CURRENT

Going Green

February 26, 2010 Volume 5, Issue 4

The Bear Creek School8905 208th Ave. NERedmond, WA 98053www.tbcs.org425.898.1720

MISSIONCurrent is the student voice of Bear Creek, providing a quality, thought-provoking, entertaining and responsible student newsmagazine. With the exception of the opinion section, editorial content is limited to work produced by Bear Creek students.

ADVERTISINGCurrent will only run advertising that supports the mission of The Bear Creek School. All advertisements are subject to final approval by the journalism adviser. Current reserves the right to edit or reject any advertisement for any reason at any time prior to publication. Current reserves the right to alter and amend those advertisements not accurately meeting the technical specifications. All advertisers assume the responsibility of abiding by the terms and conditions of our Advertising Policies.

LETTERS TO THE EDITORCurrent welcomes letters to the editor. Letters must be less than 500 words and include the author's name and phone number. Anonymous letters will not be printed. The editor reserves the right to edit for length and clarity. Submission does not guarantee publication.

CONTRIBUTING WRITERSCurrent welcomes submission of articles by TBCS students. Please contact the journalism adviser for specific requirements.

STAFF Georgina Wadhwani-Napp, EditorAdelaide Tillinghast, Assistant EditorRyan BaldwinMichael ChangSarah WittHannah KwonMiss Hunter, Adviser

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form by electrical or mechanical means, without permission in writing by the journalism adviser.

CurrentBear Creek

Next Issue: April 1, 2010

The Current is a forum for student news and opinions,

and as such, welcomes letters authored by Upper School students that are relevant to school issues. Contact Miss Hunter in

the West Lab if you wish to submit a news or opinion

article.

News

Dear Current staff,

Every issue I look forward to the articles about whatever sports are currently in season – I am especially anxious for issues during this time of year because articles focus on basketball. In the latest issue highlighting homecoming, it was very disappointing to see that not only did the girls basketball team receive minimal attention (less than jv boys and less than cheer), but out of 4 basketball pictures, there were none featuring a girl player. While I do not wish to take away from the boys season, I think it is both frustrating and unfair to give so little attention to the girls. We are currently 5-1 in league and 11-3 overall, not far from the boys 6-0 and 14-1. This year the girls team has accomplished much and are continuing working towards even greater achievement. It would be much appreciated if the girls varsity team was shown the same respect in regards to coverage.

Thank you,Megan Cheever

Letter to the Editor

Meet Titus A majority vote from the Upper School student body named the Bear Creek grizzly bear masco, Titus. The name was announced on the night of February 5, during a boy’s basketball game, in which the mascot made a different appearance, looking darker and larger than usual. Over the season, the Bear Creek

mascot grizzly has experienced multiple makeovers in attempt to upgrade its look from the familiar costume.The student body was a little hesitant. Intimidation made students miss the familiarity of the old bear. Fitting, the new name of the grizzly, Titus, means “defender” in Greek. Although the student poll sent out in advisories listed Titus as a third option without reason or definition, it won 53% of the student’s favor who expressed preference over “Gus”- which received 26% of applicable votes - and “Grizz” with 21%, which were the other options provided by the Booster Club.Some students, unsatisfied with the three suggested names opted for a different name altogether. Their votes were not counted. “I wrote in for Bear Grylls because I just didn’t like the other options,” said senior Dillon Camp. He added that he wasn’t the only one. Senior Zach Witt, who said he would have liked to name the mascot after the “Man vs. Wild” British adventurer although he knew it was unlikely.The excitement of naming the bear however wore off with some advisory groups. Not every advisory group turned in its ballots. The final vote for Titus was counted by legitimate single survey results.

<<

Georgina Wadhwani-Napp, Editor

3Current

Starting January 2011, Bear Creek Middle and Upper school students will participate in a nine-day mini-semester entitled JanTerm. During these nine days, students will engage in a maximum of three different 95 minute courses offered by both Middle and Upper school faculty. “We [Bear Creek] wanted to be able to give students deeper course offerings. These courses are not big enough for semester long electives,” said Director of College Advising, Blake DeYoung. These course offerings will be unique and focused to one area. The faculty has been reviewing ideas for courses such as the history and physics of Baseball, media and the presidency and children’s literature, but nothing is final, according to DeYoung. “Faculty is not confined to their subject area or division. There will be some middle school teachers teaching Upper School courses and vice versa. This is a chance to break out of the norm,” said DeYoung. Although Middle and Upper school will be sharing this program, there will be age restrictions for classes depending on subject content and work load. This is not to discourage students from choosing subjects of interest. During JanTerm all electives except for Drama will be postponed until after the nine-days. During this time, AP students will continue in their AP classes. The number of JanTerm seminars for AP students will depend on the number of APs the student is enrolled in and if they are in Drama. One of the tactical advantages to JanTerm is having finals before winter break. This allows students and their families to have a more relaxing break, without the stress of looming tests. “Having finals before winter break is a nice advantage for the

