Sebastian B. Tyler
St. Martin’s-in-the Field Episcopal School
7th Grade
Hobbit Houses Are the Future
Look, I know you heard it a million times about how we need to save the trees and save the forests. Well, that is my message, but not my per say passion, but it has something to do with it alright. I just have a different approach to saving the trees. You see, my way to save the trees and forests tells about my most recent interest, and how it can help not just our environment, but also the next generation, and I am talking about future architecture that does not have us taking out the domain of nature, but living with it in peace and not chopping down the woods, and also not destroying our future. This is why I propose that we try to live in a Hobbit house, and if you don’t know what a Hobbit house is, then here is a brief description: they are houses under the earth with circular tunnels that lead to rooms of chores, but there is no attic because there is grass up there. I’ll get to its use later.
Now, let me tell you the facts about how this will help our world. From Howstuffworks.com they said that the trees will help with the climate. That will help with the atmosphere, and, as you all know, the atmosphere is the primary defense against the sun’s powerful rays that would, without the atmosphere, incinerate us. But having more trees will help strengthen the atmosphere and buy us time to try to solve the problem. But everytime we chop a tree down, we lose a helper. Also on Howstuffworks.com they said that roots can change the foundation by breaking into pipes, so the construction workers would have to dig deep and chop roots out of the way and use some resources to keep the roots from entering the pipes. So, there will be some money spent on making these houses, but it will give more jobs and projects and gate ways to new buildings. Ted Talks informed me that kids who live in the country don’t have allergies because when they were in their mothers stomach, they were exposed to more germs, so they gave their bodies a head start in learning to cope with the germs that wouldn’t be presented if they were in the house all of the time.
Also these houses have the potential of being gardens of Eden where people have fertile soil to grow plants and possibly save money because they have their food in their gardens. Also all trees that are not cut down will give kids a chance to exercise and explore. The reason I say explore is because this is not just to help the trees, but to help the environment in general.
Again to the word explore, I will tell you a story about how exploring my woods changed my perception on the world around me. So, one day I saw a really tall birch tree with some low branches, and I thought it would be a bit dangerous to climb because it was about 8 yards high, but I thought why not see a little more of the world, so I climbed and climbed and climbed till I got to the top, and I was 5 or 6 years old so my knowledge of my surroundings was limited to my house and the road to school, but when I got to the top of the tree, my world got a whole lot bigger and so did my imagination, just by seeing those bright colors and the wild life. So yeah, that one tree I climbed made me think bigger and better.
Also, try to imagine a place where people are living in the woods with lush gardens with children running around health and happy. And if that doesn’t sound like a little paradise then I don’t know what does.
The down side of this plan is the fact that it will take a lot of manual labor to keep these gardens clean and also there is the fact that the people will have to readapt and try these house and they will be living in the woods. Another thing is that the people will be a little secluded from the rest of the world in the sense that they will be, as I said before, in the woods. Yet another fault of this plan is that the locations of these houses are in hills, and we have plowed so much land that it might be hard to find the exact land specification for the houses. Well I hope you think about this some more after today.
Duncan Sollers
5th Grade
St Martin’s-in-the-Field Episcopal School
Severna Park, MD
Shark Conservation
The killing of sharks for their fins is a large problem in the world. The sharks are tossed back into the ocean, finless, and left to drown or asphyxiate, or the shark bleeds to death. The Scalloped Hammerhead Shark and Great Hammerhead are two of the numerous types of endangered shark species. Endangered means that an animal or plant is losing its habitat or being hunted or harvested so much that it is in danger of extinction. Sadly, 70 million sharks per year are killed for consumption.
They decline faster than they can repopulate because they are apex predators which means they are at the top of the food chain and reproduce slowly. They are magnificent, beautiful creatures of the ocean, and have lived for millions of years. Not only is it inhumane and horrifying to take their fins, but it is also very wasteful. We need to act now before it’s too late to repair the consequences of these actions.
