The 

Happy  Trumpet  

Spring, 2025 6th Edition 

Brookline, MA, USA       ESTB: October, 2022  

Keep Club Official 

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WRITTEN AND EDITED BY: FRANCESCO M. CARRATELLI, DANIEL KHATCHATRIAN, COLEMAN D. COOK, IZZY LU, BRODY McLEAN & ARCHER SHEN.

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Dear Readers, 

Here at the Happy Trumpet we hope when you read these articles your mind will alter to a state of hope and happiness. In the Happy Trumpet  you will learn about good environmental news happening locally, in the United States of America and beyond. 

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How Can Food Reverse Their Negative Effect on Climate 

By: Francesco Malcolm Carratelli   Sources: BBC & Nature.com.

The production of food is one of the dirtiest businesses when it comes to the negative effects on climate change. Unlike many ways of producing food, the agricultural method of growing Carbon Negative Foods not only does not inaugurate the release of carbon dioxide, but it also absorbs the gas which has caused this global crisis. Even if it is hard, it is attainable to have a carbon negative diet. Some examples of carbon negative foods are as follows: kelp, celery, blueberries, nuts, olives and citrus fruits. It is important for people to continue cultivating these types of foods and make them an important part of people’s diet. 

Kelp is one of the most dominant carbon negative foods because of how they  store carbon. Their chains are extremely positive for their ecosystem and the local animals. Furthermore, consuming and producing kelp could help amend many disastrous events. Other examples of carbon negative foods are celery and blueberries; two very different crops, nevertheless they have in common that they both store carbon dioxide when they get planted. Another food group which is carbon negative are nuts; this crop comes in many different forms and tastes. In shops, it removes 1.3 kg of carbon dioxide per kg. Lastly, probably the most creative way of having carbon negative food was produced by Finnish Solar Foods’ ice cream, which was originally launched in Singapore. This dessert has as their main ingredient an environmentally friendly bacteria. 

Another way of  consuming food which is carbon negative is eating crops that were regeneratively farmed. This is when farmers do not use pesticides and other chemicals to grow foods. For example some farms have removed 1.5 kgs of CO2 for each kg of wheat. 

In conclusion, based on this evidence it is clear that the production of food, for being one of the least effective against climate change, has the potential to turn things around if you are mindful of what you eat.

What’s Happening to Snow Leopards?

By Archer Shen

Sources: BBC & ScienceDirect.

Snow Leopards are elusive, stealthy, and beautiful creatures, nevertheless in Nepal they are infamous for stealing livestock and ruining a farmers annual salary, or they used to be. Snow leopards have a small diet and prefer mountain animals rather than livestock nevertheless, the areas that snow leopards inhabit often intermingle with human activity which in most cases means farming. This can cause big problems including snow leopard populations decreasing, and huge financial loss. One winter night at Rinchen Lama’s farm, a farm in “Dolpa a Himalayan district in western Nepal”, Rechen remembered the scene the next morning: 

"There was wool everywhere, matted with blood. I lost 37 sheep and goats that night, almost my entire livelihood."’ For many farmers, this would be an intense financial loss. One study from 2020 says that within the district of Dolpo and Upper Dolpo, on average lost 4 domestic animals to snow leopards per year resulting in a financial loss of 900-1,050 dollars which is roughly equivalent to the average person's annual salary in western Nepal. Due to this snow leopards are often hunted and killed by farmers. It is estimated that between 221-450 snow leopards are killed worldwide per year, 55% of this onslaught is due to snow leopards preying on livestock. But since 2001 India Trust India and Snow Leopard Conservancy have provided about 200 predator proof corals, helping bring down the amount of mass livestock slaughter from 5.5- 0.5 killings per year. Still research has provided evidence that proves that  both domestic, and wild prey is extremely important to a snow leopard's diet. Ghana Grung, director of the WWF says “‘For us, snow leopards are deities who are protecting the ecosystem of the mountains. If you anger them, then they will kill more, Gurung explains. "Losing one or two of your livestock is OK, it keeps the deity happy. 

“There must, however, be an alternative source of income that compensates for continued losses, he says.” So in conclusion people in Nepal are now warming up to snow leopards and now many locals are now helping with snow leopard conservation efforts BBC states 

“Now, many local people have expressed an interest in receiving spotter training, receiving a leopard-deterring light, or building a predator-proof corral.” So thanks to the efforts of locals and Snow leopard conservators the snow leopard population just might be able to be saved and I think Tshiring puts it best when she says 

“For me, I need to preserve both – snow leopards for the ecosystem, and livelihoods for the people," she says.’”.

The Environmental Switch of 2024

By: Brody McLean 

Sources: Texas A&M University, and Environment America.

Global warming is being fought within the United States because throughout 2024 the states have been switching to renewable energy. From the source “Environment America” “When it comes to renewable energy, both blue and red states are going green. The latest results posted on Environment America’s 2024 Renewables on the Rise online dashboard show Texas, California, Iowa, Oklahoma and Kansas as the top five states for total renewable energy generation. Meanwhile, Alabama, Florida, Georgia and other Southeast states saw a 33-fold increase in solar from 2014 to 2023.” The states and the schools are helping make the world greener and a better place. The sunny state of Texas is helping and adding in solar panels. This is important because solar power takes energy from the sun, a renewable source of energy versus focal fuels which is very bad for the Earth. “During the past quarter, Texas took the lead in clean power installations, adding an impressive 2,596 MW of new utility-scale solar, wind, and storage capacity. This milestone marks the first time Texas has surpassed California to become the top solar state in the nation, according to the American Clean Power Association’s quarterly market report. By the end of 2024, Texas is expected to add an additional 7.2 GW of capacity, contributing to an estimated total of 100 GW of new solar capacity over the next decade.” This is very important because it means that 31% of Texas's energy comes from renewable sources.