students and parents but it is a benefit and not a goal of JanTerm,” said DeYoung. Janterm is the incorporation of another liberal arts element to the Bear Creek community. It will give students an insight into a new world of thinking. “I really like the idea because it gives the students a way to learn without the concern of jumping through hoops to get a grade. It is a more relaxed setting for students to explore what they might be interested in,” said History teacher, Rob Sorenson. Right now there is a debate as to how Janterm will be graded. Regardless, it is a requirement to complete the courses. “Participation in JanTerm will be a graduation requirement and will be recorded on student transcripts, giving colleges a valuable insight into the unique and creative interests of the student,” stated Head of School, Patrick Carruth, in a school wide letter announcing JanTerm. JanTerm allows for more in depth classical educational approach to learning. “Like the Socratic Method it is [JanTerm] very student driven, think of it as circles versus rows of desks,” said Mr. DeYoung. “Metaphorically speaking no one is in the front of the class teaching.” This type of teaching allows for students and faculty to “interact differently.” Classes will be taught in a different way, “very student focused and interactive,” said Mr. DeYoung. This is a large change for the Bear Creek community and it will need faculty, parent, and student support. But, this program primarily revolves around the students and it is the students’ job to “bring something to the table,” said Mr. DeYoung.

JanTerm Coming 2011 ][

Adelaide Tillinghast, Staff Writer

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News

HAITIChurches helping Churches

Establishing a team of pastors, videographers and a doctor happened within hours. Transportation and security followed once they were on the ground. “There were so many reasons it could go wrong, 3rd world countries are different when they experience apocalyptic disaster,” said Thomas Hurst, a documentary photographer who traveled to Haiti along with Seattle, Mars Hill Church pastor, Mark Driscoll, and seven other people. “Each of the nine people played a huge role in making sure this happened.” Hurst said. They entered the chaos with a mission to help the churches in Port-au-Prince and to share the gospel. “People are going to Haiti for many reasons, some people are going to feel good about themselves and some are going to do good,” he said. Haiti’s national religion is Roman Catholic, yet Voodoo is

the most practiced religion. In April 2003, an executive decree by then president Jean-Bertrand Aristide sanctioned voodoo as an officially recognized religion in Haiti, according to National Geographic. “Whether any other catastrophe be, it Katrina or Haiti, people are in a place where they are open to listen to something new. That something new should be the truth,” said Hurst. “If it is someone else with different beliefs, then we fail to do our job as Christians.” Haiti, the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere, received little attention until the January, 12, earthquake struck the city of Port-au-Prince, killing more than 300,000 people and leaving the already impoverished country in ruins. Aid struck with greater magnitude than the 7.0 strike-slip earthquake. Organizations around the world arrived to share their services.The devastation left millions broken and starving but the hope for

change remains. “The people there were suffering well. They still had faith in God, even if they didn’t know what the next day would bring. If anything, they were clinging more to God.” Hurst said about Haitian Christians.Witnessing the sea of rubble and knowing that not every person can be helped, Hurst still remained optimistic.“Going to change the world? What does that mean? I’m going to change one person’s world,” he said. “I’m going to change as many lives as I can individually. That’s actually possible.” He added that it only took 15 dollars to send an injured girl to the hospital -- the price of about four cups of Starbucks coffee.“Go out. Love your neighbors. Share the gospel.” This was Hurst’s motto. “This is not to feel sorry for people but to feel passion for people.”

Text FRIENDS to 90999 now and give $5 in food to Haiti!

-The World Food Programme

So then, as we have opportunity, let us do good to everyone, and especially to those who are of the household of faith.>> Galatians 6:10

Georgina Wadhwani-Napp, EditorAdelaide Tillinghast, Assistant Editor

5Current

Photographs by Thomas Hurst

6 Current

Sports

From February 12th to the 28th, Vancouver has been hosting the 2010 Winter Olympics. It is the third Olympics hosted by Canada, but its location this time represents a unique opportunity for Washington residents. With Vancouver only a couple of hours away, this is the best chance Washingtonians will have for awhile to see the Olympic Games.

I visited Vancouver briefing during Mid-Winter Break and got a chance to see a hockey match. The most striking thing about the experience was how incredibly passionate every single person was about the Games and showing their patriotism. Everywhere there were flags of various countries and hordes of tourists supporting their respective nations. It seemed that every Canadian present was just looking for an excuse to play patriotic music loudly and wave a Canadian flag.

Vancouver won out over Salzburg, Austria and PyeongChang, South Korea for the Winter Olympic bid. The opening ceremonies for the Games were the first ever to be held in and indoor venue. Vancouver is also the most populous city to host any Olympic games. But for all of Canada’s pride and unique venues, there have been some stumbling blocks.

Canada went into the games hoping to “own the podium”. However, that’s looking rather unlikely as the United States is dominating the medal count

competition with 26 medals as of February 24th. Germany trails with 23 and Canada sits in 5th with a mere 11 medals.

Everyone in Canada realizes this. “We’d be living in a fool’s paradise if we said we’re going to catch the Americans and win,” Chris Rudge, chief executive of the Canadian Olympic Committee, told The Wall Street Journal. The point was really driven home when the US hockey team beat Canada at their own game this week, with a strong win in men’s ice hockey. The headline in the Vancouver Sun the next day read “Woe Canada: U.S. sticks stake in our hearts.”

