KIDS & PARENTS Magazine January 2020
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Electric Cars vs. Gas Cars:
When the Quest for Education Equity Stifles Innovation
6 ways to turn your home into a natural oasis
How Sugar Subsidies Are Ruining Dozens of Florida Beaches
Go Green Kids & Parents Magazine Founder and Editorial Director Charlene Sena-Alvarez
Publisher GGK MEDIA www.gogreenkp.com www.ggkchange.org issuu.com/gogreenkp charlene3w2@gmail.com gogreenkidsandparents@gmail.com 954-548-1291
954-548-1365
Editor Charlene Sena Alvarez
Graphic Design Aaron Steven
Regional Manager Steve Louis Rocco
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Go Green Kids & Parents Magazine
Contents
PG 4 6 ways to turn your home into a natural oasis
January 2020
PG 8 When the Quest for Education Equity Stifles Innovation
PG 13 Electric Cars vs. Gas Cars:
PG 28 How Sugar Subsidies Are Ruining Dozens of Florida Beaches
IN Every Issue FLOWER You should know this month
FRUIT
You should know this
month
ANIMAL
EXTINCTION
You should know this month
GREEN Mind & Body
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6 ways to turn your home into a natural oasis
As the year comes to an end, many people make resolutions to start the New Year strong. This might mean ramping up your workout routine, increasing your self-care regimen or finding time to de-stress.
(BPT) -
The EPA reports we spend 90 percent of our time indoors, but most people feel that spending time in nature has a positive eect on their mental well-being and stress level, according to a recent YouGov study commissioned by VELUX. So, if your goal is to destress, here are some healthy behaviors and design tips to help you bring nature's sanctuary indoors.
Fill your home with photos of nature Surrounding yourself with images of nature can have a positive eect on wellness. Try framing some photos of special memories in nature like a hike with your family, beach sunset or mountain view.
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Let in more fresh air and natural light Today's homes are built tighter and more sealed, which means they trap toxins from daily living - such as cooking, cleaning, pets and more - inside. Adding skylights that can open is a simple home renovation project to improve fresh air flow, helping rid indoor air of pollutants. Additionally, studies show that exposure to natural light helps to sync your circadian rhythm, allowing for better sleep at night.
Fill your home with natural scents Up your chef game by using fresh herbs in your cooking that will fill your kitchen with natural fragrance. Making an indoor herb garden ensures you'll always have some on hand. You can also incorporate fresh herbs into bouquets or wreaths for a natural air freshener throughout your home.
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Meditate or do stretching in the morning Waking up with stretching or meditating is a great way to prepare yourself for a successful day. Open the blinds or curtains on your windows and skylights to let in early morning light and help you feel invigorated and refreshed.
Go green with your décor Reap the benefits of nature by bringing it inside, adding greenery or even fruit into your décor. The possibilities are endless - use a bowl of fresh fruit as a centerpiece or mix different sizes of pots to create a succulent gallery. Little touches of green in each room will go a long way.
Use natural cleaning products
Many common cleaning products have harsh chemicals that can be inhaled or absorbed into your skin. Combat the dangers of these toxins by switching to natural cleaning products. You'll feel safer and more relaxed when your home is chemical-free.
From boosting your home's natural light to going green and adding plant life, it's easy to turn your home into a natural oasis with these simple steps. For more information, visit whyskylights.com.
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When the Quest for Education Equity Stifles Innovation The Powderhouse story is the latest example of why educational innovation must occur outside of the public schooling system.
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Photo by NeONBRAND on Unsplash
In March, efforts to open an innovative public high school in a diverse, urban district just outside of Boston received a devastating blow. Powderhouse Studios was in the works for seven years, with grand hopes of changing public education from a topdown system defined by coercion to a learner-driven model focused on student autonomy and self-determination. The vision for this school was so compelling that it won a $10 million XQ Super School innovation grant and was positioned to lead efforts to inject freedom into a conventional schooling system characterized by force The school was set to open this fall in Somerville, Massachusetts, clearing high hurdles along the way, including gaining the crucial support of the teachers’ union. Everything looked ready to go. Then, in a startling turn of events, the local school committee voted unanimously in March not to approve the school’s launch.
