Category Archives: WIP

I am kind of confused as to where I am headed with this advocacy assignment. I may do another TED talk (cause I just loved it so much the first time) and gather research on the importance and value of learning a second language. I definitely have a personal stake in this subject, however I question the effectiveness of this medium and how many people would actually watch it. My family probably wouldn’t even bother watching the whole thing (merpz). I could try handing out food with fun facts about how studying a second language aids students with all subjects and its effects on brain function. I like the topic of my issue brief, however, I do not know how I could advocate a synergistic approach to energy and water casually around campus. I’ll probably end up going with the TED talk, but I feel like it may be kind of a cop out. I’m not quite sure. I think doing something with the RCL textbooks/ textbook prices in general may be cool. It may also be a little bit risky, because an rcl teacher is grading the assignment, but if I could find a way to make textbook shopping a little bit cheaper/ easier for anyone it may be worth it. I’m excited to see how this ends up because I’m still really early on in the brainstorming process.

Addressing energy-water challenges

The US’s energy infrastructure depends tremendously upon water supply. Unfortunately, the future of water supply is uncertain and most states expect water shortages over the next decade, as shown in Figure 315. Water supply issues have already prevented many new energy infrastructures from being developed; In 2005 a proposed coal-fired plan on Lake Michigan was abandoned because environmental groups protested potential effects of the facility’s cooling-water-intake structures on the lake’s aquatic life16 and in 2002 Idaho opposed two proposed power plants because of impact on local aquifer17. The 2001 drought in the Northwest significantly reduced hydroelectric power production, leading to the loss of thousands of jobs in the energy- intensive aluminum industry18.

FIGURE 3: Taken from the General Accounting Office’s website

Water resources must be balanced between the agriculture, industrial, and domestics sectors. With climate change increasing uncertainty in water supplies, we must find effective ways to address the US’s future water needs.

The current methods ofretrieving water require excessive amounts of energy. Water storage or the“conjunctive” use of groundwater and surface water requires a lot of energy to treat andinject water and then to pump it out when it is needed19. Desalination, the conversationof salt water into drinking water, has energy requirements similar to those oftransporting water long distances20. Sustainable alternatives such as tax credits forhigh-efficiency toilets, low-flow showerheads, and water-conserving washers must be implemented.

Currently the government provides subsidies for solar panels and other renewable energies, however there is no established credit system for water-conserving mechanisms. Reducing water consumption saves energy needed for water supply and treatment as well as for heating water and thus reduces the requirements for water for the energy sector21. In addition to coordinated energy-water conservation, the US needs to make water and energy resource planning a collaboration on a federal, regional, and state level as well as with industry and other stakeholders. Currently, energy planning and water planning are done separately22. This practice will not be sustainable as demands for both water and energy grow and supplies deplete. Both water and energy sources must be employed to their full potential. The lack of integrated energy and water planning and management has already negatively impacted energy production, leading to many rejected power plant proposals in the fastest growing regions of the country. Also, recent droughts and emerging limitations of water resources have many states, including Texas, South Dakota, Wisconsin, and Tennessee, struggling to provide water for many other sectors, not including the energy sector23. Regional resource planning groups could ensure collaboration between stakeholders, water management, and energy planning. These groups are needed to ensure proper allocation of limited water resources for all needs, including energy development.

Building power plants next to water treatment facilities or more brackish water resources could mitigate some freshwater needs. Also, waste heat from plants could be used in desalination or water treatment cycles. Biogas from wastewater treatment plants could be used to generate power24. The technologies for some of these processes are currently costly and underdeveloped however in order to optimize long- term economic growth and energy and water sustainability we will need to implement new methods of energy and water production.

Conclusion

Now that the US is becoming increasingly aware of the strong connection between water and energy it must adapt its policies in a way that maximizes the efficiency of the production and consumption of both limited resources. Population trends reflect that both demand for energy and water will rise in the upcoming years. New sources of surface water have not been discovered in the last 20 years and most methods of fostering energy still require significant amounts of water25. To ensure that our nation will be able to continue its development and maintain its economic prestige action needs to be taken to address impending energy-water challenges. There are several policies that the United States could implement to mitigate the energy-water crisis. Three such policies are coordinated energy-water conservation, increased collaboration between energy planning companies and water planning companies, and a synergistic approach to energy and water production. A combination of all or any of these three strategies could help to enhance water security and sustainability as well as energy security and sustainability.

