just in the oil spill itself.  BP total cost of the disastered reach a staggering 54 billion dollars. Thousands of species were affected by the oil spill. Many fish species are at the verge of extinct such as Atlantic bluefin tuna, Gulf sturgeon, smalltooth sawfish, and the dwarf seahorse. 500 species live in the gulf and oil spill is toxic for all life stages of fish and could affect reproduction for at least decades. 82,000 birds, 6,000 sea turtles and 26,000 marine mammals were harmed. The EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) had many ways to clean up the oil. However, there was one that was extremely toxic; dispersal. Spilled oil naturally disperses through storms, currents, and osmosis with the passage of time. Chemical dispersants accelerate the dispersal process, although they may have significant side effects. The EPA was unaware that Corexit contain many chemicals related to skin irritation, eye itching, burns, and worst of all; cancer. Many families were affected by this disaster. Many people could not go swimming or fishing. Many children were playing around oil. The WaTCH (Woman and their children's health) orginzation did a study and found that many children and woman were greatly affected. Many experienced wheezing, extreme coughing, short breathes, itching, stuffed nose, and many other side efffects.

The Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill had a massive impact on the US. To this day, it is the largest environmental disaster in US history. Thousands upon thousands of speacies were greatly affected. All the oil was not clenaed up. About 80% of the oil is still in the Gulf of Mexico.

Chernobyl


 

Chernobyl is a small town in Ukraine that is widely known for being home of the Chernobyl nuclear plant. This town is mainly farmland with about 12,000 residents and the plant was built in 1977 with four reactors. On April 26, 1986, operators of the nuclear plant were running a test on backup generators and a new cooling system. During the test, the reactors overheated creating an explosion and fire which destroyed the fourth reactor and released large amounts of radiation into the atmosphere. Two people died the night of the accident due to the explosion and 28 other operators and fireman died due to radiation poisoning. To prevent more deaths, Chernobyl created the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant Zone of Alienation forcing everyone living within a 19 mile radius to be evacuated. A containment structure was also built and captured about 200 tons of nuclear fuel and debris. This disaster was more of speculation and assumption rather than facts and evidence. Even though 6,000 cases of cancer are linked to the exposure, people panicked and feared the worst when it couldn't do that much harm to a person. But, there are many environmental effects caused by the disaster. Trees died and turned a bright ginger color, forest food products had the highest level of radiation, many animals died from exposure and radioactive materials were deposited into rivers. After the disaster, the power plant continued operation until being permanently closed in 2000. The exclusion zone is one of the most radioactive areas in the world but many thriving animals live in these areas. A new containment structure was built over Chernobyl to prevent anymore contamination in 2016 and tours are available.



Isaiah Whitaker

Yellowstone National Park

Did you know that there was a super volcano capable of wiping out a large amount of the human population? This volcano is located in Yellowstone National Park. Yellowstone is located in Wyoming, but with small parts in Montana and Idaho. Yellowstone National Park is 3,500-sq.-miles of wilderness. The park also contains rivers, canyons, and waterfalls. European Americans began exploring the park in the early 1800s. 70 years later the first organized expedition explored Yellowstone and in 1872 the park was established as the first and biggest National park. A national park is an area protected by the government for the general public and for the preservation of wild life. Yellowstone is home to 67 species of mammals, 285 species of birds, 16 species of fish, 6 species of reptiles, and 5 species of amphibians. The abundance of food, water, oxygen, and organism interactions makes it a very suitable and stable environment. Yellowstone is also known for having geysers. A geyser is a vent in Earth's surface that periodically ejects a column of hot water and steam. A geyser erupts when super heated groundwater, confined at depth, becomes hot enough to blast its way to the surface.There are only 1000 geysers worldwide and 300 of them are located in Yellowstone. Yellowstone is a very unique place and is visited by thousands of tourist world wide, it is crucial that we understand that something as beautiful as this place need to be taken care of.

