April 19, 2018 issue 14 Loquitur

VOL.LIXISSUE14 THURSDAY, APRIL19,2018

lODUIITUIR

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HOPEDALUISIO/VISUAL MANAGINGEDITOR

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EDITORIAL

THURSDAY, APRIL 19, 2018

WE ARE THE

LOQUITUR 2017-2018 Editorial Staff EDITOR-IN-CHIEF ANGELINA MILLER WRITING MANAGING EDITOR

CORALINE PETTINE VISUAL MANAGING EDITOR HOPE DALUISIO NEWS EDITORS EMMA RODNER-TIMS KELLY BUSH SPORTS EDITORS JOHN WILLIAMS LIFESTYLES EDITORS ERIC STONE KAITLYN D’AMBROSIO PERSPECTIVES EDITOR LAURA SANSOM WEB EDITOR SHANNON FINN ADVISER JEROME ZUREK

MISSION The Loquitur student newspaper and website are integral parts of the educational mission of the Cabrini communication department, namely, to educate students to take their places in the public media. Loquitur Media provides a forum of free expression. All members of the univeristy community may submit work to the editors for possible inclusion. Publication is based on the editorial decision of the student editors.

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR The Loquitur accepts letters to the editors. They should be less than 500 words, usually in response to a current issue on Cabrini University’s campus or community area and are printed as space permits. Name, phone number and address should be included with submissions for verification purposes. All letters to the editors must be e-mailed to loquitur@ cabrini.edu

ERIC STONE/LIFESTYLES EDTOR

Young people advocating for climate change Many Americans do not view climate change as a threat. Instead, we are blinded by the fact that we do not feel the harsh effects of it. While it is true that most Americans do not feel any real effects of climate change in our day to day lives, it still remains a huge threat to our world and is continuing to affect the poor and vulnerable first.

Think about how much coffee is sold at Jazzman’s every day, how much food is wasted in the cafeteria and how many snow days we have had this year compared to last year. Climate change is already affecting each and every one of us and will continue to get worse if we do not speak up and take action.

Over the course of this century, greenhouse gas emissions are expected to raise surface temperatures to dangerous levels, with that comes damaging heat waves, harsh rain storms, crop killing droughts and other unpredictable weather patterns.

As developed Americans, we import crops, have subsidies to insure the farming industry and obtain necessary resources to protect ourselves from the effects of climate change. However, on the other hand, we still contribute to food waste, electricity overuse, landfills and huge factories.

We stand as both the cause and the solution of climate change. Even though we have the resources to protect ourselves from our own consequences, poverty struck countries do not.

Take a man such as Carlos, for example.

In 1998, Carlos’ family began a coffee farming livelihood from scratch in Guatemala.

While it was difficult to teach themselves

how to properly grow coffee beans, every season got easier until the 2012 coffee leaf rust.

“La roya,” in Spanish, is a type of crop killing fungus that strangles the leaves of the crop, leaving the plant to be unable to breathe.

This fungus has been around for years. However, it has affected more farmers like Carlos, over the past 5-7 years, specifically due to the hot and humid days and unpredictable rains brought about by climate change.

lief Services not only help teach the people in the communities new farming techniques such as raised beds but provide them with the necessary resources for it.

Although progress had been made, it is not enough for how rapidly the climate is changing. Increasing the funding towards poverty focused development assistance is key in order to get these farmers back on their feet and back in the global market, exporting goods like the coffee that so many of us drink daily.

Through the works of Mother Cabrini and the care for all God’s creation, we truly are an interconnected world.

Everyone benefits when we help each other in need. We should care about these issues, even as college students.

The current Trump administration and Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is against climate change policy and has already repealed the Clean Power Plan and has taken the United States out of the Paris Agreement. By doing so, the United States is falling behind other countries when it comes to a sustainable environmentally friendly future.

Voting for politicians in the climate solutions caucus, using reusable water bottles and recycling containers and plastic are small-manageable acts that we can take every single day to help lessen this problem.

Climate does not discriminate. We should be preparing for our futures and the future of next generations. Even if we don’t feel drastic effects from it now, it is going to continue to worsen at a rapid pace.

Millions of Americans rely on coffee to get them through their day, while millions of Guatemalans rely on

coffee to get them through their life.

Millions of Americans rely on coffee to get them through their day, while millions of Guatemalans rely on coffee to get them through their life.

Carlos and many other farmers are living proof of how American emissions affect poor communities elsewhere, directly due to the lack of resources to mitigate. If we cut funding towards poverty focused development assistance, this problem will only get worse.

The imports we receive from countries like Guatemala will increase. Imagine your morning cup of coffee being even more expensive than it already is.

Progress has already been made in regulating our own emissions and helping poor countries mitigate to the consequences from climate change. Government funding that goes towards organizations like Catholic Re-

HOPE DALUISIO/VISUAL MANAGING EDITOR

THURSDAY, APRIL 19, 2018

NEWS

THELOQUITUR.COM | 3

Coffee: The Guatemalan hands behind it

BY ANGELINA MILLER Editor-In-Chief It is 6:00 a.m. on an average Wednesday morning in the United States. At this time, millions of Americans are placing a K-Cup into a Keurig, coffee grounds into a coffee maker or running to a local coffee chain for an extra heap of caffeine to get them through their morning.

Meanwhile, in Guatemala, a number of farmers such as Carlos have been awake for over an hour. By 6:30 a.m., he is already making his way down a dusty mountain range in San Lucas, carrying a heavy sack of coffee cherries on his back. Then, he heads to his job at Juan Ana Cafe to help harvest, process and market the coffee that he makes by hand. During this time of year, Carlos prepares for the months of the coffee harvest season by caring for coffee plants and the land that they grow on to sustain the lives of his people.

