IVI Tour

Today, our club met at the International Vaccine Institute branch in Seoul, where IVI first started. It is a non-profit organization where vaccines are developed and delivered to developing countries in order to prevent the spread of diseases. We were lucky enough to get a tour and learned the purposes and the goals of IVI. In relation to our club, IVI focuses a lot on preventing the spread of diseases from water sources since diseases such as cholera are prevalent in developing countries. We believed that our short experience at IVI could teach us the detrimental and far-reaching effects that contaminated water can have on human health as well. Thus, it is all the more imperative for our club to focus on water filtration and the cleanliness of water as well. 

Overall, it was an unique experience because IVI is an exemplary organization that supports those that are in need and those that are incapable of helping themselves. 

Christmas for Cherry

      As a club, we were glad that Cherry and her students could celebrate Christmas with the gifts our club had fundraised for. Last summer in Manila, we gave the kids simple notebooks and utensils in order to provide the basic school supplies. Then, they gratefully received the materials and we also learned a lot from the experience. It is also a privilege that our club was able to give gifts, especially during the holiday season. Hopefully, the kids were also glad to receive these Christmas gifts.

More Donations Towards Cherry

     Other than the donation for the renovation of Cherry's school, the Ecosave Club has continued to fundraise money to help out Cherry.

     Recently, the Ecosave Club fundraised money from a bazaar and donated it to the Open Hands Organization. With the help of our donation, the Open Hands bought school supplies such as pencils, crayons, and notebooks for 100 Philippine kids. Furthermore, they visited the children in person to hand out the gifts.

     In addition, with the leftover money, we were able to renovate Cherry's house. Cherry's house was deeply in need of a proper roof, floor, and a bathroom, so over the summer, the Open Hands helped Cherry's house to be reconstructed. It was great to see a proper house being made, and Cherry's family loved their new house.

     It was very heartwarming to hear the news that small improvements were happening for Cherry's family and the children in Phillippine by our small donations. We look forward to more donations that will help the education of these children.

Donation to the Open Hands Organization

School supplies for the Philippine kids

Children that received the supplies.

Cherry's house before the construction

Cherry's house after the construction

Cherry's School Improved and Renovated

    Ecosave and Open Hands have been actively cooperating in the attempt to help Cherry educate the kids in Manila who aren't able to go to school. Over the past few months, we have been constantly fundraising and holding service activities with the purpose of improving Cherry's teaching environment. Recently, Open Hands, the non-profit environmental organization, traveled to the Philippines to help build a better learning environment for Cherry and the kids.

    This service action was a difficult but meaningful process for both Cherry, the children, and the Open Hands team. In the past, the learning environment consisted of a messy dirt ground and temporary ceiling that made it impossible to teach in harsh weather conditions. So, the Open Hands service group replaced the dirt ground with clean cement that was a much more ideal environment. In addition, they built walls and a sturdy ceiling that made it possible for Cherry to hold her classes even during rainy weathers.
    The ecosave group was not able to participate in this renovating process because all of the members had to attend school. Nonetheless, we are very glad to hear that the children are now able to study under a better learning environment and we hope to interact with the kids in the future.

                                         -The previous place that Cherry taught the kids.



 

-The process of renovating



 

- The newly renovated place

 

 

Finland - "Let's Eat Crickets"

On September 20, 2017, the Finnish Agriculture Ministry opened the doors for the cultivation and selling of insects as food products. They stated that they will ensure that “the final products are safe for consumers” and that “Evira will provide instructions for producers and regulators.” 

Researchers from the University of Turku of Finland first started researching about edible insects in the country. Though not a widely known topic, they believed that insects would be the perfect answer in case of a mass food crisis. Their research has finally brought the country to the world of edible insects. 

Even before the 20th of September, people have shown interest in the consumption of insects. In November of every year, a start-up festival is held in Helsinki, Finland. For the past few festivals, there has been a growing trend of utilizing insects as food - more start ups with edible insect cookies and meatballs. 

The future looks bright for the new food business in Finland. According to a survey conducted by the University of Turku, one-third of the people have already eaten an insect in some form before and 50% have thoughts on eating some kind of food with insects in the near future. The most popular insects in the country are crickets and mealworms. These eco-friendly, sustainable, and high protein creatures will soon prove to be the most used ingredient in meals and possibly the most eaten snack for Finnish children. 

