Nature Net News
October 2008
Energy
"Nature is an infinite sphere of
which the center is everywhere and the circumference nowhere. "
Blaise Pascal
Dear Reader, It's all around us - not just at
the gas pump, not only in your light fixtures, not solely from your
furnace - energy. Every blade of grass, the gentle breeze and change of
seasons are related to the big chain of events that start with energy
from the sun. Since the beginning of time humans have relied on energy
to "keep things going" - from our own bodies to our transportation
systems and way of life. Enjoy! Kathe & Betsy |
The Aldo Leopold Foundation's new Legacy Center received 61 points (of 69 possible) from the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) program for its energy efficiency? This is more than any other building yet rated in the world! Find out how they did it and what may inspire changes in your home.
What to Do This Month:
Choose the right replacement light bulbs for all the locations in your house.
Take part in Wisconsin's K-12 Energy Education Program's (KEEP) 2009 Bookmark contest.
Find out how Focus on Energy can help with your energy efficiency projects.
Don't turn up the thermostat, instead take up knitting, and add another clothing layer.
Take a virtual Energy Scavenger Hunt.
Learn about Renewable Energy from the US Department of Energy kid's webpages.
Tricks of the Trail for Parents:
Energy is Everywhere
Aldo Leopold once wrote that having a fire warms a person twice: once while working hard to chop and haul the wood, and again, while soaking up the warmth once the wood is burning in the fireplace. He also reminds us in "Good Oak" that the fire he lights with the wood from his fallen oak tree releases the stored energy from "eighty years of June sun". With your child, think about how you use energy in everyday activities and where energy is stored. Even if you're not chopping and hauling wood for the fire, you may be climbing stairs, raking leaves, walking, or jumping about on the playground. Look around your home and neighborhood to find examples of "potential" energy like Leopold's firewood. Can you find chemical energy stored in atomic or molecular bonds? Propane or natural gas are good examples. What about stored mechanical energy like a coiled spring or stretched rubber band? Keep looking - energy is everywhere.
Instant Outdoor Expert:
Energy At Home
In the United States, 21% of annual energy consumption is created by residential use. (With 33% from industry, 28% from transportation and 18% from commercial use.) Within the residential sector, about half of our energy use is allocated to keeping our homes warm in the winter and cool in the summer - which explains why so many energy conservation advocates suggest weather proofing your home to help reduce inefficient use of energy. Scientists believe though in-home energy consumption is not the biggest use of energy, it is the sector where the biggest difference can be made. Finding solutions to your in-home energy efficiency can be daunting as there are so many resources out there - so, here's a few of our favorites to get you started:
* US Department of Energy's Lose Your Excuse
* Consumer Guide to Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy
* Alliant Energy's Easy Energy Savers
* Carbon and Home Energy Use from the Energy Center of Wisconsin
And remember, you can make a difference in the industry sector too by making wise purchasing choices and using the "Three R's".
You may also want to find out about alternative fuel ideas from Wisconsin Natural Resources Magazine. Plus, find out how you can sign up to support "Green Power" though your power provider.
Eco-Exercise:
Nature's Energy
Energy in nature is transferred to organisms by way of consumption - yep, eating. In this game each player becomes a part of a food chain where energy is passed from producers (plants), to consumers (herbivores and carnivores). Set small cups filled with popped corn onto the playing field - these represent the available energy stored in plants. Now give the herbivores (make up your own characters i.e. mice) empty medium sized cups and the carnivores (i.e. hawks) empty large sized cups. With the two player groups on opposite sides of the playing field, begin play - the mice must fill their cups with popcorn from the small (plants) cups to survive and the hawks must tag the mice, taking their cupfuls of popcorn to survive. After one or two minutes of play, check the number of producers, herbivores and carnivores surviving. Did everyone have enough energy? Were there enough producers (plants) to support the food chain? Was any of the energy lost (popcorn spilled)? Pour more popcorn in to the small cups (you can adjust the number of cups it might take to make the system sustainable) and play again!
Featured Nature Net Site
Nature Craft
Aldo Leopold Foundation
The Aldo Leopold Foundation offers educational and outreach programs
designed to
increase the ecological literacy of our citizens. Many of these
opportunities are hosted at the new Leopold Legacy Center and at the
original Leopold farm, where forests, wetlands and prairies serve as an
outdoor classroom for exploring ecological relationships.
