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Life of a Student at Tufts University
Archive for the 'Earth' Category
I wrote this last night on twitter:
My school isn’t doing anything for Earth Day, so I’m just going to say an announcement myself in the morning. What’ll they do to me?
Continuing the story of my lackluster high school, I was correct in lasts night’s assumption. Dover had nothing planned for Earth Day. I assume we’re one of the only high schools in the state that didn’t raise any consciousness about this very important topic. Arguably, and in my own personal belief, this is the most important issue my generation faces.
I’m in a position in Dover where I’m able to say the morning announcements on the Public Announcement system. I took full advantage this morning to raise some awareness about the Earth.
Good morning Dover Middle/High School. As you likely know, today is Earth Day… but are you doing anything about it?
Here are three simple things you can do to decrease your carbon dioxide emissions and help out with the climate crisis.
Change a light. Replacing one regular light bulb with a compact fluorescent will save 150 pounds of carbon dioxide a year.
Recycle. Recycle everything you can at home and never throw away a piece of paper at school. Remember, put your used paper in the recycling bins.
Turn stuff off. Simply turning off your TV or computer will save thousands of pounds of carbon dioxide a year. Use a sleep timer at night on your TV or shut your computer down at night. It’s not hard and it makes a difference.
Remember, this is the only planet we have. It’s up to our generation to ensure it’ll be habitable for our kids and other life on Earth. Are you up to the challenge?
That’s what the paper I wrote said, but I paraphrased it as I went along. Of course, no one called me on it. I find it somewhat sad that it takes a concerned student who is willing to break the rules to raise awareness about my generation’s most significant problem.
The closest thing to a recognition of Earth Day that Dover had today was trimming some trees around the school. The groundsmen left giant branches all over the campus. Lovely.
I’ve said it before – I routinely watch TED talks for knowledge and inspiration. Two that I watched very recently about the climate crisis toughed me, and I felt the need to share them.
It’s no secret: I’m a fan of Al Gore as an intellectual. I’ve watched An Inconvenient Truth and read The Assault on Reason (here’s my review) and think Gore is a decent man who wants to change the world in two central areas – the climate crisis and the democracy crisis. [Video]
I’d never heard of John Doerr before watching the very emotional speech on the climate crisis in 2007. He starts saying, “I don’t think we’re going to make it.” Find out why. [Video]
A reasonable argument to take action against global climate disruption:
Thoughts?
Not doing anything tomorrow? Why not play FreeRice and help feed some hungry people?
There’s a group on facebook called “Free Rice Challenge” that asks you to play FreeRice and post your totals on the group’s wall. They’ll then add up the totals and see just how much of that rice is coming from facebook members.
If you don’t know what FreeRice is, here’s what the BBC has to say:
An internet word game has generated enough rice to feed 50,000 people for one day, the UN’s World Food Programme (WFP) has said.
The game, FreeRice, tests the vocabulary of participants. For each click on a correct answer, the website donates money to buy 10 grains of rice.
Companies advertising on the website provide the money to the WFP to buy and distribute the rice.
FreeRice went online in early October and has now raised 1bn grains of rice.
That is enough rice to feed 50,000 people for one day, the WFP said on Friday.
‘Viral marketing’
The head of the WFP, Josette Sheeran, said: “FreeRice really hits home how the web can be harnessed to raise awareness and funds for he world’s number one emergency.”
She said word of the game has spread with the help of internet bloggers and websites like Facebook and YouTube.
“The site is a viral marketing success story.”
FreeRice is the invention of US online fundraising pioneer John Breen.
I maintain that FreeRice is a genius idea. You boost your vocabulary, and someone gets to eat. Brilliant.
I found the best website on Earth today. It’s a site called FreeRice, where you’re able to practice vocabulary while being altruistic. You’re presented with a word and four possible definitions, and you’re asked to pick which one is correct. For each word you get right, FreeRice donates ten grains of rice to the hungry. Amazing, right?
There are fifty levels of vocabulary in total. For each word you get wrong, you move down a level, and for every correct three in a row, you move up a level. According to their FAQ:
This one-to-three ratio is best for keeping you at the “outer fringe” of your vocabulary, where learning can take place.
I am so angry that I didn’t have this website a year, or even a month, ago. It’s a spectacular, entertaining, and righteous way to prepare for the SAT. Pretty cool, huh?