Laboratory Exercise - Sustainable Practices (1)

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Southern New Hampshire University *

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100

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Chemistry

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Dec 6, 2023

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docx

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Sustainable Practices Laboratory Exercise Introduction Sustainability is the use of resources today in such a way that they will still be available for future generations. Those resources include (but aren’t limited to) energy, clean air, clean water, biodiversity, nutrients, and minerals. Sustainable practices include engaging in the three R’s: Reduce , Reuse and Recycle . To understand the role of each “R”, let’s consider the aluminum can. In order to produce an aluminum can, you must first mine ores, such as bauxite, which are rich in alumina. The alumina will be sent to a smelter to strip it of oxygen to produce the aluminum. This process requires a great deal of energy because an electrical current must be passed through the molten alumina. You also need to consider the energy required to mine and transport the ore. Additional energy and materials will be required to manufacture the can itself. In order to reduce aluminum cans, you need to use less of the material from the beginning. How would you “reduce” when it comes to aluminum? Manufacturers are designing cans that use less aluminum. Consumers can reduce aluminum usage by choosing not to purchase items sold in aluminum cans. There are many ways you can reuse an aluminum can after it has been emptied. For example, you could use it as a flower vase or cut it down to create jewelry and art. Some individuals have even built homes out of aluminum cans, such as the “Beer Can House” in Houston, Texas. 1 “Beer Can House” This Wikipedia and Wikimedia Commons image is from the user Awiseman and is freely available at https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:B eer_Can_House.jpg and cc-by-sa 3.0license.
Aluminum cans are recycled by melting them down. Although the process requires energy, aluminum can recycling saves about 11.5 billion kilowatt-hours (kWh)—enough electricity to light a city the size of Pittsburgh for six years . Procedure for Sustainable Practices 1. Explore your home, community, workplace or campus to find practices that could be accomplished in a more sustainable manner. 2. List each practice that can be improved upon in the table in the lab report and take note of how the change will be better for the planet and which of the three “R’s” is being accomplished. 3. Remember, you must not engage in any activity that could harm the planet while completing your list (this includes smoking and littering). 2
Lab Report – Sustainable Practices Name: Meghan Reilly Date: December 4, 2020 Results Sustainable Practice How is this action sustainable? Reduce, Reuse or Recycle 1. Use cloth shopping bags instead of the plastic bags at the store Helps reduce your production of trash by several pounds per week Reduce 2. Make natural cleaners and pesticides Saves you money and reduces your environmental footprint Reduce 3. Stop consuming animal products and not buying leather products Buying locally or regionally is better for the environment and helps the planet out a lot Reduce 4. Recycle materials instead of throwing them Reduces mining, pressure on raw materials, and fuel and other costs associated Recycle 3
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