www.mcsun.org INSIDE
MT. CARMEL
SUN
ENTERTAINMENT: WHO DO YOU THINK THE BEST COMEDIAN IS? SEE WHO MC VOTED AS THEIR FAVORITE COMEDIAN. PAGE B5 FEATURES: LEARN ABOUT SIGN LANGUAGE, MC STUDENTS WHO KNOW THE LANGUAGE AND HOW THEY USE IT IN THEIR LIFE. PAGE B7 FRIDAY, MARCH 13, 2009 VOL. 36 NO. 8 | MT. CARMEL HIGH SCHOOL, SAN DIEGO, CA 92129
ACADEMIC LEAGUE
NEWS: THE ACADEMIC LEAGUE HAS BEEN COMPETING HARD FOR THE LAST FEW MONTHS. READ ABOUT THEIR SUCCESS. PAGE A2
MC students, community reduce ecological footprints PARESH DAVE WEB EDITOR
“Students have to push recycling and others will catch on,” he said. “Then whoever does the work (collect, sort and deliver), can get the reward. Three old guys used to go through MC’s dumpsters and collect $800 a month. What could MC do with that money?”
IN THE PARKING LOT
Smaller than a baby hippo and rare enough that a tow truck driver is awed by it, senior Ankita Bilolikar’s SmartCar is one of the leading examples of students “going green.” Although other drivers are often annoyed as they see an open parking space, only to see her car deceptively tucked in, Bilolikar is happy to say her ultra-low carbon emitting and superior safety rated car has needed only three gas fill-ups since the beginning of 2009. Her car is not alone in the MC parking lot boasting fuel efficiency. According to parking permit records, four students and eight teachers drive the Toyota Prius, the poster-child for green vehicles.
AT HOME
Senior Alex Wright says the main reason people aren’t “green” is because they’re lazy. Even the self-proclaimed tree-hugger admits she’s tossed a few recyclables into the trash bin. She does make an impressive effort, however. Instead of throwing out biodegradable food, her family cultivates a compost pile in their backyard. Priuses fill up their garage and compact fluorescent light bulbs illuminate their house. Organic produce purchased from a farm in Carlsbad and picked up in Scripps Ranch fills their fridge. A reusable water bottle always sits in her purse, and a hemp bag travels with her when grocery shopping. It’s all part of routine. One that takes getting used to. One that costs money, but for Wright, one that just seems right for the world. “I get lazy, we all get lazy,” she said. “But we won’t get to be lazy for long if don’t care for our Earth.”
AROUND CAMPUS
Last year, cardboard recycling bins collected plastic, glass and aluminum. Winds swept the bins away, so now there’s no organized system for collecting such items. Instead, a handful of teachers and custodians as well as the aquatics supervisor have continued their own recycling initiatives. Custodians sort through the trash they collect, and exchange bottles and cans at the recycling center for money. “It’s finders-keepers, and it turns into a winwin situation,” custodian Jaime Efe said. According to him, he collects about $60 every three months. Inside classrooms, science teacher Michael Bird leads a bottle and can recycling effort for which a few teachers collect in their classrooms. The money he raises helps teachers pay for supplies. On the pool deck, senior Kimberly Sultz, who uses paper made from discarded banana peels, initially placed a bin to raise money for a girls scout trip. Between three locations and a $300 grant from the PQ Town Council, her group collected $3,000 in a year. “It was fairly easy, but involved some pretty messy work, but if people are willing and able, it is super rewarding,” she said. Aquatics supervisor Dean Berenz has continued what Sultz started and used the proceeds to purchase an ice machine, pool toys and other items benefiting athletics.
IN THE TOWN
This is where the first of the three R’s kicks in. Reuse. As in reusable shopping bags, which only 19 out of 200 students admitted to using every time they shop. As in reusing clothes and toys by donating them. As in reusing paper, mainly the unused backside of sheets. The only thing missing from the going green equation now is renewable. But, senior Jordan Busse and freshman Alexandra Busse have that covered. Their family now pays about $12 a month for electricity because solar panels were installed on their roof last summer. Jordan also wears shirts made from recycled materials or clothes manufactured in the US by companies like American Apparel. Even her lunch, a Boca burger, chips, an apple and water is all organic. From the Voltaic Backpack with solar panels to organic shampoo, there’s no shortage of green products for those willing, as Sultz says, to make an investment in the Earth’s future. “People often do not realize how just a little bit done by everyone can make a huge difference.”
