food for thought

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Climate

A typical carbon dioxide molecule remains in the atmosphere about five years APA (American Psychological Assoc.) Robertson, M. (2017). Sustainability Principles and Practice. Abingdon, Oxon: Routledge.

We tend to believe that our little actions have little to no consequences…. It's hard to grasp the fact carbon lasts 5 years in the air around us. We see smoke go up in the air and it seems to simply disappear, like this perfect endless diluting process. But combine all the emissions everyone makes and it makes a difference, especially if it takes 5 years for it to get out of the system. Imagine if it took 5 years to get anything out of your body, how bad would it be if what we eat wasn’t healthy? Put that into a big picture model using our planet.

  However, climate scientists, and the text of the Paris Agreement itself, state that emissions-reduction pledges submitted by participating countries still fall far short of what is needed in order to avoid dangerous and potentially runaway climate change (Gillis 2015). The agreement by itself is not enough to avoid catastrophic warming, but it does begin a process, laying a foundation and committing the parties to improve on emissions targets substantially in the years ahead. APA (American Psychological Assoc.) Robertson, M. (2017). Sustainability Principles and Practice. Abingdon, Oxon: Routledge.

 So the question sits at if the need for serious climate policies is apparent, why is the process moving so slowly? With each new report and research conducted by scientists around the world, we know more about the present and long-term damage done to our ecosystems. Each year we are faced with hotter summers and stronger natural disasters. Yet the governing bodies of the world are so caught in policies and regulations that lately seem to benefit companies more than the environment they are meant to protect.

“Myiant, who also has Mission Chinese locations in New York, says that if 1% of California’s nearly 100,000 restaurants were to successfully adopt the new climate change surcharge, $10 million a year would be raised.”

-         https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/2019/05/01/climate-change-tax-california-restaurants-add-fee-diners-bills/3632478002/

So the proposed tax is optional to join and would essentially go towards farmers to find ways to lessen their carbon emissions. The idea is to get people to contribute towards changing climate change in small manners. 1% of a food bill is almost a meaningless amount of money to a person in one transaction but added together can make significant contributions towards a cleaner future. The program is new and still has to see how the restaurants will react to it and if they wish to contribute.

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FOOD INC.

It's saddening the efforts corporations will go to thrive at the expense of others. I couldn’t begin to fathom how cruel one must be to bring immigrants to America on the false promise of a well-paying job. Only to pay them below the min. wage and then report them to ICE to have them deported once they are no longer of use... 

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The Story of Stuff

It’s not surprising how exploited the common person is by the big corporations that truly run our world. Being a retail worker has shown me just how toxic the cycle is of goods being over turned. For example at the big box store that I work at to stay unnamed, product is shipped in in bulk, of every size color and style you can think of. It’s given a shelf life of just a mere few weeks to a few months at best then it starts a cycle of mark downs based on a number of factors. These markdowns are meant to encourage the shopping of this product just to get rid of it but because customers are aware of the pattern they no longer shop regular price but the wait for the next big sale and buy out of desire instead of need. It’s rare that I see someone come in and buy something because they truly need it, its often “my last pair of shorts” are starting to get old, its out of style, I feel out of date. We aren’t happy with what we own because we are constantly being battered down that our old merchandise is meaningless in comparison to something new. 

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Pollution

Long-lived predators such as bears and humans can accumulate dangerous concentrations of toxins. In the Pacific Northwest, toxicological studies found that not only do salmon remain contaminated with PCBs, but the Puget Sound orcas who eat them contain PCB levels that are 400 to 500 times those found in humans (Cullon et al. 2009, 148).

We all tend to think that our small little actions have little to no consequences. Lets spray this, throw this out, burn this. Yet we fail to grasp the big picture consequences of our actions. for example the use of DDT years ago, we used it everywhere for ourselves, we saw mosquitoes as a bother some insect which while its true it spreads disease we went to such efforts to kill them we hurt other populations in the cross fire. It starts at a small scale but before you know it everybody is hurt by the little things.  Robertson, M. (2017). Sustainability Principles and Practice. Abingdon, Oxon: Routledge.

Perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) -  C8HF15O2

Used in the making of Teflon which most people are familiar with as the coating used in non-stick pans. It lately has been getting attention by the EPA and cancer societys due to a possible link to cancer. Some studies show those near its producation have been shown to have testicular cancer but the number is low enough that it could be due to chance. Currently the EPA has no regulation on the chemical in the water supply but they have released advisory about it.  

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Aqua

“The combination of overpopulation, overconsumption, and uneven distribution of available water has led to a number of problems involving water. The most visible problem is water scarcity.”

In the United states we use water and all of our resources as it will never run out, or if it does it won’t run out for us right now so no need to worry yet. But we don’t see the long term affects of leaving the bath running, running the water when brushing our teeth or cleaning the dishes. Some countries around the world go into political conflicts over providing freshwater for its people, giving them the lifeline to survive while we even throw away our freshwater because “we didn’t finish the whole bottle” or drink the whole cup. We are spoiled as a society to the resources we take for granted without ever noticing that those resources are soon becoming limited if not taken care of. 

