Ice Melting in Greenland By. Sangwook Alex Ahn   One of the most alarming news I read in the newspaper is the “unprecedented” melting of ice sheets covering Greenland. In January, I read that the ice sheet covering Greenland is melting rapidly at its base and is injecting far more water and ice into the ocean than previously understood, which may have serious ramifications for global sea level rise.   Huge quantities of meltwater fell from the surface, and as the meltwater falls, its gravitational potential energy is converted to kinetic energy, which warms the water as it pools at the base of the ice sheet. In that process, the study found that the Greenland ice sheet produces more energy than the world's 10 largest hydroelectric dams combined. However, the heat generated by the falling water is not used to generate electricity. It is melting the ice.   Recently in July, I read an article that the amount of Greenland ice that melted in Greenland between July 15th and 17th alone was 6 billion tons of water per day. This is enough to cover the entire state of West Virginia with a foot of water. Each summer, scientists worry that they will see a repeat of the record melting that occurred in 2019 when 532 billion tons of ice flowed out into the sea. The global sea level rose permanently by 1.5mm as a result.   I am concerned as this is an actual example of a climate crisis. Nature is threatened when we do not take care of it. We have the responsibility to sustain and preserve the environment so that it will not be harmful to our lives.

The Greeners Project 

Written by Sangwook Ahn

Today, July 3, 2022, is the International Plastic Bag Free Day. In accordance with this special day, Ecosave members participated in “The Greeners Campaign” collaborating with Open Hands. The goal of the project is to improve the environment of the underprivileged village of Inarawan. Trash is easily seen everywhere and anywhere around the village and the stinking odor is hard to endure. The trash causes contamination to their water supply and eventually threatens their health and well-being. 

To solve this problem, Ecosave Club and our partner Open Hands organized a plogging event. Our members gathered at the Han River Highland, an area that is a popular spot for family picnics and numerous social events. As expected, there were trash left behind from the day before, and we collected them in biodegradable trash bags. In addition, we held a fundraiser after the plogging event. The funds will be used to educate the children of the Cherryl School regarding basic hygiene to hold plogging events at the Inarawn village and finally to provide meals for the children who are suffering from malnutrition.

We plan to continue with the Greeners Campaign by making educational videos to educate children about the problems caused by the trash and raise awareness to the villagers the importance of preserving the environment. 

Overall, our Ecosave members felt the event was successful, as we were able to promote our club to young children and families who were at the Han River Highlands and even to the former running presidential candidate who we surprisingly ran into. We look forward to the next plogging.

Deforestation

 Deforestation

Written by Caleb Cheha Paik

                            

Deforestation is common and deadly. The world suffers from deforestation due to human activity. In South Korea, the average annual deforestation rate is about 0.11%. This may not seem so bad at first, but that is about 7100 hectares of forest lost each year. This is equivalent to around 17500 football fields! This is a great issue that we need to face.

Deforestation is intentional clearing of forested land. In order to make space for construction, and materials for burning, humans are responsible for the destruction of trees and wildlife. 

There is one major consequence to this action. The increased emission of carbon dioxide. Obviously, the disappearance of trees is not increasing the amounts of carbon dioxide in our atmosphere. That comes from the works of manufactures and productions. However, the destruction of trees contributes to the increase because trees take in carbon dioxide for photosynthesis. Meaning, with the lack of trees, the amount of carbon dioxide in the air will be more than usual. This creates an ultimate problem: global warming. 

Furthermore, deforestation also threatens biodiversity. Rainforests are home to many great animals and plant species that are threatened if their habitat is destroyed. When their homes and food are destroyed, some species may even go extinct. 

Today, we have talked about the dangers of deforestation. However, wood is an absolute material people need in their lives. Therefore, that brings up a question. Will humans refrain from too much deforestation? If so, will it even be any help towards the environment? 

https://education.nationalgeographic.org/resource/deforestation

https://rainforests.mongabay.com/deforestation/forest-information-archive/South_Korea.htm#:~:text=63.5%25%20%E2%80%94or%20about%206%2C265%2C000%20hectares,annual%20deforestation%20rate%20of%200.11%25.

•  E-gen AmbassadorCheha Paik

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Green Certification Programs

 Environmental Certification

Written by Caleb Cheha Paik

              

What does it mean to be Environmentally Certified?

Environmental certification is a form of regulation performed by a third-party in which they assess the sustainability of the product for our planet. To be certified it means that the claims you make about these healthy assessments are valid, you comply with the criteria, and the environmental practices are meeting the standards of the industry. 

Benefits?

Many benefits come from environmental certification. Some examples include saving time and money, identifying weaknesses in the environmental policy, and encouraging further change for a healthier environment. 

One example of a certification program is LEED. LEED, Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, is the most widely known program regarding certification. Another example includes BREEAM (Building Research Establishment Environmental Assessment Method), which is an international program that specifically is recognized for its evaluation in building and infrastructure projects. 

The two programs listed above are just a few of many examples out there. However, they all have one universal goal: Save the planet from all dangers of human activity.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Environmental_certification

https://www.chas.co.uk/blog/what-is-environmental-certification-why-you-need-it/

https://www.sharplaunch.com/blog/green-building-certifications/

Electric Cars and The Environment

By Sangwook Alex Ahn

My dream car when I go to college is a Tesla. I dream of driving it in the California sun. As eco-friendly is an important issue to me, I was wondering if electric cars are actually better for the environment. The pros of EVs (Battery electric vehicles) are that they don't emit CO2 from the tailpipe when on the road— a monumental reduction of CO2 emissions.

