Earth Day

 

Today is Earth Day and we are probably the only people in Norway who are sort of celebrating. In class we got the task of finding out and writing about something that can make the earth and out school greener.

Green buildings are becoming more and more common now that the global warming and eco-problems have been put under light in the media. Many big companies with big office buildings wish to look good in the media, and at the same time perhaps do something good for the environment. So when they build new buildings they try to focus on making the structure as ecofriendly as possible. This is what separates the green buildings from any other building.

The materials used in these green buildings are resource-efficient, from design, to construction, maintenance and demolition. The making of such a building takes a lot of cooperation between the engineers, the client, and everyone involved in general. Also characteristic for these buildings is the low cost of building them. The green buildings exceed and complement the classic style of building designs of economy, utility, durability and comfort. Green buildings are also called sustainable buildings, because of the sustainable use of materials. The goal with these buildings is to reduce the buildings environmental impact. If we can reduce the environmental impact each building makes, we will be doing a small thing for our planet.

Sandvika High School is not a Green Building. It has not been built with an eco-friendly aspect in mind. Maybe it is possible to convert an already existing building into a more environmental friendly structure. Below are some examples of how to make the school greener.

A solar panel is a set of solar modules connected and mounted on a supporting structure. The solar panel can be used as a component of a larger photovoltaic system to generate and supply electricity. But how does it really work? Here in Norway it is more common to see cabins with Solar panel- systems than on regular houses, but these kinds of Solar Panels that we see are called: Photovoltaic Solar Panels (photo- light, voltaic means to do with electricity.) PV solar panels produce electricity using photoelectric effect. The photoelectric effect was first noted back in 1839 by a French physicist called Edmund Bequerel. He discovered that certain materials would produce a small electric current when you exposed them to light. This is the principle used by PV solar panels. Solar panels have many solar cells which are small devices that can convert sunlight into electricity. One cell on its own will only provide a very small amount of power. Several cells connected together and fixed in a frame make a solar panel (or a module), which can produce a larger, useful amount of power.

Of course it is really expensive to run or to buy solar panels and it will take a lot time before it ``pays of``, but it`s worth it in the long run, especially if you live in a country like Spain or somewhere in Africa where the clime is different, with a lot of sun and it would be cheaper to use this kind of electricity. Sandvika high school has a big potential because of the size of the roof. Above you can see an aerial shot of our school. You may be able to see the glass part of the roof; this is where we could insert the solar panels. We already have something called a green flag, which means that our school is `` green`` but it would be even better if the school would invest in a solar panel-system. What do you think? Are there any other ways to become greener?

PS. we are going to skype with some students from NY today, I`m really looking forward to it

Edward Snowden – Do I agree or disagree with his actions?

After seeing the interview I got other thoughts, and I agree with his actions. The way he talked about it was really amazing. He is a very well educated man, and he knows what he talks about. He explained what the government does with all this data, and what it actually means to spy on a person.  He told how easy it is to track a laptop, but also how to tag individuals, or track their ``usernames`` and build a fingerprint.  

He meant that the public had the rights to know how all of these systems work.  And I totally agree with that, even though it was a bit shocking.  If there is some one of you that never have heard of him, here are some facts (we actually used padlet.com in our class to share our notes about him- check it out)  

http://padlet.com/wall/reporters

And here are some facts about him which I found on the internet: 

 

·         Edward Snowden is a former National Security Agency subcontractor who made headlines in 2013 when he leaked top secret information about NSA surveillance activities.

·         While working at the NSA's Oahu office, Snowden began noticing government programs involving the NSA spying on American citizens via phone calls and internet use. Before long, leaving his "very comfortable life" and $200,000 salary behind, in May 2013, Snowden began copying top-secret NSA documents while at work, building a dossier on practices that he found invasive and disturbing. The documents contained vast and damning information on the NSA's domestic surveillance practices, including spying on millions of American citizens under the umbrella of programs such as PRISM.

·         After he had compiled a large store of documents, Snowden told his NSA supervisor that he needed a leave of absence to undergo treatment for epilepsy, a condition recently diagnosed. He also told his girlfriend that he'd be leaving Hawaii for a few weeks, remaining vague about why.

·         On May 20, 2013, Snowden took a flight to Hong Kong, China, where he remained during the early stages of the fallout. This fallout began the following month, on June 5, when the United Kingdom's Guardian newspaper released secret documents obtained from Snowden about an American intelligence body (Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court) demanding that Verizon release information "on a daily basis" culled from its American customers' activities.

·         The following day, the Guardian and the Washington Times released Snowden's leaked information on PRISM, an NSA program that allows real-time information collection, in this case, solely information on American citizens. A flood of information followed, and the American people, the international community and the U.S. government have since been scrambling to either hear more about it or have Snowden arrested.

He has also said that he is willing to sacrifice his life because he can't in good conscience allow the U.S. government to destroy privacy, internet freedom and basic liberties for people around the world with this massive surveillance machine they're secretly building. - Something that not many of us would say or stand for.  

So here you have the whole story: Do you think that he should go to prison for that? Will he ever get back to the USA?  

Personally I am really looking forward how this ``case`` will continue, and I really hope that he will not end up in prison. 

-Ewa

Media influence

Today almost everybody gets information from English speaking media about conflicts and wars around the world, but what we don’t know is that use of propaganda in the media is more common today than ever. Each country tries to paint a decent ``picture`` of their own country and their contribution in solving international conflicts. Like the media in the USA  that  always shows us pictures from for instance Afghanistan and their soldiers dying there.  Media knows  how to manipulate people who  rely  on information from the internet, newspapers and so on. It is a bit shocking that what we see in the media might not show us the reality or just show us some of the real picture. 

 

Just think what would happen if the media knew that the world will end in two weeks and told everyone  about it ( I came with a bit extreme example , but still ) Media has to control what comes out, and what is necessary for people to know. This kind of information would destroy the whole system, and people would react imminently and everything would end up in a total chaos.

Of course in the first place it is the government who is responsible for this kind of information, if it will come out or not, but in the end it is the media that decides on what to publish  or not. 

What are your thoughts? 

Can you always rely on what you see on the internet?

-        -   Ewa