In addition to these programs, The Foundation sponsors seminars and
workshops promoting an understanding and appreciation of the
conservation movement's history, and participates in the planning and
implementation of training sessions for a variety of conservation
organizations.
The Foundation's new Legacy Center helps us envision how we can use energy more
efficiently and develop positive relationships to other people and the
planet. Through energy efficiency, renewable energy, and an ongoing
commitment to land stewardship, the Legacy Center became the first
carbon neutral building certified by LEED—meaning annual operations
account for no net gain in carbon dioxide emissions. Despite the contrasts of Wisconsin’s four-season
climate, the Legacy Center uses 70 percent less energy than a building
built just to code, and the center’s roof-mounted solar array is
projected to meet 110 percent of the building’s energy needs on an
annual basis.
From the beginning, Aldo Leopold's "Land Ethic" guided design of the Legacy Center,
which not only meets the highest standards of
the U.S. Green Building Council, but also sustains the health, wildness,
and productivity of the land, locally and globally. It is a place to
learn about Leopold’s intimate, life-long relationship with the American
landscape and see his ideas put into practice.
Public Hours :
May 1 - November 1:
Monday - Saturday, 10:00 am - 4:30 pm
guided and self guided tour options
November -April (visits by appointment only)
Solar Cooker
S'mores needn't be saved for the campfire. Harness
the energy of the sun and chef up a batch with a homemade
solar cooker:
Start with a clean pizza box. On top, cut a square
an inch smaller than the lid - only cut along three sides and then fold the
cardboard up along the uncut line to form a flap. Now, keeping it as
wrinkle-free as you can, glue aluminum foil, shiny side out, to the bottom of the flap
and the inside
bottom of the box. Tape black construction paper to the bottom of the
box (on top of the foil). Next, tape clear plastic to the underside of the lid to seal the opening
created by the flap. For best results, the seal should be as
airtight as possible.
Place your oven outdoors in direct sunlight with the flap opened
toward the sun. For each s'more, center two graham crackers on the
construction paper. Top one with chocolate and the other with a
marshmallow. Close the box and use a stick or dowel to prop the
flap open at the angle that reflects the most sunlight into the box
(check it periodically to adjust the angle). Within an hour the chocolate
squares and marshmallows should melt enough to assemble into s'mores.
What's Happening: If you've learned about the greenhouse effect, you may
have already guessed how the oven works. The foil flap gathers sunlight
and reflects it through the plastic and into the oven, doubling the
amount of incoming light. The black paper absorbs the light and converts
it to heat, and the clear plastic allows the sun to shine in while
keeping all that heat from escaping. (In the greenhouse effect,
atmospheric gases allow sunlight to pass through to the earth's surface
but keep the heat it generates from escaping back into space.) As more
light hits the black paper, more heat is created and trapped. After an
hour or so on a sunny day, the oven can be as hot as 275 degrees -- hot
enough to melt chocolate and marshmallows.
)
Suggested Reading:
"Why Should I Save Energy?" by Jen Green (age 4-8)
"Switch On, Switch Off" by Melvin Berger (age 4-8)
"The Magic School Bus and the Electric Field Trip" by Joanna Cole (age 4-8)
"Energy and Power" (Young Discoverers: Environmental Facts and Experiments)
by Rosie Harlow (age 4-8)
"Energy from the Sun" by Allan Fowler (age 4-8)
"Pass the Energy, Please!" (Sharing Nature With Children Book) by Barbara
Shaw McKinney (age 6-8)
"Done in the Sun: Solar Projects for Children" by Anne Hillerman (age 6-12)
"Integration of Alternative Sources of Energy" by Felix A. Farret (age 9-12)
"Solar Power" by Christine Petersen (age 9-12)
"Green Power: Eco-Energy Without Pollution" by David Jefferis (age 9-12)
Eyewitness: Energy" by Jack Challoner (age 9-12)
"Low Carbon Diet: A 30 Day Program to Lose 5000 Pounds--Be Part of the
Global Warming Solution!" by David Gershon (age all)