These coffee plants produce the $40 billion that the United States spends on coffee each year. The hands of hardworking individuals like Carlos are who we can thank for processing 600,000 pounds of picked coffee beans each year to make the hot, addicting cup of caffeine that most of us rely on to start each and every day.

The whole process — from the coffee plant, to the dehusking, roasting, grinding and packaging of the finished product — is done by faces that we may never be able to see and people we will never get to know in this lifetime. However, that does not give us a reason to be ignorant or unappreciative.

Between November and February, Carlos ventures out onto his land for as long as seven hours a day, to pick around 150 to 200 pounds of coffee by hand. After Carlos picks the red-bean coffee, he works at the “beneficio” past midnight to treat and wash it that same day.

Carlos manually selects the coffee beans to be roasted, by removing any small or broken beans from the mix. This must be done, in order to maintain the quality of the product.

Coffee has to be kept at a certain humidity level, and experienced farmers such as Carlos can detect that level just by looking at coffee.

If the level is more than 15 percent, it is considered very humid. If the beans are too dry, they are less than 10 percent humidity.

Carlos lights the roasting machine and allows it to reach 300 degrees Fahrenheit. Then, the green coffee goes through a dehydration process that takes about six minutes; an average roasting time is usually about 10 minutes. A Dark Roast is roasted longer and at a higher temperature, while a Medium Roast is roasted shorter and at a lower temperature.

Carlos processes the coffee of proper humidity through a dehusking machine for one minute to remove the shells. Then, he clears any remaining husk or broken beans that may still be mixed in, so that green beans are the only things remaining.

Each bag of coffee is placed in a mylar bag, vacuum sealed to keep the product fresh, then placed inside a cloth bag. The outer cloth bag is hand tied and then ready for export. Exports of coffee are sent to the United States at as many as 4,000 lbs, or 70 boxes, per shipment. The boxes typically weigh 50 lbs each.

While Americans can afford to live without coffee, farmers like Carlos, who make a living by producing it cannot. Farming and producing coffee beans are how Carlos and many people in other parts of the world make an income to provide for themselves and their families.

However, if individuals in the United States continue to make careless decisions that contribute to the effects of climate change, poor and vulnerable farmers, their loved ones and communities will all suffer.

According to the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, the current warming trend of the Earth’s climate has a 95 percent probability of being the result of human activity. This warming trend will continue to proceed at a groundbreaking rate over the decades to come.

This all stems from what is known as the “Greenhouse Effect.” When carbon dioxide, methane and other gases are released from man-made processes on Earth, heat gets trapped in the atmosphere. Scientific research today goes to show that having increased levels of greenhouse gases is unquestionably what causes the Earth to warm. As temperatures continue to warm, coffee farmers and their crops are threatened. This is specifically shown in terms of altitude and coffee leaf rust. Coffee leaf rust is a fungus that reproduces and attacks coffee plants with at a very specific temperature range of 64–73 degrees Fahrenheit.

If Carlos grows his coffee lower in altitude, he will have warmer temperatures, specifically at night. In these warmer areas, coffee rust has been a problem for 20 or 30 years now.

However, with temperatures consecutively warmer at night and colder during the day, coffee leaf rust has begun to attack coffee plants all of the time.

Carlos is forced to keep moving up the mountains where he grows his coffee. However, mountains eventually reach a point where nothing can grow anymore. If Carlos gets to this point in the near future, he may be unable to grow the coffee that he needs for an income to live. Coffee leaf rust is not only moving from farm to farm but more so from community to community and even across the countries. The problem is not going away and neither are the struggles with the climate.

Starting a day by climbing up a mountain is no longer the only battle for Carlos anymore though. Fighting against climate change is the new day to day struggle that he and many others are facing. While he may have some control over his own farm, he has no control of our actions in the United States that will shape his future.

ANGMARIEMILLER@GMAIL.COM

NEWS

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THURSDAY, APRIL 19, 2018

Straws: Sucking the life out of Earth

BY EMMA RODNER-TIMS News Editor Each year the world throws away 2.12 billion tons of waste and hardly any of it goes to a recycling center.

A large contributor to those 2.12 billion tons of waste are straws. In the United States alone, 500 million plastic straws are used and thrown away every single day. Those 500 million straws could wrap around the Earth two and a half times.

Plastic, non-reusable straws are made out of polypropylene– a petroleum-based plastic. Its production calls for fossil fuel extraction, which then affects climate change, subsequently negatively affecting the Earth.

Even though it has been reported that polypropylene is Bisphenol A (BPA) free, that is actually not the case. It has been proven to release synthetic estrogens, a BPA. This release hurts the environment and the wildlife that inhabits it.

This plastic straw “epidemic” is not one answered by the mantra: “Reduce, reuse, recycle.”

Rachel O’Brien, a junior at Temple University majoring in environmental studies, pointed out that addressing the plastic straw epidemic is not going to be simple, as the suggested alternatives are not necessarily better for the environment.

“Straws, specifically plastic straws, are only recyclable based on what type of recycling is accepted in your area; however, most straws are just thrown in the trash anyway. In both cases, it is more likely to end up in a landfill where it will never biodegrade,” O’Brien said.

“Even more ‘environmentally conscious’ straw options, such as paper straws, are often lined with a wax coating and will not biodegrade in a landfill. Landfills are so compacted these days that even things that are technically biodegradable don’t get enough oxygen to break down, so if you see a straw option advertised as ‘biodegradable’ or ‘eco-friendly’, you are being deceived.”

There are people who see the need for change.

This past summer, Charleston, South Carolina took the

straw epidemic into their own hands by starting a campaign called “Strapless Summer Challenge.” This movement brought over 70 restaurants and bars in the Charleston area to stop using plastic straws.

In Charleston County, straws cannot be recycled. That means plastic straws are then dumped into landfills, the ocean and other places. Although small, those plastic straws cause great harm to marine life.

