I do not have extensive knowledge on environmental issues beyond the well-known ones, and that is why I am taking the class. But right now I feel the strongest about the lifestyle of the consumers in America. The excessive packaging of products, wasting food, not recycling, and driving excessively (to name a few). The second part of Green Planet Blues that we read for this week really hit home for me. I feel the biggest problem is the ease at which people thrown away trash, fail to recycle, and waste unused products.
Recycling and reusing is so easy that everyone should do it in some way. And making small lifestyle changes will go a LONG way. It goes much farther than saving a few trees. People can improve others' lives by giving unwanted things like clothing, furniture, or appliances to charities rather than throwing them away. Recycling can raise money for special causes or reduce the size of landfills, making room for more homes, schools, etc. And by simply asking the McDonald's drive-thu window to hand over the burger without the extra bag and handful of napkins... may seem trivial, but makes a difference.
Living in an environmentally friendly way has a different meaning for everyone. One can take it to the extent that is possible for his or her personal situation. Since I was young, I have been concerned about the environment and mindful of little lifestyle changes that will make a difference. It is due to the Sesame Street clip of a child brushing his teeth with the water running, and as he does, a fish pictured in the ocean simultaneously loses its home. It's amazing how that was so influential. I make sure to pick up litter where ever I am, I recycle as much as possible, and I give everything I do not want anymore to charities. As a busy college student however, running from one place to another, I tend to slip out of these ways. Eating on the run is the biggest problem. I cannot stand the huge plastic containers that to-go food comes in, but when I have 5 minutes to get to class, there just is not the time to worry about it.
I am very aware that I should be doing more to live environmentally friendly, and I am very eager to learn all of the ways that I can do that. As I get into the habit of making more substantial changes to my daily routine, I will be able to help foster the same sense of environmental responsibility in others. And I am looking forward to that.
Thursday, January 31, 2008
The most valuable resource
In my opinion, the most important global environmental problem is the growing lack of access to fresh water. Of course, there are many environmental problems in addition to this one. We are continually depleting resources like oil, coal, and wood, and in doing so we are also polluting the atmosphere and causing climate change. However, I believe that with time, effort, and new technology, we can find different sources of energy and reduce the effects of global warming. One thing that we cannot replace or find a substitute for is water. It is vital for every single person's survival, and yet we continue to overuse and abuse our access to fresh water in so many different ways. Rivers, lakes, and oceans are continuously polluted by factories, ships, and other watercraft vehicles. Also, access to water is a huge problem because corporations and individuals use more than their fair share. The production of most goods uses a copious amount of water, and oftentimes the companies that produce these goods are so powerful that they use up precious water even in times of drought.
Relocation of water is another huge problem. Although it seems ridiculous that someone could claim to own a body of water when it should be a shared natural resource like the air and the sun, I was shocked to learn that in 1998 Ontario was in the process of making a deal to export billions of gallons of water from Lake Ontario to Asia. I'm from Akron, Ohio, so I've grown up very close to the Great Lakes. They are the world's largest source of fresh water, and it scares me that there was even a possibility of relocating that much water to the other side of the globe. The Great Lakes are so important for many major cities' water supply, and it is vital to protect this resource. Recently, a compact to protect these bodies of water was approved by the Senate, but it still needs to be approved by Congress and all eight states bordering the lakes.
Since everyone needs water to survive, no one is immune to this environmental problem. If the water supply is polluted, or if there is no water available in certain areas, large groups of people are affected. As our population increases, our demand for water does as well. We need to realize that we only have so much water, and there is no replacement for it. We cannot survive without water, so it is necessary to recognize the importance of keeping it clean and preserving it. We can do so through legislation to regulate the waste disposal methods of factories, the emissions of watercraft vehicles, and the distribution of water. Individuals can help as well by conserving the amount of water they use for everyday tasks such as doing laundry, taking showers, watering lawns, and washing cars. Every action counts.
Relocation of water is another huge problem. Although it seems ridiculous that someone could claim to own a body of water when it should be a shared natural resource like the air and the sun, I was shocked to learn that in 1998 Ontario was in the process of making a deal to export billions of gallons of water from Lake Ontario to Asia. I'm from Akron, Ohio, so I've grown up very close to the Great Lakes. They are the world's largest source of fresh water, and it scares me that there was even a possibility of relocating that much water to the other side of the globe. The Great Lakes are so important for many major cities' water supply, and it is vital to protect this resource. Recently, a compact to protect these bodies of water was approved by the Senate, but it still needs to be approved by Congress and all eight states bordering the lakes.
