Change Through Science with Dr. Robyn Wilson Make-Up

For issues to be taken seriously, they need to be backed up by science, but that science has to be presented in a way that appeals to the intended audience in a persuasive manner. Societies, governments, companies, and stakeholders as a whole do not give attention to data and scientific findings if they do not believe that the data matters or directly impacts them. This means that the data has to touch upon and factor-in relevant issues and concerns that these stakeholders have in order to grab their attention and get them to actually care about the data, and therefore implement the strategies and solutions suggested. Otherwise, the data will be ignored and the message will be lost. This can be demonstrated in an issue that I’m passionate about, which is food insecurity. Science could be used to create positive change with this issue by presenting statistics about the impacts that food insecurity has on health, education, the economy, the environment and so forth to relevant stakeholders, and present strategies to help fix this issue in ways that appeals the these stakeholders.

In regards to Dr. Wilson’s lawsuit against the EPA and its impact (video and articles below), I believe that Dr. Wilson’s strategy to not resign as an advisor for the EPA and suing them definitely brings awareness to the situation, and in the long run will make changes occur. This has already been demonstrated by the amount of media coverage that Dr. Wilson has received after these decisions, and the amount of support from the scientific community that she has received. However the EPA decides to move forward, the ball is in their corner and the people are now watching. Depending on their actions, they will either lose the people’s trust or gain it, which is a change either way, a change that will be due to Dr. Wilson’s decision.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/energy-environment/wp/2017/11/10/epa-extends-controversial-conflict-of-interest-policy-to-nearly-two-dozen-advisory-boards/?utm_term=.e9c3b59398b3

Ohio State professor sues EPA after it enacts a “blatant attack on science-informed policy”

Mini Film Festival Makeup

Xiuhtezcatl Martinez

Aunt Flow

How to Fit Two Years of Trash in a Mason Jar

Ohio State Protests

Boo Radley

Each of these videos were inspiring and enlightening in their own ways. A common theme featured within every video is young people taking matters of the world in society into their own hands, either by creating their own organization/company to address a need, or by putting themselves on the frontline of a cause through protests and legal action. Xiuhtezcatl Martinez and 20 other young people are suing the US federal government for violating their constitution rights to Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness by ignoring and contributing to the effects of climate change. Clare Coder started her own buy one, give one company to address menstrual needs and address the stigma surrounding menstruation. Lauren Singer transitioned to a zero-waste life and created a company because she didn’t want to contribute to the waste filled consumer world that most of society lives in today. Ohio State students in the 60s protested and put their lives on the line for causes they believed in, such as de facto segregation, war, and other issues. Even the Boo Radley Society, whose random acts of kindness can still be seen and felt around Ohio State’s campus today, was created due to observations about the need for the improvement of student’s everyday mental health on campus. Each of these examples show that to bring change to our society, you have to be willing to put in the time and effort to bring about this change yourself. These change bringers show that you are never too young to start making an impact on the world, because young people’s opinions and perspectives are valid. Young people will be the most impacted by the consequences of the changes made in our world now. Watching these videos cemented my belief that the time for our generation to rise and start fighting for the issues that are important and relevant to us is upon us, and that young people have more reach and people in our corners than we realize. These videos made me even more excited for the change that our generation will bring, and inspired me to work even harder for the changes that I personally would like to make.

ENR Scholars Final Reflection

The highlight of my ENR Scholars experience over the past 2 years is definitely my first mountain climbing experience, which occurred during my birthday weekend, at Dolly Sods Wilderness in the Monongahela National Forest (pictured above). I reached the top of the mountain on my last day as an 18 year old, and cannot express how proud and amazed I felt in that moment. That experience will forever be etched into my memory.


ENR Scholars has taught me so much about the intersections of environmental issues, the economy, and society. I had always loved and cared about the environment, but had never truly realized the reach that environmental issues had in every other issue we as humans face. ENR Scholars really opened my eyes to how connected our world really is, and I appreciate that so deeply.
Waste has been a much discussed issue within our ENR Scholars program, and for the past 2 years, has been an issue that I have given a lot more attention to. I started recycling due to ENR Scholars, and finding more ways to reduce my waste, such as using my own silverware instead of the plastic that comes with to-go items from certain campus dining locations, and using my reusable water bottles and thermoses. I most certainly plan to continue to do these things, as well as plan to implement even more ways to reduce my waste production, such as using my coffee mugs within coffee shops instead of their plastic cups.
ENR Scholars is truly what you make it out to be, so my advice to the next class of ENR Scholars is to come into the program with an open mind, and be ready to expand your knowledge about a wide range of issues and topics. I had no idea what ENR Scholars was going to be like coming into the program as a freshman, but I honestly can say that it was one of the best decisions I have made within college, because it has changed me for the better.

