Approaching the End

Overall this project has been a great learning experience. Our group learned so much information and problem solved a lot. We conducted interviews, created and analyzed data, and brought up a crucial problem that our school faces. In our research, we learned that our school community alone uses 3.1 million dollars a school year. Through the graph we found out  that as each year progresses, we have managed to consistently decrease our energy consumption but the price of electricity has also consistently increased. This is a lot of energy! In the near future, our school plans to install all types of machinery in efforts to decrease this large amount. Such things are photovoltaic panels, LEED lighting, and electric sub-meters. With this knowledge we made awareness poster that read “Be Bright Turn out the Light”, surveyed teachers, conducted various interviews, and made PA announcements as shared in our previous blog posts. In the end, we couldn’t find out the exact difference that we made in our community. Although it was difficult, as a group we felt the problem of energy consumption was a necessary problem to address and attempt to solve. Finally, working with group members through this project also helped each one of us to prepare for jobs and situations that we could possible encounter in the future. 

ALL PAU

Now that this project is complete, i look back and realize that there was a lot of work, time and effort put into this project. Personally i thought it would be a piece of cake but boy was i wrong. The hard part of this project to me was communicating with everyone in the group. We all have stuff to do like sports and stuff and we are all busy people. Our school is good at keeping us busy and giving us a lot to do. This project has really taught me time management and that there is not all the time in the world. Also that time run quicker then it seems.
The things that went well in the project is that i was able to work with people that i had never worked with before. Also i was able to learn some interesting facts about the school that i never knew. Things that did not go as planned was the blog posts and getting information. It was hard to stay on task with the blogs because we always got confused on who did what for which night. Information was also hard to get because our project required us to meet with other people who cant put everything aside to help us. so that was a big challenge.
The main thing that i leaned other then the waste in electricity is that time managment is very important. i think that this project is perfect just the way it is. And it is very related to physics.

Final Thoughts: Marisa

This project was a lot of stress. Maybe the biggest problem was communication, because each member has his/her own life, we are each busy trying to meet the needs of our own life. I do feel accomplished from this project because we were able to research something at school, and we also had the chance to make a difference. The symposium allowed each group to boast its learnings and demonstrate its accomplishments and hard work. This was a fulfilling project.

Implementing our PA announcements and posters was tedious at worst but relatively easy. Our ideas went out without a large hitch. I wish we had more data from the teachers from our online survey, as going door to door, we did not catch a large audience, but we were able to get a lot of information from Mr. Ramsey anyway. I also wish there was a way to measure our effect on the electricity bill for this month, but we can't help that.

I learned that group projects are difficult when a large portion of the project must be completed outside of class. In class is fine because all the members are there, but outside of class, each person has his/her own life to attend; meeting up outside isn't easy. (This project actually allowed me to witness deindividuation firsthand, as the blogposts showed. Each person either forgot it was his/her day or thought someone else would do it, which results in a large pile of work. However once heat is on a single person for a task, he/she is more likely to do it.)

I wish the information was easier to access. It's good that there is a website, but I had a slightly difficult time trying to get to certain documents or criteria. If they were labeled more clearly, that might help. But then again, it might just be me, who sucks with technology. Mr. Blake was trying to utilize the foot-in-the-door phenomenon maybe in hopes that we'll continue (or start) altruistic projects or develop empathy for those around us, but I'm not sure it'll work. Kona explained to me the goal of this project, but even though the goal is good and does evoke interest and care about the problem, the most important thing is about the grade. In the end, when people are stressed, they'll probably go for the grade over the good deed.

It didn't feel like we were doing science. When we had to come up with how this project was physics related, I felt like we were half-assing it. The focus of the project is not on physics, it seems to be trying to make the world a better place.

Yet another day missed.... i think. Blogpost +6

Our group is so LUCKY! You know why? because out of twelve groups to choose from, our group was chosen to speak first.... yay.... but most of it is due to the fact that six of the groups all had a similar topic, which was Akahi, so they were all grouped together in the second half of the presentation times. In other news, the paper we have to finish is due on monday. I'll admit that I'm kind of scared of this paper because i don't know what i'm supposed to be contributing to it, and when i do type something it gets corrected. You can find me on Google Docs on sunday, however, trying to do all i can to fix the paper. 


More Background information on our project: 
Since 2007, energy use has declined by 4% in spite of increased campus use and increased square footage of facilities. This is because punahou invested money into energy efficient technology.Punahou uses photovoltaic panels which are placed on the surfaces of the roofs of five existing buildings. After projects in 2008 and 2010, PV-generated energy increased from 0% to 12% of power requirements. Other everyday use buildings use energy efficient systems. The Flanders Dance Pavilion was built with a solar power lighting system and large fan natural cooling system. The same fan system was installed in a renovation of Hemmeter Field house along with energy-efficient lighting. All Lighting fixtures across campus have been changed out for energy-efficient bulbs, and a major refitting of the lighting system in Dillingham Hall reduced energy demands.
Kamehameha Schools is involved in the North Shore Plan, which has a part in energy efficiency. This pland helped to restore the Loko Ea fishpond, do agriculture water system improvements, and start development of alternative energy including solar, wind and hydro, improvements to commercial areas in Haleiwa Town and residential areas.

