Happy Trumpet
Established October, 2022 Fall/Winter 2023-2024
Keep Club Official 3rd Edition ____________________________________________________________________________________________________
WRITTEN BY: FRANCESCO M. CARRATELLI, ADEN HOCHBERG, NOAM K. KASHER, WILLIAM DELUCIA, ELAD ALTER, DANIEL KHATCHATRIAN & COLEMAN COOK.
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Sea shepherd… the future of the sea
Sources: Amazon Prime (Italy) Documentary called “I Guardiani del Mare” , Greenpeace video, WWF & National Geographic.
By Francesco Malcolm Carratelli
Edited by: Aden Hochberg & Nam Dahn
When you hear the word overfishing, what do you think? I imagine that drastic thoughts come up in your mind if you have an idea of what overfishing is; in my mind, these thoughts about this topic are very sad. Thank goodness that Sea Shepherd exists! Sea Shepherd is a worldwide association that stops illegal fishing, which is making a big wave in the seven seas.
Before I begin this article of good news, I will briefly summarize overfishing. Overfishing is when industries provide seafood to the people around the world but are eliminating more fish than needed and wasting countless lives of the poor sea life and their ecosystems. If this continues not only will there be no more fish in the sea, but no animals including humans will feed on sea life. This is the destruction of our ecosystem, the ecosystem of all animals, plants, and humans. But… there is still hope.
The good news is that these volunteers at Sea Shepherd track down illegal fishing, collaborate with the government (who will make them stop doing illegal fishing), all while documenting the fishing to show the world the truth! For them to be successful in catching illegal fishing companies they have to stay alert and be lurking at night. This organization makes a big positive difference on the ecosystem of the area which they save. The Sea Shepherd organization is also featured in lots of documentaries including the one that I got most of my information from called: I Guardiani Del Mare, which is on the Italian Prime Video and got featured in the Venice Film Festival (2022).
Sea Shepherd is also picking up FADs (Fish Aggregating Device), which is a bug thing. A FAD is one of the most harmful pieces of equipment used to fish sea life. The Fish Aggregating Device is used to attract fish, and when there are lots of fish and sea life attracted, they all get escorted up to the surface. Loads of those fish are not supposed to be fished, risking species extinction, fish that are too young, and also when too many fish get caught all of the unwanted sea life gets wasted and thrown back to the sea… but dead. And if you were wondering, yes, most FAD’s are illegal. One of the most incredible things that Sea Shepherd does is that they take out FAD’s from the water. All of the plastic that the Italian Sea Shepherd collects gets recycled by a company from Veneto (a region in Italy) called Milani, that will turn all of the plastic into cloth! If a fisher’s plastic net or a FAD fails and goes to the bottom of the ocean, it continues to kill lots of fish. This fact is not only bad for the environment, because of the amount of wasted sea creatures’ lives, but it is also doing harm to the fishing community because if they are killing more fish then needed, fishers will not make money from fishing in the future. Sustainable fishing uses special nets that are designed to catch one specific type of fish; obviously sometimes other types of fish get caught in the net, but this happens less often; and if this happens they don’t let the poor fish go to waste. Responsible fishing is the only path to the future of our seas, food, and sea job employment.
As there are lots of working aspects of this job there are a lot of other things that they have to face. Being prepared with the clothing you bring, and if some are a big meat eater, all of the meals are vegan. Though there are big risks, some people in the fishing industry don’t like their work, and the crew could be assaulted by them. There are lots of positive things about being in this association. One of them is that there is a very open minded community and they can say “I am helping sea life, our environment, and making bigger the chances of survival of humankind!”. There is a lot of courage involved and empathy too! The last thing I’m going to say is about how this organization is growing, there are 1500 volunteers protecting the Mediterranean Sea with Sea Shepherd. This amazing organization was founded in 1977 by a Canadian named Paul Watson.In conclusion I think that Sea Shepherd is a little bit like Einstein, he opened up the eyes of the world with science, while Sea Shepherd opens up eyes on the true story of the fishing industry.
Don’t forget to listen to the interview I did with Fabio Caccin, a Sea Shepherd crew member who is also my second cousin!
You can find the interview on the Interviews page!
And I you want to learn more about Sea Shepherd here is a link to their website: https://www.seashepherdglobal.org/
Tell Whole Foods:
Feed Us Food - Not Plastic!