2016-17 Year in Review

This academic year, I wanted to develop more meaningful relationships in my life, become more financially responsible, and take my studies more seriously. The relationships that I have developed over the past year have had a great and positive impact on my life so far. This year, I have definitely become more aware of my financial responsibilities and how to handle them in the best way. As for my studies, taking time out of my schedule to make sure that I fully comprehend the material, instead of simply doing the assignments, has really benefitted my success in college so far.

A change that I would like to make in the future is to look more outside of myself, and have more of an impact in the community and world around me. I plan to do so by dedicating more of my time and efforts into helping bring change and implement solutions to some of the issues that we face today.

I chose to make these changes in my life because I saw, in high school, the consequences of living life the way that I was, and realized that I needed to deviate from that for a more enriching experience. I knew that I wanted to use my college experience to set up and develop what kind of person that I would be after school (in the “adult” world), and knew that some changes would have to be made in order to allow myself to grow into the person that I want to be.

I have always been interested in the experience and perspectives of others. I like to take in the experiences, struggles, triumphs, etc of the people in the world around me, using the technology and resources available to me. I then share this knowledge with others who may not be aware. I ally with and advocate for those who need one. I take in a lot from this world, but I also want to give back as much as I can, which I will continue to work on in the future.

The overall purpose of my Earth Month Action Plan was to become more involved and engaged with the aviation community. I wanted to develop a more meaningful relationship with my career choice and those within it. This has brought me so much joy, and I hope to continue to build upon what I have started in April, because it is what I plan to do for the rest of my life.

Mid-Action Plan Check In

My first week of action went well. I emailed some of the researchers at OSU that are working in labs doing work related to aviation emissions. I asked them the following questions:

1) Please describe your research and its environmental applications.

2) If you had to give an estimate as to how many years that it would take to implement your research in the aviation industry, what would it be and why?

I received responses from most of the people that I emailed. Every person used their own research, as well as their knowledge of other advancements in the industry itself, to answer the second question. This information gave me insight into how much progress has been made to create a more sustainable aviation industry.

I have had to change my plans for the next two weeks because I cannot go to the OAA’s annual conference this year. Instead, my plan is to reach out to some of the people going to the conference with questions similar to those above, and gain even more insight into the aviation industry’s progress. Something that I can also do differently is call some of the people that I plan to contact, and try to do a phone interview, because some people might respond quicker to a phone call than an email.

So far, I have learned that people are open to sharing their work and ideas with people who are interested. I did not expect to get as many responses as I did for my emails. I hope that this enthusiasm to share knowledge is also present with the non-university aviation industry people that I will contact, such as the FAA. Otherwise, it will definitely become a challenge to gather information to provide a clearer picture as to how far along we are in terms of sustainable aviation. I am optimistic that this will not be the case, and I look forward to becoming an “expert” on the issue.

Earth Month Action Plan for Sustainable Aviation

 

Now that I have learned as much as I can about the impact of the aviation industry on the environment, the politics involved with addressing the issue, and nonprofits who are working for change, it’s time for me to take action. During Earth Month, over the next 4 weeks, I will be completing actions to address my issue, attempting to reach all three levels of the Justice-Oriented Citizen model in the process.

The first week will be focused on being a Personally Responsible Citizen. I plan on educating myself even further about what people in the aviation industry are doing to address the issue of aviation pollution. Specifically, I will be looking at how the aviation and aerospace engineering departments at OSU are working towards creating a more sustainable aviation industry. I will be contacting the top researchers at the Aerodynamic Flow Control and Advanced Diagnostics (AFCAD), Gas Dynamics and Turbulence, and Gas Turbine labs at Ohio State to ask a few questions about how their research is helping to make aviation more sustainable. I know these researchers will be very busy, so it might be difficult for them to spare the time to answer my questions, but I plan on emailing them and providing multiple times that we could possibly talk over the phone, and also providing the option of them simply answering the questions over email. I also plan on stopping by their offices (since I basically see them on a daily basis, due to my job being in Scott Lab).