Blogpost +5 (more making up for days)

Our group is making pretty good progress as of now. The PA announcements went out, all of the data was finally collected by Robert Ramsey, all the posters are up, and we are currently practicing our speech for our presentation. Everything is going pretty good except for the blogpost, which we always seem to fall behind on. I'm actually typing this now to make up for that huge gap you can see from last week friday to this past thursday. So we decided to break down the presentation in to different sections. I get the background information, Kanoe has the graphs, Kory has the problem and process, Marisa has the solution and physics related part, and Kanoe finishes everything off with the conclusion. We've each have to create our own slides on Keynote, which we will then put together on one of our laptops and change all the fonts and themes so the all the slides match. I must admit that this presentation thing is pretty stressful. IT'S OUR FINAL EXAM GRADE... and on top of that, the entire class gets to evaluate us. Time limit plays a factor; you can't be under time, which is 9 minutes, or grossly overtime, which is when it starts reaching 15 min. On top of that, formal attire, enthusiasm, stance, transitions, info. content, and visuals all play into count as well. We are trying to prepare as best as we can. practice mauy not make perfect, but it'll make us better. #tryingnottofreakouttomuch

Random Blog post +4 (making up for days missed this past week)

Well in researching online to find information for the background part of our presentation, I found some interesting articles about the projects our school is involved in, and other projects other schools are involved in. Since our project is about energy efficiency, I went even further into researching about the energy efficiency project that Punahou is involved in. Did you know that punahou set out a goal to reduce 50% of their energy use by the year 2016? yep, it is somewhat amazing. They even involved the elementary kids in the project. The school created an interactive website that shows exactly how much energy each classroom in the K-1 building is using, and how much it cost per day. Awareness is really the key to solving the problem. so i was thinking that our school should get involved with a project similar to that, and luckily they kind of are. Our school is thinking about installing photovoltaic panels on the roofs of our major buildings like Konia, Paki, and Keku Gym.

PA Announcements

Yesterday I made a PA announcement at around 3:20. Instead of the recording, I used my own voice and spoke directly into the system. I really don't like public speaking or being in the spotlight at all, but there are some things that can't be helped. This was one of them. Anyway, hopefully we'll be able to make an announcement tomorrow if we're not too busy with our yearbook social and actual presentation. The office ladies seem to support our project. Aunty Judd, the office lady seated closest to Mrs. Martin's office,  is friendly. I always let her know (out of courtesy) that I will be using the PA system. Nothing has gone wrong yet, so I hope it will stay that way!

Lately

Photo Courtesy of Realestatewebmasters.com

About two days ago during my lunch period we went around going to each classroom in Konia surveying the teachers. To my surprise, most of the teachers seemed to turn off their lights. Maybe we're targeting the wrong audience... Some of the teachers actually talked a lot more about their own ideas for the school; the teachers really seem to want to push the school to a more sustainable state. Since some teachers spoke to me for so long, I didn't get to finish my goal of the entire first floor of Konia. Next time I get a chance, I will finish up my route. Anyway, hopefully today we will finally get a chance to meet with Mr. Ramsey after school. If all goes well, we will be able to get a lot of information.

JANITORS LISTEN UP

Today we posted sings to get our message across to the Kamehameha Schools Kapalama campus janitorial system. We put our signs on the three main storage rooms in clear sight of the janitors. We did this in order to remind them to think twice if they shut off the lights or not. Janitors come in at around 2:00 PM and work till 9:00 PM. I say this because they are the last ones to turn the light on, MOST OF THE TIME. So we put these very big signs in their direct sight to leave them a friendly reminder. Another thing that i did was talk to some of the janitors and tell them some of the information that we have about all of the electricity we waste every year. I also took the time to thank them for all that they do. We are hoping that the janitors take what we are trying to do to heart, and try and help us.

Stressful Week

The final deployment was due today. Now there are officially eight days left until our group has to present our project in front of the faculty, parents, and other students in physics. This week was more productive than usual, as  said in the blog below, but it is also a stressful week. Marisa was gone today for AP testing, Kanoe will be gone for APUSH tomorrow, and I will be at states for track. So doing all this work while stressing for test is just making everything ever more stressful .The good thing is that we finished our final deployment. All of the posters went out, big and small, the PA announcement went out, Marisa and Kanoe went to classrooms the other day to talk to teachers about our project, and I will be talking to more teachers on Monday. Hopefully everything works out for the final presentation. Our group is trying to collect data, catch up with blog posts, etc.

Productive, Positive, and On Track Once Again

In class, our group was very productive, positive, and stayed on track in trying to accomplish the following. Today we posted more signs up on the front of Konia's first and second floor and are in the process of getting the final approval by Mrs. Yamamoto on our last set of signs. After school today, a few of us learned how to use the PA system reminding teachers and staff to"please turn off the lights and AC when they leave for the day." We've decided to make the announcement promptly at 3:15pm daily because this is usually the time when teachers and staff start to pack up and leave their classrooms for the day. Tomorrow we hope to raise more of an awareness by going to each classroom in Konia and being proactive by talking directly to each teacher since we haven't gotten any responses to our survey that was sent out about a week ago. Also, as the final presentation date comes closer and closer, we've started to prepare and assemble all what our group has done till this point. The only thing we still struggle with is gathering the background information to put in our presentation because we're waiting on hearing back from a higher authority. Hopefully all goes well! 