Love Canal- Mike Aguirre

The Love Canal's reputation of being the most horrific environmental tragedy in American history, ironically, was once supposed to be considered a Utopian city. William T. Love had an idea, to power the city through the use of canals extending from the Upper to Lower Niagara Rivers. This project came to end, during the creation of the canals, due to a lack of funds. William Love was forced to sell the partially built canal to Hooker Chemical Company, at an auction. The company dumped chemicals into the canal and sold it to the city of Niagara Falls, after completely using it, for one dollar. This was a really bad financial buy as the chemicals in the canal would eventually reach surface; it would appear on the backyards and garages of local homes. It was not safe to live in one's house as the chances of getting cancer and other diseases was high. Some positives came from this tragedy. Chemical dumping was now taken serious, and the creation of the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act, which taxed gas and chemical corporations to be used to clean up dumping sites. The Love Canal was officially removed from the Superfund List in 2004 as it was declared "clean", but recently some have stated that they have seen an increase in disease and a weird smell.

Light Pollution - Francois Benoit

    Light pollution is excessive, misdirected, or obtrusive artificial (usually outdoor) light, Light pollution is a side effect of industrial civilization. Its sources include building exterior and interior lighting, advertising, offices, and streetlights. Light pollution is a waste of energy and a determent to our environment. Lighting is responsible for one-fourth of all electricity consumption worldwide
Outdoor lighting uses about 120 terawatt-hours of energy. Over illumination wastes a lot of energy, the inefficient design of said outdoor lights wastes most of the energy put forward to light the area for only about 40% of the light that is used in the outdoor lights helps us see at night. Light pollution Interferes with the timing of necessary biological activities, from nocturnal species sleeping patterns to migratory patterns of other nocturnal birds. Life revolves around the natural patterns of light and dark, these patterns are built into most species on earth's DNA species on earth have lived with day and night for millennia and artificial light is only interfering with their daily processes. Certain species avoid light purposely to carry out some of their biological functions and artificial light is not helping. Artificial lights even affect us humans, production of our hormones, various cancers and even anxiety issues have all been linked to our output of artificial light. The most notorious thing associated with light pollution is that it blocks our view of the beautiful night sky.Even though we may be able to see in the dark now the light we humans create affects so much in negative ways.

U.S Radium Corporation

The U.S Radium Corporation was founded by Dr. Sabin Arnold von Sochocky and Dr. George S. Willis. It is located in Orange, New Jersey. It emplyed numerous workers, mainly women. This company's main purpose was to produce luminous paints, produced under the name Undark. The luminous paint were mostly used to paint the faces of watches, which were sold to the U.S Amry for the soldiers. During this age, the thought process was that since radium could shrink tumors and destroy cancer cells , it should be good for anything. So they started using it for water, toothpaste, soda, and other daily products. Things began to turn for the worse when the women were suggested to use a method called lip-pointing which was to use their tongues to sharpen the edge of the brush. These girls would later be known as the Radium Girls. They would starting suffering from illnesses and cancer. The most affected area would be the jaw and mouth because the girls were using the mouth and ingesting radium. What's most concerning is that the girls were told that the paint was harmless. These problems were then taken to court and the company were sued. The company tried to cover up the mess by saying that the girls were in good health when they clearly weren't. The court cases would take years because the victims couldn't talk or walk to testify, and by then most of them died. One positive outcome out of all this tradegy is that the U.S Congress passed a law basically improving factory work condtions.

The Exxon Valdez Oil Spill

On March 24, 1989 a terrible event happened. The tanker known as the Exxon Valdez was grounded in Bligh Reef which is located in Prince William Sound,Alaska. The tanker was carrying crude oil as its cargo which it leaked out 11 million gallons of it once it was grounded on the reef. Grounded means a ship is immobile and cannot move. This oil spill was extremely hazardous to the environment and affected many different species of plants and animals. This harmful event could have been prevented if the tanker had a double hull however Exxon refused to have a double do to the expense. However due to Exxon trying to save money many animals, plants, and even people were affected by this event. Recovery from an event like this takes a long time as well. Over 25 years since the incident the different species have recovered due to human aid however their are many species who are still recovering, those not recovering, and some with their status being unknown. There was a good thing that came from this, since this made a huge mess and many people were furious the government stepped in and know we have better rules and regulations to prevent oil spills and if they do happen a better clean up process. In conclusion it is our duty as Americans to make sure we are doing our part to help out however we can to protect the environment.

