Pollution

This is my final action project for my fuel class. This unit was about different ways how pollution is a problem and the ways we can help reverse the process we’ve created. For this action project I looked at the different ways I could stop my own pollution emissions, and how much pollution I give off in a year. I showed one of my actions that I would use to help reverse pollution using a diagram I made with google drawings. My favorite part of this project was seeing how other people in my class gave off pollution compared to the amount I gave off. The only problem I had while making this project was that my computer stop working so I had to finish it on my phone. I eventually got a new computer, and besides that this AP was pretty fun.

M.J.F

3-8-16

Fuel

Saving the World

Pollution is just contaminants that are put into the earth leading to the harm of the planet. Pollution is released into the atmosphere in many different ways. A common way pollution can occur is through gases that we emit through vehicles. A second way we give off pollution is through making products, because they release gases like CO2 which gets caught in the carbon cycle. Pollution is also created when we don’t compost food. Decomposers can’t break down food when they’re put in landfills because the chemicals in other waste kill the bacteria that should decompose the food.

I release 15.3 tons of carbon per year if I continue to live my life the same way I've been. My annual greenhouse gases are equivalent to about 0.711 garbage trucks of waste recycled instead of land-filled. My annual CO2 emissions could compare to 578 propane cylinders used for home barbecues. To offset the carbon emissions that I give off per yearI have to plant 356 trees. The site used the equation 23.2 lbs C/tree × (44 units CO2 ÷ 12 units C) × 1 metric ton ÷ 2,204.6 lbs = 0.039 metric ton CO2 per urban tree planted. This means that each tree that I plant will take in 23.2 pounds of carbon. Then they divided the molecular weight of carbon dioxide to carbon. After that the website multiplied that with the ratio of 1 metric ton per pound.

I have come up with 3 actions that I could do to help reduce the atmosphere’s carbon ppm (parts per million). My first action to change would be to insulate my house which can reduce the cost of my house’s cooling as low as 90%. That would be great for the atmosphere and my family's wallet. The second way to help reduce the carbon in the earth's atmosphere would be to drive a Tesla electric car, because it gives no CO2 emissions off. A car that uses gas releases 20 pounds of carbon per gallon, and on average 6 tons of carbon is released in a year by a single gas using car. This can also benefit my family specifically because we wouldn’t have to pay for gas which can cost a lot of money. My last idea to reduce the amount of carbon is to travel less, meaning not flying. This would lower my CO2 emissions by 53.3 pounds per air mile, as one air mile produces 53.3 pounds of carbon dioxide. I travel about 1632.14 miles per year so by taking a plane I give off 86993.062 pounds of carbon.

MJF (2016) ”Action 3 Diagram”

My actions will help reduce the global carbon ppm ​from 400 to 350 since that is about the amount that is healthy to the earth because they are all more efficient ways of what I do now. I won’t make much of a difference just by myself, but I could influence or inspire people to follow some of my actions which can cause a massive chain reaction of influencing others which would create an astronomical change in the earth's atmosphere’s carbon ppm.

Works Cited

1."GHG Equivalencies Calculator - Calculations and References." EPA. Environmental Protection Agency, 8 Oct. 2015. Web. 18 Mar. 2016.

2."Powerwall." Tesla. 2016. Web. 18 Mar. 2016.

3."First Understand, Then Destroy, Your Home Heating Bill." Mr. Money Mustache.Money Mustache, 2011. Web. 18 Mar. 2016.

Dreamcatcher

This is my final action project for my “Who Am I?” class. This unit was about dreams a very important philosopher named Sigmund Freud. For this action project I created a dreamcatcher based off of a dream that I once had using color and what I decided to put in the middle. I used sued string and a wood loop to make the outside edge to my dream catcher and used wool to do the web of the dreamcatcher. My favorite part of this project was seeing how other people in my class represented their dreams using just color size and materials. I had two problems while making this project. The first was that my computer stop working so I had to finish it on my phone. The second was that I started my hoop too big so my AP took way longer than I wanted it too. I eventually got a new computer, and besides that this AP was pretty fun.

In the center of my dream catcher I have a second dream catcher. A second dream catcher was my choice to put in the center of my dream catcher because I wanted to show how complex my mind is. I want feelings of reassurance to pass through my dreamcatcher since I can feel anxious during the school year. While I sleep the dreams I am have are being controlled by my id , and I don't want my dreams to be filled with messages that I don't want. I chose the colors of white and gold because I wanted to convey mystery so it was a slight reference to a dress that was created recently which was also white and gold but could look black and blue. This element contributed to the dream that I analyzed, which I want those to be filtered by my dream catcher. I made my second dream catcher that I put in the center of first out of green thread because green is favorite color meaning that I'll feel comfortable sleeping with it over my bed.

The dream that I chose that has really affected me was a nightmare when I had it. Here is the story: I woke up on a single mattress in the middle of a room filled with candles. As I was looking around the room I had on thought in mind, “Where are my parents?”. Suddenly I was in a hallway from the house that I was in when I was having this dream. I wandered around the house for a little bit until I found my parents bedroom. When I got in there I saw that my parents were sleeping. I felt an urge to wake them up, and when I did they said good morning in perfect unison. When they said it I noticed something funny, their voices had switched. This made me want to look at them closer and when I did I noticed that their torsos switched as well. When I had this dream I was 9 so this was the point where I started freaking out. I ran to my bed and forced myself to go back to sleep.

If I could go back to that dream, then I would never have gotten out of bed so I wouldn't be traumatized. This dream really changed me because I assumed that it all had to mean something. If this dream was sending me a message or lesson it would be that people in my life are changing.

MJF Dreamcatcher (2016)

Doubt

This is my second action project for my 'Who Am I?' class. This unit was about doubt and different ways philosophers use it. For this action project I created a guiding question that has to do with doubt. The guiding question also had to be a good guiding question that accords itself to Jeffery Wilhelm's rules. My favorite part of this project was going on a field experience to a church and getting feedback from the priest. It felt pretty good to get some help that isn't people that you see all the time. The hardest part of this project was putting all my information into seven slides for the rubric. Eventually I just spread out all my information throughout the slides an it kind of worked out.

Geothermal Energy

This is my second action project for my fuel class. This unit was about different kinds of energy, and how they transform into other types of energy. For this action project I looked at a renewable resource that we can use for electricity, and tried to promote this resource to a business. My favorite part of this project was making my diagram. I'm not normally good at using technology to make a drawing, but in the moment I created the diagram I was like an artistic tech genius. I had some trouble finding some relevant pictures, and the pictures that I did find sometimes didn't have a title or author, therefore making it hard to cite. Eventually I was able to find good pictures; and besides that this AP was pretty fun.