Posters Done, Announcements Almost Done, Surveys Still In Progress

As of fourth period today, the entire Konia is decorated with our posters. I think we used twenty posters on just the front section of the first and second floor. We think it may be a good idea to put posters down at Paki since the lights get left on over there as well sometimes. I'm planning on putting posters down in paki after track practice tomorrow and today. This should be interesting considering the fact that by the time I get to Paki after practice, the janitors are cleaning the first two levels. So I'll be posting signs right next to them as they're working, maybe it will send them an immediate message, or not. We posted two to three signs by every major janitor closet and hang out spot, so hopefully they read the posters and listen to it. The reason why we want to put the posters down at Paki is to get more data. If we can involve Paki and the teachers down there, then maybe it will make a bigger impact on the school in conserving electricity wise. The powerpoint presentation is next week already, so we got to get all of this stuff done and collect all of our data by then. Wish us luck.

Stressing Out...

Lately, I feel we've been stretched thin. I'm kinda stressing out in regards to this project to be honest. We're falling behind in our blogposts as well as our other aspects in the project. This week we'll try to be more studious. Right now is probably the best time to get more into our project--before cramming for finals starts. I think today we'll probably discuss the kinks and the problems we're facing. We also need to get reorganized so we can prioritize our goals. Because we're not sure of a lot of things and our contacts are busy as well, today we're going in to check if we can get trained for the PA system. Kanoe and I will take turns playing Kory's recording after school at around 3:15.

WEEVE BEEN NOTICED

Today while i was walking around school, i noticed some of the posters that we put up. I saw them all over the place. A few of my friends asked me if i knew what all the signs were about. I was pleased to tell them that i did actually know what they were about. I was also able to tell them that i made the sign they saw. I also explained to my english teacher who later asked about the signs. I told her that it was a physics project and that she should take the advice and shut off her a/c and turn out her lights when she is done with the school day. I also explained that we are trying to conserve energy that our school uses. I am glad to know that our signs are not being ignored.

Lately we've been focusing on the multiple aspects of our project; it feels like there are so many things, so it's difficult to focus on everything. Today, we want to learn how to use the PA system so that we can use it for the first time tomorrow. We're also trying to start our final powerpoint presentation. We've created some new posters, and our current ones are already approved. Anyway, we need to take more pictures to document the work we've been doing.

Our signs are a total go now. We just finished copying the posters, but they came out a little weird...Anyway we'll be posting some of them up outside, and maybe talking to a few teachers while we're at it.

BE BRIGHT TURN OUT THE LIGHT

Now that our signs have been approved by Ms. Yamamoto it is time to put them into action. We will be placing our big signs above the janitor storage rooms to remind them to shut off the lights of the classroom when they are done cleaning them. Our signs are not only for the janitors to see, but also for the teachers. We will also be hanging smaller signs around the campus in clear of teachers and students alike. Our plan is finally in action. Expect to see signs all over the place so there is no excuse to see any lights on in empty rooms. 

Random Blog Post +3

So in more research I have discovered an even better reason to why our school should take up conserving electricity more efficiently. In the article "Average Electric Rater for Hawaiian Electric Co., Maui Electric Co. and Hawaii Electric Co- How much does your energy cost?" from HECO's main website I found that in 2010, which is the most recent data given, how much electricity costed. The oil prices affect the electricity prices, and since the oil prices have been going up, the electricity prices are going up as well. This is because apparently more than half of each electricity bill goes to fuel costs. On top of that, Hawaii's electricity cost more than the electricity on the mainland because each island has its own independent electrical system. Mainland states can also use lower-cost resources that are not available her. Since we are a really big school, I'm assuming our school falls under the category of a large business.

Rate Schedule	Average cents per kilowatthour (2010)
Residential	25.47
"P" Large power use businesses	20.09
"J" Medium power use businesses	22.27
"G" Smaller power use businesses	26.87
"H" Commercial cooking, heating, air conditioning & refrigeration	22.55
"F" Street and Park Lighting	23.49

That means the it costs 20.09 cents per kilowatt hour to power the buildings, which are on all day.

All Sectors			Residential		Commercial		Industrial
Rank	State	Price	Rank	Price	Rank	Price	Rank	Price
1	Hawaii	18.73	1	21.48	1	19.2	1	15.99

This chart (above) was how much electricity costed in 2005. Even in 2005, our state was the number one ranking state in having the highest cost of electricity. Notice how much higher the prices have gotten in just five years? Now that it is 2012, i'm pretty sure the cost has gone up higher. Since our school is big, it pays a lot of money to use electricity. Leaving the lights on does not help our school save money in any way. What we hope to accomplish through this project may not show immediate results, but it will in the future if it is kept up. I think what we are trying to do for this Physics project is a good thing. I hope we can accomplish it. This ends yet another random blog post.