Strawberry Shortcake Recipe

ShortCake

Ingredients

• 2 cups whole wheat flour
• 4 teaspoons Baking powder
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 4 tablespoons organic butter
• 3/4 cup half and half
• Melted butter to brush shortcakes

Directions

Heat oven 450 degrees.

In a large mixing bowl, combine flour, baking powder, salt and sugar. Cut in butter. Mix in half-and-half. Drop by large spoonfuls onto a baking sheet. Brush with melted butter and sprinkle with sugar. Bake for 15 minutes or until brown. Cool

Strawberry Topping

Ingredients

1lb of Strawberrys

Sugar

Directions

Cut strawberriesup and place into a bowl. Sprinkle sugar over strawberries and refrigerate for a month.

Whipped Cream

Ingredients

• 1 cup heavy cream
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 tablespoon confectioners' sugar

Directions

1. In a large bowl, whip cream until stiff peaks are just about to form. Beat in vanilla and sugar until peaks form. Make sure not to over-beat, cream will then become lumpy and butter-like.

http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Whipped-Cream/Detail.aspx

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/good-eats/shortcake-recipe/index.html

The Destruction of forests and the consequences that follow

Forests are one of the most important ecosystems on the face of the Earth. However, roughly 30% of the Earth's land is covered by forests that produce 20% of the earth's oxygen. Deforestation is an issue that is destroying the many forests on our planet. I argue that unless we can completely stop deforestation in tropical and monsoon environments, every old growth forest will be converted into farmlands. These abrupt changes will cause widespread destruction of ecosystems and a increase of CO2 levels.

Since the start of mass deforestation, over "45% of original tropical and monsoon forests have been cut down and the remaining trees are being cut down at an average rate of 1% per year or roughly 13,860,00 Hectares (2.471 acre)" (Global Ecology in Human Perspective Ch. 12, Charles H. Southwick). At this rate, all old growth rainforests will be converted into farmland by 2050. Once a old growth forest is gone, the steps towards an unstable environment begin to unfold. The area is turned into farmland; the biodiversity of the area is completely wiped out. The deep roots from the forests are gone and an increase in erosion and tropical diseases, such as "Malaria, Yellow fever, and trypanosomiasis."

The few first world countries like the USA, U.K., and Canada, have begun steps to reduce the effects of deforestation, but it's the many third world countries (Nigeria, Tanzania, Honduras) that are causing the most damage. The stronger nations must teach these nations about safer ways to increase their economy without destroying the environment at the same time.

Pull Quotes:

"45% of original tropical and monsoon forests have been cut down and the remaining trees are being cut down at an average rate of 1% per year or roughly 13,860,00 Hectares (2.471 acre)"

"...all old growth rain forests will be converted into farmland by 2050."

Movie Reflection

This movie has shown me a whole different picture of fast food and the many problems with it. There are basically 3 crops and 2 types of animals that feed America; Wheat, Corn, Soy, Pork, and Beef. I was amazed to find out that almost every type of food in a supermarket has some type of Corn Bi-Product and after seeing how much we depend on corn has totally changed my views on America's food plan. America needs to find alternatives to corn so that we can reduce our dependability on just a single crop. For a while now, fast food has been a big part of my life and after seeing this movie, I have decided to eat less at fast food chains and more at local restaurants that use healthier ingredients and organic foods.

Peer Reviewed Sources

Source 1
http://www.jstage.jst.go.jp/article/bcsj/80/4/621/_pdf
Creation of Fullerene-Based Artificial Photosynthetic Systems
Well this Article is of great importance to our senior project. It shows how steps towards Artificial Photosynthesis has increased in the past years and that in 100 years it is possible to have Efficient artificial organisms creating Ethanol and Food for us.

Source 2
http://www.pnas.org/content/104/16/6550.full
Combined climate and carbon-cycle effects of large-scale deforestation
"We find that global-scale deforestation has a net cooling influence on Earth's climate, because the warming carbon-cycle effects of deforestation are overwhelmed by the net cooling associated with changes in albedo and evapotranspiration."

"Atmospheric CO₂ content is greater in the Global deforestation experiment by 381 ppmv because of both the release of carbon stored in trees in the early 21st century and the loss of CO₂ fertilization of forested ecosystems seen in the Standard simulation (Fig. 1)"

Enviromental Science Annotations

Causes of Deforestation: Direct Causes

http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Features/Deforestation/deforestation_update3.php

The biggest cause of deforestation is the conversion top cropland and pasture. Deforestation follows a chain effect starting with the production of roads to areas that were not accessible earlier. These roads allow loggers to clear areas. Once the loggers clear these areas, they move on and farmers and ranchers, slash and burn the remaining trees to make room for their crops. The FAO(Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN, is the most widely used tool for measuring global forest resources. From 1990-2005, Brazil has deforested over 42 million hectares(Size of CA) of forest. Brazil is followed by Indonesia, Sudan, Myanmar, and Congo. The country with the greatest amount of forest lost was Comoros, Which has destroyed almost 60% of all it's forests.

