Who Killed the Electric Car?

The film, Who Killed The Electric Car?, presented a topic that I am very unfamiliar with. The disappearance of the electric car is something that I never gave much thought to, until now. The truth is the electric car, beneficial to the environment or not, is something that automobile and oil companies don’t want consumers to know about.

The way the argument was presented in the movie was interesting. It laid much of the blame for the disappearing cars on oil and automobile companies, and the federal government. It also laid some of the blame on consumers, though, which is where I disagree. A woman who was on the task force for the EV1, the electric car that was actually sold, used, then retracted by GM in California, said a very interesting quote.  “You can get people to buy anything if you present it to them in the right way, and by presenting all of the negatives and inadequacies’ to a regular first and foremost, of course you aren’t going to sell cars.”

She explained throughout multiple parts of the film her battle with getting GM to financially support the sales of the electric car. They were very resistant, and no matter what she tried, they refused to believe that there was enough demand.  The task force proved that there was enough demand, but GM still wouldn’t have it.

I believe the killers of the electric car are the oil companies and automobile companies, both of which who play a huge role in the Federal Government. The automobile industry and oil industry work off of each other, once the demand for oil goes down because of the electric car, the support from the oil industries will go down too. I think the two industries are too scared to jeopardize the relationship they have with each other and with consumers right now.  They will do whatever it takes to keep the money flowing into their pockets.

When the foreign oil supply dries up, maybe the automobile companies will be a little quicker to jump on the decision to make and mass produce an electric car. Consumers will adapt quickly and follow the trend.

Restoration Week

We had a visitor to our class on Wednesday from the Florida Department of Environmental Protection. Never before did I realize how much work they put in to our local community. 

The department has a project going on right now that has been very successful in the past, sea grass restoration! The project is taking place all over Northwest Florida water systems. Basically, the department grows sea grass in a lab, attaches it to mats that are biodegradable, takes it out and puts it onto the seafloor with staples. The sea grass grows roots into the ground through the mats and creates new sea grass beds. After the roots are successful, the department goes back and digs up the staples, so the area can return back to a natural habitat.  

Another project they are working on is building oyster reefs in Pensacola Bay. The oyster reefs protect the estuary system (where the freshwater from the river meets the saltwater from the bay). The oyster reefs are important there because any oyster, harvest-able in size, can filter about 50 gallons of water per day! 

The problem now, is that the environment in the water currently is not favorable for the oysters to grow to a size big enough for them to be able to do that. 

One of the main problems underlying the restoration process is the funding. The government calculates value of these reefs and sea grass beds in a much different way than the department does. It is very hard to get enough funding to complete enough of the projects to make a difference. 

The general public access is also a problem for the rebuilding of the habitats. Sometimes the best things aren't the prettiest things. For example, our guest speaker mentioned a portion of land that is private property. Most or all of the sea grass in some of these locations is gone, and the land owners want it to stay that way because they enjoy the "sand beaches" in their back yards. She mentioned that the initial switch takes a little bit of convincing sometimes, but once it is finished, the end product is beautiful too! 

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A walk in the woods...

As an Environmental reporting class, we took a walk through the Baars-Firestone area the other day. It really gave me a great perspective of the area that we have been talking about so much during our class time.

What I saw surprised me a little, there was a lot of brush and broken down trees. Tree after tree seems to have been sent through a wood chipper and left in the same spot as mulch. It appeared to me, that the changes coming to the Baars-Firestone area have already started.

We walked by the Eagles nest, which was a spectacular sight. Nearby, we saw the two mating eagles flying high above the trees. The pair of eagles has the perfect area for a nest right now, near water, plenty of food, peaceful place, but their life within the next few year, will be turned upside down. It made me sad to think about it while we were walking on the trails.

The day was beautiful and it was perfect weather for exploring the woods. We encountered quite a few runners on the way, and it made me curious if they knew about the changes coming to the campus, sooner rather than later.

What the master plan has in store for this area is various from of on campus housing. Almost the entire area will have to be torn down to accomplish all aspects of the master plan, which includes Greek housing, married couple housing, and housing for faculty and other student groups. The demolition costs will be very high and the animals will be driven out of their homes.

We did pass by one thing, that I hope will be a permanent fixture on the University campus, the oldest tree (pictured). It is huge and beautiful! The trunk alone is more than 4 feet in diameter.

Overall, the walk in the woods the other day was a good experience for me. It is not something that I would have done on my own, and I would have missed out on all the beauty, that will be gone a few years from now. 

Changes coming to UWF, Good or Bad

For years, the University of West Florida has been home to miles of nature preserves and wildlife sanctuaries, but plans for the near future may replace that land with new buildings, parking lots, and even a golf course.

The Campus Master Plan, revealed last year, has in place the complete removal of the Baars-Firestone wildlife sanctuary, located on the East side of campus. The sanctuary is home to, among other species, at least two bald eagles and multiple gopher tortoises, both of which have been listed on the threatened species list at least once within the last 10 years.

The number of students at the university is growing by the thousands, and the master plan is an effort to accommodate the number of students the school will have in the future. The plan adds a football stadium, a new student union, and reroutes the road currently running through campus. Also additions to the on campus housing includes, Greek housing, married student housing, and many other multi-purpose residence halls to add to the number of beds that are currently available on campus.

“Our school is growing, and our Greek life needs to grow too! In order to get here, the all-Greek GPA needs to be above the all-student GPA, then, the people will come,” said Kevin Bailey, Ph.D., UWF Vice President of Student Affairs, at a leadership conference for Greek students. The students roared with excitement, and vowed to get their grades as high as possible.