John Muir

John Muir was born on April 21,1838 in Dunbar, Scotland. He was a naturalist,philosopher,writer,botanist, and geologist. Growing up, Muir was raised in a strict household. His father was a harsh disciplinarian and worked his family from dusk to dawn. Whenever Muir was on break from his work, he would go out into the woods near his home and explore the nature surrounding him. This is what made him become an inventor of all things wood. He created a horse feeder, a table saw, a wooden thermometer, and an alarm clock that pushed him out of bed. Muir attended the University of Wisconsin in the early 1860's and left in 1863 in order to study botany and explore the natural world by foot. In March of 1867, he had a serious injury while working in a factory. He pierced an awl into his right eye causing both eyes to go blind. Muir decided if ever did recover he would travel the world in order to see God's creation. It is presumed that while he was stuck in bed, Muir's friends would come over and read to him. This is when he most likely first heard about Yosemite. In September of 1867, Muir's eyes were healed and he set out on a thousand mile walk from Indianapolis to the Gulf of Mexico. After the walk he planned to head to South America. He eventually completed the walk however when he was in Florida, he contracted malaria and this made him travel to Yosemite instead of South America. Yosemite is a National Park located in California. It is 761,266 acres and the first people who lived in it was a group of native Americans called the Ahwahneechee. The europeans arrived in 1827 and because of their arrival it caused the Mariposa War between the Ahwahneechee and the europeans. In 1848, the California Gold Rush brought thousands of people to the area which spread the word of Yosemite's beauty. Nine years later, President Lincoln signed a bill granting Yosemite Valley and Mariposa Grove to the state of California. The ahwahneechee was a powerful tribe that was feared by Miwok tribes who called them Yosemite which means "They are killers". This is how Yosemite National Park was named. Muir wrote tons of essays and articles in order to push for the establishment of Yosemite National Park. He also co-founded the Sierra Club in order to protect Yosemite along with others of America's National Wonders. Muir also went on a three day camping trip with Theodore Roosevelt and his main focus was to convince for the need of forest preservation but also for Yosemite and Mariposa Grove be receded to the U.S for inclusion of the park. Muir was also a major figure in the creation of the Grand Canyon and Sequoia regions which gave him the nickname "John of the Mountains" and "The Father of our National Park System". Eventually their discussion ended with the signature of the president for the Yosemite Recession Bill in June 1906. John died on Christmas Eve of 1914. His legacy lives on in the species named after him like the Troglodyte Muirii also known as Muir's winter wren. His legacy also lives on in the books he wrote like The Mountains of California, Our National Parks, and My First Summer in Sierra. If it weren't for Muir we wouldn't have Yosemite National Park as we have today or other Wonders of the world like the Grand Canyon, Kings Canyon, Petrified Forest, and Mt. Rainer National Parks.

Cuyahoga River

The Cuyahoga River is located in Northeast Ohio and is known to have been one of the most polluted rivers in the history of the United States. The river was polluted by the waste, in particular the waste generated by factories during the industrial-technology transition. Creatures like leeches and sludge worms that thrive in wastes weren’t even able to endure life in the river.

There have been a total of 13 fires in the river, the first of which occurred in 1868. The most costly fire occurred in 1952, costing around 1.3 million dollars in damages. The most fatal fire occurred in 1912 and documented 5 deaths. In 1969 another fire occurred and was the most covered of all the Cuyahoga River fires mainly because the United States was becoming more eco-aware about the country and also due to the river fire headlining in “Times” magazine. Due to the amount of attention the fire of 69’ brought to the city of Cleveland, a great deal of pressure was given to hygienic regulation. The fire of 69’ influenced Congress to resolve the issue with land pollution in the United States as a whole and passed the National Environment Protection Act (NEPA). This later established the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) which manages environmental risks and sanitary-specific policies. One of the first actions the EPA enforced was to put forth the Clean Water Act (1972), which ordered that all rivers throughout the United States be hygienic enough to safely allow large amounts of swimmers and fish within the Cuyahoga River by 1983. Since the fire of 69’ the Northeast Ohio Regional Sewer District has invested over $3.5 billion towards the purification of the river and the development of new sewer systems. Another act that was established was the Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement commitment between the United States and Canada. This restored and protected the waters of the Great Lakes and states that the EPA coordinates U.S. activities.This agreement was also a result of the awareness of pollution in the Cuyahoga River as well as the Clean Water Act. Without the Cuyahoga River, we would not live in the same country as we live in today. The river has brought worldwide attention to water pollution and how waste is treated in ecosystems that has large bodies of water nearby. The river is now home to about sixty different species of fish and new waste management programs to ensure the cleanliness of Cleveland's waterways.

