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.

I've never been to any sort of environmental fair, so I felt like going to one would be interesting- especially if free food and animal exhibits were included ( as shown in the brochure). The fair took place Tuesday, September 23, 2008 around 7:30pm, on a cool nice evening with a hint of a small sweeping breeze. I went with a couple of friends to where the fair was on Pier 66 Maritime inside the Frying Pan cafe/ bar. As we entered the pier the scenery was beautiful! Right on the shore with a couple of old boats floating on the water, the fair seemed like the optimal place to have a community event. At the front of the fair there was a check- in table that bordered the many people within the fair. There were about 50 different tables set up for all different types of environmental organizations. All the people at the fair were extremely helpful and passionate about their cause. You couldn't pass a table without having someone try to grasp your attention about their cause. At the very back of the fair was the food stand that offered different sandwiches, chips, and an assortment of different dips. However, skimming through all the stands with their captivating demonstrations of different animals and what I even saw as costumed jellyfish, I completely forgot about the free food.
I knew this was a teacher's fair before I attended, so almost every table i encountered seem to be advertising workshops and activities that teachers should use to improve their student's knowledge about the community, and indeed this fair did a very good job to promote environmental awareness. However, even still, despite all the coloring books and all the kids' magazines, I felt like this fair was also a wonderful way to promote awareness in others besides children. All the different environmental issues were broken down into very basic terminology when the different people at the fair explained them to me- and we all know that this is usually the best approach for the average American. Issues ranging from endangered species, water quality and soils were all brought up in this fair- and of course climate change was not neglected.
The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation was also their- I mingled with the lady their for a little, Sarah was her name, and she explained to me how I can also fight climate change as an individual. For instance turning off the TV, lights, computer if I wasn't using it- and not just turning it off but unplugging my electronics. She also talked to me about driving and techniques to help the issue of climate change by the way I brake and the way I speed. She even provided me all sorts of brochures to help inform and explain all the things I, as an individual, could do to help stop all the methane and CO2 rising up in the air- she made it very clear that fighting climate change is a group effort and that i should help spread the word and take some more brochures for my friends.
I also took some time at the Free Community Rowing stand. The representatives at the stand told me that building boats and rowing them on the bronx river help promote environmental awareness because it helps people appreciate nature and its wonders a little bit more. Immediately I understood the emotional appeal that they were trying to promote. It was a more modern way of advocating environmental issues- not the original pragmatic approach. Their idea was that by building boats and rowing the boats on the river, people are directly interacting with the beauty and fruits of nature- therefore they will appreciate nature more and want to conserve it.
Another very exciting stand was the Earth Celebrations stand- well maybe if it wasn't for the shiny pink and blue human jellyfish it wouldn't have been so exciting. They were promoting the different events where people go and celebrate the beauty of the planet- which I guess kind of matched their costumes, at least if they could say so. At these celebrations they endorse, there is poetry reading, art displaying and costume workshops- a perfect combination of kid and adult fun.
It's good to know that there are these types of fairs that promote environmental awareness to children. Children are our future- and if students are taught today to conserve the environment and to treasure it, this way of thinking will profoundly change the way they interact with it in the future. There is almost nothing I can say that was negative about this fair, except that I wish more of these environmental workshops and activities were free and endorsed by the public instead of so many private agencies. The environment is a public thing, everyone in New York- in the world- are part of it, and if the workshops and activities offered in the fair were more accessible then there would be more awareness.

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This past Wednesday I took a trip to the Bronx zoo, Wednesdays at the zoo are called “Donation Days” which are days when a suggested donation takes the place of the cost of admission. This is essentially a day for everyone to have a chance to experience the zoo free of charge. As I walked around the zoo I saw a handful of school groups but for the most part there nowhere near as many people as I had grown used to seeing over years of zoo visits. There where several factors that could have been resulting in the low attendance; it was a Wednesday afternoon, so the majority of adults and children are either working or at school, also it was the second week of October, directly in the middle of the transitional phase between fall and winter, which would be the beginning of what I would guess to be a very slow period for the zoo. While trying to think of different causes that could attribute to the low number of patrons, I wondered how much, if any the troublesome economy was effecting zoo attendance.
I did some research and came across an article on proposed budget cuts that would diminish programs at the Bronx zoo and completely close both the Prospect Park and Queens zoos. This proposal will provide the zoos with 50 percent less funding than they currently receive. The deal would ultimate cost 211 people there jobs, and would leave thousands of animals displaced. The animal displacement is a much bigger deal than it may seem because the “easy” answer would be to move these animals into the Bronx facility which as the largest of the zoos is already home to over 4,000 animals but with all around budget cuts there is no money to expand facilities and no space for more than possibly a few hundred of the animals.
The Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) is in charge of the 4 city zoos (Queens, Bronx, Central Park, and Prospect Park) and the New York City Aquarium, the WCS has already started a campaign that encourages people to write to their local and state representatives, as well as sign petitions and most importantly going out to the zoos to show support. With the WCS knowing that it’s budget cuts are a result of a greater economic crises they have already started looking into different streams of revenue in hopes to continue to be provide these facilities for the public.
The Bronx zoo has already taken steps to create more revenue streams for itself, while there I noticed that the zoo charges extra to see certain high profile exhibits, such as the Congo Gorilla Forest, the Children’s Zoo, Butterfly Garden and the Wild Asia Monorail. They also charge for all transportation around the zoo, which consists of the Skyfari, and two lines of Shuttle Buses, as well as seven generously priced eateries and a bug themed Carousel.
It would cost a family of 4 one hundred and four dollars just in admission costs (assuming they would pay for the 4 exhibits that cost extra to see). With the economy the way it is today families have less and less expendable wealth, also with the rising gas prices people are taking the distant of their trips into account more than ever. These two reasons alone could significantly bring down yearly attendance numbers at the zoo, families and schools that used to commute from New Jersey or upstate New York to visit the Bronx zoo may not make the trip anymore because the cost of travel is just too high for a practical field trip or family outing.
The Bronx Zoo has been around for over one hundred years and barring a complete economic meltdown it will not be closing anytime soon. In the worst case scenario if the zoo was forced to downsize by even twenty percent that would leave almost a thousand animals that would be displaced and would have to be shipped all over the country (assuming they could find zoos in a stable enough state to take them in). One of the major problems with zoos is that they have raised many of the animals that reside there in captivity their entire lives so although it would be an easy solution to release some of these animals in the wild (and most experts say animals revert back to their natural instincts when faced with starvation or danger) it may be harmful and cruel to these animals to release them into the wild.
It’s difficult to see how an animal raised under these conditions would be able to survive in the wild, not only are all of the animals delivered food on a schedule but they are confined to a glass box with a few trees for props and a painted landscaped as a background. The animals have grown accustomed to human interaction (which could also be harmful in the wild) and have essentially become domesticated. It is still a very strange and cruel concept to me that we have been allowed to take animals out of their natural environments and confined them to glass cages that are more often than not too small for them to even run around, for example the giraffe exhibit had a statistic stating that giraffes can run at a top speed of 40 miles per hour with a ten foot stride, but the giraffes where confined to an area that wasn’t large enough for the animal to even take four full strides. Another disturbing thought is the fact that they are removing these animals from the climate of their natural habitats for example the Polar Bear exhibit was outdoors and when we arrived at the location the sun was beaming down on us in an area with no shade and just a small amount of cold running water also the zoo is open all year round, and I cant imagine that the animals of the African plains have adjusted well to living through the New York winter (whether that means living at some sort of indoor facility or braving the cold) and brings into question the handling and care of these animals.

Going to the zoo as an adult was a very fun experience, that I could appreciate a lot more than when I was younger and also raised the questions on issues above as well as many others. I would highly recommend making the trip up (especially on a “Donation Day”)

Works Cited:
www.zoosandaquarium.com
New Yorkers Asked to "Save Our Zoos and Aquarium" From Closings, Crippling Funding Cuts
http://nyzoosandaquarium.com/cpz_news/190222
By: Benjamin Ruiz

     On the sixth day of the twelfth month of the two-thousandth and eight year of the Common Era (19 days until Christmas ’08!) I went to Brooklyn for an event titled “Winter Survival Lessons.” It was hosted at Prospect Park and the listing advertised: “Bring your love of nature as the Rangers reveal the astonishing winter adaptations that resident animals use to survive the frigid temperatures. You'll also learn how to identify animal tracks in snow and mud.” Naturally, on an adventure of this magnitude I had to bring my trusty colleague, Amanda Sakuma. We met at the “space ship” in Union Square to begin our journey:

     Amanda and I had some second thoughts about attending this event after we succesfully tracked two furry creatures within five minutes of meeting:

     Nevertheless we continued into the wilderness and within a few minutes of trekking had arrived in Brooklyn. Using advanced navigational techniques, Amanda was able to triangulate Wollman Skating Rink and guide us there. After we questioned the attendants of the rink, we began to think that this event may not be happening but alas, a helpful park ranger came to our service and informed us that the event was indeed happening and that the ranger in charge was outside.      Adrenaline pumping, Sakuma and I were introduced to our guide for the day, Marissa. Then Marissa introduced us to what we had been hoping for the whole train ride, a bunch of little kids! Horay!

(Covert Picture Taken Without Any Chaperones Knowing)
     So yeah, one could say this event’s “tone” may have been: education for the general public; and by general public I mean children.
     After all the kinder found pencils so they could pretend to write in their notebooks, we were off. Marissa explained our route for the day, which was: a walk up Breeze hill, down around the lake and then back. She prefaced the event with a few questions about how animals survived in the winter. The three methods were:
     1. Movement and Migration
     2. Hibernation
     3. “Toughing it out”
     With the heavenly tunes of James Blunt at our back, we walked past the outdoor skating rink and proceeded up Breeze Hill. Marissa spoke about what different animals did in the winter then we looked around to see what flora and fauna surrounded us. She asked us to draw a picture of something we saw around us; Amanda and I did this while the kids fought over a bag of Doritos. While looking for inspiration we saw:
     Some type of four-legged creature I believe the natives call a Squirrel:

     And I think this a Phoenix:

     After that we had a young MacArthur Fellowship candidate ask this question, “Why do bears hibernate even thought they have all that fur?” Pleasantly surprised by this question, Marissa explained how there are different degrees of hibernation and that some scientists question how bears really do hibernate. I followed up with a few questions, the first about what appeared to be trash on the lake:

     As it turns out, this is not trash but actually items placed there by park officials to keep plants from growing too far into the pond and essentially turning it into a field. Then I asked if there were any invasive species in the park and there was actually one right next to us. It was called Mugwort and was brought by the Dutch to bitter their beer. Marissa drinks wine:

     Then we went to the bird feeders and saw a few more birds but the entertaining part about this was the discussion. While looking at the birds Marissa thought one of the kids was asking if there were any city birds there and she started answering only to be corrected and told that he wanted to know if there were any silly birds at the feeders… she dropped the subject. After this, some of the little girls decided that they would race to an undisclosed location; one tripped and fell – not a survival skill.      Back to the topic of winter survival, Marissa spoke about how Killer Whales survived in the winter. She said that because of their fatness and roundness they could stay warm. I still don’t understand the round part… Then she explained that the body loses heat 25% faster in water.      After this we stood around and looked at the geese for a while. Amanda likes geese for reasons beyond me:

     We walked around for a bit more, stared at ice with the little kids, then made our way back to base camp.
     This type of event was definitely new to me. I learned some facts about New York State’s wildlife and more specifically, those that can live in a semi-urban environment. As far as interests, I think I became more appreciative of where I grew up because my field trips were substantially cooler in Massachusetts. This event was definitely valuable to the community. The kids had fun and learned a lot while Amanda and I had a good time watching them. This event absolutely had a positive impact on the environment; teaching kids the value of nature at an early age is, I think, one of the most important things someone can do, in light of modern environmentalism or not.
     Now, for the gripes. I did not really learn any methods of survival aside from getting really fat. And, tracks were not mentioned once. Therefore Amanda and I had to do our own reconnaissance to advance our edification.
     Here is Amanda foraging. Facebook!