STRUGGLING WITH CITATIONS GRR.

I am doing my issue brief on the energy-water nexus and how you need one in order to foster the other. I think it may be a little bit boring and scientific, but hey  I guess that’s my future. I have written some of it. I still need to write how supplying energy requires water and an introduction and conclusion (that addresses how to go about energy-water production in the future…the policy portion). Here is what I already have, though.

Energy and water are two essential interdependent, resources

In today’s economy, energy sources and water sources are extensively intertwined. Energy generation activities impact the availability of water and the availability of water impacts energy availability2. Over the past couple years the importance and interdependence of these resources has become increasingly evident. Figure 1 below depicts many of the relations between water and energy. Low water levels in certain regions have limited these areas from harvesting energy. And the energy requirements for retrieving water have risen significantly as the water level in aquifers declines3. The implementation of many renewable sources of energy has been restricted by limited water supply4.

In 2009, Solar Millennium, a German developer, announced plans to build two large solar plants in Amargosa Valley, Nevada. The project would have harnessed energy as well as thousands of jobs in a struggling city. However, after the company announced that it planned on using 1.3 billion gallons of the desert area’s water a year, the area’s residents became divided. Some residents hoped to make money by selling water rights, while others were concerned about the project’s effects on the community and environment. After much dispute, the project was called off. The Amargosa Valley’s energy-water issue is just one of many cases where energy production has been restricted by water supply5.

Whether it is by offering

tax credits for high-efficiency toilets and therebyThe demand for energy is growing. The Energy Information Administration projects energy demand for electricity to increase by 53 percent by 2030. More specifically the EIA projects that the demand for petroleum will rise by 38 percent; coal, 54 percent; natural gas, 20 percent; and renewable energy, 58 percent6. Most regions across the United States already face water shortages, meaning their freshwater withdrawals exceed precipitation. By 2050, the number of people living under water scarcity is expected to reach 4 billion globally7. Given current trends in energy and water use efficiency our energy-water shortages will begin to hinder daily life.

Supplying water requires energy

Providing America’s water needs requires energy for supply, conveyance, treatment, and distribution. About 4 percent of US power generation is used for water supply and treatment and electricity represents 75 percent of the cost of water processing and distribution8. In general, energy usage for water supply is similar region to region. However, the water supply chain can vary in terms of energy requirements depending on water source. Supply and conveyance can be the most energy intensive portion of the water delivery cycle depending on water location. The deeper the ground water, the more energy required to retrieve it. Consequently, energy needs increase in areas

where aquifer levels are declining. Surface water requires little to no energy to retrieve. Logically, the farther the water has to be pumped from the original source, the more energy required for conveyance9.

In contrast to supply and conveyance, ground water requires minimal energy for treatment and distribution whereas surface water normally requires much more energy. Generally, older water requires more energy for treatment rather than relatively young water sources10. Interestingly, according to a study done by the California Energy Commission in 2005, energy consumption associated with the end use of water normally exceeds the energy needs for both supply and treatment of the water. Washing and drying clothes, heating water, and washing dishes accounted for 14 percent of California’s electricity consumption and 31 percent of its natural gas in 200511.

Conversation with Purpose

In modern society, it has become difficult for citizens to sincerely express their personal believes on controversial subjects such as religion and politics. Throughout our deliberation unit, our class was pushed outside our comfort zone and assigned the difficult task of participating in a public forum. Although at times the experience was stressful, we had many fruitful discussions and learned much about each other and ourselves. The nature of our deliberation could be characterized as candid and, for the most part, progressive. At times the discussion seemed a bit forced and often times our knowledge of the subject was on a very superficial level. Overall, though, the deliberation served its purpose of arriving at a well-reasoned solution after considering diverse points of view. All members were exposed to the concept of deliberating and grasped the social process of communicating. Every member came out of the process as a better-informed citizen.

