2016 Essay Contest Winners
Climate Superheroes
Saving Planet Earth
In 2016 Sierra Club South Dakota hosted an essay contest in which South Dakotan sixth graders addressed climate change. We had three contest winners:
First Place: Evan Oppelt
Second Place: Taylor Wentz
Third Place: Jeci Ewart
Please take some time to read the essays and see what our young climate super heroes envision for a greener future!
The Potential of Solar
By Evan Oppelt
Twenty-five percent of earth’s animal species could be headed for extinction due to climate change. Climate change is a change in the average weather pattern in a specific location. Ecosystems depend on particular climate patterns in their location to survive. Our use of fossil fuels has caused rising levels of greenhouse gasses in the atmosphere. This has warmed the earth; causing rising sea levels, melting snow and ice, and warmer water and air temperatures. The Hooded Dotterel birds need large coastlines for nesting, Polar bears need sea ice for hunting, the foxes need the snow to access their food stored underground, the Adelie penguins and the Hawksbill turtles depend on colder water temperature for their food source to survive, and the Manankin lizards need cooler air temperature to produce female offspring. Many human deaths have also occurred because of severe storms as a result of climate change which have destroyed houses and farms, leaving many homeless and hungry. The use of solar energy reduces the need for fossil fuels that produce greenhouse gases. If you use solar energy, you would help the environment and save the animals.
Solar panels and solar cells are very versatile since they can function in almost any settled area. Solar cells have been used in the making of solar cars like the Sunswift solar car made in Australia, boats like the Solar Sailor, also made in Australia, planes including the Sunseeker, calculators and watches. When sunlight hits a solar cell, the electrons in it start moving around and generate electricity. Solar panels are made up of a few solar cells. They can be used to power homes, businesses and even schools. They can withstand wind, rain, cold, and heat in harsh areas including deserts, space and sea. They have been known to last for twenty to twenty-five years with minimal maintenance because they have no moving parts. Solar panels can help the environment when placed where other electricity plants can’t be.
After installation, solar panels do not contaminate the atmosphere. A photovoltaic (PV) system meeting half the electricity needs of a family, would eliminate half a ton of sulfur dioxide pollution and 600 lbs. of nitrogen oxides from the air in the lifetime of the system. Although many solar plants are using fuels like coal to make the solar panels, the clean energy gain from their long life is rather significant. Developments are now being made so that solar panels won’t rely on coal to build them.
Solar panels are getting more popular, and, for that reason, they’re getting less expensive. In 1956 solar panels cost $300 a watt to build and by 2009, the price fell to $2 a watt. That’s a $298 difference! If you chose to make them yourself, plans are available and you could save even more money. Every hour, the sun provides the Earth with more than enough energy to satisfy the global need for an entire year. Solar panels turn twenty-two percent of the sunlight’s power into usable energy. Because solar panels have this ability, they are a smart investment.
Solar power can save the environment and the animals. They are versatile, durable, affordable, and produce clean energy. Reducing the need for fossil fuels has to be made a top priority. Fellow citizens of Earth, it is our responsibility and privilege to protect those who cannot protect themselves. We have to act now!
References
Conserve Energy Future www.conserve-energy-future.com/pros-and-cons-of-solar-energy.php
National Geographic http://environment.nationalgeographic.com/environment/global-warming/solar-power-profile/
The Nature Conservatory http://www.nature.org/ourinitiatives/urgentissues/global-warming-climate-change/threats-impacts/wildlife-at-risk.xml
Solarcraft http://solarcraft.com/solar-energy-myths-facts/
Phys.org http://phys.org/news/2015-09-die-arctic-animals-cope-climate.html
Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_solar-powered_boats, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solar_car, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electric_aircraft
Hydroelectric Power
By Taylor Wetz
Have you ever thought about how little tasks could use so much energy? Things such as flipping a light switch use a lot of energy. We use so much energy that the world is starting to get polluted by fossil fuels. Fossil fuels are things that we burn to create energy. Some of the main fossil fuels are coal, oils, and gases. An alternative to fossil fuels is hydroelectric power, which is powered by water. There are many benefits of using a renewable energy source.
