LSP Environmental Studies Community Event Reports

     Well, this past Wednesday, (October 15th) I decided to go to the Bronx Zoo. Not only do I love the zoo, it is suggested donation on Wednesdays and who can say no to a $1 zoo trip? Not me, that’s for sure. So anyway, I got there at about 2 PM after a riveting trip aboard the 5 train. The tone of this event I guess would be nature appreciation but really, it was just a trip to the zoo.
     I set out camera in hand, actually, in bag, but whatever the case the zoo was my oyster for the day. After giving my generous donation to the ticket office I strolled into the zoo to plot a route, a journey, through the expanse that is the Bronx Zoo. And what did I see immediately after examining the zoo’s map? Wildlife!

Here we have a common pigeon walking around a heavily pine-coned area just outside the “Wild Asia/Camel Riding” section. A true marvel of the natural world, this specimen seemed to have escaped its designated location and repopulated all over the park – odd.
     I went from section to section with assorted groups of middle-schoolers trying my best to not take pictures of them and escape the wrath of the omnipresent chaperones. My first stop after the giant Indiana Jones gate thing

was an oddly quarantined bird exhibit of the Waldrapp. The Waldrapp almost went extinct and now has a population of a little more than 400 within the world’s zoos and even less than that in the wild. These creatures, apparently ½ turkey, ½ vulture, and all ugly, were in a prohibitively small space, which seemed to be a recurring theme throughout my trip to the zoo. I am all for interanimal interaction, more death at the zoo would undoubtedly bring in the crowds, or at least shift the average age from around four to maybe, I don’t know… seven?
     “JungleWorld” and some monorail followed the exhibit of the ugliest bird that humans haven’t seemed to kill yet. “JungleWorld” although enticing with its ever-present Malarial odor, was an indoor exhibit so that station was skipped and the monorail you had to pay for so you can probably guess what happened there.
     Onwards and upwards.
     My journey through the oasis that is the Bronx Zoo next took me to the “Africa Trail” – a panoply of fantastically fatal, but still charmingly cute animals:

Here we have the Indian Peafowl, and according to the sign, Peacocks do not mind the New York winter, which is good to know because this very bird above was thrown into my bag immediately after this picture was taken and made into a winter coat for yours truly. JUST KIDDING, I look terrible in blue.
     There were multiple animals in with the Indian Peafowl, namely the Nyala (a deer-like animal) so seeing them interact made this exhibit much more interesting. After almost getting pecked to death by another Peafowl while taking pictures of this lovely dame I decided to make my way to a tamer and more civilized animal, the lion. It turns out that lions are pretty boring in the zoo – lots of yawning and rolling around little roaring and mauling. But, here are some facts I learned: Male lions leave the pride at age three while females tend to stay with their “natal pride” their entire lives, females have anywhere between one and nine cubs, and the average lifespan is fifteen to twenty years. Yay lions!
     After the lions failed to do much of anything for ten minutes despite my jeers and continued offerings of preschoolers I decided to move on to the baboons. The baboons were also up to literally, no good, so I was forced to read a sign about them. I read a really enlightening sign about the rare animals in Ethiopia; it turns out that the topography creates “isolated pockets of habitat” so the animals have evolved and changed within these microcosms – pretty cool. The zoo had also posted the requisite facts and bits of information below the viewing window but to my surprise, and disgust, they had also created a fairly large sign about tracking the signs of baboon pregnancy, urine samples and all; that was about enough baboon information for me so I trekked onwards.
     After almost vomiting while reading about baboon pregnancy I decided it was time for a change of scenery and what better than … THE WORLD OF DARKNESS!!! AHHHH!!

     This place was really cool. I learned that most of the action on earth occurs at night. That came out wrong. I mean most of the creatures on earth are nocturnal. This exhibit was jam-packed with deadly animals and facts like this: all scorpions glow in ultraviolet light. Yup, true. You just learned, deadly. So yeah, there were a fair share of unmoving and therefore unexciting things like frogs but there was also a bat cave that was verging on scary, bats cannot seem to make up their mind as to their purpose so they just fly all over the place, kind of like my writing. After my eyes had adjusted and I stopped walking into and knocking over little kids I decided the fun was over and went outside. The next stop: bears!
     Bears, like most big animals at this zoo, are boring.
     Next.
     Next, was the turtle pond. This was actually the most moving part of the trip for me. The pond was full of trash.

