For this units benchmark, we were tasked to focus on a certain form of pollution to then create a public service announcement (PSA) to better inform the public (our community) on the effects and solutions they have. Frankly, I had not been in during the decision of what our topic would be, but I had no problem with doing it on air pollution, which is what our team chose. Now, initially, for our PSA, we had intended on adding a section of interviews we did with some of our young family members, however, with technical issues, it was not able to take part in our PSA. Instead, it opens with a PSA of air pollution that dates back to 1968. It was important for me to add this in the beginning to show how much worse it’s all gotten since their attempt to stop it/lessen its severity. From then on, with facts and videos of actual air pollution, we explain how worse it’s gotten since, and its impacts on other things that are dire for our survival. Finally, we end things off with a solution of simply just having people take more action in what they want to change. In the 1968 video they took this approach as well, having people rise up, but seeing how the youth has widely taken over when it comes to protesting in our generation, we found it to be just as relevant to tell the people of today’s world.

For this project I’d say my biggest contribution was doing the video. With the voices of everyone in the group, I was able to put together an informative and visually appealing PSA to show off the work we did for the past quarter. Additionally, I helped find many different clips ahead of the video in preparation, added certain facts (for my voice in portion), and organized the scripts order. The one thing I do find that I could’ve done better, was the effort put in on the facts. While yes we had a sufficient amount of them to use for the video, some didn’t quite make sense and that’s because of me speeding up the process. What I did well in was video production and collaboration with others in our group, having things communicated with each other especially. The most meaningful part of creating this PSA was definitely just learning as I created the video. To see the actual hundreds of videos that would pop up as I looked for content was very eye opening frightening. It’s important to see these things though, sure facts are very ‘eye opening’ as well, but when you see those many people, plants, animals, etc. living through worse air conditions than we are, in America, it’s just very compelling, you WANT to make a change. And for me, I really wanted to evoke that feeling with our PSA video, so I hope I did just that.

Below is a link to our PSA video:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2opvC9Awf1I

For this mini project, we were tasked with having to neighborhoods in Philadelphia affected by led poisoning. Our group chose Strawberry Mansion, a well known neighborhood located in North Philadelphia. From our findings, what was most surprising was the fact that 21% of children living there were affected up to 5 micrograms. To know the scale is rather high in other locations, it was just odd it was so low here. Another odd thing I found, was there was more ‘positive’ news for led found in our neighborhood. There was even a website to explain exactly the issue there, at Strawberry Mansion, and how they’re ‘relieving’ the problem.

For Q1s Benchmark, we were tasked to create a sustainable business plan for an industry of our choosing. We chose that of the food industry, resulting in us creating a restaurant— Sustainable Arrangements. For this to be what it’s called (SUSTAINABLE arrangements) we needed to asses it’s Eco-footprint and how harsh/beneficial it would be on our earth systems.

REFLECTION

In short, earth systems affect each other in the way any webbed system would; They each help each other to sustain a cycled system. Our end result uses each (Hydrosphere, Atmosphere, Biosphere, and Geosphere) earth system due to the fact that our restaurant uses primarily ‘natural’ energy. The most important factor for us all is photosynthesis, this process is made from the Hydrosphere, atmosphere, and biosphere. When combined, the Hydrosphere and atmosphere condense and create rain, this is then helpful for the biosphere, to help give all organisms that source of essential nutrient to survive. This then gives the organisms, specifically the plants, the source they need to begin eliminating the CO2 in our atmosphere to create oxygen in the atmosphere, which all organisms need. This is one main system made by these earth systems. Moving onto what efforts WE as a society can do to create a sustainable future, is doing exactly what we’ve done in this benchmark, but put it into actual action. Investing in serious bank$$ that in the end benefits our world and economy more so than just providing a cash flow. If we focused more so on this, the long lasting effects, I bet more money will come out of it, a stable future also. Doing this project really helped me understand why, however, becoming more sustainable is more so looked through rather than actually doing it. It’s so much money to actually place something more Eco friendly, money many Americans don’t have, so it really puts in perspective who has the ultimate control here if we want actual change.

1. From the four earth systems we’ve covered —Geosphere, Atmosphere, Biosphere and Hydrosphere— we’ve learned each connect and affect each other. Some more connecting with others, as a whole, they help to create our climate, which then effects all on our planet. Our atmosphere (air) and hydrosphere (water) come together to form condensation, which then produces clouds. Those clouds then begin precipitating, raining which helps our biosphere and geosphere, providing water to then sustain a full ecosystem. This ecosystem, in our biosphere and geosphere then goes back to our atmosphere to create photosynthesis. Photosynthesis is the process of plants (from the biosphere) converting carbon dioxide and water (from the hydrosphere) into glucose, energy for the plant. This then creates oxygen that we all breathe, put into the atmosphere.

2. Understanding environmental science is beneficial to better handle natural disasters because having a clear understanding of anything helps create, if possible, clearer solutions. If we know how one thing functions we can understand how it’ll effect other systems as a whole, being that they all intertwine together. Knowing when one system is being threatened by, say a hurricane, we can better prepare the ares that would be affected after, creating less ‘cleanup’ after.

3. To create a sustainable future we must first take action into the disasters going on right now. Better cover the mishaps so many unknown natural disasters have caused outside of our own world (America). Just be more eco-friendly in our daily lives. Because, although our world is structured to use so much plastic, fossil fuels, etc. so many people have made ways around it, have made more eco-friendly options, it’s our decision on whether we’re capable of changing our ways for a better future.

Link to our Slides: