Hardy Legwin and Solar Energy

Madison Powers

February 17th, 2012

9:10 AM, Learning Skills Classroom 3

Today APES class had the opportunity to meet with the father of Proctor senior Jack Legwin, Hardy Legwin. Legwin works in the solar energy industry, starting a company with 2 other guys 6 years ago, with the mission to "make solar mainstream." What is the definition of mainstream to these men? One of his friends believed it was to get solar energy on the Monopoly board, which, on the new editions of Monopoly, it is already there. In fact, solar energy isn't even a new concept, Legwin said, but one that had roots back in 1884 ideas. 

Legwin discussed how solar energy from the sun is being wasted in the United States. He said that the Southwest has great solar insulation and potential, even the Northeast has potential, but we do not harness any of that energy. Germany has very little solar insulation, yet has over half the world's solar energy collection. Every day we lose so much energy, he says. Losing this energy is not good, for we could use it for so many things, such as electricity and heating water. 

A Solar Cell

There are two types of solar panels that Legwin's company installs: PV (photovoltaic) panels and solar hot water panels. Th solar hot water panel has a collector plate, where the water is heated, collected by a pump, then stored in a tank, where this heat is transferred into other water. This type of panel has a glass cover, with copper coated in a special insulator, and a water and glycol mixture is what gets heated up and is pumped through the system. There is also a heat exchanger attached to the tank, through which hot and cold water run through, transferring the heat from hot to cold. Copper is used because it is a very good conductor of heat, which is important when it comes to absorbing the sun's rays. "One of these collectors creates about 50 gallons of hot water per day," Hardy said, and the average person uses 20 gallons. 

Solar Thermal Panels

So what is the future for these thermal panels? The panels are said to have a 30 year life span, and potentially more after that, with the only maintenance being any damage or leaks. Legwin says, "Cost per panel has not changed much, there's not much driving the price down." While the price may not change, modifications can be made to increase the efficiency and output of the panels. For example, a vacuum tube is in the works which would prevent captured heat from leaving the tube. The current issue with these is that they last half as long, and cost twice as much as thermal panels. Another idea is to make smaller panels that can be mounted easily. These panels would be curved to concentrate the sun on one tube that contains oil, a liquid that can be heated to high temperatures. These small, curved panels could concentrate 7 suns worth of rays on the single tube! Quite impressive, if you ask me, and a great source of energy.

The second type of solar panel that Legwin's company works with is photovoltaic (PV) panels. These are the panels that are used to generate electricity. These silicon panels have two types of silicon, creating a layer. The sun excites these electrons creating a current between the layer, which is then converted into electricity. The power is DC power, which then goes into an inverter and is turned into AC power, where it can be sent through a transformer and onto the grid. Currently the panels on the market are only 12-22% efficient, though lab tests have been done on panels that are 50% efficient. "The big breakthrough in PV is going to be getting the panels more efficient," Legwin says. Another issue with PV panels is they only work well if the sun is shining. There is more production as the sun goes up, but if it's cloudy out, production goes down. "It works great when the sun is shining," Legwin told us, but these panels aren't as good as the solar hot water panels, he believes. The two advancements that will make PV panels better are efficiency and battery/storage capabilities, which currently are very little. 

PV Panels

Both PV and thermal panels are great sources of energy, and are definitely on the rise. 10% of US electricity comes from solar, and this number is going to grow as coal and nuclear become more expensive to maintain. Both of these create harmful emissions and neither is renewable like solar is. Since 2008, the price of PV electricity has dropped by over $4, and PV is only 3x less effective than thermal, and the gap will continue to decrease as technology increases. Legwin says, "Thermal gives a bigger payback that PV." While thermal may be better, PV can be used to sell electricity back to the utilities, and also offset things like an air conditioner. If you are using less energy than you collect, you can sell it back to utility companies or store it with batteries for another time.

Legwin and his company have had many projects where they have installed both types of panels. In Camp Lejeune, 2,300 hot water collectors were installed in homes. At the Proximity Hotel in Greensboro, NC, 100 collectors were installed on the roof in 2007. His current project is a thermal farm, where 2,100 collectors will be used to create hot water for a poultry plant. Guilford College had Legwin's company help them with their energy by installing thermal panels on many buildings. This save the company 20% on their energy bill. His company owns and maintains the equipment, and sells the energy generated at a set price for a 10 year period. This saves the school money in the long run and is a very good deal for the school. While Legwin's company does more with thermal, they have also done PV projects as well. They helped a capped landfill make use of its space by placing a solar farm with PV panels on it. The panels were mounted on concrete blocks so the landfill was not disturbed. This was a 5 megawatt project, which was pretty high at the time. Now, 5 megawatts of power is the standard for PV projects, and this number will continue to grow. 

Solar Farm

Solar energy as a whole will also continue to grow, along with wind energy in the United States, as states are requiring that certain percentages of their energy be renewable. The states will be the driving force behind the use of renewable energy. The other driving force will be the companies, such as Hardy Legwin's, that sell and manage these products. I believe that this is key in our current energy crisis and climate change crisis. New energy sources must be used before our current ones become obsolete. There isn't a better way to capture energy than solar, for it is more than abundant; you can place a solar panel just about anywhere and gather energy. Solar is one of the solutions to our problems, and we must embrace it and use it, make it "mainstream" as Hardy says.

The transition to renewable resources in the coming years will be important. My generation and the one before it must take action, for at our current rates of energy consumption and climate change, the world is going to crash and burn. Our generations must change the way we use energy by switching to a more efficient and safe source if we wish to preserve the Earth for future generations. We currently release ridiculous amounts of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere with our use of oil and coal, but with the use of solar and other sources like wind and tides, we can reduce this amount of CO2, slow global warming, and preserve our resources. As Hardy Legwin concluded his presentation, "Nothing is as powerful as an idea whose time has come-Victor Hugo." This idea is solar energy, and its time is now.

Images:

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TED Talk: William McDonough

Madison Powers
APES
January 23, 2012

William McDonough and "Cradle to Cradle" Design

1) William McDonough states: “The fundamental issue is that, for me, design is the first signal of human intentions.” Do you share McDonough’s viewpoint? Explain and use an example of a design that supports your position.

I agree with McDonough's viewpoint that it is an issue that signals human intentions. Humans design things based on their needs and wants. Most of the time they are designed without the consequences in mind, because their wants outweigh the negatives. Take for example many of the large dams around the world or buildings in countries like Dubai. People's goals with the design is to do nothing other than to make it the biggest, and most expensive they possible can. All sorts of money was used to turn the deserts of Dubai into a city home to massive shopping malls and the world's tallest building. Clearly money wasn't in mind when the biggest building spree ever was brought to a halt and debt started to grow. Human intention with Dubai and dams like the 3 Gorges in China isn't how it is going to impact the environment and people involved, but to see how large of a product they can make. These projects are just a few examples of many that show design shows human intentions.

2) McDonough states: what we realize today is that modern culture appears to have adopted a strategy of tragedy. If we come here and say, "Well, I didn't intend to cause global warming on the way here," and we say, "That's not part of my plan," then we realize it's part of our de facto plan. Because it's the thing that's happening because we have no other plan.
 Do you agree with McDonough that we have a “strategy of tragedy” that is shaping the human condition? Why or Why not?

I do not agree with McDonough and don't believe that people today have a plan for tragedy. I feel that many people are completely oblivious to the tragedy that lies ahead of the world, and there is only a small portion of the modern culture that has started to adopt a "strategy for tragedy" while the rest are continuing on as they have planned. I do agree with the idea that "I didn't intend to cause global warming on my way here",  as I feel that it applies to a large portion of society. People are greedy and will do whatever they can for power and money, even if it means causing harm to the globe. People will always be power hungry and therefore they will do what is in their best interests so that they can succeed, regardless of the damage they cause. I do feel that the population with a plan for tragedy is increasing though, as awareness for this tragedy grows. More and more people are being informed about pollution, damaging the environment, limited resources, etc. The more people that know about these things, the better, for then the modern culture can form a "strategy for tragedy" as a whole, and many people will try to avoid this tragedy. I do feel that this point will come too late though, because at our current rate, I believe that we will hit this tragedy before people can figure out what to do about it.

3) McDonough believes that design determines our interactions with nature and how we value it. Is there evidence to support that view? Or does McDonough have it backwards, that nature actually shapes the way we design?

I believe that McDonough has it backwards, and that nature shapes the way we design. Many new buildings and products are being built with nature in mind, such as the cities he mentions in his speech. They are basically raising the natural land up a level, and using and eco-friendly cycle to maintain nature, without disturbing it too much. I feel that now that we must be more careful about our resources, pollution, and the earth's health, we are designing with nature in mind more than we used to. We are returning to the natural processes of the earth that promote its health instead of the often destructive ways of humans. Cars are now designed with nature in mind, same with plastics, buildings, etc. Nature seems to shape almost everything that is designed if the designers care about the earth's health even a tiny bit. They realize that they must design to protect and promote nature, instead of destroy it as they have in the past. McDonough's work is an example of this idea, for his work in cities and for major companies seems to be shaped by nature.

4) Explain what cradle to cradle design is. Describe and use an example of what the two metabolisms are and what they do.

Cradle to cradle design is design with the goal of "a delightfully diverse, safe, healthy and just world, with clean air, clean water, soil and power -- economically, equitably, ecologically and elegantly enjoyed, period." It is basically design with nature kept in mind, as to preserve it and help it continue to grow so we can have a healthy and safe world. Also in this design, everything is cycled, so that nothing is ever wasted, and these cycles can last forever. There are two metabolisms in cradle to cradle design. The first metabolism is the biological metabolism. The biological metabolism is the way that the nutrients of earth (water, oxygen, nitrogen, carbon dioxide) go through cycles so that they can be returned to nature safely. An example of a biological metabolism would be a biodegradable plastic, such as Nike's shoe soles. The plastic contains the biological nutrients, but they have been altered. The plastic can degrade back into the biological system and return to its original state, making it safe and healthy. The other metabolism is the technical metabolism. This is a closed loop system. Resources are circulated through an endless cycle of production, with as little waste as possible. The products are made with reuse in mind, they are broken down when their use is done, and then the resources are recycled and made into something new. An example of this would be Shaw Carpet. They have made a carpet that can be indefinitely reused. The nylon in it is broken down where it is then made back into carpets. Overall cradle to cradle design seems to be an excellent plan for the future if we plan to preserve the health and safety of the globe.

Flow: For Love of Water

Madison Powers
January 18th, 2012
Time/Location: 6:30-8:00 PM, Physics Classroom

Last night, January 17th, 2012,  I viewed the documentary Flow: For Love of Water, a 2008 film directed by Irena Salina. The film discussed the significance of water on Earth, how it is a dwindling resource, and how greed by many companies is making is even scarcer. There are currently wars over oil in the world, but as water's value becomes clearer, we may soon see wars over water. As one man in the movie, "The world is running out of water. People will do anything for water." Water is life. Nothing would exist without it; it is what allows us to survive. In a way, it is like blood pumping through the body. The Earth is one giant body, and it's heart pumps the "blood", or the water, through the body so that it can live. Our bodies are actually made of 70% water, so it is necessary for our existence.

The scary thing about water is that much of the water that we easily have at hand is potentially detrimental to our health. The United States does not keep track of sickness from water. There are many bugs living in water; viruses, pathogens, and bacteria are lurking right under out noses. There are over 116,000 synthetic chemicals in the world, and many of these can end up in our water. You may not realize it, but showering is one of the main exposures to these chemicals in water. Think about it: you are subjecting your entire body to whatever is in that water for 5-10 minutes a day. A bit scary isn't it? Even after these chemicals leave our body, they still come back to us. The waste from our body goes down the toilet, into sewage, which can seep into rivers and lakes. What do we get from these rivers and lakes? Drinking water. Essentially we are reabsorbing the chemicals we have excreted, and this cycle is endless. Atrazine, a chemical found in herbicides, has been found in drinking, ground, and surface water. This chemical has changed the gender of frogs, as studies by Tyrone Hayes found. It has also been attributed to lower sperm counts. This chemical gets to us through seepage into our drinking water. The chemicals that we use all the time are coming back to bite us.

The big three water corporations in the world are Thames Water, Vivendi, and Suez Water. The World Bank plays a large part in water, as well. These companies have tormented countries such as Bolivia, parts of Africa, and India with high prices for clean drinking water which the people cannot afford. In one place in Africa, people had to dam up a river because a slaughterhouse upstream was contaminating the water with blood, so much that it was red. People bathe in this water, wash clothes, and even drink it! Sewage in the water is also an issue in many of these countries.  It is so much of a problem that 1 in 5 Bolivian children die due to drinking dirty water. The reason that they must drink this water is because the World Bank has privatized water in Bolivia. Suez picked up the contract for Bolivian water, and it was very difficult for the people to access the clean, good water that they needed. Not only has the World Bank done this, but it has also been one of the main supporters for big dams. These dams help the World Bank make money, even though it destroys the land, but they cannot be sued for the damage. The dams stop organic matter flow, the matter ends up rotting, and is released as methane which impacts global warming. People are promised so much about the dams, but they just end up being displaced, and they don't get what they wanted. These corporations have a very negative impact on water in the world.

Suez plays a very large role around the world in water. In one place in Africa, Suez controls all of the clean water. People have to pay for the clean water, yet the prices that are charged are much more than many of the people make in a year. The prices of it increased when Suez came in, and the availability decreased due to the high price. The goal of Suez was to make people want to pay for clean water, but it was so expensive that they just go down to the river and get bad water, which is the source of all major diseases. "People are to pay, regardless of what they consume," one of the men high up in Suez said. People sit and wait at the faucet in town, all lined up, waiting to fill their containers up. Some days the water doesn't even turn on, some places they even have to pay. It is very limited, and because people believe that water is free from God, they get sick from the free river water. Because of this, up to 30,000 people a day die from water diseases.

In India, people were working towards cleaner water. The Ganges River in India is very important to both the people and the culture of India. When someone dies, the last thing to happen to their body is a drop of Ganges water is placed in their mouth. Unfortunately, the water of the Ganges, and much of the water in India is getting polluted. Not to mention, Suez charges people 10 times what they normally pay for water. But there is hope for water in India. Some ways to increase the cleanliness of the water have been implanted, such as using UV light to disinfect the water, ridding it of diseases like cholera. In one place, a UV plant was put in. There was one employee at the plant, and he was paid through the plant's income. People who bought water here paid a very small amount of money for clean water (only $2/year) which was manageable for many. One man even said the clean water has helped his business. He raises chickens, and before, when he used dirty water, many chickens would die, but now, using the clean water, this is no longer an issue. 300,000 people are supported by this plant, but many more need it.


Suez has had a very large grip on India, a man named Shri Rajendra Singh says. Suez told him and the people that the water was not theirs, nor were the rivers, and even the rain water was not his peoples. So Singh traveled to a very poor province in India. Here, there was very little water, people's crops and livestock was dying, and the situation seemed pretty grim. He and his people helped the village restore their old water harvesting structures. This process took some time, but eventually it paid off. The people started to harvest better crops because there was more moisture. Because farmers were getting more crops, they could send more crops to cities and everyone benefited.

The whole water industry is very intriguing. People take water for granted, but those days are running out. Some states in the US have less than 20 years of water left, and many rivers have stopped flowing to the sea. Could this water shortage be the 6th major extinction? Because water is dwindling, the industry for it has vastly grown, and water is a very strong investment. Bottled water is extremely popular, and many people prefer it to tap water. The interesting thing about bottle water is that it really isn't pure water. The FDA doesn't even know what is in bottle water. Some bottled waters have been found to contain chemicals like arsenic, bacteria, etc, while others have been found out to be tap water. In reality,  a lot of bottled water really doesn't come from where it says.

Nestle, a major bottled water company, has set up many plants around the country to pump water to sell. In one case in Michigan, the company was pumping over 450 gallons per minute out of the land there. This was lowering streams and lakes in the nearby area. Of course, Nestle didn't have to pay for this water at all, and ended up making $1.8 million per day off of it. One person of Michigan said that the people are just buying their own water, which is a fairly greedy method. People started to run out of water, and yet the company kept on pumping. Eventually they got around to protesting and signing a petition to get Nestle to stop. Nestle hired private investigators to confront petitioners for threatening the company. This case was brought to court, and Nestle won the appeal, but had to pump less. But this made a small difference, for Nestle opened another pump station in Everett, MI.

After watching the documentary, my view on water changed quite a bit. I think before I just took water for granted, as many other in the world due. We are consuming water at such as fast pace that it is dangerous for the Earth. Not only are we running out, but many people are only getting a glimpse at the clean water that we have left, because they do not have the money to pay for it. Protests over water, such as the ones in Bolivia, are most likely going to happen all over the globe. Its companies like Coke, Pepsi, Nestle, even the big companies like Suez, that are destroying communities and eventually controlling towns and cities, even countries, through water. This needs to stop, as I believe that water is for all people, as the documentary said, it is a "gift on Earth for life."

The future of water is in our hands. It is in the hands of my generation and the generations to come. We take so much of this "blue gold" from nature, yet we give nothing in return. Eventually this is going to catch up to us, and humans are going to be in deep trouble. Not only is water running out, but we are contaminating the water that we have left. Chemicals, bacteria, and disease are all present in our water. Humans are only damaging themselves by putting these things in their water, I believe. We must conserve water and keep it clean, because, "Without water, the Earth wouldn't be what it is." 

Images:
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Blackwater River Lab

Madison Powers
Stephen Harris
Tyler Graf
November 8th, 2011

Introduction

    The purpose of this lab was for the 2011 AP Environmental Science E Block class to determine the health of the Blackwater River shed during the months of October and November. Data was to be collected using new methods to the students. After gathering this data and learning new scientific processes, the data was to be analyzed to determine the health of this specific section of the Blackwater River.

Materials & Methods

    A vast array of materials were used in the study. The chemical tests that were used were pH, nitrogen, phosphate, turbidity, coliform bacteria, and dissolved oxygen. Many of these were tablets that were mixed with a specific amount of the sample water. Other materials include nets, wooden boards, plastic buckets, plastic cups, thermometer, white plastic trays, marking ribbons, magnifying glasses, bark covers, glass vials and tubes, spoons, a shovel, and identification sheets for macro invertebrates.
    A pit trap was set up to collect invertebrates. General observations were first taken that day, observing the weather conditions, temperatures, and any changes in the area. To set up the pit trap, first an area for the trap had to be selected. This area, known as site 4, was located south east of the swinging bridge on the Blackwater River. The site was under a large dead tree, surrounded by tall grasses and shrubs, bordered by a small area with standing water. Once the area had been selected, a wooden board, two plastic cups, shovel, and colored marking ribbons were collected. Next, a hole large enough for the cup to sit in and be even with the ground was dug with the shovel, right next to the large dead tree. The cup was placed inside the hole, and the second cup was placed inside the first one for easier data collection. Next, a wooden board was pushed into the ground so that it was perpendicular to the ground but also touching the edge of the cup. Two sticks were used to hold the board in place, and brush and grasses were spread around it to make the area look and seem like it was natural. The reason for the board was so that when animals run into the board, they crawl along it, get to where the cup was on the board, and fall into the cup. Lastly, a piece of bark was placed over the cup to keep out rain water and debris.
    When data was collected, the first thing that was done at the site was a general observation of the weather, wind, and landscape. The wind speed was done using the Beaufort Scale and was a general guess. The temperature was done using an electronic thermometer. To test the air temperature, the thermometer was dried and held up in the air, away from any disturbances, and the temperature was recorded. Next, the probe of the thermometer was put into the soil next to the pit trap, and the temperature was recorded. The thermometer was also placed in the water, after having been dried off and cleaned of debris, and the water temperature was recorded. Next, the pit trap was checked. The bark was removed, and the top cup was taken out. The contents of the cup were emptied into a white tray and magnifying glasses were used to observe the contents. Any invertebrates were recorded.
    At a nearby tributary site a method involving a net and disturbances upstream was used to capture invertebrates. An area was assigned, site 4. Site 4, where the data was collected, was about 40 feet downstream from the road under which the tributary crossed. A net was placed perpendicular to the stream bottom, allowing for nothing to flow underneath the net. Next, disturbances were made upstream by stirring the water and organic matter at the bottom of the tributary with a stick. The organic matter floated into the net. The net was removed from the stream and the contents were put into a white plastic tray that had about an inch of water in it. The contents of the tray were allowed time to settle. Once settled, the contents were observed. Macro invertebrate identification sheets and magnifying glasses were used to figure the different organisms in the tray. These organisms were recorded in a spreadsheet. The contents of the tray were then poured back into the tributary. Chemical tests were also done on site 4. These tests included pH, nitrogen, phosphate, dissolved oxygen, coliform, and turbidity. The procedure for these tests was included in the packaging and the directions were followed to gather the most accurate results. The soil, air, and water temperature were also taken again, using the previously mentioned method.

General Narrative on Observations

Figure 1.1 The Site Locations

    On the first day, October 17th, 2011, at around 12:05 AM, arrival was made at the site. The ground in the floodplain was very wet, due to the recent heavy rains. There were large puddles everywhere, and the ground seemed to be thoroughly soaked. The weather was overcast. There was very little sun, lots of dark gray clouds. The area that made up all of the smaller study sites was very grassy and had many small shrubs including goldenrod in the areas that got flooded by the river. Areas that were not flooded by the river tended to have larger shrubs and small to medium sized trees. These trees included maples and ash trees. These trees were no more than 4-6 inches in diameter. A site was selected for the set up of a pit trap, this being site 4. The area around the pit trap had one large dead stump in the immediate area of the trap. The site was covered by the shade of some maple trees, one a foot in diameter, and the rest 4-6 inches in diameter. On the ground around the trap, there was a mix of dead leaves, dead grasses, and dead branches. The soil here was very wet and compost like. Much of the debris on the ground had been packed down by the rain, including the grass. There were a few ferns and vines surrounding the dead stump. To the immediate left right of the trap was depression filled with water.

Figure 1.2 The Pit Trap Locations

    On October 18th, 2011, at 11:10 AM, the site was very similar to  the way it had been the day before. The weather was overcast, again, and it was still fairly cloudy, with the sun trying to break through every once in a while. The ground was still very damp from the recent rains, though it had dried out a bit from the previous day. The wind had been the same as the previous day, and the temperatures were similar. The air temperature on this day was 58 degrees Fahrenheit, and the ground temperature was 51.9 degrees Fahrenheit. The wind speed was rated at Beaufort Scales Force 2 Intermittent. The cup had filled halfway with water, and there were no visible organisms in it. There were no organisms in the cup on this day. The only major change in the area surrounding site 4 was that the grass had been matted down very flat, possibly due to the rain or animals.

Figure 1.3 The Tributary Site Locations

    On October 25th, 2011, at 11:10 AM, a new site was used for data collection. The weather this day was much different from the previous days. There were fewer clouds in the sky, and the sun was trying to break through, but the wind was faster and the temperature colder. The air temperature on this day was 54.8 degrees Fahrenheit and the ground temperature was 47.8 degrees Fahrenheit. The wind speed was rated a Beaufort Scales Force 5. Pit trap 4 had only 1 slug and 1 worm in it. The ground had dried out a lot, no longer soaking wet with puddles but almost dry to the touch. The new site, the tributary site, was located along the road that headed west from where the bus had been parked at the base of the ski area. There was a culvert that ran under this road that the tributary flowed through. Site 4 was the assigned site. This site had a large amount of dead leaves on the ground, and many deciduous trees overhanging the tributary. These trees were over similar size to the ones at the pit trap. Much of the vegetation was small shrubs on either side of the tributary, along with the small and medium sized deciduous trees. The bottom of the tributary at site 4 had a large amount of sediment. The water was no deeper than 6-8 inches and there was a large amount of leaf litter in the water. Some small grasses were growing in the water as well. Chemical data and invertebrates were gathered for site 4. The pH was 5, the nitrogen was 0 PPM, the phosphate was 1 PPM, the turbidity was 0 JTU and the water temperature was 49.3 degrees Fahrenheit. The invertebrates gathered were 2 cagebuilding caddisflies, 10+ scuds, 4 beetle larva, 1 stonefly nymph, and 2 mayfly nymphs.

