Sustainability at Suffolk

The exhibits I will be comparing are the “Winds of Change” and “Catching the Wind”.

“Winds of Change” was very interesting. It showed how dunes migrate by wind, the power of the wind, and it allowed you to move the wind and see a live example of how wind moves grains of sand.  Because the exhibit was not boring and dull, it taught the message well.  By having the hands-on part, it was helpful because it caught attention and was somewhat fun.

The “Catching the Wind” exhibit was interesting and taught the message well also.  It discussed wind turbines, how turbines create electricity and how they are a reliable energy source. It was very clear and set up well.  It was simple but still got the message across.  There was enough room at this exhibit for numerous people to look, which I liked.  It also had a feature where you can see live turbines at the museum and how much energy they are producing which was cool.

After seeing many exhibits, I have noticed the ones I like best are very interesting, simple, and are clear with the message they are trying to get out.  The more complicated ones were not as fun and did not catch my attention.  When constructing an exhibit of my own, I will keep it simple but still get the message I want across to make it more interesting.

Before October 6th, I had no idea what a nuclear reactor was.  I had heard of them before but never really understood what they did or why they are important.  After visiting MIT’s Nuclear Reactor, I learned a lot and now have a good understanding of what they do there and how helpful the reactor is.
This reactor has been around since 1958 and was upgraded in 1975.  On the tour I noticed that it did look somewhat outdated and old.  I saw the same keyboard I had used many years ago with my first PC being used with one of the machines.

The reactor runs 24/7 and operates on highly enriched Uranium 235. There are 24 different fuel element positions in the core and each have 15 plates.  There are 15 plates of Uranium 235 and Boron blades around the outside.  Water is used for cooling and slowing neutron energy down.

The purpose of this reactor unlike many others, is that it isn’t focused on energy production but on research.  Within the reactor is Silicon doping which they produce and sell to companies.  It also used to be a part in Cancer Therapy With Boron.  Boron would be put into cancerous cells and neutrons would destroy them.  However, on the terminal patients they tested on, some of the Boron got into healthy cells and tissue and the rate was not high enough for them to continue the research and get funding.

Green roofs have many different features which make them unique.  They have a wide range of public and private benefits and they are simply and addition to the existing roof.

Green roofs protect roof membranes and give the materials a longer lifespan making them last twice as long and save money in fixing problems.  They also help save money from heat and cool air loss from the building.  Different months of the year have different weather conditions, and the green roofs help with the loss of heat and the gain as well.

There are plants that have many different effects on the roof.  They filter air moving across it removing airborne particles.  Storm water is absorbed and help moderate the temperature of the water and additionally act as water filters.  They also have potential to reduce or even eliminate roof drains.  Food can also be grown on green roofs which help save money for the owners.

Some green roofs, like Boston’s City Hall, have residential wind turbines on them to help produce electricity for the building.  The wind turbines are all natural and use just the wind to make energy.

The soil and plants also insulate sound produced by traffic, airplanes, machinery, etc and help lower and block sound frequencies.

The Boston City Hall has gone green and is one of many buildings on the “green trail” which have gone green.  When you step out onto the roof of the ninth floor, you see various plants scattered around in boxes.  The plants may look dead, but they really are alive and well and have an impact on sustainability.  The roof has up to 26 species of low cost plants which are fire resistant and grow quickly, which helps them last through the tough Boston weather.

The plants are important for this building because they help in the summer and winter with heat gain and loss. Surprisingly, the plants also protect the building from ultraviolet radiation, heat stress, and wear and tear.  The plants absorb a lot of water, more than I thought.  They absorb storm water runoff and also remove smog-forming particles in the air.

Also there is a small, residential wind turbine.  This wind turbine is not really effective for this particular building, but it can be if you have enough of them and of the right size.  The wind turbine generates energy for the building in a clean, natural way by using the wind.

After seeing this exhibit, I think the best part were the various plants and I think that because they are low cost and so effective, that if more buildings have them, it really would make a difference.  Little things like plants can really make a big difference.

The article “Annual Energy Outlook 2009 with Projections to 2030” discusses the changes in the economy and the demand on oil and its prices. Also the consumption of renewable fuels  and the use of energy in the world now and in the future is explained. The changing climate and the economy have an effect on everything in this article.

In 2030 oil prices will definitely be different and range from $50 to $200 per barrel and countries that produce oil will expand their output more rapidly.

There are growing concerns about greenhouse gas emissions. Climate change is effecting the U.S. electric power companies because of the challenges of the environment. From 2007 to 2030, new natural-gas-fired plants account for 53 percent of new plant additions.

Renewable fuels will be increased- the overall consumption of wood, municipal waste, and biomass.

Due to the higher fuel prices, there will be an increase of light-duty vehicles and different types of hybrid car sales. The LDV sales in 2030 are said to go up 40 percent.

The U.S. economy grows by an average of 2.5 percent per year and the key factor that drives growth in both total energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions is this rate.