The EE Sampler - Jefferson County Public Schools
The EE Sampler - Jefferson County Public Schools The EE Sampler - Jefferson County Public Schools
Brian Durham More Than Meets the Eye Take care of the environment? Gee, that always made sense to me. After all, if we use all our resources, trash our environment, and upset any of the infinite natural balances in the world, we may very well endanger our own existence. I have always been the first in line to carry items to first the recycling center, and then to the bin on the curb. I chose to park my car for nearly seven years, preferring to walk, to bike, or to take the bus or the train whenever I could. I reduced, reused, and recycled in every aspect of my life. I was shocked to learn that some of my green choices may have actually worsened the environment. Some choices I made seemed on the surface to better the environment, while others actually consumed more energy and resources than I expected. My intentions were in the right place, I think, but I never considered that there were better ways. For example, I love soda. Some people drink coffee, and some drink tea. Me? Give me Big K Diet Cola with Lime or give me death! I felt good because I always drank from cans that I recycled. I even carried them home from the schools where I teach so I would be sure they would be recycled. How then, you ask, could recycling my soda cans be harmful? Because I could so easily put them in a bin, put the bin on the corner, and pick up the empty bin every Wednesday afternoon, I felt I was doing my part. I had never considered how much energy it took to produce the can, transport the finished product, transport the can for recycling, and finally to recycle it. Yes, everything we consume goes through a cycle like this, but I soon realized that I was actually consuming more because I could recycle! No, my cans did not go to the landfill or into my environment, but think of the resources and energy required to feed my growing soda habit. Though the aluminum and bauxite required to make the cans is saved by recycling, enormous energy is required to melt them down and reconstitute them. Ultimately, less energy is used than making a can from new. What was different was me. Because I felt good about recycling, I bought more and more aluminum cans. I knew they would be recycled. I did not consider that more cans— recycled or not—meant more use of energy and resources, and therefore a much greater effect on our environment. I never considered using a different type of container, such as a reusable thermos. 13
Brian Durham Similarly, riding the bus, my other big contribution to our environment, became a regular, enormous waste of natural resources. I rode the bus on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays. On Tuesday and Thursday, the bus was always full from the time I got on until nearly the end of the line, where I got off. On Fridays, though, I was often the only person—other than the driver—to ride the entire length of the line. It was fun having such a big, comfortable ride, but that ride got 5 miles to the gallon of diesel fuel for one person—me. My car gets nearly 40 miles to the gallon of gasoline. Very quickly you can see my dilemma: should I ride a gas guzzling, polluting bus, or drive my car, which uses less gas and pollutes less? I am not suggesting that I or anyone else should not recycle, use mass transit, or keep an eye on our environment. Instead, I want everyone to think about this: sometimes the actions with the best intentions have consequences we do not immediately understand and may not even be able to predict. After realizing that I consumed more natural resources because recycling was so easy, I considered other ways to get, store, and use the materials I had been recycling. I still like soda, but buy it either in glass or plastic. Glass can be very easily recycled without using as much energy as aluminum. Plastic is a little harder to justify, but one two-liter bottle holds as much as eight cans of soda, and recycling plastic bottles takes less energy than recycling aluminum. I have thought of no easy answer for the bus problem. I have decided to keep taking the bus. Perhaps others will see how convenient it is for me and join me, and make the miles-pergallon-per-person issue less of a problem. Besides, the bus runs whether or not I drive. If I drive, I pollute less and consume less than the bus does, but I am still adding to the bus’ pollution, and using resources, too. The perfect solution—walking or biking—simply is not realistic right now. I am considering other alternatives, including working in a school nearer to my home, or moving closer to work. Please remember that everything we do has consequences, even good things. Recycling certainly feels good. So too does using alternative transportation. Be sure, though, to consider every alternative and the effects they might have. Sometimes doing a good thing is not the best thing. 14
- Page 1 and 2: The EE Sampler Selections from the
- Page 3 and 4: Introduction This environmental sam
- Page 5 and 6: The EE Sampler Selections from the
- Page 7 and 8: Cleaning Beargrass Creek Kristen Ba
- Page 9 and 10: the many shopping carts. We piled a
- Page 11 and 12: A Beargrass Creek Experience By: Du
- Page 13 and 14: Patti Reitz 13 Nov 2007 Second Hand
- Page 15 and 16: Do you hear the noise? By Vanessa H
- Page 17: Liz Gramiak to as “fussy” and o
- Page 21 and 22: Rain Gardens: What, Why, and How? K
- Page 23: Disposal of Animal Waste Sarah Payn
- Page 27 and 28: David Soleimani-Meigooni Mining Pro
- Page 29 and 30: Farming v. Fishing? Is One Industry
- Page 31 and 32: Literary Writing: Short Stories, Mo
- Page 33 and 34: Cory Child Urban Water “As you ca
- Page 35 and 36: The Lights come up with Evan and Ja
- Page 37 and 38: Literary Writing: Poetry Poetry is
- Page 39 and 40: Diana Neamtu The Oak Tree A tall oa
- Page 41: Recycle - Amy Kuhn Empty, Sort, Sta
Brian Durham<br />
More Than Meets the Eye<br />
Take care of the environment? Gee, that always made sense to me. After all, if we<br />
use all our resources, trash our environment, and upset any of the infinite natural balances in<br />
the world, we may very well endanger our own existence.<br />
I have always been the first in line to carry items to first the recycling center, and<br />
then to the bin on the curb. I chose to park my car for nearly seven years, preferring to walk,<br />
to bike, or to take the bus or the train whenever I could. I reduced, reused, and recycled in<br />
every aspect of my life. I was shocked to learn that some of my green choices may have<br />
actually worsened the environment. Some choices I made seemed on the surface to better the<br />
environment, while others actually consumed more energy and resources than I expected.<br />
My intentions were in the right place, I think, but I never considered that there were better<br />
ways.<br />
For example, I love soda. Some people drink coffee, and some drink tea. Me? Give<br />
me Big K Diet Cola with Lime or give me death! I felt good because I always drank from<br />
cans that I recycled. I even carried them home from the schools where I teach so I would be<br />
sure they would be recycled. How then, you ask, could recycling my soda cans be harmful?<br />
Because I could so easily put them in a bin, put the bin on the corner, and pick up the empty<br />
bin every Wednesday afternoon, I felt I was doing my part.<br />
I had never considered how much energy it took to produce the can, transport the<br />
finished product, transport the can for recycling, and finally to recycle it. Yes, everything we<br />
consume goes through a cycle like this, but I soon realized that I was actually consuming<br />
more because I could recycle! No, my cans did not go to the landfill or into my<br />
environment, but think of the resources and energy required to feed my growing soda habit.<br />
Though the aluminum and bauxite required to make the cans is saved by recycling,<br />
enormous energy is required to melt them down and reconstitute them. Ultimately, less<br />
energy is used than making a can from new.<br />
What was different was me. Because I felt good about recycling, I bought more and<br />
more aluminum cans. I knew they would be recycled. I did not consider that more cans—<br />
recycled or not—meant more use of energy and resources, and therefore a much<br />
greater effect on our environment. I never considered using a different type of container,<br />
such as a reusable thermos.<br />
13
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