Students’ redesign imagines Lake George built for climate change
GUILDERLAND — What would Lake George look like if it were entirely rebuilt to combat climate change?
A group of 18 Guilderland middle schoolers redesigned the village, complete with fuel cells to power the Great Escape, for a competition called Future City.
Their table-sized model won the regional competition. Next month, they’re heading to the national competition in Washington on a trip paid for by Future City.
Their challenge was to design a city to combat climate change in 50 years. As they considered how the world might change during that time, they decided solar panels wouldn’t be the main source of renewable energy. Instead, they built wind turbines and a fuel cell factory that turns lake water into power.
They figured there would still be gasoline-driven cars, so they used “living bricks” in all construction to absorb the harmful emissions.
Salt brine on icy roads wouldn’t be enough to reduce impacts on the lake, they decided, so they installed heated roads. Only the main roads, though.
“We have to think of the animals. They couldn’t burrow too deep and even in 50 years it would still not be cheap enough” for every road, said Hamsini Subramanian, 13, an eighth grader.
But every road has been redone to let water flow through, she added.
Sixth grader Darshana Saravanahumar, 12, is most excited about the living bricks.
“They’re like trees,” she said. “This has actually been done.”
A type of cyanobacterium placed in the bricks absorbs carbon dioxide and combines it with sunlight to make the brick stronger. So far, the bacteria only survive in humid air, and not forever, but Future City encourages students to consider how today’s inventions would develop over time.
The students also designed a bamboo farm and all construction includes bamboo, which is much more renewable than traditional wood because it can grow up to 3 feet in a day.
The fuel cells are the biggest part of
the design. The students met with a mentor from Plug Power, who taught them how fuel cells work. That inspired them to imagine how they might be used in the future to power an entire city.
“There are already companies that use fuel cells,” Subramanian said. “Our city runs on a hydro ecosystem. Electrolyzers split water into hydrogen and oxygen ... Basically, it gives off power and water as byproducts.”
As they designed their city, which they dubbed Pine Peak, the students painstakingly built three rides in homage to what they all associate with Lake
George: the Great Escape, which is located in nearby Queensbury.
“Of course, all our rides would be powered by fuel cells,” Subramanian said.
An overhead monorail, powered by magnets, transports residents to their fuel cell factory, bamboo farm and amusement park.
“We realized every part of our city needs everything else to thrive, so we decided to put our monorail in the center so everyone can get to everyone,” Saravanahumar said.
But, like today, there’s another option for those who don’t want to use public transportation.
“We put a helicopter pad on top of our community center,” Saravanahumar said with a laugh.
The students built the model — which has multiple moving parts — by themselves. Math teacher Rebecca Been agreed to be an adviser, but said she mostly stayed hands-off as the students researched solutions to the climate change crisis.
“What they know astonishes me and what they can find out is unbelievable,” she said. “They know more than I do.”
What they know astonishes me and what they can find out is unbelievable. They know more than I do.” — Math teacher Rebecca Been