Acadia National Park

Acadia was first established as Sieur de Monts National Monument in July 1916 by President Woodrow Wilson then it was later changed to Lafayette National Park and in February 1919 was when the park became the first National park east of Mississippi. In January 1929 was when the park was officially named Acadia National Park by an explorer named Giovanni Verrazano when he was sailing by the area back in 1524. One of the most historical aspects of Acadia's formation is because of the donations from private citizens such as George B. Dorr & Charles W. Elliot who discussed the dangers of the park that could have happened but prevented them before hand. The person that played a major role in this formation was John D. Rockefeller because he built carriage roads that were going to be for guests or people of the higher ranking but are for hikers, bikers, and horseback riders and he also donated 11,000 acres of land. Acadia supports more than 1,000 different plant species that thrive in conditions such as acidic, low-nutrient bogs, tidal estuaries, intertidal zones, lakes, ponds, and exposed summits. The animal species ranges from vital microorganisms to the predators and the types of species are birds, Mammals, Amphibians, Marine Mammals, and other sea creatures. There are 3 Campgrounds in Acadia which are the Blackwoods Campground, Seawall Campground, and the Acadia Wildwood Stables Campground, Blackwoods is in the south and is welcoming for tents and recreational vehicles, campfire programs, and running water with available showers, Seawall is near the southwest and is available for tents, motor homes, and group sites, and Acadia Wildwood Stables Campground is only open for visitors with horses. Some of the interesting facts about Acadia is that most of the building was provided by Civilian Conservation Corps, average summer temperatures is 67 Fahrenheit, Altitude is from 0 to 1,530 feet, there are over two million visitors per year. Acadia is frequently ranking one of the top National Parks in the U.S.

David Suzuki

David Takayoshi Suzuki was born in Vancouver, Canada on March 24, 1936.  While being raised in Canada, he developed a passion for nature and genetics which led to him getting his Bachelor’s degree in biology from Amherst College, and later his PhD in Zoology from the University of Chicago. He voiced his views on the benefits of genetics and also on the ethical problems arising from it. He did this through his television shows such as Suzuki on Science, Quirks & Quarks, The Nature of Things, and Yellowstone to Yukon: The Wildlands Project. He also wrote books like Genethics: The Clash between the New Genetics and Human Values, It’s a Matter of Survival, and The Sacred Balance. Because of David Suzuki’s love for science, he made a nonprofit organization that balances human needs with the earth’s ability to sustain life known as the David Suzuki Foundation. This foundation was established by Suzuki in 1991. Some rewards that he received are the Order of Canada, United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) Kalinga Prize and the Right Livelihood Award. David Suzuki will not only be remembered for his success as a science broadcaster, but also because he made people realize the need to coexist with nature. By being one with nature, people can help care for the enviroment and not take it for granted.

What Happens To your Trash?

Have you ever wondered what happens to your trash? Well it's not just simply taking out the garbage and thinking it's gone, but it isn't. Our garbage goes through a whole process of separating the trash and putting it in some place, but it's also not an ordinary place like a hole. The first destination is called a transfer station, where all of our trash is separated from trash and recyclables. Our trash could end up at a few destinations. They could end up at a landfill, where the waste is left to decompose. It can end up at a incinerator, where our trash is burned to ash and heat and could also be used as energy. They could also go to a recycling center where it will be transferred into a manufacturing plant so that the materials can be used to make new products. Lastly, it can end up in the ocean. This is why it is important that we put our trash in the right containers and recycle as much as we can. Garbage does not disappear when it leaves our homes. All of our trash ends up somewhere and has an impact on some person in some way.

