Category Archives: Post 3.1

3.1 Oysters

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Idea:

The last week I came across the Billion Oyster Project. Their goal is to restore oyster reefs in New York Harbor. Here is the link: https://www.billionoysterproject.org/. The project is alive and running since 2014. I found out how little I knew about oysters 😉 and what they are capable of.  An adult oyster can clean up to 50 gallons of water per day. I checked the web page and investigated the whole operation and the concept. I was going to focus somehow on this initiative but…

…I came to the idea to check if there was anything going on with oysters on City Island where I actually live at the moment.  I discovered there was City Island Oyster project going on since 2019 to restore oyster beds around City Island. A group sponsoring the project is called City Island Drift. They collect oysters’ shells from local restaurants and  after curing them for a year return them in the waters.

Questions:

  1.  Hypothesis: How biological systems can be used to clean polluted waterways. Can it work? How long does it take to restore an oyster reef? How does it work?
  2. What’s feasibility of having it done around City Island? Based historically on formerly existing oyster reefs.
  3. Mechanics of the operation: How is it done? Future plans? What is being done? Who is doing it? Where is it done?
  4.  How is it going to benefit the waters around City Island in the future and people who are living there? How long is it going to take?
  5. Should the Billion Oyster Project be connected to the City Island’s local one in my project? Why? Why not?
  6. What could be in my bibliography? Newspaper articles? Book about City Island waters?

Free Write for Research Idea

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Our environment is a very crucial factor to our wellbeing and productivity. As mentioned by Majora Carter, there are people that are out there living in a very polluted neighborhood where staying at home is safer than going outside for a healthy, fresh walk. This in turn increases obesity and that itself can be another health issue. I want to write about the issues we face with dirty and polluted air. There is so many factories and plants near us. In a busy city like New York, especially, the overcrowding of people and buildings and factories make it hard to find a place with clean air. the EPA rating of NYC is bad as there are factories visible from bridges and highways producing countless amounts of pollution both affecting humans and animals around us. Personally speaking, being a resident of Queens, I see plants around Astoria where day and night there is pollution. Going outside for clean air is possible, but mainly for a less crowded area. And we all know that finding a uncrowded area in NYC is not very common.

When I was younger, I had asthma. Neither was it serious, nor was it long-lasting, but it was present. I had to be on my pump for some time and I wasn’t the only one that had this problem. Now, asthma isn’t just from polluted air, but pollution is a major factor in one having asthma. We often see people stay at home during the winter and outside at the park and open fields during the summer time, but the numbers are decreasing in outdoor activities over the years. There are people that are afraid of the polluted air, and especially a place like Flushing has a lot of people wearing masks to stay safe from the pollution and unclean air. if the pollution problem isn’t dealt with, then the health and safety of the future generations do not look too good. There are people from all over the city that are unaware and take less precautions for their safety, but it shouldn’t be the job of ordinary citizens to have to wear a mask to go outside and enjoy a nice breeze. The environmental protection agencies and our lawmakers should do their best to lower the amount of pollution in our air or at least work towards lessening the numbers of factories and plants that are exposed to our local air.

All in all, the issue of polluted air is one of the top issues that are affecting our society and members within. This issue should be dealt with in order to create a safe environment for our people. Individual effort is definitely required as in lowering the number of public smoking areas. The other other pollution that I am seeing is to perhaps come up with a less polluting technology for our plants and factories so that we can still continue to harvest energy as well as keep the safety of our people as our first priority.

Post 3.1:

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Blog Post 3.1
There are various local environmental problems that I may want to have a look at. These may
include various issue areas such as wildlife and biodiversity, pollution in cities or just in general,
oceans, climate change as well as world population. As of now, there are a significant number of
people tackling these environmental issues.

Climate change

Climate change is the deviation from average weather patterns lasting for an extended period of time. Climate change is one of the problems that I could write about. It can come from either
natural sources or basically careless human behavior which has contributed to a rise in
greenhouse emissions. This is surely something that has been happening gradually ever since the use of fossil fuels. This problem affects people from all walks of life due to an abnormal rise in temperatures and intense natural disasters such as the disappearance of water bodies or wildfires or hurricanes. One of the phenomena brought about by this environmental problem is global warming due to the presence of greenhouse emissions. For instance, we have witnessed wildfires and droughts in California and hurricanes and flooding in Florida and Puerto Rico due to climate change. The impact these events have on communities varies.

Pollution

This is indeed another area that I could look at as it’s an environmental problem that directly
affects public health. It has various effects such as heart attacks, cancer, and even strokes. Air
pollution has been caused by overtime by various chemicals released from manufacturing industries such as food processing plants. One of the worst forms of air pollution is the release of particulate matter which can be inhaled by both humans and wildlife and lead to diseases.
Another form of pollution is noise pollution from loud machines, transportation systems such as airplanes as well as loud music being played in the streets all over. Natural processes are
hampered as a result of noise pollution. Furthermore, there’s also light pollution which to a large extent disrupts natural wildlife cycles and to an extent may cause depression and sleep disorders in humans.
Still, on pollution, I can also look into water pollution. Our water sources are constantly chocked
with chemicals and other waste products emitted from various industries. Some of these are a result of bad agricultural processes. When water is polluted, it becomes unusable by living
beings and this is such a huge public concern. Of the above two areas that interest me, the environmental issue of pollution interests me the most. This is because it directly affects human lives negatively and it comes in many forms be it air, water, or even noise. I could write about air pollution specifically and a driving research question that could provide an annotated bibliography that would be both interesting to me and meet the assignment goals would be “How does air pollution affect the health of people and wildlife”.

