Kansas presentation- Presentación de Kansas 3º Parte

Aquí se ve el límite oeste de la escuela que limita con un terreno baldío.

Nuestro proyecto consiste en la plantación de pasturas altas autóctonas para mejorar la vista y contribuir al secuestro del dióxido de carbono.

La idea de plantar las pasturas del proyecto Fire and Ice se presentó a la Junta Escolar el día 12 de mayo.
Uno de los miembros de la junta es un científico que estudia el suelo en el Servicio de Conservación y Recursos Naturales.
Después de escuchar nuestra presentación sugirió que nos comuniquemos con el NRCS para que nos ayude a seleccionar las pasturas y para hacer una evaluación del suelo.


La producción de gas y de petróleo es la industria más importante en Greenwood County. Se ven muchas bombas y tanques a través de las pasturas de nuestra escuela. El agua salada es un desecho de la producción del petróleo que afecta la calidad del suelo.

Esta vitrina para plantas se compró con fondos destinados a nuestra sala exterior.
Se ha puesto en nuestro salón, allí pondremos las plantas hasta el otoño que es la mejor época para plantarlas. Usaremos semillas del NRCS para plantar especies autóctonas de pasturas. Voluntarios de la fundación Eureka van a ayudarnos a preparar el suelo una vez que tengamos los resultados de la evaluación del suelo del estado de Kansas.

Purple Coneflower

Another forb found on the prairie is the purple coneflower. Native Americans used this plant for medicinal purposes. The tallbread scurfpea 's roots can be peeled and eaten raw or cooked. Native Americans dried and ground them to be used as flour.

Prairie Forbs

In April and May various wildflowers start to bloom throughout the grasslands. The appearance of the flowers or forbs, as they are referred to by the range specialists, indicate a healthy pasture. The above picture is of spiderwort or "cowslobbers" the nickname was given because of what the sap of the flower resembles.

Big Bluestem Grass

Big bluestem grass will grow as tall as 12 feet. It is the characteristic plant species of the North American tallgrass prairie. The plant is also known as turkey foot in reference to the forked flower cluster. Cattle will gain on the average of one kilogram or 2.265 pounds per day while grazing on this forage.

Ethanol from Switch Grass

One of the warm season native grasses we have been studying is switch grass. It will grow to 8' tall in moist soil. The grass is toloerant of drought. This grass can be harvested without disturbing the soil and used in the production of ethanol. It will require less water and fertilizer to produce the fuel than corn.

Making biodiesel

We all had a lot of fun making biodiesel yesterday. Even though we didn't get much we learned a lot and are now trying to work out the kinks. Biodiesel is made from a reaction of Sodium Hydroxide/Pottasium Hydroxide and Oil, with methanol to speed up the process. These two reactants are two of the key ingredients in soap. Luckily you will never get soap in the reaction unless the mixture is contaminated with water. Unfortunately as it turned out our reaction produced a goopy mixture, soap. Some way water must have gotten into the mixture, but how? We have tried several variables, but still fail to find the answer. Our efforts yesterday still yeilded us with a small amount of biodiesel which we managed to extract from amongst the goop. We are still exploring yet.

April

Session 3- Burkina Faso- Calgary Schools

Pabré is located in the centre of Burkina Faso and is less than 400 km from the largest desert in the world.
The desertification has been sped up by the climate change
Climate change has been sped up by harmful human activity.

The vegetation and trees in particular, help to slow down the desertification process by protecting the soil and fighting global warming by absorbing carbon dioxide.

Therefore those are the main reasons that lead us to choose to plant trees.

The seeds from different types of trees have been found in nature and planted in pots.

The young plants have already been growing and we water them regularly.

Between now and the middle of winter (meaning July/August), we will proceed to the actual planting from the pots to the soil. We will dig holes and place the plants, that will have grown some more by then, in the soil where we want them to grow.

It is an old tradition for the Petit Séminaire de Pabré to plant trees every year in the winter.

Several thousands of trees of different types are then planted each year.

However, it is regretable that after each tree planting, 30 à 40 % of the planted trees die because of:

- insufficient rain

- rambling of animal stock

- abusive cutting of trees by the villagers

Despite these losses, efforts made since dozens of years are resulting in the Petit Séminaire de Pabré being in a forest micro climate.

A certain biodiversity exists as much with plants as with animals (with birds, reptiles and other small rodents).