In the run up to the beginning of the Games, medal counts were the least of Canada’s worries. Just a month before the start of the games, there was considerable doubt as to whether or not there would be enough snow to cover the Cypress ski area outside Vancouver. The ski area was even closed to the public before the games, in an attempt to preserve the snow.

Cypress Mountain’s ability to host Olympic events was called into question last February, during an Olympic test event,

which was cancelled due to poor snow conditions. The incident was called a “learning experience” by Vancouver Organizing Committee officials in an article by The New York Times. In the end, it was necessary to import snow by trucks and helicopters to supplement Cypress Mountain’s meager amounts of snow for the actual Games.

The Olympics are generally a time to shine for the host country, and a chance to show off how great of a nation they are. Weather is often an issue for the cities that host the Winter Games, but not since 1964 have such drastic measures been necessary to keep the Olympics afloat. Innsbruck, Austria hosted the 1964 games and was desperately in need of snow. According to David Wallechinsky, author of the Complete Book of the Winter Olympics, “The Austrian army came to the rescue, carving out blocks of ice for the bobsled track and tens of thousands of cubic yards of snow for the Alpine skiing events.”

Sadly, it was neither the lack of medals nor the lack of snow that was the true

low point of the Games so far. The death of Georgian luger Nodar Kumaritashvili, during a training run, shocked everyone. Deaths at the Olympics are incredibly rare. Only four other athletes have died in the Winter Games since Nodar, and just two in the Summer Games.

Despite all of the early drama and tragedy, the Olympics this year have gone fairly smoothly so far in most ways. The Games go on, and the U.S. looks to have a good shot at claiming victory in the overall medal race. But you wouldn’t guess that with all the Canadian cheering anyways.

The OlympicsRyan Baldwin, Staff Writer

Spring SportsA sign for the Olympics at Canada Hockey Place in Vancouver. It reads “With Glowing Hearts - Des Plus Bril-liants Exploits”.

7Current

BaseballOur school does not have a

baseball team. Bear Creek has never had enough people to create an actual baseball team. As a result, students who want to play join a combined team with Overlake High School.

“One of the things neat about Overlake is that it’s a combined team with Bear Creek. It’s a real unique situation, where friendships that would’ve never been made are created,” said Mike Davison, the Overlake/ Bear Creek Baseball coach. In fact, he also says that some of the team’s best players are from Bear Creek.

Spring SportsTennis

Tennis takes a lot of coordination and requires a smart player to win a match. It’s not a team sport in nature, but for Bear Creek it is.

“I love how you can be a team sport and there’s an individual aspect. Being a part of the team and encouraging each other and having doubles partners,” said junior Amy Hammond.

The boys and girls teams take turns practicing between Marymoor Park and Perrigo Park. Senior Alex Finkelson has a lot of passion for the sport. He said, “I was born this way.”

GolfSix boys and three girls this

year are joining the Bear Creek Golf team this year. Among whom junior Gannon McCahill, is the returning champion of last year’s 2B Sea Tac League.

To McCahill, Bear Creek golf is a place he socializes with his friends because there is a lot of walking around in the game, and that a natural social environment occurs. “I hang out with all the people and talk. Not only do you do a sport, there’s a lot of socializing,” he said.

Coach Cheever paints a clear picture of what the game of golf is like, “It requires a lot of mental fortitude as you’re trying to control a small white ball with a long stick and navigate your way around obstacles.”

Track & Field

Track and Field involves dashes, hurdles, relays, jumps, pole vault, shot put, discus, and javelin. So it really isn’t one sport. Rather, the term track and field reflects a collection of athletes that participate in several athletic events.

“The running people and the people who do high jump are completely separate from the throws team. It’s a team in the sense that you’re cheering for each other, more support based. I don’t consider it a team sport, except for relays,” said sophomore Joy Twentyman.

This spring Bear Creek will be offering baseball, tennis, golf and track & field. Practices will officially start on March 1st.

First Home Games:Baseball: Overlake/Bear Creek vs. Rainier Christian @ Marymoor Park Field Saturday 13 MarchBoys Tennis: Bear Creek vs. Overlake @ Marymoor Park 4:00 p.m. Wednesday 17 MarchGirls Tennis: Bear Creek vs. Seattle Academy @Marymoor 4:00 p.m. Tuesday 23 MarchBoys Golf: Bear Creek vs. Seattle Academy @ Trilogy Golf Course 4:00 p.m. Thursday 18 MarchGirls Golf: …?Track and Field: first meet @ West Seattle Stadium 3:15 p.m. Thursday 25 March

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Feature

In or out?

It used to be that when you heard the phrase, “Its green,” someone was referring to the color.

Now, green drums up different connotations. According to Merriam-Webster’s Dictionary, one definition of green is, “relating to or being an environmentalist political movement, concerned with or supporting environmentalism, or tending to preserve environmental quality (as by being recyclable, biodegradable, or nonpolluting).” Environmentalism has been around for a while, as Christians it is our duty to be good stewards of Earth, but what is new is the constant pressure to “go green” with everything in our lives.

