JANUARY 2019 GERMINATION.CA 59 While in his jar, Baute tweets “#ClimateChange is real, we're causing it, and it's a real big deal. Scientists are at a consensus on this. But seriously, how many people know enough about the air we breathe to fully appreciate what's going on?” He awakes to an overcast day, meaning his 200 plants can’t pro- duce enough oxygen to offset rising CO2 levels, and Baute leaves his jar after 14 hours after CO2 levels rise too high to be safe. “Doing this project has completely changed my relationship with air and with sunlight and with plants because I know CO2 levels in here have just risen constantly, and I’ve just been waiting for the sun to come out so my plants could photosynthesize and soak up the carbon dioxide I'm breathing and give me fresh wonderful oxygen. Air is this really weird thing because it is very liter- ally our life force. It is what allows us to make energy and to live and yet we can’t see it.” 4. Despite the experiment only last- ing 19% as long he he’d aimed for before becoming too dangerous, Baute says he came away with some important insights into what people can do to reduce their carbon footprint. He tweets: “You can make a real difference here. Right now. Like today. And it isn’t even hard…” 5. “EATLESSMEAT,ITISHORRIBLYINEFFICIENTANDUSESTONSOF FOSSILFUELS.MAYBETRYGIVINGITUPFOR#MEATLESSMONDAYOR GOFURTHERTHANTHAT.” “DRIVELESS.CUTYOURCOMMUTETIME.BIKE,CARPOOL,TAKE TRANSIT,WORKFROMHOME.YOURCARISSUFFOCATINGAND COOKINGYOUANDIBOTH.BESIDES,YOU'VEGOTBETTERTHINGSTO DOTHANSITINTRAFFIC.” “STARTACONVERSATIONABOUTTHIS.LET’SBEREALAND ENCOURAGEEACHOTHERTODOBETTER.” Watch Kurtis Baute in Action! Visit his YouTube Channel at youtube.com/user/ScopeofScience and follow him on Twitter @kurtisbaute