     Then we went on our own mission trying to track some more creatures. We found some duck prints and some signs of humans (yep, that’s double entendre son.)

     After finding these signs we successfully tracked a few Homo Sapiens quite successfully.

     When we returned from our journey into the wilderness that is Brooklyn I ruminated on my experience and came to the conclusion that I did enjoy it. Amanda and I learned a bit about nature, laughed at little kids, and learned to track humans. Most importantly, we had fun, and that is the prime function of all parks. So yes, it was worthwhile but sadly, I would die in the wild.

-Craig Cannon

Jeffrey Biel
Current Event 1
Enviro. Studies
Prof. Schwartz

On Wednesday, October 15th, I went to the Bronx Zoo. Every Wednesday at the zoo is a “Donation Day” where admission is free, but a donation is expected, although not required. Obviously this is the reason that we picked to attend the zoo on the date that we did. The Bronx Zoo is located in the Bronx on Fordham Road and Bronx River Parkway. The zoo was not very busy, but the people that were present were mostly elementary and middle school students on class trips.

We began walking around the zoo and looking at the different animals and exhibits that the zoo had to offer. On each exhibit or cage, there was a description of the animal that lived inside and the general environment that the animal needs to survive in. There were also some “fun facts” and usually something about the animal being endangered or how zoo goers could donate funds to help that specific animal. This part of the trip was most worrisome for me. It appeared to me that barely any people actually read the signs that told about the animal or the need for donations. People merely looked at the animals and watched them in their environment, commenting on their actions. I was extremely surprised that even the teachers did not make the students read or look at the signs, being that this trip was supposed to be an educational experience.

The most interesting part of the trip for me was the Gorilla Exhibit. I learned that 2009 will be the year of the gorilla and the zoo has been working extremely hard to promote the Gorilla Exhibit and gorilla awareness. All of the information on the gorillas told of the Wildlife Conservation Society and their efforts to inform the public about protection of the gorilla habitat. The main threats to gorilla population is hunters and I believe that if the general population becomes more educated on the topic, perhaps the species can remain at the level it is currently at.

I decided to do a little further research into the Congo Gorilla Exhibit and the difficulties that the gorillas were facing. Astonishingly, I found out that the Wildlife Conservation Society is the only organization in the world that is working to protect and maintain all three subspecies of the gorilla, being the western lowland gorilla, Grauer’s gorilla, and the mountain gorilla. Although the gorilla is not considered an endangered species, they still face many hardships that could definitely lead to their extinction one day.

For example, gorillas have had their habitats reduced considerably by the human population. Humans are not only moving in and reducing their population by taking over the land, but they are also hunting gorillas, as I stated before. I had no idea that people hunted gorillas, but apparently gorillas fetch a hefty price in certain game markets. Obviously it is highly illegal to hunt a gorilla, but anytime there is a financial incentive, people will be willing to break the law. I think that the Environmental Protection Agency needs to do a much better job of patrolling the areas that the gorillas are in and ensuring that people do not have the ability to hunt the animal. Additionally, the Wildlife Conservation Society needs to do a much better job of informing the public and other agencies about this ongoing problem so that other organizations can begin working to protect the gorilla species.

Currently, the future of the gorilla species is really unknown. Most gorillas reside in Africa and the African population is continually growing and intruding on their land. There is also an issue in the Democratic Republic of Congo where people are starving and they are beginning to hunt gorillas (because of their abundance in the region) for food. The Wildlife Conservation Society has been working closely with the United States State Department to aid the people of the area and to protect the gorilla. I found it extremely interesting that the even the United States government has gotten involved in this situation, yet I have heard nothing about it through the media. I think the media could definitely be a successful way to inform about the problem. For example, once Al Gore got involved with using the media in his global warming campaign, many more people became interested in aiding his cause, whether it was through help or financially.