Chantal Plamondon has dedicated her life and career to removing straws and all plastics from people’s lives.

Plamondon is the co-founder of Life Without Plastic, a company that provides “safe, high-quality, ethically-sourced, Earth-friendly alternative to plastic products.”

When it comes to plastic straws, Plamondon said, “[They] are particularly destructive single use plastic pollution problem all over the world. They are routinely and unthinkingly automatically given out in restaurants– and often not even used at all.

EMMA RODNER-TIMS / NEWS EDITOR

That piece of petroleum-derived plastic goes straight into a landfill; most plastics are not recycled. This is on top of the problem of putting plastic directly in your mouth, in contact with your acidic saliva, which will increase any leaching of chemicals that is already occurring from the plastic,” Plamondon said Plamondon and the rest of the company are making it their goal to rid the Earth of fossil-fueled plastic and protect the Earth and its wildlife. Life Without Plastic offers three different types of sustainable and reusable strawsglass, stainless steel and bamboo.

The fight can begin in the average household.

O’Brien shared the steps she’s taken and continues to take every day, so that our Earth can stay as healthy as possible.

“Trading in your 24 pack of Poland Spring water bottles for one trendy, reusable water bottle. It could mean thinking ahead and bringing a reusable coffee cup with you in the morning so you don’t have to get a plastic or wax-lined cup — neither of which will biodegrade. You’d be surprised at how many places will gladly fill up a 12 oz or 16 oz coffee cup for you,” O’Brien said. “You also need to educate yourself. Take the time to do your own research about the environment and issues such as waste, ocean pollution, fast fashion, diet based issues, etc. I found a handful of documentaries that helped me to learn about these topics, such as ‘The True Cost,’ ‘Before the Flood,’ ‘Conspiracy,’ ‘A Plastic Ocean’ and many more. I also learned through bloggers like Lauren Singer and Ella Grace Denton who discuss their own methods for living more sustainably.”

When it comes to bettering the environment and doing your part, it does not need to be overwhelming.

“I think it’s important to get past the ‘I’m only one person’ mentality,” O’Brien said. “Each person has the ability to reduce their own impact and educate/influence others in the process. It’s so important to consider your individual decisions and find ways to make your everyday routine more eco-friendly.”

ERODNERTIMS77@GMAIL.COM

Trump administration withdraws climate change protection

BY CHRISTINE MCCOLLUM Assistant News Editor Despite the warnings President Trump has received from scientists and environmental specialists to pay attention to the rising changes in global warming and the damaging effects that can have on the environment, his administration’s new infrastructure plan neglects to fund any type of resilience on climate change threats.

The White House infrastructure plan refers to environmental reviews as “inefficiencies.” According to the Guardian, the plan proposes a “21-month limit for environmental reviews of projects that potentially threaten endangered species or fragile habitats.”

Senior biology major Nicholas Straub said, “This country will be in trouble if Trump doesn’t wake up and start aiding environmental protection to prevent drastic climate changes.”

For years, Trump has tweeted about how he feels global warming is a “hoax” and merely an excuse to make taxpayers pay more money and hurt the economy.

Shaena Montanari, a paleontologist and a member of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, tweeted in response to Trump’s tweets, “Global warming is fake because it is cold where I am. No one in the world is starving because I have food in my kitchen. Poverty isn’t real because I just got paid.”

Montanari was claiming that Trump uses circular reasoning, in regards to his thoughts on global warming.

In 2017, 115 United States mayors were surveyed by the Conversation and Boston University as a part of the Initiative on

Cities campaign. The mayors were asked about climate change, and according to the Conversation, the “mayors overwhelmingly believe that climate change is a result of human activities. Only 16 percent of those polled attributed rising global temperatures to natural changes in the environment that are not due to human activities.”

Although the Trump administration does not support efforts to prevent climate change, many cities and groups are fighting to help save the world.

People are fearing the ramifications of global warming, such as extreme heat waves, melting glaciers, severe droughts, rising sea levels and the risk of wildfires.

“Our generation will most likely be okay,” said Bianca Santos, a junior biology major. “It will be our children and grandchildren who are affected by these changes in the environment. Global warming is coming with more force that we are prepared for.”

The research done by Boston University conveyed that two-thirds of the mayors interviewed said cities should be making financial sacrifices to do their part in reducing the effects of climate change.

Some of the proposed changes include reducing the number of vehicles on the road, using alternative energy sources and reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

“This is not just a national issue,” Ayannah Mcillwain, a junior international business major, said. “If everyone contributed slightly to making the world a eco-friendlier place, we wouldn’t be facing such large issues with global warming.”

BOSTON UNIVERSITY MENINO SURVEY OF MAYORS REPORT

Mayors’ top priorities for investments in the environment and sustainability.

CHRISSYMCCOLLUM@GMAIL.COM

THURSDAY, APRIL 19, 2018

NEWS

THELOQUITUR.COM | 5

The role of envrionmental issues affects human health directly and indirectly

BY KELLY BUSH News Editor

There are so many ways the climate has impacted the world, because of that, the way we live today will be changed in the future. As global warming increases, disease will increase. According to WHO between the years of 2030 and 2050 climate change will cause about 250,000 deaths per year. This may seem far fetch, but it really is not.

With the increase of disease, it will spread easily without proper precautions causing a major epidemic within the world.

Rising temperatures: According to Smithsonianmag.com, the number of hot days is expected to rise from its current average of four to six days per year to 33 to 45 by 2070.

For instance, regarding air pollution There is the Clean Air Act in place to protect the amount of emissions going into the air. This does not mean everyone abides by this.