Since everyone needs water to survive, no one is immune to this environmental problem. If the water supply is polluted, or if there is no water available in certain areas, large groups of people are affected. As our population increases, our demand for water does as well. We need to realize that we only have so much water, and there is no replacement for it. We cannot survive without water, so it is necessary to recognize the importance of keeping it clean and preserving it. We can do so through legislation to regulate the waste disposal methods of factories, the emissions of watercraft vehicles, and the distribution of water. Individuals can help as well by conserving the amount of water they use for everyday tasks such as doing laundry, taking showers, watering lawns, and washing cars. Every action counts.
Environmentally friendly?
For environmentalists, living in an environmentally friendly way may mean to live in such a way that does not exceed the earth's ability to erase your ecological footprint. A person who lives in an environmentally friendly way would not over use the earth's resources or pollute more than what the earth could naturally cleanse. Perhaps some people may live like this, but the majority of humans do not. Those who believe they are, do not understand all of the processes that go in to making their goods. Although they may be recycling and do not consume much, what they do consume was made by people or machines that do use resources in excess. Those who only have one child, so as to stave off the population boom, may coo at a baby reception, encouraging the pregnant mother to have more children. Even those in the poorest countries, who only consume and waste to survive, do not live in an environmentally friendly way, even though they hardly live at all. The "environmentally friendly way" is impossible for any human to follow exactly, no matter how well intentioned they are.
So, in my opinion, to live in an environmentally friendly way involves stepping outside of one's comfort zone and at least trying. One should educate themselves, as much as one reasonably can, and make a conscience effort to be more environmentally friendly. One cannot be expected to have the time to calculate their exact ecological footprint, which involves calculating every process and resource that has ever gone into anything that person has ever consumed. However, one should take the time to educate themselves on the policies of politicians who can pull people together to calculate such processes and limit or reduce them, and then vote based on these concerns. One should hold their politicians as much accountable for environmental issues as they do for issues of security, as they are one in the same. One may not be able to walk everywhere they go, but they can make an effort to carpool or take a train when they have the extra time. Recycling everything in the proper way or ensuring that it is disposed of in the proper way may be limited, but one can pick up liter off the streets or encourage their children to recycle in the ways available. In my opinion, living in an environmentally friendly way would involve taking those small but vital extra steps.
Honestly, I do not live by my own definition of being environmentally friendly. I do pick up liter whenever I see it and I do recycle. Where I am from, it is not practical to walk anywhere, and the buses are unsafe. I also travel by plane frequently, but I would not even know how to get a ticket for a voyage across the ocean to London. I, however, teach younger children or friends to not liter and not to waste. I live as environmentally friendly as I can with the abilities I have, but I could always make more of an effort.
So, in my opinion, to live in an environmentally friendly way involves stepping outside of one's comfort zone and at least trying. One should educate themselves, as much as one reasonably can, and make a conscience effort to be more environmentally friendly. One cannot be expected to have the time to calculate their exact ecological footprint, which involves calculating every process and resource that has ever gone into anything that person has ever consumed. However, one should take the time to educate themselves on the policies of politicians who can pull people together to calculate such processes and limit or reduce them, and then vote based on these concerns. One should hold their politicians as much accountable for environmental issues as they do for issues of security, as they are one in the same. One may not be able to walk everywhere they go, but they can make an effort to carpool or take a train when they have the extra time. Recycling everything in the proper way or ensuring that it is disposed of in the proper way may be limited, but one can pick up liter off the streets or encourage their children to recycle in the ways available. In my opinion, living in an environmentally friendly way would involve taking those small but vital extra steps.
Honestly, I do not live by my own definition of being environmentally friendly. I do pick up liter whenever I see it and I do recycle. Where I am from, it is not practical to walk anywhere, and the buses are unsafe. I also travel by plane frequently, but I would not even know how to get a ticket for a voyage across the ocean to London. I, however, teach younger children or friends to not liter and not to waste. I live as environmentally friendly as I can with the abilities I have, but I could always make more of an effort.
Discussion Question 2
I believe that the most important environmental problem is Climate Change, but it does not stand alone as many of the other environmental problems feed into it, like deforestation and consumption. Climate change will affect the entire globe, making life worse for many people by making weather more extreme and unpredictable.
In my own life I try and reduce my carbon footprint, which is high because I have done a lot of traveling, by eating mainly locally produced and grown food, as well as being a vegetarian. I also do not own a car and try to ride my bike or walk as much as possible instead. I believe that current consumption rates must go down, which I don't think will worsen out standard of living, because it is not goods that make us happier, but relationships and feeling economically secure, instead of having to over-reach to 'keep up with the Jones'. Also promoting locally grown food, and the eating of more reasonable diets, without all of the processed food and huge amounts of meat would have a huge impact if more people did that. I think that people can change and would change if they knew the true meaning of their actions and if they learned what they could do to help.
Sunday, January 27, 2008
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