Think Globally Act Locally | The Power Of R

 
 
In many of my presentations I speak about the Great Pacific Garbage patch. Massive amounts of plastic find their way into our water ways on land, make their way to the seashore and eventually start spinning around in the ocean.  Plastic lasts forever because it is a synthetic material (man-made) that doesn't naturally occur in our environment. There is a big push from people who are aware of this problem to eliminate plastic from our lifestyles. This will take time but something you we can do today is eliminate our use of one-time use packaging and we can be a huge part of the solution to stop the flow of plastic into the ocean.

If you have to make a choice to purchase food in a glass container or in plastic packaging, always choose glass. Glass is made from melted sand and it is completely inert, which means there are no chemicals in glass that will hurt your body. Glass does not hurt the environment either. When glass breaks, it eventually turns back into sand. Sand is a natural part of our environment so there is no pollution.

To lower my ecological footprint I have been using recycled yogurt and margarine containers to carry my lunches in - things like sandwiches and carrot sticks, but I am making a permanent switch to glass. Pyrex glass containers are becoming more readily available and they are perfect for lunches and left overs. Thick, durable pyrex glass containers are heavier than plastic but you can feel good about knowing you are not eating any inorganic chemicals like Bisphenol A that may leach out of the plastic.

Plastic is made from oil that comes from the ground. Oil fuels our cars, and it can be used to create electricity but oil is a non-renewable resource that is clogging our atmosphere with greenhouse gasses. If we start using glass and porcelain instead of plastic again like humans have done through history for thousands of years, we can collectively slow the gasses in the atmosphere and stop plastic from ever getting into the ocean. That is a world that I would like to live in - plastic free and healthy for me, you, our families, friends and environment.
Add Comment
 
 
Picture

Watch the video first before you read this

Love Your Rain Drop

I've recently had the good fortune to produce a video about the Comox Valley Regional District's water system. The video personifies a rain drop as an average guy watering his lawn. The average guy just happens to be "The Murph" or as many people know him, Mr. Murphy from School District 71. Murph actually taught me way back when Courtenay Junior was in downtown Courtenay. We chose Celtic shirts for his wardrobe to represent (that's good luck) and my father in law donated his uber sleezy blue housecoat to complete the look. It was about 40lbs when it got wet so it really was like another character in the piece.

When I was writing the script and casting characters in my head Murph seemed like an obvious choice. My friend Kurt actually suggested him. I'm a big fan of Murph and so is everyone I know. He is a self proclaimed lawn freak, which makes him the perfect candidate for a rugged education in fresh water efficiency. Murph gets absolutely abused in this video but if it's any consolation we had a great time making it. I am really thankful for his help and his athletic ability.  He is the true Aquaman.

In the video Murph travels through the hydrological cycle from sky to sea in the Comox Valley visiting all the infrastructure that makes our fresh water possible.  I really pushed the envelope to get the shots I wanted and Murph was game the whole way. He didn't complain at all even after swimming multiple times in freezing cold water, nearly drowning after loosing his inner tube in the river and he even bordered on frostbite after losing his shoes in the snow. "I couldn't feel two of my toes for two weeks," he commented after with a smile on his face. What a guy. For the record this is my favorite kind of television production, right in the trench.

The Underwater Shot

Q&A with Murph

Zac - What was your favorite part of this experience?
Murph - the scene at Comox Lake - the long walk in and swimming over the camera - like Jaws - was 'cool' really cooooooool.

Zac- What did you learn about our water, yourself, etc.?
Murph - Lot's of things go on before we can get water. It is quite a process. Perhaps I'll think twice before watering my grass... Acting is fun - Zac you're a real pro!

Zac - What was the scariest part of this production and why?
Murph - When I lost the tube (inner tube) in the river. I thought about trying to get it back - but no way. I jumped off instead of riding it to the beach. I guess I was a chicken. hahaha

Zac - Has this project changed your perspective on how you use water - why or why not?
Murph - I will think twice about long showers, washing the car and truck... As well, I'll mentor kids and friends about the importance of water efficiency. This is an awesome experience - making a funny film about water efficiency. Thanks for including me.