Air pollution can cause more asthma. This is because people will not be able to breathe in clean air or any air at all containing so much carbon. Also, with severe weather people’s bodies will not be able to handle it. More droughts will increase the amount of heat strokes or heat stress. This is caused by the hot weather and even dehydration in this

time. There are simple signs such as hot and dry skin, red face and high body temperature that are important to know. When having allergies, weather is usually the cause, but they will only get worse, due to weather. According to National Geographic, “when exposed to warmer temperatures and higher levels of CO2, plants grow more vigorously and produce more pollen than they otherwise would.”

The increasing heat and spread of germs will cause immune systems to want to attack anything coming its way.

It may seem hard to kills these diseases, but it can be done.

“Adopting healthy lifestyles including exercise, healthy diet, stress management, and age appropriate screenings for health risks all promote healthy living and early detection of disease,” Cabrini nurse Susan Fitzgerald said.

Weather extremes The damage of extreme weather can take a toll on the whole world. There are diseases such as malaria, dengue and hantavirus that are vector borne and dangerous.

These diseases are carried by humans, animals or plants.

It may take a while to reach the U.S., but these diseases are affecting people every day in poor countries. Global travel and climate change can cause these diseases to gather to countries they were previously unknown. According to the US Global Change Research Organization, other vulnerable groups of people, include those with low income, some communities of color, immigrant groups, Indigenous peoples, children and pregnant women, older adults, vulnerable occupational groups, persons with disabilities and persons with preexisting or chronic medical conditions.

Change of climate in poorer countries can cause less growth because of the lack of water. When the people are sharing or re-using the same water to eat and clean, dis-

eases are prone to happen. These countries also have less exposure to health care which means they spread diseases unknowingly. People who travel come to the U.S. and spread the disease.

Cholera is one of the worst water-borne diseases. Cholera occurs from drinking contaminated water. Contaminated water is happening more often than most may think with the pollution. Because of extreme weather there is water coming from all parts of the world traveling to another carrying many unknown particles.

Rising sea levels: Sea levels impact people in ways that may not seem relatable to weather, and they rise with warmer weather.

The effects of this causes more natural disasters to happen, which forces people out of their homes. This happens more often and increases chances of anxiety or depression.

“As a Hurricane Katrina survivor, I have lived through the devastation of what natural disasters are capable of.

With the rising impacts of global warming, research suggests that there will be an increase in intensity of hurricanes along coastal regions. After Hurricane Katrina had stripped me from all that I had once owned, emotions of anxiety and fear rush over me when I receive news of the next impending storm,” biology major, Ellie Temonia said.

Health care is very relatable and the whole world is being affected. More people’s health is at risk, and the different aspects of health will kill people entirely.

“Reduce, reuse, recycle if we do not do these things the climate will only get worse, and we will get sicker”, biology major, Juliana Khanuja said.

KELLYBUSH97@GMAIL.COM

HOPE DALUISIO/VISUAL MANAGING EDITOR

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LIFESTYLES

THURSDAY, APRIL 19, 2018

Graduate student brings water conservation habits from home country to Cabrini

BY KAITLYN DAMBROSIO Lifestyles Editor

It is easy to forget about conserving energy when it seems like there is an unlimited amount in our homes and dorms.

Graduate student Aide Cuenca takes pride in being energy efficient. At her apartment in the graduate housing on campus, Cuenca tries her hardest to save the water that is being used.

“When I moved here, I realized that you can drink the water from the faucet and it’s safe,” Cuenca said.

In her home country of Ecuador, they do not have running water and have to buy water from the water trucks that deliver to their community.

“I have to be very mindful in the ways that I use the water,” Cuenca said. “I remember my mom telling me how hard it was in the beginnings of the community to get water.”

At Cabrini, Cuenca takes buckets and puts them in the shower while the water heats up to catch and save what would typically go down the drain.

“Sometimes when you are in a hurry, you do not want to take the time to put a bucket in the shower,” Cuenca said. “But that is my responsibility.”

From there, she uses the water in the bathroom to flush the toilet. It is a common habit that they do in Ecuador that she brought with her to the United States.

“I learned how to do this growing up and I have been doing it since I was little,” Cuenca said.

Cuenca works with her roommate and shows her ways to be efficient with their water.

“It is a little thing that I do, but it’s a way to remind myself that if I want to seek change, I need to be patient.”

According to the EPA, Americans use an average of 88 gallons of water each day.

Turning off the lights and electricity, not wasting food in their house and recycling are

just some of the ways Cuenca and her roommates try to save energy. During the summer, she also wants to try planting and using a compost.

Developing countries are the parts of the world that are impacted by climate change the most. A lot of the people rely on farming as a way of survival. This is not always a good thing because when they experience droughts and other extreme weather conditions they can lose their crops. Aside from that, a lot of areas do not have running water or electricity in their homes.

“In my community, I have witnessed times when the water trucks do not come and leave families without water for days,” Cuenca said.

When Cuenca arrived at Cabrini, she became a CRS Ambassador and got more involved with climate change. She began advocating for climate change after experiencing it herself, to change the minds of people who do not believe in it.

“Coming from a country that is being affected because of climate change, I know that people don’t typically see how developing economies, as we [Ecuador] a r e described, are affected by climate change,” Cuenca said.

According to a Pew Research study, 31 percent of adults think climate change is due to natural causes while 20 percent believe there is no evidence of climate change.

“The way that students are living can have a negative impact on our world,” Cuenca said. “The fact that students are talking about climate change is important.”

KDAMBROSIO97@GMAIL.COM

EMMA RODNER-TIMS/NEWS EDITOR

THURSDAY, APRIL 19, 2018

LIFESTYLES

THELOQUITUR.COM | 7

Popular mobile game inspires environmentally safe habits

ERIC STONE/LIFESTYLES EDITOR

Sean Connolly, a young inventor, seeks to better the world by creating an environemtally safe mobile app that encourages people to pick up their trash.

