In our first ever edition of ClimateRoots Newsletter, you'll get to read some lovely nature inspired poems from this weeks featured writer. Next we'll dive into the headlines of the week, including how some big name Oil companies have had a rocky couple of weeks and what has Western United States preparing for the worst drought season on record. Rounding out this issue, we're kicking off our Renewable Energy educational series with a look into how exactly energy is produced, and how it gets to your home.

Hudson River Valley / Image Courtesy of Anya Ptacek

Featured Writer - Anya Ptacek

The featured writer for our first ever ClimateRoots newsletter is Anya Ptacek, with a guest appearance from her grandmother, Mara. Anya is a recent graduate of Macalester College, where she majored in Environmental Studies and minored in Geology. Anya made her move to Minnesota for New York State permanent after graduation and currently works as an AmeriCorps Vista for the Northside Residents Redevelopment Council in Minneapolis, MN, where she writes grants focused on their sustainability initiatives. 

Anya has had her creative work featured in Chronogram Magazine and samfiftyfour_literary. Mara Ptacek is her grandmother (Grandmara, obviously) and forever an inspiration. Read on for a couple of poems written by both Anya and her Grandmara, inspired by their shared interests in running and the environment. These are from a collection put together by Mara Ptacek.

Follow the link to our blog to read more of Anya and Mara’s poetry!

Weekly Headlines

Big Oil has had a very bad two weeks (New York Times, The Conversation, Reuters)

• Engine No. 1, a small activist hedge fund that owns a 0.02% stake in ExxonMobil, has now successfully lobbied for 3 climate activists seats on the Exxon board

• A Dutch court ruled that Shell is violating human rights by contributing to climate change and they need to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions 45% by 2030

• Chevron shareholders voted for the company to cut its emissions, though the proposal did not require a timeline or goal

Lake Mead set to reach a record low water level this year (Navajo Times, Circle of Blue)

• The US Bureau of Reclamation projects the US' largest reservoir could reach its lowest level since first being flooded by the Hoover Dam in 1935

• The lake, as well as other reservoirs along the Colorado River, act as important water sources for several western states 

• This news comes as no surprise as the western US has seen dwindling precipitation and snowpack in recent years

Small oil/gas companies punch out of their pollution weight class (Washington Examiner)

• Despite accounting for just 9% of total production, small companies account for 22% of total emissions

• Hilcorp Energy reported 50% more emissions than ExxonMobil

• These small companies buy old, heavy polluting oil/gas assets from larger companies, while the larger companies get to tout that they have ‘reduced’ their emissions

Education Piece - The Electric Grid

Are you reading this on your computer? Maybe your phone? Do you plug your devices in to charge every night, trusting that in the morning, it will be juiced to the max? Though we rely on it for most everything, most of us have no idea what electricity is, let alone how it is made. In this issue we’ll be talking about what energy is in the first place or, more specifically, electricity and how it finds its way into your life!

While Americans are accustomed to the ease of our modern electric system, there is a lot that goes into electrifying our homes and devices. In the United States, most electricity is produced using turbine generators that turn rotor blades to create an electric current that is delivered to our cities, buildings and homes.The use of turbines and generators to create electricity is based on Faraday's Laws. More generally, this process converts the rotational kinetic energy of the turbine blades into electrical energy.(How Electricity Is Generated - U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA)

Before turbine blades can rotate, they first need a source of primary energy. In traditional power plants, this primary energy source comes mostly from coal, oil, natural gas and nuclear reactions. Except for nuclear, these sources must be burned to release their energy (as well as harmful byproducts including Carbon Dioxide). The energy is then used to create high pressure steam which gets directed through the turbine at the required pressure to rotate the blades. (DiPietro and Krulla).

Once the electricity is created it needs to be sent to our homes via the power grid. Power lines that we so often see along highways and byways are able to carry a high voltage of electricity.  To be safely used in our homes, electricity moves through a series of transformers, which lower the electricity voltage to a safe level for everyday use. In the United States, all electricity for a general power outlet is stepped down to 120 volts.

I hope this breakdown has illuminated (haha) the inner workings of how electricity and our electrical system works for you. While it can at times be a little hard to follow, having this foundation is going to be really helpful as we move forward and dive into the ins-and-outs of the different types of renewable energy. 

Read the full article and bibliography on our blog.