Greenprintz

The Blueprints for a Greener Texas

A Green Life is a Clean Life

What is being done to solve the energy problems of Texas.

Making homes eco-friendly on a budget.

Z T N I R P N E E GR o

F s n a l P e Th

The Cans and Can’ts of Native Plants Advantages of having native plants.

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r o W r e n r A Gree 7

May 201

The Scale of Climate Change Cilmate change and how it can be stopped

GreenPrintz

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Contributors

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Letter From the Editor

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Top 5 Gardening Events in Austin

8

A Green Life Is a Clean Life

10

The Dangers of Climate Change

14

The Cans and Can’ts of Native Plants

16

Saving Resources Without Sacrificing Your Bank Account

20

Outlandish Plans

24

The Blueprints for a Greener Texas

26

What Flower Blooms in You?

30

The Scale of Climate Change

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10 A Green Life Is a Clean Life 16 The Cans and Can’ts of Native Plants

26 The Blueprints for a Greener Texas 26 The Blueprints for a Greener Texas

8 What Flower Blooms in You? 24 Outlandish Plans

14 The Dangers of Climate Change

20 Saving Resources Without Sacrificing Your Bank Account

8 Top 5 Gardening Events in Austin

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CONTRIBUTORS Keyu Chen

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eyu Chen is a freshman at the Liberal Arts and Science Academy (LASA). He is interested in topics such as machinery and biology, and is concerned with the current issue of climate change. He loves animals, hopes to become a biotechnology specialist in the future.

Keyu is new to magazine writing and designing, but is excited to write about being green. He loves his project and works well with his group members.

Photo by Liz Reed.

Liz Reed

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iz Reed, who is currently a ninth grader at LASA, has been interested in the outdoors and nature since she was a little girl. She loves to garden with her mother, who is also a avid nature love. Additionally, she is a Girl Scout, which exposes her to many activities like camping, hiking, kayaking, and other outdoor fun.

She is fascinated by the beauty of plants, as well as their benefits to the environment and hopes to expose the rest of the world to their abilities.

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Photo by Campbell Uyeki.

Isaac Schlaud

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saac Schlaud is a ninth grader at LASA and has been engaged in helping the environment since elementary school. Lately, he has researched and worked more with environmental technology in an attempt to do his part to save the earth and to help others do theirs. While he plans to focus more on the technical aspect of his future careers, he will do all he can to slow and eventually halt climate change.

Photo by Liz Reed.

Campbell Uyeki

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ampbell Uyeki is a freshman at LASA interested in mathematics, engineering and biology. She is passionate about environmental protection because she feels that the planet is worth preserving for future generations, and because she loves spending time outdoors. She loves to hike, and it is her aspiration to someday hike the Appalachian trail.

Photo by Liz Reed.

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Pho Flo to of Pho wer C Pomm to b ent a y L er o shaw iz R n M at t eed arch he W .

14, ild 201 7.

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Letter From The Editor C

reating Greenprintz has been an amazing, fun-filled experience of learning the process of producing a magazine. I gained so much knowledge about plants, one of my favorite things, and was able to interview experts with some wonderful insight. I collaborated with my classmates and was able to strengthen my compromising, teamwork, and leading skills, as well as other life skills. Before this magazine I had never done any sort of graphic design or used any of the technology involved, so now that I’ve learned the basics I can pursue more of the challenges that graphic design provides.

My teammates and I are all passionate about the environment and were inspired to create this magazine in order to share our appreciation of nature as well as inform others of the dangers we are posing. We are hopeful that Greenprintz will provide our audience with information about how they can improve our environment as well as caution them about the dangers that are occurring. Overall, creating Greenprintz has been full of difficulties, learning opportunities, and fun experiences.

Liz Reed

the w at mha n March u s s o Po eed. enter o of Phot lower C by Liz R F o Wild 17. Phot 0 14, 2

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The Top 5 Gardening Events In Austin A list of the best gardening events around Austin.

By Liz Reed

Tower at Wildflower Center on March 14, 2017. Photo by Liz Reed.

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he University of Texas Ladybird Johnson Wildflower Center holds daily events on a wide variety of subjects, for a wide variety of people. To name a few, there are garden tours, drawing classes, and writing classes. They also hold a weekly preschool program called “Sprouts” for kids from ages 3-5. “Sprouts” is held on Wednesdays from 10 a.m. to 11 a.m. On the Wildflower Center website there is an events calendar that lists all their events and activities. Even if visitors don’t attend the scheduled events, they can always enjoy a walk around the Wildflower Center’s campus.

