Science Hurumanu: Recycling

Aim: To learn practical ways of recycling so that we can make our world a better place.

The Zero Waste Climate Solution movie

How can we prevent climate change by recycling these products?

Plastics: It prevents climate change by not using coal to burn and release Co2 (Carbon Dioxide).
Cycling or walking: This can prevent climate change by not using vehicles, such as cars. Cars releases smoke which is carbon dioxide. By cycling or walking it is much safer for the environment than cars. 
Paper: If we recycle paper it can still be used which means we don't have to cut trees down more ofter since we can use recycled paper than new ones. 
Steel: This can also prevent climate change by not using coal to burn and release Co2.

Video questions:

What is Zero Waste? One of the quickest and cheapest ways a community can immediately reduce climate change impact.

What can we do on the planet?

1.   Reduce
2.   Reuse 
3.   Redesign 
4.   Repair

What do we need to recycle? We need to recycle cans, bottles, paper, newspaper, cardboard, and electronics. We can also kind of recycle food scraps for composting. Share stuff.

What does recycling do? It reduces pollution, it prevents global warming and habitat destruction. 

How much of our rubbish is food scraps? The percentage of food scraps in our rubbish is 42%.

What does soil do to carbon dioxide in the atmosphere? It absorbs carbon emissions by 3x more than trees.

What do we need to do?

1. Make P____lant_____s. 
2. Have Zero _____Waste______

What is a carbon footprint?

How can you make your Carbon Footprint smaller?

ENERGY SAVING TIPS FILM

Name 4 of the tips.

1.   Walk instead of using cars if the destination is not that far. 
2.   Save electricity.
3.   Reuse
4.   Recycle.

My goals to make my carbon footprint smaller:

1.  Save electricity
2.  Reuse
3.  Recycle

AT WHAT RATES DO DIFFERENT ITEMS DECOMPOSE?

MY INVESTIGATION.

Choose 5 items from the list and investigate them. 

You need to answer three questions.

Name: Paper

1. How long do they take to decompose? They take up to 2 - 4 weeks to decompose
2. What resource/fossil fuel are they made from? Paper is made from wood which are from trees. 
3. How is this resource recycled? Paper is taken to a recycling plant where they can be recycled. The paper is washed with soapy water to remove the ink, staplers, and glue. 
4. How does this object contribute to climate change? Decomposition paper releases a gas called "methane", which is 84x heat-trapping than carbon dioxide. 

Name: Milk Carton

1. How long do they take to decompose? They take up to 5 years to decompose.
2. What resource/fossil fuel are they made from? They are made from paperboard coated with waterproof plastic. 
3. How is this resource recycled? They are separated from other types of paper and sent out to paper mills, which turns them into new products. 
4. How does this object contribute to climate change? They don't contribute to climate change. But the dairy cows and their manure produce gas emissions, which contribute to climate change.

Name: Plastic Bags 

1. How long do they take to decompose? They take up 10 - 20 years to decompose. 
2. What resource/fossil fuel are they made from? They are made from crude oil. 
3. How is this resource recycled?  They can be melted down and used to create new batches of plastic bags. 
4. How does this object contribute to climate change? The bigger the plastic the more gas it gives off. 

Name: Glass Bottles

1. How long do they take to decompose? They can probably decompose at 500 years or almost never.
2. What resource/fossil fuel are they made from? Glass is from a natural resource, which is silica and limestones. 
3. How is this resource recycled? Glass is sorted by colour and washed to remove any impurities. The glass will be then crushed and melted, and then be molded into new products.  
4. How does this object contribute to climate change? While recycling glass and get emitted during the production of glass. The materials can contribute to acidification. 

Name: Styrofoam

1. How long do they take to decompose? They can not decompose.
2. What resource/fossil fuel are they made from? Polystyrene is a type of plastic from non-renewable fossil fuels. 
3. How is this resource recycled? The styrofoam will be shredded into a conveyor belt into a machine. 
4. How does this object contribute to climate change? They don't contribute to climate change but they do release toxic chemicals into food. 

