Alice Introduction

Hi my name is Alice Li. I am a rising senior at West Haven High School. This summer, I will be involved in the Environmental Leadership Internship Program. This is a great opportunity for me as I have always been interested in the science field from a really young age. I am particularly interested in Cellular and Molecular Biology and Microbiology. Recently, I learned about how much of an impact environment has on human health. There has been research that indicates a connection of what we are exposed to, such as harmful chemicals and carcinogens, and how our body responds to it. By studying the environment, these environmental-based diseases can be prevented and we can help produce a health-supportive community.

This summer, we are working on a project that tackles every aspect and disciplinary of environmental science. We are analyzing to see the correlation of mercury levels to the location in relation to power plants. Last year, a group of students found that mercury level is highest in locations closest to the power plants. This year, we are confirming the data found last year and we are going to further the study by analyzing the effect of mercury on marine life, particularly the fish. This is a huge issue today because it involves environmental justice. I was just reading an article about the concentration of power plants in minority and poor areas. The accumulation of mercury will lead to severe consequences such as disease and cancers which will affect more minorities than whites. Environmental science is a subject that should definitely be investigated and studied more, especially since it affects me and all the people around me worldwide. In the past, I never knew how important of a role environment plays in human health. In the future, I want to be able to investigate more environmental factors and prevent diseases. 

Aisha Sharhan (Lynne Bonnett)

Hi, my name is Aisha Sharhan and i am a raising senior at Co-op high school.

Lynne Bonnett article

•  fair haven communities with latino, black and immigrant residents cast fishing lines along the river downstream from the power plant.
• People of color are disproportionately harmed by neglected environmental issues. 
• Blacks and latinos are more likely than whites to live dangerously close to environmental hazards.
• While majority white, middle- income and wealthy communities enjoy relative insulation from the risks of living near hazardous facilities, a lack of political representation on environmental issues makes it more difficult for racial minorities in poorer neighborhoods to combat injustices
• how it doesn't matter what state you live in the least percentage of the population to live in chemically hazardous zones are whites.

Introducing Me!

Ashley Ceravone
Environmental Leaders
May 24th, 2016

To introduce myself: my name is Ashley Ceravone, I am a rising senior at Cooperative Arts and Humanities High School in New Haven Connecticut, and I am enrolled in the Evolutions Program at the Peabody Museum.  But, more importantly, I recently joined the Environmental Leaders internship for this summer with the Peabody.

When I joined EVO, I honestly had no interest in any science career.  Being a sophomore at a completely new school, (I had started my freshman year at Derby High School and got enrolled to attend Co-op my sophomore year) I had no idea what I wanted my future to look like.  Being immersed into a science based program that provided excellent resources (not to brag, but EVO's pretty amazing) guided me into an internship that just may lead me into a possible career.

When I found out about the Environmental Leaders internship, it immediately sparked my interest.  Not only over the course of my EVO years have I grown an interest to the topic, but, once I found out the interdisciplinary aspect of the research that involves politics, I knew this was right up my alley.

I have always been aware of social inequality; and taking an American Politics and Government AP class this year helped me narrow down my career path in politics.  But, what I never knew could have a correlation to politics is Environmental Science.  Not only am I grateful for my internship opportunity EVO has given me, I am excited to bring a topic that I love and a topic I am relatively new to, together to conduct research that can have an impact on not only my life, but the community in which I live in.

"Beyond Flint: Poor Blacks, Latinos Endure Oversized Burden Of America’s Industrial Waste And Hazards" Article and Discussion- Reflection

The article about which the B & P Fellows discussed during our last meeting really opened my eyes to the interconnectedness of a few of the issues we see in current news today.

 It is a known fact that often times, when it comes to living spaces in the U.S., racial minority groups are much more likely to be exposed to environmental hazards. A major example of this that is currently being highlighted in the news is the Flint water crisis. Flint officials, in an attempt to save funds, decided to begin drawing the town’s water supply from the Flint River, which was heavily contaminated and polluted. Prior to this, water had been coming from a supplier in Detroit who took the correct measures in ridding the water of contamination. This meant that for a long time, the town’s residents were drinking, bathing in, and cooking with water with dangerous levels of lead and E. coli.

A major aspect of the entire situation that really stood out to me was the fact that such an occurrence would never be seen in richer, suburban towns.   Looking into both the Flint crisis and the situation with the English Station right here in CT (and in fact, just minutes away from the Peabody) has introduced me to the phrase “environmental racism”, which is clearly present not only in these two areas but also in less-wealthy, urban communities all over the nation (whether or not it may be necessarily intentional). The worst part about it is the fact that no one really says anything about it until it is too late- Flint’s children and other residents are now suffering from hair loss, vision loss, depression, and a number of other complications. I believe that everyone is entitled to access to clean water, especially when they are paying monthly bills for it.