“Greek housing would be an awesome addition to this campus and I’m looking forward to it,” said Michael Solomon, UWF Sophomore and fraternity member. “I think it is exactly what the school needs to be in the same category as all of the other big schools in the state. They all have fraternity and sorority houses.”

Eagle's nest located in the Baars-Firestone sanctuary 

According to the Student Environmental ActionSociety, a UWF student organization, the wildlife sanctuary spans over 146 acres. If the area is to be cleared, it would make room for plenty of buildings and parking lots to satisfy the school, but is it worth it to ruin the land?

“This sanctuary is home to so many species of animals, which will now be homeless. It will drive them away, and who knows if they will find somewhere to go,” said Julie Schulz, an Environmental Specialist. “The university will physically have to go in, remove, and relocate most of these animals, which is another added expense.”

The campus has already started the removal of trees around the campus.

“The area near the back entrance of the campus was cleared a while ago, but there hasn’t been any construction, I’m not sure why they did that,” said Lauren Tannenbaum, a sophomore at UWF.

The school also cleared a large amount of land near the intramural fields, an area which used to be surrounded by trees, is now completely visible from the main road.

The master plan is a multi-part plan which will drastically change the school. The question is, though, will the technological and building growth be worth the devastating changes that will result to the campus environment.

Fly like and Eagle

The bald eagle has been on and off the endangered and threatened species lists for years, but they have since made a recovery in most states. The bird is no longer a member of the list, but that doesn't mean that there is an abundance of the animal.

Two nesting bald eagles live on UWF campus, which is about to grow exponentially. With all of the construction and expansion, the Bald Eagle's nest will be no longer. According a Pensacola News Journal article on UWF's development, the eagle's live in the Baars-Firestone Wildlife Sanctuary, which will see complete commercial development, if the plan is approved. 

The plan is still awaiting approval by state and federal environmental agencies, like the Environmental Protection Agency. If approved, it looks like the American bald eagle is going to be forced to pack up his belongings and leave. Eagles are only ONE of the species that occupies this sanctuary, There are probably hundreds more that will have to do the same. 

We love Pelicans

The film, Saving Pelican #895, is a remarkable look into the efforts that some people do to save nature. A lot of people take their own life, and animal’s lives, for granted, but it takes the few people out there who truly do care to keep this cycle of life going for the generations to come. 

During the shooting of the film, 1,246 birds were rescued. That is an amazing number, but in reality, it is a miniscule amount when you compare it to the number of birds that were affected by the spill. A lot of man power had to go into that effort to save the pelicans.

This film helped me to realize how harsh the impacts of the BP oil spill really were to our environment. I have heard about it many times, I have seen a few tar balls, but sometime it takes a true picture to illustrate the severity of things. 

Pelicans are a species that I have never really noticed, or thought about. I have a seen a few, and I’ll admit I was a little scare to get too close, but immediately after the citing I went on with my day and forgot all about the magical animal. This film provided some insight for me on the species. It allowed me to connect with the pelican, and it made me have sympathy for the suffering animal. They didn't do anything to cause the oil spill, they didn't even have any idea, but they are the ones suffering. 

Harmful Chemicals: Closer than You May Think

Located on Old Chemstrand road, in Cantonment, Fla., Huntsman Petrochemical Corporation is in close proximity to many residential areas and schools in Escambia County. Huntsman, which is a manufacturer for many of the nation’s leading chemicals, including clothing dyes, foam materials, lubricants and many others, is reported as one of the county’s biggest polluters.

The United States EPA, or Environmental Protection Agency, Toxics Release Inventory shows a report of the number of chemicals released into the environment each year, by a number of businesses. The TRI report was based on the 2010 national analysis data set, and was released to the public in October 2011.

The Huntsman Petrochemical Corporation is sited to dispose of, on-site and off-site, over 32 million pounds of chemicals each year into the environment.

The list of chemicals being released each year, range from seemingly harmless chemicals like Chlorine, to large amounts of dangerous toxicants like Copper, Nickel, Ammonia, and many others.

According to Scorecard, a website that evaluates and explains chemical compounds and the effects that they have on the human body, Copper is ranked as “more hazardous than most chemicals in 9 out of 9 ranking systems.” According to the TRI report, Huntsman releases over 42 thousand pounds of Copper and Copper compounds each year.

Scorecard lists Copper as a potential cardiovascular, blood, developmental, respiratory, kidney, and reproductive toxicant.

A release of Nitrate compounds, a less harmful chemical, totals over 5 million pounds a year from the same plant.

The Huntsman Corporation, which was originally centered on packaging and plastics, is now a manufacturer for many other products and differentiated chemicals. It’s operating companies, located in several states throughout the nation, produce chemicals for the health care, plastics, automotive, personal care, construction, paint, technology, and furniture industries, according to their website.

The corporation has more than 12 thousand employees.

Huntsman was mentioned in the USA Today special report titled, “The Smokestack Effect: Toxic Air and America’s Schools”, for operating and emitting chemicals closely to multiple area schools. The report lists Maleic anhydride and Acrylic acid as two of the most harmful chemicals the company emits.

It states that, Maleic anhydride is a uses to produce agricultural resins, dyes and pharmaceuticals. It is more harmful to children, than to adults and it can irritate the respiratory system and induce asthma. More than 9 thousand pounds are emitted each year.

Acrylic acid is used in production of plastics, paints and other products. It is a skin, eye, and mucus membrane irritant that can cause burns or more harmful effects. 3,724 pounds are reported to have been released each year.  

The number of chemicals released into the air each year is a surprisingly large number for many residents that have lived in the area for any period of time. It is something that many don’t seem to notice, but it might be something to start to look for when choosing a neighborhood in which to reside. 

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