Overall, for me, the trip to the zoo was extremely entertaining, interesting, and most of all educational. The zoo does a tremendous job of presenting information to zoo goers about the animals and their habitats, as well as current protection methods that they are using; yet many people do not read the signs. Perhaps if the zoo made the signs interactive with videos or sound then more people would be apt to pay attention to them and then support their different causes. All of the exhibits were well done and maintained well, which allowed for zoo goers to really enjoy the experience.

Works Cited

http://congogorillaforest.com/congoconservationchoices/congogorillaconservation

Sidra Farooqi

On Wednesday, November 19th, at 7:30 P.M, I attended a lecture called Biodiesel & New York. The event took place at Kimmel Center and was open to all NYU students and faculty. It was hosted by the Earth Matters Club at NYU, and Solar One, a non-profit organization in New York City which seeks to educate people on issues of environmental sustainability and alternate energy, specifically solar power. The event was a formal academic lecture, during which five speakers, including legislative representatives, and representatives from Solar One, CUNY Sustainable Energy Center, and Tri-state Biodiesel, informed the audience about biodiesel fuel and how it fits into New York’s long term energy plan.

http://solar1.org

During the event, five panelists, who represented commercial, legislative, and scientific perspectives, discussed biodiesel and its use in New York. All were very knowledgeable about the subject, although several reiterated the same points over and over. Also, several were representatives from biodiesel groups, so naturally, they only gave the positive benefits and neglected to mention the negative consequences – the event was definitely biased in favor of biodiesel fuel.
The first speaker was Brent Baker, who is the Chief Executive Officer, President, and founder of Tri-State Biodiesel LLC, which is based here in New York, and specializes in biodiesel marketing, production, and waste collection. Baker is an environmental advocate and educator, and also the director of several non-profit organizations. He explained that biodiesel is a renewable fuel that is derived from plant oils and animal fats, including cooking oil. It is blended with petroleum based diesel for transportation and heating purposes, in a chemical process called transesterification.

The second speaker was Luis Torres, who is the Associate Director for Community and Public Affairs at the Bronx Community College’s Center for Sustainable Energy. He explained that used of biodiesel fuel is being considered at the City University of New York (CUNY), and that some campus’s, such as CUNY Staten Island, are using cooking oil to create biodiesel fuel, for use on campus. Another speaker, Samantha Swanson, represented Councilman James Gennaro, who serves as the Chair of the New York City Council’s Environmental Protection Committee. Gennaro wants to pass a bill requiring all suppliers of heating oil to supply at least 5-20% of biodiesel fuel. He spoke about how there is an enormous market for heating oil in the Northeast, where winters are cold. Biodiesel fuel helps run furnaces and makes them run more efficiently, plus it is better for the environment and air quality.

http://www.tristatebiodiesel.com/

The following speaker was Daniel Falcone, who is the owner of a total Fuel Services Corp., a wholesale and retail distributor of diesel and biodiesel blended products. Mr. Falcone is an advocate for alternative fuel markets, and is also a member of the New York State Environmental Business Association. The first thing he pointed out is the biodiesel is not corn ethanol, although the two are often confused by the public. Biodiesel is made from soy or cottonseed oil, or waste animals fats, and not from corn. It is 90% less toxic than purely petroleum diesel, and also has 55% less particulate matter – particulate matter is known to cause cancer and lung disease.

