Serving The Rio Hondo Community
Wednesday May 11, 2022
First-time Home Buyers
in California Get Help From New Program California Housing Prices Hit New Record Highs Eva R ivera News Editor
eva.rivera2331@my.riohondo.edu
A
Forgivable Equity Builder Loan program for first-time home buyers that qualify is being offered by the California Housing Finance Agency (CalHFA). The CalHFA was established in 1975 with the goal of helping more Californians find a place to call home. The Forgivable Equity Builder Loan is a loan in which the first-time home buyer can get immediate equity of their homes of up to 10% of the purchase price of
the home. To qualify a first-time buyer for the loan the borrower must live in the home for five years to qualify for the option of not having to repay the loan, the home must be the primary resi-
dence of the buyer, completion of homebuy-
Plastic-Eating Enzyme Could Regulate Plastic Pollution
Jonathon Carmona
Science and Tech Editor jonathon.carmona9046@my.riohondo.edu
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very day humans throw trash on the floor. Whether it is you or not, it happens. The bad part is the effects of such acts have only been detrimental to the planet. Recycling alone would greatly reduce the amount of trash we see daily. However, recycling only did so much, until now. A new solution to the human race’s plastic pollution problem just arose. In the April 27 edition of the peer-reviewed journal,
Nature, researchers at the University of Texas published their development of a “plastic-eating enzyme”. By utilizing machine learning technology, they managed to mutate the natural enzyme PETase. This would allow the enzyme to quickly break down plastics made with the polymer polyethylene terephthalate, PET. PET is found in most consumer packaging, such as soda and water bottles, cookie containers, fruit salad containers, and some polyester fabrics and fibers. This makes up about 12 percent of all global waste.
er education counseling through an eligible homebuyer counseling organization listed on CalHFA’s website, as well as meeting county income limits. The loan is being offered
The CalHFA website at www.calhfa.ca.gov shares detailed information that is listed under the “home buyer programs” option. Along with other vital pro-
to California residents who have an income less than 80% of the area average income in the county where the property they wish to buy is located.
gram(s) information, the CalHFA website offers a list of their approved mortgage lenders so that California residents may find the best loan officer that meets their needs. With the statewide
The enzyme uses a “circular process” to break down the plastics into smaller parts. This first part of the process is called depolymerization. Then it will chemically reform the smaller parts into smaller, reusable plastic. This step is called repolymerization. This newly developed process can sometimes take as little as 24 hours to complete. This is in comparison to the centuries it usually takes to break down plastic. The plastic-eating enzyme can begin to function when used in temperatures below 122 degrees Fahrenheit. This is a requirement researchers thought of with environmental use in mind. The enzyme would need to work in the field as landfills and polluted sites are the targeted places of use. The enzyme functioning at such temperatures is ideal and mirrors the conditions the enzyme will be working in. The researchers at the University of Texas have
developed a new and more environmentally safe way of recycling plastic. Currently, humans dispose of plastic in one of two ways. Plastic is thrown into landfills where it waits to get burned. Burning down these plastics can cost a ton of money and releases noxious gasses into the environment, causing another problem. The other way of disposing of plastic is by using the complicated and energy-intensive processes of glycolysis, pyrolysis, and/ or methanolysis. These processes would still take centuries to reduce plastic pollution levels. The newer enzymes are not only environmentally safe, but efficient as well. Researchers are looking to develop industrial use methods for the plastic-eating enzyme. This would put major pressure on the major industries. Major industries would now be able to recover and reuse plastics they develop at the molecular level.
mortgage rate having gone up 10.1% to
Vol.64 Issue 10 In a press release, CalHFA Executive Director Tiena Johnson Hall said, “Home equity has proven to be one of the strongest ways for
$849,080 since February, the average homebuyer is
faced with fewer options. The current market is forcing many Californians to move out of state where it is cheaper, as a result prices are going up in other states due to the influx of out of state California home buyers. In Orange County, the average home price has gone up to $1,305,000 making it the highest mortgage district in California.
families to build and pass on intergenerational wealth and CalHFA is committed to improving equitable access to homeownership for all Californians. The Forgivable Equity Builder Loan, which gives first-time homebuyers a head start with immediate equity in their homes, will help California families build and pass on that wealth with a secure, stable home loan." By making homeownership more accessible to Californians with this program, future generations can benefit from inheriting their families properties creating a generational wealth through homeownership.
If the industries played their part, the process of recycling would be sped up. The major industries would begin to reduce their plastic pollution footprint at a much greater scale. Researchers have only
figured out how to get the new enzyme to break down PET. The plastic eating enzyme may not work on other kinds of plastic. Regardless, being able to break down PET is still a major breakthrough as it begins to eliminate 12 percent of all global waste with new developments on the way. It is important to mention the research was funded by ExxonMobile. This is a company whose pollution footprint is bigger than most as it is an oil and gas corporation. While many see this move as a cover up for all the harm they have done to the environment, funding the research is still a great gesture. Though it may be for their own sake, the funding proved to be useful as researchers were able to develop a new method for recycling. If major industries and researchers can continue to work together, the plastic pollution on Earth would be no match for the human race.