BY ERIC STONE Lifestyles Editor

Pokémon GO lasted a short amount of time as a fad that encouraged pretty mindless activity when it came to collecting objects that were not necessarily worth anything.

Now, a different app challenges Pokémon GO’s aesthetics with something a little bit more rewarding and environmentally safe.

Project Dumpster 1.01 aims at tackling pollution head on by incentivizing those who play it with points for collecting trash that they pick up. It is an augmented reality game using gamification techniques to enhance what would otherwise be a dull experience by incorporating rewards and competition modes.

The app was created by Sean Connolly, a computer science major at Northeastern University, who saw the app created for the Pokemon franchise and thought that it could possibly be much more meaningful and entertaining.

“The idea of Project Dumpster 1.01 evolved immensely from a base idea of an autonomous rover that scolded people for littering,” Connolly said. “After many ‘wouldn’t it be cool if we did X instead of Y?’ the Project Dumpster team started thinking about the possibility of making a socially beneficial clean up game.”

Believing that the Project Dumpster app had a chance of succeeding, Connolly decided to participate in the Intel Hackathon only a month before the submission deadline. “Other teams have had twice the amount of time that we did to finish their projects so Conor Boston and I began this project basically the day I returned from a summer session at Northeastern.”

Boston, an aerospace engineer from Pennsylvania State University, had a large part in creating the Project Dumpster app, as well as the Arduino service bot, which assisted in dropping pins on a Google map supported by the mobile application. Boston designed and connected the Arduino micro controllers, the Android phone, batteries, a solar panel and all of the smaller components such as the LEDs and ultrasonic sensor.

“It was awesome to work on something completely new to me and I think it definitely improved my skills in electronics and problem solving,” Boston said. “I hope that I can use these skills to do small proj- e c t s around the house, like automatically turning on and off lights

and watering the garden.”

Of course, Connolly and Boston were not without their hardships. The short amount of time they had to design the Arduino, as well as the mobile app, often left them burnt out.

“Since I have never really worked with hardware before, I was a ‘noob’ when it came to the microcontroller,” Connolly said. “However, it was easy enough to learn and now I’d like to work with hardware more.”

The app itself has a beta version that has been tested by Michael Vital, a civil engineering major from Pennsylvania State University. Vital is very interested in service projects and minimizing global warming as well, which drew him to this project in particular.

“Minimizing global warming is something that everyone should be solemnly aware of,” Vital said. “Doing little things such as recycling, car pooling and picking up pieces of discarded litter can make a substantial difference for the environment if everyone contributes.”

Because of his beliefs, Vital thinks that Project Dumpster 1.01 has a good chance of succeeding because of its wholesome benefits.

“The concept of players trying to find and clean up trash in order to gain points not only creates an enjoyable game but also makes a unique way for people to become more environmentally friendly,” Vital said. “This app would help children who tend to be using technology too much get outside for a change.”

Connolly and Boston hope that Vital’s reaction is how the general public will feel and that they can further pursue attempts to develop the application if Project Dumpster 1.01 does win the Hackathon competition.

“Goals beyond winning at Hackathon are developing online competitive mode, partner with socially conscious companies for in-game points exchange for coupons or other deals to encourage further participation in the game,” Connolly said.

“I hope that people will not only embrace the app’s goal of encouraging good stewardship of the environment, but also that they will be inspired to bring their own imagination to life through electronics like Arduino,” Boston said.

The application is now available on the Google Play store for download.

ECSTONE31@GMAIL.COM

ERIC STONE/LIFESTYLES EDITOR

The application can detect if items are trash or not, in order to ensure that people do not cheat when trying to receive points.

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LIFESTYLES

THURSDAY, APRIL 19, 2018

Lobbying for climate change Cabrini students take on Washington D.C.

devastating the economy of Guatemala especially in cities like the one I visited, San Lucas Toliman.”

Poverty focused development assistance is the part of the United States foreign aid budget that provides assistance to poor countries to aid in reducing poverty and investing in economic development. These students believe it is important to learn and advocate about this topic because a majority of their generation is ignorant on the subject.

Learning through lobbying Cabrini University is one of the only schools in its area that incorporates social justice and community service within its core requirements. Students are required to take three engagement in the common good courses that include this out of the classroom learning experiences.

Before lobbying, Smith traveled to Guatemala. There, she witnessed what the consequences of having loose climate change policy in poverty struck countries are.

When she returned back to the United States, she lobbied in Washington D.C. and became classroom coach for ECG 300: Working for Global Justice.

“I was somewhat knowledgeable and definitely cared a lot before taking classes at Cabrini where I learned more about climate change,” Smith said. “But once I took these classes and actually learned more about climate change, the urge to do something about was greater than before.”

PHOTO BY JERRY ZUREK

Students smile in front of Capitol Hill after talking with their representatives.

BY HOPE DALUISIO, SHANNON FINN Visual Managing Editor, Web Editor

Speaking up to government officials through lobbying is a powerful right that not every country has. The United States gives their citizens this right and Cabrini students take full advantage by lobbying in Washington D.C. every semester for issues they learn and are passionate about.

To lobby is to seek influence on a politician or public official on an issue. It is a right that all American citizens have under the first amendment to “petition the government for a redress of grievances.”

The crisis of climate change In the engagement in the common good courses, Working for Global Justice and Work for Justice in Guatemala, students deeply study poverty focused development assistance, specifically how climate change affects the poor. They study this issue all semester and also call their state and local representatives to schedule times to meet in the the nation’s capital, Washington D.C. “When I went lobbying, we focused on the effects of climate change in countries like Guatemala,” senior digital communication and social media major Brittany Smith said.