The next speaker, John Nettleton, a Senior Lecturer in the Department of City and Regional Planning and Executive Director of the Cornell Urban Scholars Program, elaborated on the topic of lung disease and cancer. He explained that New York City has one of the highest incidences of lung disease in the country, and a high rate of premature death as a result of petro-diesel exhaust; this is particularly an important issue in lower-income areas of the Bronx. The asthma rates in some New York neighborhoods are five times as high as the rest of the U.S! He stated that biodiesel fuel will result in carbon emission reductions, reduces greenhouse gases, is less toxic, and readily biodegradable. He mentioned that it is now being used by government fleets, military nautical fleets, individually owned vehicles, and consumers of heating oil. Mr. Nettleton also emphasized that while boilers can’t currently use 100% biodiesel fuel, they can use petroleum-biodiesel blends, which cuts down on particulate matter and carbon emissions. While biodiesel fuel will certainly not eliminate American reliance on foreign oil, it is better for public health and the environment.
The final speaker was a representative for Hon. James Gennaro, who represents New York City Council’s 24th District in Queens. She spoke of the economic benefits of biodiesel fuel – it is a homegrown fuel source, it can lead to economic development, it will create jobs in New York State, and provides opportunities for regional production, which can boost the local economy. She also emphasized Biodiesel fuel does not necessarily increase food prices, which is a common misconception. Currently, Gennaro is trying to pass a bill, called the Casey Bill, which will increase use of biodiesel fuel in New York. She also mentioned that they tried to put a state mandate into place that would require all New York City taxi cabs to be diesel hybrids, but that was blocked twice, and that they were close to getting Mayor Bloomberg sign the Casey Bill the first time, but then Time Magazine came out with an issue that stated biodiesel fuel raises food prices.

This was a familiar experience for me, because I’m an active member of the Earth Matters Club, which is an NYU organization that helped to host the event. Over the course of the past semester, I’ve attended multiple events, from academic lectures to public park clean-ups. However, this was the first event I attended which concerned biodiesel fuel, a subject I knew little about. I finally learned exactly what biodiesel fuel is, how it is derived from organic feedstocks like plant oils and animal fats, and how it can be used to make the world, specifically New York, more environmentally sustainable.
The event was definitely of value to the community, because not many people know the issues concerning biodiesel fuel, yet the climate change crisis affects us all. The event achieved its aims of informing people about biodiesel fuel and how it should be used in New York. Overall, it had a positive impact on the environment, despite the myriad of unnecessary flyers and handouts being passed around. However, I think it would have been more beneficial had the lecture been open to a broader audience – this issue affects all of New York City, not just professors and students at one university. Most likely, the professors and other adults who made up the majority of the audience already have more knowledge about the subject than most New Yorkers do.
I also think the whole event would have been more beneficial had it been a debate rather than a lecture, or that the lecture should have included both sides. For almost two hours, I listened to scientists, policy-makers, and business owners lecture about the various benefits of biodiesel fuel. On my way out the door, I was handed a flyer by a member of an anti-biodiesel fuel group. As I read the flyer, I realized it listed all the con arguments of biodiesel fuel, none of which were brought up during the lecture. Some of the arguments included were that biodiesel fuel will increase heating oil costs by 15-30 cents a gallon, require more pesticides because it relies on soybean farming, and cost millions of dollars, at the taxpayer’s expense. Most alarming was that 91 percent of the soybean acreage planted in the U.S last year was genetically engineered to tolerate herbicides, which has boosted the application of a powerful weed killer called glysphosate, which has been linked to cancer, miscarriages, premature births, and is the third most common cause of pesticide illness in farm workers. Also, the entire event was obviously very biased, as many of the speakers were directly involved in the biodiesel industry. When one of the speakers mentioned that the Time Magazine issue stopped the bill from being passed, I thought that was pretty suspicious, because Time Magazine wouldn’t publish something not rooted in facts and research, and the speaker obviously had a political agenda. Because of this, I am still undecided as to whether or not biodiesel is a good idea.
Overall, this was definitely a worthwhile event. I was surprised that I actually enjoyed the lecture, as I expected it would be dry and dull, since biodiesel fuel didn’t sound like a particularly exciting topic. I was expecting to hear scientists lecturing about the science of biodiesel fuel for two hours, but several of the speakers were actually policymakers and business owners. I’m considering pursuing a career in public policy and law, so I found it interesting to hear what policy makers had to say about biodiesel and New York City’s energy plans for the future.

