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
Wednesday, February 23, 2011
Eco Event :Green Ark
I logged on to the internet on February 18, 2011, and in the yahoo news stories I caught a glimpse of house that looked like a slinky. My first thought was just curiosity, I wondered why it was shaped like a slinky. As I read the story I realized that it connected to this class and our issues of sustainability. The article over "Green Ark House" can be found
The Green Ark is a prototype created by Alexander Remizov. He wanted to create a building that was in balance with the environment. The building will use wind power generator to create energy. The building is just prototype but it made me wonder what else we could create in the future. As I read about the green ark I found it very intriguing and wondered exactly how this can be built. The thought of having a building that can float on water can be in balance with the environment seems a little unrealistic at this moment, but I feel it is definitely something we should work towards. Though the architect has some enhancing to do, I believe one day there really will be buildings like this.
The Green Ark is a prototype created by Alexander Remizov. He wanted to create a building that was in balance with the environment. The building will use wind power generator to create energy. The building is just prototype but it made me wonder what else we could create in the future. As I read about the green ark I found it very intriguing and wondered exactly how this can be built. The thought of having a building that can float on water can be in balance with the environment seems a little unrealistic at this moment, but I feel it is definitely something we should work towards. Though the architect has some enhancing to do, I believe one day there really will be buildings like this.
Monday, January 24, 2011
Ohio University's Graffiti Wall
As a freshman choosing that special place on campus you connect with can be a little bit challenging. I haven't seen everything on the campus. At first I was worried about what I would do this project over but then I quickly realized that I've had a strong connections with the Graffiti Wall. I took art in high school and it became a big part of who I am. Art in a way saved my life, so having a place like OU's Graffiti Wall for free expression is very meaningful to me. This made my decision of creating an art project for my promotional piece easy. My artistic process then took over. I had to decide what to create, who my audience would be, what medium to use, and how I would display the history.
My first and main decision was what type of art project would best portray the history of the Graffiti Wall. The best way I saw was to create my own type of Graffiti Wall. I couldn't go out and make graffiti on actual buildings. Although that would have been really awesome instead I decided to make a smaller version of a graffiti wall. One I could construct in the comfort of my dorm.
My audience for this project mainly was college age students that have an interest in graffiti or art in general. I would not limit my audience though; I hope that by making this promotional piece that more students would become interested in art and the Graffiti Wall.
I next had to figure out what medium I would use. I needed to know what different colors would use. I needed to know what different colors would be appropriate and how to display photographs on my board. I wanted to grab the audience attention so I chose to use many neon colors. I decided to put the word "History" in the center of my board so whenever my audience would look at it, they would know what the piece was about.
The way I wanted to display the history and what history I should show. I knew that I would have to put the history of the construction of the wall and then I chose information that had happened throughout the decades about the wall or things that had been painted on the wall that I thought my audience would emotionally connect with. I went as far back when it was first built in 1926 to today. I put on my graffiti wall how Geoffrey proposed to Maureen, how Ocean Eiler promoting recycling, and the beginning use of the graffiti war to protest against war. I chose all different types of information to put on my wall so to display the diversity of uses for graffiti. The different uses of the graffiti also help to attract different types of audiences.
At the top of each piece of history i put "titles" either a word describing what had happened or the year in which it happened in case someone was wondering when something specific happened with the Graffiti Wall. I decided to organize the information in order in a clockwise fashion around the word, history. I did this because I knew it had to be in chronological order so not to confuse my audience. I put the information clockwise because writing out the information in a straight line would be boring and look more like a timeline then an art piece. I also knew that I wanted to be able to blend photographs into my artwork. This was probably one the most complicated decisions I had to make. If I had just simply put the photographs on the board I felt like it would take away from the graffiti look of my piece. It would have looked more like a poster or a bulletin board. I tried many different ways to connect the photographs but every time I did, it took away from the art. So my final decision was to not display photographs at all.
I wanted to stay true to the graffiti font so I decided to use different types to display the different fonts throughout history. For each piece of history I tried to change the font of graffiti. I used simple fonts so that my audience would be able to read the history but bold fonts to catch their attention. If I would have used just any type of font I think my audience would have been struggling to read all of the information on my board.