Data

Figure 2.1 General Observations/Data of the Site

Figure 2.2 The Chemical Data for the Tributary Sites

Figure 2.3 The Pit Trap Invertebrate Data

Figure 2.4 The Tributary Invertebrate Data

Analysis

    From interpreting the data, much can be said about the Blackwater River. The tributary had a large amount of indicator species, which are species that have a low tolerance for polluted waters. Caddisflies, stoneflies, and mayflies are all indicator species.  Coliform also is an indicator of how good the water quality is. 20 coliform per 100 ml, what was found at the tributary, is very low on the coliform spectrum. Anything under 200 coliform is good for swimming in, and 0 is good for drinking. 20 coliform is very low on this scale, so the water is relatively clean at site 3 of the tributary. The pit traps show a large majority of the gathered invertebrates to be beetles or slugs, which means there could be high abundances of each in the area, though there is not enough data to make a strong conclusion on. Also, from sites 1 to 4 the number of invertebrates descended. The vegetation in these sites varied greatly, one being open and grassy, and the other being wooded and covered with dead leaves.
    The chemical data also proved to be interesting for such a small amount of data. An interesting trend in the data is that the pH descends from 7 to 5 from site 1 to site 4. This could be due to the different organic matter at the different sites, and also the different sediment at each site. The turbidity at almost every site was 0 JTU, which means the water is very clear and the plants and organisms aren’t being blocked of too much sunlight. Another interesting piece of data is the dissolved oxygen. On the upstream side, it was 4 ppm. On the downstream side of the road, there were 0 ppm dissolved oxygen. This may be due to the culvert, the change in the tributaries flow speed, or the depth of the water. Nitrogen and phosphate levels are relatively low, which means there is not a large amount of runoff from outside sources into the tributary. What is interesting though is that the phosphate levels fluctuate from 4 ppm to 1 ppm to 4 ppm to 1 ppm in descending order of the sites. There is also 2 ppm nitrogen at site 2, which could be due to student error or by coincidence in this part of the tributary. The rest of the sites had 0 ppm nitrogen so site 2’s measurement seems out of the ordinary.  Either way, there are very low nitrogen and phosphate levels in the water, which means there is very little runoff of fertilizers and dead matter into the river, which is good for its health.
    Due to there being very little temperature and wind data, no trends can be determined for temperatures and wind speeds through the 3 days of testing.

Conclusion

    Based on the data that was gathered, the health of the Blackwater River is good. The data shows this, because there are relatively low levels of chemicals that indicate that the river health is bad, such as excessive nitrogen and phosphate levels. There also was also a good amount of indicator species, and because they were able to survive in the tributary, that must mean that the water was of good quality. Because there was presence of indicator species, it can be assumed that the water of the tributary is relatively clean and free of pollutants, which means that the water quality is good. Not much can be said about temperature and wind trends because not enough data was able to be collected. Based on visual observations, it does not seem like eutrophication is happening, and the low chemical levels support this. There did not seem to be a large amount of plant life in the water, and there was a reasonable amount of indicator species. All in all, the water quality and the health of the Blackwater River was good.
    There are numerous ways that this experiment could have been improved. One thing could have created variations in the data would be that numerous people collected the chemical and invertebrate data. Different people could have used different methods to gather data. Because of this, the data that was collected may not be accurate. A way to fix this in the future would be to have one person collect all the data, or make sure that every person used to exact same method. Another thing that changed the study was that there were only 3 days where data was collected. If there had been more days to collect data, more data could be collected and the study would have been more accurate.



Satellite Images Copyright Google Maps

Franklin Wastewater Treatment Plant

Madison Powers
October 31, 2011
Franklin, New Hampshire
1:30 PM

      A quick bus ride to nearby Franklin brought my AP Environmental class to the Franklin Wastewater Treatment Plant today. We get off the bus to a relatively nice day, minus the 6 inches of snow on the ground, and are greeted by a man named Ken Noyes, the Chief Operator of the plant and employee for 22 years. My first impression of Noyes was that he was a man who worked hard and was passionate about his job. He was to be our tour guide for the rest of the afternoon.
       Ken began with a little background on the plant. The plant was built in 1979 on the Merrimack River, as a part of the Clean Water Act, a government effort to clean rivers and public water of waste. This act made it illegal for wastes to be dumped in rivers, which at the time, had been very common, for it was one of the easiest ways to get rid of waste. The Franklin area used to be very industrial, and there were many textile mills on the edges of the Pemigewasset and Winnipesaukee Rivers, both of which join to create the Merrimack, on which the plant is located. Many of these textile mills, Ken explained, used dyes to color their materials, and these dyes were disposed of in the rivers. Ken grew up in a near by town, and said, "I grew up in that area, where you couldn't swim or fish in the Winnipesaukee," due to their dirtiness. He remembers seeing pieces of toilet paper and feces floating down the river as a kid. People dumped everything in the river, and the Wastewater Treatment Plant was the solution to this problem.

The Head Works

      Ken brought us through the main building, showing us how a majority of the plant was controlled. A large majority of the plant was controlled by computer, and many of the pump stations along the rivers were controlled by that one computer, too. The program kept track of the pH of the water (which was 7.23 at the time), the number of gallons coming in a day (today it was around 6 million gallons),  the microorganisms in the tanks, how fast the water was flowing, etc. The computer could do it all. Ken remember back before the computer, when it used to take 3 or more people to respond to an alarm at a pump station 40 minutes away, and now it only takes a click of a button, and can be done at home on a laptop instead of having to go out at 1 in the morning, for example. Ken explained that there were 14 major pump stations in the area that he could control, and over 60 miles of sewage lines connecting all of the towns along the Pemigewasset and Winnipesaukee Rivers, which is quite a large area.
      Ken brought us outside to where the water flowed into the plant, an area known as the head works. The smell outside was pretty bad, a smell of septic and sewage, but as soon as we walked over the top of the hill at the head works, I gagged a little. It was extremely overpowering, and the closer I got to the waste water, the worse it got. Eventually my nose just shut down, but the smell still lingered. Ken introduced us to these two tanks with water flowing fairly quickly through them, known as the head works, where the preliminary treatment was done. In these tanks were two mechanical screens which removed a majority of the large debris. "Anything flushed down the toilet shows up here," Ken said. From McDonald's toys, to 2x4s, to $3000 cash, Ken has seen it all, though 90% of the debris is feminine products and toilet paper. Ken said that 99% of the substance that flows through the head works is water, the other 1% being the solids. Also, even though 6+ million gallons of water flow through the plant each day, 70% of the state's households don't send their waste water to the plant. Many of them have their own septic systems, which later are brought to the plant via truck.

