Some questions to possibly open the chat with or discuss prior to the LIVE chat!

Transcription

1 Welcome: Welcome to the second chat on the topic of World Resources! Background: A resource can be defined as something we use. Shelter, clothing, transportation, heat, and so on are all resources. The word also applies to the air we breathe, the water we drink, the land we farm, and the space we use for living and recreation. Not only do people use more resources today, but they also use them faster than ever before. There are three basic types of resources: renewable, nonrenewable, and perpetual. In human terms, wind, solar energy, and the movement of tides last forever, so they can be considered perpetual. Renewable resources are replenished through natural or human actions. For example, trees may grow either naturally or on tree farms. Animals that give us food and other products are replaced naturally through reproduction. But renewable resources must be carefully managed. If a renewable resource is overused, it will not recover. Nonrenewable resources exist in finite amounts and once used are gone. Coal, oil, rocks, and minerals such as gold are examples of nonrenewable natural resources that took millions or even billions of years to form. Coal, like all fossil fuels, is a nonrenewable resource. Because it formed over millions of years, it contains an astounding amount of energy. When burned, this energy is released in the form of heat, which can be used to generate electricity. But along with all that wonderful energy come some not-so-wonderful things, too, like mercury, sulphur dioxins, lead (another toxic metal), and greenhouse gases that contribute to global climate change. These pollutants are causing major problems all across the world. One reason we continue to burn coal is that thereʼs still a lot of it, compared to oil. Itʼs also easy to turn coalʼs energy into power todayʼs power plants operate on much the same principle as the first one ever built. Yet because of this, coal is used inefficiently. At a typical modern power plant, for every one unit of energy turned into electricity, two units are wasted! Scientists, engineers, and energy policy makers are exploring ways to reduce pollution and improve the efficiency of coal-fired power plants, and theyʼre also inventing and implementing alternatives to coal like solar and wind. In the meantime, each of us can play a part in making a difference in how we use our natural resources. Building a sustainable future requires a shift in the ways we extract natural resources, a shift in the ways we use natural resources and a shift in the way we think about products that are made from natural resources. In other words, every one of us has a role to play in making a sustainable future. Some questions to possibly open the chat with or discuss prior to the LIVE chat! 1) What types of resources do you use in your daily life? Are these mostly renewable or nonrenewable? 2) Would you be willing to change your actions to use fewer resources? What suggestions can you make to reduce the amount of resources consumed in your life? 3) Are the worldʼs governments being active enough in conserving resources? Are you? 1 of 9

2 About our Speaker: Alisa Reckinger of Hennepin County Environmental Services Almost 1 million tons of trash are generated in Hennepin County each year!!! Hennepin County Environmental Services provides information and services regarding: drop off facilities 3Rs composting & sustainable landscaping conservation of air land & water resources solid waste planning business-generated wastes green purchasing environmental education grants & loans 2 of 9

3 GoNorth! Education Basecamp: Good Morning Everyone! We are so glad that you could join us today. This is our second chat on the topic of World Resources. Alisa is here and ready for your questions! GoNorth! Education Basecamp: We are going to adjust the screen a bit so that it displays properly for everybody. If anyone if having trouble, please don't hesitate to call Education Basecamp: Question submitted to Basecamp from: Alisha: At home we try to reuse things as much as possible. One thing I like to reuse is plastic bags. I can usually use them about 10 or 11 times until there are holes and they rip. If my intent is to keep using it over and over again, do you think it is better that I say paper or plastic at the store when they give me an option? GoNorth! Expert: The paper versus plastic question is always a tough debate! I think if you are reusing them that many times, the plastic may be the more durable option. The very best option would be to use a reusable bag, which would last longer than either. With paper or plastic, be sure to recycle them after you're done using them - plastic bags usually can't be recycled at your home pick-up, but grocery stores do collect them. Question submitted to Basecamp from: Megan: Do you personally compost? I want to but my mom says it smells too much and doesn't want to attract raccoons and other critters. Plus we don't have a garden. Are there other things we could use it for? GoNorth! Expert: I actually don't compost at home yet. I do plan on starting one up this summer though. If you have the right mixture in a compost pile, they don't smell too much. You want to establish the correct mixture of food waste and waste like paper and leaves. Too much food waste will cause the pile to smell. You can keep animals away by making sure your compost bin has a lid on it. And much more can go into a compost pile than garden waste - you can put food, grass, leaves, twigs, and non-recyclable paper (pizza boxes, napkins, paper plates, etc.). susan stock: What would happen to the Earth if all the green plants died off? Cassie in Ms. Stock's class GoNorth! Expert: I can't say for sure - but I can think of a few things that would happen. First, plants are very critical for turning carbon dioxide (which we breathe out and emit from power plants and cars) back into oxygen. Plants help keep our atmosphere balanced so that we can live here. Also, Earth definitely would not be as pretty a place! GoNorth! Education Basecamp: Hi Everyone- Tiffany at Education Basecamp here. We are glad you are with us today- I just wanted to let you know that for some reason the 'GoNorth! Expert' is not showing-up before Alisa's answers... but there is a blank line there so that will be where the question ends and Alisa's answer begins. :) [note, while preparing the pdf of this transcript, GoNorth! Expert was inserted for your convenience] 3 of 9

