Writings and videos about science activities with an emphasis on environmental science and energy measurement

Tree-Like Wind Energy Structure with Turbine "Leaves"

January 8, 2015
This tree-like structure produced in France replaces leaves with mini-turbines that produce electricity. It is quieter and more aesthetically pleasing than standard wind turbines. It also manages to generate electricity even when subjected to light breezes. I would think that this design is also much less likely to kill birds and bats. Maybe this information is not yet available. According to the designers, this "pays for itself" in only two years. I would be more satisfied knowing how much electricity this generates (per given wind speed) in comparison with the more standard wind turbine designs.

Posted by Antonio Chaves. Posted In : environmental news 

 

Floating Greenhouse Also Purifies Water

January 4, 2015
This floating greenhouse could make densely-populated port cities much more self-sufficient and sustainable. Using only energy from the sun, these hydroponic farms can purify all the water they need from bodies of water that are either to salty or polluted for human consumption. Given the high labor intensity of hydroponics, this innovation may not be cost-effective in the U.S., but it may work out in developing countries where labor costs are relatively low. Having experienced the pollution,...
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Posted by Antonio Chaves. Posted In : environmental news 

 

Dumpster House

January 1, 2015
While homes built from shipping containers have gotten much attention as a means for building sustainable housing, this house takes minimalism to its extreme. What makes this project particularly interesting is that it is being carried out not by an instructor or architecture or engineering, but someone who teaches environmental science. Having lived in Texas for over 10 years, I think he will have to put an open canopy over it during the summer to avoid getting cooked!

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Posted by Antonio Chaves. Posted In : environmental news 

 

Broken Ankle

December 28, 2014
I have not posted anything for a week because I broke my ankle last week while ice skating. Since I have to keep my left foot elevated, this limits the amount of time I can sit at the computer. Someone who saw me with crutches asked me if I had been "climbing trees". She was referring to this incident last spring. I never imagined ice skating could be riskier! 
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Posted by Antonio Chaves.

 

A Possible Substitute for Lithium

December 21, 2014
The central theme of this article is a new technology that improves the performance of lithium batteries. Unless you are in this field (I am not) you may struggle to understand the breakthrough the author is describing. I confess that I never really "got it", but what caught my attention was that this new process might allow for electric vehicle batteries that use sodium instead of lithium for their battery packs. This is very significant because lithium is a rare metal that must be imported ...
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Posted by Antonio Chaves. Posted In : environmental news 

 

Using a Multimeter to Measure Conductivity in a Water Sample

December 19, 2014
I just put out a new video showing an alternative means for measuring conductivity for those who do not have a conductivity meter. This procedure applies to Lab 1-4 (Solution Chemistry of Natural Waters). While making this video I first tried using a 9-volt battery to provide the current, but the amperage reading kept dropping. I learned later that this happens when the voltage drops. This is often a problem with zinc batteries that are not fresh. Only then I decided to switch to a lead acid ...
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Posted by Antonio Chaves. Posted In : lab procedure explanations 

 

American-made 84 mpg car that sells for less than $7000

December 17, 2014
The problem with hybrids and electric vehicles is that they are still very expensive to produce. This car from a new company called "Elio Motors" does not rely on government subsidies or tax rebates for its incredibly low price. The airplane cockpit design is for purposes of cutting down air resistance. From all appearances, this car only seats two, but given that the popular "Smart" car which gets less than 40 mpg and costs over $12,000, this car seems to be a much better deal.
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Posted by Antonio Chaves. Posted In : environmental news 

 

Cost Effectiveness of Photovoltaics

December 15, 2014
This TED Talk is not that new, and a bit longer than usual, but the speaker does a pretty good job of summarizing how to set up photovoltaics in your home. The main reason I am posting this is because, much like Lab 3-9 (Photovoltaic Cell Dynamics)  and this corresponding video, the speaker presents a calculation for how many years are needed for the photovoltaic panels to pay for themselves. He bases his calculation on the "cost per watt hour" of photovoltaics. My calculation is based on "co...
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Posted by Antonio Chaves. Posted In : environmental news 

 

Feed Conversion in Mealworms Video

December 13, 2014
I just put out a new video based on a procedure I included in the second edition. I first described how the idea for this procedure came about in this post back in July. The last portion of the video provides more equations than most instructors will need, but keep in mind that these videos are also for student use.
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Posted by Antonio Chaves. Posted In : lab procedure explanations 

 

Dose-Response to Carbon Dioxide

December 9, 2014
This semester I am not teaching environmental science, but for display purposes I have been setting up a few experiments. One which got a lot of attention at the booth I rented at the Pennsylvania Science Teacher Association conference last week was the algae culture I produced by applying different doses of carbon dioxide. Below are the I got after 3 and 8 weeks. The bottles in each picture are placed in order of decreasing doses of carbon dioxide (the last bottle on the right is the control...
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Posted by Antonio Chaves. Posted In : lab procedure explanations 

 
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About this blog

This blog was originally created in January 2013 to serve as a means for providing updates on science activities from the environmental science lab manual Ecology, Development, and Sustainability. I have now expanded its purpose to include other items of interest to science teachers. 

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