For this project, we were given the task of making a PSA in some way to inform others about the dangers of something harming our planet. The thing we decided to focus on, is Air Pollution, something that is talked about a lot and seems to have a huge impact on our earth and even the ozone. Throughout this, I have learned a lot more than I already knew about the topic—before all I knew was that it hurt people, which is true, but there’s a lot more aspects to it than just the simple fact that it “hurts people”. There’s so much more into it, like it affects our foods, animals, plants, even animals that live within our oceans are harmed. Air is one of the essential things for living things to exist, and without that, and without our foods holding the basic high nutritions that we need, living things aren’t surviving too well, and so many people have been hurt or even have died due to the pollution within the air. Things I did in order to complete this PSA was complete a voice over to convey a portion of the things my group and I have researched. Something that I probably would have done differently is include interviews so that we could find out others opinions regarding the issue, and asking them if there was anything they would be willing to do in order to help. Also, something that seemed to be the most meaningful to learn within making this PSA is that I learned more than I knew. I thought I knew what happened, but there’s so much more, like said before, the fact that our food is also affected and also that our ozone was affected and maybe still is. It’s important to know more than just the basics so that you can see how serious it really is.

My group and I read up on the school of Watson Comly which is somewhere that has had 38 reports of high lead levels. However, from doing this assignment, I have not only learned about other schools in Philly that are full of lead in paint, but also the damages that high levels of lead can cause. I didn’t know at all before this that Philadelphia was a place where such a thing was a problem, and it’s hard to believe that I didn’t know about this until now being it’s the city that I live in. I’ve known about many other problems in older buildings, like asbestos and just bad conditions in general; but I wonder if something like this is in my school, or in any of the schools that I have gone to and it just hasn’t been found yet?

1. How do the earth systems affect each other? During the first quarter of this class, we have learned about the earth systems and how they effect one another. To begin, there’s the Atmosphere, Hydrophere, Geosphere, Biosphere, and even others like the exosphere. The Atmosphere and Hydrosphere make clouds when they’re in contact with each other, the clouds make rain since it involves the hydrosphere, which helps the Biosphere which makes air in the Atmosphere and makes photosynthesis. The Biosphere and Geosphere causes things to decompose in the earth since when something dies it decomposes into the earth. The Biosphere and Atmosphere make the air. The Hydrosphere and Geosphere makes the shape in the earth. All of these things within the Earth System help us as a species and also helps many other species along the way to sustain life.

2. How can an understanding of environmental science aid in handling natural disasters? I think that it’s useful to know about these things, about how we can make out lives and businesses more sustainable to help the earth and its systems. Throughout the many years of humans being on earth, we have slowly but surly made a huge impact on the damage on the earth and even the things living on it, and production has a huge impact on it as well. If we learn how to make our businesses more sustainable, we can help the earth more. People as individuals aren’t fully to blame for the things they are doing, of course there should be less water used in showers and less driving and more walking places; but places in which they produce things at huge quantities and rates also need to check themselves and notice that what they’re doing is harmful. If we do better, we can help the earth more and help stop natural disasters from happening at a more rapid pace.

3. What efforts can we make to create a sustainable future? As said before, I think that we can make better choices and have things in our restaurants and even businesses that do less damage to the earth that other typical things that might be found in those places. Of course we could have solar panels to power the building, and sell and use things that are better for recycling, but it doesn’t just have to be for businesses. Anyone can do these things, they could buy solar panels and use them instead of going through your normal electric companies which harms the earth through the natural physical resources they use to make that electricity. You could have filters in order to reuse the water that has been wasted, and you could always use utensils that are reusable instead of disposable. Of course this costs more money, but in the long run it will be better for the environment and I’m sure it’ll only be a huge amount of money in the very beginning when you perchase everything.

4. Reflection on the project. Overall, from this project I have learned about ways that I can even be more sustainable myself and for my home. Everything here isn’t just for a business, but it can be for yourself as well. Right now, I know a lot of people might not have the power or the money to change their whole electric receiver, but you can grow your own food or even choose to get it from somewhere more local so you’re not contributing to the production of how those fruits and veggies are made. Also, you don’t have to stop eating meat and animal products all together, but at least cut it down slowly so that you aren’t eating as much. Therefore, in conclusion, I think that anyone could make this change, and anyone could find somewhere you can eat and have the aspects in which it can be better and more caring towards the environment.

1. How do the earth systems affect each other? The Atmosphere and he Hydrosphere come together in order to make clouds, which makes rain, which helps the biosphere which makes air in the atmosphere and makes photosynthesis. The Biosphere and Geosphere come together to cause things to decompose. The Atmosphere and Biosphere come together to cause photosynthesis. The Biosphere and the Atmosphere make the air. The Hydrosphere and Geosphere come together to cause shaping within the earth. All of these things within the Earth System help us as a species, and also helps the earth have living things on it and maintain it.

2. How can an understanding of environmental science aid in handling natural disasters? Since we’re learning about the natural disasters, we’re also talking about how we can prepare or help with the disaster if it were to happen. Us talking about that is helping us know how to help, by going to organizations, donating, or just providing time to go to the place and help the situation. This could also help other people by us spreading the information and that helps people know they can help or prepare for a situation that might be on the way to where they live.

3. What efforts can we make to create a sustainable future? What we can do is be more clean, don’t use all these fossil fuels or at least lessen what’s being used, we can also quit production of all the fast food places and keep animals in a less green house gas produced way. However, those are more bigger things that most people can’t do much about, but if everyday people eat more healthy, walk places they can walk to, use less plastic, and have reusable things then I think we can help decrease the harm happening to the earth so that these natural disasters don’t happen as harshly as they have been meaning to happen recently because of Global Warming.

Reaction to findings:

I think it was really interesting with finding out how there’s ways that tornados effect everything in the earth, I didn’t think that it would effect the hydrosphere too much but it actually effects it a lot and can cause something more dangerous as well if it’s too high of a category tornado.