One thing shark fins are used for is soup, but they are nutritionally worthless and practically tasteless. They have high levels of mercury in them. If you get mercury poisoning you can have toxic repercussions, such as problems that affect your lungs, brain, and kidneys, a persistently faster-than-normal heart beat, increased salivation, and high blood pressure. Also, fins contain the neurotoxin BMAA, which causes Alzheimer’s and Lou Gehrig’s diseases. There should be no shark fin dishes in restaurants, and the global shark fin trade needs to be eliminated. There are alternative soups to shark fin soup like mock shark fin soup, which is healthier. In an opinion piece published on the National Geographic website, Secretary of State John Kerry, U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder, and Secretary of the Interior Sally Jewell wrote, and I quote, “Reject the shark fin soup.” If there is no shark finning, the world’s oceans will be much healthier. Boycott shark fin products!
You must keep sharks in the ocean. If you don’t, the ocean’s ecosystem will lose its delicate balance. Sharks help to maintain a natural balance in the oceans by keeping populations of other sea life down and culling the weak, sick, or injured population to keep healthy species. Without sharks the ocean would be out of balance for a long time. Another advantage to keeping sharks alive is they could be trained to eat lion fish so we can stop that invasive fish in the Gulf of Mexico.
In order to protect sharks there need to be laws, education, and signs on beaches for sharks’ and humans’ safety. If you have laws to protect sharks then, hopefully, they would not be killed because violators could be prosecuted. You can educate people about how they can appreciate sharks and learn why sharks are good for the ecosystem. Signs on beaches would help enormously. When lots of sharks feed in an area, the sign could say, “Don’t swim here. Sharks feed here.” Where sharks have babies, the sign could say, “Don’t go here. Shark nursery.” Scientists know where shark nurseries are because sharks have been going to certain areas for millions of years. There need to be more sanctuaries for sharks to replenish.
Do you know some sharks like to be cuddled? The zebra shark can be taken out of the water for short periods and does not seem to mind being cuddled, according to Sea Life Centres in Britain. Although humans fear sharks, we should respect their domain, the oceans of the world. If we see a small shark at the beach or an injured shark, we should not touch it. Yet our fear of sharks is out of proportion to reality. The movie Jaws escalated that, but according to the International Shark Attack File, humans have a 1 in 11.5 million chance of being bitten by a shark. I can say we can be pretty optimistic about NOT being attacked by a shark.
I am also optimistic about the survival of sharks in our seas. We’ve made mistakes about shark conservation in the past, but as the optimists say, we can press on to greater achievement in the future. I will spread the word about learning more about marine biology. I will also tell my fellow shark enthusiasts about conservation programs. And, I will make a website to which you can donate and make sure it is offered to shark research and protection groups. This is so they can get it to the countries that want to help this movement to stop people from finning. Everyone can help by finding restaurants that are finning and report it to someone who can prevent the sales. Money could also be used for diving expeditions so conservationists and biologists can get the supplies they need to help sharks and prove that sharks are important to the oceans’ ecosystem. So please help save sharks and stop finning today, tomorrow, and for years to come. The Optimist creed says to give every living creature a smile.
Chloe Cobb
St. Martin’s-in-the-Field Episcopal School
6th grade
Help the Earth’s Wildlife
According to the World Wildlife Fund, 97 percent of tigers have been killed in over a century and only 3,200 are left. The demand for ivory is threatening the elephant population by increased poaching. In 2012, 20,000 elephants were killed for their ivory tusks. About a thousand rhinos were poached in South Africa in 2013 for their horns. As the wildlife population began to see some improvements, the illegal wildlife trade is now threatening the animals and making them endangered.
People who want tiger skins or ivory sculptures or rhino horns are responsible for the poaching trade that murders these magnificent creatures. I want to help save all the animals by doing everything possible to protect them from illegal hunting and other issues that affect them such as deforestation and climate changes.
These are just three animals in the wild that are threatened by criminals. There are many other stories of animals at risk as well as all wildlife which also includes plants and forests that are threatened by criminal activity.
All animals balance the world. Everything including animals, insects and plants are part of the ecosystem. Most species depend on other species for food to survive known as the food chain. It helps keep the balance in the ecosystem by allowing nature to control the animal population but if animals are being poached they will need help so they won’t be extinct.
