EarthPlex - Climate Platform for Teens

Saturday, May 30, 2020 at 3:22 PM (ET) was a historic time; the first manned space mission launched from US soil since 2011. We are taking small steps (or giant leaps) from the moon landing and progressing towards a manned mission to Mars, but let’s not get too ahead of ourselves yet. We are going to explore the impact space shuttle launches have on the planet and their significance to it. This calls for a bonus post! Blast Off If you’ve seen footage of a spacecraft launch before, you probably noticed the fuel exploding out of the rocket propelling it into space. That can’t be good for the environment, and it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure that out.  Rocket fuel pollutes the environment, but because launches aren’t frequent, they do not make up a major amount of Earth’s carbon footprint. Other forms of travel such as flight cause more pollution overall. Materials Space shuttles require a lot of resources to create, so it is a waste if they can only be used once. More rec...

Climate Change - The Basics Definition: We are in a climate crisis, but what does that mean? Like we did when exploring the meaning of eco-friendly , we're going to dissect the word. Climate is the weather in an area over an extended period of time. Climate change is when long-term weather patterns shift , hence climate change . Temperatures gradually rise, which could, and has begun to, cause great destruction. Effects: Climate change , sometimes referred to as global warming, has destroyed ecosystems. According to the World Wildlife Fund , “Populations of mammals, birds, fish, reptiles, and amphibians have, on average, declined by 60% between 1970 and 2014, the most recent year with available data.” Fewer species roam the wild because of mankind’s actions, and the people who cause it pay the smallest price. NASA has observed the effects of climate change from space. They have seen rising sea levels, wildfires, melting ice caps, and a whole lot more. Earth is changing rapidly,...

5 Ways to Help the Environment During the Coronavirus Pandemic These are strange times. It seems as if the world has paused, but it is still here and it needs your help! Even though you are only one person, your actions have a great influence on the Earth. So, what can you do to help it? 1. Do Not Hoard Items You Won’t Use It seems there is a shortage of everything now, but treating every day like there is about to be a zombie apocalypse is nonsensical. There will be enough food to feed our mouths and enough toilet paper to wipe our tushes. Buying boxes of products you will not need to use adds to the panic and requires more manufacturing, increasing your carbon footprint. Only buy what you will use. 2. Unplug Electronics take up electricity, obviously, so spending hour after hour on them is not shrewd if your goal is to use less energy. During a pandemic, it seems natural to waste time on Netflix and Instagram, but something has to power your device’s battery! And that something r...

What Does Eco-Friendly Really Mean? Definition: You hear it all the time, but what on Earth does eco-friendly mean? Well, Earth... friendly or not harmful to Earth. To understand the definition of this word and what eco-friendly products are, we have to dissect the word. Eco is a prefix that means Earth and the environment (e.g. ecosystem). And if you don’t know the meaning of friendly, perhaps you’re in the wrong place.  Eco-friendly goods and services claim that they do not hurt our planet. Examples: For example, biodegradable containers help our planet and have a plethora of advantages over the containers most of us currently use. Those containers are eco-friendly because using them benefits the planet. Another common example of eco-friendly equipment is solar panels. Unlike fossil fuels , they do not output harmful gas into the atmosphere. By maintaining Earth’s natural resources, solar panels are considered to be eco-friendly . Similar Words: Words often used in the place...