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Boston’s local NPR station ran a story about the Powderhouse debacle. While the school committee members said they appreciated the high school’s novel approach, which would focus primarily on project-based learning tied to student interests, they decided they couldn’t approve a school that would only serve 160 high school-age students when there are 5,000 students in the district who wouldn’t be able to take advantage of the program. According to the NPR reporter:
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Entrepreneurs can catalyze far greater educational equity than well-intentioned central planners ever could.
The biggest concerns for committee members center around equity and resources. It wouldn’t be fair, school committee members concluded, to allow some young people to attend Powderhouse if not everyone could attend. As the school committee chairperson told NPR: I can’t look at Powderhouse in isolation… I have a responsibility to the 5,000 students currently in our system. If we approve the school, some of them will go there, but what does it mean for everybody? In the all-out quest for educational equity, innovation is systematically stifled. If not everyone can have something, then no one can.
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Powderhouse An All or Nothing Approach sounded like an ideal incubator of educational Just imagine if Motorola had the same perspective innovation, where regarding its invention of the first cell phone. Imagine if company leaders (or politicians!) said: teenagers would be “We can’t manufacture these mobile phones responsible for their because not everyone will have access to them and education in a handstherefore no one should.” Fortunately, on way. manufacturers didn’t pay attention to equity, and as a result, over five billion people around the world now have a cell phone. Five. billion. people.
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I wrote about Powderhouse in Unschooled, before the March vote, and even then I was pessimistically hopeful. The school sounded like an ideal incubator of educational innovation, where teenagers would be responsible for designing, managing, and executing in-depth, multiyear projects leading to mastery in various subjects in a more authentic, hands-on way. There would be no assigned classes, no grades, no age-segregation, and no testing. Teachers would act as mentors and guides. The space would look more like a research lab than a school, and project mastery would ultimately be mapped back to district-wide core competency expectations.
Self-Directed Education Dreamed up by Alec Resnick, an MIT graduate inspired by social reformers like John Holt (a teacher who coined the term “unschooling” in 1977) and Ivan Illich, who wrote Deschooling Society in 1970, Powderhouse had a bold vision to move self-directed education into the public sector. Resnick was also very concerned about equity and access, ensuring that students would be selected into the school by lottery and that the population would be reflective of the demographic diversity of the larger district. The new school could be a beacon for change. But then the March vote came.
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True educational innovation This outcome shouldn’t surprise us. The historical must occur outside of the track record for innovative public schools like this public schooling system. one is dismal. They will sometimes succeed in launching with much fanfare and excitement and then eventually get reabsorbed into the larger district, ultimately becoming virtually indistinguishable from other conventional schools.
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Since its 19th-century inception, the compulsory mass schooling system has shown itself to be remarkably resistant to change. The future of Powderhouse is unclear, but the past is often prologue. The Powderhouse story is just the latest example of why I believe that true educational innovation must occur outside of the public schooling system. Like they did with cell phones, entrepreneurs will be the ones to create meaningful and lasting change with the potential to reach more people— with lower costs and better results. Entrepreneurs can catalyze far greater educational equity than well-intentioned central planners ever could. That is, if they are not halted by elected officials and government bureaucrats who
Kerry McDonald Kerry McDonald is a Senior Education Fellow at FEE and author of Unschooled: Raising Curious, Well-Educated Children Outside the Conventional Classroom (Chicago Review Press, 2019). She is also an adjunct scholar at The Cato Institute and a regular Forbes contributor. Kerry has a B.A. in economics from Bowdoin College and an M.Ed. in education policy from Harvard University. She lives in Cambridge, Massachusetts with her husband and four children. You can sign up for her weekly newsletter on parenting and education here.