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Seeds being planted in dirt. Photo from pexels.com.

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nside Austin Gardens Tour (IAGT) is held every 18 months by the Travis County Master Gardeners Association. The most recent was on May 6, 2017. The IAGT website lists the tour’s theme as “For gardeners. By gardeners,” which means the tour will focus on problems and characteristics of gardening in Central Texas, and how the Master Gardeners overcome them. There are multiple locations of the tours, each focusing on specific aspects of gardening. Each of these locations is a garden belonging to a Master Gardener.

Gardeners, experienced or novice, can learn from these Master Gardeners about how they tackle the many obstacles of gardening.

Crowed park full of activities. Photo from pexels.com.

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he Umlauf Sculpture Garden and Museum hosts a “Family Day” on the second Sunday of every month.

Specific events start at noon and go until 2 p.m. however there are continuous arts and crafts activities and sculpture tours throughout the day. This event is more focused on exposure to nature rather than gaining expierience with it.

The actvities include arts and crafts, yoga, and music. There is an indoor collection as well as the many outdoor sculptures.

For more information and specific details visit the Umlauf Sculpture Garden and Museum website.

Fun in a park. Photo from pexels.com.

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he Zilker Garden Festival is a family friendly event, that has a variety of nature themed activities and products to enjoy. According to Zilker Garden’s website there is a variety of activities to do. There are vendors that sell many diverse types of products, such as clothes, arts and crafts, jewelery, and pottery. There is a “Flower Show” held in the Garden Center where visitors can go to see “floral designs and horticulture” that has been judged. There is also a “Kids’ Corner” where children can enjoy crafts, face painting, and other nature themed activities. Additionally, visitors can unwind in the “Oakgrove” and enjoy food, beer, and music.

It is held annually in spring, this year’s dates were March 25 and 26, 2017. The price is 10 dollars for adults ages 13 and up, 4 dollars for children ages 4 to 12, and free for kids under 4.

Parking​​starts at 5 dollars. If you plan to attend this event, make sure to check the Zilker Garden website to see if their are any discounts. For example, this year’s admission was half price for people riding bicycles.

Clorful flags flying in the wind. Photo from pexels.com.

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ayfield Park hosts the annual event “Trowel & Error”. Held in the spring, the most recent was on April 1, 2017, the event begins at 9:30 a.m. with lectures starting at 10 a.m. This event will feature experienced individuals lecturing about their fields. This event is great to learn more about horticulture from experts. Besides the lectures, there is also a raffle and the chance to purchase “hard-to-find heirloom bulbs and perennials”, according to the Mayfield Park website.

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Traveling by bicycle can significantly reduce carbon footprint, as cars produce a large portion of greenhouse gas emissions in the U.S. Photo by Pexels.

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he state of the environment is rapidly deteriorating, and the OECD predicts that by 2050 air pollution will cause an average of 3.6 million premature deaths a year.

The U.S. and China are the two highest CO2 emitters in the world, producing a combined 15 million metric tons annually. The average American produces 17.3 tons of CO2 in a year.

Scientists said that the world would need to peak in greenhouse gas emissions around 2016, and then stop temperature increase by 2100 to avoid irreparable damage to the environment. In order to peak in carbon emissions soon, the people U.S. have to reduce their carbon consumption.

People need clean air to survive, and rely on other organisms for food. Because the concentration of pollutants and toxins in a food chain increase 10 percent every level, people are deeply affected by these pollutants. That means that pollution of the environment can introduce harmful chemicals into people’s bodies, especially if they eat meat.

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Environmental scientists agree that in order for changes to really be made, more people may have to take part.

Chisato Uyeki, librarian and staff member working to create a zero emissions campus in Claremont, California said, “the biggest thing that’s hard is that there is such enormous inequity and that the industrialized world is creating more pollution and environmental problems and the developing world is bearing the brunt of it.”

pollution. LEDs, for example, use 95 percent of their energy for light (5 percent being given off as heat), as opposed to fluorescent light bulbs which give off 95 percent as heat, and only 5 percent for light.

Changing light bulbs will not undo any damage already done. Uyeki said, “Even if we stop everything they’re not going to refreeze we’re still going to have to deal with loss of environment for a number of species and how that’s going to impact.”

