Impacts of Lithium Mining

Computing & the Planet Week 1

Goals

• Discuss lithium mining & its impact on the environment + indiginous people
• Think about increased technology means, and how to make sourcing materials more equitable

Ice Breaker

What is lithium mining?

Discussion

• Is giving contracts to multinational companies vs creating a state owned lithium company favorable?
• For the people? For which people?
• For the environment?
• Why / why not?

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Read Excerpt 1

Excerpts

Discussion Questions:

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• Do you think it's fair these companies are giving the local communities so little of the profit?
• How can this be made fairer?

• Should lithium mines be allowed to mine even with fear of drought on the horizon?

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Full Article:

Activity

Write on the whiteboard!

• How many electronics do you have?

• How many phones have you had?
• What happens to them once you stop using them?

Full Article:

Read Excerpt 2

Excerpts

Discussion Questions:

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• Was the poster, Guzman’s sister, Elva, made impactful? Why or why not?

• Reflecting to the whiteboard, it seems like in general the lifespan of electronics is relatively short?
• Why do you think this is?
• Do you think making more long lasting technologies would help reduce the need to mine as much lithium as we do now?

• As individuals this issue is much bigger than us, however there are little things we can do?
• What can we do?

Full Article:

Learn More

• How a lithium-ion battery works
• The batteries in your favorite devices are literally covering Chinese villages in black soot
• This is where your smartphone battery begins
• UCSD CSE Class: CSE 191 The Environmental Impact of Modern Computing
• Not offered every quarter, once a year usually

Before you dip…there’s an exit slip

<<End of Part 1 slides>>

<<Beginning of Part 2 slides>>

(not the same week as Part 1)

Power of Bugs

Computing & the Planet Week 2

Goals

• Learn about research being done by faculty in CSE at the intersection of agriculture and computing
• Discuss how bacteria can fuel low-power sensors

Ice Breaker

Agriculture + CS ?

Definitions

• microbial fuel cells (MFCs)
• what we need to know?
• Can help reduce environmental contaminants such as wastewater, reduce atmospheric carbon dioxide by using it to rebuild fuels, and may potentially provide a renewable energy source
• soil hydration sensors: measure the water content in the soil
• aerobic organism or aerobe: organism can survive and grow in an oxygenated environment.
• anaerobic organism (anaerobe): organism that does not require oxygen for growth.
• closed loop control system: a mechanical or electronic device that automatically regulates a system to maintain a desired state without human interaction.

Read about the research!

Discussion

• Why would measuring moisture levels in soil help the environment?

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• Based on the article, can you think of some possible next steps for Dr. Pannuto and his team?

• What do you think the data from the passive monitoring systems could provide to farms and wetlands, and why do you think that would be helpful?

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• Silly question? → Would you charge your cell phone using dirt?

Next week!

Make short videos + memes together about what you have learned!

Before you dip…there’s an exit slip