      Our next stop was the primary clarifier, a massive round tank with two rotating rake arms used to remove the solids from the water. There was an upper and lower arm. The upper arm removed the floatable solids, which are solids that float on the surface of the water, for example kitchen grease. The lower arm removed the heavy solids, which are the solids that settle to the bottom. Another type of solid in the water are the dissolved solids, which are the hardest to get out of the water. These three types of solids make up the total suspended solids, or the TSS, which the state requires that the plant removes 85% of the TSS from the waste water. Ken also mentioned another important thing here, the biochemical oxygen demand of the water, or the BOD. Ken said the waste puts an oxygen demand on the river, and "It will deplete the oxygen from the river," because it chokes out the oxygen that organisms in the river need to live. Ken said that tests for BOD are not good because they take five days to do, and by then, the water will have already cycled through the plant. 40-45% of the BOD is usually removed from the water though, which is good.

      From here, Ken brought us to the aeration tanks, where oxygen and microorganisms are pumped into the water to aid in the cleaning process. Ken said, "We don't add any chemicals at all to remove the solids  and BOD, it's all natural." Microorganisms are used to treat the water, eating the solids in the water to dispose of them. Ken has the ability to build up the population of the microorganisms in the tank depending on how much TSS there is. Generally in the summer there is much more solid waste, so he needs more "bugs" to eat it, whereas in the winter, there is much less and the microorganisms are less active. Ken also said, "I smell the tanks and it tells me what the microorganisms are like. I can tell if something is wrong by the smell." He knows what good and what's bad by the smell of the tanks, though I'm not really sure what would be considered a good smell and a bad smell there, for they all smelled bad to me.

Empty Aeration Tank

      We passed by one of the empty aeration tanks on our way to our next stop, and Ken talked about the diffusers that supply oxygen. There were many in the bottom of the tanks, as we could see, and were vital in the removal of the solids. He also mentioned that TSS usually is at about 250 mg/L and BOD is between 200-225 mg/L, which makes the removal of it easier, but when there is a large amount of water coming into the plant, for example after a big rain storm, the levels drop to sub 100 g/L levels, which makes the removal harder, so he opens more tanks to make it more likely the solids are removed. We arrived at the secondary clarifier, which is the same as the first, but it catches anything that is missed. Here is where the microorganisms are pumped out. Ken goes through about 2,800 pounds of bugs a day, and they usually last for a 6 day cycle. From the secondary clarifier they are pumped back to the aeration tanks. We noticed some seagulls at the secondary clarifier and Ken mentioned that the tanks often attract turkey vultures, bald eagles, and ducks. He's seeing many of these animals more frequently, and said, "I've seen things in my adult life that I never saw growing up," meaning the increase in animal life.

Cleaner Water at the Secondary Clarifier

      The last step was the disinfection of the waste water before it could be put into the Merrimack. We made our way to a little building where the water is disinfected using both chlorine and UV light. The UV light zaps the water for 0.23 seconds, changing the DNA of the cells so that they are no longer capable of disease or reproduction. Ken showed us the lights, and the "mountain dew" water, the fluorescent green water that is seen under the lights. Chlorine is also used to disinfect, though it is much less efficient, for it takes 15 minutes for it to do it's job, uses a larger space, and can be more dangerous. A new UV facility was being built that would save the plant 40% on energy, would get rid of the chlorine method, and allow for 36 million gallons to be disinfected a day. This new building cost $4 million, whereas the whole plant cost $8 million back in 1979.

"Mountain Dew" Water

      Ken showed us the holding tanks for the solid wastes, and what it was turned into. Two types of microorganisms are used to get rid of the solid waste: acid formers and methane formers. The acid formers eat the sludge, forming acid, which the methane formers eat to form methane gas and residual sludge. The big red tanks were used to hold the methane. Ken said, "We heat the whole building with methane gas," which is why the area and the building had a funky smell. The bug tanks were also heated with this methane gas. The left over sludge can also be used for fertilizers, though the small traces of metal in it can be dangerous for people's health. Ken finished off by showing us the laboratory, where many tests are done on the waste water. The water is tested monthly for metals, such as copper, and annually tested for major pollutants. He said that the annual test includes tests for over 600 different pollutants. That's a lot to keep track of.

The Laboratory

       Overall, the Franklin Wastewater Treatment Plant was an excellent and eye opening experience. While it may have been a little bit smelly, the experience was worth it. I applaud Ken for his 22 years of service at what seems to be a tough job. He went from the bottom to the top, with all his hard work and long hours put in on the job and in school. His passion for the job and to improve the environment was inspiring. I had no idea that that much had to be done to sewage water to make it semi-clean again. It was interesting learning about how people in the past have ruined their water sources and created health issues/environmental issues because they were too lazy to dispose of their waste the right way. The plant plays a large part in the local rivers' ecosystems, and without it, the ecosystems may be in much worse shape than they are. The Franklin Wastewater Treatment Plant plays an important role in keep the environment clean and healthy.
   

Cane Toads

Madison Powers
October 18, 2011
6:00 PM

     For my APES class, we viewed a movie on cane toads this previous Tuesday night. I found the film to be a lot more interesting that I would've thought of a 1980s science movie.

