Tim M


 


Student Name: Tim M


Class Period: Fourth Period


Hobbies and Interests: I like cooking, karate, playing airsoft, and computers


Activities outside of school: I'm usually either playing airsoft with my friends or at work


Why I am enrolled in AP Environmental Science? I skipped Earth and Environmental my freshman year so I could take Biology and now I don't want to take the class filled with freshmen


What I hope to get out of this class. I hope to get an A to help boost my GPA as well as at least a 4 on the AP test


Links of Interest (you will be adding to this as you go through the semester).


Uploaded Homework Assignment and Class projects

 


Journals:

 

Chapter 1: What does the word “sustainable society” mean to you?  Do you believe that it is possible for the society you live in to become a sustainable society within the next 50 years?

To me a sustainable society is a society that can keep itself going through controlling their use of resources, maximizing their efficiency, and reducing their pollution to the lowest level possible.  Within the next 50 years I can see my society possibly becoming sustainable, but not without overcoming many challenges.  We would have to make our society willing to work together to raise the standards of acceptable pollution levels, making a greater percentage of our population recycle, and increase our efficiency when it comes to using our resources.  To do this though, we would have to break most discrimination among our society as well as hope our economy allows us to do what is needed.

 

Chapter 4:  Why could the total amount of animal flesh on the earth never exceed the total amount of plant flesh, even if all animals are vegetarians?

The total amount of animal flesh on earth can never exceed the total amount of plant flesh on earth because energy is lost when transferred from trophic level to trophic level.  If Einstein's equation E=mc^2 is correct then since energy is lost as it goes from level to level, any level beyond the producer level will have less overall mass.  This would also explain why it is true even if all animals suddenly became herbivores.

 

Chapter 8:  Suppose a hurricane blows down most of the trees in a forest.  Timber company officials offer to salvage the fallen trees and plant a tree plantation to reduce the chances of fire and to improve the area’s appearance, with an agreement that they can harvest the trees when they reach maturity and plant another tree farm.  Others argue that the damaged forest should be left alone because hurricanes and other natural events are part of nature and the dead trees will serve as a source of nutrients for natural recovery through ecological succession.  What do you think should be done and why?

I think that they should allow the Timber company to salavage the fallen trees and start a tree plantation because it would provide jobs in the area, provide a new source of renewable lumber without causing new damage to woods, and shouldn't cause any additional environmental damage.

 

Chapter 11:  Evaluate the following statements: (a) we should not get so worked up about exposure to toxic chemicals because almost any chemical can cause some harm at a large enough dosage. (b) we should not worry so much about exposure to toxic chemicals because through genetic adaptation, we can develop immunity to such chemical.

Both statements are false.  While any chemical may cause damage in large dosages, including water, the chemicals that are dangerous solely in large dosages are hard to obtain in large enough quantities.  Also some toxic chemicals are lethal in doses that are almost impossible to notice so there should always be worry about them.  While we can develop an immunity through genetic adaptation it usually takes hundreds of years, and within that timeframe the human population could die out from the toxic chemicals.

 

Chapter 10:  In the area that you live, are you more likely to experience an earthquake or a volcano eruption?  What can you do to escape or reduce the harm if such a disaster strikes?  What actions can you take when it occurs?

In the area that I live we are more likely to experience an earthquake.  To reduce the harm if a disaster stikes we can make sure that buildings are up to code and are made earthquake resistant. When one occurs I would stand under a doorway or outside.

 

Chapter 17:  Congratulation!  You are in charge of reducing air pollution in your country.  List the 3 most important features of your policy.

The three most important features of my policy are reducing total carbon emissions by a set amount each year, providing rewards and punishments to companies for adhearing to various regulations, providing tax cuts for taxpayers that reduce their carbon foot print by a certain amount each year.

Chapter 16:  Congratulations!  You have just won $150,000 to build a house of your choice anywhere in the country.  What type of house would you build?  Where would you locate it?  What types of materials would you use?  What types of materials would you not use?  How would you heat and cool your house?  How would you heat your water?  Considering fuel and energy efficiency, what sort of lighting, stove, refrigerator, washer and dryer would you use?  Which of these appliances could you do without?

I think I would build a one and one-half story house in a heavily wooded area, hopefully in the mountains.  It will have a monolithic slab concrete foundation, traditional walling with either Stucco or brick veneer exterior, and a truss style roofing system.  I would try to avoid vinyl siding and low quality materials.  I would like to heat and cool my house by tapping a geothermal hotspot but if that is not possible then natural gas for heat with vents on the floor and a two tier air condition system with vents on the ceiling.  I would use flourescent lighting, all appliances would be energystar qualified, and it would be a electric stove top and oven.  I think I would need all of these appliances.