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Electric Cars vs. Gas Cars: Is the Conventional Wisdom Wrong? What rings true intuitively isn't always backed up by the numbers.
Joe Biden, the current front-runner of the Democratic 2020 field, promises the return of electric vehicle (EV) tax credits. The presidential candidate says that "a key barrier to further deployment of these greenhouse-gas reducing vehicles is the lack of charging stations and coordination across all levels of government." Biden wants 500,000 new charging stations by the end of 2030, thereby incentivizing the use of electric cars beyond the advantages given when buying them. As it stands—and depending on the state in which the car is bought and withholding the individual tax situation of the buyer—some people can save up to $10,000 on a new Tesla thanks to this tax incentive. 13
This policy introduced under the Obama administration had the intention of promoting electric vehicles in order to reduce carbon emissions, but what happened in the countries that eliminated the tax credits tells a different story. When Denmark got rid of its tax credits for electric vehicles, Tesla's sales dropped by 94 percent. In Hong Kong, the company saw a decline of 95 percent as the city got rid of comparable tax advantages for those buying electric cars.
“Clearly, the
question of EV is not one of convenience but of price.
According to Biden, that is because the right user incentives aren't there, notably charging stations. However, the countries involved have considerably more charging stations than the US: Denmark has 443 charging stations in its capital Copenhagen, as well as over 500 more across the rest of the country. As for Hong Kong, the South China Morning Post reports: The move [Tesla opening a super-charging car park in Hong Kong] followed the opening of Tesla’s first supercharger station – which can fully charge a Tesla in just 75 minutes [...]. Currently there are 92 Tesla superchargers at 21 supercharger stations, with more than 400 public and shared charging points. Clearly, the question of EV is not one of convenience but of price.
The Full Story Norway has the largest fleet of electric vehicles in the world, making up 60 percent of all new sales this year. Reporting on the story, NPR writes that "10,732 [sold cars] were rated with zero emissions.” The Institute of Transport Economics at the Norwegian Center for Transport Research lays out the ambition of carbon dioxide reduction through electric mobility.
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For these vehicles a massive transition to electric engines can result in an up to a 97 per cent reduction in CO2 emissions and up to 76 per cent reduction in energy use per transport unit.
Adding to that, over 95 percent of Norway's electricity comes from hydropower, of which 90 percent is publicly owned. That does not come without its downsides. As electricity consumption increases in Norway, the sector is unable to keep up. Last year, lack of rainfall and low wind speed exploded Norwegian electricity prices to the level of Germany (which is still in the process of phasing out nuclear energy). Norway then resorted to coal power, and as fossil fuel power imports exceeded energy export, Norway has actually seen an increase in CO2 emissions. This is despite the fact that Norway’s climate and geography make it ideal for the production of renewables, which is not the case for every state in the US. However, electricity production is only half the story of EV.
The Batteries Electric vehicle batteries need a multitude of resources to be manufactured. In the case of cobalt, the World Economic Forum has called out the extraction conditions in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, where 20 percent of the world's cobalt comes from. Miners as young as seven years are suffering from chronic lung disease from exposure to cobalt dust. Not only does battery manufacturing account for 60 percent of the world's cobalt use, but there are also no good solutions to replace it, which is something Elon Musk is struggling with.
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This does not even address the extraction procedures, complications, ethical conditions, and emissions produced by the need for aluminum, manganese, nickel, graphite, and lithium carbonate. With a European market estimated to reach a total of 1,200 gigawatt-hours per year, which is enough for 80 gigafactories with an average capacity of 15 gigawatt-hours per year, that need is set to increase exponentially.
“Electric cars won't
be the one-sizefits-all solution to our current transportation challenges—at least not for the foreseeable future.
The renowned German research institute IFO declared the ecobalance of diesel-powered vehicles to be superior to electric vehicles in a study released in April.