Being green has become the new trend, the new ‘it’ thing, and has been called a marketing ploy, lifestyle, and even a religion. But is it just that? Or is it really a solution for the problem some scientists say we have. They say that people are not taking proper care of the earth, humans caused global warming, and that the world’s natural resources will soon be used up?

“We should not think of it as going green but as stewardship of God’s creation. As Christians

it is our obligation to seek out ways to promote thriving ecosystems. Some of the methods chosen are legit - based on scientifically credible research - and some are based on flimsier premises. It is up to the individual to decide,” said Donna Dunn, Upper School biology teacher, about the green trend.

In the US and abroad, companies, institutions, organizations and corporations are implementing ways of being green. Some are even starting a new executive position, the “Chief Conservation Officer” (CCO). Lee Sinoff, an Operations, Marketing and Communications and Project Management generalist, who has more than twenty-five years of executive experience, pushed for organizations to adopt a CCO position. He found in 2005 that an environmentally conscious government is more likely to apply a CCO position.

Stephen T. Asma, a professor of philosophy at Columbia College Chicago, took a different approach on whether going green is a trend or something else. In an article featured in the Chronicle Review, Asma said that environmentalism is being used as a religious substitute

by the secular population. He points to Friedrich Nietzsche, a 19th century German philosopher, who Asma said, “was the first to notice that religious emotions, like guilt and indignation, are still with us, even if we’re not religious… Underneath all these values, according to Nietzsche, is a kind of psychology – one dominated by resentment and guilt.”

Asma continued to explain that people in the Western culture do not feel worthy as a result of guilt. The secular population has adopted environmental sins as opposed to the traditional religious sins.

Now, people try to appease that guilt by conserving water, recycling and using eco-friendly grocery bags.

Betty Freeland, Upper school Ethics teacher, said, “People are trying to find something worthwhile to with their lives… People will try to find a sense of purpose.”

8%

28%

20%

1%3%

40%

I'm not "going green"

I try to conserve water

I use energy saving lightbulbs/conserve energyI drive a hybrid or "green" car

I use public transportation

I’m not “going green”

I try to conserve waterI use energy saving light bulbs/conserve energyI drive a hybrid or “green” carI use public transportation

I recycle

What are ways that you help the

environment?26 people surveyed

Sarah Witt, Staff Writer

GREEN School Supplies...

- Treesmart Pencils Pencils made of recycled Newspaper

- Banana Paper Notebook Notebooks with paper made of 100% recycled materials and agricultural waste

- Recycled Money Ruler Rulers made of recycled dollar bills

- Staple Free Stapler Stapler binds the paper together without the use of staples

- Recycled 3 Ring Binder 3 Ring binders made with recycled chipboard and cardboard

- Hemp Backpacks Backpacks that use hemp instead of PVC

9Current

Where is the Green Club?“Yeah, well, Green Club’s just not really

happening. No one’s really interested it seems, no one really cares,” said senior Jake Matthews who was part of the club last year,

after alumna Lauren Forbes was inspired to start it when she was a senior.

“I started the Green Club last year when I was a senior because I think it’s really important,” Forbes said. “We live here [on Earth] and we should take care of it – not treat it like trash.”

Forbes was disappointed to hear about the lack of energy it generated and the other student’s lack of interest.

“I felt like I was really passionate about it and no one else really cares which is frustrating,” she said.

When Chef DeYoung joined the Bear Creek community last year, Forbes worked with her on a composting project. This project would become those garbage bins set up at the front entrance to the commons at lunchtime. The bins that many students hurry past to the simple trash cans in the hallway or stand in front of confused before dumping everything, half-eaten meatball hoagie and all, into one of the four labeled containers.

Building Operations Director, Kelly Saulsbury, is concerned with the project. He explains how the project has been in effect since it’s start.

“[Chef DeYoung] came in with pretty ambitious ideas about how we can improve on [garbage disposal and

recycling]”. The Green Club – specifically Lauren Forbes – did a lot of work to

get it off the ground. We came in this year without that committee and have tried to sustain it. It’s been really frustrating and we’re trying to improve on that or at least keep it going.”

So, who is in charge now? No one, Saulsbury said, and that is the problem.

“How important is it to students? That’s the million dollar question,” he said in an interview. “If the students don’t really care and if the students aren’t supporting it conceptually, then we’re spending a lot of time and energy and a lot of resources on something that we’re never going to win. It has to be supported and promoted by a student body or people fail.”

“A good portion of garbage is generated from the lunchroom. If we can manage that, the rest of it will be relatively easy. That is an obvious place where volunteers can help and we’d love to see that happen.

There’s a lot of ways that it can be helped or supported. The most obvious is: people need help when it comes to emptying their trash.

What we’d really like to see is a more awareness. It would not be a big issue if everybody just subscribed.

Saulsbury said it’s ok to throw away the compostable stuff and it’s ok to throw away recycling. What’s not ok is to put food in the recycling bin because then you’ve contaminated

it and set everyone else back. One person can really mess it up.”“It’s not making you go out of your way,” Forbes said. “It’s upsetting

because it’s so easy.” “I just want someone to care.”

