Planet Balance.

The purpose for this first Action project for my Humanities class, Stories, a history and culture class that focused on past, present, and future stories. During the first unit, “Creations”, I learned about stories and myths that come from a variety of cultures. For this AP, I had to come up with my own creation myth using descriptive language that helps explain the features of my world as I imagine it to be. I wanted my myth to be a fairy tale, because as a kid I loved reading stories like that. What I found helpful was using similes and metaphors in my story because those are devices I need to work on. What I found most challenging was writing out my ideas using sensory imagery because I am not use to writing out ideas. I enjoyed creating my own myth; I thought that was very different, and it helped me open up my imagination. 

Created by JV "Balance" 2014*

The Planet Balance gets its name from the balance of witches, fairies, and vampires that live on the planet. All three creatures are responsible for the existence of Balance. The witches were created with Balance; they are like the heart and soul of the planet. Balance is right next to that boring Planet Earth, but Balance is so small that no one can “actually” see it. Balance is the ideal world to live in because it has anything and everything you can think of, like being happy the fairies can hypnotize other creatures and make them very sleepy dreaming of magical things. The shape of the plant is oval, because that represents the Black Jewels symbol of magic.

The witches are called Black Jewels because sometimes they can be insidious with their black magic. At other times they shine like diamonds and can be so peaceful and harmless. The witches love their hocus pocus. The closest relatives that the Black Jewels have are the Human Fairies, which are the rulers of the west side of Balance. An enchanted fairyland that has nothing but peace and happiness. There is nothing evil in the west no sadness, either. The fairies are as sweet as honey - they bring balance to what life is with their happiness and enjoyment of life and what it means, The witches love nature, and the west side of Balance is clean and undamaged. The fairies love and care for everyone no matter how others treat them. Human fairyland is like a dream but way better, anything and everything can happen there. The fairies fly around spreading love and happiness, they make the whole planet light up like a bright highlighter. Their house are made out of leaves and twigs, so big that a thousand can live in one. The planets smell like sweet candy.

The Vampires are the evil ones, but they also provide balance in the planet because they create drama and suspense. They like to feed on any animal that is a part of Balance, but don’t like to feed on fairies because their blood is too sweet. The Vampires were created by the Black Jewels because they needed something evil, carefree and dark to take over the eastern region part of Balance. Cold-blooded creatures were needed because of the temperatures in that area.

The weather in Balance is always autumn-like, because none of the creatures can live in warm weather the sky is always dull with black clouds, and there is always an eclipse. None of the creatures can live with much sunlight, yet the plants bloom in different colors like dark purple, burnt orange, mist yellow, and bold red, looking very whimsical and vibrant. The land itself is covered with very dark green grass, and the animals of Balance look crazy and creepy, made of different dark colors, like they came out of a Halloween movie. It is always raining on Balance and is a time when the witches’ spirits come out to clean any darkness the vampires have created, which is constant.

There's one holiday that all the creatures celebrate and that is Devina. The name of this special day comes from the oldest Black Jewel, who was the most powerful of all the witches, but died while creating the Vampires. When Devina created the vampires she gave them everything she had which was her happiness, darkness, and sadness. All her magic went to the Black jewels and fairies giving each one their own unique power. Till this day no Black Jewel or Fairy knows who will be the next Supreme Witch. The holiday happens at the end of every three months when all of the creatures get together in the deep and wicked woods, where the branches have eyes and the leaves bite, they gather to see what creature can be created next through the Black Jewels’ magic.

Slowly dying!

The purpose of this Action Project was to find the carbon footprint that I create with my lifestyle. I also had to find three actions to reduce the carbon that I put in the atmosphere, and in order to show this information, I created a diagram that shows all of the actions I will take. This also relates to one of the Field Experiences that we went on during this term. We went to the Robert W. Galvin Center for Electricity Innovation, and we learned how they power their whole community with renewable energy. They talked about how renewable energy is going to be big in a few years. I think that is eye-opening that one part of Chicago is already taking steps to try to save our Planet. Just as the Galvin Center is trying to take steps to save our Planet, I am sharing my action plan below, so that even individual people can make a difference. The challenging part of this Action Project was getting my carbon information. What I found most interesting was how much carbon I actually put into the atmosphere. I was surprised by the information, because I produce a lot of carbon, so imagine how much the whole world produces. What I am most proud of is how my essay came out because I think I have good information for people to go off of.

