EarthScope Media is teaming up again this winter
with Ms. Bruno's class at Tamalpais High School in Mill Valley. 25
students recently joins a field trip to
The California Academy of Sciences in San Francisco where they learned about Ocean Acidification
and sustainable building practices.
Matthew Tucker, a
Public Programs Presenter at the academy, explained how important the
planet's oceans are to our habitat on land. Tucker described how CO2
emissions enter ocean water making it more acidic and harmful to shell
fish. Tucker said small habit changes could make a big difference in the
amount of carbon emissions, "If everyone in the U.S. did laundry with
cold water instead of warm water, 30 million tons of CO2 would be
eliminated each year. That's the equivalent of taking 5 million cars off
the road!"
Aaron Pope, Manager of Sustainability Programs
at the California Academy, Told students about the importance of
building sustainably and smart. Weather stations atop the building's
living roof help gather information about which windows in the building
need to be opened or closed, providing a more natural air conditioning.
"The key," Pope said, "is to figure out what works well in terms of
lessening out impact on resources and reduce out carbon footprint and
pass that information along to others. We have thought very carefully
about to build this building as efficiently as possible."
The
students were impressed with their visit. Sophomore Usama Azam said "I
didn't know you could heat and cool a building like that." While junior
Fitri Sakwan enjoyed the academy's rain forest exhibit, "I liked getting to see and take pictures of the really big snakes."
The students will write blogs and produce radio programs for
KALW in San Francisco, and
KWMR in Marin County.
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