Fracking

Hydraulic Fracturing, commonly referred to as "Fracking," is a method employed by firms to harvest natural gas from deep underground. The method uses a concoction of water, sand, and over 700 chemicals, blasting them through underground shale in order to access the hidden natural gas. Fracking has brought some economic benefit in the form of 100 years of gas security in North America, the opportunity to produce energy at half the carbon emission of coal, an increase in US domestic gas production, and, consequently, reduced gas prices. However, fracking does come at a cost. Fracking can contaminate air and groundwater with dangerous, and even deadly, chemicals. Many of these chemicals are either carcinogenic, highly toxic, or outright deadly. Furthermore, scientists have found correlation between earthquakes and fracking operations. Certain parts of Oklahoma are seeing a spike in powerful earthquakes that have not been seen since the 19th century. So far, fracking has faced little resistance in the United States- the EPA has been unable to prosecute fracking firms for possible pollution since 2005. Many states are also embracing fracking, with half of the states allowing, or in the process of allowing, fracking operations. The other half either show no opportunity for fracking, have banned fracking, or do not partake for other reasons. Due to its numerous dangers as well as the small amount of resistance by the government, fracking has spurred much controversy. Many campaigners say that fracking's economic benefits only serve as a distraction from investment in alternative energies.

The Great Pacific Garbage Patch

The Great Pacific Garbage Patch

In a basic summary, the Garbage Patch is a whirl of marine debris particles in the central part of the North Pacific Ocean. It spans from our West Coast all the way to Japan. Marine Debris is any type of litter ranging from soda cans to balloons that have been dumped inside the water. Currently, it’s one of the biggest pollution problems that the oceans and waterways are facing.

Some facts about it are -

• Double the size of Texas.
• Over 7 Million tons of weight
• About 9ft deep
• By an estimation, over 80 percent of the plastic originates from land floating in rivers to the ocean or blown in the wind into the ocean.
• The remaining percentage originates from oil platforms and ships
• Majority of the trash patches consist of plastic

This is important to us because the patch has a major effect on us, and animals. Some of the plastics wind up in  the stomachs of these marine animals. The Laysan albatrosses, a type of seabird are usually found to have plastic  found in their digestive system causing their offspring to be majorly harmed from being fed plastic.The patch has an ability to absorb PCBs, DDT. and MAH’s which are organic pollutants (therefore they have a toxic effect). In regards to us, if these get inhaled they disrupt our endocrine system with our hormone’s. These are also swallowed by jellyfish who are soon swallowed by bigger fish therefore making a huge mess. I concluded my presentation with describing how it happened which was The upbringing of this patch was originally predicted by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association to happen long ago due to the giant accumulation of trash found in the ocean. The patch is not one whole pile of trash but instead multiple tiny islands that formed together in a vortex where multiple currents meet. As they converge they create a passage that keep these piles together called gyres.

Sir David Attenborough

Zoo Quest. Life on Earth. Planet Earth. These are all shows that were produced and hosted by Sir David Attenborough. David Frederick Attenborough was born on May 8, 1926 in London, England. He developed a fascination with the natural world early in his life. When he was seven years old, he assembled a collection of bird eggs and fossils himself. After graduating from high school, he was awarded a scholarship to study natural sciences at the University of Cambridge. 

In 1952, Attenborough began working for the British Broadcasting Corporation as a television producer. Zoo Quest, a series that he launched in 1954, was a program that filmed Attenborough with animals in the wild rather than taking them out of their natural habitat. This series established what is now the general standard for nature documentaries today. Another big show that Attenborough launched was the education series Civilisation in 1969, which was the first-ever color broadcast in Europe.

Despite his growing success, David Attenborough decided to resign from the BBC to begin writing and producing television series as a freelancer. Some successful programs that he produced as a freelancer were The Tribal Eye, Life on Earth, The Trials of Life, and Planet Earth. Attenborough is still very active in journeying around the world and producing TV series even at an old age. For example, in 2015, he dived 1,000 feet in a submersible off the Australian coast to film previously unseen parts of the Great Barrier Reef. In addition, he recently filmed a new BBC series, Planet Earth II, in Ultra HD.

Throughout his life, Attenborough has earned many achievements. In 1985, he was knighted and earned the privilege to add "Sir" to his name. He holds 32 honorary degrees from British universities, including Oxford and Cambridge. In addition, several species have been named after him, such as the dinosaur, Attenborosaurus. Surely, through his travels and numerous TV series and documentaries, Attenborough has helped millions of us to understand and appreciate the wonders of the world.