Similarly, the English Station has still not been cleaned up after many years, even though it has been named a brownfield site and is known to be contaminated with PCB’s, which cause cancer. We all  have schoolmates who live in the area, and knowing that the problem is so close to home is, needless to say, very worrying.  These two issues- the Flint Water Crisis and the failure to deal with the English Station- show that often times, the right voices aren’t being listened to by the right people.

One thing, however, that has been very inspiring to me is the role that young people have taken recently in speaking out against the issue. Social media is often times the biggest weapon that the youth can use to get our voices heard. All over the internet, you can see blogs being written, GoFundMe pages being started to raise money for Flint residents, and teens using sites such as Twitter and Facebook to voice their opinions. This has definitely opened the eyes of the people in charge, which shows that a difference actually can be made if enough people are encouraged to participate and speak out about the injustices we see around us. That is part of what we are here for; to educate the community on issues that many may not know about, so that the right actions can be taken to prevent or alleviate them.

Health Impacts of Mercury

Although mercury is a naturally occurring element that can be found in many forms in nature, it proves to be immensely detrimental to human health, even in small amounts.  According to the World Health Organization, mercury is one of the top ten chemicals of major public health concern due to its toxic effects on numerous body systems. Since mercury comes in many forms, there are multiple ways that we can be exposed. We are most commonly exposed to the compound methylmercury- what we ingest when eating seafood.

As a result of mercury exposure, fetuses are susceptible to developmental issues, which is why pregnant women are advised against eating fish and other forms of seafood.  If a pregnant woman were to ingest mercury, it could cause negative effects on their child’s neurological development. In addition, people who are regularly exposed to mercury (those who rely on fishing or people who are exposed for work reasons) are very likely to develop health problems as a result.

Mercury exposure can cause detriment to the nervous, immune, and digestive system, as well as kidneys and lungs. All of these health complications can prove to be fatal in the long term. Since mercury bioaccumulates like all other elements and compounds, it stays in our bodies and builds up the more we ingest or are exposed to mercury.  Some symptoms of mercury exposure include, but are not limited to: insomnia, loss of memory, headaches, and cognitive and motor dysfunction. 

Droughts and Global El Nino Events

The University of Montana has been researching global climate change. The research shows that there have been widespread increases in plant growth and evaporation due to recent global climate trends.  El Nino is a disruption of the ocean-atmosphere system in the tropical Pacific with important consequences for weather around the globe. The rise in evapotranspiration (the process by which water is transferred from the land to the atmosphere by evaporation from plants and soil) is increasing the risk of droughts with rising temperature trends, especially during periodic drought cycles that have been linked with strong El Nino events. The researchers have a long-term global satellite record of land evapotranspiration and use remote sensing satellite data. They predict that if these trends continue, it will likely exacerbate regional drought-induced disturbances, and even intensify it during dry climate phases associated with El Nino events.

Droughts are caused by a decreased amount of precipitation. This extreme lack of rain will cause regions around the world to slowly dry out. There are three different forms of droughts; Meteorological, Agricultural, and Hydrological. Meteorological Droughts refer to the degree of dryness. Agricultural refers to agricultural impacts. Throughout the duration of droughts, the weather is usually extremely hot. Droughts cause many complications varying upon deaths and economic issues.

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2015/11/151102184213.htm

The University of Montana. "Global connections between El Nino events, drought." ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 2 November 2015. <www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2015/11/151102184213.htm>.

What is climate change?

Scientists often discuss climate change and its seriousness. However, many people still do not understand its effects and importance on our world and what it exactly means for us. If the average global temperature changes even by 2 degrees fahrenheit it can result in a reduction in crops, an increase of flooding due to an increase in precipitation, a decrease in streamflow in some rivers. It has been mentioned  that average global temperatures have increased more than 1.4 degrees Fahrenheit over the last 100 years, and is expected to increase each year.

Many people, and even a small percentage of scientists do not think climate change is occurring. Data shows that there has been an increase of the average global temperature. Other observations include: warmer oceans, melting arctic sea ice and glaciers, sea level rise, increasing precipitation, and changing wind patterns, which are contributing factors to the increase of the average global temperature.

It is not too late to make an impact on future climate increase and change. In order for people to help eliminate climate change and make an impact they all need to compromise and make plans together. Government officials, activists, and educators need to find a way to work together to help end this environmental change that with effect the entire world.