Galaxy Explorers Program - homepage link teen astronaut Galaxy Explorers in action
Galaxy Explorers Program - homepage link teen astronaut link link link Chabot Space & Science Center - homepage link
2008 Black Hole Institute
About the Program
Apply
Special Interest Teams
Newsletter
Year in Pictures
Videos
Galaxy Explorers MySpace Page
Facebook Fan Page
 

Enviro Team

 

2009-2010 THEME: CLIMATE CHANGE

81 Galaxy Explorer households agreed to fight climate change by turning out their lights for earth hour on March 27, 2010.  Way to go!  For more information about Earth Hour see http://www.earthhour.org

 

 

JOIN THE ENVIRO TEAM and learn what you can do to support the diminishing California Monarch. We will be planting a butterfly garden this year. Related demo to follow.   

 

HELP THE ENVIRO TEAM CREATE CHABOT'S BUTTERFLY GARDEN  SATURDAYS, APRIL 10TH AND MAY 8TH FROM 11AM-4PM

 

YOU DO NOT HAVE TO BE A MEMBER OF THE ENVIRO TEAM TO HELP.  INVITE YOUR FAMILIES TO JOIN IN ON THE FUN.

NEW GALAXY EXPLORER DEMO STARTING THIS SUMMER

On November 16, 2009 three monarch caterpillars from Monarch Watch lifted off with the space shuttle Atlantis (STS-129), destined for the International Space Station. Thousands of "Monarchs in Space" participants raised monarchs in the classroom or at home and watched as the monarchs on the ISS completed their development and emerged as adult butterflies - the first monarchs in space!

________________________

 

Raise Your Online Butterfly! This 30 day program will give you professional insight and knowledge into all aspects of the life cycle of a Monarch. This free educational experience is available year round...Sign up anytime! You will be sent an email update every few days with a link in each personalized email to see your Egg become a Caterpillar, then a Pupa and with your help, a beautiful Monarch Butterfly.  http://www.livemonarch.com/adopt.htm

 

                                                                     

 

2008-2009 Theme: Energy

Below is a listing of the wattage of common household appliances. Use the wattages below to calculate the cost of your household electricity usage.

Example: When you use electricity for 1 hour, you use 1000 watt-hours of electricity! One thousand watt-hours equals 1 kilowatt-hour, or 1 kWh. Your utility bill usually shows what you are charged for the kilowatt-hours you use. The average residential rate is 8.3 cents per kWh. A typical U.S. household consumes about 11,000 kWh per year, costing an average of $900 annually.

  1. Aquarium = 50–1210 Watts
  2. Clock radio = 10
  3. Coffee maker = 900–1200
  4. Clothes washer = 350–500
  5. Clothes dryer = 1800–5000
  6. Dishwasher = 1200–2400 (using the drying feature greatly increases energy consumption)
  7. Electric blanket- Single/Double = 60 / 100
  8. Fans
    1. Ceiling = 65–175
    2. Window = 55–250
    3. Furnace = 750
    4. Whole house = 240–750
  9. Hair dryer = 1200–1875
  10. Heater (portable) = 750–1500
  11. Clothes iron = 1000–1800
  12. Microwave oven = 750–1100
  13. Personal computer
    1. CPU - awake / asleep = 120 / 30 or less
    2. Monitor - awake / asleep = 150 / 30 or less
    3. Laptop = 50
  14. Radio (stereo) = 70–400
  15. Refrigerator (frost-free, 16 cubic feet) = 725
  16. Televisions (color)
    1. 19" = 65–110
    2. 27" = 113
    3. 36" = 133
    4. 53"-61" Projection = 170
    5. Flat screen = 120
  17. Toaster = 800–1400
  18. Toaster oven = 1225
  19. VCR/DVD = 17–21 / 20–25
  20. Vacuum cleaner = 1000–1440
  21. Water heater (40 gallon) = 4500–5500
  22. Water bed (with heater, no cover) = 120–380

2007-2008 Themes:

Water Conservation

How much water does it take the average Californian to do the following tasks?

1. Bathe or Shower 

12 Gallons

2. Water the Lawn

 180 Gallons

3. Wash a Load of Dishes

 12 Gallons

4. Wash a Load of Laundry

 40 Gallons

5. Wash the Car

 50 Gallons

6. Brush Your Teeth

 3 Gallons

7. Cook a meal

 8 Gallons

8. Drink for a week

 3 Gallons

9. Flush the toilet

 6 Gallons

A few water saving tips from members of the Enviro Team

How to Save Water in the Shower

  1. If you're taking a shower, don't waste cold water while waiting for hot water to reach the shower head. Catch that water in a container to use on your outside plants or to flush your toilet. Saves 200 to 300 gallons a month.