1. Use a Re-usable Water Bottle (For more information, see page 13) Fill it up between classes at the water fountain. It saves money, hassle, and recycling.

2. Carpool Driving with your friends is more fun, plus it saves gas and time.

3. Save Energy Turn off the lights, TV and other electronics when you’re not in the room.

Throwing Georgina Wadhwani-Napp, Editor

“We live here [on Earth] and we should take care of it – not treat it

like trash.” - Lauren Forbes

Have you ever avoided the cafeteria waste compost bins because they were just too

confusing?

FORBES’ ADVICE: 3 EASY STEPS TO CONSERVE

it all away

Yes No

No Yes

10 Current

Feature

Throw it in the bagThe evolution of grocery bags

&Q A: How are you helping the world?

“...I recycle if I remember, but I don’t like going green.”

Jake Casale

“...I try to spread the belief of vegitarianism and promote or advocate world peace.”

elisabeth ersek

“...I am recycling and composting everything I can.”

Chris Mehta

“...I try to recycle whenever I can, but at school the garabge cans are too confusing so I don’t use them.”

kiMMie White

It is a common misconception that paper bags are “bet-ter” for the environment than plastic bags. In reality, they both take a lot of energy to make and recycle. It takes 594 British Thermal Units (BTUs) to produce Safeway plastic bags and 2511 BTUs to create Safeway

paper bags, according to the Plastic Recycling Directory. To recycle a Safeway plastic bag, it takes only17 BTUs but for a paper bag, it takes 1444 BTUs. (Source: 1989 Plastic Recycling Directory, Society of Plastics Industry.)

Using this data, it appears that paper bags use more energy while in existence but both paper and plastic bags do not easily decompose. According to an article from the January 2005 PCC Sound Consumer, “Both paper and plastic bags disposed of in a landfill can be dug up virtually intact many years later; neither decomposes well in a landfill.” Other reasons that bags do not easily decompose is the lack of oxygen, light, water, and other needed components in landfills.

Plastic bags are also bad because when they are left in the city, they can get caught in drains, trees or poles and sometimes get blown into rivers, oceans or lakes. Because plastic bags are so light, they can easily be blown into these situations.

There are some redeeming qualities to plastic bags. Most people save them and use them for cleaning up messes, carry-ing lunches, lining trash cans or carrying gym clothes. But after a while, plastic bags build up when they aren’t being used as fast as they are being collected. On the other side, without them, what will people use to clean up after the dog or carry lunches? Regular Ziploc bags, which are still plastic? Paper lunch bags, which are still paper?

The complaint about paper bags is they are made from trees.

Trees that have to be cut down. Trees that were part of a habitat for animals. Reusablebags.com said, “In 1999, 14 million trees were cut to produce the 10 billion paper grocery bags used by Americans that year alone.”

It seems as if both plastic and paper bags have their faults. So what are the solutions? Right now, the most common answer is to buy and use reusable shopping bags, usually made from canvas or another cloth material.

These reusable bags can be bought almost anywhere now, and some stores provide incentives to get customers to use them. PCC gives a 10¢ discount that can be donated to a local charity or taken of off the customer’s bill. Other stores do a similar process as well.

On January 1, 2009, the Seattle city government instituted a 20¢ bag tax. Now, if you want to use the traditional plastic or paper bags in a Seattle grocery store (department stores are exempt from the tax) it costs 20¢ per bag.

Those who are for getting rid of plastic bags like this tax, but some disagree. The main question is, is it really the govern-ment’s job to be regulating something as mundane as plastic bags?

Rick Joyner, History Department Chair, said that going green as a government could be good or bad. He said that it could, “make us better stewards of our resources,” and, “has the potential to make energy more available for most people.” On the downside, it could cause, “more government regulation to ensure it is happening has the potential for abuses and corrup-tions.”

Joyner said concerning the country going green as a whole, “The sooner we do it [go green as a country] the better.”

Sarah Witt, staff wrtier

11Current

LED MOVEMENTwhat are LED’s?

LED stands for Light Emmiting Diode. An LED is a translucent plastic bulb with two wires sticking out of the bottom. LEDs come in many colors, including infared, and emit light when put a voltage accross their leads in the right direction. LEDs are great light source because they are tough, light up instantly, and require relatively low current. Since they are diodes, they pass current only in one direction, from anode to cathode. (source: http://web.mit.edu/rec/www/workshop/LED.html)

How are you helping the world?

Over a hundred years ago, Thomas Edison invented the first light bulb. Today, people still use the same incandescent lights.

However, technological advances are causing people to change from incandescent lights to

Light Emitting Diodes (LED).LED lights are controlled by a solid state process called

“electroluminescence”, which is defined by Dictionary.com “the direct conversion of electric energy to light by a solid phosphor subjected to an alternating electric field.”

According to the Center on Globalization Governance and Competiveness (CGGC), LED lights are greener and more efficient than incandescent lights. LED lights are more durable, brighter, whiter and energy efficient. They also last longer and do not contain mercury.