I could not help but be disappointed in this, at a zoo of all places. Pitiful.
     I walked around a bit more at the zoo and I’d love to describe the remainder in person to you but I’ve already gone way too long with my description of the event so I must move on.
     This event was both familiar and new to me because, although I had been to many zoos in my life I had never been to the Bronx Zoo. I learned lots of interesting facts about animals that I had no real knowledge of before. The community might benefit from my visit to the zoo because I am now even more conscious of how fragile the environment is. As for further interest, I don’t really see myself feeding monkeys although it did look fun, so I’m not sure that my visit had any direct effects on me aside bolstering my opinions and ideologies about the environment with more information. This event might have been more beneficial had I had a tour guide who could have walked me through the zoo and given me a deeper understanding of each species in the ecosystem as opposed to the basic information stated on the placards. The image of the trash floating in the turtle pond will remain the poignant memory of the trip for me because that trash is something tangible that I can change right now and those changes with definite solutions are nice to have every now and then.
     Overall I thought the experience was fantastic. I loved walking around the zoo with all the younguns and just going where the breeze took me. I learned a bit and thought about the environment for a solid three hours so I’d say that it was a worthwhile and successful trip.

On Wednesday, September 24th, I attended a forum on solar energy held in the Kimmel Center. The forum was hosted by NYLCVEF, or the New York League of Conservation Voters Education Fund. NYLCVEF is presenting a series of three such forums called ‘Powering the Future.’ They will all address different forms of alternative energy that could be utilized by New York in the near future. The two forums to come will be addressing wind power and nuclear power.
The forum opened with remarks and a quick presentation on the basics of solar energy. Then we were introduced to the panel. There were six panel members. Paul DeCotis is the deputy secretary for energy in the office of governor David Paterson. Jody Durst is the co-president of the Durst Organization, a real estate company that has been working on “building green.” The director of the air and energy program of the natural resources defense council, Ashok Gupta, was another panel member. Then there was the CEO of altPOWER (a renewable energy developing firm), Anthony Pereira, and Randolph Price, the vice president of environment, health, and safety of ConEdison, the electric service source in New York City as well as some areas nearby. Last but not least there was Gil Quiniones, the executive vice president of the New York Power Authority. The forum mostly consisted of the host, Matthew Sollars, who is a politics and government reporter for Crain’s New York Business, addressing the panel with questions that would address different aspects of solar energy.
All renewable energy is expensive, and solar energy is no exception. Creating the means to access solar energy are not cheap. Installing solar panels would be an investment, and it is not one the government can fund alone. Taxpayers would need to be willing to invest as well. Solar energy, like most renewable energy, is expensive now, but we must put the money into it to be able to reap the benefits. According t o Paul DeCotis, the government has considered its possibilities, such as incentive packages for those who are interested in using renewable energy but find the price to be a bit steep. Another option is regulation action, forcing the people of New York to cut down on the amount of electricity and energy we currently use. Mandates on utilizing a certain amount of renewable energy by a certain date is another suggestion. But there are issues with all of these options. Even incentive packages cannot cover the costs of installing solar panels, and many families simply can’t afford to invest so much money where they won’t see any benefits for some time. Regulation action is hard to enforce, especially when New Yorkers have not been living with any form of energy restraints thus far. Mandates on utilizing specific amounts of renewable energy are the most likely, when applied to an entire city. New York is currently hoping to add one thousand megawatts of solar energy into the New York power grid by 2015, but currently there are not enough funds to create the sources to provide solar energy. Other forms of alternative energy are more affordable and more practical with the funds we have. Many of our funds are currently being directed towards utilizing wind power, and that is part of the reason we have not invested as much in solar power. The money that was directed towards photovoltaic power ran out, as there was more interest than had been anticipated. The ideal situation for a city like New York would be to use as much of every kind of alternative energy as possible. The government is trying to encourage alternative energy, and they are hoping that using it will become trend, similar to the way organic food has become popular. The money is earmarked for where it can do the most good, and currently, solar energy doesn’t seem to be the most productive way to spend it. Attending a forum such as this one was a new experience for me. I have never attended a panel on the environment before, nor did I know very much about solar energy before I attended this event. I was aware that it was an effective form of renewable energy, but beyond that I didn’t have much information on it. The panel was a lot more interesting than I thought it would be, especially because it was not focused on just the environmental aspect of using solar energy, but also the way it could affect the city and how the government plays a very important role. It is easy to think that everyone should just be ‘green,’ and take advantage of things such as renewable energy, but it is not always as simple as that. The impression I got from most of the panel was that they would all like to make solar energy a part of our everyday lives; however, it will take more than just hoping for that to happen. The people in this city need to feel invested in this cause for them to invest more of their tax money to create the sources of solar energy. It was also interesting to view New York in comparison to New Jersey, or other more rural areas. Part of the reason that alternative energy is so difficult here is because the city is such a dense place. Installing solar panels on the roof of a building would barely provide enough energy for one or two apartments, let alone an entire building. Looking at renewable energy from several different angles made it a much more educational experience, because it reminds me that it is not simply about the environment, but also about what we can manage.
I did enjoy this event, and I feel pretty knowledgeable about solar energy now. I am interested in seeing what happens in the next couple of years in New York, and whether we can succeed in adding solar energy to the power grid here. I think it could be a great way to start making New York a little bit more green.