            Our group did a very nice job of meeting the criteria for the social process of deliberation. For the most part, discussion remained balanced and there were no domineering members of the group. It seemed as if all members respected each other’s varying opinions. Also, most members seemed to be actively listening when they were not speaking. In order to ensure mutual comprehension, we maintained a very open environment, in which members were not afraid to ask for clarification. Cameron brought in an article about one of Ireland’s newly established environmental policies and shared it as a real world application of the solution presented within option one. However some members were confused as to how the policy she was describing worked and if would be feasible to implement a similar policies in the States. After she finished talking about the article there was no hesitation in asking her to re-explain the article and the exigence of it. It was only after asking for elucidation that we were able to wholly comprehend Ireland’s policy and its contrast to the US’s current policy.

            Everyone respected all members, even those who didn’t seem to be quite as involved and communicative, equally. For example, Rory was a very active listener but did not speak as much as the average group member. The couple instances were Rory spoke the entire group paid very close attention because we came to learn and respect the fact that he only spoke when he had something very insightful to share. When two members began speaking at the same time they would both stop and one member would say something similar to, “sorry, please continue”, so that the flow of the conversation was reestablished promptly. Overall, our group successfully created an atmosphere ideal for effective deliberation.

            The analytic process of our group’s deliberation was by no means flawless, but achieved its end purpose of making a well-reasoned, sound decision that all parties could agree with. One facet our group could have considerably improved upon was creating a solid information base. Perhaps it was because many of our members were still in THON-induced delirium or we simply did not understand the importance of having a thorough background, but it seemed as if most members did not sufficiently prepare for the discussion. As the discussion proceeded, the group realized that hastily skimming through the National Issues Forum booklet and printing out a related article or two did not provide enough information for effective and progressive deliberation. For the later deliberations it seemed as if each member had prepared more thoroughly and discussions seemed to move at a more acceptable pace, where no time was wasted in discussing superficial, minute details.

            Our group attempted to prioritize the key values at stake, however it seemed as if many members did not have too much of a personal stake and it took a while for us to become vested in the deliberation. At the end of the deliberation Katherine put it very well when she stated something along the lines of, “I came in thinking this issue had no relevance to me and didn’t see the need in deliberating, but now I realize how big of a role sustainability plays in daily life”. The way in which this deliberation was set up already provided us with a wide variety of ways to address the problem. From there our role as a group was to weigh the pros, cons, and trade-offs among solutions. In general, our deliberation did a nice job of recognizing the limitations and advantages of each option. No one seemed illogically set on a certain solution and all members were willing to recognize the flaws of their preferred solution. Sometimes we did not address all stakeholders equally, which we realized during our group reflection. Nonetheless, I believe we balanced all competing claims to make the best decision possible

***not quite sure how to conclude

Some ideas for my moderating philosophy:

1) how would you characterize your moderating style?

I think my moderating style is a hands off approach. I act as a participant in the deliberation and try to make thought provoking comments that will keep the discussion flowing. I don’t believe in regulating/pacing the conversation too much because if the conversation is interesting and all participants are engaged I wouldn’t want to change that. I believe it is important as a moderator to ask participants to clarify their comments/ opinions when necessary because other members may feel too shy. I think it is necessary to interfere when a few individuals are dominating conversation because that is completely the opposite of the purpose of deliberation.

2) what are your strengths as a moderator?

I like deliberating/discussion so I think as a moderator I definitely contribute thoughtful/ sometimes thought provoking comments to the discussion, (I don’t really know if I’m supposed to do this). I basically don’t make myself known as moderator unless there is an awkward silence and it’s completely necessary. Also, I like to think of myself as open minded so I try not to let my bias/ opinions guide the direction of the conversation.

3) what parts of the moderating task would (or did) prove challenging to you, and how did you handle them or do you imagine yourself handling them in the future? You should offer examples of how your moderation style from your own or others’ moderating experience.

I definitely was not too good at knowing what to do about the awkward silences and don’t like following too much of a structure so I found it difficult to complete the assigned tasks such as naming five emerging themes and 5 difficulties because we would get off topic or go on a tangent about just one of the emerging themes, which I thought was important but perhaps that was unfocused. I found it weird to be a moderator, I thought perhaps it was unnecessary and people would look at me for direction and I was kinda just like you do you, say what you need to say. We had symposiums in AP English all the time without a moderator and every thing was fine. YOlO?