“Coffee is the biggest crop in Guatemala and how they make most of their money. Due to climate change and the heat levels rising, this thing called “la roya,” or, the rust, is taking over these coffee plants. This is a fungus that makes the coffee plants unusable. This is

PHOTO SUBMITTED BY BRITT SMITH.

People in poor countries contribute the least to climate change but feel the most affects.

The right to be heard Only 48 percent of Americans believe that climate change is caused by human activity and only 61 percent of them say it is a problem the government needs to address. Cabrini students want their voices to be heard and want others to join them in their efforts.

“I tend to pay more attention to what is going on in the world around me, not just in my surrounding area,” senior education major Jackie Witherow said. “I have become a more consistent world news follower since having lobbied.”

The students went through the complete process of lobbying. They set up appointments with their representatives of their hometowns, drove to Washington D.C. and sat down to talk about these issues and what they want the government to do about it.

“Lobbying was a special experience to come out of a college course,” senior accounting major Ethan Spotts said. “Hitting the books in college will never have the same impact as meeting the people you read about and actually advocating for the betterment of their lives. After all of it you will understand that change isn’t going to happen if you just keep thinking other people will put in the work.”

The Trump administration does not support climate change policy. Instead, it has taken the United States out of Paris Agreement and cut funding towards poverty focused development assistance. Carbon dioxide levels have raised over 100 parts per million since 1950. These students want their representatives to act upon climate change policies to possibly slow down this rate.

“We start the change,” Witherow said. “We need to take these opportunities to learn and formulate our own opinions about global issues and take the steps to be apart of the change.”

HEDALUISIO@GMAIL.COM SHANNONRFINN72@GMAIL.COM

PHOTO BY JERRY ZUREK

Witherow lobbied for the first time with her class and practiced her first amendment right.

PERSPECTIVES

9 | THELOQUITUR.COM

THURSDAY, APRIL 19, 2018

Politics and climate change don’t mix

BY JAMES KELLY Assistant Sports Editor

Environment in November of 2017. Hartnett stood by her position on how climate change is a real to a certain extent, but why?

Everything in today’s world has to be political, whether it is keeping children safe in schools or trying to save the environment for future generations. There are a lot of people who are climate change deniers, or are skeptic to the idea of climate change.

When you search the phrase “climate change” on Google, you get an unexpected amount of results that talk about how climate change is not real.

Why is this? Why do people feel the need to argue about whether climate change exists, when the same people could put that energy towards making the environment a better place for future generations.

Regardless of your political stance, or whether you believe in it or not, everyone should want to make the world a better place.

Everyone should want to make the earth better, so our children’s children live on a beautiful planet. Kathleen Hartnett, a climate change skeptic, was appointed by President Trump to be his top environmentalist adviser.

President Trump ultimately withdrew her name from the position. Hartnett had trouble answering questions about climate change posed by the Senate ommittee of

Why even argue on how big of an impact it has on the earth?

It has an impact on the earth, so let’s fix it.

Why even argue about how big of an impact it has on the earth? It has an impact on the earth, so let’s fix it.

She has the platform to make a great change to our environment, so why not use it? Instead of arguing about politics, use that energy think of ways to save our planet.

Animals are becoming very vulnerable due to climate change, why not make a difference for all of them.

Climate change can cause a quarter

of land animals, birds, and plants to become extinct.

Arctic sea ice level is a very rapid decline, and has been for quite some time now. It is on such a decline, climate scientists describe it as “a death spiral.”

The same arctic sea levels are home to many arctic species who are now becoming endangered. Climate change is affecting multiple species of animals and plants across the globe.

There have been a number of horrifying pictures on the internet of polar bears struggling to survive due to climate change.

Polar bears rely heavily on ice to travel, hunt and rest.

People with platforms to make a change on a global scale for the better of future generations are not getting the job done.

President Trump is a climate change skeptic, and he has one of the largest platforms to create change in the world. President Trump has the ability to move in the right direction to create a difference for our planet.

There are many movements attempting to save the planet because our planet needs saving. Regardless if you are a Democrat or a Republican, everyone is a person.

Everyone has a family. Don’t you want your future family to live on a beautiful planet?

This isn’t a political issue, it is a person issue.

JAMESEJKELLY@GMAIL.COM

MICHELLE GUERIN/ASSISTANT NEWS EDITOR

BY RENIN BROADNAX Assistant News Editor

Snow storms bring in the spring season

I can’t even count the amount of times on my fingers I have looked outside and dreadfully said, “It’s snowing.”

We all appreciated the snow days and missing class, but we are all kind of over it now. Not only are we completely done with the snow, if we think a little deeper, shouldn’t we be worried?

Although we are experiencing “global warming” here on campus, we have also been experiencing our fair share of cold weather.

A common misconception about climate change is that it only causes warm weather, which then causes tropical storms, hurricanes and polar ice caps melting; however, the New Jersey and Pennsylvania area have yet to see spring.

“Global warming can lead to extreme weather in various portions of northern and mid latitudes so that some places get tons of snow repeatedly while others are unseasonably warm,” the Union of Concerned Scientists reported.

“It was fun in the beginning. I enjoyed the days off, but now it is just in the way of getting the semester over with,” Asha Jackson, sophomore human resource major, said.

Does mother nature hate us?

A more accurate statement would

Trees fell down on campus due to snow storms. be: Do we hate mother nature?

We as humans are constantly filling the ozone layer with greenhouse gases and polluting our limited amount of drinking water. This contributed to climate change and is correlated with in the second Nor’easter we had on campus, on the first

day of spring.

“Something is definitely going on in the environment if it’s snowing on the first day of spring. It’s just inconvenient now,” John Volz, sophomore business management major, said. “I had a review for my test on the day classes were cancelled. Thankfully,

LAURA SANSOM/PERSPECTIVES EDITOR

my teacher rescheduled.”

