Happy Earth Week!

We are so excited for Earth Week!  Of all the planets, Earth is definitely one of our favorites.  We've collected a few sustainability-themed activities that you can try at home.  Enjoy, and don't forget to reduce, reuse, and recycle!

Build a Pizza Box Solar Oven
Materials
Pizza box (the larger the better)
Pen or pencil
Ruler
White school glue
Black paper
Utility knife
Aluminum foil
Plastic wrap
Shipping tape
Wooden skewer or pencil
Sunlight, a warm day (above 75 degrees) and no wind

Process
1. Draw a square on the top of the pizza box's lid that is about one inch inward from each edge.
2. Use the ruler as a straightedge, and, using the utility knife, cut along each side of the square you just drew except for the side that runs along the hinge of the box.  Cut all the way through the cardboard on those three sides.  Fold the flap back slightly along the attached side.
3. Line the inside of the cardboard flap with aluminum foil.  Fold the edges of the foil over the flap to help hold the foil in place.  Glue the foil onto the flap, keeping it as smooth as possible.
4. Cover the opening made by the flap with a layer of plastic wrap.  Attach the plastic wrap to the edges using the shipping tape.  Make sure there are no holes in the plastic wrap and that its edges are completely closed.​
5. Line the inside of the box with aluminum foil so that, when the box is closed, the entire interior is coated with foil.  Glue the foil in place.
6. Glue or tape a sheet of black paper to the bottom of the box in the center.  This will act as your solar oven's heat sink.
7. Use a wooden skewer or pencil to prop the solar oven's lid up at about a 90 degree angle from the rest of the box.
8. To cook a s'more in your solar oven, place a marshmallow and a piece of chocolate between two pieces of graham cracker.  Place the prepared s'more on a small square of aluminum foil, and put it inside the solar oven on top of the black sheet of paper.  Put the solar oven in full, direct sunlight for at least 30 minutes, with flap of the oven facing the sun.

What's happening here?
Solar ovens use light and heat emitted from the sun to cook food.  They are designed to absorb more heat than they release.  Lining the box with aluminum foil allows sunlight to be reflected off of the foil and into the box.  The plastic wrap creates a greenhouse effect, allowing sunlight to pass into the box while retaining heat.  The black paper works as a heat sink, absorbing direct and reflected sunlight to become warm enough to heat up food placed on top of it.

Explore Climate Change with Before and After Pictures
NASA satellites take images from high above the Earth, and are able to capture the effects of climate change from a unique perspective.  Check out some of these incredible images here.

Are Rooftop Gardens a Good Idea?
Materials
Two shoeboxes, photo storage boxes, or half-gallon size cardboard milk cartons.
Sod
Exacto knife
A sunny spot outside on a hot day
Thermometer
Clock or timer

Process
1. Place one of the box's lids (or side of a milk carton) on the sod.  Using the exacto knife, carefully cut around the lid to get a piece of sod the same size as the lid.  Place the cut-out sod piece on top of the box.
2. You should now have one box with sod, which will represent your rooftop garden house, and one without, representing a house without a rooftop garden.
3. On a hot, sunny day, put the thermometer in the box with sod on it, close the box, and take it outside.
4. Place the box in a sunny spot.  Leave it there for 30 minutes.
5. When 30 minutes have passed, open the box and quickly read the temperature.
6. Put the thermometer in the shade near the box.  After it has adjusted to the shade, read the temperature.
7. Repeat these steps with the box that doesn't have sod on it.

What's happening here?
Rooftop gardens are a possible way to diminish the urban heat island effect.  Rooftop gardens generally absorb heat and insulate buildings better than tar and gravel roofs.  While both boxes were probably warmer than the temperature in the shade nearby, the box with the sod should have been relatively cooler inside compared to the other box.