The government's effort to reach carbon zero by 2050 includes banning the sale of petrol and diesel vehicles by 2030. EVs also tackle noise pollution. The reduction of engine noise can be a contribution to a better environment.

Then what are the cons of EV vehicles? Fully electric vehicles (BEVs) take more emissions to create, mostly due to the production of their lithium batteries. However, these emissions are offset by lower EV emissions in use on the road. Also, EVs aren't emission-free as even EVs emit particulates from the road, tire, and brake wear and tear. 

Most EV car batteries are manufactured in China, South Korea, and Japan where the use of carbon in electricity production is generally high. One study estimates that they create 59%-60% more emissions in production. Reusing and recycling batteries and creating batteries for electricity storage are technologies that are being better explored.

Yet another problem caused by the EV vehicles on the environment is the disposal of electric car batteries. The Volkswagen Group has announced plans to begin a battery recycling project. EV batteries with some power left can be given a second life as mobile vehicle charging power packs and the ones at the end of their usable lives will be ground to a fine powder to extract their raw electrical ingredients such as lithium, nickel, and manganese, allowing them to be made into new EV batteries.

Overall, electric cars are eco-friendly, and better for the environment as EVs emit fewer greenhouse gases and air pollutants.

TAXING AGRICULTURAL EMISSION

by Seojin David Lee 

How else could agricultural pollution be decreased? New Zealand came up with a groundbreaking policy: to tax agricultural emissions such as urine or gas emissions of livestock. The government announced the radical bill to take place starting in 2025. 

The bill was constructed in hopes to meet the country's goal for climate change, which is to decrease methane emissions by 10% by the end of 2030. The idea of taxing natural emissions of livestock may sound inefficient or strange; however, it is imperative to note that more than half of New Zealand's greenhouse emissions--carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide--have been reported to be from agriculture alone. In fact, the government traced back the emissions of carbon dioxide from urea, nitrous oxide from livestock urine and feces, and methane from livestock gas. Such data validates New Zealand's proposal for the policy to monitor agricultural pollution. 

Needless to say, the bill is not perfect nor welcomed by everyone. Certainly, there have been protests from local farmers. Yet, the government continues to emphasize its concern for the environment as well as hope for the efficiency of the agricultural emission bill.

Sources:
https://www.cnbc.com/2022/10/12/new-zealand-plans-to-tax-emissions-from-livestock-burps-and-dung.html#:~:text=New%20Zealand%20plans%20to%20tax%20agricultural%20emissions%20%E2%80%94%20including%20those%20related,come%20into%20force%20in%202025.

Are Items We Put in the Recycling Bin Actually Recyclable?

 Are Items We Put in the Recycling Bin Actually Recyclable? 

Grace Hyunjoo Lee

We see the "chasing arrows" symbol on numerous items in grocery stores and shops, but what does that really mean? Does that mean it is recyclable?

Actually, no. This symbol is only for showing what type of plastic it is made from, not if it's recyclable or not. We have to understand that not every item that has the “chasing arrows” symbol is recyclable; the numbers in the middle of the symbol are what’s important. The following is the different numbers and what they represent.

Usually, most curbside recycling programs accept plastics #1 and #2; around 30 percent end up getting recycled. #3 and #7 is extremely difficult to recycle and therefore almost always omitted, and the rest are questionable.

One of the biggest problems is that it puts the burden on individuals and customers to decode the symbols and make the right choices. Furthermore, what makes this recycling process even more confusing is that every region has different regulations on what can be recycled. Even if people do make the right choices, many recycling programs do not have enough buyers, so plastic piles up with nowhere to go. What's even worse, countries like Kenya, Ghana, Uganda, and Ethiopia are finding themselves flooded with plastic waste from rich, first-world countries that dump all their problems into neighboring developing countries. The problem is clear. People are bad at recycling, and the ecosystem isn't absorbing it well, but the root cause is simply the amount of plastic produced. Recycling programs definitely can’t keep up with the substantial amount of new plastic that comes in, and more than half are designed for single-use. Once they are discarded, they hang around for centuries, breaking into gradually smaller particles, carrying toxic substances into drinking water, rainfall, and human blood. This all started with the desire for higher sales and the responsibility being switched on the people recycling. What can be done is the adoption of the extended producer responsibility law, which is the use of financial incentives to encourage manufacturers to think of Eco-friendly products by making the producers responsible for the entire life-cycle of products that are introduced to the market. Implementing tougher rules and wiser consumer choices will eventually lead to the world and environment we all wish to reside in.

Amina Lake Abdelrahman Amina is a product review writer and editor who worked as an editorial assistant in the Good Housekeeping Institute from 2018 to 2020. “You're Probably Recycling Your Plastics Wrong.” Good Housekeeping, 18 Apr. 2022, https://www.goodhousekeeping.com/home/g804/recycling-symbols-plastics-460321/.

Tabuchi, Hiroko, and Winston Choi-schagrin. “Trash or Recycling? Why Plastic Keeps Us Guessing.” The New York Times, The New York Times, 21 Apr. 2022, https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2022/04/21/climate/plastics-recycling-trash-environment.html.