Alex Carson
Kurtis Baute
Kurtis Baute isn’t your typical YouTuber. Sure, he creates videos, but unlike many popular YouTubers, his videos mean something to him. He is very passionate about climate change, and he works to educate viewers about the severity of the problem. After a while, he began to feel hopeless. She didn’t think that people understood the seriousness of the issue, so he figured out a way to really make a statement.
Kurtis’ YouTube Channel
Kurtis’ YouTube channel is successful. Not only does he try to educate viewers about environmental issues, but he also performs cool science experiments. He has a Master’s Degree in Environmental Science, so he knows what he is talking about. His incredible sense of humor is what brings viewers back to his channel again and again. He thought if he could make science less daunting, people would see how cool it is.
Popular Video
One of Kurtis’ most popular video was when he set out to prove that the Earth was round, but he didn’t have to go into space to do so. Instead, he used his bike. Using his bike and two rods, he created sundials and shadows. At the end of the video, those who refused to believe that the Earth is flat were proven wrong.
Another Popular Video
In another video that received a lot of hits, Kurtis tried to avoid touching anything plastic for 24-hours. This turned out to be difficult because his clothing and most of his household items contained plastic. He wanted people to understand how much plastic is used, but not recycled. His videos are successful because he breaks down the complexity of the experiments into laymen’s terms. He has been compared to Bill Nye, the Science Guy. Bill was popular with kids because they could understand his experiments and the reasons that he performed them.
A Wild Idea
Kurtis had heard about climate activists who chained themselves to trees that were set to be cut down. He wanted to get his environmental point of view out to the public, but he had a better idea. The idea came from something that he did years earlier. He placed soil and plants into a small sealed jar. After a few months, he noticed that the plants were thriving. This is where he got the idea for his experiment. He believed that if plants could survive off the carbon dioxide in a sealed-off environment, that he could live off the oxygen and flora produced in a makeshift biodome. It was then that she started building his ‘human-sized’ jar.
Announcing the Plan
Kurtis called the experiment, “Kurtis In a Jar.” He announced to his Twitter followers that he was going to be sealing himself off in an air-tight environment with just plants, hoping to survive off of their oxygen. It took him two weeks to build his human greenhouse. When it was done, he made the plan. He was going to live for three days on just the oxygen that the plants provided him. He has just 1,000-square-feet of living space.
October 24, 2018
On October 24th, Kurtis entered his human greenhouse. He was prepared to live without fresh air, but he couldn’t live without WiFi. He wanted to document the experience. Also, he wanted to document everything for his YouTube viewers. When the door was sealed, he began filming and tweeting. He wanted the public to understand how dire the effects of climate change were, and how the staggering amount of carbon dioxide that people pump into the air is unhealthy.
The Worry
Kurtis knew that the amount of carbon dioxide that humans exhale could surpass the amount that is inhaled. He knew that the carbon dioxide levels could rise in the dome. If the plants didn’t regulate the amount of carbon dioxide, he would have to bail out of the situation. Unfortunately, an unexpected bout of clouds rolled in 14-hours into the experiment, which kept the plants from pumping out the oxygen that he needed to survive. Despite the experiment being cut short, Kurtis was thrilled with the results.
Proof
His project proved that climate change is real, and if we don’t take care of the environment, fossil fuels and other destructive chemicals will continue to wreak havoc.
Echoing Other Experts
Man seals himself in an air-tight jar to prove an unsettling point about our planet. He isn’t the only one who is worried about climate change. Some of the top minds in the world have been trying to warn government officials of the dangers of climate change. Unfortunately, some world leaders refuse to believe that climate change is a problem. For example, the President of the United States, Donald Trump, has been quite outspoken about his refusal to accept in climate change. He claims that it is all a hoax, but most people know why he won’t admit that climate change is real. Many of his friends and financial supporters work in the fossil fuel industry, so by denying that it is real, he is protecting himself and his assets. Until everyone gets on board about climate change, our planet will not be safe.