Biodiesel

Sahar and April

How to make Biodiesel

Yes it's true, you can make your own Biodiesel! With everyday household items, you can be set for life when it comes to expensive fuel! This fuel source will soon expand itself throughout the world, delaying global warming and GHG (Green House Gases). Anybody can make Biodiesel with proper safety and sources. Although the steps for making Biodiesel consume enormous amounts of time, helping the environment and saving money are bigger aspects.


Ingredients Required for Biodiesel
1) 1 liter of new vegetable oil (or another type of cooking oil)
2) 200 ml of methanol,
3) 99+% pure lye catalyst -- either potassium hydroxide or sodium hydroxide
4) Blender or mini-processor
5) Weight scales accurate to 0.1 grams, (or less)
6) Half-liter translucent container
7) 2-liter PET bottle (water or soft-drinks bottle) for settling two 2-liter PET bottles for washing
8) Duct tape
9) Thermometer


Method for producing Biodiesel
1. Lye You need to be quick when measuring out the lye because it very rapidly absorbs water from the atmosphere and water interferes with the biodiesel reaction. Measure the lye out into a handy-sized lightweight plastic bag on the scales (or even do the whole thing entirely inside a big clear plastic bag), then close the lid of the container firmly and close the plastic bag, winding it up so there's not much air in it with the lye and no more air can get in. Have exactly the same kind of bag on the other side of the scale to balance the weight, or adjust the scale for the weight of the bag. How much to use. NaOH must be at least 96% pure, use exactly 3.5 grams. If you're using KOH it depends on the strength. If it's 99% pure (rare) use exactly 4.9 grams (4.90875). If it's 92% pure (more common) use 5.3 grams (5.33). If it's 85% pure (also common) use 5.8 grams (5.775). Any strength of KOH from 85% or stronger will work.

2) Mixing the methoxide
Measure out 200 ml of methanol and pour it into the half-litre HDPE container via the funnel. Methanol also absorbs water from the atmosphere so do it quickly and replace the lid of the methanol container tightly. Carefully add the lye to the HDPE container via the second funnel. Replace the bung and the screw on the cap tightly. Shake the container a few times -- swirl it round rather than shaking it up and down. The mixture gets hot from the reaction. Dissolve in the methanol, forming sodium methoxide or potassium methoxide. As soon as the liquid is clear with no undissolved particles you can begin the process. The more you swirl the container the faster the lye will dissolve. With NaOH it can take from overnight to a few hours to as little as half-an-hour with lots of swirling.

3) The Process
Check that the blender seals are in good order. Make sure all parts of the blender are clean and dry and that the blender components are tightly fitted. Pre-heat the oil to 55 deg C (130 deg F) and pour it into the blender. With the blender still switched off, carefully pour the prepared methoxide from the container into the oil. Secure the blender lid tightly and switch on. Lower speeds should be enough. Blend for at least 20 minutes.

4) The Transfer
As soon as the process is completed, pour the mixture from the blender or the mini-processor into the 2-litre bottle for settling and screw on the lid tightly. (As the mixture cools it will contract and you might have to let some more air into the bottle later.)

5) Settling
Freshly made biodiesel, 20 minutes after processing Allow to settle for 12-24 hours. Darker-coloured glycerine by-product will collect in a distinct layer at the bottom of the bottle, with a clear line of separation from the pale liquid above, which is the biodiesel. The biodiesel varies somewhat in colour according to the oil used (and so does the by-product layer at the bottom) but usually it's pale and yellowish (used-oil biodiesel can be darker and more amber). The biodiesel might be clear or it might still be cloudy, which is not a problem. It will clear eventually but there's no need to wait. Carefully decant the top layer of biodiesel into a clean jar, making sure not to get any of the glycerine layer mixed up with the biodiesel

6) Drying
When it's clear (not colourless but translucent) it's dry and ready to use. It might clear quickly, or it might take a few days or up to a week.

Congratulation you've just created your first batch of environment-friendly Biodiesel!


Links for Extra-Information:
http://biodieseloil.com/article1.html
http://journeytoforever.org/biodiesel_make.html
http://biodieseloil.com/

Mahdi Siad
Langevin Science School

Note from Mayte:
Many thanks Mahdi, very interesting comment!
I have seen Colombian students can read about this in Spanish in this Link:

Mensaje para la Institución Gabriel García Márquez:
El artículo que escribió Mahdi es muy interesante.
Pueden leer en español sobre el tema haciendo clic aquí.
En este artículo se explican las ventajas del uso del biodiesel y cómo puedes hacerlo en tu casa!