Electricity costs are reduced by almost 80% or more when using LED’s. They are also solid, meaning they hold up well under pressure. LED lights last ten to fifteen times longer than the incandescent lights.

The problem preventing many people from using LED’s is the cost. However, the cost is actually recouped overtime in battery savings.

Peter McDonough,tech specialist, said that Bear Creek has not completely switched over to LED’s, but he hopes to see them used more in the future.

One example, of LED technology at Bear Creek, is the lighting equipment in the drama department.

The play Macbeth, recently performed by drama students in January, used torches and a fire special effect that relied on LED’s.

“With the ratio of high light output to low current draw, these effects are often battery operated”, said McDonough, “we are looking into the purchase of several LED lighting instruments that would allow us to paint the stage with a larger palette of color.”

The drama department is currently using sixteen lights that draw 500 watts each, which are used to produce the red and blue colors that “paint the stage”.

“With the latest LED lights, the color palette is in the hundreds and they only draw three watts each”, said McDonough.

LED lights are also being used in the “rope lights” that look just like outdoor Christmas lights, which are used backstage in the Commons. Since there is no light backstage during scene changes, the rope lights are used to illuminate walkways for the actors.

Scientists believe that we are currently going through an important historic movement with LED lights. As technology improves, we will see LED lights become more common, showing up in traffic signs, TV monitors, brake lights and maybe even in the classroom.

“...I’m going to go into nursing and help people.”

Chelsea baker

“...I don’t think my actions have an effect on the world as a whole, but I try to be a nice guy and help out people if I see they need it.”

robert rosskira GeiGer

“...I try to help the world by doing what I can, to give back to community around me”

saM ronGve

Hannah Kwon, staff wrtier

“...every-week I volunteerat seattle’s Union Gospel Mission with kids who only have one parent and probably grew up homeless on street.”

v

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Feature

greenplaces to try

Vegetarianism and veganism are growing in popularity, recently, as people become more concerned about themselves and their environment. They have grown hand-in-hand with the green movement. As people look for ways to be more environmentally conscious, they are turning to vegetarianism as a way to help the planet. Veganism is the more hardcore form of vegetarianism. Instead of simply eliminating animals from meals, vegans refuse to use any animal bi-products at all. This means no leather jackets, scrambled eggs or anything else that was once part of an animal. Most people choose go vegan for ethical, moral or spiritual reasons. It is generally because they have a strong belief against any violence towards animals. Vegetarianism is simply more focused on plants and the avoidance of meat itself. In some cases animal products are still alright. There are many sub-genres of vegetarianism, such as pescetarianism, which allows for the consumption of fish but not other meat. Brian Matson, senior, chose to become vegan “because of the horrible slaughter practices and because I believe that all life is valuable and that we have no right to breed and torture just so that we can have cheap meat.” He also links veganism to being more environmentally-friendly, saying that “slaughterhouses produce more greenhouse gases than thousands of SUVs due to the insanitary conditions.” It is commonly believed that veganism can actually be rather

dangerous, rather than healthy for people. The lack of meat products can make it difficult for vegans to get their protein. It is a demanding lifestyle choice that requires lots of meal planning in order to get the proper amount of nutrition. But did this phase Brian Matson? “I have no regrets really, I feel better both mentally and physically.” Yet, being a vegan has other challenges, “The only thing I have to deal with is criticism from others.” Donald Watson created the term “vegan” and also founded the Vegan Society. The Vegan Society officially defines veganism as “a philosophy and way of living which seeks to exclude — as far as is possible and practical — all forms of exploitation of, and cruelty to, animals for food, clothing or any other purpose; and by extension, promotes the development and use of animal-free alternatives for the benefit of humans, animals and the environment. In dietary terms it denotes the practice of dispensing with all products derived wholly or partly from animals.” The vegan website vegan.org is an extensive resource that lists alternatives for many things in life that meet the vegan guidelines. For example they link to stores that sell inexpensive vegan shoes. They also list various vegan recipes. Being a vegan is no easy task, and not everyone is able to deal with the lifestyle changes. It’s not something that will appeal to most people, but for the dedicated few, it’s incredibly rewarding.

Play at the park.Washington isn’t called the ‘Evergreen State’ for nothing. Take advantage of the abundance of trees - and parks - and hang out at one of your 180 local green sanctuaries. Many found over break that Marymoor is the perfect place to practice sports, picnic with your sweetheart, relax, or run amuck. For students, the practically free* venue of King County’s 180 parks Other green environments to try are suggested below.

Shop at a market - take a drive up to Fall City and enjoy the market along the riverside.

Sit at the waterfront.Shop or stroll along the Kirkland waterfront. There are lots of nice places to eat and shop. In the absence of Ben & Jerry’s, try the ceFiore fro-yo around the corner from the cigar store.

Veggietales

1.

2. *Don’t forget to pay $1

for Marymoor parking!

They will catch you.3.

Ryan Baldwin, Staff Writer

Bear Creek’s One and Only

Vegan Tells His Story.