Every animal and species has a right to exist. Because a species exists, it should not be pushed to extinction for any reason. It is important to protect the animals because they are a part of science. They are part of the gene pool and helps in breeding.
Wildlife has value in our everyday life by providing products like food and clothing that humans use whether it is with plants or animals. It also provides jobs for people to raise wildlife that will help us all.
Wildlife provides activities for people that include hunting, fishing, photography, camping and hiking and bird watching. All wildlife is beautiful, and we humans can simply appreciate its beauty.
There are several things people can do to help protect the magnificent creatures on this planet. Just by getting educated and talking about the problem with friends and family to make people realize what is going on and get them interested is a good first step. Through communicating with others, we can be inspired to boycott the products that are made from the illegal killing of animals. This may put the people who are selling the product out of business.
You can get involved with an organization like the World Wildlife Fund who are known around the world and can convince governments and businesses to protect the animals. By donating money to WWF, it will help them to train and give equipment to rangers on the frontlines who are the most important tool to stop poachers.
World Wildlife Fund also has petitions that people can sign to be part of a larger group that governments will listen to. When they see how many people are interested and concerned, they will be more likely to help by building sanctuaries for animals and stop the destruction of forests. Signing a petition will also help the governments realize that they need to make strict laws that protect wildlife.
On February 12th and 13th in London there was a meeting hosted by UK’s Prime Minister Cameron to work on ways to stop illegal trafficking of wildlife products. There was discussion on how to eliminate the demand for these precious items like ivory and tiger bones. They discussed ways to make stronger laws and train law enforcement better. Also, they discussed ways to help people who live near the wildlife find other jobs that pay well instead of poaching.
This is just the beginning. The more people know and understand the horrible acts against the wildlife of the world, the more we will be able to help them. Let us all work together to live in harmony and peace. Let us help the wildlife who cannot help themselves. Wildlife needs a voice in the world, and since they cannot speak, we need to step-up and be their voice. We need to talk to everyone we know and make them aware of the serious issues that threaten the wildlife and our earth. We need to make sure our government understands how important this issue is to us and the earth. And we need to stay resolute to save our planet.
St. Martin’s-in-the Field Episcopal School
7th Grade
Hobbit Houses Are the Future
Look, I know you heard it a million times about how we need to save the trees and save the forests. Well, that is my message, but not my per say passion, but it has something to do with it alright. I just have a different approach to saving the trees. You see, my way to save the trees and forests tells about my most recent interest, and how it can help not just our environment, but also the next generation, and I am talking about future architecture that does not have us taking out the domain of nature, but living with it in peace and not chopping down the woods, and also not destroying our future. This is why I propose that we try to live in a Hobbit house, and if you don’t know what a Hobbit house is, then here is a brief description: they are houses under the earth with circular tunnels that lead to rooms of chores, but there is no attic because there is grass up there. I’ll get to its use later.
Now, let me tell you the facts about how this will help our world. From Howstuffworks.com they said that the trees will help with the climate. That will help with the atmosphere, and, as you all know, the atmosphere is the primary defense against the sun’s powerful rays that would, without the atmosphere, incinerate us. But having more trees will help strengthen the atmosphere and buy us time to try to solve the problem. But everytime we chop a tree down, we lose a helper. Also on Howstuffworks.com they said that roots can change the foundation by breaking into pipes, so the construction workers would have to dig deep and chop roots out of the way and use some resources to keep the roots from entering the pipes. So, there will be some money spent on making these houses, but it will give more jobs and projects and gate ways to new buildings. Ted Talks informed me that kids who live in the country don’t have allergies because when they were in their mothers stomach, they were exposed to more germs, so they gave their bodies a head start in learning to cope with the germs that wouldn’t be presented if they were in the house all of the time.
Also these houses have the potential of being gardens of Eden where people have fertile soil to grow plants and possibly save money because they have their food in their gardens. Also all trees that are not cut down will give kids a chance to exercise and explore. The reason I say explore is because this is not just to help the trees, but to help the environment in general.
