Activity 2.1

 

             Atmosphere: Reduce Northwest Vista College’s Greenhouse Gas Emissions

      Problem

The problem we have with our greenhouse gas emissions I believe is our over all energy use. Naturally any learning facility will use a large amount of electricity due to the number of classrooms and resources needed in those classrooms. Rather than many classrooms using the natural light available to them they choose to also turn on these florescent lights. Green America states that “they waste about half of the energy they produce.” Why would you continue to use a product that one, harms the environment and two, you are not getting the best quality.

Investigation

As the principal student science advisor to the committee, the practical options I have discovered upon looking at my surroundings on the typical day to help our college’s net emissions of green house gas are cutting down on electricity usage via ensuring the use of LED bulbs in all classrooms, the implementation of solar energy as well as the potential use of light timers.

Explanations and Designing Solutions

What I recommend for immediate implementation is light timers. These could be used to automatically switch off computers after a set period of time thus reducing electricity.  Sitting in class I noticed the large amount of florescent lighting there was even in one classroom despite the large amount of natural lighting. In my personal opinion I prefer natural lighting to the harsh fluorescents. I also suggest as a temporary solution is turning off what lights that we are able to and using natural lighting or the use of LEDs. For a long-term solution, I would further recommend the use of solar energy.

Data Analysis and Interpretation

Let’s look at approximately how much gas emissions come from one classroom per day, each classroom has approximately 36 light bulbs, with approximately two classes per day. If we take the Centre for Science and Environment’s approximation for a single CFL’s carbon emissions for a single hour, 16 grams and multiply that by the number of bulbs per classroom, 36 we will get the number of carbon emissions for one classroom for one hour. Which gives us 576 lbs. of carbon emissions. If we multiply that by two for the two one-hour classes a day we will have had a 1,152 lbs. of CO2 emissions per day for a single classroom. That is 5,760 for a Monday through Friday week.

By making the switch to LEDs alone we will have reduced our greenhouse gas emissions by 5,760 per week. We will also save on energy cost, and it will create a more comfortable environment for both teachers and students as fluorescent bulbs can cause ocular migraines according to cultureofhealthequity.org.

I believe that with making these switches we will set into motion students and staff moving towards a more proactive approach towards preserving our environment. Once we get the ball rolling, I believe that our school will be able to make a real impact and possibly even influence other schools into do the same. Change starts with us, from recycling, to cutting our water usage, and even switch out our light bulbs.

 

Why schools need to look at their own carbon footprint. Harvard Graduate School of Education. (2021, November 1). Retrieved September 7, 2022, from https://www.gse.harvard.edu/news/uk/21/11/why-schools-need-look-their-own-carbon-footprint#:~:text=Cut%20down%20on%20energy%20usage&text=Schools%20have%20the%20power%20to,Think%20about%20the%20economic%20advantages.

              

Compact Fluorescent Lamp (CFL)? Centre for Science and Environment. (n.d.). Retrieved September 8, 2022, from https://www.cseindia.org/compact-fluorescent-lamp-cfl-2299#:~:text=While%20a%2060%20W%20incandescent,emits%20only%2016%20g%2Fhr.

 

CFL vs. LED lights: Which is the energy efficient light bulb? Green America. (n.d.). Retrieved September 8, 2022, from https://www.greenamerica.org/green-living/cfls-vs-leds-better-bulbs

 

CFL vs. LED lights: Which is the energy efficient light bulb? Green America. (n.d.). Retrieved September 8, 2022, from https://www.greenamerica.org/green-living/cfls-vs-leds-better-bulbs

 

Morris, A. E., & Morris, E. (n.d.). Can fluorescent lights cause ocular migraines? cultureofhealthequityorg. Retrieved September 8, 2022, from https://cultureofhealthequity.org/can-fluorescent-lights-cause-ocular-migraines/