YouthCaN Hope

The Workshop Newsletter of YouthCaN Student Conference, NewYork

The Oil-Shale Mining in Northeast Estonia - the Environmental Situation

The most important among the natural resources of Northeast Estonia is the oil shale. The dark side of oil shale mining is its damage to nature. The mining and beneficiation of oil shale and its use in the energy and chemical industry have damaged the Earth’s structure, landscape, surface and ground water, atmosphere, plant cover and animal life, and human health and living conditions. The area, damaged or strongly influenced by mining, exceeds 300 square km, and is continuously growing.

The mining and energy industry in Northeast Estonia have polluted and continue to pollute the environment. The pollution load has decreased, as a result of the decrease of production, introduction of new technologies and the construction and repair of purification plants. But still this pollution consists 54% of the ecological footprint of Estonia.

 The most severe impact to nature has occurred in the North- Eastern part of Estonia, around Narva, due to oil-shale mining and burning of oil-shale for energy. The availability of oil-shale as a resource has made Estonia’s energy system independent from neighbouring countries, but burning massive quantities of oil-shale has also severely increased the pollution of atmosphere, surface and groundwater.

The city of Narva, which is home to several oil-shale power plants, produces more air pollution than all of the rest of Estonia combined. Pollutants of primary importance include SO2 and flue ash emissions, but untreated wastewater discharge is also a problem. This pollution poses a considerable health hazard in the local area, and also in the nearby marine habitat of the Gulf of Finland.

Northeast Estonia has a legacy of environmental damage and the potential for further damage remains. To create a healthier environment in this region, the introduction of new technology is required. So probably we must choose between importing energy or using more environment-friendlier technologies (like wind-generators or other kind of bio-energy).

The polluted lake near the ash plateaus 

Baltic Power Plant near Narva

Keeping Our Parks in Working Order

By Jessie Posilkin and Emma Sacks
The Bronx High School of Science

Van Cortlandt Park, in the northern part of the Bronx, is currently undergoing serious changes. The man made lake, which is currently a habitat to make aquatic animals as well as a stopping point for migrating birds, was filling up with sediment at a rate two times the normal sedimentation rate for a body of water. As the lake was filling up with sediment and following natural patterns of succession, it was turning into a forest. However, the sediment at the bottom of the lake was so polluted that the soil in the forest might have problems later on. Rather than letting succession continue, the Parks department intervened, and dredged the lake. In doing so, they removed a large amount of sediment, which was tested for toxic chemicals.

Another solution we propose is reducing runoff, by planting plants that hold onto the soil, preventing erosion. Another way to prevent runoff from the nearby high way is by placing "psychological barriers," or rocks, which deter people from stepping on plants and compacted soil around the lake. We also propose that mulch and organic compost are used in the area so that the run-off into the lake consists of natural elements, not chemical compounds that will harm the pH balance.

Hopefully, this solution will be effective in keeping our park beautiful, and giving the inhabitants of New York City an appreciation for the natural world.

The Earth can cover!

By Max Borodavko,Denis Ostapchenia,Olga Hudey, Lena Horelova The Grodno School Lyceum#1(BELARUS)

If one person can make a different all of us can make a real change. What is ecology? From my point of view, it is not just a science it is a very philosophical Problem that people should pay attention to. We are humans and God created not only us, but nature as well and we should live in the harmony with each other it is strange why people are so selfish. Sometimes I have a felling that we think that we are stronger than nature and we can rule it.

New York Environmental Problem: Drought - It affects us all!

Sarah Santana & Pamela Golkin
Poly Prep Country Day School
Brooklyn, New York

Due to the recent lack of rain or precipitation during these last few months, draught warning has been put in to effect. This widespread concern has been published in papers, seen all over the news, and is the talk of local scientists. Yet, many people in the state of New York still ignore this issue and regret to aid the effort.

On a recent trip to upstate New York, I could see a pathway from the edge of the reservoir to the central of the lake. As required by law, many construction companies are no longer able to build housing because of the severe lack of water. Restaurants across the state no longer provide a glass of water unless one asks for it. Car wash businesses are now forced to recycle the water used. Although there has been rain these past few day, there is still a 35 % deficiency in the reservoirs. Thus, the draught warnings are still in effect. As already proposed, some solutions to the problem of conserving the water is not leaving the water running, limit the amount of toilet flushing, and taking shorter showers. So until the city has had a few more down pours and thundershowers, and even after the draught warning has been resolved, conserve the water, smartly, because you never know when there will be another draught.

Do you know that:

1% decrease in ozone-layer will cause blindness for 150000 people

Since 1900 more than 90% of the forests of Ethiopia have been lumbered

In every minute 10 people die because of diseases that spread with drinking water

The demand for fresh water doubles in every 21 years

Every day 50-100 species disappear forever

The four ’Rs’

Reduce the amount of waste that needs to be disposed of - by composting, if you can.

Re-use things, such as bottles carrier bags and ferillable containers.

Recycle things - use local recycling facilities for such items as bottles, cans, paper, plastic & rags.

Repair things - don't always replace damaged goods with new ones.

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