Again to the word explore, I will tell you a story about how exploring my woods changed my perception on the world around me. So, one day I saw a really tall birch tree with some low branches, and I thought it would be a bit dangerous to climb because it was about 8 yards high, but I thought why not see a little more of the world, so I climbed and climbed and climbed till I got to the top, and I was 5 or 6 years old so my knowledge of my surroundings was limited to my house and the road to school, but when I got to the top of the tree, my world got a whole lot bigger and so did my imagination, just by seeing those bright colors and the wild life. So yeah, that one tree I climbed made me think bigger and better.
Also, try to imagine a place where people are living in the woods with lush gardens with children running around health and happy. And if that doesn’t sound like a little paradise then I don’t know what does.
The down side of this plan is the fact that it will take a lot of manual labor to keep these gardens clean and also there is the fact that the people will have to readapt and try these house and they will be living in the woods. Another thing is that the people will be a little secluded from the rest of the world in the sense that they will be, as I said before, in the woods. Yet another fault of this plan is that the locations of these houses are in hills, and we have plowed so much land that it might be hard to find the exact land specification for the houses. Well I hope you think about this some more after today.
Duncan Sollers
5th Grade
St Martin’s-in-the-Field Episcopal School
Severna Park, MD
Shark Conservation
The killing of sharks for their fins is a large problem in the world. The sharks are tossed back into the ocean, finless, and left to drown or asphyxiate, or the shark bleeds to death. The Scalloped Hammerhead Shark and Great Hammerhead are two of the numerous types of endangered shark species. Endangered means that an animal or plant is losing its habitat or being hunted or harvested so much that it is in danger of extinction. Sadly, 70 million sharks per year are killed for consumption.
They decline faster than they can repopulate because they are apex predators which means they are at the top of the food chain and reproduce slowly. They are magnificent, beautiful creatures of the ocean, and have lived for millions of years. Not only is it inhumane and horrifying to take their fins, but it is also very wasteful. We need to act now before it’s too late to repair the consequences of these actions.
One thing shark fins are used for is soup, but they are nutritionally worthless and practically tasteless. They have high levels of mercury in them. If you get mercury poisoning you can have toxic repercussions, such as problems that affect your lungs, brain, and kidneys, a persistently faster-than-normal heart beat, increased salivation, and high blood pressure. Also, fins contain the neurotoxin BMAA, which causes Alzheimer’s and Lou Gehrig’s diseases. There should be no shark fin dishes in restaurants, and the global shark fin trade needs to be eliminated. There are alternative soups to shark fin soup like mock shark fin soup, which is healthier. In an opinion piece published on the National Geographic website, Secretary of State John Kerry, U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder, and Secretary of the Interior Sally Jewell wrote, and I quote, “Reject the shark fin soup.” If there is no shark finning, the world’s oceans will be much healthier. Boycott shark fin products!
You must keep sharks in the ocean. If you don’t, the ocean’s ecosystem will lose its delicate balance. Sharks help to maintain a natural balance in the oceans by keeping populations of other sea life down and culling the weak, sick, or injured population to keep healthy species. Without sharks the ocean would be out of balance for a long time. Another advantage to keeping sharks alive is they could be trained to eat lion fish so we can stop that invasive fish in the Gulf of Mexico.
In order to protect sharks there need to be laws, education, and signs on beaches for sharks’ and humans’ safety. If you have laws to protect sharks then, hopefully, they would not be killed because violators could be prosecuted. You can educate people about how they can appreciate sharks and learn why sharks are good for the ecosystem. Signs on beaches would help enormously. When lots of sharks feed in an area, the sign could say, “Don’t swim here. Sharks feed here.” Where sharks have babies, the sign could say, “Don’t go here. Shark nursery.” Scientists know where shark nurseries are because sharks have been going to certain areas for millions of years. There need to be more sanctuaries for sharks to replenish.
Do you know some sharks like to be cuddled? The zebra shark can be taken out of the water for short periods and does not seem to mind being cuddled, according to Sea Life Centres in Britain. Although humans fear sharks, we should respect their domain, the oceans of the world. If we see a small shark at the beach or an injured shark, we should not touch it. Yet our fear of sharks is out of proportion to reality. The movie Jaws escalated that, but according to the International Shark Attack File, humans have a 1 in 11.5 million chance of being bitten by a shark. I can say we can be pretty optimistic about NOT being attacked by a shark.