“The biggest thing that’s hard is that there is such enormous inequity and that the industrialized world is creating more pollution and environmental problems and the developing world is bearing the brunt of it” Relatively inexpensive lifestyle changes can be very effective in combatting

Protecting the environment will require turning lights off, and conserving water, and using recycled products even though they’re more expensive. It will require giving up things that harm the environment, and make life easier, like taking long

A Green Life Is a Clean Life

How to be ecofriendly in the home and in life.

By Campbell Uyeki

showers and getting plastic bags at the store.

According to Chisato Uyeki “Things like taking shorter showers can make a huge difference or turning the water off while you’re showering can make a huge difference, and those are the kinds of things that then for people that require personal sacrifice.”

on and off switches can save up to 15 percent of a home’s energy consumption, and exchanging one incandescent bulb with a CFL can save up to 400 pounds of carbon emissions.

An average American shower uses 2.1 gallons of water in a minute. Every minute spent in the shower equals more than a person drinks in a day. It may not seem like much, but those little things add up. Using extension leads with

Laura Campbell, a residential architect in Washington D.C., said “One of the things I always do is expanding spray foam insulation. And it goes a long way toward reducing a home’s energy use compared to the pink batt insulation that

was used primarily 20 years ago.”

According to Campbell, the main way a home uses energy is heating and cooling systems, so making sure that a home is good at keeping in the cool or warm air makes a big difference. She said that

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in a drafty house, over the course of one hour all the air in the house cycles through and new air is heated, so things like high efficiency windows and insulation can make a huge difference.

Peter Pfeiffer, an architect specializing in high performance homes and buildings in Austin, Texas said “We do things that aren’t exciting, but they really add up to make a big difference.

We shade the windows with awnings abroad overhang, we do a certain kind of roof that keeps the heat out of the attic, and we take extraordinary measures to make sure the house is not, or the building is not leaking air from the outside, like we do out the attic, so it doesn’t have air coming in from the outside” In addition to these things to help improve insulation, there are some other big changes homeowners can make at relatively low costs.

Some things can even lower expenses, like producing less food waste (reducing release of methane into the atmosphere), or growing more houseplants and using finally fixing that leaky faucet.

Pfeiffer said “We also do things to help make sure people’s eyes and muscles and bones and all that stay healthy so we help people with interior design selection so they don’t do dark colored countertops and their kitchen is white because that produces eye strain, and calls for the need for more air conditioning, believe it or not because it means you have to put in more lighting period

more lighting means more heat more heat means more air conditioning.”

Other things that can reduce carbon footprint are running washing machines on cold, cleaning refrigerator coils, composting, and installing low flow appliances.

Pfeiffer said “A lot of people just go right to solar and to wind and it’s not necessarily the smartest thing to do because you still don’t get the same bang for your buck, and you’re still in an essentially inefficient house or inefficient building that all you did was was put something expensive on the roof to make it less costly on the environment but it’s really not because you still have to factor in the maintenance of those solar systems and the wind systems.”

Because of their high costs, Solar panels may not be the right choice for everyone, and are often not extremely efficient. Making changes wherever possible to be more environmentally friendly can make a big difference.

“I think where it becomes hard, and this is true with any kind of privilege right, whether it race privilege or economic privilege or gender privilege that when someone has to give something up that makes things easy for them that is hard,” Uyeki said. She also said that making changes wherever possible to better the environment can make a big difference.

“All you did was was put something expensive on the roof to make it less costly on the environment but it’s really not because you still have to factor in the maintenance of those solar systems and the wind systems”

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Energy efficient lightbulbs can use 1/4 of the energy of incandecent light bulbs. Photo by Pexels.

“It’s better to design the building to use less energy in the first place, and then if you’ve done that as well as you can, then it will make sense to do solar or wind”

Low-flow shower heads save up to 50 percent of the water that regular-flow showerheads use.

Photo by Campbell Uyeki

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e f h o T ers nge a g h n a C D ate il m C Rising Sea Levels

Probably everyone has heard of this, and it is majorly affecting people along the coast. Island contries such as Sri Lanka are predicted to lose at least 23 kilometers of land by 2025, and it would take just 6 more meters of water to make the country comopletely submerged.

