PC Ethics & Principles 2024 by UMaine New Media

Lonliness

umainenewmedia — 2024-08-28 19:01:25 UTC

With technology becoming more prominent, the need for social interaction will decline. More and more people use technology to setup doctor's appointments and ordering pizza rather than face to face interaction.
A way to avoid this is to limit yourself from using apps like this by creating app restrictions. It will limit screen time in general as well.

Children and Phones

umainenewmedia — 2024-08-28 19:01:25 UTC

"50% of parents reported that mobile devices typically interrupted the time they spent with their children 3 or more times each day; only 11% reported that mobile devices did NOT interrupt their time with their children."

A way to solve this could be to give kids a phone at an older age and tell them not to be on their phones during certain times to promote being engaged in whatever activity they are doing.

Creators only care about profit while knowing the effects.

umainenewmedia — 2024-08-28 19:01:25 UTC

The people who create the tech such as Steve Jobs (Creator of Apple) don't allow their own kids to use the products because they know how it effects people yet they do nothing about it, as they only care about the profit.

Tech Leaders are more strict than others when it comes to technology.

umainenewmedia — 2024-08-28 19:01:25 UTC

Tony Fadell, inventor of the iPod, said" We’ve unleashed a beast, but there’s a lot of unintended consequences" stating that these leaders don't know the long-term effect these technologies will have on us. What concerns me is how cautious they are with their own families and yet, when they are at work their mindset shifts and they only think about how they can profit and keep people addicted.

Creators protect their own family more than others from tech the make.

umainenewmedia — 2024-08-28 19:01:25 UTC

For example, Chamath Palihapitiya ( former VP of user growth at Facebook) doesn’t allow his own kids to use tech.

iNaturalist turns students into scientists

umainenewmedia — 2024-08-28 19:13:43 UTC

Classes learning about species conservation and biodiversity could use iNaturalist to expand classroom learning. Make scientific research relevant by encouraging your students to contribute to real research projects

Chat GPT Energy Hog

umainenewmedia — 2024-09-19 11:49:35 UTC

Or in simpler terms, each query on ChatGPT consumes the equivalent amount of energy of running a 5W LED bulb for 1hr 2omin!

Internet Acees a Right?

umainenewmedia — 2024-09-19 11:56:40 UTC

Exclusion from the Internet increasingly results in lack of access to essential services and utilities.

Can phones connect us to Nature?

umainenewmedia — 2024-09-19 11:58:00 UTC

There are plenty of smartphone apps that help you quickly and easily identify flora and fauna, record your findings and learn more about them

Are iPhones Trashing the planet?

umainenewmedia — 2024-09-19 12:01:39 UTC

Is Apple building planned obsolescence into their devices which contradicts their claims of sustainability?

FairPhone

umainenewmedia — 2024-09-19 12:04:23 UTC

For every fairphone product sold, we’ve proven that electronics can be made more sustainably. And we’re actively challenging industry practices. Together, making an impact.

Internet as Garden?

umainenewmedia — 2024-09-19 12:19:00 UTC

if this Internet, then, can be transformed into a garden, computers themselves will become spaces of software-plants, hardware-dirt, and data-creatures.

Computing Builds human/nature connections

umainenewmedia — 2024-09-19 12:20:34 UTC

Detroit Community Technology Project’s (DCTP) mission is to use and create technology rooted in community needs that strengthens neighbors’ connection to each other, and to the planet.

Lightphone

umainenewmedia — 2024-09-19 12:33:43 UTC

Whether you daydream about a digital detox, want to pay more attention to your toddler, or are buying your very first phone, the Light Phone III is a tool for a better life.

Flashfoods

2024-09-19 17:19:56 UTC

Flashfood is an app that helps reduce food waste by connecting consumers with grocery stores and restaurants selling surplus food at discounted prices. By facilitating the sale of items nearing expiration, it benefits consumers, supports local businesses, and minimizes environmental impact, while raising awareness about food waste issues.

Smart Waste Bins

2024-09-19 17:22:26 UTC

A smart recycling bin is an innovative version of a traditional waste bin, with the ultimate aim of sending less waste to landfill. It is equipped with various capabilities to improve waste management and recycling efforts. They are designed to make the waste collection and recycling process more efficient, convenient, and sustainable for everyone.

I think that smart waste bins are a great way to jumpstart a global shift when it comes to our environment. Everyone owns a trash bin, why not create change at the same time with a simple swap.

Finding New Paths

2024-09-19 17:25:44 UTC

AllTrails is an outdoor activity app that helps users find new hiking trails and map out their progress along the trails. It is a good example of observe and interact because it introduces people to new places and promotes getting outdoors and interacting with nature. The app/website also supports a variety of other outdoor sports trails.