I am also optimistic about the survival of sharks in our seas. We’ve made mistakes about shark conservation in the past, but as the optimists say, we can press on to greater achievement in the future. I will spread the word about learning more about marine biology. I will also tell my fellow shark enthusiasts about conservation programs. And, I will make a website to which you can donate and make sure it is offered to shark research and protection groups. This is so they can get it to the countries that want to help this movement to stop people from finning. Everyone can help by finding restaurants that are finning and report it to someone who can prevent the sales. Money could also be used for diving expeditions so conservationists and biologists can get the supplies they need to help sharks and prove that sharks are important to the oceans’ ecosystem. So please help save sharks and stop finning today, tomorrow, and for years to come. The Optimist creed says to give every living creature a smile.
Chloe Cobb
St. Martin’s-in-the-Field Episcopal School
6th grade
Help the Earth’s Wildlife
According to the World Wildlife Fund, 97 percent of tigers have been killed in over a century and only 3,200 are left. The demand for ivory is threatening the elephant population by increased poaching. In 2012, 20,000 elephants were killed for their ivory tusks. About a thousand rhinos were poached in South Africa in 2013 for their horns. As the wildlife population began to see some improvements, the illegal wildlife trade is now threatening the animals and making them endangered.
People who want tiger skins or ivory sculptures or rhino horns are responsible for the poaching trade that murders these magnificent creatures. I want to help save all the animals by doing everything possible to protect them from illegal hunting and other issues that affect them such as deforestation and climate changes.
These are just three animals in the wild that are threatened by criminals. There are many other stories of animals at risk as well as all wildlife which also includes plants and forests that are threatened by criminal activity.
All animals balance the world. Everything including animals, insects and plants are part of the ecosystem. Most species depend on other species for food to survive known as the food chain. It helps keep the balance in the ecosystem by allowing nature to control the animal population but if animals are being poached they will need help so they won’t be extinct.
Every animal and species has a right to exist. Because a species exists, it should not be pushed to extinction for any reason. It is important to protect the animals because they are a part of science. They are part of the gene pool and helps in breeding.
Wildlife has value in our everyday life by providing products like food and clothing that humans use whether it is with plants or animals. It also provides jobs for people to raise wildlife that will help us all.
Wildlife provides activities for people that include hunting, fishing, photography, camping and hiking and bird watching. All wildlife is beautiful, and we humans can simply appreciate its beauty.
There are several things people can do to help protect the magnificent creatures on this planet. Just by getting educated and talking about the problem with friends and family to make people realize what is going on and get them interested is a good first step. Through communicating with others, we can be inspired to boycott the products that are made from the illegal killing of animals. This may put the people who are selling the product out of business.
You can get involved with an organization like the World Wildlife Fund who are known around the world and can convince governments and businesses to protect the animals. By donating money to WWF, it will help them to train and give equipment to rangers on the frontlines who are the most important tool to stop poachers.
World Wildlife Fund also has petitions that people can sign to be part of a larger group that governments will listen to. When they see how many people are interested and concerned, they will be more likely to help by building sanctuaries for animals and stop the destruction of forests. Signing a petition will also help the governments realize that they need to make strict laws that protect wildlife.
On February 12th and 13th in London there was a meeting hosted by UK’s Prime Minister Cameron to work on ways to stop illegal trafficking of wildlife products. There was discussion on how to eliminate the demand for these precious items like ivory and tiger bones. They discussed ways to make stronger laws and train law enforcement better. Also, they discussed ways to help people who live near the wildlife find other jobs that pay well instead of poaching.
This is just the beginning. The more people know and understand the horrible acts against the wildlife of the world, the more we will be able to help them. Let us all work together to live in harmony and peace. Let us help the wildlife who cannot help themselves. Wildlife needs a voice in the world, and since they cannot speak, we need to step-up and be their voice. We need to talk to everyone we know and make them aware of the serious issues that threaten the wildlife and our earth. We need to make sure our government understands how important this issue is to us and the earth. And we need to stay resolute to save our planet.