Dan Bravato
Environmental Studies

A Trip To The Zoo

I attended the Bronx Zoo about four weeks ago, on October 15, on a Donation Wednesday in which there is no cost of admission, only a suggested donation which goes to enhancing the zoo and to endangered species. The Bronx Zoo puts a great deal of emphasis on endangered species and how humans are not helping their cause but how we potentially can. In front of every animal exhibit is a small sign that gives information on each animal but also goes into detail with the problems they are having in the wild. Therefore, this event was mostly nature appreciation and based on educating the public on how they can help endangered species.
Our tour, given by ourselves with our handy zoo map, began by looking at gazelles and lions. The exhibit had one of the stands in front of it which gives you insight into the respective animal. The sign tells you what each animal’s typical diet is, what their habit is, and what their niche is. At the end of each chart it shows why each animal is struggling to survive in the wild, if they are. Each animal did not happen to be endangered but it still gave information on how humans are altering their lives. After touring the zoo for some time we moved on to the special Congo exhibit. The Bronx Zoo Congo Gorilla Forest is a special exhibit, separate from zoo admission, in which all profits go to save gorillas in the Congo. The exhibit is devoted to the Congo and to the wildlife that exists there. You enter the special exhibit and see a very humid, almost rain forest type area with special birds and small monkeys. Once you climb through a small rock tunnel, you move into the main event. You are in a class tunnel with gorilla habitats on both sides. The gorillas come up to the glass and entertain the guests. After the most exciting and crowd pleasing part of the exhibit, the groups are brought into a room where it is explained via images and informational videos as to why Gorillas are an endangered species. After seeing the happy and playful animals all of the guests are extremely saddened by the information on their demise. This prompts people to donate more money and potentially purchase gifts with some of the profits going to the Congo and their gorillas. After this exhibit we decided to leave the zoo after learning a great deal about the devastation of the gorillas in the Congo.
Clearly going to the zoo was not a new event for me because I grew up going to the Bronx and Philadelphia zoos. However, after being in this class I have a new appreciation for the environment and those that are a part of it. I had always interpreted the zoo as a fun place to see odd animals, however it is much more. Zoos help to raise awareness on endangered species and how humans directly affect the lives of these creatures. At almost every exhibit at the zoo, there was one of those signs that gives information on why the animal is endangered and how. This gives people knowledge that they would not have had prior to going to the zoo; it also gives you the information while you are directly looking at the cute and fury friends. This causes a direct effect to the viewer and allows them to make a connection between the animal and its troubles. Therefore, I was able to learn a great deal from the zoo and it made me less ignorant towards the woes that different animals face everyday in their previously human-less habitats. With this new knowledge I can apply it to my interest in animals, but more specifically gorillas. I have always had an interest in gorillas and monkeys and now I am even more knowledgeable in that field. Also, I feel as if I have contributed to their cause by paying extra money to see the Bronx Zoo Congo Gorilla Forest. If I was able to learn so much from this event, I think tons of people can learn from it too. Anyone whose able to attend the Bronx Zoo, which is anyone because it is free at least one day a week, will be able to see the troubles that different species face and how humans are affecting their lives. Zoos are attended extremely often and do not have to be just for entertainment, they can help to fight ignorance within the average human. People need to understand how the human race is affecting these animals and what we can do to fix it. I think the event can be approved by having these special exhibits, like the Congo Gorilla Forest, at every zoo across the globe. Zoos are attended by families, adults, teenagers, and students daily. Why not act on all of this exposure and educate the general public? Everyone goes to a zoo at least once with their respective school so why not take this time to educate the future generations of the world. Zoos could raise awareness while raising money to help these endangered species. These animals are in danger mostly because of negative human interaction, so why shouldn’t we work as a race to redeem ourselves and save these animals?
I loved this overall experience and I look forward to going to more zoos and more exhibits on endangered species. Zoos are an excellent way to show the public why kind of unique animals exist in other parts of the world. So let’s take this idea and run with it, let’s use more zoos to educate more and more people. I found this event extremely worthwhile and I learned a ton from the zoo and the Congo Gorilla exhibit I attended. I think everyone should check out this exhibit and take the time to read the signs in front of each exhibit to educate themselves on why each species struggles to survive.