The general consensus is that the snow is annoying and it is becoming more of an inconvenience than a fun day off from classes.

CONTINUE READING ONLINE RENIN9819@GMAIL.COM

PERSPECTIVES

THURSDAY, APRIL 19, 2018

THELOQUITUR.COM | 10

Recycling, other small changes can help the planet

BY KELLY BUSH News Editor

Do you recycle daily? Or do you think of recycling as something that can just happen whenever? If that is the case, you may live the United States. Each country has a recycling system for their citizens, except the United States. We seem to not really care about the future of our country or our children. Recycling in the U.S. has just become something that is viewed as inconvenient for us and nothing is being done about it.

According to the EPA, the United States’s recycling rate has tripled by over 34 percent over 30 years. Though this is a change, this number is not even half of what other countries are doing. Germany and Netherlands lead the world in recycling; Germany by 66.1 percent and Netherlands with 65 percent of its waste recycled. With increasing populations and waste levels, it is crucial that countries work to save the world.

With lack of land space, waste will go anywhere and more pollution will arise, causing a problem with climate. To prevent these problems, countries create waste management techniques; Prevention, Product Reuse, Waste Recovery, Incineration and landfill. Of course, the first step of prevention is unavoidable. However, every step in between works hard to find a good use for the waste materials. Landfill is the mostly avoided step and is used after every thing else has been approached. There are some places where there is a high tax on recyclable material, but once that material is brought to depositories at grocery stores, you get your money back. In Sweden, recycling places are no more than 300 meters away from residential areas.

All of these places not only make it convenient for their citizens to recycle, but also have laws and taxes that ensure waste will not overflow. Meanwhile, in the U.S., there are no laws that mandate recycling. There are still local governments who made their own recycling requirements, including Delaware and New York.

Even our Enviornental Protection Agency administrator, Scott Pruitt seems to not really care about the climate and make no efforts to reduce the amount of waste we produce, even the Environmental Protection Agency administrator, Scott Pruitt. When it comes to recycling, he thinks that it isn’t a problem and wants to repeal on efforts to stop greenhouse gases.

Fortunately, senators are calling him out on the topic, but we as citizens can do more.

Householders in some countries are asked to sort their items and bag them into three groupings: paper/cardboard, glass and plastics/foils/cans.

There are so many easy ways we can save our planet. We in the U.S. are so used to going about our lives without thinking of simple things that make a difference. Whether you believe climate change is real or not, future generations will definitely feel it if we do not make these changes.

LAURA SANSOM/PERSPECTIVES EDITOR

There are many small things people can do that will benefit the enviornment.

KELLYBUSH97@GMAIL.COM

College campuses need to take action about climate change

MICHELLE GUERIN & HOPE DALUISIO/ASSISTANT NEWS EDITOR & VISUAL MANAGING EDITOR

SPORTS

THELOQUITUR.COM | 11

THURSDAY, APRIL 19, 2018

Sports Source Editorial Column

How unusual weather patterns could effect the future of baseball

BY KEEGAN MCKOSKEY Assistant Sports Editor

Baseball, otherwise known as “America’s pastime,” has been around since the 18th century.

However, according to the Wall Street Journal, it has seen a surprising decrease in popularity throughout the past decade. The sport we once loved has recently been facing a tough obstacle known as climate change.

Since the start of the 2018 regular season, there have already been more than 20 games cancelled and postponed. These cancellations have been due to rain, snow and other weather related reasons. However, some stadiums have a retractable roof, which allows games to be played even with these extreme weather conditions.

Among the 30 MLB ballparks, six have retractable roofs to help with uncooperative weather.

Those six teams include the Rogers Centre (Toronto), Chase Field (Arizona), Safeco Field (Seattle), Miller Park (Milwaukee), Minute Maid Park (Houston) and Marlins Park (Miami). While the Tampa Bay’s Tropicana Field has a fixed roof, the rest of the teams are open to uncontrollable weather.

Humidity also plays a huge factor for these conditions. Fans become extremely uncomfortable when the humidity rises and makes games feel even more unbearable.

Meanwhile, in Toronto and Milwaukee, the cold conditions are what causes game cancellations.

Milwaukee has averages of low temperatures that are just above freezing when the season starts.

Toronto is even worse in April while it averages a low of 33 degrees. Over the weekend of April 13-15, an entire three game series between the Minnesota Twins and the Chicago White Sox was snowed out in Minnesota, where they do not have a retractable roof.

Many teams have incorporated a retractable roof to protect them from these conditions. Whether it is Houston or Miami for humidity, Toronto or Milwaukee for snow or freezing temperatures, Seattle with rain problems, or Arizona for high temperatures, retractable roofs could be a move in the right direction for future ball parks.

While retractable roofs and domes could cost organizations a lot of money, they would pay off in the long run. Less cancelled games would allow fans to continue to enjoy the sport of baseball in comfortable conditions.

PHOTO BY CABRINI ATHLETICS CABRINI-CARROLL FIELD ON THE CAMPUS OF ARCHBISHOP JOHN CARROLL HIGH SCHOOL IN RADNOR PENNSYLVANIA HAS ASTRO TURF INSTEAD OF GRASS.

Artificial turf enhances

playability for Cabrini baseball

BY JUSTIN BARNES Assistant Lifestyles Editor

Artificial turf and real grass have recently been subjected to debate in regard to athletic fields.

While natural grass and dirt feel pure and authentic, artificial turf is cheaper to maintain and is not affected by the weather as much as real grass.

This is was what led to turning Cabrini-Carroll Field into an artificial turf field.

Built back in March 2017, Cabrini-Carroll field was a collaboration between Archbishop Carroll High School and Cabrini University to create a main facility for both their baseball teams to practice and play. This was a necessary move considering that Cabrini’s topography and on-campus space made it impossible to build an entirely new field from scratch.