Effects that Climate Change has on Water Cycle!

TODAY YOU WILL BE INVESTIGATING THE EFFECTS THAT CLIMATE CHANGE HAS ON THE WATER CYCLE.

1. Using your SOLO hexagons poster write a paragraph about the different aspects of climate change.
2. Write about the following Climate Change concepts:

You can do these by powerpoint, embedding a movie, on your blog, on a doc or any other form of presentation. It is up to you.

ACIDIFICATION: HOW DOES CLIMATE CHANGE CONTRIBUTE TO THE ACIDIFICATION OF OUR OCEANS?

If it rains, the water is going will go to the ocean but since we have carbon dioxide the clouds are also absorbing the acid from the carbon dioxide. Which is making the water from the rain acidic. Ocean acidification is referring to the decreasing amount of pH in our oceans, which is making the sea more acidic than it was. About 30 percent of the c02 which is carbon dioxide is now absorbed by the oceans. 

Picture:

DEFORESTATION: HOW DOES DEFORESTATION AFFECT CLIMATE CHANGE?

Deforestation is when we chop or cut trres down. If we keep cutting or burning down trees, carbon dioxide will keep increasing because if we have fewer trees. There will be more carbon dioxide because there are fewer trees to absorb carbon dioxide. If we keep cutting trees it will also change the landscape and reflect of earth's surface.

Picture:

ICECAP MELT: HOW DOES ICECAP MELT AFFECT CLIMATE CHANGE?

The effects of climate change in the Arctic include rising air and water temperatures and loss of sea ice. Melting ice also increases warming, this is because they are a darker colour, for example a black car absorbs the heat making the car warmer than normal. A white for example is light and light can reflect light so it wont be that warm. Ocean and land absorb solar radiation and release the heat back to the athmosphere which also causes more global warming. 

Picture:

WATER VAPOUR: HOW DOES CLIMATE CHANGE CONTRIBUTE TO WATER VAPOUR AND EVAPORATION?

A larger amount of water vapour content in the athmosphere is reffering to a process. Warmer air are able to hold more moisture. As the climate warms our air tempature rises which means more evaporation is happening from water sources and land occurs. As a result increasing the athomosphere moisture content. 

Picture:

The Water Cycle!

AIM: TO LOOK AT THE WATER CYCLE AND HOW CLIMATE CHANGE IS AFFECTING IT.

Definition: We started on precipitation which is a product of condensation which makes evaporation leading to water vapor, it is related to freshwater and oceans. Since we have more carbon dioxide it produces more evaporation, water vapor, condensation, and precipitation which leads to more frequent storms, more powerful hurricanes, and lots of flooding.

Scientific words:

• Evaporation. When water is heated by radiant energy it turns into water vapor.
• Transpiration. Evaporation from plants.
• Condensation. When water vapor cools, molecules join together and form clouds.
• Precipitation. When clouds get heavy the waters falls as rain, sleet, hail, or snow.
• Acidification: the action or process of making or becoming acidic.

We will be conducting an experiment that looks at the different ways that climate change is affecting the water cycle.

THE WATER CYCLE EXPERIMENT

Bag 1: Normal Water cycle

Bag 2: Water cycle with CO2 added: like Oceans in climate change

Bag 3: Water cycle with ice added: like Antarctica in climate change

1. Material: Bag 1

   1.  Plastic Bag/ziplock bags.
   2.  Vivid Marker.
   3.  1 Cup.
   4.  Food Colouring.
   5.  Water.

   Steps:

   1.  Grab your plastic bag/ziplock bags.
   2.  Draw out the cycle like clouds, ocean, plants, and the rain. 
   3.  Label your drawings like condensation for the clouds, precipitation for the rain, etc. 
   4.  Put 1 cup of water inside your ziplock bag. 
   5.  Put 2 drops of blue food coloring. 
   6.  Place your ziplock bag where it can absorb sunlight, leave it for some days.

