Spring 2009 Fifth Issue: Environments ShoreditchThe Star A Themed Newspaper Created by 9-11 Year-Olds in Shoreditch Environments H Charles Darwin H More Light, More Power H Eco-Web H Climate Change H Building Green H Food Commissioned and developed by Shoreditch Trust In partnership with Burbage, Randal Cremer, Queensbridge & St Monica’s RC Schools Credits & Contents ShoreditchThe Star Introduction ShoreditchThe Star Credits Contents Dylan Potter Editor & Project Co-ordinator Jacqui Roberts PART 1 INTRODUCTIONS Project Manager 2 Credits & Contents Chilli Pepper Creative 3 Editor’s Introduction Graphic Design 4 A Green Encyclopedia Additional Contributors to PART 2 EVOLUTION! Workshops & Content 11 The Theory of Evolution: An Introduction Ashley McCormick & Claire Toogood 12 An Illustrated Evolutionary Timeline EDItor’s Building Exploratory 16 Charlies Darwin: His Life & Work Andrew Waugh 18 The Adventures of Charles Darwin Waugh Thistleton Architects INTRODUCTION Dr Nicola Dempsey PART 3 ENVIRONMENTS Oxford Institute for Sustainable Development at Oxford Brookes University 23 Learning from Our Ancestors Our planet Earth has been around for a very long time Today we are experiencing another climate change. When Roy Stephenson & Jon Cotton & 26 Learning from the Iron Age Way of Life – around 4.5 billion years, scientists believe. Unlike all the we talk about climate change (or global warming) we are other planets in our Solar System – and, as far as we know, talking about an overall rise in global temperature. This rise Dan Nesbitt & Glynn Davis 27 More Light, More Power: Museum of London in our galaxy – ours is the only planet to have developed in temperature will change many things about our planet The Industrial Age in Shoreditch life. It is estimated that the first life forms originated 4 billion and its various environments. Andy Gold years ago. Since then, life has evolved into countless 30 About the Building Exploratory This issue of the Shoreditch Star explores the theme Waterhouse Restaurant & Blue Marble Trust plants and species. Many plants and species have become 32 All About Ecology of our environment, paying particular attention to the Prue Poulton & Katherine Hayward extinct over time, like the dinosaurs. But many others environments and eco-systems that make this such a ecoACTIVE 34 The Eco- Web have survived – creatures like horseshoe crabs, sharks, diverse and beautiful planet. Jamie Eagles 36 Ecology on your Doorstep sea-turtles and crocodiles go back hundreds of millions of Shoreditch Trust years. Our writers have investigated climate change, finding out what is causing it and what effects it might have on our Edouard Guidon Human beings can trace their origins back to a species of PART 4 A CHANGING WORLD oceans, our environments, our plants and animals, and our London Community Recycling Network small ape living six million years ago. But modern humans ways of life around the world. Some delved into the work 39 An Easy Guide to Climate Change – with the bodies and the brains we have today – probably Schools Project Co-ordinators of Charles Darwin – who was born 200 years ago this year 40 How Climate Change Works only evolved about 200,000 years ago. Humans, compared Yumma Raihana at Burbage School – and learned about how scientists believe the Earth and its to many species, have been on the planet a very short time. Kate Fumey at Queensbridge School 42 Introduction to Resources & Energy species evolved. Others looked back into the distant past James Allen & Leela Hartley at Randal Cremer 42 Sustainable Resources... What’s That? And yet humans, in this short time, have had a very big to see what we can learn from our ancestors about looking impact on the planet. We have changed landscapes. We after the environment – while some children looked to the School 43 Building Green farm animals in their billions, and hunt species to extinction. future, to see what we can all do to safeguard things for Kelly Johnston at St Monica’s RC School 45 An Interview with Architect Andrew Waugh We’ve learned to harness resources, like oil and water, but generations to come. Matthew Rundle at Whitmore School we’ve also over-used them. We create so much waste that 46 Renewable Energy... What’s That? There are many more things we could have included in this there are land-fills the size of whole countries all over the issue, but these are sometimes complicated topics, and Special Thanks To 47 The Green Diary Project world, filled with things that won’t rot away for hundreds of it required a lot of hard work to learn about them. Maybe 58 What Happens to the Rubbish You Throw Away years. We build gigantic cities and invent ever-faster forms Roy Stephenson at Museum of London this edition of the