Dryness and Droughts

As more and more greenhouse gasses are emmited into the air, the average temperature of places around the Earth have risen more than two degrees. This is causing a significant change in the water cycle, and combined with excessive logging and grazing of forests and grasslands, is causing large scale desertification in many Asian deserts as well as the Afican Sahara Desert. It is also causing long term droughts, such as the one in Texas half a decade ago.

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Hurricanes

The incresed amount of warmth inside Earth’s atmosphere is causing more evaporation of the major bodies of water, which leads to more frequent large storms and hurricanes.

Dying Forests

Trees around the world are dying as huge forest fires and insects ravage woodlands around the world. The forest fires have been caused by the artificial containment of beneficial fires, which leave many younger trees easily burned down by the fire, causing larger trees to be more vulnerable.

These fires are also caused by the drying climates resulting from the global warming. Mountain pine beetles and their relatives also play a major role in the destruction of the forest, and their widespread attack on forests are caused by the increased warm climate due to climate change, giving their larvae a better chance of survival.

Endangered Species and Extinction

This not a new thing, as even before global warming existed, excessive hunting had already resulted in the extinction of many species. Now, the enemies of animals have increased, as climate change is altering their environment so much that many of them cannot adapt to the conditions of their own home. Frogs around the world are dying as their habitat gets destroyed, but also because their eggs need moisture to hatch, and the extreme dryness that climate change sometimes brings is killing them. Savanna animals such as zebras, wildebeasts, elephants, and gazelles are facing hardships as the dry season is increasing in length and causing them to either migrate early or run out of food. Many of their young have died due to the excessive droughts in the area. Polar bears also face problems, as their main way of hunting is to wait at breathing holes in the ice and ambush seals. Now, as the ice is melting in the Arctic, it’s geting harder and harder for polar bears to feed themselves.

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The Cans And Can’ts Of Native Plants

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Giant coneflowers, Rudbeckia maxima, at the Wildflower Center on March 14, 2017.

How native plants can help the environment.

Story and Photos

by Liz Reed

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he buzzing of insects, the pleasant scent of blooming Texas sage, the vibrant colors of all the wildflowers, the crisp taste of fresh air, all of the things experienced in gardens.

Horticulturists in Austin, Texas who study native plants that have been developing for thousands of years, noticed how the plants affect everything in their immediate environment when placed in different types of gardens.

Karen Clary, Ph.D, the Director of Plant Conservation at the University of Texas Ladybird Johnson Wildflower Center, explained why native plants have a connection to their indigenous environment

Michelle Bright, an environmental designer at the Wildflower Center, explained that Austin is on the edge of the Blackland Prairie and the Edward’s Plateau ecoregions, which allows for a large availability of native species.

“And we have over 6,000 native species just in Texas and this general area, it’s between 4,000 and 6,000, and that’s a lot. So I can’t really understand bringing in a bunch of other things from other places when we have so many that we haven’t really explored horticulturally,” Bright said.

Native plants are indigenous to their specific areas, and therefore have adapted to take advantage of that environment. They often develop beneficial adaptations for their environment as well as the species that inhabit it.

“I think that once again planting native plants that flower are great for the environment because they do support our local wildlife. A good example of that is the Monarch Butterfly. There are certain plants that the Monarch uses when it migrates from Canada all the way down to Mexico, one is wildflowers that are native to Texas. [The wildflowers] are the ones they stop and not only feed off of, they lay their eggs in them, and they also sleep on them. So they’re little rest stops for Monarchs and that system has has developed over the last 17,000 years or maybe longer,” Clary said.

Native plants have many benefits, such as: less of a need for fertilizers, soil amendments, water usage, provide food and habitat for wildlife, and they’re not likely to become invasive, explains Catherine Justice, a horticulturist at the Wildflower Center. Another benefit of having native plants in gardens is that it can help conserve the native species.

“When you look at the history of the flora, the development of our plant life here, say in Texas, the Southwest or the United States, a lot of the development that we see today actually started about 17,000 years ago when the Pleistocene ended, the climate became warmer, and plants from warmer areas moved in and they had been adapting to this environment ever since then. So because of that the system is really fine tuned,” Clary said.

Pale Leaf Yucca, Yucca pallida, at the Wldflower cneter on Feburary 2, 2017.

Mexican Plum, Prunus mexicana, at the Wildflower Center on March 14, 2017.

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In contrast to rain gardens and Low Impact Development features (LID features), that manipulate and conserve water in order to use it as wisely as possible, there are Xeriscaped gardens.