Scrap the Plastic Caps
Article from K.E.E.P. Club Flyer
Petition can be found here
Everyone, your attention is needed. The K.E.E.P. Club has noticed that so many of Whole Foods’ products have plastic caps on them. So members from The K.E.E.P. Club took action. We created a petition called “Scrap the Cap”. Our goal is to have Whole Foods use an alternative to plastic caps. Now why Whole Foods, and not another supermarket? Well, on the front page of the Whole Foods website, they say, “Our purpose is to nourish people and the planet.” So let’s ask Whole Foods this,
WHY ARE YOU FEEDING US PLASTIC?
The Way of the Earth’s Survival
By: Aden Hochberg (In Third Grade - 2021)
We need to put an emphasis on how much gas powered products are ruining our environment, and fix this problem by replacing these gas items with electricity! This being said, the majority of products and gadgets that are being produced right now are all powered by gas. All the gas powered items that are polluting our planet are ruining the air, the environment, and even humanity! Here are some examples of fossil-fuel consuming products that we use everyday that pollute the air:
Gas Stoves, ovens, and gas grills.
Factories that use non-renewable resources.
Gas cars.
Big buildings.
Etc
Here are some examples of things that we can do to stop this:
Walk or Bike instead of driving.
Build Buildings fossil fuel free.
Reuse plastic containers and bottles.
Use the compost bin and put everything in the right trash container.
Plant! (Without using toxic pesticides.).
Now, I know you might be thinking, “Electric gadgets are so expensive! How would we be able to afford them?” The answer is actually quite simple. If we stop putting so much time and money into mining the fuels that power gas gadgets, and put it into building electric gadgets, they will actively become less expensive. This makes the environment healthier.
Planting is very important to sustain our earth! Plants give us oxygen, which is what we breathe. And once we inhale oxygen, we exhale carbon dioxide which is what plants use to breathe. Since the carbon dioxide helps plants grow, it can reproduce more, which means more oxygen for us to breathe. It’s a perfect cycle, but it only works if people plant!
But if no-one does anything about this, sooner or later, the entire planet will collapse and all of humanity will come to a screeching halt. There are some adults in this world that really have a passion for saving the environment, but I have found so many kids who care so much about this, including me! This is the case because kids recognize that we need the earth for our current generation and adults don’t seem to see this.
Now, electricity won’t solve everything, but it certainly is a step in the right direction. A lot of these electric gadgets would be made out of lithium-ion batteries. Lithium is a nonrenewable resource that is used to make renewable energy, so you are still using something bad for the environment, but much less of it. Electricity can be provided in many ways, so if we could get all the electricity from a renewable source like solar energy, that would be much better for the environment and people than lithium, but using solar for everything is a hard feat to accomplish, so it’s something a little ahead of what we can do right now.
Again, kids are not the only people that can stop this. Adults are preparing us to be the ones taking care of this earth. So they need to help us, as we feel that we are not as big of a factor in setting up our future.
“Extinct” lion spotted in Sena Aurora National
Park in Chad for the first time in 20 years.
By Elad Alter
Source: Euronews
A lion thought to be extinct in Chad’s Sena Aurora National Park has been found. A remote camera spotted a lioness in her prime clearly healthy. In west southern Africa there are only about 1,000 lions left! Because of intense poaching the lion population has decreased by 66%. But this spotting could mean there's more. Because prime female lions usually inhabit places that have prey and space to raise their clubs. Dr Luke Hunter, executive director of the Big Cat Programme says “I'm sure she is not alone”.
Eco Glitter
By Daniel K. and Francesco M. Carratelli Sources: 1, 2 & 3
There is a new fashion and art innovation… biodegradable glitter! One of the best biodegradable glitter was made by Eco Glitter, which is a new company started in the UK; it is doing a lot for the environment. Biodegradable glitter is pretty much better in every way than plastic glitter. 90% of it biodegrades in nature in just 30 days!
Biodegradable glitter is good for all types of arts and crafts, it is non-toxic and can be used on skin (if you put plastic glitter on your skin it could cause rashes and irritations.). Besides crafts, you can also do something fun like add it to your clothes. Biodegradable glitter is plant based and is not tested on animals. Its glue is made out of aloe vera (we think this is cool) which is a plant that is safe for you to use on pretty much anything. Eco glitter passed the American and European compostability standards.
