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Michelle's Earth Foundation NewsletterSummer 2011
Michelle's Earth Foundation,  P.O. Box 5140 Preston King Station, Arlington, Virginia 22205
Donations are possible through Facebook or by mail
Dear Friend of MEF,


 

 

 

 

H-B Woodlawn's Nathan Lyon is still cooking and promoting local foods. Back in 2008 he took on MEF's challenge to prepare a meal in FEBRUARY using only local foods found in the area's farmers' markets. The program was well attended and the result was outstanding.

 

Now Nathan Lyon is chef and co-host on 'Growing a Greener World' which airs on MPT2 at 1:30 pm weekdays.  

 

Thank you, Nathan, for all you do!

 
H-B's Elsie Gibson and Nicole Broder win MEF's Environmental Award

Nicole Broder, David Soles, Elsie Gibson & Jim Egenreider. Nicole and Elsie were MEF's Environmental Award winners at H-B Woodlawn this year.

Both Elsie and Nicole were selected by H-B teachers for their outstanding work determining if a fatal fungus infecting bat populations could be spread by human on caving expeditions. The fungus known as 'white nose syndrome' was discovered in 2006, and since then over one million bats representing 5 different species have perished. The fungus attacks the bat's muscle system during hibernation. Bats are critical for controlling insect populations and for pollinating plants.

After careful experimentation under the guidance of chemistry teacher David Soles it was determined that the fungus, geomyces destructans, could be spread on cavers' garments, headgear and shoes. Elsie and Nicole continued their study at the Virginia Junior Academy of Science.

Good luck Elsie at Harvey Mudd. Good luck Nicole at William and Mary.

View Elsie and Nicole's project abstract .

Herb garden planted in New Orleans by MEF for Ascension Episcopal
 


Sunflower bike handpainted for MEF by Jay Hudson of Cranky Style custom bike detailing.


Quiz

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Questions:

1: By when will the Federal Republic of Germany close all of its nuclear power plants?

2: During Prince Charles' U.S. visit in April, what DC urban farm did he visit?

Visit michellesearth.org for the answers!
LEARNING BY LISTENING

Passive Acoustic Monitoring in the Mexican Caribbean
by Heather Spence (www.heatherspence.net) 

 

Humans think visually. We are often unaware of sounds. Close your eyes, and pause to listen... What do you hear? Are the sounds made by people? Animals? Machines? Wind in leaves or rain on metal gutters? A whirring fan? Birds?  Once we focus on the sounds around us, we are aware that we hear them - and, most of the time, we can easily identify what they are. Even when we're not thinking about it, we rely on sound to tell us about our surroundings. The loudness and character of sounds helps us to assess a large crowd, or children in school. Hybrid cars are considered a potential threat because they can approach silently. The sound of our name can awake us from deep sleep.

Marine animals live in a world of sound. Underwater, sound waves travel four times faster than in air. Sound penetrates where light does not. So while sound is very important in terrestrial ecosystems, it is even more so in aquatic ecosystems. Receiving and sending sound is central to marine animals' survival. Whale calls resonate over vast areas of ocean, attracting mates from long distances. The crackling of snapping shrimp helps baby fish and lobsters find their way to coral reefs. Dolphins use echolocation to sonically 'see.' Marine animals use sound in many ways.

By listening to ecosystems, we can gather a lot of information. Once we learn to distinguish sounds appropriately, it can provide the necessary data for many assessments, including: species identification; animal behaviors; biodiversity; ecosystem health; anthropogenic influences; and weather pattern influences. Trends in ecosystems over time and space are contained in the records of sounds. In marine environments this is particularly valuable not only because of the ease of collection of comprehensive data but also because sound is the predominant indicator in the ocean.
Deployment team inspects potential deployment area

Passive Acoustic Monitoring (PAM) is a way of surveying an ecosystem, collecting information by listening. PAM has many advantages, especially that it is not disruptive to the ecosystem. Also it can be comprehensive and continuous - it is even effective at night and during storms. Also, it is relatively inexpensive. The Ecological Acoustic Recorder (EAR) was developed by NOAA and the University of Hawaii, in 2007. It is currently in use for PAM throughout the Pacific.
The EAR system for recording underwater sounds is deployed under water, and programmed to record samples at regular intervals. Batteries enable long-term operation of the equipment, though the EAR (currently) has to be retrieved to access the data.