Xeriscaped gardens are beneficial because they are defined as gardens that use little to no water or irrigation.

Horse crippler, Echinocactus texensis, at the Wildflower Center on March 14, 2017.

Clary explains that rain gardens occur naturally in places like swails, arroyos, little dry creeks, and places where water settles occasionally, but are not wet all the time. The plants that grow in places like those would be well suited for rain gardens.

“For me I always think you can make a difference in our community, in our landscape and we can actually provide small tiny examples of conservation,” Bright said.

Native plants have many benefits, such as being adapted to the precipitation patterns of their native areas. This is especially beneficial in rain gardens, which often have native plants in them.

“If you put a rain garden in, you’re actually building a little bit of habitat for plants and that little critters will like to live in. And that has a lot of benefit.

Usually if you’re going to build a garden you’re going to put plants that are native to the area. So they’ll do well. They’re already adapted to this area. So if you do that you have a really good chance of having a garden that’s sustainable. And of course plants hold soil and plants also bloom and have flowers and they feed pollinators as pollinators pollinate them.

So it strikes a good balance with nature and helps promote the wellbeing of the environment by providing services to wildlife as well as protecting the soil,” Clary said.

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“For a homeowner you can just wait till it rains and go outside with your raincoat and your umbrella and kind of just track on a map or just visually where the water is going. And then you really want to place a rain garden or a LID feature at the area that collects the most water. And it usually is at the bottom of a hill and it’ll really all depend on the size of the thing based on how much water you’re getting. But in general at the bottom of a hill, wherever the water is running to,” Bright said.

Lace cactus, Echinocereus reichenbachii, at the Wildflower Center on March 14, 2017.

“I think it’s a really good way to conserve water. I think it’s a really good way to use native plants from the area because they’re sustainable. I think native plants in those kinds of settings once again provide food and resources and shelter for pollinators, native pollinators, which is really important.

So I’m really in favor of Xeriscaping,” Clary said .

Another type of beneficial garden is a green roof. Green roofs, unlike Xeriscaped gardens, can help moderate temperatures within a building.

“Well so they can be designed in many different ways to take advantage of different benefits. So the list in my mind, benefits are things like you already mentioned: temperature control. So they can actually reduce the amount of temperature or the heat within an interior building. But they can also, if done on a larger scale, can actually reduce the urban heat island effect within a city. So they can cool down small areas of the city,” said Bright.

Vines at the Wildflower Center on March 14, 2017.

The usages of Xeriscaping, rain gardens, green roofs, and native plants are just a few of the ways that gardening can have a beneficial impact on the environment.

“For me I always think you can make a difference in our community, in our landscape and we can actually provide small tiny examples of conservation”

Blubonnets, Lupinus texensis, Giant coneflowers, Rudbeckia maxima, among other plants at the Wildflower Center on March 14, 2017.

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SAVING RESOURCES WITHOUT SACRIFICING YOUR BANK ACCOUNT Cash Doesn’t Grow on Trees, But Saving Trees Doesn’t Have To Cost You Cash.

Text and Illustrations by Campbell Uyeki

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The past two years were declared the hottest year on record, and that trend is likely to continue. Arctic ice in the summer covers roughly 40 percent less area than it did 40 years ago. The melting of glaciers has had significant effects on marine and arctic wildlife, and will have continued effects all over the world. Already the effects of climate change can be seen in the major droughts in California, and they are predicted to become more extreme over time. In addition to this, hurricanes are predicted to become stronger and weather patterns more extreme, with an increase of sea level between 1 and 4 feet in the next century. One of the most obvious effects of climate change right now, and one of the most intimidating, is changes in air and water quality as well as increases in acid deposition (or acid rain). Before long these climate changes will be irreversible, and now more than ever a transition toward renewable energy sources is necessary.

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Composting

Because organic materials in landfills have to degrade anerobically (without oxygen), landfills produce 30 to 70 million tons of methane each year, a greenhouse gas 70 times more heat trapping than carbon dioxide. Not only is composted fertalizer better for farms, if done correctly it produces a neer neglegable amount of greenhouse gas emmitions.

Eco-Friendly Lightbulbs Compact florecent lightbulbs reduce a person’s carbon footprint significantly. They use 66 percent less energy and switching one CFL for an incandecent lightbulb can save 400 pounds of greenhouse gas emmitions.