There is another type of eco-friendly glitter called Today Glitter. Today Glitter are the American partners of Eco Glitter. It also helps the environment and is very similar to Eco Glitter. Today Glitter is a way for people who live in the Americas to get environmental glitter easier.
Did you know that plastic glitter never biodegrades and takes hundreds of years just to degrade? Which means it will break down into micro plastics which are really bad for the environment.
So you should use Eco glitter and Today Glitter instead of plastic glitter. If you do, you are contributing to making our world a better and more colorful place.
Dominica: The Climate Resilient Nation
By: Coleman Cook
Sources: BBC, CS Global & Prevention Web
As climate change is growing, the nation of Dominica is fighting back!
Dominica is a country in the Caribbean, which is not the same country as the Dominican Republic, which is a series of islands in the Caribbean. Dominica is a very small island at just 289.6 square miles making it the 21st smallest country in the world, while the Dominican Republic is 18,000 square miles. Dominica was “discovered” in 1492 by Cristoforo Colombo, and it later became a battleground for battles between the British and French until they agreed to abandon it. Nearly 500 years later in 1978, the nation became independent.
Dominica is a country that struggles greatly from climate change, especially after they were struck by two terrible storms in 2015 and 2017. The nation also has the threats of earthquakes, floods, and other natural disasters making the island nearly uninhabitable. But the 70k people living there are trying to keep their homes habitable. Many people think their homes can be saved, but some don’t have the money to leave. Those who stay there long enough will see many changes in the years to come.
Hopefully, Dominica will accomplish their goal of being the world's first climate-resilient nation by the year 2030. The government of Dominica had the idea after the second storm in 2017. The government is now working with its people to achieve its goal so the government and the people will set an example to the world about combating climate change. The way that they hope to achieve this goal is by constructing more sustainable and stronger buildings using eco-friendly materials and sustainable/renewable energy to build and use in the buildings. This will not only help with energy problems but also if another disaster hits, the destruction of buildings and debris caused by the rubble will greatly be reduced.
Dominica, a developing nation facing harsh environmental problems, hopes to make a difference in the world for the better.
How Can Dogs Save the Dying Olive Trees of Italy?
By: Francesco M. Carratelli Source:BBC
Hello everyone! Because I am an Italian boy, I thought this news was interesting… in Puglia (the heel of the Italian peninsula) amongst the olive trees there thrives a type of bacteria called Xylella fastidiosa that kills the olive trees. Luckily, there is an environmentally friendly approach to save these amazing trees, that not only gives us olive oil but also breathable oxygen. This method is that highly trained sniffer dogs detect the bacteria by sniffing the infected trees! It is better than any pesticide!
Let me explain about this deadly bacteria: it slowly chokes the poor olive tree to death. Xylella fastidiosa is spreaded due to an insect called Spittlebug, that bites the leaves of the olive and spreads the Xylella fastidiosa. Most of the olive trees, before their death, were centuries old. Xylella fastidiosa was found in Puglia in 2013, and in such little time it has killed 21 million trees!
Not only do the poor trees die slowly, but while they decompose they emit lots of CO2 (carbon dioxide) in our atmosphere CO2 emissions are one of the main reasons there is climate change and global warming! The European governments have been very worried.
Reading this sad news about dying trees might make you think “this shouldn't be in the Happy Trumpet”! Why did I put this article in here? Because super trained dogs are saving the olive trees and it is better than any pesticide! People have tried to create pesticides against this bacteria, but they failed. However, if a chemical pesticide gets discovered, it would be devastating environmental wise!
Like the Dutch biologist Adee Schoon said, “There are animals that can see a lot more colors than we do. If you take that analogy and use it with dogs, you can see that we are definitely odor-blind compared to dogs.
