THE FINALE!!!

     The time has come when there will be “Bye-byes” heard and said. Every journey must come to an end, but always remember that every end comes a new beginning. This is just the ending of a chapter and the start of a new one. And before we even say our good-byes, let us talk about what our project really is about and how we prepared for it…

     Our 4^th Quarter final CEO is about expressing our opinions and sentiments through blogging. The Blogging Project is the title of our CEO (Creative Expansive Output) and with this; we have to make our own group blog to post our own reflections about some issues and also about the tiring yet amazing field trips we went to. This project is to build up our teamwork, creativity and logicality. We were given time to prepare for this project and luckily, we were able to start off our blog with only few problems. We first discussed about what the blog would be like, the name and the information we have to type in our first blog post. Good thing our blogging project started off with a good first post.

     However, like all projects would have, we encountered problems as we prepared for it. One of this was about the problems on creating the blog post. There were lots of excitement that we didn’t know how to start it. Thus, what we did was plan it little by little and we first created our name then everything followed. There were also some problems with the “group” work. There were some members of our group that had problems with their internet connections. So, we had to start off somehow late because we still had to ask them about their opinions personally. Nevertheless, everything turned out fine.

PROBLEMS SOLVED!

     While there were problems, there were also GREAT parts during the making of this blog. We had lots of fun while giving out ideas on each issue we had to type and post. There were fun parts and even HILARIOUS ones while we worked the blog out. But most of all, it was great to see that we worked hard as a team!

     Given the chance to do this CEO all over again, we would still do it. There are still lots of other things we can explore and we can still do more. It’s also fun to start off again with fresh minds and new ideas; this can challenge our creativity. This CEO can be further improved by giving more options to the next bloggers. There are lots of things to explore on. And may we also suggest, if possible, having a video blog posted here. It can be short but informative. However, you should always remember to plan everything first with your group mates if you’re planning to make a group blog. If you don’t do this, it will cause some errors in the blog.

     We wouldn’t change anything regarding this CEO because we think that it’s fine this way. There are enough topics and issues to talk about. There are also lots of options that you can do when you make a blog post. But, having more creative topics and issue would be better to further excite the bloggers and also the future readers.

     We learned lots of important lessons in doing this project. One of this was teamwork. You shouldn’t depend on your group mates only, but at the same time, you shouldn’t do everything by yourself. You should work together as a team and voice out your own opinions and at the same time, respect the opinions of others. We also learned that having perseverance has many things to do with creating a blog. There are times when you really have to stay up late typing your ideas in the computer because of the many questions. However, after you have finished, you would feel a sense of relief. Being creative and having an open mind are also the things that we learned while making the blog. We should think out-of-the-box in doing this project; after all, it’s a Creative Expansive Output so you really have to have a creative mind. Lastly, we learned much more about God’s wonderful creations. And on our trips, we learned lots more about them and that we shouldn’t let man-made creations destroy them. We should respect His creations and treat them the right way.

1. Think out-of-the-box

 2. BE creative

3. Work with your team

4. Be hardworking

     Thus, this ends a wonderful journey with you, readers! We hope that you’ll know a lot (We know you did!) and that this will serve as an inspiration for you to be good examples for our country and our world. And as what the elders say. “The children are the future of this world.” And now, the moment you’ve all been waiting for…

     BYE GUYS!!! Even if we know you’ll miss us very much, we have to leave because a journey awaits the 5 of us: Kai Lin, Snowdrop, Josh Bayns, Aluxre and Nathan! The 5 of us have our own paths to follow and we know that we will reach success in anything we want to do and to be and it's the same for you, readers! GOD BLESS!  

FAST FORWARD...TO THE Future!

     One of the TOP issues the Philippines is facing now is the argument about the Bataan Nuclear Power Plant (BNPP). It is about whether to open it or not. Until now, the government hasn’t made a final answer… So, what if… we fast forward the time and you have just been elected as president? Will you open the BNPP? OR is it otherwise?

     The majority of the people in the group said that they wouldn’t let the opening of the BNPP. This is because there are so many hazards if we open the plant. There are also more alternatives than that because opening the plant is NOT and CAN’T be the ONLY solution. There are other alternatives like the solar, wind, hydroelectric and geothermal power generation. We just need to improve on these and be more creative and to think outside of the box if we can combine these technologies for more effective results. And as we know, here in the Philippines, we have lots of intelligent and creative people who can think of other better alternatives if they just think outside the box. IF we also open the BNPP, the endangered marine turtles will be at harm and they might end up in the extinct list of species if we open the BNPP because of its toxic wastes. That’s why we chose NO! And now, we’re going to discuss about the pros and cons on opening the BNPP…

Geothermal Energy!

Hydroelectric Energy!

Solar power.

