2005 Winning Abstract
St. Thomas More School
Baton Rouge, Louisiana
L’Etoile Directice
(Guiding Star)
Guiding Louisiana to a Better Future
Expelled from Nova Scotia in the 1700s, the French Canadians migrated to the impenetrable swamps of south Louisiana, establishing a new home in a hostile environment. Today their descendants, who proudly call themselves Cajuns, continue to shepherd their land using modern technology.
Located off the coast of Louisiana, L’Etoile Directice is an artificial barrier island. The city itself was built of aggregates mined from the aggregate shelf two hundred miles off shore. Barges made of aggregates and water-soluble chitin, the glue-like substance that holds the shells of crustaceans together, were loaded and floated to the site of the city. The barges sank as the chitin dissolved, forming the land.
Because hurricanes threaten the coast, the city is shaped like a star to lessen impact and deflect hurricanes. A self-healing plastic dome, built to withstand major hurricane force winds, covers the city proper. The seaport, airport, and industrial complexes are built to be hurricane resistant. Floating farms can be towed away when necessary.
L’Etoile Directice is a city with a mission. Designed for the preservation of wetlands, the city eradicates problems contributing to coastal erosion: excess influx of fresh water and invasive, non-native flora and fauna that destroy natural species. Major industries in the city process these invaders and manufacture products essential to the city. For example, water hyacinths, which clog rivers and streams, and tallow trees that continuously multiply, are harvested to produce methane gas, a major fuel source. When dried, water hyacinths are used as fertilizer for crops and as animal feed. Nutria, which consume a quarter of their weight daily, are marketed globally for meat and fur.
To curb coastal erosion, a series of interlocking stars fan out from the city and run parallel to the coast. These stars, made of aggregates, retain the silt deposited from the mainland and prevent fresh water from flowing into the Gulf of Mexico. The new marshes welcome growth of native plants and animals.
L’Etoile Directice boasts an outstanding transportation system. Citizens drive hydrogen-powered hover cars and buses over aggregate highways designed to capture water vapor produced by the vehicles—returning the water to the fresh-water supply. The main transportation, a subway system, runs in an aggregate tunnel, making transportation easily accessible.
For communication, L’Etoile Directice uses digital signals transmitted through higher frequency radio waves. Small low-cost communications are suited to this technology. Direct sequence code division multiple access technology scrambles codes so that no two users have the same codes. Signals are unscrambled upon reception.
People of all ages and cultures call L’Etoile Directice their home. Students whose careers span all fields graduate from an exemplary educational system. Because employment is high, crime is low. Since industrial and agricultural areas are located outside the dome, citizens enjoy a pollution free city.
Citizens of L’Etoile Directice play as hard as they work. They enjoy a variety of recreational activities at marinas, museums, fine arts facilities, stadiums, zoos, amusement parks, and symphonies. Laissez les bons Temps Rouler!
