Zap!

July 30, 2009

Wednesday was a fun day, our environmental engineer put me on a weeklong program and I was working on that. It was also our final day for our class through the Washington Center and our group/entire class did very well.

Afterwards, we invited Dr. Michael Simpson out to P F Changs, we were having a great time, and then the bill came. Dr. Simpson picked it up, and thanked us for being a great class. The bill had to have been close to 300.00.

Dr. Simpson's favorite saying while lecturing was, "Zap."

Thursday was another long day on the project, and it consumed my entire morning. Lindsey and David took all of the interns to lunch and it was really nice. In the afternoon, I have to admit, I hung out most of the time. There isn’t much left for me to do, so I worked a bit more on Greg’s project then I went home early.

My portfolio is finally finished and turned out to be over 60 pages. I submitted it online to Fedex Kinks and found a 15.00 off coupon! Sweet!! Other than that, I have one week left. Crazy huh?

Cupcake Coma

July 26, 2009

Monday was back to work, and it was a short day as TWC had another PLS discussion. We had a high-ranking member from the Department of Homeland Security speak to us. He gave us his life story, and how he started out as a biology major.

After the discussion, my Wednesday night class and I went to Rock Bottom Restaurant and worked on our project due this week. Our presentation is about half an hour, and everyone was looking at us while we were practicing.

When I finally got home, I worked on my portfolio due next Monday.

It is a lengthy process, and I need to finish by Tuesday or Wednesday night, as it needs to be bound at Kinkos. TWC wants three copies…

Tuesday was fun, a few of the interns and I took a two and a half hour lunch brea

k. We went to Georgetown, the girls went shopping, I carried the bags and ate fabulous cupcakes. Joelle bought a dozen cupcakes for 31 bucks. ßNot a typo

I am currently writing this at work, because the internship is winding down and I realized that even after taking some time off last week, I have been working my summer away. I haven’t had much time to actually enjoy the city.

I anticipate taking a few more long lunch breaks in the next few days...

Back to reality

July 25, 2009

My week long vacation is over. It was nice to get away from work and the busy life of Washington DC. I live around the area, so technically, it is always busy and people in my area can’t drive.

This Wednesday is the final day for my TWC class and we are giving our presentation on hybrid cars implemented in New York City. It has been an in depth project with all seven of the classmates doing their part.

There are also only eight days left of my internship, which again is overwhelming given the fact that I remember in May I was posting my first blog.

It has been a lot of fun; unfortunate it has to end at some point.

While on vacation...

July 22, 2009

Hello everyone –

I thought I should blog midway through my vacation, and inform everyone about what I have been doing. I came up to Cal Sunday afternoon to help a close friend move into her house for the school year. She is majoring in Athletic Training and needs to be up early to attend a conference and ensure the health of our football team.

I also met with Dr. Whyte, one of the biology professors on campus to discuss graduate school, specifically Miami University of Ohio. He informed me of the schools prestigious history in their overall performance, and their masters program in environmental science.

I am also helping my friend Jon move out of his apartment. They are moving to Orlando Florida, as the job market is much better than in Southwestern Pennsylvania.

Other than that I have been reading two books for my internship. The first is Big Coal: The Dirty Secret Behind America’s Energy Future. It is a very good book; the author cites a few of the coalmines in this area too. And the second deals with renewable energy. I forget the title, cripes…

It is a vacation, but really isn’t. There have been a few ups and downs, but overall it is going well.

I also miss all of my teammates at Earth Aid.

I'm just an intern... Yes I'm only an intern

July 16, 2009

Well, for the first time, I didn’t listen to my mother…

I spent all of Tuesday going to all of the congressmen/congresswomen on Capitol Hill giving them a flyer about Earth Aid’s briefing Friday morning:

Entrepreneurship & Sustainability: How Innovative Social Ventures Are Shifting the Paradigm Around Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency& What Members of Congress Can Do to Help Today, there is a lot of talk about the need for innovative solutions to the energy crisis, and a plethora of ideas are being discussed.

This Friday, come learn about two social ventures that are putting creative ideas into action — working with citizens to spur their production of renewable energy and to become more energy efficient, and rewarding them for doing so. Find out what Members of Congress can do to advance their work and the cause of sustainability at this critical time.

When: Friday, July 17, 9:30-10:30 AM (Breakfast will be served)

Where: 2456 Rayburn House Office Building

Who: Ben Bixby, CEO, Earth Aid Enterprises Rahul Prakash, COO, Virgance

RSVP:Sam Ricketts, Special Projects Coordinator, Sustainable Energy & Environment Coalition (202-225-6311, sam.ricketts@mail.house.gov)

I am getting up early, very early, 7:00AM Friday morning to make it to Capitol Hill on time. I know I will be early, but that’s not a problem.

Wednesday night was my TWC class and it went well as usual. We discussed educational technology and policy. Dr. Simpson brought an article to class and explained to us that some CEOs from India, will NOT hire American graduates because he refers to us as a “dime a dozen.”

I find it interesting that in a 2008 report, “85 percent of those age 25 or older reported they had completed at least high school and 28 percent had attained at least a bachelor’s degree — both record highs.”

But, we are a dime a dozen…

Anyway, Thursday was hectic, we were getting everything ready for Friday, I made various lists on different committees, and assisted David and Ben. We had so much going on to get things ready, I thought David’s head was going to explode. (but he’s okay)

I will be reporting on the meeting this weekend, and then I will be taking a few vacation days next week. Be rest assured, I will blog from vacation arena.

This guy...

July 13, 2009

Yes it is Monday again. Lindsey has returned from her week- long vacation in California, “the state”. And, we were glad to see her back. I am working on another weather related project for Greg, which is tedious, but has a great purpose for our organization.