Petrol Cars We know from the US Department of Energy that the average fuel economy of cars more than doubled from 1975 to 2018. Fuel economy is increasing while horsepower has also increased exponentially, making cars both cleaner and faster. In 2017, the average estimated realworld CO2 emission rate for all new vehicles fell by 3 grams per mile (g/ mi) to 357 g/mi, the lowest level ever measured.
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It doesn't even matter which car brand you feel loyal too since all brands have made comparable improvements.
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No wonder: As much as consumers might care about CO2 emissions, they are even more price-sensitive. Even those consumers who aren't will eventually be swayed when they find out their car brand is costing them comparably excruciating amounts in fuel. Electric cars won't be the one-size-fits-all solution to our current transportation challenges—at least not for the foreseeable future. As both technologies have up-and downsides, we need to consider what innovation can realistically achieve before we make calls for bans or rushed replacements.
Bill Wirtz Bill Wirtz is a Young Voices Advocate and a FEE Eugene S. Thorpe Fellow. His work has been featured in several outlets, including Newsweek, Rare, RealClear, CityAM, Le Monde and Le Figaro. He also works as a Policy Analyst for the Consumer Choice Center. Learn more about him at his website.
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FLOWER
Snowdrop
Did you Know...
You Need To Know This Month
January
BIRTH FLOWER
Admiration
Deep Love
Affection
Purity
Luck
Snowdrops also bloom in the winter months, between January and March. In the wild, they typically cover large patches, blanketing the earth with swatches of white. Don’t let their droopy shape fool you — they symbolize hope and rebirth! FTD.com
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FRUIT
ORANGES
You Need To Know This Month
Citrus has been farmed commercially in Florida groves since the mid-1800s. The first citrus was brought to the New World in 1493 by Christopher Columbus. In the mid-1500s one of the early Spanish explorers, most likely Ponce de Leon, planted the first orange trees around St. Augustine, Florida.
Benefits of eating oranges High in Vitamin C
Oranges are an excellent source of vitamin C. One orange oers 116.2 per cent of the daily value for vitamin C. Good intake of vitamin C is associated with a reduced risk of colon cancer as it helps to get of free radicals that cause damage to our DNA.
Healthy immune system
Vitamin C, which is also vital for the proper function of a healthy immune system, is good for preventing colds and preventing recurrent ear infections.
Prevents skin damage
Anti-oxidants in oranges help protect skin from free radical damage known to cause signs of aging. An orange a day can help you look young even at 50!
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ANIMAL EXTINCTION
Brazilian Spix's Macaw
Scimitar Oryx
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Socorro Isopod
Salt Creek Tiger Beetle
Red-crowned roofed turtle
GREEN
Mind & Body
You Need To Know
This Month
Ski to the Steamboat Springs Music Fest January 4-9
International Day of Education January 24
Take In Some Art in L.A. January 10-14
Jog Through All Four Disney World Parks January 3-6
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How Sugar Subsidies Are Ruining Dozens of Florida Beaches (and Destroying Vast Quantities of Marine Life) Fertilizer runoff from subsidized sugar fields is causing massive Red Tide blooms, killing marine life and ruining beaches.