Logistics on the Snowy Mountain

Mini Gallery

1 Comment
 
 
Picture
This  February and March I had the distinct pleasure of teaching an entire Social Studies 11 Environment Unit to Jouska Lockquell’s Mark R. Isfeld class. This experience was a real honour and thrill for me because I was able to work with youth for six consecutive classes and cover an intense survey of international, regional and local environmental issues involving solid waste, water and pesticides. By the end of the unit, we were taking individual action to better the planet in some way. There were letters written, phone calls made, projects planned and positive strides being made to heal the earth. The experience was amazing and I’m having a hard time finding the words to describe it. After looking over the feedback from the students, I think they say it best. Here are some comments.

“I thought your presentations were very effective and fascinating. There were many things that I learned that changed my point of view in many ways. The presentations definitely made me want to look at ways to make a change. I liked your sense of humour and the fact that you had everyone involved in the discussions.”

 “Your presentation has made me a bit of a paranoid angry mess, and I love that. I have never been so aware of what is going on around me. I have been recycling like mad, and spending my time more wisely. By that I mean not shopping when I’m bored or to make myself feel good. Thank you so much!!!”

“Your teaching style ensured that I will remember this for a long time.”

“I felt that your overall class lessons were superb.”

“I enjoyed the unit because it was presented in a way that made me understand. You definitely know how to get us thinking and get us excited to change something.”

“I enjoyed this unit immensely, thanks so much for coming! I quite enjoyed learning where my clothes were made and how I can shop smart and reduce cotton poison in India.”

“Thanks for sharing your knowledge and stories with us! I thought you did a great job sharing/showing all the different things that go on that we don’t know a lot about. I don’t really think there is much you could improve on. You were really easy to talk and listen to! It was really inspiring!”

“I really like how you could connect with us and keep us engaged. After your presentations I always feel like I have the power, and your personal experiences and movie clips you made showed me that everything is attainable.”

“You were really interesting; you have a good style of teaching.”

“I really enjoyed the story about the Air Jordans. It made me realize how even simple changes in our lifestyles can change the lives of people all around the world.”

“I very much enjoyed these presentations. Your passion is contagious, and many conversations with my friends have opened from the issues you raised in this unit. I can honestly say that I am more knowledgeable now…”  

Add Comment
 
 
Picture
Shannon Tran of Vanier Secondary wanted to do something special with her grade 8 math class the two days before final exams. So she called me up and we started designing a review package of algebra, rates and ratios, volumes, areas, fractions, percentages, integers, graph interpolation, and probability of events. I studied hydrology at BCIT and I was excited to actually put my education to work.

Ms. Tran and I designed a math review package that worked through the applied math in the Regional District’s hydrological cycle. Applied learning is the best way to learn and connecting math curriculum with the outside world is very valuable for the students. I love to bring our amazing and precious resources to life in the classroom.
Picture
Students calculated rainfall volumes over certain months of 2009, percentages of ground absorption, lake volumes using different prisms, fresh water usage fractions, fresh water intake rates, chlorination ratios, reservoir volumes, household use probabilities, and finally, backyard rain barrel volumes and projections. Each stage in the review had a lesson about our fresh water and carried the message of how valuable it is at every stage of the hydrological cycle.

Collecting and keeping water clean is a very expensive process. When we use water inefficiently, we need to spend more tax dollars to build reservoirs (millions of dollars), pump stations, and water treatment facilities. In the Comox and Strathcona Regional Districts we use extremely high volumes of fresh water in the driest summers… hmmm… Why, you ask? Because we’re crazy about watering our lawns, in fact, we use the most water per capita in the world… THE WORLD! If we have to be the best at something it would be better to be efficient and happy, right? A simple solution to the problem just takes a little bit of math.

To further the learning, the presentation has been offered as a cultural math activity to share with GP Vanier's partner school in India! This multicultural resource sharing is a very exciting component of the project. Lessons from India obviously demonstrate a much different picture of water use and efficiency. Implementing low-tech solutions from developing communities around the world is a great way for Canadians to be more efficient with our own fresh water.  One of those valuable technologies is as old as human history itself; the rain barrel.

Rain barrels that connect to your gutters are a great solution for garden watering. It rains on Central Vancouver Island approximately 3 meters every year – multiply that by the surface area of your home’s roof and voila, we’ve just calculated how much free water we can make. Now that we know what we’re missing out on, it’s time to take action. It only takes a little bit of math to see exactly how we can make the world a better place.
Add Comment