I tried to create an artwork that was informative in a creative way. I wanted my audience to look at my promotional piece and learn something that they may not have known before. The Graffiti Wall at Ohio University has been used to promote information, express oneself, or to protest. I wanted to inform my audience about all these different aspects of the wall and hopefully connect them to the art that is all around us.
My first and main decision was what type of art project would best portray the history of the Graffiti Wall. The best way I saw was to create my own type of Graffiti Wall. I couldn't go out and make graffiti on actual buildings. Although that would have been really awesome instead I decided to make a smaller version of a graffiti wall. One I could construct in the comfort of my dorm.
My audience for this project mainly was college age students that have an interest in graffiti or art in general. I would not limit my audience though; I hope that by making this promotional piece that more students would become interested in art and the Graffiti Wall.
I next had to figure out what medium I would use. I needed to know what different colors would use. I needed to know what different colors would be appropriate and how to display photographs on my board. I wanted to grab the audience attention so I chose to use many neon colors. I decided to put the word "History" in the center of my board so whenever my audience would look at it, they would know what the piece was about.
The way I wanted to display the history and what history I should show. I knew that I would have to put the history of the construction of the wall and then I chose information that had happened throughout the decades about the wall or things that had been painted on the wall that I thought my audience would emotionally connect with. I went as far back when it was first built in 1926 to today. I put on my graffiti wall how Geoffrey proposed to Maureen, how Ocean Eiler promoting recycling, and the beginning use of the graffiti war to protest against war. I chose all different types of information to put on my wall so to display the diversity of uses for graffiti. The different uses of the graffiti also help to attract different types of audiences.
At the top of each piece of history i put "titles" either a word describing what had happened or the year in which it happened in case someone was wondering when something specific happened with the Graffiti Wall. I decided to organize the information in order in a clockwise fashion around the word, history. I did this because I knew it had to be in chronological order so not to confuse my audience. I put the information clockwise because writing out the information in a straight line would be boring and look more like a timeline then an art piece. I also knew that I wanted to be able to blend photographs into my artwork. This was probably one the most complicated decisions I had to make. If I had just simply put the photographs on the board I felt like it would take away from the graffiti look of my piece. It would have looked more like a poster or a bulletin board. I tried many different ways to connect the photographs but every time I did, it took away from the art. So my final decision was to not display photographs at all.
I wanted to stay true to the graffiti font so I decided to use different types to display the different fonts throughout history. For each piece of history I tried to change the font of graffiti. I used simple fonts so that my audience would be able to read the history but bold fonts to catch their attention. If I would have used just any type of font I think my audience would have been struggling to read all of the information on my board.
I tried to create an artwork that was informative in a creative way. I wanted my audience to look at my promotional piece and learn something that they may not have known before. The Graffiti Wall at Ohio University has been used to promote information, express oneself, or to protest. I wanted to inform my audience about all these different aspects of the wall and hopefully connect them to the art that is all around us.
Sunday, January 9, 2011
Place? Where you belong? Who you are?
My relationship with place, I would say is my art, my friends, my passion, my family, and my creativity. These are the main components to my identity. It's what makes me who I am today. These are the things I run to anytime I'm having problems in my life.
I always thought that a sense of place was having somewhere to "fit in", be a part of a group. The truth I've learned over the years isn't quite a place where you fit in but a place where you are accepted. It isn't where you are, it's who you are.
I believe having a sense of place is very important. I also think everyone has that place where they specifically belong. It's just a matter of discovering it. When I didn't have sense of place I felt like I was constantly missing something. I was very lost and insecure. Although I honestly am still trying to figure out who I am, having my family and my art as"my place" is reassuring. Having a sense of place can give you confidence because it gives you that feeling of belonging. It makes you realize your identity and can help you grow.
I always thought that a sense of place was having somewhere to "fit in", be a part of a group. The truth I've learned over the years isn't quite a place where you fit in but a place where you are accepted. It isn't where you are, it's who you are.
I believe having a sense of place is very important. I also think everyone has that place where they specifically belong. It's just a matter of discovering it. When I didn't have sense of place I felt like I was constantly missing something. I was very lost and insecure. Although I honestly am still trying to figure out who I am, having my family and my art as"my place" is reassuring. Having a sense of place can give you confidence because it gives you that feeling of belonging. It makes you realize your identity and can help you grow.
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