13Current

King County today provides some of the cleanest tap water in the country due to naturally pure water and high quality filtration processes. Despite the quality of tap water, bottled water continues to sell in large quantities. The South Tolt River Watershed and the Cedar River Watershed supplies almost all of King County’s drinking water. The water is then sent to be tested for contaminants and treated by Seattle Public Utilities. “The water is tested up to 50 times a day for bacteria, metals, and chemical contaminants both before and after it goes into the treatment facility,” according to the 2009 Woodinville Water Quality Report, “the treatment process for the Tolt includes: ozonation (removes metals and bacteria), coagulation (removal of waste particles), flocculation (removal of sediment from a solution), filtration, chlorination, fluoridation and corrosion control treatment.” Bottled water which is labeled “purified,” or tap, undergoes several treatments that differ from tap water treatment, including distillation (water is vaporized to remove larger minerals), reverse osmosis (water is forced through membranes to remove minerals in water), and absolute one micron filtration (water flows through filters that remove particles larger than one micron size). The treatment in tap water is no more beneficial than the treatment of bottled water. Yale University School of Medicine’s Dr. Stephen Edberg told ABC News that “bottled water is no better for you than tap, I wouldn’t argue that it’s safer or not safer.” “Many scientists have run tests and have consistently found that tap water is as good for you as bottled water,” according to ABC news. Although the quality of tap and bottled water show minute differences there are differences in additives. Fluoride is added to most tap water in the United States in order to promote dental health. Most bottle water does not contain Fluoride, although there are some brands that add it. Packaged water tends to have added minerals such as sodium bicarbonate and sodium sulfate to enhance taste, which tap water lacks. “Consumer perceptions matter, and consumers regard bottled water very differently from tap water,” said John Rodwan, Jr. in the Bottled Water Reporter and Statistics of 2008. “Many people prefer bottled water, which they regard as superior taste.” Many people also drink bottled water because of its convenience like at sporting events where there is no accessible water or a way to refill personal water bottles. A pack of water in the car comes in handy when on the road for long periods of time. Or say one forgot their reusable water bottle at home - just grab a disposable one at the store, from the vending machine, or the cafeteria. “Bottled water reflects our times by highlighting the need for convenience among busy, on-the-go Americans,” said Rodwan. At Bear Creek, the cafeteria offers Arrowhead water bottles for $1 each. The kitchen receives one shipment a week of four water cases, totaling 140 water bottles a week, according to Chef DeYoung. “I buy one a day, but I refill it all day,” said juniors, Maddie Easley and Shannon Walsh. “I buy them, like, three times a week” said junior, Brady Mauer. Many students do not purchase water bottles from the cafeteria, they carry reusable bottles. “I buy absolutely none because they are so overpriced, I bring my own water bottle,” said senior Ben Brudnicki. “I buy zero because I carry my own water bottle,” said senior Andrew Tilton. Even though people are switching to personal water bottles, packaged water continues to sell out. According to a study by Beverage Marketing Corporation, the consumption of bottled water has risen from 13.5 gallons per capita in 1997 to 29 gallons per capita in 2007. “Bottled water achieved its growth by luring consumers away from packaged beverages perceived as less healthy than bottled water,” said Rodwan in the Bottled Water Reporter. Someone who is out to stop the growth of the bottled water industry is former Seattle mayor, Greg Nickels. In March of 2008, he announced that the city offices would stop buying bottled water in an effort to get Seattleites to stop purchasing bottled water and drink Seattle’s pristine tap water . Seattle goes through about 354,000 pint bottles of water each day, which equals about 41,000 barrels of oil, according to the Seattle Times. Almost a year later in 2009, investigative reporter Chris Halsne from Kiro 7 found that the water bottle ban was being “plagued by delays” and not being enforced in the offices. The investigation team found that Seattle city departments bought around “$55,000 in bottled water in the 12 months following Nickels’ public edict.” This is a slight decrease from 2007 but it is not enough to consider it a ban. Banning the use of bottled water has shown to be ineffective, people must make the decision to change on their own.

Bottle vs. Tap Adelaide Tillinghast, Staff Writer

Seattle tap water some of the cleanest in the country, discourages use of bottle water.

14 Current

Opinion

SustainabilityKelly Saulsbury & Camille DeYoung, Contributing Writers

Meeting the needs of the present without compromising future generations

Why We, Chef DeYoung and K Saulsbury, believe that as Christians we have a responsibility to be good stewards of our gifts and we try to set good examples in our operations at BC. However, in our recent conversations together, it seems apparent that the school community is not fully aware of the volume of garbage that is being sent to landfills. Regardless of how any one person feels about global warming, as a Christian school we have an opportunity to be Christ’s stewards in our community. We have taken it upon ourselves to promote sustainable products wherever possible, but we have reached a point where these efforts need to be further supported by the entire community.

In the recent State of the Union speech, President Obama said “I know that there are those who disagree with the overwhelming scientific evidence on climate change. But even if you doubt the evidence, providing incentives for energy efficiency and clean energy are the right thing to do for our future – because the nation that leads the clean energy economy will be the nation that leads the global economy. And America must be that nation. “

Similarly, students must recognize that the world is going green. Even if we do not want to participate personally, we need to be aware of the issues so we can make informed decisions. Garbage is one way that everyone can easily make a difference.

