Leigh's Blog

Light Switch 2008

2008-03-19T09:16:00.000-07:00

This poster advertises the 2008 Annual Light Switch, an event I made up for this project. The idea behind this event is that people would bring in their old incandescent bulbs in exchange for free fluorescent bulbs. Even though the event is fake, it would be a great way to get more people using fluorescent bulbs.

Environment Enthusiast

2008-03-05T17:24:00.001-08:00

This logo won out over the other ideas because I enjoyed the way the "e's" could be manipulated to look like talking heads. The globe background of the letters along with the image of the tree speak of the environmental aspect of my research, while the illustration remains abstract enough to work as a logo. The 2 e's stand for Environment Enthusiast.com, a name I made up which fits conveniently with my design.

Logos

2008-03-05T17:17:00.000-08:00

In order to design a logo for a ficticious environmental company I went through several drafts of different images, some of which are pictured here. The globe on the leaf was a favorite because I felt it symbolized how delicate our natural surroundings are. The flower was my attempt at being abstract, but I picked up an ran with the "Talk about it" logo. Four variations show the stages I went through before creating a final image.

My Impact

2008-02-29T12:49:00.000-08:00

You create 9.3 metric tons of carbon

This is what I scored when I calculated my pollution on environmental defense fund's website. The average American creates 9.44. The results page has great links that can help you reduce your score.

* This calculator is easy to use and requires a minimum of information from you because it is based on state and national averages. However, because of its simplicity, it only provides a rough estimate of your or your family’s carbon footprint. If you are interested in doing a more specific calculation you can do so by visiting http://www.safeclimate.net/calculator/.

Compost To Get The Most

2008-02-27T15:55:00.000-08:00

The average family of 4 would only have to take the trash out once a week if they were to take certain items such as coffee grinds and egg shells and compost them instead of throwing them out. This is not a statistic, this is personal experience. The greatest benefit is being able to generate rich mulch to grow your own vegetables or flowers, not to mention saving valuable landfill space. It is truly surprising how much composting decreases the amount of waste that a family produces in a week. Since most townships have 2 trash collection days, this saves the kiddies from having to take out the garbage half the time. This leaves them more time to study(heh). The benefits go on and on.

The Possibilities

2008-02-20T18:36:00.001-08:00

Another Photoshop project...fun with selection tools. This image represents how switching to fluorescent light bulbs will significantly reduce our collective energy consumption, thereby bettering the environment (as depicted by a field of flowers).

One concern about fluorescent light bulbs is the fact that they contain mercury. If the bulb is broken or disposed of improperly this mercury is released into the surrounding area. This site provides a helpful fact sheet which outlines the correct ways to handle CFLs. The good news is that many manufacturers are taking steps to eliminate or at least reduce the amount of mercury in fluorescent bulbs.

Light Bulb Image Source: http://www.akmarine.org/our-work/address-climate-change/bulb_5.jpg
Field of Flowers: http://melindawebster.com/pitchers/field%20of%20flowers.jpg

Desert Bears?

2008-02-20T16:05:00.001-08:00

This image is part of a Photoshop perspective project. It represents the shrinking habitat of polar bears due to climate change. The bears might seek a new place to call home by migrating to a new habitat (hey, penguins have survived in seemingly uninhabitable environments for years) but my guess would be that they would instead die out. This image is supposed to make the viewer question the fate of these animals by seeing them in this preposterous setting.

Polar Bear Images: www.doi.gov/photos/highresolution/polarbears.jpg
Desert Image: www.photoglimpse.net/wallpapers/wall_desert2.jpg

Top Ten Facts

2008-02-15T09:08:00.000-08:00

I found this site, Zfacts.com, to be very helpful. It clearly and succinctly outlines each facet of the global warming issue. In particular, it lists the Top Ten Facts that everyone should know about global warming.
Number 8 states that "25% of the world's species could be lost from global warming effects. More than 1 million plant and animal species will vanish if global temperatures continue to rise as predicted in the next 50 years."

Image Source: blogs.trb.com/news/politics/blog/polarbear.jpg

The Climate Change Debate

2008-02-14T12:55:00.000-08:00

For each time someone tells you how serious global warming is, you hear 3 others claiming the opposite. Arthur B. Robinson and Zachary W. Robinson, authors of the article, Science Has Spoken: Global Warming Is a Myth claim that, "there is not a shred of persuasive evidence that humans have been responsible for increasing global temperatures. What's more, carbon dioxide emissions have actually been a boon for the environment."

Image Source: http://www.timberlines.org/content/uploaded/global-warming.jpg

Defining Global Warming

2008-02-14T12:38:00.000-08:00

Before I get too deep into finding solutions, I thought I'd learn more about global warming. Naturally that led me to Wikipedia, where I learned that global warming is actually just one example of climate change. Global cooling could also be grouped under that. In short, global warming refers to recent warming of the planet and implies a human influence. The United Nations terms it "climate change" for human-caused change, and "climate variability" for other, natural changes.

Image source: http://www.unc.edu/~dcrawfor/vtec3.jpg

eNVIRONMeNTAL DeFeNSe

2008-02-13T13:49:00.000-08:00

Possibly one of the more comprehensive sites on the web, eNVIRONMeNTAL DeFeNSe is a "national nonprofit organization...linking science, economics and law to create innovative, equitable and cost-effective solutions to society's most urgent environmental problems." Since solutions are what I am seeking through my research I found their motto, finding the ways that work especially appealing. One interesting feature of the site allows you to calculate your personal impact on the environment.

To read more about the wonderful work being done by these volunteers, please visit their website, www.environmentaldefense.org

Image Source: http://www.vforteachers.com/images/fotolia_1248622%20earth%20in%20greenhouse.jpg

Saving Energy (and possibly the planet)

2008-01-30T18:09:00.000-08:00

My topic of interest is global warming. Before everyone starts yawning let me explain that my goal is to uncover different ways to lessen our energy consumption as habitants on Earth. First I will define global warming, then provide different points of view on its importance, and finally demonstrate practical solutions. The issue of global warming has gone from being seen as a global crisis to being dismissed as myth. I am not concerned about the validity of global warming, although I will explore it briefly. I simply want to improve my ecological habits. Through each little discovery I am realizing that I know close to nothing about recycling and electricity and their effects on the world. All I know is that conservation is extremely important and I need to learn more about it so that I can help spread the word. The people I work for (I work in their home) are very environmentally conscious and I sometimes get embarrassed when I don't know whether a particular item is recyclable. Therefore I have a sincere desire to educate myself on these matters, which will in turn help me educate my family and friends.