Climate Info Fluency

Part 1:

Question: What can you do in your backyard to prevent climate change?

 

Solution 1. The first solution that I found for my question was to plant trees. As trees grow, they absorb lots of carbon and other harmful emissions. By having trees in your backyard not only would you make clean air for yourself and others, but you would be helping to prevent global warming. Research has shown that if we cover most areas worldwide where trees have all been cut down, we could theoretically, take two thirds of carbon and other emissions out of the atmosphere. They would obviously take their time to grow and pull their weight. However, in the long run they are definitely a good choice and a cheap choice as well. some of the native trees here are the Sitka spruce, Bigleaf maple, Oregon white oak and the Grand fir. Just by planting one or two of those trees in your backyard would be a great way to prevent climate change.

Solution 2. The second solution that I found was to plant other types of plants. There have been lots of studies done on different plants to see if they were good at absorbing emissions. A study done by Nasa has shown six prominent plants that can absorb up to 90% of emissions that are around them. they are the English ivy, Boston fern, Peace lily, Snake plant, Chinese evergreen, and the Gerbera daisy. All these plants absorb lots of emissions while not taking up too much room. However, three out of six of these plants are the best to plant because of how much they absorb for the area they take up. Those plants are the Snake plant, English ivy, and Gerbera daisy. Just by planting a few of these six plants would be a massive help, and since they don’t take up too, much room they are another great solution.

Solution 3. The final solution that I found was to reduce water waste in your backyard. Water is used in many industries to make products or to grow food or raise animals. By wasting water there will be a higher demand for it which results in more pollution and emissions going in the air so more of it can be distributed. That is why reducing water waste in our backyard is important, and for that I have a good solution. One simple way to reduce water waste is to just replace old sprinklers or get your sprinklers inspected. By having just one leak in a sprinkler, it can waste up to 27,000 liters of water a year which is a lot. By getting old sprinklers replaced or inspected you can save your water bill and the environment, which is a huge help for yourself and climate change. Of course, though there is an even simpler way to reduce water was and that is to not over water anything. It might sound silly but overwatering your backyard can be just as bad as leaks in sprinklers. The easiest way to stop this from happening is to get a landscape professional to look at your area and plan out an effective system for your specific place.

 

Conclusion:

Altogether those are the solutions that I managed to find for my inquiry question. By completing this assignment, it opened my eyes to all the ways that can make a difference in the fight against climate change. Because of that and all the new knowledge I got I am satisfied with the way my assignment went.

 

Part 2:

Question 1. Here are the sub questions I used and here are the answers that I got for them too.

1. By planting trees in your backyard will they absorb carbon at a fast-enough pace?
2. Are there any other plants that absorb large amounts of carbon?
3. How can I reduce water waste in my backyard?

 

1. Planting trees is a good and cheap way to prevent global warming. As trees grow, they absorb lots of carbon and other emissions in the air. Some estimates claim that by planting extra trees worldwide we could take up to, two thirds of the carbon and other emissions in the hair which Is amazing. Through research it is shown that by planting native species of trees in different areas throughout the globe, we could cover anywhere from 0-1.2tn off land. Some native tree species around here are the Sitka spruce, Grand fir, Bigleaf maple, and the Oregon white oak. Just by planting one or two of those trees in a backyard or around a house would be a great way, to prevent climate change.

 

2. There are many plants that have been studied to see if they can absorb large amounts of carbon and other harmful emissions. A study done by NASA has shown a group of plants that are specifically good for this job while not needing to take up too much space. There are six good ones to plant they are, the Boston fern, Peace lily, Snake plant, Chinese evergreen, English ivy, and the Gerbera Daisy. Some of these plants can soak up to 90% of emissions that are around them at any given time. There are three specific ones that are especially good, and they don’t take up too much room either. There is the Snake plant, English ivy, and Gerbera Daisy. While these plants aren’t that big for their size, they can absorb large amounts of emissions. Just by planting a few of these plants would help I the fight against climate change and they would make lots of fresh air for you to enjoy too.

 

3. Wasting water can have affects alongside climate change. Water is used in may steps in factories. By wasting water more and more is used to make consumer products resulting in lots of emissions going in the air. To produce food like meat and drinks like soda, lots of water is used to create those. An example is the farming industry is about 75% of water composition each day. Wasting water just leads to a higher demand for it, and that creates more emissions. If we wasted less water industries like farming wouldn’t have to use as much and there are a few ways to do exactly that. One very simple way is to make sure that your backyards sprinklers are effective and don’t have any leaks. By having just one leak in a sprinkler you can waste upwards of 27,000 liters of water a year, which is a lot. By just replacing old sprinklers or getting them inspected by a professional could help reduce water waste very well. The simplest way to reduce water waste of course though is to not overwater everything in your backyard or lawn. Overwatering can result I a lot of water waste, and he easiest way to sort it out is to get a landscape professional to look at your area and to find a good water system for your specific area.

 

Question 2. The digital tools that I used to research were Google, YouTube, and Duck Duck Go. A new digital tool that I used to research my top was Microsoft Edge.

 

Question 3. The Process I used to research my topic was to get a good question first. After I had a good question, I would research it using all the tools I knew how to use like Google or YouTube while using new ones like Edge. After I found information, I would check it to see if it was legitimate and then take notes. After doing all that I would start to make my rough draft and eventually my good copy to publish.

 

Question 4. The way I verified my information was through multiple steps. First, I would see what their motive was for passing out that knowledge. For example, were they using the article to sell merchandise or something like that? Next, I would see if there are any errors or things that are inconsistent throughout the article or whatever I was looking at. After that, I would use other sites to check the information, basically to see if it was agreed upon by other people too and not just that one site. If other sites or most sites didn’t say the same, it was probably opinion and not fact. Finally, I would check whoever made the information or passed it out to see if they were credible, I also did the same with the website it was on. That is how I verified the information that I found through my research.

 

Question 5. The process of completing this challenge went fairly well. Throughout the entire adventure I managed to follow the instructions strongly. The steps I had to follow were always an extra challenge. However, I always managed to come through in the end while still doing it to the best of my ability. There is one main thing I feel like I could have done better and that is when I was collecting my information. The notes that I took when researching were very sloppy. The notes were all over the place and they never really were organized well. That is what I would like to do better on next time.

 

Sites:

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2019/jul/04/planting-billions-trees-best-tackle-climate-crisis-scientists-canopy-emissions Damien Carrington – Thursday 4 July 2019

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lPNYdSZRSdg Video by YouTube channel Quartz – December 1, 2017

https://ntrs.nasa.gov/archive/nasa/casi.ntrs.nasa.gov/19930073077.pdf  NASA – John C. Stennis – September 15, 1989

https://www.loveyourlandscape.org/expert-advice/water-smart-landscaping/water-saving-tips/10-easy-ways-to-save-water-in-your-yard-and-garden/ National Association of Landscape Professionals

https://healthfully.com/effects-wasting-water-8441014.html Jack Powell – July 27, 2017