What Garbage from the school is hauled off in three different trucks; recycling, compost and landfill. Unfortunately, the landfill is still the largest volume of the three with 16 cubic yards as compared to 8 yds of recycling and 2 yds of compost. What is the school’s garbage made up of? The vast majority of classroom waste is paper, but we do a pretty good job of recycling that and if writing paper and cardboard are recycled, what else is there? The lunchroom generates a lot of garbage. Chef DeYoung has shifted from disposable containers and forks to either reusable utensils or all biodegradable containers. This only works if students support the effort. Thanks primarily to the student’s efforts in sorting out the trash as they leave the Commons; we have reduced the volume of landfill waste from 12 to 16 bags a day down to two or three. The next biggest volume comes from the paper towels, which are now compostable, so we recently put up signs in the restrooms to ask people not to use the large cans in the restrooms for their non compostable garbage. That leaves us with the miscellaneous items such as foil wrappers, some plastics (like bottle caps), cloth and items made up of multiple components like pens, and binders. We will always have some landfill trash but should the ratio really be 16 to 10?

HowThe faculty and staff are willing to continue to develop ways to reach our goals, but we cannot make this work without the support of the students. We want to know what the students think our goals should be.

Suggested Goals 1-Educate everyone about the choices they are making and get 100 % commitment to not contaminate the efforts of those who support conservation.2-Shift our ratio of landfill trash vs “green” trash from 16-10 to 10-16 or better

15Current

This article concerns itself with which is more valuable: the pursuit of human life, or the pursuit of animal life. If you go and visit the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, it’s full of sympathetic pictures and article headings like, “Save the seals, animals are not ours to abuse in any way, help end animal homelessness.”

It is a common mistake to look at these problems and think that they must be fixed, without considering what would be sacrificed in order to achieve such goals.

Imagine changing the word “animals” to people: “save the people, people are not ours to abuse in any way, help end people’s homelessness.” As real as these animal problems are, there are also problems that occur to humanity. Look at the abuse of people in countries like North Korea and Sudan. Just as there are homeless and abused animals, there are people who suffer. Since people are more important, money should be used in helping people first and foremost.

PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) has an annual budget of $32 million. That kind of money should be used to help starving children in Africa. According to UNICEF (United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund), 25,000 children die each day as a result of poverty. The average person a third world country gets by with a dollar a day, according to stophungernow.org. PETA’s budget money should be used to help some of these kids. The lives of human beings should be first priority.

PETA president and co-founder Ingrid Newkirk said, “Even if animal research resulted in a cure for AIDS, we’d be against it.” One of the biggest concern for animal rights activists is the issue of animal experimentation.

However, when animal life is sacrificed for research that may help stop things like AIDS, cancer, birth defects or other deadly diseases (animals are currently used for research on these subjects), then it is appropriate to use animals for the benefit of humanity.

Let’s draw this back into a Christian perspective. Look back to the story of Noah and the Ark, looking at God’s instructions, it seems obvious that He valued the lives of the animals. So obviously God himself does find value in animals, but not as much as people, because humans are created in the image of God. The other creatures are still a part of His creation, but only man was specifically created as his image bearer.

In an ideal world it would be great to have people in perfect health, on a perfect earth, where all of God’s creation is perfectly preserved. Unfortunately, on a pragmatic level, none of those things are possible as a result of the fall.

So ultimately, so it cannot be said that animals are important, and that therefore we should treat them ethically. Rather this: animals are important, but people are more important, so in a world where people are not ethically treated, it should be the primary concern to have a people for the ethical treatment of people.

I think peeing is the easiest way possible to help the environment. This is no joke. Nippon Airways of Japan, has literally asked the passengers to use the restroom before the flight. The airline apparently believes that peeing before the flight empties bladders, and the empty bladders will make the passengers lighter. In conclusion, the lighter passenger will save fuel use, resulting in fewer carbon emissions.

Nippon officials are anticipating a five-ton reduction in carbon emissions after 30 days of “potty policy”, according to Salvo Magazine.

If the human bladder has a capacity of 15 ounces, and there are 150 passengers who have not peed before the flight, there will be an additional 63.7 kilograms to the plane’s weight.

Nippon will experiment the potty policy for one month, and will extend the policy if it is beneficial enough. Many airlines are recognizing this interesting experiment, and one day, we all may be told to go to the bathroom someday.

Hannah Kwon,Staff Writer

P E E FOR

GREEN

“Even if animal research resulted in a cure for AIDS, we’d be against it”

-PETA president and co-founder, Ingrid Newkirk

Michael Chang, Staff Writer

P.E.T.A People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals

People who Eat Tasty Animals

Congratulations!!Boys Varsity...

Congrats to the Varsity Boys team who is going to play in the State Championships

next week!Come cheer them on Saturday at

6:15 at Chief LeschiGirls Varsity...

is playing - and needs your support - on Friday. Also on Saturday at 1:15 at Chief Leschi

Sign up for the Rooter Bus and come support the Team!

Kyle Blankenbeckler, 12

Tajel Mehta, 12