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/33/Mafate_Marla_solar_panel_dsc00633.jpg
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/ce/Gleisdorf.Solarbaum.jpg

By: Melissa Aragon

While I was at home over break, I ventured down from Albuquerque to Carlsbad, New Mexico to see Carlsbad Caverns National Park. This was something I had done a few times before, once with my parents when we also visited White Sands National Park and the Atomic Museum in Alamogordo. This time I went to southern New Mexico with one purpose, and one purpose only, to see caves and bats.

The Drive from Albuquerque to Carlsbad is about a three and a half to four hour drive, depending on traffic (it was about five hours on the way back because of traffic in Albuquerque). The drive from Carlsbad to the park is another hour and a half. The actual time I spent in the cave was about four hours, from 9:00am-1:00pm.

The Park itself is situated on a very tall hill, or a very small mountain depending on how one looks at it. Upon entering the actual park, it’s about a half an hour drive from the base to the top, where the welcome center and all attractions are located. Right before the park entrance, I saw laid out alongside the road a few buildings, basically an overpriced gas station and a plaza with a gift shop. I drove through the gates welcoming me to Carlsbad Caverns National Park. I thought to myself how excited I was that we were finally there, but little did I know about the long drive up to the top. We winded up this mountain, yes, I would call it a mountain, until we reached our destination.

I went with the intention of seeing the bat flight the evening before I went into the cave, but it was rained out, and I did not get to make it to the amphitheater. Those raindrops were huge- and not by New Mexico standards, either. The drive up the mountain into the greeting center and the path towards the amphitheater to see the bat flight had the densest fog I had ever driven in. Come to think of it, it was the only fog I had driven in. With visibility at what seemed of only five feet ahead, I left the greeting center, which never officially canceled the viewing- I mean, they could never tell the bats “NO,” but as I talked to people in my tour group the next day, the rain only got worse and it made for a less than enjoyable bat flight- with the park ranger less than enthused about speaking to a small group of huddled umbrellas.

I started out early the next morning, and with a long drive ahead of me, and a less than optimistic view of what the Carlsbad Caverns were, overrated and not worth the drive. Day two was definitely a much more productive day. I arrived at the Caverns around 9:00am and was in the depths of the cavern by half after. I had the option of taking the ‘original route,’ in which one enters the way the first group of explorers did, through a steep and narrow path about a mile and a half long. I chose instead to take the path more traveled- the approximately two minute elevator ride. We descended over 700 feet, and were still far above sea level, even at the lowest part of the cave.

I first took a self-guided tour around the Big Room, where there were placards spaced out, describing possible theories as to cave formation, information of preservation, chemical makeup and descriptions of stalagmites and stalactites. The one and a half mile path of the Big Room took about an hour, and after wandering through the cave in as near authentic silence that I could get in a National Park, it was time for the guided tour I bought earlier that morning to start.

I left the Big room and met my tour guide, along with about 30 other people of my tour. While the tour guide was waiting for everyone to show up, he asked us all where we were from, and in our tour alone we had people who had traveled from as far as Taiwan and Germany. I would never had thought of New Mexico, let alone the small town of Carlsbad, which takes about fifteen minutes to drive through, and is surrounded by desert, would be a place worth traveling 7000 miles or more for, but this was one of those times when I was proven wrong.

Before taking us through the guided section of the cave, our park ranger gave us two explanations as to how this cavern was formed millions of years ago. One explanation was that sulfuric acid, which came from below slowly rose to where we were, dissolving large pieces of rock, and leaving the large cavern we see today. Our tour guide described how he had tried an experiment in which he dropped either sulfuric acid, or hydrochloric acid (I can’t recall now) on a rock, and that within a week, signs of erosion and breakdown of the rock had occurred. He even had the rock with us, and showed us a dent in the rock, and he explained that that’s where he had been putting his chemical. Though the validity of his individual “experiment” may be doubted, the theory behind it seemed to be a credible one. Another theory was that the cavern was formed by dripping water. Slightly acidic water that trickles down onto rocks such as limestone has the power to erode it over time, and many geologists believe this, along with the prevalence of sulfuric acid is what formed the cavern we can see today.

We proceeded through the tour, and at one point we were shown a large room in which, during a time when cave preservation was not as an important issue is it is now, senate meetings were held, and even the movie Journey to the Center of the Earth was filmed, and a wedding and reception that took place, completely flattening and sanding out the part of the cave the size of about two the size of Coles gym floor. The park ranger explained that the process to restore the effects will take thousands of years to recover, if it ever recovers at all.

The park ranger talked about all the ways the National Park Service tried to help preserve the cave, and in some instances ended up degrading some of it instead. He explained how the parking lot and welcome center were situated right over the cave, and how though this road allows visitors into park, the asphalt has completely stopped the ability for water to drip down into the cave from that area. Usually, he explained, ground water will trickle down into the cave, but because a large piece of asphalt does not let the water be absorbed, water cannot flow down and continue to create formations.

