Archive for March, 2008
i would have loved this class in high school
Janet Johnson, our Science Instructional Specialist wrote this for an up coming Eagle Rock publication. How cool is this?
What happens to all the vegetable oil used in Estes Park to fry the poppers, the fries, and the fish and chips that tourists crave? Restaurant owners pay to have it trucked off and disposed of in a landfill. This oil is a valuable resource that through the wonders of chemistry can be used to power vehicles. More specifically, the waste vegetable oil can be converted to power my vehicle, a diesel VW Jetta. When Rudolf Diesel came up with the diesel engine in 1912, he intended it to be powered by vegetable oils. Diesel said, “The diesel engine can be fed with vegetable oils and would help considerably in the development of agriculture of the countries which use it. The use of vegetable oils for engine fuels may seem insignificant today. But such oils may become in the course of time as important as petroleum and the coal tar products of the present time.”
In an effort to expand our thinking about how to become a steward of the planet, the class mmm….Smells Like French Fries was born. French Fries is a five-week class built on learning how to convert waste vegetable oil into fuel for my car. Finding used oil in Estes Park was no problem. Our friend over at Poppy’s Restaurant, Rob Pieper, hooked us up with 10 gallons of high quality used fryer oil to begin our project. Rob changes his fryers once every couple of weeks to the tune of 30 to 40 gallons per each change. He was happy to donate the oil and is willing to continue supplying the oil as we need it. “Why not get the oil from the lodge?” you ask. The answer is that because of their commitment to healthy life choices, Tim and the crew use far less fryer oil than the typical Estes Park eatery.
Imagine how much oil could be converted to fuel given the concentration of restaurants using fryers in Estes Park. Then imagine how many more restaurants fry food throughout Colorado. Then think about the consumption of fried food throughout the rest of the country and all the corn, canola, and vegetable oil used in those fryers. You will begin to see how reusing waste vegetable oil could help to reduce both our consumption of petroleum and our dependence on foreign oil.
The process to make biodiesel is surprisingly easy. The class took a trip down to CU to learn how. A member of the organization CU Biodiesel spoke with us about the chemistry of the reaction. He told us that used vegetable oil has long chains of hydrocarbons attached to a glycerin molecule. To utilize the energy contained in those chains, we have to separate them from the glycerin molecule. To do this, we combine sodium hydroxide and methanol with the oil. The ensuing chemical reaction frees up the hydrocarbon chains from the glycerin. After the reaction the biodiesel can be separated from the left over glycerin. The glycerin can be composted or made into soap. The biodiesel is then put through a series of washes to remove any contaminants that could be harmful for my engine. When finished, the biodiesel is somewhat lighter in color than the original waste oil, much less viscous, and transparent. Most importantly, the biodiesel is ready to be combusted by my diesel engine.
A fearless group of seven students is now finishing production of their second batch of biodiesel. Throughout the class they have learned not only how to make fuel from waste oil, but also why it is important to do so. When asked how they use petroleum in their daily lives, most students responded that driving was their main use. Students were surprised to find that petroleum products are pervasive in their lives. Everyday items such as plastics, synthetic fibers, and fertilizers used in industrial agriculture are all derived from oil. Even more shocking for students was the realization that we are beyond peak oil production and that within their lifetimes, we will likely consume all the petroleum ever produced on planet earth. In addition to acquiring the laboratory skills and understanding of chemistry necessary to produce high quality batches of biodiesel, students have investigated how diesel engines differ from traditional internal combustion engines and can describe how each type of engine works. They have analyzed the pros and cons, as well as the practicality, of biofuels such as ethanol from corn, algae, and switchgrass. They have also compared the impacts of cars run by alternatives to petroleum, such as the gas/electric hybrid Honda Civic, flex fuel cars such as the VW Gol in Brazil, and the once maligned, now in development again, electric car.
What remains to be seen is whether or not the exhaust from the biodiesel made by the students will smell like french fries or fish and chips. The first test run of their biodiesel batches is scheduled for later this week. In either case, students from the French Fries class will be ready to make informed choices about how to live sustainably in a world beyond petroleum. And through their efforts they have helped me to become a steward of the planet one-half liter of biodiesel at a time.
Check out more cool initiatives here as part of the National Association of Independent Schools’ “Stories of Excellence”.
howard fuller… an innovative leader
This is a piece I wrote as part of a submission to American Express’ Nonprofit Leadership Academy.
One definition of leadership that has always stuck with me is this: Leadership is the inability to idly sit around and watch things go down the drain. Dr. Howard Fuller exemplifies that definition of leadership.