MEF is sponsoring the first Marine PAM program in the Yucatan. I deployed the EAR near Isla Contoy in 2010 as a way to begin gathering data on marine ecosystems in the vicinity of the Meso-American Reef. Knowledge about these areas is crucial to making informed management decisions. Initially, this involves gathering baseline data as soon as possible. With adequate data, it will be possible to track changes and evaluate choices that affect sustainability. This project is a cooperative venture of Michelle's Earth Foundation, Project Domino, Universidad del Caribe, the Mexican National Parks office (CONANP), and others. Its long-term value is for base-line data and comparison. Additional ongoing support is essential.

Initial results indicate that dominant sounds at the Isla Contoy site are crustaceans and fish. Snapping Shrimp make a continuous crackling from many individual snaps. Recent studies have identified snapping shrimp sound as an important cue for larval recruitment, among other indicators of ecosystem health. Spiny lobsters make sporadic scratching. Fish make a variety of intermittent grunts, coos, and pulsed trills. The effect is similar to a forest full of birds. There are also sounds of weather - audible cues from rain and strong waves.

The data is analyzed and rendered visible as spectrogram graphs, created using sound analysis software. The spectrograms show frequency and intensity of sounds over time. Filters can be adjusted to make the signals of interest show up more clearly. This method is quite useful and easy to demonstrate the results, however it translates sound into visuals. Humans are visually oriented so this is easier for us. Ideally, it would be better if we could learn to listen analytically, and analyze sound as sound, without converting. Scientists don't even have appropriate language for this yet.

Ecological Acoustic Recorder being prepared for deployment

Whether analyzed aurally or visually, marine PAM can provide valuable information not accessible by any other means. It can be used to characterize ecosystems that support various species of interest, including Whale Sharks. It can, for instance, establish the ability to compare locations and evaluate where Whale Sharks or other species gather. EAR data can be linked with other research data - locally or globally - in order to find correlations, track changes, and make predictions.
 
If EAR data had been recorded before the Gulf Oil Spill in 2010, and during and after, we would have a valuable basis for understanding the effects of the event on marine ecosystems. The value is immeasurable, and the cost is low. Even if data is recorded now and analyzed in the future it is essential that baseline recordings be made, so that patterns and changes can be tracked over time.
 
Threats to the integrity of the resources and ecosystems of the Yucatan hit close to home - literally. First of all, it is not so far away - on the eastern edge of Mexico, Cancun is only 3 hours away by plane from Arlington, VA. The MesoAmerican Reef off the coast of the eastern Yucatan peninsula - the second largest reef in the world, second only to the great barrier reef - is our reef. A source of energy, nutrients, biodiversity and balance, Arlingtonians rely on the richness of the Mexican Caribbean in direct and indirect ways. Oceans do not recognize political boundaries. Our water is linked, physically, and through migrating animals.
 
Many people do not realize the close environmental connection we have with the Yucatan, and the importance of working together to find sustainable strategies. One way I am addressing this is by getting kids involved through Arlington and Cancun Schools Connecting for Environmental Education, another aspect of the work I do with MEF, where students from both places are exchanging experiences and ideas about respecting the environment, through videos, poetry and songs.
 
This marine PAM project in the Yucatan will be presented at the International Whale Shark Festival, Isla Mujeres, Mexico, on July 16 - just in time for World Listening Day on the 18th.
 
STAY TUNED! and please spread the word, and contact me with your questions and suggestions.

Contact information:
[email protected]
www.HeatherSpence.net

 

EAR innards being inspected
Yorktown Goes Green

by Stephanie Lewis



Stephanie Lewis
Green is the new black: it looks good on anything. And Yorktown High School (YHS) here in Arlington, Virginia, seems to have gotten the memo. After 60 years of existence, Yorktown's oldest buildings are finally getting a much-needed facelift, which will be both aesthetic and functional in nature. Its renovation will accommodate Arlington's growing population as well as update its facilities; but most importantly, it will place Yorktown in the forefront of green initiatives in Arlington, using energy and space more efficiently than ever before.