The tour ended with one last speech by the park ranger, one that I distinctly remember from my last trip to Carlsbad. He discussed problems that the park was having with the preservation of the cavern. There are new parts of the Cavern that are still being discovered and explored for the first time, and they are finding that the cave may extend past the park’s boarder. Recently, certain companies, as the ranger explained, have been building closer and closer to the parks boarders. One of these companies in particular have become very interested in drilling very close to the boarder, near where this cave lies, and Cavern preservationists are concerned that drilling could either disturb the rock around the cave, or actually puncture part of a cave that has not been mapped out yet, completely disturbing and even destroying the cave’s ecosystem. He ended the tour saying something along the lines of, “during this election, make sure you vote wisely, or else you may elect someone who will let this cave be destroyed.”

I took more from this trip than any other, as I actually paid attention to what the park ranger had to say. Taking this last trip made me realize that I come from a place where even a hole in the ground is something pretty special.

Hoping to continue learning about the global water concern outside of the classroom, I attended a lecture at the NYU Kimmel Center at 6:20pm on Thursday, October 16th. Fred Pearce, the author of When the Rivers Run Dry: Water – The defining Crisis of he Twenty-First Century, was the speaker for the lecture and he gave a honest and direct address that began with topics in his book and expanded on to his other experiences and ideas. The event was held in a small room with chairs placed in a few rows for people to sit in, which contributed to an informal and relaxed atmosphere. There were about forty or so people in attendance and of that forty, it appeared that most were NYU students from a specific class related to the topic of the lecture. I sat in between two other attendees and, like myself, they were avidly taking notes on the multitude of information Pearce presented. The technological equipment in the room suffered some mishaps so Pearce had no choice but to give the lecture sans the guidance of his prepared PowerPoint presentation, which seemed like it was no sweat off his back since he knows the subject matter inside out. The lecture began with an academic and educational tone but by the end of it, Pearce transitioned into an activist tone that called for change around the world.

Before Pearce dove into the details and facts within his book, he began his lecture by saying, “I go and see first, and then I write. I write with heart and do not flinch at the moral questions that arise form the issues I research.” This quote immediately focused all of my attention on him and everything that he was about to discuss. Giving us a little background on his book, he said that it started out as journalistic footnotes when he continued to notice items in the media about different rivers around the world that are drying up. With a little motivation and research, he soon realized that these anecdotes about rivers drying up were not just local issues because, when combined, they signified a global change in rivers. Pearce then moved on to clarify that the amount of water we use in a day for bathing or around the house is not what is causing a human “footprint” on the world’s water resources, it is the amount of water we use to feed ourselves that is source of the water issue. To give us a better idea of how much water we use to grow and make certain foods he explained that to grow enough feed for enough cows to make a ¼ lb hamburger requires 3,000 gallons of water or 40 gallons of water to make enough bread for one sandwich or 65 gallons to make one glass of wine. Then he put himself up on the chopping board and told us that he had done the math and figured that he requires 100 gallons x his own bodyweight in water to feed and clothe himself every month. As he moved on from statistics, he introduced the simple fact that the human “water footprint” deserves to be a serious issue for western consumers because it is damaging the ability for drier countries to feed themselves. This led the lecture to the “virtual water” trade, which is the trade in “thirsty crops” (rice, wheat). The United States, the largest exporter of “virtual water,” exports 30 cubic-miles of “virtual water” for beef each year. Most countries in Europe, Japan, Egypt, Algeria and Jordan must import large amounts of “virtual water” because those countries cannot grow their own crops. If the “virtual water” trade did not exist, those countries would have wars over water. Moving on to look at the future, Pearce explained that although the Green Revolution was successful in making efficient use of land to grow more crops, its success is on borrowed time because it is highly inefficient with its use of water and the water supply will not last. So he posed the question, “What will we do?” He offers a few different possible solutions. For communities near a coastline, desalinization has become a feasible option but it does not help agriculture or poor countries. Building more damns is an option for poor countries but that also comes with environmental problems and the fact that a quarter of the world population now lives near river basins where all the water is already allocated; communities that can pay for water, get it and therefore, damns could become a source of conflict. Pearce is confident that, no matter what, there are two things that must happen: we must improve at catching rain where it falls and there must be a massive revolution in the way that we use water. We must eliminate the large amounts of water that is lost due to leaks in water systems in cities, we must refine ways to reduce water losses from evaporation in reservoirs and we must recycle wastewater. Pearce believes in the need for a “Blue Revolution” that changes the way that all people view and use water. More specifically, he believes that farmers, who are used to an abundance of water at their disposal to use to flood their crops, must stop wasting water with inefficient farming methods and need to utilize alternative ways to irrigate crops. He ends his lecture with the fact that a simple change in our attitude is the main fundamental change that is necessary and that working towards solving the water crisis is possible. We have the technology; we just need to take action. “We could manage without oil if we had to, but we cannot manage without water,” Pearce concludes with heart and resolve.