POST 3.1

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The essay topic that interests me the most is the first option to define a specific, local environmental problem. One major environmental problem is littering. Almost every block has some form of litter whether its a receipt, gloves, leftovers flying around, there is some form of garbage on the ground. Living in New York this is nothing new but the reality is that this is beyond insane! I have not done any research yet but I can definitely come up with a few ways to help eliminate this problem. Littering has destroyed our oceans which not only harms but alters the environment which is a home to many sea animals. I don’t know about you but who doesn’t adore dolphins and sting rays? All this mass littering has already destroyed their homes and killed other fishes by getting stuck or caught by the garbage. I believe we should have at least two trash cans located at the corner of each block to help eliminate littering. The more people are prone to seeing trash can they can quickly associate with recycling or proper trash disposal. I think we should create a whole industry solely based on environmental jobs. The environmental jobs would specialize in hourly public area sanitation, cleaning the streets daily by disinfecting public areas, picking up garbage through out the day, collecting recyclables and so on.  This would make a huge difference in our society! Who wouldn’t want much cleaner cities? We need to put environmental jobs on a platform to help promote and maintain a healthier habitat not just for ourselves but for our planet. To start my research paper I would look to see what articles would back my idea on creating an environmental work force. I would also research other ways we can further clean our environment or fight against the air pollution that is drastically altering our seasons.  I would research on how much our environment has changed over time being that I know so little. I have only scratched the surface on what really goes on in our environment and just how rapid it’s destroying it.  I think about everything that has been going on with the COVID-19 hysteria. Now I notice the amount of gloves and masks thrown out all over the streets. To a certain extent everything that has happened this far is necessary in order to “flatten the curve”. We should all be washing our hands constantly through out the day, everyday. We should all give people at least 6 feet of space in large public areas. We should have the option to wear masks in order to avoid bacteria and germs if used correctly. I think one of the key benefits of creating a lock down has impacted the air quality. On the other hand this created a supply demand craze that was unnecessary, This brings awareness to over population under a crisis. The virus spread like wildfire because of the population of people who daily interact with one another at a close proximity. The population devoured the supermarkets and cleared out all supply stores under crisis.  Just image how much worse it will get when crops start to fail due to weather conditions and famine rises because there is not enough food to go around. The possibilities are endless and I cannot wait to dive into this research paper.

Post 3.1; Research Question

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Is New York water as clean as the NYC government makes it seem?

I think that I’m going to do my research paper on the water of New York. Everyone seems to drink it and everyone says that New York water is the best water in the world. But is it really? Apparently, the water from the Long Island highly differs from the water in New York City in consumption safety. In the summer, algae rises to the surface of many large bays of New York, which causes turtle and fish to die. In the grand schemes, the geographical location of both locations are not as far as one sees. There are many towns that even border Long Island to Queens.

What exactly makes New York City water so healthy and readily available to drink from the tap? This is a filtration system that millions of New Yorkers not only believe, but continuously fall back on. Some even completely skipping at home filtration such as, Brita filters. Granted, the New York City water system cannot be compared to Flint, Michigan as we’ve never had an issue as large as theirs. However, how much is New York City really hiding when it comes to its water?

Don’t get me wrong, I think it’s amazing that anyone and everyone can drink the tap water of New York, which includes numerous homeless people throughout the state – not a single soul will die of dehydration. The public parks of the city and state include multiple water fountains so even the homeless can gain access to New York’s water. But this doesn’t mean that the water is highest potential of prime quality. Just because New York City has what is deemed to be the safest tap water to drink in all of the US does not automatically make it the actual safest option for water. Now, I am not a water filtration expert, but I find myself speculating quite a bit about the water of New York.

On the other hand, there’s also the debate of bottled water companies filling those waters with tap water. Bottled water rose to consumer preference over tap water in recent decades due to the societal perception of ‘what is safe water’. It’s a very contradicting industry given previous leaked information regarding the water source of bottled water. Thus, is bottled water safer than tap water if it might just actually be tap water?

SO, what is safe water? I know this is starting to feel like a conspiracy but back to my first question asked, is NYC tap water as safe as the government wants to make it seem – it all ties together. Some people want to believe that bottled water is better and safer than tap way but if water bottle industries are just deceiving us, is it possible that the New York government is deceiving us as well?

There’s so many questions that I can have answered if I focus my research paper on this topic. I don’t want to question how safe New York’s water is but is it as safe as the city wants us to believe?

