Rhode Island Geography Education Alliance
15.7K views | +4 today
Follow
Rhode Island Geography Education Alliance
Rhode Island Geography Education Alliance
News, resources and professional development for the Rhode Island Geography Education Alliance http://rigea.org
Curated by Seth Dixon
Your new post is loading...
Your new post is loading...
Scooped by Seth Dixon
Scoop.it!

Water Is Life

Hundreds of thousands of refugees have fled South Sudan to escape the civil war. When they arrive in Uganda, water is what they need most. Without it, they will die.
Seth Dixon's insight:

Next to nothing in this video will make you happy about the way things operate for refugees in Northern Uganda who have fled from South Sudan.  We all know the about the dire conditions that refugees face, but knowing about the specifics, and hearing stories from the refugees about their lives and living conditions is powerful.  A huge influx of refugees can tax local resources, especially water.  Food can be shipped in, but water a much more locally variable resource.   The UN refugee camps recommend at least 15 liters of water per person be made available each day, but often it is more like 4-8 liters in these camps.  Dedicated wells (or boreholes) are more effective, but costly.  Trucking in water from the Nile River is the preferred method to simply keep these drowning people’s heads above water.    

 

Questions to Ponder: Consider how much water you drink, use for cooking, bathing, etc. per day in your household.  How difficult would it be to live on 4 liters of water a day?  What about your lifestyle would be changed? 

 

TagsAfrica, development, Uganda, South Sudan, migrationrefugees, environment, water,  environment depend, sustainability, resources.

Ivan Ius's curator insight, April 8, 2017 11:49 PM
Geographic Thinking Concepts: Interrelationships; Geographic Perspective;
Scooped by Seth Dixon
Scoop.it!

'Absolute Bedlam' In The Philippines After Typhoon Haiyan

'Absolute Bedlam' In The Philippines After Typhoon Haiyan | Rhode Island Geography Education Alliance | Scoop.it

The news from the Philippines, where it's feared that last week’s powerful Typhoon Haiyan killed more than 10,000 people, isn’t getting better as hundreds of thousands of people struggle to survive and authorities struggle to get help to them.


"Its absolute bedlam right now," says Richard Gordon, head of the Philippine Red Cross.  “There's an awful lot of casualties, a lot of people dead all over the place, a lot of destruction.”


According to the BBC, a huge international relief effort is underway, but rescue workers have struggled to reach some towns and villages cut off since the storm.

Al Picozzi's curator insight, November 13, 2013 10:00 PM

Just the remoteness of the area is going to hinder the relief efforts.  Even though the supplies are getting through it is getting through to the areas that need it the most is the problem.  When the infrastructure is not that good to begin with, the damage done by this kind of disaster is multiplied.  Look at New Orleans when Katrina hit.  It still took days for relief and just water to get where it was needed.  Imagine what that would have been like if the infrastructure was like like that of the Philippines.  The country is overwhelmed by this disaster and needs the help.  Its getting it but the problem still exists of how to distrbute it now that it is there.  Makes you wonder if Subic Bay was still open as a US military base if it would have made it easier.  Sometimes having a military base is not a bad thing.

Rebecca Farrea's curator insight, November 14, 2013 8:50 AM

Even though the death toll resulting from Typhoon Haiyan is around 1,000, it is expected to reach 10,000.  International aid will hopefully help cities such as Tacloban City recover from this storm.

Tracy Galvin's curator insight, May 3, 2014 7:05 PM

With so many of the citizens living on the coast, a large typhoon like this completely destroys most of the country. When this much devastation happens all at one time it takes a very long time to recover.

Scooped by Seth Dixon
Scoop.it!

Museum of Natural History

Museum of Natural History | Rhode Island Geography Education Alliance | Scoop.it

The Smithsonian Museum of Natural History is a fabulous resource in Washington D.C., but now this museum available virtually.  Teachers can now bring the museums to the classroom with these fantastic Smithsonian virtual tours.   


Tags: biogeography, virtual tours, environment, ecology, historical, physical.

No comment yet.
Scooped by Seth Dixon
Scoop.it!

Images of Human/Environmental Interactions

Images of Human/Environmental Interactions | Rhode Island Geography Education Alliance | Scoop.it
The blizzard of 2015 blasted the region with wind-whipped snow that piled nearly 3-feet high in some places.


As of 1 p.m. Monday, Boston set a new record for snowiest seven-day period in the city's history with 34.2 inches.

Seth Dixon's insight:

Weather is one of the most tangible ways in which the physical environment impacts society.  We depend on sunlight and rainfall, we adapt our behaviors to harsh conditions and we are constantly modifying the our environments by heating and cooling our buildings.  This Henry David Thoreau quote reminds us to acknowledge the powerful influence of the environment and to recognize that technological fixes have their limitations.  “Live in each season as it passes...and resign yourself to the influence of the earth.” --Henry David Thoreau


Question to Ponder: In what ways does the weather shape and influence culture and spatial patterns in your region?  How can we make our communities more handicap accessible during winter storms and other extreme conditions?


Tags: environmentweather and climateenvironment depend, environment adapt, environment modify, disasters.

Paul Farias's curator insight, February 5, 2015 2:16 PM

Not to mention the snow drifts up to 10-12 feet!

Evan Margiotta's curator insight, March 21, 2015 6:39 PM

Human/Environment Interaction is one of the principles of Geography. Weather is about the simplest form of Human/Environment action there is. Weather and climate effect humans in may ways. Both of these have direct impact on agriculture and because of this the rise of civilization in the fertile crescent. But weather doesn't just dictate the rise of agriculture and civilization it effects us everyday. The picture shows Boston covered in record breaking snow fall. This altered many peoples schedules, closed businesses, canceled sporting events, forced people to spend time shoveling snow, gave work for snow plowers, and all in all effected the entirety of Boston.

Scooped by Seth Dixon
Scoop.it!

Manhattan Evacuation Plan Reveals Island’s Old Contours

Manhattan Evacuation Plan Reveals Island’s Old Contours | Rhode Island Geography Education Alliance | Scoop.it

Topography and elevation matters.  We can dry to make water dry ground (and vice versa), but not without future consequences.   

No comment yet.
Scooped by Seth Dixon
Scoop.it!

Ocean Opportunity

Ocean Opportunity | Rhode Island Geography Education Alliance | Scoop.it
the undersea work & world of Michael Lombardi...


Michael Lombardi is a both a scientific and commercial diver; as an author and environmentalist and an Explorer in Residence with the National Geographic Society.  This Saturday he will be the guest speaker for the Rhode Island Geography Education Alliance meeting and I am incredibly excited to hear from him.  

 

Tags: water, National Geographic, RhodeIsland, physical, biogeography, environment.

No comment yet.