     First of all, we know that we’ve already discussed with you this, but unlike before, we’ll say it detail by detail. So let’s start off with the advantages…

1.      Its reliability. Nuclear power plants can give off more electricity than the coal-fired plants and it comes with paying less electricity bills! So that means, less flying wallets, and less money to spend. And most of all, there will be no blackouts (PHEW)!

2.     The little pollution. Coal-fired power plants emit more radiation into the air than nuclear power plants! So, that means, if we open the BNPP, there will be less destruction with the ozone layer.

3.      Its safety. It is said to be one of the safest power plants to make. And no Americans have died because of a reactor accident!

     Now, let’s move on to the disadvantages of opening the plant!

1.                   The sustainability. There is no Uranium (Which is used to power nuclear power plants) found in the Philippines! As a result, we still need to buy uranium from the countries which have Uranium. And also, Uranium is a scarce source…

2.                   The meltdowns. Meltdowns can cause damage in the place where the nuclear power plant is.

3.                   Radiation. Radiation causes bad effects on us, like cancer, radiation sickness and even genetic mutation.

4.                   The waste disposal. Without proper disposal of wastes, it might cause damage to the animals living or residing near it. Too add to that, nuclear wastes also remain toxic for hundreds of thousands of years!

     Also, if we would open the BNPP, we are not 100% sure that it would work out properly because there are many defects found in the BNPP. And opening it will have major effects on the animals living near it, especially the endangered marine turtles!

     To wrap it all up, if we were president of the country, we wouldn’t open the BNPP because we know that there will be much better alternatives for that. We just need perseverance in searching and for finding more information about it. We also need teamwork and cooperation with doing this. The government can’t do this alone without the cooperation of their citizens. We can also ask help from different countries and ask advice to the international organizations like the United Nations for advice. Remember, we are not alone in this issue… many counties can help us and most importantly God can and will help us solve this issue.

     That’s it for now! Think twice in making your decisions but always make sure that it will lead to something good, not just for the Philippines, but also for the WHOLE world!

NEXT STOP: Bataan Nuclear Power Plant!

     There are many sources of energy found here in this world, renewable and non-renewable sources. As of today, we are more dependent on coal to generate electricity. And by the way, coal is a non-renewable source of energy; that means, coal will only be available for a couple more years, that’s why many people are finding alternatives for this. One of which is NUCLEAR ENERGY…

The Bataan Nuclear Power Plant

     That type of energy is what we’re going to talk about today because the other site that we went to in our trip to Bataan was the Bataan Nuclear Power Plant (BNPP). The BNPP is located in Napot Pt. in Morong, Bataan. It is also the only nuclear power plant in the Philippines, but sadly, it has never been fueled. And, maybe, you might be wondering, what’s nuclear energy?

     Nuclear energy originates from the splitting of uranium atoms in a process called fission. At the power plant, the fission process is used to generate heat for producing steam, which is used by a turbine to generate electricity.

     There are also many advantages and disadvantages of generating nuclear energy. Let’s first start off with the advantages:

Little Pollution:

Nuclear power produces less pollution than coal, which is our primary source of electricity…

 

Safety:

Generating nuclear energy is one of the safest ways on producing electricity….

 

Reliability:

The cost of electricity will be lowered and there will be no brownouts. And also, Nuclear Power Plants need little fuel to work. 

 

Now, let’s go down to our disadvantages:

Sustainability:

Uranium (which is used to power Nuclear Power Plants) is a scarce source. Furthermore, there is no URANIUM found in the Philippines.

 

Meltdowns:

Radiations:

The 3 Major effects of radiation are: Cancer, Radiation Sickness, and genetic mutation (WHAT??!!!).

 

Waste disposal:

Nuclear wastes remain toxic (OUCH!) for hundreds of thousands of years…

 

     After reading, we have one question for you: Which side are you on? Are you in favor of harnessing energy? OR is it the other way around?

    

     Some of us had mixed emotions when asked if we are in favor of harnessing nuclear energy or not, but most of us said that we are not in favor of harnessing nuclear energy. We would love to tell you the reasons why, but that’s for our next blog post…

     Now, let’s leave that topic behind to discuss about our 2^nd SITE, The BNPP! Before we went to BNPP, we expected that we will see the different parts of the power plant and to know their functions and we also wanted to learn LOTS more about nuclear energy.

    

     After the field trip, we surely learned a LOT about the BNPP. First of all, we learned about the kind of structure of the plant and we learned that there were “back-ups” just in case a part of the BNPP goes wrong. We also learned that nuclear power plants are difficult to build and it is also difficult to select a place to build the plant. And also, the plant is safe as long as the structure is good.

     After touring the plant, the best part that we liked in the plant is the dome and the reactor. Why? SIMPLE ANSWER: It is where most of the EXCITEMENT takes place.

CONTROL RODS

     SO that’s about it for now, we hope that you learned a lot about nuclear energy (And we know you did) and we also hope that someday, when you get older, you’ll be able to help and solve the issue concerning the Bataan Nuclear Power Plant. Until NEXT time!!! BYE!!!