I went to TWC this morning to sign a few forms but my adviser was in a meeting. I stood outside in a wool suit for 20 minutes, sweating, and then finally gave up. They would not let me in the front door, as I am not an employee.

The Red Line on the Metro seems to be getting better. They are back to alternating between Shady Grove and Grosvenor-Strathmore. The commute is easier in the mornings; I can get a seat rather than being a midget and being smacked in the face by a woman’s purse. Yes, true story…

Lindsey also spoke to my really cool adviser from California University of PA, Dr. Melanie Blumberg. Lindsey came back from the conference room and said, “Andrew, that woman adores you!”

What can I say? I am a popular guy…

My mother is also getting bored of reading my blogs, and suggests I do more site seeing and report on that. I may take her advice and do that tomorrow.

Going to Sunday School

July 9, 2009

Wednesday, I attended a meeting bright and early, but it was only a block away from the office so it wasn’t too bad. It lasted over two hours and I took five pages of notes and looked handsome in my Sunday school khaki suit with a Joe Biden tie.

Afterwards, David and I reviewed the notes from the meeting and discussed some further outreach programs for the organization, both short term and long term. I was the only intern working today, and when David departed for a business trip, I went home too.

Today, there were only three interns in, while Lindsey is on vacation, and Ben and David are still on a trip. I worked on a few things for Michigan, and spent sometime on the website.

David called at 2:45, and told the three of us to go home.

Solid.

I'm on a boat and...

July 6, 2009

I have been behind on my blogging, and I figured I should write a longer one and get my followers up to speed.

Last week, I finished up research for Greg, our environmental engineer. I read some journals pertaining to various types of fuel, and different ways people can power their homes.

For the Presidential Lecture Series (PLS) through TWC, we were supposed to have a congressmen come and speak to us about the current state of the economy. Unfortunately, he was not able to attend the lecture.

For the remainder of the week I worked on some more research for Ben, and continued the on-going development of our website. I focused on the states of Colorado and Illinois.

On Thursday, Greg called me for some weather related research. I was to find the average

monthly temperature for each month from 1971-2000 for each state…. Phew…

With some help from my friend, Jon Jennings, I was able to get it done. It only took 4 hours of inputting data.

Friday, while everyone was sleeping in, I volunteered to attend a meeting downtown with Ben. It was long, but it was very informative…

One of my fraternity brothers came down for the weekend and it was nice to go to Adams Morgan with him and his girlfriend to have a few refreshments. I didn’t stay and watch the fireworks. I didn’t feel like putting up with the push and shove of tourists, the Metro and drunk people. I traveled home and watched the fireworks from my couch (in air conditioning) and caught up on some much needed rest.

Today, I was on a boat traveling the Anacostia River. It was fun and we learned about watersheds. I was not the king of the world though…

I would like to mention that Jessica C., a friend whom I met when I was at the Democratic National Convention, read all of my blogs today. Whatever she does for a living, I want that job. While in Denver, Jessica invited me to various after event parties. Not only is she nice, she is very attractive for a Democrat.

Fin

Environmental Tips and Fun Facts

July 1, 2009

Cripes, have you ever wondered why it gets so hot here in DC during the summer? There are many factors which can contribute to the long, hot and humid days here in Washington DC. The city only spans a total area of about 70 miles, but during a typical weekday, the total population can reach over 2.5 million. This includes standard residents in the District, commuters and those tourists. This equates to a lot of cars, buses, trucks as well as your standard industries emitting pollution into the lower parts of the troposphere. Large buildings also contribute to the urban heat island effect, as they trap some of the pollutants. Larger buildings also absorb the radiation emitted by the sun and heat the external facades. Our black roads also absorb large amounts of the sun’s radiation.

If you have ever walked on a street in your bare feet during a hot summers day, you may recall that if you jumped from white line to white line, it is much cooler. This is because the white paint reflects more, and absorbs less of the sun’s heat. The term “urban heat island” is derived from a combination of these variables. Most cities have an increased core temperature than the surrounding areas because of the locked in temperature. This is where the island term comes from; it is a localized specific area.

Did you know that Bermuda has an effect on our summers? Yes, call me crazy but it is true! Bermuda is very far away but it has an indirect effect on our weather! A large high-pressure system, with a clock-wise rotation sits off the coast of the eastern half of the United States during the summer. During most parts of the summer months, the area from Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina Virginia, Washington DC and most of Maryland is under this large system. The downward splattering force of this system is what makes most of our days during the summer nice, hot and sunny. It is like paradise on your own back yard… kinda…

From this we can conclude that there are both man-made and natural reasons why Washington DC gets so hot during the summer.

What YOU can do…

You don’t have to subject yourself to these harsh conditions during the summer. If you have an air conditioner, have it on during the time you are home, when you are at work, raise the temperature to save energy and lower it once someone is in the house. This will cut back on energy, save you money and lessen the likelihood of a power shortage at the power grid. Fans also help; they reticulate the air and can lessen the temperature in a room by at most, 10 degrees. Having fans on a moderate setting with an air conditioner can lower the temperature in your home faster, thus saving you money as the high powered air conditioner doesn’t have to work as long.

Or, if you are feeling extremely proactive, consider the age of your air conditioner. How old is it? If it is over 10 years old, purchasing a new one might not be a bad idea. There have been many modifications in the development of new air conditioners, which make them more energy efficient, and results in you saving money! Before purchasing a new air conditioner, check out our website and find your local energy carrier, and see if they offer rebates. Some rebates are in the 200 – 400 dollar range!

www.earthaid.net

Going green saves you green$

Installing window blinds and shades limit the amount of sun coming into your home and can keep your rooms cooler. And, on days where it might be cooler outside, open a window and turn off the air conditioning. We don’t get many of those days down here, but if it is a cool morning, do yourself and the environment around you a favor.