Endangered Species

We are just starting our endangered species project. A fairly simple (ish) list is available here to help you get a few ideas. The information sheet is given out at school, it is also available on our geography website available at the moment via the Bushloe Website holding page, just click on the geography minisite link and select the homework page. Ideal for those of you who lose it or for parents to have a look.

Also the Wombat is back to remind us that everything is connected. This is an important theme to explore when doing your project, particularly when thinking about the impact of humans on animal and plant habitat.

Environmental Issues

A few more Environmental Issues to get us started on this topic courtesy of the Animals Save the Planet people.

Environmental Issues

Year 7 will be starting their studies of Environmental Issues. Here is a quick film to get us started.

The first Eco club tree is planted.

For those who followed the disasterous adventures of Mr Notleys tree "Twiggy" and the slightly less dire tales of "Twiggy II" will be pleased to hear that "Twiggy III" is now safely growing in our grounds. Twiggy III - like its predecessors is an Oak tree and was kindly donated by the family of a Year 6 student.

Napoli update.

Salvage experts in charge of the recovery of the MSC Napoli, grounded off Lyme Bay in Devon, are planning to remove the ship from the coast.

Mr Middleton, the secretary of state's representative in maritime salvage and intervention said "It will be a case of trying to work out the best methodology, whether we cut her in two or whether we refloat her as she is. But she will be removed."

Follow this story with the BBC here

Local Cooling

This could be a project for the weekend. In year 7 we have been thinking about ways we can save energy. One way is to optimise the energy settings on your computer. Sadly this can be a bit tricky and you will never know if you are really saving energy. Now by downloading the software from this site it will do it for you and then it will tell you just how much energy you have saved (some geographers have been using global cooling for some time). Of course you could always just switch the computer off.

Bushloe gets the green fingered touch!

Some of you may have noticed that the landscape around Bushloe has recently begun to sprout new plants and trees at an alarming rate! Don't worry, this is not some freak result of global warming but the latest additions to our landscaping, including planting of outdoor teaching areas a sensory garden and borders. Want to know more? Check out the plan on the Eco-club notice board outside Rooms 12 and 13.

Year 7: Global Warming Again

Hardly a day seems to go by without a mention of Global Warming in the media. Today though a very important report on the issue came out. It is supported by 2500 scientists and 100 countries. Even though it takes a cautious approach it still forecasts at least a 3 degree rise in temperatures by the end of the century and says it is now very likely the warming is due to human behaviour. Read more about the report and what the predictions are by clicking here. Why not come along to Eco Club next week or think about the sorts of things you could do to help this issue or just learn more about what Global Warming is about. The image above by the way shows Europe from space at night, perhaps worth reflecting upon how much CO2 is released to keep all those lights going while we are asleep?

It's the World, but not as we know it!!

The map above was taken from the Worldmapper web site. On this site you can see many images of the World distorted to show information. The example above is of World Population and each country is the correct size for its populaton rather than its land area. Can you see any surprises? Perhaps you can explore the site and send us comments back on what catches your attention.

Stricken cargo ship run aground

The MSC Napoli cargo ship has been run aground in Lyme bay in Devon after being damaged in last weeks storms. Coastguards and anti-pollution teams are on alert after the ship carrying potentially dangerous chemicals was beached off the "World Heritage site" Jurassic coast.
The ship is carrying almost 2,400 containers, about 150 of which are said to hold hazardous chemical substances.
For Year 8 this may be particularly significant as it is very close to the site for the Exmouth Camp.

For further updates link here to the BBC News

New coastline for Dubai

This image comes from Google Earth and shows the incredible new developments along the Dubai coastline. Can you spot Palm 1 and the larger Palm 2 developments?
How did they get their names and what impact could this have on the eco system?
P.S. Anyone spot a more familiar shape in the development to the right of the picture?

Year 7: Endangered Species Project

It is time to start your Endangered Species Project. Full details of what you need to do can be found here. You need to think up your enquiry questions first, remember to relate these to the title of your project. Next you need to choose your endangered animal, a good starting point for this can be found here. Start your research now as we have limited time to complete the work. Remember the points we covered in class about researching using the internet and remember to say where your information comes from and include lots of geographical skills.