Renewable Energy Pitch

The Losurdo Foundation for Renewable Energy is an organization that aims to encourage a more sustainable lifestyle. This goal could be achieved by teaching people around the world the benefits of using more renewable energy and inspire them to be less reliant on fossil fuels.

We are passionate about the work we do because each person gained in support of this movement is a step towards a better world. Currently in the U.S., the majority of our energy is created from fossil fuels, such as petroleum, natural gas, and coal. When these three are burned, they emit greenhouse gases, which negatively impact the environment. If we can reduce our reliance on these fossil fuels for energy creation, and focus more on renewable sources such as wind, hydro, and solar power, it could definitely help to reduce our carbon footprint.

I know it’s not practical for our electrical grid to completely cut out fossil fuel use at the moment, but if we as citizens could take the initiative to reduce it ourselves, it would help. One of the more effective ways would be through having solar panels installed on the roof of your home. While it is expensive to invest in, it would definitely pay off in the long term. If this is completely out of the question, even recycling is still a valuable contribution toward a more sustainable lifestyle.

Anima Mundi Development Partners should invest in our organization because it aligns with their core values of benefitting the community and reducing environmental harm. We aim to someday gather enough supporters to pressure government officials to put more research and development on renewable energy sources. With ADMP’s investment, The Losurdo Foundation for Renewable Energy would be able to spread the message necessary to help our planet and protect our future.

A World We Dare To Imagine Part I

After reading this quote, one way I would like to help make the world a better place would be to help find more renewable sources for our energy. Currently in the United States, the majority of our energy is created from fossil fuels, such as petroleum, natural gas, and coal. When these three are burned, they emit greenhouse gases, which are harmful to the environment. Now we are in the process of increasing our renewable energy resources (such as wind, solar, and hydro power) which is good, but there are still a lot of areas where this isn't the case. For example, the majority of China's power is created through coal burning, making it the world's biggest emitter of greenhouse gases. There are areas in China where residents have to wear masks to protect themselves from the air pollution, which is crazy to think about. I think if we could reduce our reliance on fossil fuels for energy creation, the world would definitely be an improved place.

Article Post

I read the article about GMO foods, and I found it pretty interesting. The article discusses the impact of genetically engineered crops on our health as well as the environment. According to the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine, they are completely harmless. They came to this conclusion by reviewing more than 900 studies studies and data over the last 20 years, when genetically modified crops first became a thing. They stated that GE crops save farmers in the U.S. money, but they didn't appear to increase crop yields.

I find this article and topic pretty interesting, mainly because of my mom. She has always tried to avoid GMO foods for herself, doing a lot of her shopping at places like Whole Foods and making a habit of purchasing products that have that "GMO-free" badge on them. Because of her, I've always been under the impression that they weren't as good for us as non-GMO food. But even if they are not bad for us, I don't see how they can be as good for the environment. For example, the article talks about how farmers spray herbicides on the herbicide resistant plants to kill surrounding weeds. I would imagine that still isn't great for the environment.

Personally, I think that even if one wanted to eat only GMO-free foods, it'd be pretty difficult, considering how much of our food contains genetically modified ingredients. I did read about a law that just passed stating that food packages will have to carry a symbol that indicates whether or not the food contains GMOs, so that should make it a little bit easier. Either way, the article stating that GMO foods are safe to eat makes me feel a little bit better about eating them.

A Fun Car Project

I often find myself getting bored of my car if it's kept looking exactly the same for too long. I don't know why, but I just always have to mess with it. My most recent example of this took place not too long ago. In my car, the interior trim pieces that surround the climate controls and shifter are normally a flat black color. Since the majority of the car's interior is black, I decided I wanted to break that up a bit, so I bought some vinyl to wrap those trim pieces and give that area some contrast.

For those of you that don't know, vinyl wrap is essentially a sticker. If you heat it up enough, you can shape it to almost any surface you can think of. Vinyl wrapping the exterior of cars has actually become a pretty popular trend over the last few years, mostly because it is completely reversible if you don't like the result, but it also can be significantly cheaper than a quality paint job and still look just as good. Since I had never done anything like it before, I wanted to start small, so the interior trim pieces were a good place to experiment with.

The project took a lot more time than I had first predicted. To take the pieces off of the center console, I had to take the radio and the climate control module out, leaving a gaping hole in my car's dashboard. But after roughly 5 hours of patience, I had successfully wrapped both of the pieces and I was pretty happy with the result. After doing this project, my main takeaways are to be patient, and if the vinyl isn't contouring to the shape of whatever object you are trying to wrap, just heat it up with a heat gun (or even a hair dryer) and it will become pliable enough to work with. I included a picture of the finished result below.

Genius Of Money Interview

The interview that I found the most interesting in The Genius of Money was the one conducted with the anonymous donor. I like that the donor wants to donate, but doesn't feel the need to reveal their name. It shows that they care about actually benefiting whatever cause they're donating to, rather than donating for the sake of making themselves look better. The interview discusses how donating anonymously is considered to be one of the highest forms of philanthropy, and I admire that.

I was really interested in the discussion about how they did not really want to become a philanthropist at first. They were However, they were fortunate enough to be in a position to help others, so they felt that it was their responsibility to help others. The donor refers to this as "Bodhicitta", which means the enlightened mind in their native language. Being in such a position, the donor feels it would be irresponsible to not help out.

Another thing I found intriguing was the talk about the paradigm shift that we go through growing up. When we are younger, especially as teenagers, we feel that we know more than our parents. Eventually we realize that that is not always the case. The Mark Twain quote about how it was amazing how much his parents learned as he grew up made me laugh. I feel that I can somewhat relate to this situation with my parents, and they love to remind me about it.

Genius of Money Part 1

I didn't really understand the point chapter 1 was trying to make. I get that the author is saying religious organizations can be tax exempt, but I don't understand why he even included it in the book. He mentions how Jesus was almost framed by the tax collector, so is the chapter supposed to be about having good morals? Or is it only that religious organizations shouldn't have to pay taxes? I did find chapter 4 to be pretty interesting though. He discusses how money can influence your social life. According to a study, even the most socially conscious people can act in an anti-social manner when it comes to decision making and money is at play. That idea makes sense to me. I also found the comment about how anti-social people need more material wealth to substitute for the lack of social interaction to be interesting as well. I had to think about chapter 11 for a few minutes to understand what the author was getting at. In this chapter, the author discusses a painting showing how Judas betrayed Jesus for money. The painter included Satan behind Judas, as if he was the one causing Judas to act that way. However, the author feels that's not needed because Judas betrayed Jesus by himself because he was paid to do so. I guess the takeaway is that money can sometimes bring out the worst in people.

Coagula Curatorial Impressions

When first I heard we were going to an art gallery, I figured I had an idea of what it was going to be like. When I heard that the gallery was located in Chinatown, that idea was shortly thrown out the window. I've driven through Chinatown before while trying to get onto the 110 freeway, but I've never actually walked around and observed the area, so I had no idea what to expect of this place. When I first got to the address, I wasn't sure if I was in the right area because the whole place honestly looked like a ghost town. The gallery itself couldn't be any more different from what I had first pictured in my head. I would usually think that art galleries were pretty fancy looking places with super expensive art everywhere, but Coagula Curatorial looked nothing like that. I've never really been all that intrigued by art, but I did try my best to give it a chance. Some of the artworks actually ended up being pretty interesting, especially when Jill was able to give some of them a little backstory. Matt seems like an extremely energetic person. Overall, the experience was definitely a unique one.