 

Would green real estate be more expensive to the city? The trouble with centuries of real estates is greenery. Real estate is “property consisting of land and the buildings” Walking through my neighborhood, reminded me every other street in the city, no greenery. I looked at images of most modernized city and concluded more technology no greenery . I am poised to think that oxygen will either be artificially made or be stored in tanks. I looked at most modern cities, just to realize I am looking at stone cold concrete paves and bricks, asphalt and these are all good features of a city. Cause when the rain comes there’s no puddles of mud in the road. etc., however, I look I see no green. Before people had no machines making their meals and needed to plant crops and needed that plants grow in abundance, now I see a few plants. Will we need our plants more than ever or will we be communities without trees and plants? What about parks can you pinpoint the closest park, if we have so many houses of square footage, could we not reinvent our yards, and make Green House or Green Yard. Yes, Tree  yards not a park where people need to socially gathered, instead a place with a small amount of land only for trees, shrubs or mangroves, and we can see them all behind this twelve foot plastic wall, since we like to build everything so technological. I found myself on google counting, most family yards have left with only 1 tree,  counted the parks and I saw only, ten trees, there was lots of places for more. Extra Extra Read all about it, Yard Trees coming to a neighborhood near you. Trees, you mean that other green thing, I’m excited.  An entire yard of trees, that last throughout the year, plants were indoors for the winter. If we have so many lands available, real estate should stop and reconsider Green House or Green Yard. instead of , the sizes of these trees should be monitored, not to exceed some heights, areas, well,  maintained by neighborhood botanists or environmental technicians, this may seem a bold venture but may be of good purpose for otherwise wasted green acres. I speak of green real estate as more efficient homes built and more green present even on just the balconies not just the Green House or Green Yard, like before mentioned. This was the trouble with centuries of real estate, we did not include the plants, we included the effects on the environment, but no real estate from plants. One question would be is anyone paying attention to the plant population? How many plants have died over the last two decades. How much more good could they have done. Biodiversity, did not mean only inhabited by folks. We”RE” so mean referring to the humans. Stating “we” to refer to us humans. We conquered the world and put out all the plants and animals, mother nature responds with a whopping, i researched into innovative cities . Just to realize that this refers to some of the countries who can afford to build greener right away, contrary to an article by a student. I wonder if the plants may go extinct before us humans do, since we put concrete on everything so far.  Since all the birds and mammals seem to be dropping. Should I welcome another deli in my neighborhood or a bio park, should I pay taxes on the web, or should I donate 50 cents to the gardeners in my neighborhood. Should I spend a few dollars and sprinkle seeds around, or should I respect peoples properties and wonder if I should I mail gardening instructions and flower seeds to get the public more interested in trees respons Is the next generation less stubborn than the current one, when it comes to farming, or gardening. Or will they like the green plants more. Were they better educated to participate in the preservation of real estate for green or will they continue to pur concrete which seems easier to put in the ground than plants.   My light is I see there were the emergence of some small trees growing g, trees of all heights I was happy to see. They grow some more tall, it’s like they can reach the heavens of we only learning to grow and climb them. Yes I always realized I was just that short. Can better real estate solve climate? Would green real estate be more expensive to the city?

 

3.1: Is our lack of education leading the human species to extinction?

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Of the two options I am strongly leaning towards the idea of looking into a local environmental problem and researching a solution for it, because local environmental problems are something I see and am affected by regularly. As opposed to developing an argument about contemporary media and analyzing through a variety of lenses, which is not as motivating because I may not be directly affected by what is reflected in the contemporary media. When I read the first option I instantly had an idea, unlike the second option which I am still not sure where I would take it to. As someone who lives on Long Island the rising sea level is something that is constantly on my mind. Long Island is primarily built upon sand and other minerals, lacking a sturdy foundation for long term reliability, unlike the rest of New York, which is built upon bedrock. Due to the fact that Long Island is not structurally sound, Long Island is much more vulnerable when it comes to natural disasters, such as hurricanes. Since we lack a stable foundation, hurricanes are able to wreak havoc upon buildings, ruining their structural integrity and destroying some completely. Some parts of Long Island are still recovering from the aftermath of hurricane Sandy. Thankfully I did not live in Long Island when hurricane Sandy occured so I did not think too much of it until I moved out here I saw it first hand. Not only do we have to worry about hurricanes we also have to worry about coastal flooding and rising sea levels. Long Island has many beautiful beach house, but once the sea level goes up a few feet those houses are no longer over the beach instead they are partially underwater, and as that water retreats, if it does in fact retreat, it erodes the coast slowly taking sand away from the beach lessing the gap between the water and the homes of many, so that the next time it will only be worse. Since my family has recently bought a home in Long Island with a 30 year mortgage, for the most part I am stuck. So I rather research the topic and learn how to prepare myself and hopefully Long Island for what is inevitable at this point. Research on the topic has been exhausted to this point and solutions have been present for quite some time, but why are we acting so slowly? This is where I feel I will take my research. I feel that due to a lack of education on the topic of climate change is leading not only Long Island but the entire world to a state of chaos, from which we may not recover. So is our lack of education leading the human species to extinction?