Bathroom Appliences

Approximately 50 gallons of water is lost each week to a leaky faucet. Flushing toilets account for thirty percent of indoor water use, and a family of four can save over 40,000 gallons of water anually by installing a low flow shower head. Fixing any leaking faucets and installing lowflow appliences can dramatically reduce utility bills.

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Recycling

The average american produces four pounds of trash every day, and 1.5 tons in a year. Recycling just one aluminum can can save enough energy to run a T.V. for 3 hours, and every pound of PET plastics recycled reduces the energy used in plastic production by 84 percent.

Laundry

Washing clothes at low temperatures close to 85ºF can use 40 percent less energy than washing at higher temperatures because 85 to 90 percent of energy used in washing clothes is heating water. Also, hanging clothes to dry is better for the environment because 2-3 kilograms of carbon emmitions are produced for every hour a dryer is used. Using concentrated detergents is also better for the environment because of the reduced packaging.

Clean Transportation

While the effect of using electric cars compared to petrolium in terms of carbon emmitions is debated, and the ammount of carbon emmitions reduced depends greatly on how the power for the car is supplied, having an electric car is in the long run better for the environment than a patrolium. In addition to that carpooling and traveling via public transportation can protect the environment and are less expensive.

Public transportation households save an average of $6,251 anually.

DISHWASHER

Low Energy Apliences

Using “Energy Star-Qualified” appliences can save 10 to 50 percent less energy than regular appliences. In addition to this energy can be saved by limiting pre-rinsing and always running a dishwasher on a full load.

Alternative Energy Sources

Powering the world with Solar Power would take only 0.3 percent of the world’s land area, and the amount of energy used to create solar panels is produced in only 1-2 years. Also the creation of solar panels gives off 90 percent less pollutants than fossil fuels. Currently, wind power is the least expensive energy source for mass production. Residential solar panels can be extremely costly though, with a 5kw system (which provides for a 4+ person household) falling between $25,000- $35,000.

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Outlandish Plans

The craziest climate solutions that just might work

By Isaac Schlaud

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Diamonds In The Sky Some scientist suggest that climate change could be slowed significantly by releasing tiny, nanoparticles of diamond into the sky to reflect sunlight, similar to what a volcanic eruption does in nature.

What Lies Under Other environmental scientists think that the solution may be to, instead of trying to completely negate fossil fuel usage, simply condense and bury as much of it as we can.

If we could bury the carbon at a fast enough rate, this could effectifely counter global warming.

Sea of Steel Another theory could save us, while also saving the presently dying aquatic ecosystem. The idea entails dumping vast quantities of iron and other nutrients into the upper ocean to induce phytoplankton blooms, potentially benefiting everything in the marine food chain and at the same time providing a massive amount of photosythesis, helping to reduce atmospheric carbon while also introdicing more oxygen.

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The

Power plants are usually very wasteful when using water, so new technologies are being implemented to decrease that waste.

B lue aG ree prin ner ts Tex

as

Texas has already set up many wind farms with a nameplate capacity of almost 20,000 Megawatts, causing Texas to be the biggest producer of wind energy in the U.S.

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for By Key u

Ch en

Geothermal energy is expected to be one of the major sources of renewable energy in the next few years, and will mainly be used to drill oil.

Tex sho as is fa and rtages cing w , t h e go but s ater a tog cien nd eth v e ene r er t t n i m s o sa ent ts, c rgy ve t are omp he L wo ani r one kin es, Sta g r st ate.

The solar industry in Texas is booming as the prices of panels have dropped and citizens are starting to realize the threat of global warming.

The Flawn Academic Center houses the Univeristy of Texas’ Energy Institue, where energy conservation researching takes place.

Photo by Keyu Chen

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exas will run out of energy and water by 2030 at the rate it is using it is resources now. Texas experienced a devastating drought six years ago, and rural areas are still feeling the effects. Without water, it is extremely difficult to make energy in power plants, and without energy, it is extremely difficult to produce clean water. This is called the energy water nexus, and it is a major issue in Texas today.

But worry not, because companies, universities, and government organizations are all cooperating to ensure Texas’s water and energy security.

Renewable energy companies are working hard to promote cleaner energy for use in households to lower the energy dependence on power plants; the Energy Institute at the University of Texas is researching to create a better treatment for wastewater and increase energy efficiency; and the Texas government has been issuing bills and policies to regulate energy and water consumption.