An updated version of, Geothermal: Is it the future of the Brookline schools?

Geothermal: A Positive and Groundbreaking Solution for Our Community 

By: Francesco Malcolm Carratelli

Sources: MIT & E.P.A, 5/29/24 Geothermal Forum at Driscoll,  Wicked Local (quote from town meeting member).

When the new Driscoll school was planned, a project idea arose, which caught the attention of many environmentalists: building a geothermal heat pump under the turf field.

Originally, many people throughout Brookline had no idea of the building of these wells, and didn’t know about how they work. As a result, Francesca Stark, the K.E.E.P. Club, Andrew Deschenew from Leftfield Project Management, Gilbane Construction supervisors and architects from McPhail Associates organised a forum last spring to explain how this unknown technology works. There were mixed feelings about the turf field that would be built alongside the school, nevertheless the geothermal well was a compromise that united the people of Brookline and we should understand this project.

Quoting an expert, Andrew Deschenes  states that: “The geothermal system can provide up to 70% of the heating needed in the building – in the coldest months, over 500,000 BTU. It can also provide up to 50% of the cooling needed in warmer weather – also right around 500,000 BTU.” He also stated that the plant would be much easier to maintain, as it is more flexible than fossil fuel pumps. 

These pumps cannot work without water, as in the cold weather, cold water goes down the pumps and absorbs the heat of the ground and returns up as warm. While in hot weather, hot water does the same but absorbs the cold. They use this system as a closed loop; and it doesn’t waste water. The tubes used for Driscoll are up to c. 240 meters deep, about as long as the John Hancock Tower in Boston. They are flexible, “leak proof”, skinny and made out of plastic, nevertheless the wells are cased by steel. All of the wells connect to one vault. 

 Furthermore, this fossil fuel-free project is helping Brookline schools save a lot of money, a problem that has haunted Massachusetts education countless times. By investing in these wells, Driscoll saves over 300,000 dollars a year. Moreover, this investment is a long term one, the geothermal pump will “probably last more than the new school” (a comment from the forum last spring). Driscoll is the first Brookline school to adapt this technology, as a result, it stands as a beacon of innovation to the other schools, of which some also started to adapt this “once-in-a-hundred-year opportunity that pays for itself and will benefit the town over the life of the building.” which Town Meeting member Jesse Gray stated. 

In conclusion, this extremely amazing technology has found its way into Brookline, proving that investing in environmentally friendly ideas brings benefits,  saves a lot of money and energy. Next time you stand on our turf, imagine all that is happening silently below us, not being seen but making a difference.

Two European Cities United to Fight Climate Change

By: Francesco Malcolm Carratelli

Sources: The Guardian, P&MA, Città di Firenze & Sole 24 Ore.

Even if beautiful, many major cities around the world are known for how polluted and dirty they are, cities like New York City and Delhi. However, two cities, which historically have not been hospitable to nature have both turned the tides and started to fight back against climate change that has affected many of the residents. 

The city of Paris (France) has recently developed the plans and the reconstruction of the 17th Arrondissement, once known for its great scale of pollution, it is now a hub for contemporary architecture and environmentally friendly methods. This highly ambitious major project in northwest Paris is a car free neighbourhood, completely powered by solar and geothermal energy. Other than the investments on energy, Paris has created green locations throughout Clichy-Batignolles, starting with Martin Luther King park. The arrondissement is clearly divided with 10 hectares of public parks, 38,000 square miles of public facilities, 31,000 square miles of business retail, 140,000 square miles of offices, and finally 200,000 square miles of housing units. The Italian architect, Renzo Piano, has recently finished constructing the Paris Courthouse, of which its contemporary architecture is a great example of the innovation taking place in Paris.

As of May 2025, the first female mayor of Florence (Italy), Sara Funaro has already started to prove her capacity by initiating Project Iris (named after the infamous florentine flower). Florence is one of the first cities in Italy that has initiated a green plan. This plan is based on the 3:30:300 concept: at least three visible trees from one's window, 30% of Florence is covered in green, and 300 meters or less in between a house/apartment and the nearest green space. Furthermore, by 2030, Florence should be home to 50,000 new shrubs and trees, 50 new playgrounds, 10 green public squares, 10,000 square meters of permeable surfaces and 20 green areas close to one’s home. The government’s main goal is “to make Florence sustainable, resilient and livable for present and future generations even in the face of climate change, the effects of which are already being seen.” As the people of Florence are not strangers to global warming, for example, since 1918 the average temperature has gone up by 1.4 degrees celsius. 

In conclusion, even if very different, two cities are united by the mission to fight the climate crisis using their own unique strategies. Hopefully, many other major cities will follow their example.

We hope you liked these articles and don’t miss the next copy of …

The Happy Trumpet!