Eight Green Thumbs

1st and 2nd period biodiesel is going strong.

Projects are finishing up, and some are completely done, like the planter box team.

The planter box team after a hard day's work.
From left to right: Jack Lockwood, Kelsey Lanier, Logan Hunt, and Mary Ryan

Yesterday, they spent all day (excused from their other classes and making up their missed work, of course) replanting the foilage outside. They planted 3 brand new palm trees to provide more shade for the building, and about 100 flowers in the remaining boxes. The flower boxes also happen to be the ones that the team rebuilt and repaired, after a car hit and destroyed them in the summer. The team worked extremely hard and the result definitely demonstrates so. Below are some shots of their finished products.



The finished product. Beautiful, isn't it?

They are also finishing up another project, which is a different planter box that resides under an AC unit. The idea is to get the water that drips out of the unit and connect it to a hose that will irrigate the planter box near it. The plants will provide shade for the other building near ours, where the planter box is located. It is built out of concrete, and the team sealed it to ensure no water would leak out. Their main issue right now is figuring out how to get the water from one place to the next, while also watering all of the plants, not just a portion.

The other planter box and the AC unit.

Keep up the good work, bio-nauts!

And keep checking back to see our progress!

UPDATE!

We promised to keep you updated, and we promise to keep that promise. As long as you keep reading, we'll keep filling you in. Here's what's happening in first and second period biodiesel:

Each project just keeps progressing. No one team is stuck at a standstill.

The car team is continuing their sanding efforts in order to repaint the car. They are almost finished and the paint colors are still being decided on.

The "aquaponics" team is a new addition to the biodiesel classroom. It is a combination of the roof team (model of the solar roof) and the hydroponics team, who was interested in creating an all natural ways of hydroponics.

The paint crew is finishing up their murals around the classroom. Right outside, they have repainted the base of a power converter that was covered in graffiti. They are planning another mural for one of the inside walls that desperately needs repainting.

The planter-box team is going strong. They're replanting, rebuilding, and relieving the classroom of its hideous foilage. They've fertilized the soil and prepared it for the new addition of plants. They are very excited about the actual planting, which is happening within the next couple days.

Let us not forget about the biodiesel...

Every student in 1st and 2nd period biodiesel has COMPLETED their biodiesel productions!





We will soon be dumping all of the classes' biodiesel together in our storage tanks. The tanks have spouts to distribute the biodiesel when necessary, example being when the car needs fuel.  



Keep checking back to see our progress.

We appreciate your support and growing interest in our program!

Biodiesel with Devonna

Hi everyone my name is Devonna. I am a senior at Key West High school. I take biodiesel 6th period with Mr. Clearman, and I really enjoy this class. Although I have been in this class for a couple weeks, I have already made my own Biodiesel. To become more aquainted with the class, I'll be doing a blog for each project that's underway. I've been told that this class is very interesting. I'm very excited to report to you guys on what we're up to.

The Car Team

The car team is a very interesting one, to say the least...

 It consists of James Gilleran, Brandon Cyr, Brandon Young, T.J. Gerich and Megan Michaud.

 

James Gilleran- The lazy biodiesel dynamo. The kid's got smarts; genuine knowledge of all things mechanical.We are glad to have him to lead the way.

Brandon Cyr- Ah, Cyr. His main job is to sand the old paint off the car, and hear you me, he is a sanding God. When he's not sanding away, he's entertaining the people around him.

 

Brandon Young- The other Brandon. Unlike his humorous couterpart, Young is always working hard. He helps with the sanding, the engine, the stereo, and the interior. He can do it all. Wherever they need him, he's there. He was also the donor of the speakers for the car's sound system. Don't be fooled, he is not all business. Young has his very silly moments, as well.

T.J. Gerich- Gerich is the king of goofing off, but in the end, he gets the job done. He was adament about putting the sound system in the car, and just two days ago, he finished it. Not only will the car look good, but it will sound good, as well. Thanks T.J.!

Megan Michaud- The only girl on the car team, but don't feel so sorry yet, Michaud can hold her own. Not only is she an intense bio-naut, she often outshines the guys in her mechanical skills. Girl power!

NOTE: Each of the memebers of the car team were among the first to finish their biodiesel productions.

They work day in and day out fixing up our 1985 Mercedes that runs soley on biodiesel. They've taken apart the engine, painted its components, repaired the interior, and even added a sound system. As of right now, the team is preparing the car for a "re-paint" job. It was painted back in 2008 when we first got it, but the paint is fading and chipping. It looks rough.

The painted engine.

The polsihed interior.



The speakers that "bring the noise".



The car, mid-sand.

The team works with our local NAPA store, and they have been very helpful. We are so greatful for all of their tips and assitance with one of the most important aspects of our class. Soon we will be doing a profile soley on our NAPA friends. Keep checking back to learn about the people who have given us a ton of help.

Black and white: it's not just about the roofs

Lops Nicolas:

silent, but with quiet, deadly humor.

Jeremiah Reed:

vocal, analytic, opinionated, clever. 

 Although they are very different,

together these bio-nauts are off the charts.

Their smarts and drive to succeed are what Biodiesel is all about. Lops and Jeremiah were also among the first people to finish their biodiesel products, and dove right into their project shortly after. Here's the deal: Jeremiah had an idea for a solar-conscious, energy-saving, beast of an idea. Upon hearing his idea, Lops jumped right in and was ready to go. The project deals with "black body radiation", which is the concept that the sun absorbs and radiates more effectively into black skin, paint, etc. Example: When working outside in the heat, a white shirt would be more effective because the white doesn't absorb heat as well. When coming inside after working outside, black would be better because it radiates the heat better. They are currently building a model to explain their idea. It works like this: they say a white roof deflects the sun away from a building during the day, but then it makes the building warmer in the evening because the heat doesn't radiate as well. Jeremiah thought, "What if we built an angled roof so that in the daytime it would be white and deflect the sun away from the building, and turn black at night to cool the buidling down?". Clearman was enthralled with the concept and with that, Lops joined the team and the two have been working nonstop.  

