ESSAY (100 points)

Read first these following questions. Answer it by using a handwriting which is easy to read and understand.

1. List at least three points in your strategy for dealing with each of the following problems: (30 point)
a. Outdoor air pollution
 Outdoor air Pollution is the most common air pollutants carry dangerous health effects. Air
pollution can trigger asthma episode and send people to hospitals and can even be deadly.
Different kind of air pollutants hurt our bodies in different ways. Anyone in ever family is
likely to be at risk from pollution. Different ways for dealing with outdoor air pollutions is
to Limit driving by carpooling, using public transportation, biking or even walking for
short distances. Driving increases the level of outdoor air pollution. Another way is to keep
your automobile well-tuned and maintained. Follow the manufactures’ instructions on
routine maintenance, such as changing the oil and filters, and checking tire pressure and
wheel alignment. Follow gasoline refueling instructions for efficient vapor recovery, being
careful not to spill fuel and always tightening your gas cap securely. Also, be sure your
tires are properly inflated. Purchase portable gasoline containers labeled “spill-proof”,
where available. Lastly you can also consider using gas logs instead of wood. Avoid
excessive idling of your automobile.

b. Indoor air pollution

 Another type of air pollution is indoor air pollution, we usually think of air pollution as
being outdoors, but the air in your house or office could also be polluted. Sources of
indoor pollution include mold, pollen, tobacco smoke, household products and pesticides,
gases such as radon and carbon monoxide and material used in the building such as
asbestos, formaldehyde and lead. Usually indoor air quality problems only cause
discomfort. Most people feel better as soon as they remove the source of the pollution.
However, some pollutants can cause diseases that show up much later such as respiratory
diseases or cancer. Ways to deal with indoor air pollutions is to make sure that your
building is well-ventilated and getting rid of pollutants. Use environmentally safe paints
and cleaning products whenever possible. Seal containers of household cleaners, workshop
chemicals and solvents, and garden chemicals to prevent volatile organic compounds from
evaporating into the air. Use electric or hand-powered lawn care equipment. Use energy
efficient light bulbs and appliances. Also look for the ENERGY STAR label when buying
home or office equipment.
 c. Climate change from human activities
 Human activities contribute to climate change by causing changes in Earth’s atmosphere in
the amounts of greenhouse gases, aerosols and cloudiness. The largest known contributes
comes from the burning of fossils fuels, which releases carbon dioxide gas to the
atmosphere. Changing the atmospheric abundance or properties of these gases and
particles can lead to a warming or cooling of the climate system. Some ways to deal with
climate changes causes by human activities is to get involved, be energy efficient. Choose
renewable power, such as from wind farms. Eat wisely, buy organic and locally grown
foods, avoid processed items. Trim your waste, keep stuff out of landfills by composting
kitchen scraps and garden trimmings, and recycling paper, plastic, metal and glass. Lastly,
let the polluters pay, carbon taxes make polluting activities more expensive and green
solutions more affordable, allowing energy-efficient business and household to save
money. Support and donate many organizations and green your commute.

d. Ozone depletion
i. Ozone is a highly reactive molecule that contains three oxygen atoms. It is constantly
being formed and broken down in the high atmosphere. Today, there is widespread
concern that the ozone layer is deteriorating due to the release of pollution containing
chlorine and bromine. Such as deterioration allows large amounts of ultraviolet B rays to
reach Earth, which can cause skin cancer and cataracts in humans and harm animals as
well. Ways to deal with ozone depletion is to use eco-friendly household cleaning products
because many of these cleaning agents contain toxic chemicals that interfere with the
ozone layer. Also avoid using pesticides by using natural remedies, rather than heading out
for pesticides. Limit private vehicle driving, this is a very easy way to control ozone
depletion would be to limit or reduce the amount of driving as vehicular emission
eventually result in smog which is a culprit in the deterioration of the ozone layer.
Carpooling, taking public transport, biking and walking would limit the usage of
individual transportation. Lastly, developing stringent regulation for rocket launches.
Study shows that the hard caused by rocket launches would outpace the hard caused due to
CFCs.

2. How does your campus dispose of its solid and hazardous waste? Does it have a recycling program? How
well does it work? Does it have hazardous waste collection system? If so, what does it do with these
wastes? List three ways to improve your campus’ waste reduction and management system. (30 points)

In Universitas Pelita Harapan, waste disposal bins are provided in places like entrance, toilets
stalls, and other common areas. They encourage students to recycle by providing two types of bin,
 one for organic waste and another one for non-organic waste. This separation will help disposing
and recycle the waste according to its waste type. In certain faculty of the campus, like the Faculty
of Science and Technology, they deal with a lot of chemicals that result in hazardous waste. Due to
that, they are provided with a special waste bin that contain neutralizing compounds so that the
waste is less or no longer hazardous. This campus is an environmental friendly campus that
promotes no smoking and are surround with tress for the environmental benefits. Ways that UPH
can put into action that with help with waste’s reduction is by being stricter with their waste’s
management and rules. Students throw their trash in the designated place at all time with
punishment stated for those that do not follow. Another way is by returning their tray after meal in
the campus’s canteen, Food Junction. They should also use the provided reusable metal utensils
that that provided instead of using disposable utensils that are given by the food stalls. This will
reduce the campus’s plastic waste.

3. Congratulations! You have won $500,000 to build a more sustainable house of your choice. With the goal
of maximizing energy efficiency, what type of house would you build? How large it would be? Where
would you locate it? What types of materials would you use? How would you heat and cool the house?
How would you heat the water? What types of lightning, stove, refrigerator, washer, and dryer would you
use? Which, if any, of these appliances could you do without? Suppose you decide not to build a house.
How would you use the money to promote environmental sustainability? (40 points)

I would purchase a medium sized, eco-friendly house and maximize the energy. An eco-friendly
house is a house that ensures that both the fabric of the building and the family that live there have
as a minimum negative impact on the environment as possible. I would build the house in a
mountain with a cool climate that way I do not have to waste energy on turning on air-condition.
The types of materials that would be used should be sourced from sustainable supplies and are
produced with a minimum carbon footprint. Examples of these materials are recycled wood or
recycled rubber flooring. As I said above, as the weather would be cool, I do not need to use air
conditioning at day and I can set up a fire place for night instead of wasting energy on heater. The
house should be well insulated to help save on cooling and heating costs. I would also install a new
water efficient devices to ensure that water is conserved and not wasted, as it is possible for water
to drip from taps and forgetting to close the taps and leaving the water running. Instead of using
normal light bulbs, I would install an LED light bulb which takes less energy. Most stoves runs on
either gas or electricity, I would buy a wood burning stoves instead and saves electricity. With the
technology that we have now, there invention of eco-friendly refrigerator that runs on solar energy
instead of electricity. Hand washing my own laundry and drying it manually under the sun will
also saves water and electricity. If I supposedly decided to not build the house, I would spend the
$500,000 to donate on greenhouses and environmental research that is being done to try and find
solution for global warming that we are suffering from.