This week my work in progress blog will consist of me venting about my life. Classy. But seriously for all of you people who told me that most honors classes are easier, you guys were definitely lying. Seriously learning about PhD material right now in Econ 302H. I walk in each day optimistic that I’ll understand the material and I walk out so lost and feel like my life has broken into shambles. I love the professor cause he’s like 60 and still such a hipster. And he’s SO smart…but bro, we didn’t all go to Yale. So slow it down, buddy. Office hours are no help because he doesn’t understand the extent to how mind-blown I am by this material. What makes it worse is that there are a couple genius international kids who completely understand what the professor is saying so while the rest of us sit there and feel our brains literally ripping apart they’re sitting there correcting the professor as he makes a mistake taking the double integral of an expression that has 4 variables and 2 parameters. I really would drop but I love the professor’s (who I now refer to as papa bear in my head) hipster tendencies. Econ has always been my best subject but the math we’re learning is harder than the math I’m learning in Math 251 so I’ve decided I wasn’t quite as good as Econ as I thought I was. YOLO.

jankithisisbelieve

I tried editing my essay a lot. It didn’t work. Dr. O’hara was right…there was something off it just sucks I couldn’t identify what so I scratched the essay completely and ended up with this:

I define myself by the world around me. And throughout my life, the world around me has always had two extremes. The crazy, perfectionist type A part of my world and the free spirited, creative genius part of my world. I call them Trusha and Avni.
I don’t know how it’s genetically possible to produce two completely different species from the same pool of chromosomes, but my parents managed to do it with my older sisters. Trusha was allergic to milk throughout her childhood, Avni drank nothing but milk. Trusha pulled an all-nighter the night before the SATs to make sure she’d know all the vocab; Avni went to an art exhibit in Philly the night before and missed multiple trains before finally returning home at 2 AM. Trusha chose to go to Duke medical school because it was the most highly ranked program she got into; Avni chose to go to Duke undergrad because she liked the gardens. Sorry, you probably get the point.
As much as I love both of my sisters they both have aspects of their personalities that make me want to bang my head against the wall infinitely many times. For example, I don’t think Trusha realizes how weird it is to keep all the blinds in my room closed because she’s afraid of strangers. My room is on the 2nd floor of a suburban house in a gated community. Also, Avni thinks it’s completely socially acceptable to show up to a planned dinner two hours late because she met a French exchange student with whom she was having good conversation.

And even though my sisters outshine me in every measurable way, I like to think of myself as the perfect balance between them. I am okay with simplicity. I avoid extremes because I see how hard it is for my sisters to get along and I like to get along with people. I believe in striking a balance in every aspect of your life. The balance between work and play, the balance between family and friends, and the balance between moving forward and looking back. It is my lifelong goal to die feeling balanced. Not only in the physical sense of me not falling of my hospital bed, but in the spiritual sense as well.
I don’t think I’ll ever find happiness through intense hikes and journeys across the world or by trapping myself in a room and meditating. But I like to think I understand the people that do. I guess one benefit of being raised with two psychopath sisters is that I feel that I can relate to most people and slowly accept their beliefs. Trusha sleeps with her door locked shut. Avni sleeps with her door wide open. I believe in half opened doors and a balanced life.

Hopefully it works better than the other one!!

After my conference with Dr. J, I realized there is a lot to be done on my This I Believe paper. I’ve decided to go with the foil ball essay just cause I have written more of it and my belief is a lot more developed in that one. That being said, I really need to word on making the metaphor of the foil ball stronger and tying together the end with the beginning. The beginning is a description of just me but the meat of the essay turns out to be about my sister. I didn’t realize this disconnect prior to talking to Dr. J. Also, though the beginning has cool imagery it’s kind of superfluous so I’m definitely going to either completely cut that part out or that out huge chunks of it. I need to make the foil ball represent the connection between us for it to be powerful. This is probably going to be pretty hard and I have no idea how I’m going to go about this but I think once that is done the essay will be much improved. I also describe Avni in depth but this takes up a lot of words and my essay is already too long so I will cut down. I feel like at this point it may be easier to start a new essay -_-.

