Surviving the Post-Power Zombie Apocalypse

Hexmester 5: Junior Challenge

JackieCroxford
ArthurSchippmann
ChloeWilson

Introduction

Astheyearsgoon,theendofhumancivilizationdrawsnearerthaneverbefore.
Depictionsoftheapocalypsedatebacktoancientscriptureandartwork;infact,manyofthe
dominatingreligionsoftheworldbelieveinanendtimeorarmageddon.Christianityspeaks
ofraptureandtheriseofanantichrist,Hinduismbelievesinanalldestroyingflood,Islam
teachesaboutaholyjudgementday,andNorseMythologyfollowedtheideaofacataclysmic
deathmatchbetweenthegodsknownasRagnarok.
Whilediscussionoftheapocalypseisprimarilybasedonspeculation,itssafetoassume
thatourerawillsomedaycometoagruesomeend.Thenatureoftheuniversedemandsit.
Thereareendlesspossibilitiesbutonlyoneoutcomeiscertain:WIDESPREADDEMISE!!Sothis
hexmestertheeleventhgradehasbeentaskedwithideating,designing,andpresentinga
fullscaleplanforsurvivalintheeventofazombieapocalypse,becausetheresnosuchthingas
beingtooreadywhentheworldisending.
Thegoaloftheprojectistofindawaytofulfillbasichumanneedswithoutaccesstothe
utilitiesandprivilegeswetendtakeforgrantedinthemodernworld,suchascleanwater,
shelter,security,food,electricity,fuel,emergencyservices,communicationnetworks,and
transportation.Thisis,ofcourse,mucheasiersaidthandone,butthroughextensive,detailed
planningandwithenoughgritandluck,wemightbeabletodefendourplanetandpreserve
humanity.

Shelter
Mostoftheplaceswherepeopleusedtolivehavebeenabandoned(probablybecause
theyredead).Inthiscase,itshouldberelativelyeasytofindaplacetocallhomeinsome
deadguysoldhouse.Ideallywewouldliketoliveonafarmwithplentyofwideopenspace
(theaveragefarmsizeinAmericais434acres)andanearbywatersource.Afarmwouldbea
greatplacetostart,especiallywithourhighdemandforspacerequiredtocultivatefreshcrops
andlivestock.Ideallyourimmediatepremises(ourhouseandgarden)wouldbesurroundedby
a10footwallbuiltfrombricksandreinforcedbycementblocks.Wecantalwaysbeguarding
oursurroundings,sobehindthewallwillbeaslightlyshorterbarbedwirefenceequippedwith
motiontrackingsensorsthatdetectanyoutsidemovement;emergencylightsareactivated
whenthealarmsaresetoff.Ourmainbuildingisathreebedroomfarmhousecompletewithan
entertainmentroomandoperationalkitchen.

Energy
Therearemanydifferentwaystoobtainenergybutnotallofthemareasreliableand
consistentassolarpanels.Thesunriseseverydayregardlessofoutsidefactors,whereasthe
wind,rain,andheatcannotbeeasilypredictedwithoutprofessionaltools.Thisiswhysolar
energyisthemostabundantrenewableresourceavailabletous.
Solarenergycanbeharnessedtopowerhouseholdutilitiesthatarenecessaryfor
comfortandsustainability,andSolarCitybrandsolarpanelsaremarketedasthemostefficient
solarcellsavailable.25panelsgiveanoutputof5kilowattsperhour.Toputthisinto
perspective,onehundred25wattfluorescentlightbulbwouldconsume2.5kilowattsanhour.
Using100SolarCitysolarpanelswouldproduce20kilowattseveryhour,whichcouldprovide
morethanenoughpowerforbasichouseholdapplianceslikestoves,refrigeratorsandlighting.
Astandardefficiencymodelfridgeusesonekilowattinaday,andheatingastovetopfor2
hourswouldonlyusearound1.5kilowatts.
Solarpanelsharnessthesunsenergywithphotovoltaiccells.Whensunlightcomesin
contactwithacell,thelightsphotonsareconvertedtoelectronsofdirectcurrentelectricity
thatflowthroughaninverterwheretheyarethentransformedintoanalternatingcurrent
power.Thistechnologyisextremelyusefulandconvenient,buttheirlifespanisonlyabout
2530years.Bythattimeweshouldhaveacquiredenoughexcessenergystoredinbatteries
andgeneratorstoatleastbuyenoughtimetofindanothersourceofreliablepower.