This was not the first lecture I have attended, but it was the first one with that sort of a close environment and small audience. It was also a new experience for me because of the activist tone of a primarily educational lecture. I tend to shy away from rallies, gatherings and speeches that prompt action or change so this lecture employed a nice bridge between looking at a subject academically and with a distinct call for change. Although I had a little background information on the topic of the global water crisis, I learned many new facts about places around the world that are suffering and coping with the demand for water. The Palestinians that live in the West Bank live in grave demand for more water because the Israelis will not allow them to sink more pumps into the ground to retrieve water that the Israelis want to keep for their own communities. The Israeli compounds in the West Bank look Western with swimming pools and sprinkler systems while Palestinian farmers do not have enough water for their crops. The conflicts between Israelis and Palestinians have deep roots and go far beyond the dispute over water, but maybe a more equal distribution of water resources in that area between the two groups could help lead to a more peaceful existence for those in the West Bank. Another place with the need for water resulting in dire consequences is Uzbekistan in Central Asia but Americans do not hear much about it because they have been our ally in “The War on Terror.” Uzbekistan was converted into a country that consists of large cotton fields and cotton is a crop that requires enormous amounts of water to grow. The Aral Sea, which the rivers Amu Darya and Syr Darya used to flow into before the Soviet Union diverted them for irrigation purposes, began to dry up and now you must walk 60 miles to see any sea. This lead to a climate change in the surrounding areas and huge dust storms began to take place. The leftover salt made its way into the environment and caused many people to develop anemia. In Bangladesh, they began to pump underground water to give people and it ended up killing them because of high levels of arsenic in the water. The largest network of irrigation canals, located in India and built by the British, now has many dry canals. In the past 10 years, more than 20 million Indian farmers are drilling to get water and although this is effective, the water is now hundreds of meters below ground instead of it being just a few meters below. Learning about all of these places around that world that are suffering because of water shortages in so many different ways has significantly increased my interest in the global water crisis. The lecture discussed important and grave issues that are ongoing and also what will happen in the future if nothing is done to aid our drying rivers. This shows the great value it has to our community because it outlines an issue and offers multiple solutions and some so simple that every person can use them to help the future of the global community. The lecture was based off of the book that Pearce had written and although the lecture was articulate and informative, I think that promoting more people to read the book will help reach larger audiences that can take the information and help to start working towards the changes necessary to support our world.
The brief description of the event is what initially caught my interest and prompted me to attend this lecture but I was skeptical about whether or not it would be an engaging experience. I am happy to say that Fred Pearce is an excellent public speaker and he made it a captivating and enjoyable experience and I am glad that I chose his lecture for my community event. Lasting only a little over an hour, the lecture was a valuable way to spend a short amount of time learning from a man with firsthand knowledge on a serious issue that affects all people.

Photo of the Aral Sea in 1989 and in 2003:

http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Newsroom/NewImages/Images/aral_sea_1989_2003.jpg

Photo of a dried up part of the Rio Grande River:

http://www.srh.noaa.gov/elp/swww/v8n1/Dry%20Rio%20Grande%20&%20bridge%201.jpg

During the first weekend in October, I took my seven-year old cousin to the Bronx Zoo. Although it was not my first time visiting, it was my cousin’s first experience at the renowned zoo. Therefore, a trip that may have been unexciting became very exhilarating as I watched my cousins anxiousness and anticipation grow. When we first arrived, however, I unfortunately had to pay $48 for the two of us to enter the zoo. I could have chosen the regular admission, which would have only been $26 but the passes I bought allowed us access to seven special attractions. I figured it was a smarter idea to just pay a little extra initially because knowing my cousin, she would beg to see all the special attractions, and she did. As we began to venture through the zoo, it was very exciting. There was a fair amount of people there, which did not surprise me, given that it was the weekend and the weather was beautiful. This created a lively atmosphere that was conducive to younger children, such as my cousin, Victoria.
Throughout the day, the two of us visited nearly ever exhibit that was opened. From reptiles, to polar bears, monkeys, to butterflies, we basically saw it all. However, one attraction really sparked my interest. It was the butterfly exhibit, which we luckily saw, as it was the last weekend it was opened for the season. For my whole life, I have had an infatuation with Monarch butterflies and have wanted to visit this exhibit ever since I was in first grade. Finally, 13 years later, I made it there. Initially, when you enter the Butterfly Zone, you participate in a maze. The purpose is to enlighten its participants on the life cycle of the butterfly. This was a fun and informative way for my cousin and I to learn about these creatures. Although my attraction to butterflies was relatively superficial, as I was and still am simply amazed by their delicacy and elusiveness, this site piqued my interest with respect to these creatures’ abilities to survive. In the Butterfly Zone, the viewers are informed of and can look at which types of plants butterflies are attracted to. This is important because as it enlightens people about what types of plants butterflies can live in, these people can actually grow their own garden to provide a home for these creatures. My mom actually has certain plants growing in our yard to draw butterflies in. Not only are the plants and presence of the butterflies beautiful, especially during a summer afternoon, such an act assists in the conservation of these endangered species’ lives. (Mikula)