Scot Arey, owner of Solar CenTex, has been setting up solar panels for homeowners in central Texas for the past four years. His main goal is to help people understand the importance of renewable energy and how it can help them as well as improve Texas energy security.

“We had a great year, we did a lot of business, we’re busy. It was the best year we’ve ever had, and we did a lot of installations,” Arey said. This is

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the fourth year that Solar CenTex is in business, and they had set up over a megawatt, which is 1,000 kilowatts, of energy just in the past year, and solar is just getting big in Texas.

Like Solar CenTex, hundreds of other solar companies are also working to install panels all around Texas. Some install it for homeowners that want to lower their energy bills and help the environment. Others install huge solar farms in open spaces that give Texas another source of energy other than the abundant wind energy available.

Arey believes that the wind farms Texas has set up in West Texas are a really smart choice for Texas. Because of those wind farms and the planned sea wind farms, Texas is the leading state in product of wind energy in the US.

“I think the big wind farms out in west Texas are a real smart choice for Texas.”

While solar is only starting out in Texas, Arey believes that solar has huge potential, and it is already beginning to grow. The price of solar has decreased 130 times in less that 40 years, and now more and more home and business owners are willing to set up a few panels on their roofs.

While these companies are working hard to ensure Texas’ clean energy, researchers are working hard to find ways to conserve energy and to find new water sources. Since water is subsidized, people do not treat it as something valuable, causing a lot of waste. Even though conserving water is a way to solve the water shortage, finding a new way to get water is definitely a better solution, and the research scientists are on to it.

Todd Davidson, research associate at the Webber Energy Institute, said that they are planning to install significant renewable energy sources out in West Texas, on state owned land, and use the energy that is produced to desalinate brackish aquifers.

Since brackish aquifers are only slightly saltier than freshwater, less energy is needed to desalinate it, and a source of clean energy is optimal for desalination.

That is where Texas’ wind and solar farms are coming to play.

Companies and homeowners alike are installing solar on their roofs to decrease their budget and help the environment.

Photo from Pixabay.com

Most water is usually desalinated in desalination plants, where it is either heated until it evaporates so only the salt remains, or it is pushed through a membrane like filter to separate the salt.

Both of these processes require huge amounts of energy, and either reducing that amount or using clean energy with help the environment.

“We’re trying to find a good balance between something that is economical, as well as something that is clean, as well as something that is essentially delivering the product that we need, and the product in this case is clean water,” Davidson said.

The goals that some of the people at the Webber Energy Group includes finding suitable places for renewable energy building as well as decreasing the effect of oil drilling. The state has already commissioned a bill, SB991, which discusses the possibility of another big renewable energy farm.

Davidson is in a project up in Wyoming where he is testing is geothermal energy can be used for oil drilling.

“Instead of say burning diesel to produce electricity to run the oil field, we might use geothermal power to produce electricity to run the oil field.” Davidson said. He is also working on a project to find other ways to treat the wastewater produced when drilling, and a possible solution is watering the non-edible agricultural goods like cotton.

“We are doing better now than before, but we still have a long way to go.”

It is definitely true that Texas’ booming population and increased use of energy and water is causing it to lose its stability. It is already one of the driest states in the US, and things may get worse, but many people are working on it, and the results are palpable.

As postdoctoral researcher at the Webber Energy Group Joshua Rhodes puts it, “We are doing better now than before, but we still have a long way to go.”

The oil industry is booming in Texas, but how can we reduse the environmental footprint as much as posible?

Photos from Pexels.com

Greenprintz 29

What Flower Blooms In You?

By Liz Reed

Pink Evening Primrose

(Oenothera speciosa) Alternately called a Buttercup, your personality is as smooth as butter! You get along with everyone, but tend to be in supportive roles rather than the star of the show.

Yes

Bluebonnet

(Lupinus texensis) You’re a quirky individual and love to be the center of attention! Also called the Wolf Flower, you can be fierce like a wolf, but are loved by all.

No

Do you like large groups or crowded areas?

No Yes

A series of yes or no questions about your personality to determine what type of Texas flower you are.

30 Greenprintz

Would you willing take on a leadership role and be the center of attention?

Texas Thistle

Mexican Hat

(Cirsium texanum) You can be rough around the edges, but once people get to know you they discover your true self.

