FRACKING AND FELLOWSHIP - JUNE PROGRAMS INSPIRE AND EDUCATE
SHOULDER TO SHOULDER: Berkeley Rotary Projects help improve schools (and communities) in New Orleans and Mexico
Dick Marchick proudly introduced fellow physician Pate Thomson, long-time Berkeley Rotarian and Assistant Governor for District 5160. Pate started the cardiac unit at Alta Bates Summt Medical Center and started the free clinic in Richmond. His roots in Rotary go back a long way – his father was an early member of Orinda Rotary and his ties to Orinda are strong His wife attended school at what is now our Community Center and his dad was Orinda’s first “Citizen of the Year”!.jpg)
Shoulder to Shoulder is a project inspired by Pate’s sailing excursion to Mexico several years ago when he discovered the small town of Chacala just north of Puerto Vallarta. Rotary had been in Chacala in 1996 when a North Carolina club helped build the town’s library. In talking with locals, Pate discerned that there was still much that could be done to help the community. Berkeley Rotary got on bo.jpg)
ard and subsequent projects expanded the library, added a computer learning center, a kitchen to serve mid-day meals and a scholarship program, “Cambiano Vidas,” for high school students. Every child in the town now goes to high school and many on to college.
After their initial push in Chacala, Berkeley’s attentions diverted to New Orleans where hurricane Kartrina devastated the Gulf Coast. Their efforts there involved restoring Warren Easton, an inner-city high school. The refurbishment took two years, with George W. Bush giving a post-Katrina address from the school and Sandra Bullock contributing funds for a new auditorium Today, the school is flourishing –100% of the senior class graduates and the school is rated A+ by the Lousiana state department of education.
In 2011, Berkeley returned to Mexico and headed back to the coast north of Puerto Vallarta –In Zacualpas they continued efforts to improve school facilities, adding a computer center, furniture and creating a place where an adult school could also provide education and training. Working with the local Rotary club in La Penita, Berkeley tackled three projects, including refurbishing the high school, where they established a technology and career center for vocational training; built a community center where citizens can enjoy programs in music, art, sewing, as well as business classes for adults and after-school programs for children and ESL classes; and at the local grammar .png)
school they remodeled the kitchen and provided a clean water supply.
In all of these efforts, the local citizenry –as well as Rotary – was extremely welcoming and helpful. All were truly vested in the effort and all took pride in the results.
Berkeley’s current project will be at La Prepa High Schoo in La Vera, Mexico. It is located at an agricultural co-op, where the land is leased to the local community for farming. The state provides uniforms for the students and salaries for the teachers, but everything else must be financed by the locals. Rotary will be providing funds for materials -$132,000 has been raised so far and another $20,000 is needed to reach their goal. Volunteers will also be needed to help in the day-to-day labor, which includes building desks, painting , do plumbing and wiring and other menial tasks. All volunteers work side-by-side with local citizens – shoulder to shoulder.
A typical day will include breakfast at 8:00 AM, transportation to the school and working until around 1:00 PM. A review of the day’s work and planning for the next day runs from 1:00 to 2:00 PM, followed by transportation back to the beach and recreation.
Volunteers pay for their own airfare, housing at a local B&B and meals. The total cost for a week per person is less than $1,000. Berkeley Rotary will be organizing 3 work weeks next April and May and Orinda Rotarians are encouraged to join in !
FRACKING: CURE OR CURSE?
Jose Avelar introduced John Dwyer, fellow Rotarian from Benicia, Assistant Governor for Solano County and resident of San Ramon. John received his degree in Chemical Engineering from Notre Dame University and spent his career in the oil refining business, with stints in Thailand and Saudi Arabia.
John began his talk with a primer on how oil and gas formed 280 million years ago from the bio degradation of plant life. Sediments formed from the compression of these dead materials trapped what we know today as fossil fuels in reservoirs within sandstone and limestone. .jpg)
There are thousands of different kinds of crude oils and most are found in sandstone and shale deposits. In “tight” shale deposits, there can be as little as 10% porosity, so extracting the oil and gas within is extremely challenging. But improvements in the technology of drilling – including fracking - have allowed oil and gas in these deposits to be brought to the surface for refining. In fact, 90% of the 33,000 gas wells in the U.S. use fracking for extraction.
Fracking, which involves the use of explosives and a slurry of water and chemicals, has actually been in existence for a long time. As early as 1860, nitroglycerin was used to shatter the rock in which shallow wells were then drilled. Further improvements in drilling technology were made in the post-World War II years, including horizontal directional drilling and(later) 3D imaging to locate and tap hard-to-reach reservoirs. “Slick water” combinations of water, sand and chemical proppants were patented in 1997 and are now commonly used. With over 500,000 active gas wells operating in the U.S., the technology has dramatic changed our dependence on foreign oil.
But fracking is not without controversy. Environmental impacts are frightening and many states are considering bans on the technology. This is because fracking uses vast amounts of water, which (because of the mixture with chemicals) also requires treatment. Methane released during extraction can seep into water tables and into the atmosphere. Radon—which is radioactive- can also be brought to the surface. Increased traffic, potential accidents, even anecdotal evidence of earthquakes have been cited as reasons to ban fracking.
Fracking as a technology for oil and gas production is here to stay. Improvements to the technology will continue, but (because of the water requirements) it cannot be employed everywhere. Potential environmental impacts will have to be addressed, as will political initiatives to ban it completely. For a thorough overview of the issues, check out John’s PowerPoint Presentation.