Cabrini’s head baseball coach, Nick Weisheipl, explained that the number of teams, combined with the difficult weather around the springtime was what led to Carroll field becoming an artificial turf.

“A natural field would have

been a serious drain on time and financial resources attempting to keep it in adequate playing condition,” Weisheipl said.

Weisheipl also mentioned that turf enhances playability for the team because all moisture drains from the surface after any form of wet weather. In addition, little maintenance is required to keep the turf in tact, thus saving time and energy.

Typical maintenance of the turf includes regular surface grooming with a brush that ensures the infill remains consistent and ensures that the hightraffic areas by the batter boxes can be replaced.

While global warming wasn’t initially a factor in the decision to give the field artificial turf, Weisheipl said that environmental friendliness was taken into consideration later in the decision.

“I know very strict stipulations are involved from an environmental stand point to make sure all consideration was given constructing an earth friendly venue,” Weisheipl said.

Cabrini outfielder Shaun Stackhouse, while a fan of natural grass over turf, loves the turf

that Carroll field has.

“It is not as true as playing on grass and the feel of the traditional baseball game isn’t necessarily there,” Stackhouse said.

“But it plays faster which allows us to get good work in when other teams can’t.”

Stackhouse has played on multiple turfs in the past during tournaments and playing on his high school football team.

Having experience beforehand, his transition to turf from natural grass was an easy one and playing on turf has yielded positive results.

“I like it for the outfield because you don’t get choppy grass hops, everything hit at you is playable and clean,” Stackhouse said. “I also run a lot faster on turf than I do on grass which is an integral part of my personal game style.”

According to Stackhouse, other advantages of playing on turf include the ability to play more aggressive due to the lack of rough hops, and outfielders can take some velocity off their throws since the infielders can handle the hops on turf.

CONITINUE READING ONLINE

GRAPHIC BY JOHN WILLIAMS

JUSTIN.WANNABARNES@GMAIL.COM

KEEGANMCKOSKEY11@GMAIL.COM GRAPHIC BY HOPE DALIUISIO

THURSDAY, APRIL 19, 2018

SPORTS

THELO QUITUR.COM | 12

NASCAR’s gearing up for its

race against the earth

120,000 Pounds of Co2 are released every race weekend from gas alone.

BY JAMES KELLY Assistant Sports Editor

When people think of NASCAR, they usually only think of cars flying at speeds of 180 miles per hour.

Spectators of the sport do not think about how the cars could be hurting the environment.

There has been an ongoing debate if NASCAR is truly bad for the environment.

In one racing weekend, the race cars release 120 thousand pounds of carbon dioxide, or CO2, into the atmosphere. To put that stat into perspective, a person will contribute 45 thousand pounds of CO2 on a yearly basis.

An average race team uses about eight-to-10 sets of tires in a weekend, and it takes about seven gallons of oil to make one tire.

The process of burning the oil to create these tires adds massive amounts of CO2 into the air. It puts about 698 pounds of CO2 in the air for one barrel of oil.

This all adds up to about 149,090 pounds of CO2 just from the oil being consumed in one weekend. Tire companies recycle tires to cut the process of oil being burned, so CO2 does not get released into the atmosphere.

Up until the year of 2017, NASCAR racing cars have been running on leaded gas. Leaded gas releases toxic lead into the atmosphere. This type of gas has not been in people’s cars since the 80s.

Over the past few years, NASCAR has begun to work towards making changes so that they don’t affect the environment nearly as much.

NASCAR Green is a new iniative of theirs that is a huge proponent to help minimizing the effect NASCAR has on the environment.

Each weekend from February until November,

NASCAR races to a green flag rather than a checkered one at tracks all across America.

NASCAR is one of the most watched sport in the world, as millions of people tune in every weekend to check out the race.

For 38 weekends of the year, millions of people tailgate races all over the country for their passion for racing.

NASCAR spreading awareness of conserving the environment is seen by millions even if it is as simple as changing the checkered flag to the color green.

There are different raceways around the country that help the environment out, as well as different motor companies.

Pocono raceway is operated 100 percent by solar panels, while planting trees across the country. Martinsville Speedway has put in LED lights around the race track for more efficient lighting. There are many other raceways that have also been a part of this movement in the racing world.

Chris Fonte, a senior at Cabrini University, is a very avid NASCAR fan. Fonte brought up a variety of points about how NASCAR does not necessarily impact the environment negatively, but believes the bigger environmental issue takes place in the parking lots.

“If you ever go to a race, you will see thousands of cars in one parking lot,” Fonte said. “The issue is mainly with the trash of those thousands of people leaving behind cans and bottles in the lot. Also, you are allowed to bring a cooler into races so there’s another spot where just pollution and garbage is just thrown to the point that a caution flag actually has to come out because of a bag of chips flying on the track.”

NASCAR going green has evolved how the sport has been traditionally done in the past 10 to 15 years.

NASCAR Green also has recycling bins all over the raceways in an effort to encourage spectators to recycle.

Racing teams have also joined in the movement to help NASCAR become more environmentally friendly.

Roush Fenway racing recycles 96 percent of their cars from the racetrack in an effort to reuse their cars to help the environment. The environment has been a very big issue for NASCAR in the recent years.

A point of emphasis for NASCAR due to all the pollution the sport does for the earth. NASCAR has many different tactics for their going green movement.

“Coca-Cola has tents set up outside and even will give you a free item if you recycle your cans at their recycling bins,” Fonte said.

149,090 Pounds of Co2 are released in just one weekend from the process of oil being burned to create tires.

38

Races in a season. Since 2017, NASCAR race cars have used ledded gas that releases toxic lead into the atmosphere.

JAMESEJKELLY@GMAIL.COM

GRAPHIC BY HOPE DALIUISIO