   Material: Bag 2

   1.  Plastic Bag/ziplock bags.
   2.  Vivid Marker.
   3.  1 Cup.
   4.  Food Colouring.
   5.  Soda Water
   6.  Litmus Paper

   Steps:

   1.  GRAB YOUR PLASTIC BAG/ZIPLOCK BAGS.
   2.  DRAW OUT THE CYCLE LIKE CLOUDS, OCEAN, PLANTS, AND THE RAIN. 
   3.  LABEL YOUR DRAWINGS LIKE CONDENSATION FOR THE CLOUDS, PRECIPITATION FOR THE RAIN, ETC. 
   4.  PUT 1 CUP OF SODA INSIDE YOUR ZIPLOCK BAG. 
   5.  PUT 2 DROPS OF BLUE FOOD COLORING. 
   6.  PLACE THE LITMUS PAPER INSIDE THE BAG TO THE LOCK ON THE BAG.
   7.  PLACE YOUR ZIPLOCK BAG WHERE IT CAN ABSORB SUNLIGHT, LEAVE IT FOR SOME DAYS.

Two Images:

Findings:

	The Water Cycle: Bag 1	CO2 Water Cycle: Bag 2 Acid	Desert Water Cycle Bag 3
Does it cycle?	Yes it does cycle	Yes it does cycle	Yes it does cycle
Amount of Water	2	2	2
Acidity	1	2	1

Key: Water acidity amount: 1 = none

2 = small drips

3 = large drips

Other comments:

• Water cycle bag 1: Cycled and had no acidity.
• Water cycle bag 2: Cycled and had small drips of acidity.
• Water cycle bag 3: Cycled and had no acidity.

Conclusion: 

All of the bags cycled properly and some of them were acidic and some weren't. Bag 1 cycled and had 2 amounts of water and wasn't acidic at all. Bag 2 cycled and 2 amounts of water and was acidic. Bag 3 cycled and had 2 amounts of water and wasn't acidic at all. 

At the start, I didn't know anything about the water cycle. Although since we have started learning about them, I now have a better understanding of what a water cycle is. Not only I have found out what a water cycle is. I also found new words that I didn't know what they meant. These words are Condensation, Precipitation, Acidification, and Evaporation. 

Draw a labeled diagram of the Water Cycle

Water cycle words:

1. Precipitation: It is any product that condensation produces.
2. Hurricanes: It is a tropical storm that is also a natural disaster, which brings heavy rain and strong winds. 
3. Storms: A storm is a violent disturbance that can transform into a hurricane when the closed circle becomes an eye.
4. Evaporation: A process of turning a liquid from vapor.
5. Carbon Dioxide: A gas that is produced by burning carbon or any organic compounds.
6. Water: Also known as H2o it is very important for every most living organism. 
7. Oceans: A body of water, that is almost covering up the whole planet. 
8. Water vapor: It is when water turns into a gas. 
9. Freshwater: Freshwater is not water that is from the sea.
10. Flooding: Another natural disaster that covers the land with a large amount of water.

SOLO Hexagons Activity

Water cycle words:

1. Precipitation
2. Hurricanes
3. Storms
4. Evaporation
5. Carbon Dioxide
6. Water
7. Oceans
8. Water vapor
9. Freshwater
10. Flooding

Things all of us can do to solve the global warming problem!

First of all, we can start with the 3 R's:

- Reduce

- Reuse

- Recycle

Reduce: Reduce is using less or making smaller, size or amount.

We can use to reduce the amount of pollution. Reduce carbon dioxide production, what I mean by that is we tend to use cars to get to our destination faster. Although cars use gas and releases smoke which is Co2 (Carbon Dioxide) which is not good for us because it traps the heat into our atmosphere. Making the environment much warmer than normal.

