Tuesday, March 15, 2011
Eco-Event #6
On March 15, 2011 I came across an article that really got my attention. The recent nuclear crisis that is happening in Japan is raising a lot of questions about what the U.S. should do in their research and use of nuclear power. The uncertainties that arise in nuclear power I believe should be used for a pause. Is this really what we should use? I think it would be best if we waited to see why the things are unfolding in Japan like they are. Maybe we can learn the best was to develop nuclear power or maybe we will learn that it’s better if we find a different source of energy. Nuclear power being used to achieve a climate solution can possibly be done by others sources of technology. I think we should take some time to figure out those resources.
Final Essay
Let me set the scene a little bit. Imagine for a moment, you’re standing in a field, the summer sun shining down warming your skin. A slight breeze blows, creating a whistling sound through the hay that stands nearly as tall as you do. You look to your right and acres of green invade your sight. Within those acres there is maybe 15cows peacefully grazing, without a care in the world. You look ahead and in the distance you see a small home grown garden. This scene isn’t a scene at all. This is my sustainable world. A world I never fully appreciated until our discussions in English 151.
The setting I discussed in the previous paragraph is what sustainability means to me and how I connect it to my life. Where I lived, the place I call home. We raise our own cattle that we eventually eat. We grow our own fruits and vegetables. All accomplished in an environment that is not enhanced by chemicals or altered in any unnatural ways. Sure like everyone else we would go to the grocery store to buy food, food from company far away. I never really saw a difference in the two. I for most of my life never questioned it and never really realized the difference between the two different areas.
That all changed one day with one video. My freshman year of high school I watch a PETA video that I can’t recall the name of that in a way changed my life. It depicted the gruesome details of treatment of animals on farms. Now I knew this was not how we treated our cows, however I couldn’t get the images of bloody animals being tortured just so we can have a slice of meat on our table out of my head. After watching that video I became a vegetarian.
After watching Food Inc., I really felt assured that I had made a good life decision. Not only is the treatment of animals in factory farms inhumane it also affects our health. Animals our shoved by the thousands in small buildings, pushing up against one another without a space to even breathe. There they are left to breathe in their feces. This makes it easier for disease to spread. Farmers then have to give the animals anti-biotics just so that they may stay healthy. The problem however is that our bodies after eating this meat develop immunities to the anti-biotic. It makes it harder for doctors to treat illness and diseases in people.
Food Inc. also discussed how pesticides our used on our non-meat product foods. Pesticides that end up in our bodies and also hurt our environment. The pesticides are used both to make the plants grow faster, make them bigger, and also to keep bugs from eating the crops. These pesticides can create many health problems such as anything from cancer to autism. Pesticides kill our soil and make it difficult to grow anything later also. It also contributes to air pollution.
So after all the discussion I think I’m going to go back to that scene I discussed in the first paragraph. One that is healthy and dependable not unnaturally altered. I have high hopes that we can get away from these industrial farm agendas and back to the old days where almost everyone grew and raised their own food. It would provide for a healthier environment not to mention how wholesome and humbling it would be.
The setting I discussed in the previous paragraph is what sustainability means to me and how I connect it to my life. Where I lived, the place I call home. We raise our own cattle that we eventually eat. We grow our own fruits and vegetables. All accomplished in an environment that is not enhanced by chemicals or altered in any unnatural ways. Sure like everyone else we would go to the grocery store to buy food, food from company far away. I never really saw a difference in the two. I for most of my life never questioned it and never really realized the difference between the two different areas.
That all changed one day with one video. My freshman year of high school I watch a PETA video that I can’t recall the name of that in a way changed my life. It depicted the gruesome details of treatment of animals on farms. Now I knew this was not how we treated our cows, however I couldn’t get the images of bloody animals being tortured just so we can have a slice of meat on our table out of my head. After watching that video I became a vegetarian.
After watching Food Inc., I really felt assured that I had made a good life decision. Not only is the treatment of animals in factory farms inhumane it also affects our health. Animals our shoved by the thousands in small buildings, pushing up against one another without a space to even breathe. There they are left to breathe in their feces. This makes it easier for disease to spread. Farmers then have to give the animals anti-biotics just so that they may stay healthy. The problem however is that our bodies after eating this meat develop immunities to the anti-biotic. It makes it harder for doctors to treat illness and diseases in people.
Food Inc. also discussed how pesticides our used on our non-meat product foods. Pesticides that end up in our bodies and also hurt our environment. The pesticides are used both to make the plants grow faster, make them bigger, and also to keep bugs from eating the crops. These pesticides can create many health problems such as anything from cancer to autism. Pesticides kill our soil and make it difficult to grow anything later also. It also contributes to air pollution.