I have admired Dr. Fuller since getting to know him through Marquette University’s Institute for the Transformation of Learning over eleven years ago. He is well-known in Milwaukee as a long-time advocate for improving educational opportunities for the city’s minority student population, and as a high-profile superintendent of the city’s public schools from the early 90’s, Dr. Fuller also has achieved national acclaim for advocacy of fundamental education reform. It was also in the 60’s & 70’s that Dr. Fuller played a role in the civil rights movement primarily in North Carolina. In 1972 he organized a rally to support the African Liberation Movement and more than 40,000 people attended.
Dr. Fuller holds a larger vision and is deeply committed to that vision. He has dedicated his career to improving educational opportunities for low-income African-American children. He is nationally known as a proponent of programs that increase parents’ choices for their children’s education, such as charter schools and private school voucher programs.
He empowers and makes space for the next generation of leaders. He has taken many emerging leaders in a mentorship capacity. He brought together a group of emerging leaders from African-American communities across the country and forming a new black leadership organization, the Black Alliance for Educational Options. Dr. Fuller speaking to this stated, “Wasn’t there a time when we knew that the next generation was going to be smarter than the previous generation? Can we say that today? Don’t you feel the pain when we have to acknowledge that, unless we do something, far too many of the next generation will be dumber than us?”
Dr. Fuller is accepting of feedback and he speaks his truth. As I got older, Dr. Fuller told Richard A. Melcher and Michele Galen of Business Week, “I realized I couldn’t change the world, so I decided to work on the lives of children. The struggle is to make sure all kids get the best education possible.”
He is entrepreneurial in his quest for education renewal and reform in the United States. Rising to positions of power and working from the inside out while not compromising what he believes. He is so unwavering in his vision that he turned down President George W. Bush’s offer to an appointment of Secretary of Education, as he didn’t think that he was the appropriate fit for the position.
Dr. Fuller has a capturing personal style & energy. I was lucky enough to have him MC a holiday party that I hosted about a decade ago. Needless to say he was a hit at the gathering.
He has multicultural awareness and through his earlier position the Office of Educational Opportunities at Marquette University was exposed to the disparities between black and white children’s education.
I have much respect for Dr. Fuller as my current role revolves around forging for education renewal and reform. Dr. Fuller, even in the face of adversity and opposition, has found success through perseverance and dedication to his cause.
i’d like a chumby. yes, a chumby.
Have you checked these things out?
Chumby Industries announced the public launch of the chumby™, its much-anticipated compact consumer Internet device that enables people to receive a constant personalized broadcast of their favorite parts of the Web. The chumby device is currently available in the U.S. for $179.95 including shipping.
A little bigger than a coffee cup, the Wi-Fi connected chumby provides people with a fun, hassle-free way to enjoy what they want most out of the Internet at a glance and wake up to thousands of different streaming Internet radio stations, custom “alarm tones,” videos and more. With a large and growing base of content from the Internet, including the latest news, weather and entertainment, as well as the ability to share photos, widgets and e-cards with family and friends, the chumby is one of the most versatile and lifestyle-friendly Internet enabled devices on the market today.
are you an innovative teacher in an independent school?
1) Teachers of the Future Program
With generous funding from the E.E. Ford Foundation, NAIS has established the Teachers of the Future program. Through this program, NAIS will select and support a cadre of 25 innovative teacher leaders to help develop an online community for independent school teachers.
Each of the 25 teachers will receive a $1,000 stipend and will be expected to:
-lead an NAIS online educational discussion form throughout the 2008-09 school year, and
-post a three-to-10 minute demonstration teaching unit video on NAIS’s online community and TeacherTube.
This program provides teachers a way to distinguish themselves as leaders. They can advance independent school education by spurring discussion and idea-sharing about innovation in teaching and learning.
To nominate a teacher (yourself or another individual), complete the nomination form at www.nais.org/go/teachersofthefuture <http://www.nais.org/go/teachersofthefuture> by April 1, 2008. The nominee must be currently working at an NAIS member school.
Nominees should exemplify excellence in independent school teaching. They should be individuals who inspire academic excellence in students in the classroom and who serve as opinion leaders among their colleagues and peers. If you have questions, please send a message to teachers@nais.org.
2) Stories of Excellence Call for Submissions
The NAIS 21st Century Curriculum/Technology Task Force invites you to submit information about an outstanding example of teaching and learning with technology that is happening at your school. Twenty selected case studies will be included in a print booklet, Stories of Excellence: Case Studies of Exemplary Teaching and Learning with Technology.
Submit your case study by April 1 at naisnet.ning.com. On the main ning page, go to Groups and click on Stories of Excellence. In the Stories of Excellence Group, you will find a tutorial video and directions on how to post your submission. You will be asked to provide a description of the program and its history. You may submit supporting materials in a variety of formats including text, audio, or video. Please be aware that this is a public ning and that what you post can be viewed by the public.
The task force will contact selected individuals for more detailed information about the case studies. If you have questions, please contact stories@nais.org.