Shoreditch Star can provide you with a of transport that, while allowing us to live well and travel Waugh Thistleton Architects ‘talking point’, an opportunity to discuss some of the issues around the world, have also polluted the air, the earth, the our children have raised. Nicola Dempsey & Irene Amoke at PART 5 FOOD! waters of our rivers and seas. And now, it is believed, this Oxford Brookes University 62 Food! human activity is contributing to a change in the overall Most importantly, we hope it helps you to think about the temperature of the planet. Natural History Museum 66 Journey of a Banana world we all share, and about how we can all play our part in making it an even better place to live. Because Planet The Building Exploratory During its extraordinary history our planet has gone through 68 Waterhouse Recipes Earth is a special place, so let’s keep it like that! many changes. The Earth’s climate has warmed up and The Light Building 70 Protecting the Environment cooled down many times. It has gone through periods of Editor, Shoreditch Star Waterhouse Restaurant intense volcanic activity when whole continents moved Friends of the Earth across the planet’s surface. And it has experienced a series of ‘ice ages’ where much of the planet was covered with ice. 1 The Shoreditch Star | Spring 2009 The Shoreditch Star |Spring 2009 2 A Green Encyclopaedia Alternative Energy cut down and other environments damaged. Bio-fuel crops To help you understand can also replace the growing of foods for people, because Alternative energy means to create energy without using there is more demand for it in the world. This can lead to more about some of the oil or gas or coal (which are called fossil fuels). Instead, it shortages of food for local people in some countries that are comes from renewable sources, such as sunlight, wind, issues you may be talking growing lots of bio-fuel crops. and learning about in your water and steam. Even waste products can be used to create alternative energy. By using alternative energy we SEE ALSO... Pollution and Fossil Fuels workshops, we’ve created do not pollute the environment. Alternative energy is also this Encyclopaedia. called renewable energy because it can’t run out – there will always be sunshine and wind and rain to power our machines and give us electricity. An Encyclopaedia works like a FIND OUT MORE... Arctic Ice Dictionary – it’s a list of words www.eia.doe.gov/kids for lots of easy-to- The Arctic Circle is the icy region around the North Pole understand information on old and new sources of or terms in alphabetical order. covering around 30 million square kilometres. The Arctic energy. Look up solar power, wind turbines or hydro ocean has been covered with ice since the start of the For our Encyclopaedia we’ve electric power on this site – or use a search engine to last Ice Age 125,000 years ago. But during the summer find out more about them. also provided helpful tips about months of 2008, for the first time in modern history, lots how to find out more using the SEE ALSO... Fossil Fuels and Bio Fuels and of this sea-ice disappeared. The melting of the ice is due Pollution to an increase in world temperatures because of global internet by providing useful web warming. And the more the ice melts, the more sea addresses. levels will rise around the world, therefore affecting all our Charles Darwin coastlines. Scientists are now warning that the Arctic could Between 1831 and 1836 Charles Darwin voyaged to some Architecture become entirely ice-free during the summers from the year of the remotest parts of the world collecting information Architecture is the 2013. This could prove catastrophic for the world. about plants and species and how they had evolved. He design of buildings published his theory of ‘natural selection’ – which was called and structures, such FIND OUT MORE... ‘The Origin of the Species’ – in 1859. His book argued as bridges. Somebody Go to www.panda.org and click on ‘Europe’ under that all living things, including humans, have evolved from who designs buildings ‘Where we work’ on the left-hand bar. Then click on very different forms into the forms we are today. It outraged and structures is ‘Arctic’ and there’s lots of information. This website many people at the time who believed that God had created called an architect. is also great for information about climate change everything exactly as we see it today. The design for a building begins with a simple drawing and generally. then more detail is added until there is enough information SEE ALSO... Coastal Erosion and Endangered FIND OUT MORE... for a builder to build it. An architect can design a building Species and Global Warming Visit the Natural History Museum’s website www.