By Soo Lee

Fundraising for Cherry

On September 17th, we went out on the streets of Itaewon for a small fundraising event for Cherry. Here are some pictures of us selling goods to promote our club and raise awareness. Even though our profit wasn't big, it was still very meaningful to talk to strangers about what we are doing in our club. 

Environmental Problems of Acid Rain

  Currently, there is a critical global crisis that is negatively affecting both people and the environment as a whole. Acid rain is one of the big problems that make this global crisis. Acid rain refers to rainwater with a lower acidity than pH 5.6. Since the pure water is neutral, the pH is 7, but the natural rainwater contains carbon dioxide in the atmosphere and the pH is 5.6. Therefore, when the natural pH is lower than 5.6, it is called acid rain. Acid rain is any form of precipitation that contains high levels of nitric and sulfuric acids. As a result, acid rain can occur in forms other than rain such as snow, fog, etc. Acid rain is a dilemma all around the globe but there are certain regions where this precipitation is more critical. The cause of acid rain is caused by the discharge of acidic air pollutants such as sulfur dioxide gas. In other words, acid rain is one of the important air pollution phenomena such as fine dust, ozone and so on.As factories and automobiles emit nitrogen and sulfur into the air, it causes a chemical reaction high up into the atmosphere. Those chemicals mix with water and oxygen which generates acid rain. Thus, the cause of acid rain is due to manmade sources. 

    This problem is a global issue that affects all the regions on Earth. This is because no matter where the acid rain forms, the water cycle moves the pollution around and spread the acid rain to different locations. Although the problem is not severe yet, it is a growing concern that we should definitely be aware of. As air pollution increases, acid rain increases as well which obviously means the amount of acid rain is escalating. This is definitely problematic because acid rain does a lot of harm to many different things and places. First of all, it damages the aquatic environment. Acid rain always reaches the water source either directly, by flowing down a forest, etc. When this happens, the pH level or the level of acid significantly decreases. This is dangerous because fish need a particular level of pH in order to survive. The impact of pH level is that it makes it impossible for fish eggs to hatch and it also kills adult fish. Therefore, acid rain has a colossal influence on aquatic life. Secondly, it abuses forests and trees in particular. Acid rain breaks down the tree’s defense which causes it to be more vulnerable to diseases, extreme weather, and insects that can destroy the trees. Next, it also has a big impact on architecture, especially buildings. When acid rain makes contact with buildings, especially those made out of limestone, it makes the buildings weaker and easier to decay. This is the same for others such as airplanes, cars, bridges, etc. Lastly, it affects people in the way that it deteriorates people’s vision and it can cause problems in their lungs and hearts in the long term. Despite these destructive effects of acid rain, fortunately there are many places around the world trying to diminish this issue. Governments are cleaning industry smokestacks and trying to find alternate fuel sources to decrease the pollution resulting in acid rain. In addition, the EPA’s Acid Rain Program has been putting a limit to the emission of sulfur dioxide by putting a cap on the use of power plants. Overall, the issue is not good but there are many people that are trying help decrease the problem.

  In order to reverse the problem, the only thing we can do is curbing the release of the pollution that is causing acid rain. This goes like a solution to the air pollution problem. The best thing we can do is to burn less fossil fuel. Therefore, we need to find alternative energy sources to utilize instead of fossil fuel. In addition, to limit acid rain, it is important to clean up exhaust pipes and smoke stacks. However, not only certain people have the ability to do this but everyone can contribute to stopping acid rain. The most important thing is to conserve energy and everyone can do this. For example, using less electronics, lights, air conditioning, etc. can all help decrease air pollution. Another way to help is by driving less and using public transportation. Cars and trucks all release lots of nitrogen oxide which is a factor that causes acid rain. Although these are really little things, it can add up to make a huge difference in society. Currently, there are many things that are being done in order to raise awareness of this detrimental situation. For example, commercials, ads, newspapers, and many other things are being released into the internet. All of these are all contributing to raise awareness. Something that can be done even more to help the situation is sharing this problem in social media.