(Ratibida columnifera) You have many diverse aspects, but one things for sure; you love a good party, whether it be a small one with close friends or a giant one full of new people to meet!

Yes

Indian Paintbrush

(Castilleja indivisa) Like the name of your flower implies, you are very artistic and creative. You get along well with others and love to express your creativity!

No

Do you enjoy parties?

Yes

No

Do you consider yourself cold, or distant towards new people or even sometimes friends?

Indian Blanket

(Gaillardia pulchella) You tend to chill at home, probably with a cozy blanket wrapped around you!

Yes Would you call yourself creative or artistic?

Yes

No

No

Do you consider yourself an extrovert or a people person?

START HERE

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32 Greenprintz

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By Isaac Schlaud

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n recent years, many countries have put aside their differences to come together to fight the common enemyglobal warming. However, research suggests that they may not be enough on their own.

According to University of Texas Researcher Dr. Joshua D. Rhodes, we are going to have to do more to meet the UN’s goal of preventing climate change from rising more than 2 degrees. Some countries like China are really stepping up their renewable energy development, but big consumers like the U.S. still need to do more. Rhodes says that it may look hard, and the upfront costs may seem high, but that’s only until you look at what’s to come if we fail. And, unfortunately, as a species we are really bad at doing that.

Earth’s nations can do everything in their power to combat global warming, but it still will not be enough to keep climate change from ruining most of the planet if their citizens fail to do their own part.

Global warming has been happening for decades, but it is getting worse and some scientists think it may almost be too late.

Common sense says that not everyone will fulfill their role, and that means those that do must work all the harder. If these efforts fail, it is no longer a matter of slightly raising temperatures, but a matter of keeping the planet habitable.

Some scientists, like Dr. Rhodes’ fellow researcher at U.T. Dr. Todd Davidson remain optimistic about America’s development in coming years, especially in Texas.

“I’d be willing to bet that over the next 10 years Texas is going to install an incredible amount of solar. I would say it’s going to be probably more installations than any other state, maybe California will match us, but I think that the amount of solar that gets installed in the U.S. in the coming decade could be pretty significant,” says Rhodes.

Unfortunately, visions like that will never come true without every citizen doing their part. There are many small changes which can be made even for those with tight budgets.

“I think the old adage of ‘reduce reuse recycle’ is a very, very good one” said Davidson. “And in addition, most of those types of things, when you start talking about conservation, it’s actually kind-of a win-win, you get not only environmental or eviro- basically emissions savings, but you also get economic savings, every time somebody buys something that’s new, you, they’re spending money, and it’s really a non-trivial thing, and so, it’s a win for the wallet and it’s a win for your environmental footprint. I would say to try to get more life out of all the items we use and consume on a day-to-day basis.”

For people with more significant funds, on the other hand, there are many things that make massive differences, for example, on electric cars: “I think that they have an enormously positive impact, if the grid is powered by renewable energy. If the grid is powered by fossil fuels, it’s a little unclear as to exactly what impact of electric vehicles would be. Most discussions that I have had and research that I’ve seen still shows that it does have an incremental improvement in our energy consumption even if the electric vehicles are being charged by fossil fuels,” said Davidson.

The amount of improvement even when the power is coming from fossil fuels can still be very significant: “if you’re producing electricity at a power station, say at a modern natural gas turbine, you can achieve efficiency on the order of, say, 60 percent. Internal combustion engine cars that take gasoline and diesel are more on the order of 20 to 30 percent efficiency, and so, it’s more efficient for us to produce electricity at power plants,” said Davidson.

In short, it will take unparallelled unity to save the earth, but it is possible. Contrary to popular belief, even the smallest changes and things can make a huge difference when taken up to a larger scale.

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“Over the next 10 years Texas is going to install an incredible amount of solar” -Joshua Rhodes

“It’s a win for the wallet and it’s a win for your environmental footprint.”

-Todd Davidson

Fossil fuel based factory releasing smog and greenhouse gasses

34 Greenprintz

“I think that [electric cars] have an enormously positive impact, if the grid is powered by renewable energy.”

-Todd Davidson

Wind farms have been established all across the country

Chevrolet’s flagship electric car, the Chevy Volt (photo by Isaac Schlaud)

“You can choose, whatever your age group or whatever your income level, how you spend your money, and that can make a simply huge difference.”

-Charlie Scott Greenprintz 35