Created by JV 2014*

Pollution is the introduction of contaminants into the natural environment , which cause adverse change. Pollution can be released into the atmosphere by breathing, gas being given off from livestock, burning fossil fuels, volcanoes, and fracking. Most of these pollutants are man-made, and the only way to stop it is for us to change the way we live.

Carbon dioxide is one pollutant that is warming the Earth’s atmosphere and dramatically changing our climate. My individual information will provide some reasons why this is happening. According to the “Footprint Calculator,” I release about 22.1 tons of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. High levels of carbon are affected by the food I eat, shelter, mobility, and goods. My lifestyle is being supported by 23 global acres of Earth’s productive area, and if everyone lived like me, we would need 5.2 Planet Earth’s to provide enough resources.

My lifestyle is equal to the same amount of greenhouse gas emissions as 4.2 passenger vehicles, while my carbon dioxide is equal to 2,248 gallons of gasoline consumed. That is a lot of vehicles and gasoline for one person, so can you imagine the world living like me? We would not have an Earth to live on!

In order to reduce my carbon footprint, I will have to change my lifestyle so that I can produce less carbon annually. I pledge to:

• Reduce the amount of animal products I currently eat by half. I frequently eat beef, chicken, and dairy. Livestock such as these release the greenhouse gas methane into the air. By reducing the amount or animal products I eat by half, I will reduce the number of Planet Earth’s by 0.4! ( from 5.2 planets to 4.8). This will reduce my CO2 emissions from 22.1 tons to 21.4 tons. 

• Purchase products that use less packaging or made out of 100% post-consumer recycled content material. As waste decomposes, it produces methane, which increases global warming. By reducing waste and recycling, I will reduce the number of Planets Earth’s by 0.7! (From 4.8 to 4.5 planets). Recycling will reduce my CO2 emissions from 21.4 tons to 18.6 tons!

• Switch to solar panels for electricity in my home. By switching to solar panels that give pure energy from the sun, I will help to combat greenhouse gas emissions and global warming and reduce fossil fuels. I will reduce number of Planets Earth's by 0.2! (From 4.5 to 3.9 planets). Using solar panels will reduce my CO2 emissions from 18.6 tons to 16.4 tons!

Even if I follow with all of the actions listed above, I cannot eliminate my carbon emissions completely. Another way I could offset carbon from my lifestyle is to invest in an emissions reduction project that will capture and store greenhouse gases, preventing their release into the atmosphere. To eliminate carbon that I produce, I would have to plant 514 trees and here is why: Scientists have found that 1 urban tree will remove 0.039 metric tons of carbon from the atmosphere. As mentioned previously, I produce 20.1 metric tons of carbon annually. If we use the conversion formula, we find that it takes 514 trees planted to remove 20.1 metric tons of carbon.

20.1 metric tons (1 tree/0.039 metric tons) = 20.1/0.039 = about 514 trees.

By taking these actions listed above, I would reduce my carbon footprint from 5.2 to 3.9 planets. In terms of carbon, it would decrease from 22.1 tons to 16.4 tons. That is 4.7 tons less carbon in the atmosphere. I would make the world a cleaner place if I follow through with my three actions. I would need to plant 514 trees to remove these emissions. All of these actions will be challenging, but I am willing to try, because we need to reduce our carbon ppm from 400 to 350. If we don't, future generations will not be able to survive in such a polluted climate.

Work cited:

“Air pollution.” National Geographic. 1996-2014. Web. 16 Feb. 2014

“Clean Energy: Greenhouse Gas Equivalencies Calculator.” U.S Environmental Protection Agency. n.d. Web. 14 Feb. 2014.

“Footprint Calculator.” Global Footprint Network. Sept. 2011. Web . 14 Feb. 2014.