After leaving the butterfly exhibit, I could not stop thinking about the various causes and effects of the endangerment of butterflies. As a result, I conducted a little research into the matter. I was already aware that the main reason for their endangerment is habitat loss. However, after reading further, I became aware of the severity of the situation. Not only are butterfly habitats being destroyed in northern regions, such as the United States and Canada, but the butterflies’ “winter” homes in California and Mexico are also being tampered with. In the north, the transformation of land from its natural state into highways, communities, and agricultural or industrial centers causes a butterfly to lose its natural habitat. In addition, butterfly larvae’s main food source, milkweed, is decreasing as well. Such a decline in this food source is a direct result of ozone depletion and human beings killing the species of plant, as many classify it as a weed (Monarch Watch).
Not only are the butterflies’ homes in the north being tampered with, their winter homes are experiencing the same destruction. This is even more disheartening because these dainty little creatures are forced to travel thousands of miles from Canada and certain parts of the U.S. to California and Mexico, only to have their homes there ruined too. This happens in California because the lush forests that the butterflies call home are also highly desired locations for people to build homes. Therefore, a great deal of this land is cleared and developed, forcing the butterflies from their winter sanctuary. The situation in Mexico is even more severe. The trees that butterflies live on, the oyamel tree are an important source of income for many Mexicans. As a result, these trees are cut down in bulk and sold for revenue. Not only does that diminish the actual homes of the butterflies, but it also makes the forests open to feel the bitterness of cold rain and snow. This often causes the butterflies to freeze. Clearly, butterfly habitats are in danger and although butterflies seem to be plentiful in number, they are quite endangered as a result of this decline in shelter and food (Monarch Watch).
In addition to discovering why butterfly habitats are being destroyed, I also read of an attempt to conserve them. In California, the Monarch Project was established in 1984. Such an act mandated that a certain portion of land be set aside for butterfly inhabitance. This land cannot be altered or developed (Monarch Watch). Such a project is definitely beneficial because it demands that by law a certain amount of land must be allotted to butterflies. This act should be extended to states and countries outside of California so that in Canada and Mexico, butterflies will be guaranteed a certain portion of land to permanently have as a place of inhabitance.
(Boone)
After researching more deeply into the endangerment of these creatures, I really appreciated the Butterfly Zone at the Bronx Zoo. Such an exhibit not only enlightens people about butterflies in general, it also informs them about the trials and tribulations these tiny creatures have to endure in order to survive, if they can at all. Although butterflies are small, they are important to ecosystems as they serve as pollinators. Without them, bees would be relied on even more to fulfill that task. Therefore, the conservation of these organisms is important for the maintenance of our ecosystems. Fortunately the Butterfly Zone at the Bronx Zoo exists, for it provides these organisms with a safe and lush place to live, while also informing people about what they can do to provide more habitats for these living beings.

Works Cited:
Monarch Watch Conservation. Retrieved October 6, 2008, from Monarch Watch Web site: www.monarchwatch.org/conserve/index.html
For image of the exterior of the Butterfly Zone:
Mikula, Pam The Bronx Zoo's Butterfly Zone. Retrieved October 10, 2008, Web site: butterflywebsite.com/zoo/zoo.html
For image of the Monarch:
Boone, Daniel. "The Daniel Boone Butterfly Palace." 10 Oct 2008 .

