Hi SE students! The title of this blog post recalls some of the topics we've been working on as of late. Alternative energy is of the utmost importance because creating a new energy source will help break us out of our unhealthy bond with fossil fuels. I looked at some of the creations you've invented - marvelous! Who know, maybe one of you will make the newest form of renewable energy, or at least will contribute to the field.
Recycling is another important issue, and one that I find very interesting. I recycle things every week for the city (cans, bottles, plastic bottles, paper, etc.), but I also find myself re-purposing things. In other words, I use old things for new purposes. I use old handouts for taking notes. I use old T-shirts for cleaning. The other day I made a whiteboard stand using an old ironing board. Re-purposing is useful and can help take the burden off of manufacturing which takes up a lot of energy at a large cost.
Natural disasters are an incredibly important topic to learn about and discuss. Why? Everyone remembers back to 2016 when Kumamoto experienced its first earthquakes in over 400 years. I remember the days well, and I was very scared. Mainly, my fear came from not knowing when the next one was coming. Would it be tomorrow? Next week? Next year? In the next minute? We haven't had another since then, but we could, very easily. One thing that makes me nervous is that Aso is quite active now, and began to get active in the year or so before the quakes in '16.
What about what we are going through now? The coronavirus pandemic, or COVID-19. We don't (I should say, didn't) think of pandemics as being disasters, but now we see that they truly are. They are a health disaster, social disaster, community disaster, and an economic disaster. It's a very hard time, and I know we'll get through it, but our lives and how we communicated, gathered, traveled, and learned may be a thing of the past. We may have to adjust radically to a new way of life and socializing.
As I said in class, I would like to take the next two weeks (at least) to practice presenting online. You can present the Power Point slides for Natural Disasters that I assigned to you. Please try! Have a great week and let's see how it goes!