Instead of cars, we can use electric cars or bicycles! Bicycles are cheaper than cars, doesn't use gas as fuel, doesn't release carbon dioxide and it can also be good for going to your destination if it's not that far away. The only problem with this idea is bicycles have less protection than cars. So if an accident happens you won't have much protection using a bicycle.

Reuse: Reuse is using things that can be used again, an example of these can be a reusable bag, cups, straws, etc.

Recycle: Recycling is converting waste into a useable material. Such as carboard, paper, etc.

Puppets and Ventriloquism!

This week on Drama, we were making paper bag puppets. Unfortunately, we just got back from ESOL and we only had about 20 minutes of Drama. We only had this limited time because we were going to vs the New Brighton team for basketball. Although in our limited time, we still found out what we're going to do for the past few periods for this week. The aim was "How does eating healthy food help all 4 aspects of Hauora?" My group which was Axle, Lars and I.

The first aspect we did was Taha Tinana, which is (Physical Health). We chose this first because we think it is the easiest one to do first. Physical Health means eating healthy such as fruits and vegetables, exercising, which is making you more fit and active.

The second aspect is Taha Whanau, which is (Family). It is still like eating healthy foods, or sometimes not healthy. It is about eating with your Whanau, which makes a more substantial bond with your family.

The third aspect is Taha Hingeraro, which is (Mental Health). Is emotional, psychological and social well-being. It affects how we think, feel and act. It also relates to others, and how we make choices.

The last aspect is Taha Wairua, which is (Spiritual Health). It is a matter of involving values and beliefs that provide a purpose in our lives.

We talked about plans on how we were going to do a story and what characters we are going to make the puppets. Our idea was that we were going to make characters from anime, but we mixed them around. My idea was that I was going to make a puppet out of Kaneki which is from an anime called "Tokyo Ghoul". Lars's idea was he was going to make Gordon Ramsay, Axle's character is Vito Corleone from the God Father which is the movie. Anyways that's all we got up to for our 20 minutes of Drama. 

This is a picture of Axle's puppet:
Vito Corleone.

Solo Taxonomy!

1. Prestructural:

• No organisation.
• Unconnected ideas.

2. Unistructural:

• One idea.
• Shows connected thoughts.

3. Multi-structural: 

• 2 or 3 ideas.
• Some connectedness.

4. Relational:

• Make links to other concepts.

5. Abstract:

• Bringing your ideas into other concepts

Charlesworth Reserve Trip and Planting!

As you probably know I already posted a blog post about the history of Charlesworth Reserve, and what we are going to do there. The government wanted us to plant 1 billion trees by 2028. On July 3, 2019, we went to Charlesworth with Ts and Wh. We planted about 200 trees in total, but what it the reason for the government wanting us to plant 1 billion trees? We are doing this to improve our land productivity, reduce the effects of climate change by absorbing carbon dioxide. It can also improve our water quality, provide important habitats of a range of native species, and to enhance natural landscapes, etc.

The ranger at the Reserve was named Andrew, he taught us how to plant the native trees and what to not put in it. What I meant by that is there was also clay at the bottom, we were only supposed to be putting sand when we are planting them. While planting, there were also some holes on the ground, I wasn't sure what it was at first but then I spotted a crab go inside. The teachers also took some photos of us planting and eating our lunch. 

The ranger also told us more history about the area that I didn't know about. 

The history of the area where we planted the trees was supposed to be used for building a school. The school was for the people who were living in the mountains, but they were able to convince the people to make it a native area where the native birds can live. 

After we were done the planting we went back on the bus and went to Mitre 10. At the back of the building, there was a big field. Our aim for this one was to collect rubbish that we see and put it in our rubbish bags. We split our selves into groups and we collected rubbish.

Anyways that was our trip and I really enjoyed planting and I wish we could go back to see if the trees that we have planted grew.