     Cane Toads, a native species to Hawaii, were introduced to northern Australia in 1935, on the 22nd of June. The reason for this? Cane grubs were ravaging the sugar crop in Australia, which in turn, had a great impact on the world sugar market. A 1932 conference in Puerto Rico decided that the cane toads would be introduced on Australia to control the grub. 102 toads were captured and shipped to Australia from Hawaii and introduced in Queensland. Introduced into a local swamp, the toads were expected to grow in population quickly and help eliminate the grub. What followed was what no one could've predicted.
      What is unique about the cane toad is that the female can live up to 40,000 eggs, with up to 30,000 of them surviving. Within 4 to 5 weeks of hatching, these toads can move from the water to the land, which is very quick. One scientist said that the toads can lay eggs, "just about anywhere." As long as there is water, the toad can lay eggs. Because the toad can lay eggs anywhere and they get out of the water at a young age, their survival rate is greatly increased. This high survival rate and uncontrolled population growth had not been predicted, and by 1945, cane toads had become a very large problem.
     In 1945, a pesticide had been discovered for the sugar grubs, and the toads were no longer needed to control grub populations. By now, though, the toads had become and issue. A Queensland native said that, "We brought in this monstrous thing called a toad." The toad had spread much quicker and widely than they had expected it to, and there was no way of controlling it. It was now considered an invasive species. Most of the northern part of Australia was covered in them, and they were expected to spread even further, including down the east coast. Many ponds were just overflowing with the toad, an idea that I believe is pretty disgusting.

      One thing that really caught my attention was how much some Australians love and worship this animal. This one man, who seemed to be a little off his rocker, said that, "I definitely think they're a harmless animal and no one has anything to fear of them...They are a magnificent animal." This man and his wife seemed to worship the toad. He let them crawl all over him, left the light on in his yard so they could catch bugs that were attracted to it, and always was happy about these toads. He and his wife even left cat food out for the toads to eat. I was surprised that the entire time he was talking about them he didn't break out into tears. Another shocking piece of information about the toads was that some people keep the toads as pets. They dressed them up, made them beds, had tea parties for them, treating the cane toads as if they were dolls. One little girl, who had her own pet toad named Dairy Queen (not it's only name), said, "When I tickle his tummy, he really likes that." This girls seemed to be torturing the toad, manhandling it and squeezing it, but I guess it didn't mind. Another town debated putting up a statue of the toad to honor it. Honoring a toad that is destroying your ecosystems and overall is just a pest does not seem like a great idea to me. While it may have brought in tourists, a statue of an invasive toad isn't the right fit; there are much better ideas for a tribute. The people's worshiping of the toad definitely was shocking, yet interesting.
     I also enjoyed the segment on the cane toad poison. The toads can excrete a poison that can be deadly to predators and people alike, something that many people do not recognize. It was a bit gross when the scientist showed how the toxin was excreted, but still fascinating that an abundant and seamlessly harmless toad could be so dangerous. To go along with the toads poison, the film mention that the toxins in the toad could be used as a drug. A man appeared on the screen, whose face was hidden by shadows, smoking something, possibly part of the toad. Cane toads can be used as a drug, by boiling them in water and drinking the water. It is said to cause hallucinations, increase mental capacity, and create vivid colors. This drug is considered a Class 1 narcotic in Australia and is monitored by the police.

      There were many traits that made the cane toad an invasive species and unique. One was that this basically eats anything that moves and is smaller than it. It was even said to try to eat bouncing ping pong balls. The toad also has a very strong sex drive, and can produce a large number of offspring. This sex drive was displayed when a male toad was shown trying to mate with a squished female who had been baking on the road for a day. It's poison is also unique, because anything that tries to eat it is killed by the toxins. This essentially means that the toad has no predators, and is impossible to control. One man described the toads as an, "excellent invasion machine." They adapt well, eat anything, can live as long as water is present, and have excellent predator defenses. The cane toad is essentially unstoppable. One man says he, "can't see a simple way of stopping it." The toad is going to invade even more, destroying ecosystems and the food chain in those ecosystems. By the time the movie had been filmed, the toads had already destroyed most of the habitat they lived in and had heavily impacted the animals there. The toad was simply unstoppable and a serious threat.
      Reflecting back on the movie, it turned out a lot better than I had expected to be. It had a bit of humor and fun in parts, which made it a good watch. While I myself have never dealt with an invasive species, I got a pretty good feel from the movie on what it would be like to deal with one. I feel it would be extremely difficult and annoying at times to have a species like the cane toad around at all times, and constantly spreading. I also learned that invasive species can have a highly dangerous impact, and can potentially destroy entire ecosystems.
      The movie may have been close to 30 years old, but I still feel that the ideas present are still relevant. Invasive species are today still have a great impact on ecosystems all over the world. For example, milfoil, lampreys, and zebra mussels all greatly impact lakes, ponds and rivers in the US. We as humans must make better decisions, for the decision we make could end up damaging out ecosystems for years to come, possibly forever. The cane toads movie was funny and interesting, yet taught that invasive species are devastating and we as humans must be more careful on what we put into our ecosystems.

Images:
http://www.ntnews.com.au/images/uploadedfiles/editorial/pictures/2008/07/17/toad-vs-snake-1.jpg
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/c/c3/Bufo_marinus_australian_range.png/220px-Bufo_marinus_australian_range.png
http://fireflyforest.net/images/firefly/2006/July/cane-toad-4.jpg

Two Mountain Farm

Madison Powers
October 3rd, 2011
Two Mountain Farm
Andover, New Hampshire
Rainy, 11:55 AM

     With the last bits of pizza crust being finished, we arrived at Kat Darling's Two Mountain Farm on Shaw Hill Road in East Andover. I was no stranger to the area, having driven by Kat's farm numerous times with my mom on her way to pick up eggs at a farm down the road. Kat immediately greeted our APES class, who had just devoured a few pizzas, with a smiling face. Kat, originally from Andover and an alum of Proctor, gave us a little background. She had gone to college out west, received a degree in creative writing and environmental science, and came back to the east coast, not really imagining she would become a farmer. Kat has had her farm on Shaw Hill for 6 years since getting into farming. She grows crops for markets, and is a part of Community Supported Agriculture, where consumers invest in the farmer's crops, and in return, receive fresh crops throughout the growing season, giving them a "close interaction with the farmer," as Kat said.  The property is made up of a mixed environment - both open fields with crops planted and untouched forest, home animals such as bears and turkeys.