Scientists replicate a key process in photosynthesis

http://www.nanowerk.com/news/newsid=6785.php

A group of scientists at Monash University have been able to replicate a key process in Photosynthesis.

They used a manganese cluster, which is a key part in a plants system to use H2O, CO2, and sunlight to create energy and Oxygen. By replacing the use of electricity with sunlight, they were able to create a power source that can create Hydrogen that can used as a green fuel.

Scientists Developing “Artificial” Plants

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2000/11/001127224712.htm

A group of scientists at CSIRO's Telecommunications and Industrial Physics are developing artificial Photosynthesis that could one day be used to produce Energy, Oxygen. If these process could be replicated through nanotechnology, we could grow fields of these little artificial organisms. They “COULD” even replace trees.

Reflection:

Deforestation, is a huge threat to our forests and the biodiversity of our planet. Many of the tropical Rain forests are being destroyed for ranchers and farmers. With the increasing population of the Earth, we are gonna need a better source of food. If for some reason all the trees on our planet disappear, we will have to find an alternative source of Photosynthesis. Once we successfully create artificial photosynthesis, we will be able to reduce our impact on the climate while also creating a energy source and possibly a form of carbohydrates.

Once we learn how to replicate photosynthesis, we would also have to learn how to replicate nature's self-assembly process. Self-assembly builds from the bottom up, atom by atom, molecule by molecule, choosing the right components to drive the assembly of the final intricate and complex material, device, or system such as the eye or photosynthesis. By using Nanotechnology, we could possibly create this system by using common atoms or molecules to create artificial photosynthesis.

The Requirments to grow Hardy Kiwis

The Kiwi plant is a long term project. They are called perennial plants because if they are cared for in the right way, they can live longer then 2 years and up to 50 years. A Hardy Kiwis size is determined by the trellis/support structure that helps it grow. Kiwi's prefer full sun to light shade. they can grow to zone 5 on the hardiness scale. The flowering period is late May/Early June which works well for our garden and the school semester. The soil must be well-drained because Hardy Kiwi's are prone to a disease called Root Rot. You can use seeds but it is better to use cuttings and grafts to start your plants.

The first growing season for Kiwi's is the hardest. It is recommended that you plant them in a 5 gallon bucket with many holes on the bucket to keep the soil well-drained.

It is recommended to apply compost to the hole when planting the kiwi's to give them the nutrients they need. I must plant the Kiwis 4-5 feet apart because these vines they can grow crazy if they are not cared for and pruned correctly. I can use a fence as a trellis or I can make one myself. Once you plant the Kiwi, you prune back the stem 2 buds to encourage development. After they begin to grow, you choose the largest as your main body of the vine. Using wire or a stake, you train the main body to climb up the fence. Once the vine has reached the height, you prune off the growing tip and when shoots begin to form from, you use them for the main branches of the plant.

Reading Reflection

This reading was very interesting and it helped build my view of our impact on the world. After reading that paper, I have come to notice our major need for oil as a daily necessity. This fixation must be destroyed as fast as we can before we see the world fall apart around us. The reading points out many places in our current government that can be fixed to better help the health of our country and its citizens.

The first thing I think that the government should do is start caring out quality over quantity instead of the latter which is why many Americans are overweight. What caught my eye the most was the fact that if all U.S. citizens didn't eat meat 1 day of the week, then we would be the equivalent, in carbon saved, of taking 20 million mid size sedans off the road for a year. This just shows how much oil is used to produce the meat we depend so strongly on.

America has always been about industialization and made the population believe that farming and agriculture was a poor mans job. I agree with the author that the goverment should start doing the opposite, we need more farmers to create farms with more biodiversity then the farms we have today. Today's farms are made to produce as much of a certain product for super cheap prices. By using organic methods of farming and organic and natural pesticides, we can produce healthy crops and cattle.

Relatives in agriculture

Well during my research of my family, I found out that noone on my either parents side of the family were in agriculture. On my fathers side, everyone was either a businessman or a seamstress. On my mother's side, her father was a engineer and her mother was a teacher.

My Expectations from Enviromental Science

I am really looking forward to this semester in Enviromental science. I have always have had a passion for the earth and biology. I really hope to learn more about how we can interact with the enviroment and the creatures that live here. I also am looking forward to working on the garden and planting some cool fruits and veggies.