On December 3 the Wagner Environmental Policy and Action (WEPA) group sponsored an intimate roundtable event at the Wagner School in the Puck building. The event entitled “Careers in the Environment” was a discussion moderated by Jeremy Friedman who is the head of the NYU Sustainability task-force program. Friedman, a recent graduate himself, interviewed four alums all of whom have different careers but are united by an NYU diploma and an interest in the environment. About 25 students ranging from undergraduate to graduate attended the event. The tone was very didactic with all of the students eager to learn more about the transition from the classroom to the work place and to think of clever options for a relatively new field.
The four speakers ranged in age and occupation. Meredith Bergmann, who is a partner at a media solutions company, advises film and television companies on how to operate more sustainability. Les Judd, the founder of Green Boroughs, spoke at length about his various jobs and his most recent work for Green Boroughs which he hopes will develop into a database that ranks the “green-ness” of NYC based companies. Joshua Klainberg, the youngest of the panel, discussed his work for the New York League of Conservation Voters and his endeavors to “educate, evaluate and endorse” candidates in state-elections and to lobby for environmental reform. Finally, Samantha Macbride addressed the students about her work as the Deputy Director for Recycling at the Bureau of Waste Prevention, Reuse and Recycling for the NYC Department of Sanitation. Indeed, Wagner went all out for this event by having such notable alums speak to the students in such a comfortable setting as a large conference room.
(The Moderator, Jeremy Friedman)
The job that interested me most was Ms. Bergmann’s who gave examples about the struggles to produce movies and television shows sustainably within a hectic city and with important bottom-lines. For Ms. Bergmann, there are short-term and long-term projects that she has worked on, most recently for NBC/Universal. While advising Saturday Night Live she proposed a switch to biodegradable paints, LED lighting and foods to be served that were made locally as to reduce the transportation emissions. For the long-term, she explained to us that SNL builds its stages in New Jersey and then brings them into the city. She is working on ways to recycle SNL’s sets and to find a place closer to the studios in order to make SNL greener. She urged us to follow our passions and to remember that there is absolutely anything that can be related to the environment as long as you use a bit of imagination and think about what you learned while studying at NYU.
The panelists asked each other questions about their jobs and then the students were permitted to ask the panelists anything. This interaction was helpful so that we could direct the panelists towards the areas that we had particular questions about. When asked about the longevity and safety of environmental work within a corporate or public world, the panelists all agreed that environmental jobs are quite safe, especially compared to jobs on Wall Street. Given that environmentalism as a career path is quite new, all of the panelists concurred that the industry is only beginning to grow and is nowhere near maturity. This optimism was very encouraging. In addition, the panelists also agreed that because environmental jobs are so often uncharted, one has the option to be an entrepreneur and to create his or her own profession with the environment in mind. Indeed the moderator, who helped to create the task force for NYU’s sustainability while he was still a student, was able to create a project for academic credit into an occupation that in his words has already “reduced electricity consumption by 10,000 times my life’s consumption.”
New York City was certainly suggested as an ideal starting point for urban environmentalism, but Ms. Macbride proposed that students also consider jobs in Washington. According to Macbride, years of environmental reforms have recently been revoked by the present administration. She urged us all to lobby for increased federal laws and mandates for the environment in order to keep the ball rolling towards sustainability at home and eventually abroad by example.
While I was not surprised to hear of such success from fellow Violets, I was reassured to know that there are still opportunities to improve the environment and to run a profitable and healthy business. This was my second Wagner sponsored event. The first, a screening and discussion of “Garbage Warriors” was enjoyable but this event was practical. Apparently this event happens every year (this years had the highest attendance yet) and helped to demystify the confounding job world while also giving something for students to aim for. While I may not be able to fit environmental studies into my schedule next year, some of the panelists studied business at NYU and were able to parlay their knowledge into sustainable development. I really have no criticisms of the event. With the exception of booking a larger room, everything about it was great. They even provided some snacks!
This event offered a light at the end of the tunnel and introduced me to the environmental job world of the 21st century. I was very impressed that each panelist offered their business card and suggested that we call them anytime for basic questions and to apply for interviews to numerous different organizations. It would be interesting to have an event like this for students who studied Environmental Studies or other science courses at LSP/GSP who have since graduated and to have them come back and speak to us in a similar format. It is so important, especially in the midst of exams, to have encouragement that there is opportunity to be had and that with an NYU sciences focus there are particularly compelling and beneficial options in the years ahead.

(Samantha MacBride (MPA '96)

Ricky Perlman
Dr. Leah Schwartz
Environmental Studies
12/10/08
Event 2

The event I attended was a visit to the Bronx Zoo from about 12pm to 4pm on October 15, 2008. The zoo is located on 2300 Southern Boulevard Bronx, NY. The tone of the event was a mix between nature appreciation, education for the general public, and awareness for environmental concerns. People who wanted to appreciate nature could observe and enjoy looking at the animals; however, these people were also educated and made aware of environmental concerns through signs and other features present at the different exhibits.

When people visiting the Bronx Zoo first buy their tickets they receive a map of the entire zoo. Upon actually entering the zoo it is up to the visitor to decide exactly what he or she gets out of their trip. They have all sorts of options as to what animals and exhibits people can choose to see. If somebody came to the zoo to appreciate and observe the lions they can go to the African Plains exhibit or if they came to see the gorillas they could go to the Congo Gorilla Forest exhibit. However, not only are fans able to appreciate nature by observing their favorite animals in various exhibits, they are also educated and made aware of environmental concerns. At each exhibit there is information about each animal, including its current population status and whether it is endangered or even worse on the brink of extinction. These informational signs explain exactly what is causing the survival problems for the specific animal and how these problems can be alleviated. Not only does the zoo try to inform people about different environmental concerns by posting information on signs throughout the exhibits, but it also tries to educate people as well. For example, in the Congo Gorilla Forest, there was an educational movie, “Saving Africa’s Forest”, which talks about the Wildlife Conservation Society’s (WCS) efforts to protect wildlife in Africa.