Tesla's aren't environmentally sustainable

2024-09-19 17:27:30 UTC

Tesla's was originally meant to push for a sustainable renewable world but we're now realizing it doesn't solve any problems. the actual production of the car still produces the same if not more emissions, the lithium-ion batteries are bad for the environment and aren't recyclable and if you charge your car at home and are on your towns power grid, you are most likely still powering your car with fossil fuels

Can a bird tracking app help us to better understand nature?

2024-09-19 17:28:12 UTC

Yes! This app called eBird is used by many birdwatchers across the globe. It provides an easy and interactive way to log where you went bird watching and what you saw. It also places all of the information gathered into a dataset which garners incredible research about the characteristics of birds, their flight patterns, and where they migrate in the winter/summer.

Google Nest Thermostat

2024-09-19 17:28:13 UTC

Nest is a thermostat created by Google in attempts to save energy and control the temperature in your house. It has a variety of different features, such as Eco-Mode, motion sensors, temperature sensors, etc. I think the most impactful is the Eco-Mode, which automatically turns up/down the temperature once you leave the home, and brings it back up/down it once you are back in the house.

Another feature I find cool is the Rush Hour Rewards setting. These hours occur when a large number of people in your area turn on their air conditioning/heating at the same. If you decide to participate, your thermostat will automatically adjust the temperature to save energy while still keeping your home at comfortable temperature. Some of the rewards offered are discounts, bill credits and more.

Permablitz Melbourne

2024-09-19 17:28:28 UTC

This is an organization that is made up of members of the community. A permablitz is when people go to community members homes, set up edible gardens, and share permaculture skills all in a day. The family and the designer get together and look at the movement patterns, eating, and working habits. They also look at the environment the land is in, like whether it will be on a hill or not. They then plant the gardens accounting for all of these factors to have the most successful and maintainable gardens.

Animal Tracks Identification

brycedyer — 2024-09-19 17:29:51 UTC

I found an app called MyNature Animal Tracks and it specializes in allowing the user to identify what animal tracks they are finding in the wild. This can help users determine what animals they might have in the wild in their community!

Are you Curious About the Plants Around You?

2024-09-19 17:30:52 UTC

PlantSnap is a one of a kind app that allows you to easily take pictures of plants and in the matter of seconds give you the name of the plant and additional information! This app makes it easy and fun for younger generations to learn more about the nature around them and gives them free information in the matter of seconds! PlantSnap also comes in 37 different languages so it makes it accessible for numerous people!

How Slime Mold Inspired City Planning

2024-09-19 17:31:01 UTC

"Slime molds have existed for about a billion years and have evolved over that time to be really efficient and adaptive towards their one singular goal of feeding and surviving. So when a group of scientists in Japan placed its favorite food, oat flakes, at various locations corresponding to the major cities in Japan, this creature was able to, within a matter of 5-6 days, map out the complex rail network which took Japanese engineers years to plan and map."

I find this to be particularly interesting because these researchers were able to use a biological, naturally occurring system to solve the problem much quicker than humans could.

Wind Turbines: Innovations

2024-09-19 17:32:30 UTC

Apparently, so many interesting things have been invented in the wind turbine realm in the last few years, I was honestly surprised I hadn't heard of it yet. From silent wind turbines to cultivating seaweed at offshore wind farms to help the fish, so many new and improved innovations have come into play, one can't help but wonder why no one has thought of them before. Perhaps most remarkable, in my opinion, is the "AWT", or Air Wind Turbine; it is a turbine that floats, and reduces energy costs by roughly 65% by utilizing faster winds higher up in the atmosphere. Ultimately, I think it's safe to say that so much is in the works, we should all be staying tuned to see where this new tech leads us.

https://www.treehugger.com/future-wind-power-cool-innovations-4858207

Maine Grant for Solar Panels

2024-09-19 17:32:50 UTC

On April 22, 2024 Maine received funding through the Solar For All program. This program was created to help bring solar panels to low income households and disadvantaged families. Solar panels are a good renewable resource but not the best. They are able harness a resource we definitely run out of any time soon, but solar panels are not permanent. Sometimes they only have a longevity of 20 years, and have to be disposed of. For many regular users of solar panels, when it comes time to dispose of the panels this can prove to be a difficult task. I do think it is exciting that Maine, somewhere very local has a chance to help improve the carbon footprint we have.