Food vs Fuel

Currently one of the biggest arguments against Biofuels is that it is taking away from our food supply . Biodiesel does not have to be made from food crops, however it is often easiest. In Alberta the number one source of biodiesel is currently Canola. Therefore the amount of food produced would be less, increasing food costs. This means we need to turn more towards non-food crops for our biodiesel. Plants such as canolini and the jatropha nut are examples of these.

April

Uno de los argumentos más fuertes contra el biodiesel es que se obtiene de alimentos. El biodiesel no se debe hacer con cereales aunque resulte lo más fácil. En Alberta, el recurso más usado es la canola. Esto trae como consecuencia que disminuya la producción de alimentos y que aumenten los costos. Esta situación debe revertirse usando canolini y piñones de tempate. (jatrofa)

Reciclemos y Ganemos

En el video siguiente se verá todo el proceso de reciclaje
The video shows the recycling process

Cada día se recicló un material diferente
Everyday a different material was recycled.

Comenzamos con el vidrio
We started with glass

Los estudiantes consultaron cómo se recicla el vidrio e hicieron una exposición delante de sus compañeros
Students researched on glass and exposed it to the rest of the class.

Otros estudiantes consultaron por el reciclaje del plástico
Other students researched on plastic

Se recolectaron materiales reciclables e hicimos vestidos
Material was collected to make dresses

Todos trabajaron, se puede ver a los profesores con aguja en mano y a la rectora con su vestido de papel.
Everybody worked, you can see the teachers sewing and the headmistress with a dress made of paper.

Música del video: Carlos Vives, cantante colombiano
Music by Carlos Vives, Colombian singer

Langevin School- Canada

Calgary Students Pose Questions & Comments

Keri & Mikhail ask:

• What was your personal motivation for this project?
• Are you already affected by climate change in your daily life?
• How much impact do you think you will have in helping Burkina Faso?

Simon’s group asks:

• How many children go to your school?
• How many of you are working on the Fire & Ice project?
• What do you do in your daily life to help solve the problem of climate change?
• What does your government do towards solving the climate change dilemma?

Trevor’s group asks:

• How did you get involved with fire and ice?
• How many schools in Africa get to do these kinds of things?
• How many days a week do you go to school?
• How long is your school day?

Sage asks:

• How long is the trip to the internet cafe from your school?
• What do you do in your everyday life that contributes to lowering your carbon footprint?
• How has climate change impacted your life?
• What motivates you the most in doing this project?
• How will participating in this project affect you and the choices you make in life?

Thomas asks:

• How many cars does Burkina Faso have? (estimate)
• How long is your school year?
• What are your hobbies?
• How much free time on average do you have per day?

Neil’s group asks

• What are some big events happening in Burkina Faso?
• What is the currency of your country?
• Is saving the environment an issue supported by a lot of people in Burkina Faso?
• What is currently being done about desertification?
• What type of government does your country have?
• What our your main industries?
• Who are your country’s main trade partners?

Ross’ group asks:

• Is there a way to stop the desert form expanding?
• How will the desert expansion affect the urban life?


Student Comments & Links:

Ross says, “I think that Fire & Ice and our Decarbonization Project is a great steppingstone to help us switch to alternative energy sources as we get older. I think that we will use this knowledge, as well as new ideas for solar, wind and hydroelectricity so much that our generation will switch from using oil so much. Even though food prices are going up because of American ethanol policies, new studies and ideas should find another way to make another form of biofuel, stuff that humans don’t eat. One example is growing algae to make biodiesel. This will help lower food & fuel costs and will make the economy stable.”

Alex says, “I think that the Blog is a great idea. It’s a good way for everyone to demonstrate what they are doing, and what projects that are working on currently. The pictures and commentary to describe the pictures are great. However during the actual session, I was feeling as though it was too long and people were losing their attention.

I would like to ask Burkina Faso what is going on in the African countries neighbouring Burkina Faso and how are those events affecting them.”

Sahar recommends this link to Richard Heinberg’s site because he presents a logical policy solution for countries to cooperate with declining and increasingly expensive energy supplies.

Oil Depletion Protocol

How do you get countries to take the first step?

