Environment | Blogs
Thursday, October 13, 2011
Why Do Leaves Change Colors?
We had a spectacular fall weekend here in Chicago with warm weather and the leaves just beginning to turn color. It made us think about why leaves change colors.
During Spring and Summer, leaves are green because of chlorophyll. Chlorophyll is used in photosynthesis - the process by which plants obtain energy from light. The chlorophyll captures the light and uses the energy with water and carbon dioxide to form sugars. The sugars provide the energy to the plants to grow.
The light chlorophyll absorbs is in the blue and red portion of the electromagnetic spectrum. Since red and blue are being absorbed, they are not seen as...
Saturday, March 26, 2011
Earth Hour Tonight – Does It Matter?
Today from 8:30 – 9:30 pm local time is Earth Hour when everyone is encouraged to turn off non-essential appliances that use power. To participate, we can turn off lights and televisions. The point of Earth Hour is to “take a stand against climate change” according to Earth Hour organizers. In 2010, 128 countries participated in Earth Hour and landmarks such as the Eiffel Tower, the Sidney Harbor Bridge, the Empire State Building, and the Golden Gate Bridge all went dark. This is a link to pictures from this years’ (2011) Earth Hour (remember Asia is 12+ hours ahead of the US, so they already have pictures to share...