4 Köln, Germany: Hi Alisha, Would you mind explaining what your job is? GoNorth! Expert: Sure, I work for Hennepin County (which is the largest county in Minnesota, and has Minneapolis and about half the suburbs of Minneapolis and St. Paul) I work in the Environmental Services Department in communications and outreach. This means that I write factsheets and brochures, keep our web site information up-to-date, and attend public events. My department has a wide variety of environmental programs - we deal with recycling and reducing waste, conserving and protecting our land and water, renewable energy, reducing greenhouse gas emissions and much more. Mr Dimmer 8th Grade, Steffen: Do you think it is important for everyone to conserve resources even if they are only doing something small at home? GoNorth! Expert: Yes - every little bit helps! We encourage people to try and take just one or a few steps to help the environment and conserve resources. Once you have those few changes mastered, you can move on to making more changes. Trying to do everything at once would be overwhelming, so we encourage people to fit changes into their lives that make the most sense for them. Abby: Did you use renewable resources when you where a child? GoNorth! Expert: You know, this issue was not something I thought much about when I was younger. I think the idea of using less resources is an issue that has come up more and more in recent years. Mr. Ripken - MN: What can we do at home to reduce Greenhouse gases? GoNorth! Expert: There are many things you can do at home. One issue that people don't consider a lot when thinking about reducing greenhouse gas emissions is thinking about what they buy and trying to reduce waste. The more things you buy that are produced somewhere far away and imported, and the more packaging that item has, the more resources it will consume. Think about buying things that are made locally, and things that have less packaging - consider buying in bulk. Reducing waste and recycling is a great way to cut greenhouse gas emissions. You can also look for ways to use energy more efficiently. Buy energy efficient appliances, plug electronics into a power strip and turn it off when not in use. And consider your transportation - use your car less, carpool more, etc. Instead of trying to take one BIG step to reduce greenhouse gas emissions at home, consider all the little things you can do. Our website - has more info. 4 of 9

5 burito: CRES,5-D Does Education Basecamp recycle? GoNorth! Education Basecamp: We sure do!!! We recycle everything we possibly can and we also reuse items whenever possible!! susan stock: what would be the consequences if people don't recycle? Dirk in Ms. Stock's GoNorth! Expert: Recycling is important because it saves energy and conserves resources. Making things out of recycled material uses less energy than making things out of raw or new materials. Recycling also makes sure that all of your garbage doesn't end up in a landfill. Garbage in a landfill just takes up space for a long long time. Recycling makes your trash usable again! Köln, Germany: Are there lakes or areas in Hennepin County very contaminated with mercury? GoNorth! Expert: There are lakes in Hennepin County, and throughout the state of Minnesota, that are contaminated with mercury. The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency keep lists of waters that are impaired (polluted) if you want specific information. Mercury contamination can come from many sources - some of the biggest being power plants that burn coal and improper disposal of waste containing mercury. Hennepin County has programs to reduce the amount of mercury released into the environment. We have drop-off facilities for household items that may contain mercury (like thermometer, thermostats, appliances, electronics, etc.). By taking these items here, you can make sure the mercury and other hazardous chemicals won't end up in the environment. You can also reduce mercury by conserving energy. Much of our energy comes from coal-burning power plants, so using less energy means less coal burned. susan stock: I'd like to see an experiment where you have two greenhouses, one with plants the other with pollutants and show people which one is best for our planet? Would that be a good lesson for kids? Gabie, Ms Stock's GoNorth! Expert: I think this would be a great lesson for kids. The challenging part would be setting it up and finding ways to monitor the pollutants in each case... 5 of 9

6 susan stock: We can't burn garbage in Iowa? Why is that rule important? Julia GoNorth! Expert: Do you mean burning garbage in your backyard? Burning garbage at home puts a lot of dangerous pollutants into the air. Our garbage contains a lot of plastics and other materials that, when burned, release chemicals and particles that if breathed in by people can cause cancer, lung problems and other health issues. Hennepin County does operate a power plants that creates energy from garbage. This is actually a beneficial way to handle garbage, as it keeps a lot of trash from the landfill. We have emission controls in place that prevent the release of many problematic air pollutants that would result from the backyard burning of garbage. Abby: Did you have to go to school for your job? I did go to school for my job. I graduated from a four-year university with a degree in Journalism and a minor in environmental studies. I use the skills and knowledge I learned in journalism to help write and edit communications. What I learned from my Environmental Studies classes helps me understand what my coworkers - many of whom have a science background - are talking about. Sometimes in my job I feel like I am a translator of sorts. I take what my coworkers are saying from a scientific viewpoint and "translate" it into something that people without that science background can understand. Cresjsimmonds5-D:have you always been into recycling or did something interest you? GoNorth! Expert: I have always really enjoyed outdoor activities, and I think time spend playing sports and hiking as a kid got me interested in the environment. In college, I knew I wanted to do something with the environment, but I wasn't sure what. II didn't become really interested in issues related to recycling and energy until my last few years of college. And I have learned a lot more about environmental issues (especially related to recycling and reducing waste) in the year I have been with the county. Ms Havey, Wilson WI: At school we have a recycling and a lights out program! At your office do you recycle and do you make sure lights and computers are off when not in use at your office? GoNorth! Expert: Within the Environmental Services Department, we are very aware that we need to "practice what we preach." So we recycle as much as possible and conserve energy where we can. Then we try to get the rest of the county employees, and the residents and businesses within our county, to follow our example. Trying out everything that you're asking others to do is always a good idea, as you can relate to what is easy and more challenging about the actions they are taking. 6 of 9