© Dan Yeo

   Kat started off our visit by explaining farming as a whole, giving us an understanding of what it really was. Kat has found farming to include a lot of problem solving. For example, she has to work with weather conditions such as the rain we faced during our trip, or her tractor breaking down, both of which may be inconvenient, but not impossible to work around. She also stated that farming is all about systems and, "It's not just about picking and growing and selling the crops, but its about dealing with the layers of systems." Farming is all about systems working together and against each other on the same plane. These systems include the weather (rain, wind, heat), the seasons, and the cycle of nutrients just to name a few. With these systems, Kat has been trying to, "create a growing environment that's integrated with the systems around it." She has done this by focusing on crops that can grow well here, and grow well with the surrounding area. For example, she said avocados would be a bad crop choice here due to improper climate. Crops such as flowers, tomatoes, and green mixes are better choices for New Hampshire.

© Dan Yeom

    Animals play a very large part in Kat's farm. 2 years ago, she decided to bring chickens onto the farm because they, "play an important role for the soil." Chickens, along with other animals such as horses and pigs, create waste that is full of nutrients. This waste can then be recycled back onto the fields, providing key nutrients for the soil, allowing crops to grow better. Big farms have to order very large amounts of synthetic manure, which is inefficient. Kat, on the other hand, has manure created on her farm, eliminating that cost. In the 2 years that she has had her chickens, they have created at least 6 inches of soil in one particular plot of the farm, which she hopes to eventually turn into an herb garden. Not only do the chickens provide manure, but they also provide eggs, eat bugs and the seeds of weeds, and also are "mini rototillers". Kat says, "Soil is the most important element" on a farm, and with Chickens providing nutrients constantly to the soil, they play a very important role on her farm.

     Kat took us on a tour of her greenhouses, of which she had two different types. We first viewed her traditional greenhouse, with windows south facing. Both her fields and her greenhouse faced south, because by facing this way, they received the most sun. Kat said, "As a grower, I want take as much advantage of the sun as I can." More sun means more energy for the crops, which in turn leads to greater production. The temperature inside her greenhouse was 68 degree Fahrenheit, significantly higher than the outside, and also very humid. Inside this greenhouse, there were large trays of seedlings, mainly consisting of lettuce mixes. We walked across her fields to another set of greenhouses, these ones called "hoop houses". These greenhouses were made of a metal frame, covered with plastic for insulation. They were unheated, with no furnaces, fans, or electricity. The sides on these greenhouses could be rolled up, allowing for air flow to pass over the crops, one of the key systems needed for growing. The building also collected the heat that the Earth naturally lets off, providing a warm environment for growing in the late fall and winter. They may be advantageous, but also have disadvantages, such as no air flow, and the crops are not affected by the natural cycles such as weather. Overall, the advantages outweigh the disadvantages, and the hoop houses are a valuable tool.

 
     A question was raised on if Kat planted the same crops in the hoop houses year after year, and Kat explained her crop rotation and reason for it. If you plant the same thing in the same soil over and over again, the nutrients will be depleted and eventually be degraded to a point where it is no longer good. The idea of planting different crops in the same patch of soil in different intervals of time, for example every other year, is called crop rotation. The rotation of crops no only saves the soil, but also gets rid of crop-specific diseases. Her hoop houses also allow Kat to plant warm and cold crops, or crops that grow better during certain parts of the year. She can plant what the people will buy, because the hoop houses allow for that versatility. This versatility brought up a key point: diversity. Kat has over 40 different crops on her farm. Kat likes to think of it like this: "Don't put all your eggs in the same basket." What she means is that by growing all the same thing, you are setting yourself up for failure. If you plant all one crop, the soil will be depleted, and no longer good for growing. Also, if your crops get a disease, they can be wiped out, which leads to a wasted investment. By growing numerous crops, Kat is protecting herself from failure. The best environments have diversity, and by having a large variety of crops, Kat is recreating this diversity.

     While attempting to wait out the rain, we looked around one of the hoop houses. This one was full of wildlife, including wasps, bumblebees, and sparrows. Many of these critters are key for pollination, but some of them can be pests, Kat said. Insects like Japanese beetles and tomato horn worms can cause issues. To regulate them, Kat integrated pest management, attacking the pests from many angles. If she notices insects on a set of plants, she usually counts them. If there are a small number of them, she lets them be, but notes they are there. When the insect population grows, there is a bigger problem. She either removes them by hand picking them off the plants and disposing of them, or sometimes she sprays the plants with chemicals. Kat says, " I aim to be an organic grower." She tries to follow the organic farmer regulations as best as she can, though sometimes situations are permitted when she cannot. Another way she helps keep out pests is with a plastic fabric called remay. This cloth is placed over the crops, still allowing for them to get light and air, but insects cannot bother the plants. It also helps in the retention of heat.

© Dan Yeom

     In our attempts to avoid the rain, we headed to another hoop house, this one full of a passing tomato crop. These tomatoes were small and orange in color. For the sake of the experience, I tried one of these tomatoes. While they were extremely sweet, the tomato taste overpowered it, and I wasn't really a fan. As we made our way through the greenhouse, we looked for the big and ugly tomato horn worms. Kat spotted two of them from the doorway as we were getting ready to exit. The class inspected them, some students with gross looks on their faces while others stared in awe. This pest, Kat decided, we would take to feed her chickens. We made our way across her fields, through the horse pen and mud, hoping the rain would hold off. Unfortunately, none of the chickens would take the bait of the disgusting worms, and it began to rain extremely hard. We quickly made our way back to the bus, thanked Kat for the experience, and departed back to school, with time to spare before the next class.

     As I reflected on our trip to Two Mountain Farm, I realized that there is a lot more to farming than someone might think. It isn't just about planting, maintaining, harvesting, and selling, as Kat said, but dealing with the challenges provided by the different systems working together. The job requires a lot of problem solving, and persevering through the challenges. Kat has more work then she has time for, but she still has to provide crops for people. Her passion for farming makes me appreciate farmers even more. There is a lot more to farming than meets the eye.
 
    I realize now that I am even more grateful of the local farmers that provide us with food. They're jobs are tough, and many factors, such as the different cycles and systems, make their jobs even harder so we can get our eggs or pumpkins or tomatoes. Kat puts a lot of time into the farm, like many small farmers, so that the community can get what they need. The farmer that my mother gets her eggs and milk from must do the same, to constantly provide. Their hard work usually goes unnoticed in the community, but I greatly appreciate what they do for the community.