The second and third weeks of Earth Month will be my Participatory Citizen level week. I plan on registering for the Ohio Aviation Association’s 2017 Annual Conference, in which I will attend in the third week of April (April 18-19). I plan on developing questions to ask the various panelists that will focus around my issue (still debating whether I should register as a moderator or not). This conference will be a collection of “airport sponsors and their governing bodies, FBO’s [fixed-base operators] and the airport supply chain, association members, legislators, ODOT, educators, students, consultants, and FAA representatives” and will explore a wide array of topics, including the effect recent regulations will have on innovation and efficiency as well as fuel systems. The thing that might be difficult when completing this action is that the conference occurs on a Tuesday and Wednesday, meaning that I will miss classes. However, once I register, which I plan on doing sometime this week, I will contact my instructors and inform all relevant parties of my absence on these days.

The last week of Earth Month will be the week to be a Justice-Oriented Citizen. I believe that one of the root causes of the aviation industry contributing as it is to global climate change and pollution is that these are the consequences of the technology and techniques available to the aviation industry at this time. At the forefront of solving this root problem is research, which is why throughout the entire month of April, I plan on applying for research internships, such as within the labs that I mentioned previously. By the last week of April, I will most likely have decisions about whether or not I can work with them over the upcoming summer. The difficulty that comes with this action is that it is dependent upon whether or not I obtain an internship or not, however I plan on using all of the resources at my disposal to make this happen, such as Engineering Career Services, in which I am already registered with, and my networking connections that I have acquired while working at my current job in the Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering at Ohio State.

I am very excited to complete all of this actions. My goal by the end of Earth Month is to become more involved in the aviation industry and start to make an impact, no matter how small, on the progress towards making the aviation industry a more sustainable one.

Non-Profits Lens Reflection

After hearing our guests speak about their nonprofit organizations and how they became involved with nonprofits, I felt that I gained a little more insight into just how much nonprofits rely on people, to volunteer, donate, and support, to keep their organization running. My biggest takeaway from this class was that nonprofits can receive certain government funds, however those funds are apparently cut so often that these organizations are in danger almost constantly of going under. However, I do not know if this is the case for the sustainable aviation nonprofit organizations that I found, such as the ICCT and ICAO. Most of the things brought up by the guest speakers I felt pertained to smaller, more local nonprofit organizations. I have not yet found any smaller nonprofit organizations working on aviation pollution. This means that I should probably do more research into the structures of these organizations, to figure out where their funds come from and how they use them to reach their goals.

I would personally like to find a way to volunteer or work for a nonprofit organization that is addressing aviation pollution. After looking at my issue through this lens, I came to realize that most of the work being done on creating a more sustainable aviation industry is outside of the United States. I would like to advocate to make the United States aviation industry more sustainable by making reducing our country’s impact on the environment more of a priority.

Sustainable Aviation Through The Lens of Non-Profits

In my search for the few, the proud, the non-profit sustainable aviation organizations, I came across a few international entities whose purpose is to bring together organizations around the world dedicated to the cause. The International Coalition for Sustainable Aviation (ICSA) is a large network of Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs), including the International Council on Clean Transportation (ICCT), and works with the UN’s International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) to reduce aviation pollution on national and global levels by developing policies and standards, and conducting/supporting studies, analyses, and research. One example is the ICAO’s recent Carbon Offset and Reduction Scheme for International Aviation (CORSIA), which is a “market-based measure” that would hopefully offset global aviation carbon emissions. It would be voluntary from 2021-2026, and mandatory for almost all ICAO member countries from 2027-2035, with an estimated offset of about 32%.

I think that when viewing this issue through a non-profit work lens, the most important thing to consider is that the aviation industry is mainly for-profit, which is why there are so few non-profit sustainable aviation organizations. These organizations make an impact by providing insight into how the aviation industry is contributing to pollution and make suggestions for how the industry can stop this growth and possibly reduce pollution amounts, however, in the end, it is up to the companies and airlines to implement them. Ways that people can become involved with these non-profits is by interning, volunteering, donating, attending seminars and webinars, etc. One of the main challenges of getting involved with a non-profit aviation organization that addresses aviation emissions is that most of these organizations are in other countries, mainly countries within the European Union.

Work can be done on all 3 levels of the Justice-Oriented Citizen model through non-profits. At the Personally Responsible Citizen level are those organizations that encourage people to fly responsibly and are educated about and aware of their own environmental footprint. At the Participatory Citizen level are those who actually work with the government entities and organizations that are addressing this issue. At the Justice-Oriented Citizen level are those who actually are trying to solve the issue by conducting, supporting, and implementing research and development efforts focused on creating a more sustainable industry.