7 Kate, Bria and Kaylee: What kind of lights do you use? GoNorth! Expert: I try to use energy efficient compact fluorescent light bulbs as much as possible. They are very energy efficient, so despite costing more up-front, they save money in the long run. The important thing to remember about compact fluorescent light bulbs is that they do contain a very small amount of mercury. The should not be used in places where the bulb is at a high risk of being broken, and they should not be thrown in the trash. Instead, they need to be taken to a drop-off facility or other disposal site (many retail stores like Home Depot accept them). But despite that, they should definitely be used because they have great energy savings and money savings! GoNorth! Education Basecamp: These are fabulous questions! We have about 10 minutes left... enough time for a few more questions. Question submitted to Basecamp from: Tim: We have new light bulbs (but they are the old style) that have not been used yet. What is better? Throw them out and get CFLs to use from now on or use the ones we already have and then when the time comes, get CFLs? GoNorth! Expert: That's a tough one! I would use CFL light bulbs in your most used areas. This is where they'll have the greatest energy savings. Don't throw out the older style bulbs - instead use them up in lights that are used as much (or in areas where a light is more at risk of breaking). Ms Havey, Wilson WI: I was reading your site this weekend with my dad and in Minneapolis you have to make your plastics and glass and metal separate. Here where I live it all goes into one container and we do not have to bag it. Why is it different? GoNorth! Expert : There are a few options for recycling - the company that collects your recycling decides what works best for them. In recycling where everything (paper, glass, plastic and metal) are separated, there tends to be less contamination. Contamination is things that are put into the recycling that actually cannot be recycled. If there's is too much contamination, the load is more difficult to recycle - or might not be able to be recycled at all. In a collection where everything is put into one bin, more people tend to recycle, but it's more work to separate the recycling at the facility where the recycling is taken, and there may be more contamination. So it's a trade-off between high participation rates, contamination levels and the amount of work required at the facility. 7 of 9

8 Abby: All thru your life have you been interested in recycling or did you go thru a certain stage where it didn't interest you as much? GoNorth! Expert : When I was growing up, recycling was just something we always did and I never thought about it much. There was never a time that it wasn't important to me. Now that I work in the field and try to get others to recycle more, it's become much more important to me than ever before. Mr Dimmer 8th Grade, Steffen: if there was one thing that we as students could do to conserve resources, what would you suggest we do? GoNorth! Expert: Try to REDUCE waste as much as possible. When you are out shopping - consider the packaging that comes with anything you are buying. Try to buy items used if possible. If we reduce the amount of waste produced, we avoid having to deal with how to get rid of it later. Ms Havey, Wilson WI: Do you like chatting with us and answering out questions? Do you do this a lot? GoNorth! Expert: This is very fun! mag: cresjsimmonds5-d;what do you do with your garbage? GoNorth! Expert: I try to create as little garbage as possible in the first place. I do this by reducing the waste that I buy and reusing as much as I can. Then I try to buy things that are recyclable. That way, I don't have to worry as much about what to do with my garbage. GoNorth! Education Basecamp: While Alisa is answering her last question, we want to thank you for joining us today. We had so much fun and we hope that you not only enjoyed yourself, but learned a lot too- Abby: Do you have to ever travel to businesses and do presentations for them? Do you talk about these things like what you are teaching us or different things? GoNorth! Expert: The most travel I do is throughout the county primarily. Being a local government, we focus on our immediate area that we are governing. That means traveling at a more local level - although in the middle of winter I wouldn't mind a trip to a tropical location! 8 of 9

9 Köln, Germany: Thank you for a very informative chat! Kate, Bria and Kaylee: Good-bye. Thank you for the chat!! :) burrito: bye & thank you for answering our questions!! Mr Dimmer 8th Grade, Steffen: thank you for taking the time to talk with us today and thanks for answering our questions!!! Ms Havey, Wilson WI: Thanks Alisa! Mr Ripken: Thank You! Thank You! From all of us at Team GoNorth!, Thank You for joining us today! Join us again next week on Thursday, April 16th at 1 PM CT for our third chat on the topic of World Resources. 9 of 9