Climate Change at Proctor Academy

Photo Taken by William Cox

This photo was taken on February twenty first, at a time when these lands are usually buried under at least a foot of snow. As you can see, this year, we had no such luck. Or no such annoyance, if you are not a snow-sport fanatic. Not only is there grass showing all over the area, but this grass is still green. Which is just another indicator of just how warm that this winter actually was. This is one piece of evidence that climate change could very well be effecting our lives here at Proctor Academy.

"Kappy's Liquors" Sign at Mega
Photo Taken by William Cox

Another piece of evidence that climate change could be effecting our lives at Proctor is the forest fire that happened last spring. With increasing droughts due to heat and evaporation, these kinds of fires are far more likely to occur, and will spread much easier. EPA predictions state that if earth temperature rises another 3.6 degrees fahrenheit, four times the amount of land in the US will burn from wildfires. Of course this fire was not started naturally, but it did spread naturally, and even the small change in climate that happens from one year to the next could be directly related to the burning down of one of my personal favorite places at Proctor.

In the photo below, there is a diagram showing ten of the indicators that are evidence of climate change. All of these impacts, like the melting of glaciers and snow cover, as well as the rise of sea level and temperature over ocean, have their own unique and horrible effects on the world that we live in. For instance, the melting of the snow cover and permafrost can cause the release of massive amounts of methane (CH4) due to the sheer amount of organic matter that is frozen in tundra biomes. Methane is a greenhouse gas, and will contribute to the rise in temperature of the planet as a whole, and in part keep contributing to all the other factors shown on this diagram. This represents a positive feedback loop, where an effect is amplified by the process that gives rise to it.

Found on Google Images

Here is a link describing the impact of climate change on farms here in NH

http://www.concordmonitor.com/home/19651494-95/climate-change-shifting-habits-are-steep-hurdles-for-nh-farms

Here is a video about climate change that I found very interesting, it is a video of Bill Nye explaining how terrorism in Paris can be directly related to climate change:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/bill-nye-climate-change-paris-terrorism_us_565ccdebe4b079b2818b810b

Thermal Inversion, Much Wow!

Thermal Inversion

Image form Google images

Thermal inversion is an atmospheric phenomenon that occurs when a layer of warm air rests over a layer of cool air near the ground. The warm air holds the cold air near the ground, which traps in pollutants from human activities. Most commonly, thermal inversion will trap industrial or photochemical smog. This is bad for cities, and can cause severe illness and in extreme cases death. This is because of the harmful pollutants and chemicals that compose industrial and photochemical cause. Both created primarily by different types of combustion, they pose an equally scary threat to most organisms in their vicinity.

The Andover Transfe Station

The Andover Transfer Station

Recycling Station
Taken By William Cox

On February 6th, 2016, our AP Environmental Science class took a field trip to the Andover Transfer Station, where all our trash and recycling goes before getting recovered and incinerated. "In Andover, about 72% of trash is recovered" says Alan, seeming almost content with the majority percentage that represents the amount of trash that will be reused amongst us humans. Waste that is recovered is waste that will not end up in an incinerator or a landfill. In the picture above, my peer Amen is recycling some waste products in a system known as single stream recycling, which is a system in which a sizable list of materials can be recycled together in the same container. This list of materials includes all paper fibers, aluminum, plastics #1-7, cardboard, and other recyclable materials. Other recoverable waste products are placed for transfer in other compartments and designated corners of the transfer station.

 

In the picture to the right, my peer QuocAnh is throwing a bag of garbage into the hopper. Which is a giant mechanism stored inside of a building, that occasionally crushes all inside of it into a small cube, to be shipped off and incinerated or planted into a landfill. All waste disposed of in the hopper is the percentage of waste that is not recovered. This includes about 28% of waste. 

"White Goods"
Taken by William Cox

In this picture, all the "White Goods" (Fridges, Freezers, Air conditioners etc...) are placed in one corner of the transfer station because they are to be recovered in specific ways. These products often contain freon, which is a moderately toxic chemical created by the ever-growing chemical industry.

 

Metal Waste Container
Taken by William Cox

The picture above is a picture of the container in which all of our metal waste is to be thrown. This often includes alliances that are non-toxic, as well as any random scrap metal, like broken bicycles. 

Tire Container
Taken by William Cox

The picture above depicts the place in which all of the tires are placed for recovery. These tires must be recovered because otherwise they create very toxic fumes when incinerated, and they take an extremely long time to break down in a landfill. 

"[All] electronics that are brought to the transfer station in 

Andover are shipped to Rochester to be recycled" Says local worker named Debbie. There was a whole room full of old televisions and other electronic devices, including a special spot for batteries and mercury containing devices. 

"Most of the electronics that are brought in still work" Says Debbie, referring to the many old televisions stored in the building, waiting for transfer to Rochester. 

"Most places want to get to 0% waste" Says teacher Alan McIntyre, expressing his hopeful outlook on trash and how we deal with it. Hopefully in the future we can eliminate food waste, which makes up 10-14% of waste. 

Most of the resource recovery at the Andover Transfer Station and most other Transfer Stations is mandated by the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act, an act designed to create a framework for the proper management of hazardous and non-hazardous waste.