One of the benefits of using hydroelectric power is that it doesn’t pollute the air or water. Since it doesn’t burn fuel it is also a renewable energy source so you won’t run out. It doesn’t pollute the Earth because they use natural things to power it. Obviously the air will be hard to breathe if the air was basically car gas. The fuels is also always there, but that's not the only benefit.
Another benefit of hydroelectric power is that it doesn’t cost very much to use. Hydroelectric power is not very expensive to use and is always there, no matter how much you use it. It does cost a little more to install but, you don’t have to replace it as often as non- renewable resources. If you used hydroelectric power you would also not have to worry about using too much power. Hydroelectric is one of the oldest power sources so more people know about it and how it works.
All you have to do is place it and the water does the rest. When the water flows or the rain falls the water powers the device and you get your energy. Most hydroelectric power sources have their own dam. When the current pushes the water, it runs through the device that the construction workers implanted and that’s what powers your devices and house. Of course hydroelectric is a very highly used renewable resource, in fact, the biggest dam with a hydroelectric power system is located in China. Now it is the only renewable power source that is considered a competition with fossil fuel powered things.
I believe that hydroelectric power is really the best renewable resource out there and that people would actually consider using instead of fossil fuels. We can do without fossil fuels if the world ran on renewable resources, such as hydroelectric power.What would happen if we kept using non-renewable resources? The world would probably be so polluted that to go outside we would have to wear those masks that surgeons wear during surgery! Just think sometime about how many other ways there are to power our world without polluting it. Come on, you don’t want to be the one to pollute the world on purpose. Let’s all work together to end world pollution and to inform all people about hydroelectric power to stop us from wearing masks. Let’s make hydroelectric our main power source and use renewable resources and stop world pollution! Thank you for reading for my essay.
Soaring to the Future
by Jeci Ewart
Did you know that wind turbines make energy, which only takes wind to generate and the sun powers the wind? Fossil fuels pollute our world and they are not a green energy source, so I think if we use wind turbines more we could have more renewable energy and we would not be polluting our world. Wind turbines do not destroy our environment or release toxic gases, and less pollution in the air and in the water could reduce diseases and outbreaks, which would make a healthier environment. Wind turbines are even becoming cheaper and cheaper. Even though wind turbines do not look the prettiest, they still are helping our environment. If we didn’t have wind turbines and we would just be using fossil fuels and our environment would not be as clean and there would be disease. Do you think we should use wind turbines more or do you think we should get rid of them?
We can’t ever run out of wind, so wind is a renewable source of energy, which means wind can be produced again and again. Wind has a tremendous potential and can be used to produce a free source of power and energy. The reason we can’t run out of wind is because the wind is powered by the sun, which means we will still have wind around until there is no sun. Wind is a green energy source. A green energy source is natural sources, such as rain, wind, sunlight, and plants. Windmills can not cause pollution at all. Pollution is a harmful substance that can be poisonous.
Wind turbines have been decreasing their prices at least 80% since 1980 and hope to keep decreasing. According to energyinformative.org wind turbines are space efficient, the largest of the wind turbines can generate enough electricity to power about 600 United States homes.
We have 20 times more power than we need in the world’s population. That means our potential wind power is profoundly underutilized. Just think of the emissions we would be eliminating into our atmosphere if we used wind energy. Wind turbines can yield energy savings, which can help and protect our homeowners from numerous power outages.
Now you know that the sun powers the wind and the wind powers the wind turbines, which the turbines then generate energy and power for all of us to use. Why do we use fossil fuels if they are polluting our world and are not a green energy source? This is why I think we should have more wind turbines to generate power and energy for the world and abstain polluting our world at the same time. Our world could be safer and cleaner if we use wind turbines. Also think of the animals we could be putting into danger if we use fossil fuels and pollute our world. Now maybe the next time you see a wind turbine somewhere you might pay more attention to the details, and how much energy it is using to generate power and energy.
References
Wind Energy Pros and Cons http://energyinformative.org/wind-energy-pros-and-cons/
What is Wind Energy http://www.conserve-energy-future.com/
Benefits of Wind Energy http://www.pawindenergynow.org/wind/benefits.html