Water
InFlorida,youdonthavetotravelfartoreachanaturalbodyofwater,sowhen
choosingasettlementitsimportantthatariverorpondisnearbyorthattheclimateproduces
asteadyamountofrain.Obviouslyrainwaterandpondwaterarentsuitabletodrink,whichis
whyweplanonusinganincrediblysafeandefficientmicrofiltrationtechnologytopurifyour
drinkingwatercalledtheLifeStraw.TheLifeStrawwasinventedin2006andphysicallyfiltrates
waterthroughalongtube,cleansingdirtywateroflifethreateningbacteria,protozoa,and
viruses.Thisinventionenablesyoutodrinkstraightfrommurkypondwaterorfromabucketof
collectedrainwaterwithabsolutelynorisk.TheLifeStrawFamilyunitisthemostefficient
versionoftheproductyoucanmake,

Food
Theamountoffoodweneedtocultivatedependsentirelyonhowmanypeoplewill
resideatourcompound,soIwilltalkabouthowmanycaloriesareneededforoneperson
partakinginmildtoseverestrenuousphysicalactivityeveryday:
Thenumberofcaloriesburnedduringaminuteofvigorousactivitycanrangefrom710
whichmeansthatafteranhourofhardworkyouwouldburnapproximately420
600calories.
Intheaftermathofanapocalypticevent,asurvivormightneedtodoanywherefrom2
6hours
ofrigorousactivityinagivenday.Thismuchphysicalactivitywouldrequireatleast1000
calories,andatmost3000calories.Theaveragehumanadultneedsaround2000caloriesin
theirdiettomaintainanoptimalreserveofenergy.Humansalsoneedacertainamountof
carbohydrates,proteins,lipids,andnucleicacidstoperformnecessarybodilyprocesses.

Quantity
Onelarge
potato
providesapproximately283calories.Itdbeeasyenoughtocultivatea
moderatelysizedpotatofarmonanapocalypsesanctuary,butonaverageapotatotakes
anywherefrom70to120daystogrow.Potatoeswouldbeagoodsourceofcalories,
carbohydrates,fiber,vitaminsCandB2,andpotassium,sogrowingthemwouldbehighly
beneficialnutritionwise.
Onaverageasingle
chicken
ismadeupof60%ediblemeat,and40%wasteintheform
ofbones,organs,etc.Meatfromoneentirechickencanprovideanywherefrom1000
3000
(2000onaverage)caloriesdependingonitssize,whichcaneasilybedividedbetweenthreeor
fourpeopleduringonemeal.Raisingchickensaslivestockonafarmwouldprovidehealthyfats
andcholesterol,andtremendousamountsofprotein.Raisingchickenswouldalsoproduceeggs
whichcouldbecookedinavarietyofways
onaverageacookedchickeneggprovides80
calories.Ittakes15
16weekstoraiseachickenuntilitisreadytobebutcheredfor
consumption.