So after all the discussion I think I’m going to go back to that scene I discussed in the first paragraph. One that is healthy and dependable not unnaturally altered. I have high hopes that we can get away from these industrial farm agendas and back to the old days where almost everyone grew and raised their own food. It would provide for a healthier environment not to mention how wholesome and humbling it would be.
Friday, March 11, 2011
Eco-Event #5
On March 10, 2011 I came across this article. In New Brunswick they have found a new way of obtaining natural gas. They may be getting ready to completely use this new technique as their use of energy. They have put a lot of thought into how to this oil. The EDF set standards so that the drilling would be safe. This natural gas is called shale and comes from soft rock. There is a lot of work to really be done before they can officially drill for this gas. Standards must be met so that water, air, and future pipelines stay clean
I'm skeptical about using this because though they say it is better for the environment, isn't our issue right now that we may run out of our natural resources. How is this any different from the mining oil we do today? Maybe it will open up more jobs and that may benefit us but how long until we are saying the exact same thing that we say about our natural resources we already use?
I'm skeptical about using this because though they say it is better for the environment, isn't our issue right now that we may run out of our natural resources. How is this any different from the mining oil we do today? Maybe it will open up more jobs and that may benefit us but how long until we are saying the exact same thing that we say about our natural resources we already use?
Eco-Event #4
On March 9, 2011 I was reading through my facebook newsfeed, when I came across a video that literally hit close to home. In Pike County, where I come from, a man's house had been taken away by rising waters leaving this individual homeless. I wasn't really shocked this happend because I know how bad the floods can get near my home. Although it did worry me because it could have been anyone that I knew.
It is intense what the weather can do and how we partially have no control over it. ure we do things to try and prevent the weather from harming our belongings and ourselves. Instead of going out on a rainy day maybe we'll stay in or like this man did we'll put our homes on steel stilts to try and prevent water from pushing away. The truth is though once the weather has made up its mind there is no controlling it.
It is intense what the weather can do and how we partially have no control over it. ure we do things to try and prevent the weather from harming our belongings and ourselves. Instead of going out on a rainy day maybe we'll stay in or like this man did we'll put our homes on steel stilts to try and prevent water from pushing away. The truth is though once the weather has made up its mind there is no controlling it.
Eco-Event #3
On March 8, 2009 I came across an article on BBC news. This article goes over how Great Britain has a plan to better thier environment by cutting the amount of waste. They plan to train people so they can create efficient buildings. They hope to have over 1,000 jobs open for thos individuals they plan to train. They have monthly budget and our trying to move to a low-carbon economy.
My reaction to the article was one of curiosity. I wondered how that would work in the U.S. in some ways I feel as though it would help the economy giving the people jobs but I know how much debt we are in now so getting this started would be a difficult task. How well will this work out in the end? Will all these homes that are more environmetally friendly really make things more sustainable? If so shouldn't that be what everyone shoots for?
My reaction to the article was one of curiosity. I wondered how that would work in the U.S. in some ways I feel as though it would help the economy giving the people jobs but I know how much debt we are in now so getting this started would be a difficult task. How well will this work out in the end? Will all these homes that are more environmetally friendly really make things more sustainable? If so shouldn't that be what everyone shoots for?
Eco-Event #2
While browing National Geographic website on March 8, 2011, I came across an article that made me think about the issue of poverty that we have recently been talking about. The article discusse how in Soutern Ethopia women have to travel down steep paths miles away from their homes to fetch water and the water they fetch is not even clean. They spend at least eight hours a day if not more making trips back and forth to obtain water.
My reaction to this article was at first one of disbelief. It just seems a little crazy that you ahve to travel so far away to get water. Then the more I thought abou tit the more I realized how common it is especially in poverty stricken areas. How can we make this less drastic?
When I think about sustainability, an issue like this really seems like something we shouold focus on. There are 3.3 million that use of drink dirty water. I wonder how many of those individuals are in the U.S. and how many are in other parts of the word. So the question is why is that we rank one higher than the other? Shouldn't we as inividuals try to make a global change, not just in our state or in our country?
My reaction to this article was at first one of disbelief. It just seems a little crazy that you ahve to travel so far away to get water. Then the more I thought abou tit the more I realized how common it is especially in poverty stricken areas. How can we make this less drastic?
When I think about sustainability, an issue like this really seems like something we shouold focus on. There are 3.3 million that use of drink dirty water. I wonder how many of those individuals are in the U.S. and how many are in other parts of the word. So the question is why is that we rank one higher than the other? Shouldn't we as inividuals try to make a global change, not just in our state or in our country?
Wednesday, March 9, 2011
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