  2. Use a timer to train yourself to take much shorter showers. Aim for 5 minutes!

  3. Fix leaky faucets and plumbing joints. Saves 20 gallons per day for every leak stopped.

  4. Install water-saving shower heads or flow restrictors. Saves 500 to 800 gallons per month.

By Gabriel Navarette

How You Can Save Water When Washing Dishes

If you turn off the water while they scrub the dishes it saves a lot of water. Then when you rinse the dishes, you rinse them all together once and for all. its also a lot easier that way and efficient at the same time. Also, when you rinse your dishes, you can use less water by turning on the faucet just slightly so that less water comes out.

By Meisze Phung

How many gallons of water does it take to wash a car?

 The average Californian uses approximately 50 gallons of water just to wash one car. It results in chemical run off .

By Jenny Luong 
Compost - Everything you ever wanted to know but were afraid to ask

Compost Presentation

 
Kids Go Green - Be Part of the Solution Themes

Kids Go Green is a Chabot collaborative educational project involving staff, instructors, community partners, college interns and Galaxy Explorers and the GE Enviro Team. The purpose of Kids Go Green is to educate and motivate young visitors on the effects of climate change and what we can do about it.

This program is will run mostly 2nd Saturdays from 10am-4pm

The Enviro Team will staff 1 station related to the listed theme. Other activities will be run by staff, environmental college interns, general GE’s and special guest. The 4th Saturday Enviro Team meetings will be the prep for the next month’s activity day.  Each member of the team is asked to staff the station at least one time between January and October.

Ban the Water Bottle

 

Click here to find out why

 Cartoon on water bottles A Continuation of the Ban

News for Enviro Team Members: Meetings are 2nd and 4th Saturdays from 4-6pm during the school year

The Easy to be Green Explorers Campaign Continues


86 persons responded to Enviro Team’s green survey on environmental efficiency. The results have been broken into categories each of which will be featured as a monthly highlight on the Enviro Team’s webpage. We encourage you to join the Enviro Team’s effort to become Green Teens by reviewing the themes and tips online or by visiting our stations on Kids Go Green stations which return early 2008. By doing so, you will help us improve our scores. Here’s where we currently stand:

 

Green Report Card

Terrific!

Room for improvement

Must do better

91.9%

of Galaxy Explorers recycle paper, bottles cans and aluminum

 

47.7%

of Galaxy Explorers have compost bins at home. Of the 47.7 % who have them only 45.3% use them.

 

88.4%

reuse or return their plastic shopping bags the store for recycling

 

64.0%

of Galaxy Explorers drink from a reusable water bottle

 

64.0%

of Galaxy Explorer homes use 50% or more energy efficient light bulbs

62.0%

of Galaxy Explorer homes use Energy Star or other energy efficient appliances

34.9%

of Galaxy Explorer homes use environmentally friendly cleaning supplies

83.7%

of Galaxy Explorer homes turn off their computer(s) at night

93.0%

of Galaxy Explorer families turn off their lights at night

46.5%

of Galaxy Explorer families unplug appliances not in use

60.5%

of Galaxy Explorers use rechargeable batteries for small handheld devices

85.1%

of Galaxy Explorers avoid running excess water

31.4%

of Galaxy Explorers bring their own bags to the store for shopping

30.2%

of Galaxy Explorers use environmentally friendly school supplies

15.1%

of Galaxy Explorers have planted a tree or sponsored a tree planting campaign to off set carbon emissions 

70.9%

of Galaxy Explorers plan ahead to avoid unnecessary automobile trips

69.8%

of Galaxy Explorers take advantage of public transportation such as BART, Bus or Shuttle when possible

61.6%

of Galaxy Explorers carpool

25.6%

of Galaxy Explorers ride a bike as a form of transportation

 

Bonus section

 

9.6%

of Galaxy Explorer families own hybrid cars

 

1.2%

of Galaxy Explorers own one of the following solar powered gadgets:

  • backpack
  • iPod
  • cell phone charger

 

14.3%

of Galaxy Explorer families own family own a diesel or bio diesel automobile

 

6%

of Galaxy Explorer homes use solar panels

 

This survey will be conducted again at the end of the school year to evaluate our progress.

 Hit Counter
 

10000 Skyline Blvd.
Oakland, CA 94619
phone (510) 336-7300
fax (510) 336-7491
 www.galaxyexplorers.org www.chabotspace.org
galaxyexplorers@chabotspace.org

Home | About the Progam | Apply | Special Interest Teams | Newsletter
© Chabot Space & Science Center