The video below briefly describes the ICAO’s CORSIA, which I think sums up what many non-profit aviation organizations are doing to create a more sustainable industry. My key takeaway from this video was that to reduce the harmful effects of the aviation industry on the planet, cooperation is vital. Sustainability has to become a priority for everyone in the aviation industry in order for the industry to continue to grow and prosper. CORSIA is one step towards making this happen.

Political Action Lens Reflection

My initial thoughts on political action regarding creating a more sustainable aviation industry by reducing aviation emissions were that the only ways to have a direct impact were through the federal government, industry, or research. After hearing Councilmember Brown speak about the role of local governments and other ways that people can become involved in issues, I decided to do some research to see if there are ways to tackle this issue at the local level. I found that some states have passed legislation on noise due to aviation and unmanned aircraft systems, such as drones and remote planes, and that there are certain organizations and resources, such as the Alliance for Aviation Across America, that have been creating more of a local aviation presence in many states. However, most of the local work being done for environmentally friendly aviation emissions is through research at institutions and within companies in the industry.

Image result for Aviation Biofuel

I felt very enlightened by all that I had learned from Councilmember Brown about the local government’s role in my everyday life. For some reason, it came as a shock to me when she said that the best way to make your voice heard was to simply call the government officials in charge. I have always thought that this was an inefficient way to make an impact, because I thought that officials never answered their calls, that regular people’s calls would be turned away, or that you would simply only talk to a secretary or assistant. I never thought that calling actually worked! This insight into how the government works, especially local government, was truly valuable information.

Personally, I plan on focusing on the development of technologies that would aid in reducing the aviation industry’s harm to the environment, by doing even more research into this issue. There is a student organization at OSU called Engineers for a Sustainable World, in which I am currently looking into becoming involved with, to start working on a project involving this issue. I am also working on obtaining an undergraduate research internship for this summer, specifically within the gas turbine lab in the aerospace research center, which focuses on developing gas turbine technology that lowers fuel consumption, and therefore emissions and noise. Overall, I am looking more towards helping the research aspect of sustainable aviation emissions progress towards future implementation into the industry, but I also plan on simply increasing people’s awareness of the aviation industry’s impact on the environment, so that more people will become interested in the topic, therefore providing more push for research and development.

 

Sustainable Aviation Emissions-Through The Lens of Political Action

The amount of pollutants and noise that are released from airplanes and airports have been on the government’s radar since about the beginning of this decade, and a few measures have been taken to tackle the issue. The main governmental entities involved with aviation emissions in America have been the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Both have set up regulations in order to limit the harm that the aviation industry is doing to the environment. Just this past year, the EPA finalized the Clean Air Act after finding that certain aircraft engines emit pollutants that could be harmful to human health. The FAA has spent the past decade investing money and resources into research and development efforts in order to reduce the impact of aviation emissions. The main challenge that comes with delving into this issue is that basically the only ways to be directly involved with this issue is either by government, industry, or research. However, simply staying educated on the impacts of the technology used in the aviation industry, the policies related to the issue, and your own individual contribution to the aviation industry and the environment are also ways to be involved.

An important thing to keep in mind when researching aviation emissions through the lens of political action is that the environmental impact may be global, but most of the policies are not. For instance, the United Kingdom has a Sustainable Aviation strategy, which brings together some of the UK’s main airlines, airports, manufacturers and air navigation service providers (similar to the FAA). The closest that we have to global aviation emission policies are with the UN, who has also set a legal ceiling limit for carbon emission for the year of 2020.

A link for a video of last year’s Global Aerospace Summit is here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KyS_gBEnseE&t=885s In this video, 4 panelists from companies around the world were asked questions on the advancements and progress in the aviation industry in regards to the environment. One of the major things that I took away from this video is just how much effort, time, money, and resources it would take to completely transform the aviation industry into a sustainable one. An eye-opening statement that was said by one of the panelists was that even though environmentally-friendly fuel alternatives have been created and proven efficient, it would take a very long time to be implemented, because the original aircraft and engines would either have to be re-designed to accommodate these new fuels, or new aircraft would have to be built altogether, and in the meantime, polluting aircraft will still be in service, because the shift to sustainability is not immediate. In this effect, stricter policies and regulations cannot be implemented yet either, due to the time that it takes for the companies and airlines to become sustainable. However, it is possible to make the shift to sustainability, and I believe that by helping make the environment more of a priority, in the eyes of the many companies and governments of the world, this shift could come sooner than we think.