By Izzy R. and Julia P., upper school students
Environmental Science students in the Upper School have been inspired to share their knowledge and concern about Providence’s environment. With the help of environmental professionals, students informed the Moses Brown community about the necessity of watershed protection. The class held a panel discussion on October 6 in Alumni Hall, which gave members in our community an opportunity to ask questions and learn how they can positively contribute.
Over 200 members of the MB upper school community will participate in cleaning up the Providence watershed during MB Expo, Oct. 16-17. We will clean storm drains and mark them to show the area that affects the watershed. The watershed is often disturbed when storm water due to rain and snow melt causes the sewage systems to reach capacity of water intake. The excess water, or runoff, travels downhill into York and Hockey Pond, as well as the Seekonk River. The problem with this, however, is that the runoff carries nitrates and phosphates that comes from fertilizer, soil, and streets. The abundance of nitrates and phosphates causes nutrification in the water sources, leading to increased algal growth. When the algae dies, bacteria decreases oxygen levels as it eats the algae. Oxygen depletion reduces biological life in the ponds. To advocate our cause, students will distribute posters to businesses, introducing the park and its benefits. Along with these posters, we will hand out informational flyers to residents, in order to teach about issues caused by runoff and how they can be reduced.
See related: AP environmental science students go beyond the classroom.
MBlog 