There is a collective action problem. If one country takes the first step, they can have a negative affect on their economy. However, every country will eventually be negatively impacted by climate change and not enough affordable and secure energy supplies to meet demand. Collective action is needed to solve these problems!

Sesión II - Burkina Faso

Session II Presentation:

Soil degradation added to lack of water leads to a lower agricultural production and vital possibility of the area.

The image shown expresses the dismay of a peasant who kept the memory of his village when it was forested, with pasture and water, but which now, less than 50 years later, has no life.

How to reverse the trend?

Ø Several actions can be undertaken from what causes the phenomenon :

Ø Fight against greenhouse effect gases

Ø Fight against deforestation

Ø Fight against soil deterioration…

The African Mahogany

We chose tree planting.

Because this action allows to:

- Fight against greenhouse effect gases (by absorbing carbon dioxide)

- Fight against soil deterioration (by reducing erosion)

- Protect the soil against the intense heat from the sun

Centennial tall tree that gives a lot of shade and wood that contribute to soil conservation.

It is also a plant that has medecinal purposes (malaria, headaches, fever, smallpox, diarrhea, rheumatism, wound…

The Shea Tree


Nitta Tree

The plant species selected

• Le Caïcédrat (Khaya Senegalensis)
{African mahogany}

• Le Karité (Vitellaria Paradoxa)

{shea tree}

• Le Néré (Parkia Biglobosa)

{nitta tree}

• Le Jatropha (Curcas)

Local plant producing fruits that is very resistant. From those fruits a butter is extracted which has very good nutritious and curative values, and is used as a cosmetic.

The butter extract from the sheanuts is a product of exportation from Burkina that is very sought after throughout the world.

The soumbala is a traditional condiment (very nutritive with scientifically recognized properties) which is from the fermentation of the seeds of the nitta tree and is highly used in african cooking.

Culinary properties and nutritive values of the soumbala are superior to those of the famous « cube-magi » made by the food industry, but his use is declining in urban areas because of the rarety of the plant and its product.

The Jatropha

A little plant from semi-arid regions like ours, ignored by animals, and that mainly serves to produce an oil with properties comparable to those of diesel fuel.

For this reason, it is also called « Green gold » because it is really a plant for the future when it comes to biofuel production.

Sequence of the project:

1- Preparation of the tree nursery

2: Digging holes

3: Planting

4: Maintenance and watering when needed

In the clearings is the degraded soil, we use the half-moon technique which consist of making sure that young plants are in crevasses which retains rain water.

Forum -- Foro

Questions sur l’Afrique

Questions about Africa

Preguntas sobre Äfrica

1) L’Afrique est un continent pluriculturelle avec plusieurs groupes ethnique .Il est donc difficile d’y trouve une danse principale, car chaque culture peut avoir sa propre danse.

Au Burkina Faso par exemple, il y a plusieurs ethnies avec leur culture propre et leur danse. L’ethnie majoritaire au Burkina Faso a sa danse qu’on appelle ‘’warba’’.

1) Africa is a multicultural continent with many ethnic groups. Therefore it is difficult to find one main dance as each cultural group can have their own dance.

In Burkina Faso, for example, there are several ethnic groups with their own culture and dance. The major ethnic group in Burkina Faso has a dance called ‘’warba’’.

1) África es un continente multicultural con muchos grupos étnicos, por lo tanto, es difícil encontrar una danza principal, ya que cada grupo tiene la suya.

En Burkina Faso, por ejemplo, hay varios grupos étnicos con su cultura propia y su danza. El grupo más grande en Burkina Faso tiene una danza llamada “warba”

2) Le sport le plus populaire en Afrique est le ‘’football.

2) The most popular sport in Africa is football.

2) El deporte más popular en África es el fútbol

3) Le sport le plus populaire au Burkina Faso est aussi le football.

3) The most popular sport in Burkina Faso is also football.

3) El deporte más popular en Burkina Faso también es el fútbol.

Réponse aux question d’Ordre Général

Answers to general questions

1) À l’approche de la fête de Noël environs un moi avant ) les enfants construisent les crèches en banco (terre) devant les concession , dans les familles , les parents paient des habits, des chaussures pour leurs enfants .La veillée, les parents s’activent pour garantir le repas de fête ‘( achat d’aliment de boissons )

1) As Christmas approaches (about a month before) the children build a nativity scene in « banco » (mud) in front of concessions. In the families, parents buy clothing and footwear for their children. Christmas Eve, parents are busy working on the feast for the festivities (buying food and beverages).