On Thursday, December 4th, I attended a performance with two friends that was held at 7:30pm at The Tank, which is a small theater located at 217 East 42nd street. Ann Keilson and Collaborators presented the show and it was an alternative approach to exploring the origins of life and the process of evolution. The venue is a non-profit arts presenter and serves as the host for a wide-range of productions. The Tank’s mission is to allow artists with new ideas to showcase their work in an inexpensive, resourceful, shared and hospitable way. The Tank aims to help the younger generation create a following for budding artists, live shows and community dialogue. Nine college graduates founded The Tank in 2003 with the desire to seize a space of New York City that is dedicated solely to the cultivation of artists without the issues of money, competition and exclusivity taking priority. Over the past five years, the organization has grown from being a group of volunteers to utilizing a paid staff with support from foundations and government.
The show took place on the floor with a circle of chairs lined up against the walls of the theater for the audience to sit in. With only about 35 people in attendance, the show felt personal and organic. There were three women who danced and another two people to assist with the lighting and musical aspects of the show. With a total of five people contributing to the presentation, it was low-key and modest and the emphasis was entirely focused on the movements of the dancers. The lighting remained dim throughout the show, which added a sense of drama, passion and intensity. Each woman wore a simple outfit that had no attention grabbing accessories or colors. This helped direct the focus to their facial expressions and body language. Their dance began with crawling and creeping motions and each woman appeared to be dancing on her own with no relation to the others. Gradually, the movements transitioned into some small steps and lunges and then finally into full-fledged strides and walking. In between some of the movements, the woman did some kicking and jumping that seemed a bit out of place with the majority of actions in the performance. The dance lasted for 45 minutes and by the end, the women were visibly drained, which showed how strenuous the movements were for that long of a period. When the dance was finished, the audience was welcomed to stay and chat with the dancers and hang out. We spoke with one of the dancers to gain a sense of her personal feelings about the performance and what it meant to her. She clarified that the sometimes erratic movements within the dance were supposed to represent the evolution of insects and how many different kinds of creatures developed that had different ways of moving. The dancer also explained that some of the motions were meant to symbolize the gradual extinction of certain species and how it can be random and inexplicable. She was very forthcoming with her ideas and thoughts about the dance and the conversation brought a nice close to the experience.
I had never been to such a small and up close dance production with that sort of a message and theme behind it so this experience was completely new to me. The event showed me a brand new way to look at evolution, a process that had always seemed so straightforward and scientific to me, that involved movements instead of facts and data. Although I enjoy watching dance performances and dancing for fun, I do not think that I would want to attempt what these women did with their thoughtout dance and message. I am not sure the show has value in the academic community but it was a worthwhile event to go to in order to witness a new form of expression. The purpose of The Tank and the events it hosts are positive contributions to the community and make it possible for artists to get their message out to the public in a forum that is personal and inviting. Since the show was meant as a way to convey the artists’ ideas and viewpoint with room for interpretation, I believe it was successful in getting the desired message across. It was plain to see that the women were moving in ways that they felt represented animal and human evolution. The shows that take place at The Tank are meant to put out ideas in an affordable way so in order to broaden the impact, there would need to be a larger venue that has the same goals and values that would have the capacity to host more people in the audience.
I enjoyed the event because it was a brand new experience and I went to it with friends, which made it easier to talk about after the show was finished. It was helpful to hear some perspectives that were different than mine from my friends and also from the dancer that we spoke to when the dance was over. The venue itself was intriguing and it’s history and mission added to the overall experience. I think the purpose of The Tank is helpful in generating new ideas and giving a voice to young artists.