Space Required
Eachpotatoplantneedsatleastonesquarefootofemptyspacearoundit.Therefore
eachpotato=onesquarefoot.Theamountofspaceneededtogrowpotatoesalldependson
howmanypotatoesyouretryingtogrow.Inapost
apocalypticsetting,itwouldseemlikea
goodideatotryandgrowasmanypotatoplantsasyoucan,butforthisexampleIllsaywe
wanttogrow25plants.Withfiverowsofpotatoplants,youwouldneed25squarefeetof
dedicatedspace.Forevery2poundsofseedsplanted,ifdonecorrectly,50poundsofpotatoes
willgrow.
Onechickenneeds10squarefeetofspacetoroamaroundin.Ifyouweretobreed
chickensandraiseagroupofabout20chickensatatime,youdneed200squarefeettohouse
them.Thisisntthewaytoraisehappy,healthychickens,butthatsokaybecauseforthis
hypotheticalsituationwedbeeatingthem.Imsorrychickens,butyouvegottheproteinwe
need!


Mental & Physical Health
Everyoneusestheirbrain,youseeingthesestringsoflettersandformingtheminto
wordsisthankstoyourbrainproperlyworking,ifnotthenthispaperdoesnotmatterinthe
firstplace.Thebrainisavitalandfragileorganthatisaffectedbymanythingthatarenot
limitedtothephysicalrealm.Yourbrainissomethingaffectedbyemotion,stress,lifestyle,and
evenyourdiet!Poormentalhealthuntreatedoveralongperiodoftimecanresultinpoor
physicalhealth,anxiety,depression,delusions,manicdisorder,bipolardisorder,and
personalitydisorder(butthisisjusttonameafew).Someoftheseillnessescancreatemore
problemsbyinterruptingdailylifeandmakingsimpletasksverydifficult.
Solutionstothesearepossiblyasbountifulastheproblemscreatedbypoorhealth.The
firstthingyouneedtounderstandtokeepyourmindandbodyincheckisthattheyareclosely
intertwinedandareeasilysetoffbalancebyoneanother(takecareofyourbodytotakecareof
yourbrainandviceversa).Tokeepagoodmentalhealthyouwanttofirstavoidordealwith
negativestress(setrealisticgoalstoavoidstresscreatedwhenyoufeelboggeddownby
something).Youalsomustkeepyourbodyhealthy,andthiscanbeaccomplishedbypracticing
healthyhabitslikeexercisingrightandeatingwell.Buthowdoyoutellifyouhavepoorhealth?
Somesignscanincludebeingunabletosleep,alwaysfeelingfatigued,gettingshorted(which
occurswhenyourbonesbecomebrittleandstarttodegrade),constantlybeinganxious,or
evenyourlipscrackingarepotentiallysignsofpoorhealth.

Defense
Defenceisaveryimportantthingduringthezombieapocalypse.Youhavetodefend
yourselfandfaceoffagainstzombiesandotherhumans.Wedecidedthatwewouldhavea
watchtowerthemiddleofourbasesothatwewillhavea360

viewofoursurroundings.We
willalsosetsensorsinvariousplacesaroundourbaseandoncesomethingsetsoffasensor
lightscomeon.Thiswillnotifyusifenemiesarenearbythatwecantsee.Surroundingourbase
aresharpwoodenspearsstickingoutofour10footwallandbarbedwireontopofthewall
incaseanyonetriestoclimbin.Wewillmainlybeusingmeleeorientedweaponryforour
safety:thingssuchasaxes,swords,knives,andspears.Fordireemergencieswearegoingto
haveafewpistolsandashotgunortwo.Gunstoresandabandonedhousesnearbymayhave
alittleammoorgunsleftiftheyarentalreadylooted.

Sanitation
Keepingyourselfcleanisveryimportant,becauseinaworldwithoutaccessible
medicineitcanbeeasytodevelopinfectionsandhaveasmallinjurybecomealifethreatening
problem.Duringthezombieapocalypsetherewillbenoplumbing.Sohowwillwekeep
ourselvescleananddisposeofwaste?Tokeepourbodiescleanwearegoingtodigaside
streambranchingoffanearriverforustobathin,usingsoapmadefromscratch.Fordisposing
ofwastethesimplestsolutionwouldbetodigaverydeepholeandafterdoingourbusiness,
sealthewasteinabag(plasticorpaper)andshovelsomedirtontopofit.Thismethodmay
soundprettygrossandundignifiedbutitisanecessaryhealthprecaution;buryingwaste
withoutabagmaycontaminatethesoilandmakeitunsuitableforcrops.Asforavoiding
infectionwewillbeusingasupplyoffirstaidkitsthatcontainsterilegauze/bandages,
disinfectant,andhandsanitizer.