By Justin Chung

Pesticides Threaten Bee Populations

Neonicotinoids have greatly impacted the way we use pesticides to protect our crops. Instead of spraying fields with pesticides, seeds of crops are coated with chemicals and this protects the crops as they grow, from insect pests. However, recently, an extensive study on a vast scale spanning 2000 hectares reveals that neonic pesticides are harming bees. Researchers have found that exposure to the chemicals made honeybees less likely to survive over the winter, while solitary bees struggled to produce queens.

Because of concerns about the negative impact on bees, neonicotinoids have been under temporary ban in Europe since 2013. According to BBC, the European Commission is working on a new draft proposal to further restrict the use of neonicotinoids. But, scientists worry that such restrictions have left crops vulnerable to pests and the alternatives to neonicotinoids may be even more damaging to the bee populations. Prof Richard Pywell, from the Centre for Ecology and Hydrology in Oxfordshire, said: "Our findings are a cause for serious concern. This is important because many crops globally are insect pollinated and without pollinators we would struggle to produce some foods."

Open Hands service trip to Manila

These are some of the photos of our activities from our service trip to Manila. From playing basketball with the kids to dancing with them, it was an unique experience to see how their life differed from ours. Hopefully, these kids will benefit from our aid and and the resources that we provided for them. 

Interview with Cherry

 

 

 

Open Hands Service Trip Day 2 (June 19)

     From nine in the morning to six in the afternoon, our schedule was packed. Our first destination, where we would spend the majority of the day, was a small village called Apia. As soon as we arrived, we were given the task to make bread. We all thought making bread would be busy, as it only involved a single step of rolling the dough into a circle. However, we struggled with shaping the dough, even the mothers. After a while, some of us got the hang of it and although our muscles started to ache, we continued to give our best, thinking about the smiles on the children who would eat the bread. We made approximately 200 servings of bread, which we later served to the village kids.

     Before lunch, we still had two tasks to complete. First, we had to help clean the filters that were part of the water kits made by Open Hands. The water kits were previously installed by Open Hands before our trip, so our mission was to clean out the filter. We stopped by two houses and efficiently cleaned the filters by using a syringe and made sure that the drinking water was safe. Our second task was to help explain and give 'Lumir K' lamps to the village people. This lamp is generated solely through oil, preferably kerosene, and is extremely useful to villages without electricity. 

     

     After lunch, we played with the village children. We taught them the song and dance from Day 1, played Duck Duck Goose and Jenga, had conversations, and ended with handing out bubbles. During this time, we were simply glad to be able to be part of their lives, even if it was only for an hour. 

     We said our goodbye's to the children in Apia Village and drove to our last destination of the day and entire trip, Bangyat Village. At this village, we taught several kids how to play basketball and helped out with feeding. Again, we poured porridge into small bowls and gave out pieces of candy. 

  

     Although we were exhausted by the end of the trip because of our busy schedule, we were all glad that we could help the different villages and was overall, a humbling experience. We walked away from the villages blessed by the love and genuine joy shown by the children and although the trip only lasted two days, it was truly an unforgettable two days. From what we experienced and witnessed, the Ecosave Club wishes to help these environmentally polluted areas and underprivileged children by raising funds back in South Korea. 

By Soo Lee

Open Hands Service Trip Day 1

    We have actively been sponsoring Open Hands and through them, we were introduced to Cherry and her difficulties of teaching in such an underprivileged environment. After hearing her story, four members of the Ecosave Club - Soo Lee, Daniel Kim, Justin Chung, Cindy Kim - traveled to the Philippines full of excitement, ready to serve the community and help Cherry.

    First, we went to Cherry's village and watched her teach math to the local children. The children, around 60 of them, were chaotic yet eager to learn. Following Cherry's math lesson, we taught a simple dance and thankfully, each and every one of the children were jumping up and down and having fun. We also handed out bubbles for the children to play with. To provide the children a better learning environment, we gave out school supplies such as whiteboards, notebooks, pens, pencils, and crayons. By the time we were done handing out the materials, everyone was hungry and it was time for feeding. We helped out by pouring porridge into small bowls and filled up their stomachs. 

  Then we drove down to Cherry's house and met a few other kids. She talked about how she was struggling to properly educate the underprivileged kids due to economic difficulties and a lack of resources. We learned that many children could not access proper public schools since they were not able to receive their birth certificates. We had the opportunity to interview her and ask a few questions regarding her life. Overall, Cherry showed us great hospitality and it was a humbling experience to witness how she went through her daily life.