ABC News reports that “Toxic red tide blooms are creeping up Florida's west coast, killing marine life and irritating humans.” The red (or maroonish) tide is truly a nasty problem that I have experienced first-hand in the form of a ruined vacation. 28
It is a potentially toxic algae to wildlife when it occurs in high concentrations. The Karenia brevis algae can be a threat to fish, birds, and even manatees. At least 92 manatees have been killed so far and at least one whale shark! This creates conditions at the beach of discolored water, dead fish, and a horrible smell. Tourists are adversely affected as well as local businesses. The algae are a natural phenomenon that has been known of for almost two centuries. However, the harmful “blooms” have occurred much more often and in more places in recent decades. More recently, it has been plaguing southwest Florida beaches since November 2017 and is now particularly bad over a larger area. Regulation and Algal Blooms I was recently attacked on Facebook for explaining all the benefits we would receive if we reduced the number of regulators and their budgets, i.e., fewer unnecessary regulatory restrictions on businesses and resource owners, less spending and taxes, more resources in the productive economy, and more entrepreneurship to name the There is no need to primary ones. create a Red Tide
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Project or to
My friend” wrote that if we reduced declare a War on the number of regulators, who would protect him from all the various Red Tide. perceived evils, including the red tide at the Florida coast. I replied to him, in part, that we pay for over 100,000 regulators for financial markets and they did not protect us from the financial crisis, that BP’s deep-water oil rigs are extremely highly regulated (in fact they would not be drilling in deep water at all if not for regulations!), and, in fact, EPA rules and regulators are there to protect the interests of polluters and to block citizens from protecting themselves in court. That was the end of the conversation. 29
Back to the story. Actually, this is an old story that I most recently wrote about four and a half years ago. There is an easy answer to why this red tide problem is growing increasingly worse, as well as having an easy solution. There is no need to create a Red Tide Project or to declare a War on Red Tide. The Red Tide starts as natural growth of the “bad algae” dozens of miles offshore near the continental shelf. That algae can then drift toward shore and enter brackish water inlets. The blooms are not stimulated in open circulating waters. However, they are stimulated to grow and get bigger in the presence of manmade nutrients, such as fertilizers that have run into water sources from agricultural production all over the Gulf of Mexico. In contrast, if the water in the Gulf is circulating well, then it brings more natural nutrients to the coastline. These nutrients feed other types of green “good algae” which keeps the Red Tide in check. In other words, mother nature can keep the problem in check.
“Federal rules,
regulations, and regulators are the cause.
However, when water circulation is down and fertilizer runoff is in play, you have a problem. A multi-billion-dollar problem.
Subsidies and Government Pollution Though other factors play a role in the algae bloom crises, one of the most significant involves the sugar industry. A combination of federal sugar subsidies, federal regulations on pollution, and federal control of Lake Okeechobee (a giant lake in southern Florida) runoff guidelines have created a recipe for disaster. The federal sugar subsidy prevents Americans from buying sugar from Cuba and other sources. This means that we have to produce our own sugar and that we pay the world’s highest price for sugar. It also means that we grow sugar and sugar substitutes in a high-cost fashion using a lot of fertilizer! 30
According to ABC News: Once the red tide is inshore, the algae can grow even more using manmade nutrients, such as fertilizer. "The increase in runoff may likely exacerbate an existing bloom," Weisberg said. Florida Former, Gov. Rick Scott called for the FWC and FDEP to "mobilize all available resources" to address the impacts of the red tide. On Friday, Scott blamed the cause of the blooms on "the federal government releasing water from Lake Okeechobee.” "For too long, Floridians have had to deal with harmful algal blooms caused by the federal government releasing water from Lake Okeechobee into our rivers and coastal estuaries," Scott said in a press release.
So, there you have it. Federal rules, regulations, and regulators are the cause. The federal sugar subsidy has created a massive increase in fertilizer use in agriculture in southern Florida and in other states, such as Louisiana. The EPA protects farmers and others who dump chemicals into the water by setting protection “limits,” and then federal officials dump excessive pollutants into our waterways and we have no recourse against them. I think the solutions are simple and straightforward. End the sugar subsidies and the EPA and its protection limits. Restore the right of the people to sue polluters that cause demonstrable harm. Reprinted from theThornton Mises Institute. Mark
Mark Thornton is an American economist of the Austrian School. He has written on the topic of prohibition of drugs, the economics of the American Civil War, and the "Skyscraper Index". He is a member of the FEE Faculty Network. FEE.org
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Your success and happiness lies in you. Resolve to keep happy, and your joy and you shall form an invincible host against diďŹƒculties. Be at war with your vices, at peace with your neighbors, and let every new year find you a better person. Come, ALL, I hope we shall drink down all unkindness.
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