As a YHS alum, I am pleased to see it changing through the years to maintain its position as an example of an excellent academic institution. This excellence is now extended into reducing its impact on the environment, not only in how the final building will function, but also throughout the entire construction process.

That is to say, construction itself has gotten a whole lot greener. Materials from old buildings are no longer hauled away to be dumped into landfills; rather, they are sorted and ground up into separate piles (metals, rocks, concrete, etc), the vast majority of which are used in the new buildings on site.  According to Dot Green, a special project manager for YHS, approximately 95% of the old building materials will be reused in local projects, and the metals will be melted for reuse. Brad Herring, an on-site construction manager for Hess Construction & Engineering Services, notes another advantage of this new system: it is cost-effective.  He elaborates, "In other words, we are not only going through less effort by not hauling everything off site and new materials back on site; we are also paying less for it." Everyone wins. 

Lamentably, it is neither easy nor cheap to get the official green stamp of approval, known as LEED Certification. LEED, or Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, is an internationally recognized green building certification system. Developed by the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) in March 2000, LEED "provides building owners and operators with a framework for identifying and implementing practical and measurable green building design, construction, operations and maintenance solutions" (http://www.usgbc.org/). LEED points are awarded on a rigorous 100-point scale with different levels of certification, based on a building's potential sustainability. These certifications include a Platinum rating (80+ points); Gold (60-79 points); Silver (50-59 points); and finally, Certified (40-49 points). Yorktown's construction project is currently at a Gold Certification level, and project managers will continue to strive for the highest possible rating within budgeting and time constraints. 

 

There are nine key areas that LEED evaluates to determine a building's sustainability rating, including water efficiency, indoor environmental quality, materials and resources and innovation in design, among others. "We have the most possible points in water efficiency and innovation in design," explains Dot. A couple examples of Yorktown's water efficiency are the implementation of waterless urinals and a rainwater cistern that converts water runoff into water for flushing toilets. Thanks to information provided by architect Mary Rankin of Perkins Eastman | EE&K, we can compare the future YHS to a similarly-sized building with the same energy needs: Yorktown's newer green building will be using approximately 29.5% less interior light energy, 60.7% less heating energy, and 59.8% less cooling energy. Additionally, there will be a whopping 104.1% decrease in interior fan energy use, thanks to an innovative system using fan coil units. Similarly, a hot water reheat coil in the future Pool AC/dehumidification unit could save up to 60% on energy to heat the pool water. It looks like Yorktown's significantly diminished energy bills will make the rest of us green with envy!
 

A project as extensive as Yorktown's green overhaul is one that requires not only substantial time and money (the grand total cost is estimated to be upwards of $100 million), but also a healthy dose of patience. Just ask any of the project managers, administrators or students trying to utilize the building's constantly changing landscape in the interim. However, the end is in sight: the projected completion date is June 2013, whence a lucky few generations of students will get to break in the brand-new completed high school. Despite the formidable costs, tricky logistics, and immense time and energy required for this project, Yorktown shows us that some outcomes are worth the elbow grease. We could all follow in Yorktown's footsteps (or decreased carbon footprints!) by taking measures to decrease our own impact on the earth. We don't have to achieve LEED certifications for our homes to do this; we need only focus on ourselves, and the little habits we form every day to decrease our carbon footprints over time. After all, as MEF's simple mantra states: small actions = big changes.

-Special thanks to Dot Green, Mary Rankin, and Brad Herring for their assistance in putting together this article.

Remember to donate the extra produce from your gardens to local area food banks!

 

 






Special thanks to everyone who voted for the Saratoga Street Fruit Orchard!  Planting began last November on a lot that MEF has tested for lead and remediated with sunflowers.  It will represent a holistic approach to neighborhood revitalization. This orchard will bring fresh fruit to the neighborhood as well as teach local children the growing process.

 

Link for Times-Picayune Article