Specially trained dogs can become super detectors to this disease; but it is difficult, the ENCI (National Body of the Italian Cynophilia) is working with springer spaniels, german shepherds, cocker spaniels, and labradors. These dogs have big noses and wide chests; they can track a scent for hours. This is only if the dog has a certain type of personality. They have to adore play time and like to eat. The dogs that are in training, and the ones already trained, have to receive a prize that he/she (it) would do anything for. After a long day of work/training, the dog will get a certain reward! (Food and/or rubber toy/ball). Another method of training that they use is the procedure of hiding the dog's rubber toy to see if it tracks it. The dogs must find it by memorizing its smell. It not only tests its skill, but also makes them want to stay and work, only if they get their reward. There is the final test for the dogs: five trees are displayed in front of the dog, only one of them is infected by Xylella fastidiosa. Fortebraccio (a dog trainer) tests the dog Ellis, who triumphantly detects the tree infected by Xylella fastidiosa! A small step for the dog but a big step for the survival of olive trees. Like the article says, “No matter where the plant was positioned in the line, both Ellis and Paco could clearly spot and freeze in front of it.”. (Paco is another dog who is saving the olive trees). Once the scientists see that a dog froze and picked up Xylella Fastidiosas’ scent, they will cut the infected tree down, to make sure that Xylella Fastidiosa doesn’t spread to other trees.
Xylella fastidiosa came to Puglia when there was a coffee export from Latin America, and since then the olive trees of Puglia started to die horrible deaths. Now there is finally a solution that can save the olive trees and much less CO2 will enter our atmosphere, but there is still a lot of work to do.Still we will say thanks to our savior… humankind's best friend,
DOGS
Daniel Khatchatrian, Coleman Cook and Francesco M. Carratelli
What would we do without the K.E.E.P. Club?!
Source: Daniel Khatchatrian
Have you ever noticed how much garbage is around your school? Well at the Driscoll School in Brookline, MA, U.S.A., we have a solution… The K.E.E.P. Club!
The K.E.E.P. Club is an environmental group started by 5th grade teacher Francesca Stark. She and the K.E.E.P. Club have done so much for our school and helped it stay clean, but even with that outside our school still has lots of trash. Every Thursday, a part of the K.E.E.P. Club called the litter brigade led by Lis Wolfson goes to pick up trash. They pick up most of the trash around the school by starting from the bird sanctuary which Ms. Stark founded in 2015, which we will talk about later. After they clean up the bird sanctuary which is surprisingly pretty much clean, we clean up the black top which is filled with plastic cups dumped by the after school program. On top of that there is a mini hill and a play area filled with trash. The play area has plants that are heavily tangled by plastic. The mini hill is below the blacktop and it is covered by microplastics.
The Driscoll school grounds have loads of trash all around. There is a tendency of Duncan Donuts remains and Cafe Nero cups, there is loads of junk that the kids throw away. The garbage in the Driscoll grounds is a big problem, but when all seemed lost, the K.E.E.P. Club started. Kids Expect Environmental Protection has been recording and picking up trash all over Driscoll! But what would happen if KEEP didn’t exist, we already have this much trash around the school… (showing picks from the data collecting day). Imagine the restless amount of trash around the school. So in a few years I don’t think that you will be seeing much trash around this school. The school also promoted composting recently, what would be the trash stats is that didn’t happen. We are still at the beginning of this kid-volunteer lead association, and its influence is largely spread all over North Brookline. So in a few years I don’t think that you will be seeing much trash around this school.
After the small description about the K.E.E.P. Club we will actually jump in a description of what we do in the Club. Everybody has a job or a task: Litter Brigade, KIT, Podcast Group, Composting Group, etc.. These jobs have specific purposes to promote an idea or take action on some important topics. As soon as we enter the room Francesca Stark will tell us the agenda of the day, K.E.E.P. events, and the latest environmental news. Then everybody has a snack; usually parents bake homemade goods to bring to the meetings. After that the general meeting is over, but most people stay in the classroom to work on their projects/jobs; this time is the KEEP workspace time. The K.E.E.P. participates in lots of important projects that sometimes involve the government; the latest project is on change.org, it is a petition called Scrap The Cap to make the 365 Wholefoods supermarkets stop producing plastic caps on milk cartons and other products. And please, if you are reading this, at least think of signing this petition. And the most recent project that got completed was the one that made sure that the Dricoll school started composting. For this project they collaborated with other forces. The Club is accessible for Driscoll students from grades 5-8 (fifth year of elementary to the third year of middle school), but for the smaller grades there is K.I.T., (KEEPers In Training), which is a preparation for the K.E.E.P. Club, where stuff gets more serious.
Our school is covered with environmental problems, but as days go by it begins to improve because of this amazing alliance against pollution in North Brookline.
We hope you liked these articles and don’t miss the next copy of …
The Happy Trumpet!