My heart was pounding. Beads of sweat were building up on my nose. As I took a moment to wipe them off with the bottom of my hand-me-down West Caldwell Twirling shirt, I tried to catch my breath. Focus has never been a strong point of mine, but I was as focused as I could ever be. I watched every movement of that rolled up foil ball. As my sister Avni’s wrist snapped and the ball rotated towards me I positioned myself in a stance analogous to a leopard going for a prey. I had to catch that tiny foil ball.

***
While playing catch with a foil ball in the kitchen in the middle of the winter at eleven at night, I had the most innocent fun that I have ever had. By no means is my life boring and uneventful, but something about that night just made me feel the happiest I’ve been in my eighteen years of existence. I knew that tossing that malleable piece of foil back and forth with Avni was what was meant for me to do at that very moment in time.
In retrospect, I realize that perhaps Avni had agreed to play with that foil ball because she was having what would later be defined as one of her manic episodes. And I did not realize that a couple weeks after this moment, the hardest stage of Avni’s life, and even mine was about to start. Avni’s life would soon become a roller coaster ride and I would be riding behind her in the back car of her personalized “Kingda Ka”;  For Avni is and always will be the person that has most shaped who I am.
Even as a young child, I was being influenced by Avni. I know that nobody is perfect, but there was no other way to describe my sister when she was in high school. Avni was class valedictorian, one of the best runners in the area, and the most community conscious high schooler I have ever known. Although she annoyed me, she served as the quintessential role model. I wanted to be her.  So when Avni first got diagnosed with bipolar disorder and I saw her vulnerable for the first time, I was perturbed. The most energetic person I knew had turned into a lethargic creature who was watching her passion and success slip away from her. She was no longer living life; she was enduring each day. Watching this, or rather hearing  about this was probably the hardest experience of my life. The person who I  will always love most was becoming someone else   someone she did not want to be, and someone I did not want her to be. I tried to help her by reassuring her that her passion would come back, maybe not soon, but eventually. In the meantime, I would tell her that she should pursue the things that she used to love, and perhaps she would feel a spark of her old self in some facets. Her condition, albeit slowly, is improving and although these last few years have been everything but easy, we have both learned much about ourselves through this continual struggle. Avni has improved her ability to connect with a multitude of people by experiencing vulnerability for the first time in her life. I have realized that I am often times too sensitive to others’ emotions and should caution myself before becoming too attached.
What we have both come to understand is that sometimes unpredictable things will happen, and although we may want to start resenting the things we used to hold dear to us, we should take a moment, reflect, and try to find “the little things in life”. Tossing around that foil ball was one of the little things that kept me going, even when I had a visceral fear that a great change was approaching Although dealing with bipolar disorder will be a lifelong struggle for my sister, and helping her will be a lifelong struggle for me, I know there will always be little foil balls to guide us along.

MERPPPPPP NOT REALLY SUREEEEEEE

A rivulet of warmth trickled down. Down the seams of my Barbie overalls and onto the blacktop. I was mortified. My class was about to embark on a trip to the Turtleback Zoo. On this day, presumably the most exciting day of my kindergarten career, I had done the unthinkable. I had wet my pants.

Twenty-one piercing pairs of eyes shifted my way. My teacher, Miss Stone, asked, “Janki, perhaps you’d like to change inside?”. I simply stared at her, bewildered. Embarrassment mixed with alarm robbed me of even the little English I understood at this point.

Before the tears could start, I sprinted to my grandmother, who was waiting to watch the bus leave. My Ba was my haven. Although Miss Stone had a warm smile, it was not the same as my Ba’s. Miss Stone did not have a sari whose pleats I could hide in and whose fabric could absorb my tears. Miss Stone did not know that I was an attention-seeking, extrovert because she never saw me at home chattering away in Gujarati, my first language.

I’d like to think I’ve moved past the days of wetting my pants because of my inability to ask to go to the restroom. But, my embarrassed kindergarten-self learned a lesson I continue to live by: don’t be afraid to stutter.