Vocabulary

1. Biomassenergy:
Itistheenergyharvestedfromorganicmatter.

2. EnergySystem:
acomplex,interrelatednetworkofenergysourcesconnectedby

transmissions.
3. FossilFuel
:
Fuelcreatedbyanaturallyoccurringprocesswheredeadorganisms

decayinanenvironmentthatdoesnthaveoxygen.
4. GeothermalEnergy:
HeatthatisnaturallyproducedbyEarth.
5. Nonrenewableenergy:
Energymadefromnaturalresourcesthatwilleventually

runoutthattookmillionsofyearstoforminthecrustoftheEarth.
6. Peakoil:
Thehypotheticalpointintimewhenthetotalproductionofoilreaches

itsmaximumratebecausemostofithasbeenused,afterwhichproduction
plateausanddeclines.
7. Photovoltaic:
Solarcellsystemsthatconvertssunlightdirectlyintoelectrical

energy(solarpanels)
8. Renewableenergy:

Energyobtainedfromresourcesthatarenaturally
replenishedatasteadyratethroughoutourlifetime.
9. SolarEnergy:
RadiantlightharnessedfromtheSunbymeansofprogressive

technologieslikesolararchitectureorphotovoltaics.
10. SystemComponent:

Thisisthemainmakeupofasystemandits
components,usuallyasmallercomponentwithinalargermachine.Theusageof
thisisexplainedwiththeelectricalgrid,howmanysmallerpartshelpeachother
parttocompleteagoal.

11. Uranium:

Uranium(AtomicNumber92)isaveryheavymetalwhichcanbeused
asanabundantsourceofconcentratedenergyvianuclearfission(splittingin
two).
12. Windenergy:

Energycreatedthroughwindspinningthebladesofaturbine.
13. Hydropower:
Theuseoffallingwatertopoweragenerator.

14. PemCell
AProtonExchangeMembranecellthatiscurrentlyunderdevelopment

tobeusedasasourceoffuelwiththreemainapplications:transportation,
portableuse,andstationaryinstallations
15. WindTurbine:
Alargewindmilllikedevicethatspinsinordertogeneratepower.

16. RenewableExamples
:
Hydropower,geothermalenergy,methane,sunlight,and

windpoweraresomeexamplesofrenewableresources.
17. NonrenewableExamples
:
Fossilfuels,coal,oil,andnaturalgasareallexamples

ofnonrenewableresources.
18. Whatisthe"grid?"
:

Thegridreferstotheinterconnectednetworkof
electricity(calledthepowertransmissiongrid)thatiscarried,usuallyvia
powerlines,frompowerplantstoconsumers.

Sources
http://www.mhww.org/risks.html
http://www.beliefnet.com/columnists/idolchatter/2008/06/top10religiousbeli
efsabout.html
http://lifestraw.com/products/lifestrawfamily/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LifeStraw#Construction
http://www.solarcity.com/utilities
http://www.solarcity.com/residential/solarenergyfaqs/solarenergyproduction
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1NwZjYFoNls_PwgAcLEIQegG3AkMruBG
b1m4U7jKkbA/edit
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1nMpkVtyX66emxO8Ui7tTczSQEfLRehxcd
Boqr4_ldOc/edit
http://www.wikihow.com/CalculateKilowattsUsedbyLightBulbs
https://pureenergies.com/us/howsolarworks/howlongdosolarpanelslast/
http://www.mindbodygreen.com/09853/12signsyoureunhealthythatyoupr
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http://mattbierbaum.github.io/zombiesusa/