My trip to the Bronx Zoo was both a familiar and a new experience for me. Although I have been to the zoo many times when I was a little kid, the way in which I went about my visit was completely different this time. When I was little, I went to the zoo for the shear entertainment of seeing all the different animals; however, when I recently went to the zoo, I actually went with the intention of learning something. Prior to my visit, I was unaware of all the animals, such as the Siberian tiger and the grizzly bear that are actually endangered until I read some of the many informational signs posted within the different exhibits.

This endangered status that is threatening many different animals, if not treated, can potentially lead to the extinction of these animals. As we have learned in our environmental class, the extinction of an animal can pose a major problem to the environment. This problem of extinction can be seen most drastically if the animal going extinct is a keystone species, a species whose removal from an ecosystem can cause a major change in the general nature of that community.

After attending the Bronx Zoo I definitely gained a greater appreciation for the conservation of our world’s animals and its environments. I used to think losing a species to extinction was not that big a deal, but after learning how many species face this problem and learning how this effects our environment in class, I definitely changed my opinion. The Bronx Zoo has more of an entertainment value to the community than an educational. This is because it only educates people who want to be educated. Few people, beside those who wanted to learn, read the signs and information posted throughout the park; most people go just to see the animals for entertainment.

The zoo definitely has a positive impact on the community because of its work with the Wildlife Conservation Society. It is an organization that works toward the preservation of wildlife and wild lands. There are stations at the Bronx Zoo where people can, not only donate money to these causes, but they can vote for which causes they want the zoo to focus more heavily on. Although the zoo clearly achieved its goals of raising funds for these causes, I do not think that it achieved its goal of educating people who go to the zoo. As stated before, too many people go to the zoo only to see the animals and they do not read the informational signs throughout the park. Unfortunately there is not much that I would suggest for the park to do in order to help its cause. It is up to the people to inform themselves, the park can’t force people to read the information. However, the zoo could try to bring more attention to these causes maybe on its maps or other areas people are more likely to look.

I definitely enjoyed going to the Bronx Zoo and truly think it was worthwhile to go there. The trip served as a fun entertaining experience and an informational one as well. I got to see some of my favorite animals and learn about them at the same time. Going to the Bronx Zoo has definitely inspired me to learn more about what can be done to help all these endangered species. I think it is important for everybody in this class, since the zoo is so close and accessible, to visit it with an academic frame of mind before they graduate New York University.

On Thursday, December 4th, I had the pleasure of attending one of the most informative discussions I have ever been to yet. Van Jones greeted a modest audience of about 30 people at the Lower East Side's "Bluestockings" radical bookstore to talk about his critically-acclaimed new book, The Green Collar Economy. Throughout his lecture, Jones detailed his vision of how to solve both America's economical and environmental problems. He opened his discussion with what he saw as the three most fatal buttresses of the US's economic foundation: 1) The US economy can survive solely on production; 2) The US economy is based on borrowing instead of building; 3) The US economy can run forever on ecological destruction.
Jones used these points to structure his lecture, describing how each ideology has lead to the current economic and environmental crisis faced by the US. He touched upon points ranging from the potentially counter-production dangerous "eco-chic" movement to the dilemmas of consumerism. Weaved throughout discourse of poverty, racism, and exploitation, Jones's essential thesis was the the environment can be saved by improving the lives of America's working-class. The "eco-chic" movement that equates saving the environment to buying a brand-new Prius is dangerous in that it, according to Jones, imposes a sort of eco-apartheid (Jones wittily refers to Wholefoods and "Whole-Paycheck"). The answer to both problems comes from the development of his book's namesake: a "Green Collar Economy." For Jones, this means training all the unemployed automobile factory workers in Detroit to make wind-turbines; employing thousands of working-class Americans to install solar panels not just on the houses of people who can afford them, but on apartment buildings and government-subsidized housing. We must start greening the city before we start greening the penthouses - We must ensure that saving the environment and the economy means eco-equity; means equal employment, fair pay, and rewarding working conditions. As he reminds us, "everything in the fight against global warming is a job."
As a frequent lecture-attendee, I found Jones's presentation enlightening and informative. As he was wrapping up, it was clear that he sparked inspiration in the crowd. Jones's dual plan is realistic, practical, and most importantly, critically rethinks the way that America operates its economic and environmental policies. I was very impressed when he noted that we cannot simply change the way we power (meaning energy, etc) current society, that we need to rework the powers that operate in society. This aspect made him a radical - I know that the word economy sends shivers down my spine because I know that so much depends on the United States completely rethinking its relationship with capitalism and industry. I was even more surprised when Jones made a point to mention what the "environment" and "going green" means to Native Americans - being that massive amounts of our nuclear waste is being stored on their lands, as well as their lands being critical locations for wind and solar energy. I think that in order for this country to move in the right direction both environmentally and economically, we must consider and include the rights and sovereignty of all peoples, not only those financially able to have a substantial political voice. For me, Jones outlines what seems a workable and radical solution. Hey, I bought his book and I've even started reading it!