Engineers and environmentalists are pursuing the utilization of renewable energy in lieu of ever the increasing demands for electricity. Our generation has inherited the charge for finding a solution to society's growing needs. Capturing wind energy was first conceptualized in 1888 by Charles. F. Brush, and has evolved into large scale wind turbines and generators known today. However, a small scale system for exploiting wind energy has eluded mass production, when it could realistically be implemented into our everyday lives. Through our daily tasks, society loses kinetic energy to the environment; a small scale wind turbine will streamline energy efficiency from a renewable source. Our goal is to design a propeller that will suit an aesthetic residential sized wind turbine that will perform well in a non-commercial environment and be easy to expand to a whole system.

Several studies have been conducted on the effects of various pollutants on freshwater water systems in Washington state; however, research into the effects of increased concentrations of zinc, particularly via moss control products (representing a significant portion of the accumulative zinc pollution in Washington waterways) is scarce. The goal of this study is to shed light on the effect of moss control on the health of native aquatic microbial communities in Western Washington, measured via rate of change of dissolved oxygen and turbidity levels. Samples from Green Lake, Martha Lake, and Lake Washington were collected and introduced to varying concentrations of moss control, and the dissolved oxygen and turbidity levels of these samples were monitored over five days. It was discovered that there is a statistically significant negative correlation between concentration of moss control and both dissolved oxygen and turbidity. More research is needed to verify and further investigate these relationships.