1) Cuando se acerca la Navidad (un mes antes) los niños hacen una escena navideña en un “banco” (barro), donde están los puestos callejeros. Los padres compran ropa y calzado para los niños. Para la Nochebuena, los padres organizan los festejos para la Navidad, ellos compran la comida y las bebidas.

Le 24 soir nous allons à la messe pour accueillir le petit Je sus .Après la messe nous revenons à la maison pour le réveillons. Le jour de noël, la fête se poursuit nous allons à la messe puis retour nous passons la matinée en famille où nous recevons quelques invités.

On the evening of the 24th, we go to mass to welcome baby Jesus. After mass we come back to our home for the Christmas Eve feast. On Christmas Day the celebrations continue, we go to mass and we then spend the day with our family and guests.

La noche del 24 vamos a misa para darle la bienvenida al Niño. Después de la misa volvemos a nuestras casas para festejar la Nochebuena. El día de Navidad se continúa con la celebración, vamos a misa y luego pasamos el día con nuestra familia e invitados.

Les Chrétiens partagent leur repas avec leurs voisins et amis d’autre confessions religieuses. La fête se termine le soir par des réjouissances (animations)

The Christians share their meal with neighbours and friends from other religious beliefs. The celebrations end in the evening with festivities (animations).

Los cristianos comparten su comida con los vecinos y amigos de otras creencias religiosas. Las celebraciones terminan en la noche con festejos. (entretenimientos)

2) Dans notre pays, nous célébrons dans la tradition la ‘’fête des récoltes qui ressemble un peu au ‘’ Thanksgiving‘’ en Amérique. La fête des récoltes (vers novembre) pour la saison pluvieuse écoulée et pour les vivres obtenus.

Dans les paroisses rurales, cette traditionnelle a été intégrée dans la foi chrétienne pour rendre grâce à Dieu .On célèbre la messe et les fidèles donnent une partie de leurs récoltes à la paroisse pour le soutient des pauvres .

2) In our country, we celebrate traditionally « la fête des récoltes » (harvest festival) that resemble the “Thanksgiving” in America. “La fête des récoltes » (around November) for the raining season that has passed and for the food that was harvested.

In rural parish, this tradition was integrated in the Christian faith to give thanks to and honour God. We celebrate mass and the faithfuls give part of their harvest to the parish for the poors.

2) En nuestro país celebramos tradicionalmente el “Festival de la Cosecha” que se asemeja al día de Acción de Gracias en Estados Unidos. Esta fiesta se realiza alrededor del mes de noviembre , festejando que la estación de lluvia ha pasado y que se ha cosechado comida.

En las parroquias rurales, esta tradición se integró con la fe cristiana para agradecer y honrar a Dios.

Celebramos la misa y los fieles le ofrecen parte de su cosecha a la parroquia para que le sean entregada a los pobres.

The project and the Community -El proyecto y la comunidad

Los alumnos de la Institución llevaron a cabo la limpieza de las calles de la comunidad
Students carried out the community streets cleaning


Algunos vecinos se unieron a la tarea como se puede ver en la foto
Some neighbours helped with the task as you can see in the picture


Las calles quedaron totalmente limpias
The streets were very cleaned at the end!

Cierre de la primera semana y comienzo de la segunda. Colombian shool-

As the objective for the first week was fulfilled some part of the earth healed
Como se cumplió el objetivo una parte de la tierra se ha curado.

Some students worked in the corridor
Algunos trabajaron en los corredores

The boy with the light bulb has a notice saying: don't forget to turn off the light
El chico que representa a la bombilla tiene un cartel que dice: No olvides de apagar el foco.

This notice says: What would happen if there wasn't water on earth?


Aulas sin luz para ahorrar energía
Classrooms with lights off to save energy



Closing of the first week and beginning of the second.

Poyecto: Démosle una mano a nuestro planeta.
Project: Give a hand to our planet

Fotos de la primera semana: Coloquemos la basura en su lugar.
Pictures of the first week: We place the garbage in its place.


Fotos de la segunda semana: No botemos corriente.
La bombilla de luz y la gota de agua recorrieron las aulas.
Pictures of the second weeK: Don't waste our energy. The light bulb and the drop of water walked through the classrooms.

Algunos prefirieron trabajar en los corredores.
Some classes worked in corridors.