San Diegans urged to conserve water voluntarily, discover new ways to cut back water usage ADITI PAI STAFF WRITER
Not only has the need for mandatory rationing decreased because of this, the recent rainfall helped in adding water to San Diego reservoirs. Senior Archana Ramesh does her best to With summer approaching though, water conserve water. With almost no grass in her quality representatives urge people to continue backyard, a dripper system instead of sprinklers, conserving. Ramesh’s use of a dripper is a good and using the faucet sparingly, she works to keep way to start. her family’s water use low. Of course, before AP we use a dripper systems “So Environmental Science which instead of spraying she was barely cautious water everywhere is for about it. individual plants,” Ramesh “I didn’t really said. “It drops water to know water was that the roots of each one. much of an issue This just reduces the here in San Diego,” evaporation and waste Ramesh said. “Only from such a wide sprinkler. when I learned we live We also limit the number in a chaparral [regime] of times we turn on the which gets really little drippers depending on rainfall and that we have the season.” to import most of what Other sources we drink was I made promote conserving aware of this issue.” water in other ways. R a m e s h ’ s The Water Authority conserving will go a long promotes turning way. On June 4, 2008, the water off when Arnold Schwarzenegger brushing teeth which declared a drought saves approximately throughout California. three gallons a day. As a result of getting Shortening showers by mostly recycled water, San two minutes saves five Diegans were asked to go gallons a day. Washing on voluntary conservation. only full loads of THORIT Y The government hoped THE SAN DIEGO COUNTY WATER AU laundry saves 15-50 NS GA DIE T TO HELP SAN that with this conservation SENT THIS MESSAGE OU gallons per load. WATER. we wouldn’t have to enter CONSERVE In regards to into a higher drought response level conserving outside, watering the yard before 8 as designated by the Model Drought Response a.m. reduces evaporation and will save 25 gallons Ordinance. a day. Using a broom instead of a hose to clean Some programs, such as the 20 gallon driveways and sidewalks will save 150 gallons a challenge, promote conserving water for San month. Finally, hundreds of gallons per year will Diego. For the most part these steps involving be saved by using organic mulch around plants voluntary rationing have worked efficiently. to reduce evaporation.
Inside the SUN:
Section A:
News..........2
Sun Spread..........4
CHRISTIAN JUN | ARTIST
AP Environmental Science students work on projects to help Earth KATELYN CUTTS NEWS EDITOR While most students were preparing for another semester of tough exams and hours of homework, the AP Environmental Science students were figuring out their second semester project. The project’s purpose is for students to find a way to help the environment and learn something new at the same time. Senior Sarah George decided to do a project incorporating what they were learning in class. “In APES, we were learning about climate change,” George said. “[AP Environmental Science teacher Harold] Dorr showed us that the rise in temperature correlates with the rise in carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. I’ve always associated human output of greenhouse gases with industrial factories, but just walking instead of driving my car the quarter mile to school can make a real difference.” Taking this thought, George realized what she wanted to do during class when Dorr was explaining some options for the project. “For a month, two if I can pull it off, I plan on only walking, biking, and carpooling,” she said. “I am recording everywhere I go and will figure out how much carbon dioxide [didn’t] enter the atmosphere.” For seniors Danielle Spence and Patrick Nowak, the project was an opportunity to help more than just the environment. “We are starting a recycling program for the MC swim and dive team,” Spence said. “We are collecting all of the bottles after practices and meets as well as other recyclables and turning them in to recycling centers for money.” The cash raised from the recycled materials will go to help the team. “We will use this money for the swim
Opinions..........6
team most likely by helping the current scoreboard or donating money to buy a new scoreboard,” she said. “We are accomplishing this by setting up days to collect recyclables and setting up trash cans at the pool deck.” For Spence, the deci- SWITCH TO FLUORESCENT sion to make this their project LIGHT BULBS was an easy one. “We chose this because we - INSTALL DRIP IRRIGATION are both on the swim team and knew SYSTEMS that every day there are so many bottles and cans that are thrown away when - USE CEILING FANS TO they could be recycled,” she said. “This will COOL OFF INSTEAD OF help the environment because fewer bottles AIR CONDITIONING will be wasted and the bottles won’t take up room in dumps. The pool also really needs a - DRY YOUR better scoreboard or at least money to help CLOTHES OUTSIDE maintain it.” Other students in the class are volun- CARPOOL OR teering with organizations like the Oceans USE PUBLIC Foundation or performing tests to check the TRANSPORT water quality of rivers and how it affects the species living in the aquatic environment. - PLANT TREES George is learning a lot about the true - PLANT NATIVE impact of human activities through her project. SHRUBS “Global warming seemed like a - RECYCLE problem, but warmer winters, I - START A did not mind,” she said. “After learning how screwed we actuCOMPOST PILE ally are continuing with our - MAKE SURE THERE ways, it definitely has made me realize the importance ARE NO LEAKS IN of climate change.” KITCHEN, BATHROOM, Like George, the OR GARDEN PIPES APES students are using the project to make a dif- USE A LOW ference and help protect FLOW SHOWER the earth and the surrounding environment. HEAD ACCORDING TO
Section B: Sports..........1
HOW TO HELP THE ENVIRONMENT...
WWW.PRACTICALENVIRONMENTALIST.COM
Entertainment..........4
Features...........6