Anthropocene
Life on Earth has been changing the environment for millions of years. What separates Humans from other life is that we are aware of the environmental consequences of the way we shape the Earth. We know what chemicals contaminate our soil and that Carbon Dioxide emissions warm the atmosphere changing weather patterns, but there is more that we don’t know about the complex systems of life on Earth. Changing our environment too rapidly will destabilize ecosystems beyond recovery for our survival and many other species. Humans have powerful brains with the ability to create what we imagine from skyscrapers to space stations and the awareness to think about the future of life and its ability to survive. The Earth will change and nature will continue without the Human species. What will be the Anthropocene?
Indiana(2018-2019) - A place I am happy to be from, full of beautiful farmland and a place of rapid development. If you are visiting the state or just driving through you will notice the difference between aging farm houses, small towns, and new industrialization. The land becoming more concrete with large highways, than green with grass. Driving through Northern Indiana towards Chicago you can’t miss the wind turbines. Benton County is home to the large Fowler Ridge Wind Farm. These modern wind turbines dominate the horizon, generating 750 mw of power making it one of the largest wind farms in a nation of growing solar and wind energy.
Newtown Creek Wastewater Treatment Plant. Greenpoint, Brooklyn, New York - Photos taken during an Earth Day (2018) tour of the facility. Efficient and eco conscious processing of waste is vital to the health of the environment and to the function of civilization. I admire the hardworking men and women at plants like this who keep the city running and waterways clean. The wastewater treatment plant has evolved over the decades and the city needs to continue upgrading the sewer and wastewater treatment infrastructure to reduce and control pollution before reaching the plants. The Newton Creek Wastewater Treatment Plant helped stabilize the aquatic ecosystems around New York by pumping non polluted water back into the river after treatment. The plant is also currently working on a project with the National Grid in order to transform its methane production into a renewable energy source.
New York City (2017) - Cities like New York are truly beautiful modern biomes, but it is our responsibility to make them energy efficient powered by renewable energy sources and constructed in ways that do not pollute or destroy the environment and its resources.
