Urban Dog Parks

Urban Dog Parks have become extremely popular in the last decade. Urban dog parks provide an area for dog owners to bring their dog in order to allow them to roam freely.  Dogs have an enclosed space to exercise freely and socialize. Urban dog parks have become an essential in urban planning due to the rise in dog owners over the last decade. The use of dog parks, however, can and has become overused in congested areas.  Sustainability of dog parks relies on finding ways to conserve the park itself while allowing residents in the area to use it. Establishing rules to maintain the area is essential for the sustainability of the use of the park.

Community Gardens

Community Gardens have risen in number and use in the past few years.  Community gardens vary around the world, but usually provide a space for people from the neighborhood to grow small plots of vegetables and other plants.  They provide fresh produce and plants as well as allow residents to improve their community and connection to the environment.  Each is publicly owned by the government or a not for profit association so all residents of the area have access to it. They are also thought to help relieve climate change and increase the use of fresh produce in the home. 

Community gardens provide a sustainable source of both plants and natural produce.  It is important to have natural produce in all homes for a sustainable life.  In addition, being about to understand how to garden properly is a tool that all citizens need for a truly sustainable life.  Community Gardens also become important in helping absorb toxins that pollute largely urban communities. These gardens provide a sustainable alternative to buying fresh produces at the grocery store, and helping to reduce pollution. 

Global Climate Change

The Medieval Global Temperature Optimum or the Medieval Warm Period was time of warm climate in the North Atlantic Region from 950 to 1250 AD, affecting California, China and other areas.  Though this was a warm period, it cannot be compared to the warmth we see in present temperatures.
During this time there were severe droughts and rains in different parts of the globe creating. For some it created a difficulty in trying to produce crops and for others it allowed them to produce more crops.

Following this time, was the Little Ice Age, where cooler temperatures prevailed, from 1350 to 1850.  It was not a true ice age but was introduced as the term in scientific litterature by François E. Matthes.  It has been proposed to be caused by cyclical lows in solar radiation, heightened volcanic activity, changes in the ocean circulation, an inherent variability in climate, or decreases in population. 
During this time, much strife was caused. The Little Ice Age created many catastrophes leading to droughts, famines, epidemics and wars.These included the Great Famine, Black Death, Manchu Conquest of China, the Witch Hunts, The Thirteen Year's war, Rise of the Potato, The French Revolution and the Midwestern Population Expansion. 

Both of these periods have left some effects on the global climate change and have led to the results in weather we have today.

San Bernadino Air Quality Index

In looking at the map on the air quality index, I chose to look at San Bernadino County, California. The Banning-Airport located in Riverside is located in San Bernadino California.  Its Air Quality Index was at a high of 830 and the surrounding areas of Mira Loma -Van Buren (82), Rubidoux (70) and Riverside (57), all had fairly high Air Quality indexes as well.   With these 4 high indicators, I decided to research San Bernadino County.

San Bernadino happens to be the largest county in the United States. Being the largest county is already a major factor contributing to its poor air quality. Secondly, it contains eleven total airports two being commercial, one being cargo, and nine being general aviation airports. In addition, It contains over 14 hospitals and colleges or universities, as well as 1 military base, 1 air-force and 1 military training center. Each of these lets of green house gases leading to air pollution and a high air quality index. As you can see in the picture below, the high density and major amounts of air polluters, can create hazardous conditions and increase health side effects in the citizens around the area. San Bernadino has tried to institute air pollution controls and is continuing to try to do so. 

A Look at Lead (Pb)

Lead is a very interesting metal.  It is a very soft, ductile, highly malleable, blush- white lustrous metal, which is relatively poor at conducting electricity. In early centuries, lead was used by the Romans for drains for baths. It is now used in lead-acid batteries for cars, coloring element in ceramic glazes, organ pipes, computer and TV glass screens, sheeting, cables, solders, lead crystal glassware, ammunitions, bearings and as weight in sport equipment.

Pure native lead is rare to find in nature, it is usually found in ore with zinc, silver and copper. The main lead mineral, being mined in Australia, is Galena ( Pbs).  The main mining productions of lead are found in Australia (19%), the USA, China, Peru, and Canada.  Production of new lead per year comes to about 6 million tons out of the believed 85 million tons of workable reserves, but most lead is created by humans through car exhaust.  Lead is used in gasoline and then burned in car engines leading to lead salts of chorines bromines, and oxides to be created and released through the exhaust of cars. With that, Lead has become a pollution problem across the world.

Here is the Article I got my information from:
http://www.lenntech.com/periodic/elements/pb.htm

Here is a short video on the History of Lead:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bv8Zl5oh-9s

To understand how lead is made here is a quick video:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sHOp0e4p2DY


To understand the dangers of Lead mining:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s8hzua8ISuQ

Timeline

Below is my timeline and cultural events that coincide with the times listed. In case it is hard to see, here is the timeline 

    100,00 BC- Prehistoric Era

    1894 BC    Babylonia

    9,600-8,200 BC Early Farmers

    1,000 BC Phoenician Alphabet invented

    1191 BC Trojan War

    1300's Bubonic Plague

    1615 Trial of Galileo

    1804 Napoleon becomes Emperor in France

    1850 Little Ice Age

    1853-1856 Crimean War

    1859- Darwin Publishes On the Origin of Species

    1918- Spanish Flu

    The Roaring 20's

    1929- The Stock Market Crash - Led to Great Depression

    1940's- World War II

    1948- The State of Israel

    1967- Six Days War

    1955-1975- The Vietnam War

    1979- The Eradication of Small Pox

    1986 NASA's Challenger Explodes

In my opinion, these are large social, cultural, and scientific events that coincide and put these ages into perspective. For example, At the same time Plutonium, GFRP, and Actinides were being found, we were also fighting World War II.  I found it interesting to grasp the technological and scientific advances.

Nuclear Power Sustainability

    The sustainability of nuclear power began to be questioned in 2011 with the Fukushima Disaster in Japan.  On March 11, 2011 a 9.0 earthquake shook Japan and a few minutes later a 15 meter tsunami hit the shores of Japan.  In its path it hit the Fukushima Daiichi plant and three of the reactors were disabled when the power supply was cut and the cooling system failed to keep the nuclear reactors from letting off nuclear waste into the air. The nuclear gas, forced the government to call an immediate evacuation of the surrounding area. The plant continues to leak leaving those close to it exposed to radioactive material.
    The question this disaster proposed was whether nuclear energy could be a safe and sustainable energy source, especially in an area where natural disasters are prone to occur.