For their model, they are using recycled wood from the Freshman's homecoming float (above) and building it to be a miniature model of the real deal. Their idea is a key concept in quantum mechanics and they are learning about the infinite advantages of solar efficiency.

Let's hear it for the future of solar savings!

Upcoming Topics

Here in fifth and sixth period biodiesel, our students are working hard on our environmentaly-friendly projects. However, how much do you know about these students? Starting this week, I will be posting a series of blogs talking about our wonderful students and the green studies they are participating in. Each day a new project with a description of said project and a profile on each student will be posted. The series will start out with our green-house project, where Dana Pontello, Bianca Almero, and Jeff Cassel are renovating the run-down green-house from out back. Stay tuned for more biodiesel fun!

Fields and Meadows...

Continuing with the student profiles,

this is Arielle Campo.

...also known as "Fields and Meadows".

Clearman pointed out that the name derives from the Spanish word "campo" which is a field or a meadow in English. Bueno. Arielle is an extremely motivated student. Not only is she the first to complete the biodiesel-making process, she is working hard with another group of students to repaint the outside areas of the classroom with wonderful murals. She is also a partial blogger who frequently brings new ideas and interesting subjects to post. She is truly talented and her humor and wit usually keeps the class laughing. Keep up the good work, "Fields and Meadows"; we're proud!

Campo's finished biodiesel product.

Part of the mural Campo worked on. It is where we store our biodiesel. Marvelous, huh?

So, who's in Biodiesel?

You see the pictures, read about the projects, and become inspired by the group of bio-nauts, but who are they exactly? There are approximately 45 students in the KWHS Biodiesel program and we want you to see each and every one of us as individuals. We each have our own set of ideas, tasks and interests for the KWHS Energy Center, and we want you to have insight to each of us.

First up, Jack Lockwood.

Mr. Lockwood is in the first and second period Biodiesel class and let's just say, he's a beast. Jack has gotten two $1,000 donations from anonymous sources and is continuing to look for more. His main goals? To get money for our classroom and restore the planter boxes. The plants are dead and provide no shade for the building. He and his team are rebulding and repainting the boxes and planting beautiful palm trees in place of the desolate foilage. Seriously, it's surprising they're even somewhat alive. He's also building a concrete block planter box with his team under one of the air conditioning vents to catch the water leaking out and reduce its waste. Jack is an asset to the class and we hope he continues with his ambitious ways!



An example of the beautiful trees Jack and his team will be replacing with the dead plants (shown below).





The concrete planter box Jack and his team are building.



Useful Resource or Endless Shaking?

Ahh, biodiesel. The chemical we all love. With its reduction of system wear in diesel engines, vegetable-oil base, and better-for-the-environment properties, we would think that it would be a privelage and/or honor to contribute in making this glorious resourceful substance. Right? Wrong.
Biodiesel may be a wonderful energy substitute, but my arms have never been so sore. Between the mixing, shaking, and filtrating, this chemical has run its course with my last nerve. The rarity of this substance is no longer a mystery.
The Process:
1. You take a two-liter bottle.
2. You fill said bottle, half-way, with oil.
3. You mix methanol and potasium-hydroxide into a beaker and mix until it changes colors.
4. Add mixture to oil.
5. SHAKESHAKESHAKESHAKESHAKESHAKE!!
6. Spray water into the bottle about 1000000001 times.
7. Drain water from bottom.
8. Repeat step 7 and 8 about 5 times.
9. Spray 100 sprays of vinegar once in a while.
10. SHAKESHAKESHAKESHAKESHAKESHAKE!!
11. Sit bottle in the sun.
And then after awhile..

Eureka! You should have biodiesel.

Unfortunately, these steps are a little more complicated. Do not try this at home.
And even when working in a Biodiesel Lab, you come up with this..

Do you know what this is? Yeah, I'm not too sure either. Now, this bottle has A LOT more shaking to do.
Thank goodness it's not mine!

A Warm-Hearted Thank-You!

From all of our students and staff at the Key West High School Alternative Energy Center, we would like to thank the person/people who made the generous, yet anonymous, donation to our program. Your support is appreciated and the funds will go directly towards our biodiesel projects. Most of these funds are allocated to beautifying outside areas. For example, planting flowers and large trees to shade our buildings and such. Funds also go towards safety equipment for the beautifying process as well as our chemical experiments when working with hazardous materials.

Thank you again for the generous donation.

If anyone has any questions on how to make a donation contact Josh Clearman at: josh.clearman@keysschools.com

Ever have that feeling that you're being watched?

While cleaning out the green house, that our lovely students are rebuilding, Mr. Clearman decided to point out that we had an unexpected visitor hiding out in our classroom, watching our students at work.

He wasn't destructive, nor did he bother us, he kept to himself and watched as our students continued their work; that was, until they wanted to see if our new buddy was real or not. The students got an enormous reality check when our Hazmat pro, Joey Mercurio attempted to grab the iguana and it charged in the opposite direction.

Apparently Glynn Archer did not like the fact that the iguana was in fact "real."

Joey did in fact catch our green-skinned visitor, and set him free into the wild.
No iguanas were harmed in the making of this blog.