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Last Updated: Feb 13, 2017 - 1:45:37 AM |
Ecologist and attorney Romauld Ferreira of Ferreira & Company addresses students from around Nassau as part of the 4th Annual Earth Day Science Competition hosted by Ferreira & Company on April 22, 2016.
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Waste Management, Renewable Energy Solutions Dominate 4TH Annual Earth Day Science Competition
Waste management is weighing on the minds of Bahamas’ young scientists.
From recycling water, plastic and aluminum to hydropower and forestry, what to do with all of that garbage we produce was a common theme at the 4th Annual Earth Day Science Competition hosted by environmental consultant and attorney Romauld Ferreira of Ferreira & Company in Nassau.
“We want to inspire you to greatness,” Ferreira told the students who were gathered at the Paul Farquharson Conference Centre at Royal Bahamas Police Headquarters in Nassau on Friday. “You all have gifts to give, you all have things to share, and our country needs it.”
Ecologist and attorney Romauld Ferreira (right) chats with students from Bahamas Academy as part of the 4th Annual Earth Day Science Competition hosted by Ferreira & Company on April 22, 2016. The team’s project centered on the creation of a material recycling facility (MARF) at the public landfill that would be used to sort garbage for recycling and reuse.
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Adding that The Bahamas stands to lose the most when it comes to climate change, Ferreira stated that the mission of the competition is to encourage young Bahamians to take the lead on environmental issues for the sake of their own future.
“As a generation of young people, it’s what you do and the creative energies you unleash that are going to help us all,” said Ferreira, a director of popular environmental movement Save The Bays. “You are the leaders in the environment who are going to solve some of these problems we have. You have a deeper destiny. Your day is coming.”
Students from St. Augustine's College in Nassau focused on air pollution as part of the 4th Annual Earth Day Science Competition hosted by Ferreira & Company on April 22, 2016.
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The most pressing problem, according to most students, is the constant threat of toxic fumes that are frequently spewed from the New Providence landfill. Images of black smoke billowing out of the Harrold Road dump site were featured prominently on several displays.
“Hazardous fumes [affect] not only people with asthma, but causes thinning of the ozone layer from greenhouse gases leading to global warming,” said a young lady from Central Andros High whose team’s project centered on collecting and burning garbage and then utilizing the steam to create energy.
A student from St. Augustine’s College pointed to the financial threat the fires pose.
“Let’s say tourists are on the beach, relaxing, and they see this huge cloud of black smoke….they want to leave. It affects the economy,” he said.
Ecologist and attorney Romauld Ferreira of Ferreira & Company (center) chats with students from Mt. Carmel Preparatory School as part of the 4th Annual Earth Day Science Competition at the Paul Farquharson Conference Centre at the Royal Bahamas Police Headquarters in Nassau on Friday. The competition featured eight teams from schools around Nassau, Andros and Grand Bahama focusing on topics ranging from waste management solutions to renewable energy and deforestation. Mt. Carmel Preparatory School earned first place for its entry on using water turbines to produce renewable energy.
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As a solution to the crisis, the St. Augustine team proposed using drones to circle the landfill and identify smoke. Once detected, a “terra toxin taker” would be released on the ground to vacuum up the smoky air which would then be filtered through charcoal lime and sand to emit clean air.
Perhaps the most sparkly display of the day was St. Anne’s School’s which included life-size cutout of a glittery, blond super hero dubbed the “International Bahamas CFL Hero.” The caped crusader stood sentry over a bright blue recycling receptacle, beckoning passersby to deposit their used CLF light bulbs into the bin.
Students from Mt. Carmel Preparatory focused on renewable energy as part of the 4th Annual Earth Day Science Competition hosted by Ferreira & Company on April 22, 2016. The team earned first place for its water turbine.
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“They’ve got the creative energy,” Ferreira said of the all of the competition’s participants. “The range of stuff—it shows young people are thinking these days. It always impresses me.”
Entries in this year’s Earth Day Enviro-Science Competition included C. R. Walker Senior High: Solar distillation—Water purification; Aquinas College: Deforestation: Roots for Restoration—Air layering allows plants to be regenerated more quickly than from seeds, allowing for a shorter maturation process; Central Andros: Garbage is Power—Garbage is collected and burned with the steam being converted energy; Eight Mile Rock: Forestry—Collected soil samples from industrial areas and non-industrial areas to determine acidity of soil caused by industrial pollution; Mount Carmel: Renewable Energy—Energy created using hydropower powered by turbines; St. Augustine’s College: Air Pollution—In order to manage the fires at the local landfill, drones would be used to circle above the dump. A terra toxin taker would then be released to vacuum and filter the toxic air ultimately emitting clean air; St. Anne’s School: Solid Waste Management—Benefits of recycling CFL light bulbs, which contain significant levels of mercury; and Bahamas Academy: Solid Waste Management –Creation of a material recycling facility (MARF) at the public landfill which sorts garbage to reuse materials.
A judge, Debbie Deal, chats with students from Aquinas College on the topic of deforestation as part of the 4th Annual Earth Day Science Competition hosted by Ferreira & Company on April 22, 2016. The Aquinas team took home second prize for “Roots for Restoration,” in which air layering allows plants to be regenerated more quickly than from seeds, allowing for a shorter maturation process.
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