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.

Keeping It Green!

While we were diving into our world of biodiesel, we recieved a lovely letter from a couple of reporters who wanted to come check out our program. Will King and Gary Peterson from the Centre of Green Studies had driven to Key West from Islamorada to take a look at our accomplishments; and it seemed they found them rather interesting. After showing our guests around the biodiesel lab and the wind turbine, Mr. King and Mr. Peterson returned to Islamorada with a story to share. About a week after the visit, Steve Zebold, with the organization, contacted us requesting information on our projects and students in the 5th/6th period. Over the following weeks, the emails flew back and forth and a star was born! Our class is now promoted on the Centre for Green Studies site. It can viewed at the following address:
http://centerforgreenstudies.org/index.html

Thank you to Will King, Steve Zebold, and Gary Peterson for their time and publicity that they shared with the Key West High School Alternative Energy Center. We hope to see you soon!