Space-based solar Energy

2024-09-19 17:32:54 UTC

Space-based solar energy—not many people would think this is a huge field but scientists are finding new ways to gain solar-powered energy. The two biggest ways are Laser solar satellites and microwave solar satellites, Both of these ways are very viable options for future development in this field but some drawbacks for each are: Laser solar satellites obviously have lasers on them and can potentially be used as a weaponization source that someone could potentially use, a pro is after launched and is in orbit; it is self-assembled, which lowers risk and costs drastically. For microwave solar satellites, a con is that once you assemble it in space, it will be over several kilometers in diameter. Microwave solar satellites have many more pros such as, it can safely transmit solar energy through air no greater then midday sun, and has enough power transmitted in one satellite to power a large city.

https://www.energy.gov/space-based-solar-power

Ecosia Web Browser

2024-09-19 17:32:59 UTC

The Google alternative, Ecosia, is a web browser that actively works to restore the changing environment around us. Ecosia uses 100% of its profits to put back into powering every search with renewable energy. The company also actively goes on missions across the world to plant trees where they are needed most, and have active blogs dedicated to the impact that the trees make in all the different locations.

Klean Kanteen

2024-09-19 17:33:25 UTC

Klean Kanteen is a climate neutral company that invests 1% of every sale to organizations across the world that are actively working hard to make the world a better place. Klean Kanteen has supported over 140 environmental organizations via 1% For the Planet since 2008! With the company investing parts of sales to these organizations, you can also do your part and drink from safe, reusable water bottle.

Every Drop Counts!

2024-09-19 17:33:33 UTC

This website is very informative on the ways that we as a people can take initiatives to learn and educate ourselves about conserving water and finding effective strategies to creating a strong water culture.

Within the website, we found that they are hosting a free presentation, Sept. 23 from 5:00 PM - 8:30 PM, that will focus on the following:

"As water supplies become more limited in our county, it’s more important than ever to understand and implement effective strategies for conserving our most precious resource.

Our lineup of presentations includes:

Rainwater Harvesting: Learn how to capture and utilize rainwater for irrigation and household use, to reduce your water bill and provide a backup water source in the summertime.
Rain Gardens and Bioswales: Discover how these natural landscaping features can capture rainwater runoff while enhancing the beauty of your yard and promoting local biodiversity.
Greywater Reuse: Find out how to recycle wastewater from baths, sinks, and washing machines for irrigation and other non-potable uses.
Home Water Saving Solutions: Get expert tips on simple adjustments you can make in your home to save water every day, from installing water-efficient fixtures to landscaping with drought-resistant plants" (Greywater Action).

Keurig Cups and Their Contribution to Environmental Waste

2024-09-19 17:34:41 UTC

Small plastics like coffee pods, according to some estimates, can take up to 500 years to decompose in landfills, where they leach chemicals into land and water. Keurig, the company responsible for producing K-cups, announced in 2021 that it had converted all its pods from a kind of plastic that’s nearly impossible to recycle to polypropylene, which is recyclable. The problem though is that while some people might put their coffee capsules in their recycling bins, most recycling facilities, do not accept coffee pods made out of polypropylene. Therefore causing lots of waste.

Enhanced Geothermal Systems

2024-09-19 17:36:22 UTC

Geothermal heat is an abundant and carbon-free energy source that accounts for less than 1 percent of global renewables capacity. This is because geothermal plants require specific geological conditions. With the development of drills, we can go deeper into the earth and break through solid rock allowing places previously thought as untappable as viable options

However, the cons of this new energy source are the potential effects on seismic activity. Although the risk is considered to be minimal there has been an earthquake that was linked to enhanced geothermal projects

Orono Farmers Market

2024-09-19 17:37:31 UTC

The Orono Farmer's market is frequent opportunity for students and locals of Orono to engage and obtain local farm goods. Further by engaging and supporting local farms you can not only keep these local farms going, but you can you said farm goods to store away crops and goods via fermentation. Then through said fermentation/storing processes you may use an in-season crop much later.

Nuclear Energy

2024-09-19 17:40:44 UTC

Nuclear energy is something that would be extremely beneficial to the world due to the high energy it produces and the low amounts of waste it produces. This form of creating energy has been fear-mongered ever since the Chernobyl failure. All nuclear meltdowns caused in nuclear power plants have been due to poor safety precautions. A standard 1000 megawatt nuclear station produces enough energy for over 1 million people whilst producing 3 cubic meters of high-level waste. As long as there are proper safety standards implemented at all nuclear power locations no form of power would be more beneficial to use.

Acoustic Enrichment for Coral Reefs

2024-09-19 17:43:11 UTC

Sources:

https://earth.org/data_visualization/acoustic-enrichment-a-new-hope-for-dying-coral-reefs/

Image: https://www.jacadatravel.com/all/travel-guides/best-coral-reefs-in-the-world/

Little Free Library

2024-09-19 18:50:57 UTC

This is a nonprofit organization originally from St. Paul, Minnesota. Their goal is to be a welcoming organization that brings the joy of reading and the community together and expands book access globally in their Little Free Library book-exchange boxes. Together they work with local public libraries and schools to make sure any person is able to find a good book to read.