“ Chemical pollution is damaging to ecosystems and to human health as rivers and lakes are increasingly polluted by fertilizer, pesticide residues, chemical wastes, and industrial spills.”

Another prime example of the abuse of our world. One of the biggest ecological mistakes happened on our very coast here in Florida and through the Gulf of Mexico. The BP oil spill that to this day still has consequences on the water and the wildlife that was sadly close enough to be harmed by it. Not only did this screw up cost millions of dollars to clean up, the long term affects are still being seen and perhaps will shape the change to wildlife populations who can’t thrive after such a disaster. Another example is the constant blooms of toxic algae in Florida that forces the shut down of beaches and rivers due to the waterflow changes. All the runoff chemicals being mixed into the freshwater supply that not only shouldn’t have the chemicals dumped into it in the first place but isn’t allow its chance to naturally filter the water out through the everglades because we changed the very way water naturally flowed through the state. Making artificial rivers and dikes around the great lake to benefit our needs rather than the needs of the land.   Robertson, M. (2017). Sustainability Principles and Practice. Abingdon, Oxon: Routledge.

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WOW

Although I compared lower than the national average its incredible to see the sheer number that is consumed by just my household. we take so much for granted on such a day to day basis. Trying to put in perspective communities in the world who don’t have access to plumbing and water as we do makes one reconsider the amount wasted. 

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us.

Robertson, M. (2017). Sustainability Principles and Practice. Abingdon, Oxon: Routledge.  

“At the scale of the entire planet there are four major systems, or spheres: rock, air, water, and organism.”

Its amazing to believe that the planet is simply 4 things. At its fundamental core life is just a mixture of all of this. We tend to alienate ourselves from our neighbors here on earth but fail to see that just like us the rest of the life on the planet is just trying to live out its most basic need, to live and reproduce. Yet we look down on animals because they lack the ability to talk English or whatever language we speak. They lack to ability to operate our technology or communicate our languages, we look down on them as pets or our next meal when in some instances, if it wasn’t for technology we would be prey and not the predators to some of these creatures. Perhaps are we continue to cripple the world around us we should stop and think for a second who and what we are hurting for our own self gain. 

“If all humans on the planet lived with the same standard of living enjoyed by people in the United States and Canada, we would need 4.5 more planet Earths even if the population did not grow at all.”

Going along the same concept as earlier, our own self gain and what we consider a good quality of life comes at the expense of others. We tend to believe that our problems are the only thing in the world and no one else has it worse. Yet as we grow and expand our major nations we do it at the expense of others, we throw away food that can feed the poor and hungry across the seas, we spend money on pointless purchases while some struggle to find a meal for the day. Is the problem over population and lack of resources? Or is the problem a lack of humanity and lack of WANT to share of resources. I don’t believe we have the ability to make every individual on the planet be able to have a American middle class life style quality of life, but we do have the power to ensure no human goes hungry. Yet the greedy that controls modern society continues to tip the balance of power and resources towards the rich rather than the poor who truly need help.

Robertson, M. (2017). Sustainability Principles and Practice. Abingdon, Oxon: Routledge.

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If everyone lived like you, we’d need 2.6 earths.

More than 2 and half planets is what the world would consume if they live by my current life style. The scary concept is I like to think I live a rather ecofriendly life. Installing a smart thermostat in my home, trying to eat more veggies rather than meat, recycling where I can, etc. Yet my life style is still detrimental to the further existence of our beautiful planet. Part of the issue I believe that governs my eco enemy life style is the fact its cheaper to be bad to the environment rather than to help it. Plastic is cheaper than metal or reusable straws, gas cars are cheaper to buy and maintain than current electric cars, a salad is twice the price of a burger at most fast food restaurants. So those who are finically crippled being ecofriendly is the least of their worries. Why burden themselves more to try to save the planet when some can barely save themselves?

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He pushed through and put his wallet on the table.

I thought it was rather amazing that FGCU is what it is today because Ben Hill Griffin never stopped fighting for the future of the school. Even when it was merely only a concept. Who knows where the school would be today how it would even look like it if it wasn’t for him. To add further context to the post it referes to the video below. 

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“Earth is currently operating at 140 percent of its capacity (Ewing et al. 2010, 18) and on track to be operating at 200 percent by the 2030s

(Gilding 2011, 52). 

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Can they suffer?

“The question is not, Can they reason nor, Can they talk? but, Can they suffer?” (Nash 1988, 23).  

We have an enormous debt to our neighbors here on planet earth. From the plankton in the water making do with sunlight to the majestic birds of prey soaring in the sky hunting for their next meal. Humans often tend to distance ourselves from our neighbors because the common notion is they are nothing more than animals incapable of thought and emotions. That pure instinct is what drives these beasts to their next meal, their next mate, their next home. Yet dogs and cats become depressed when their owner isn’t around to play and cuddle them. Wolves defend and comfort their offspring in times of need. Mother birds hunt and feed for their young so they may survive. An injured animal cries in pain when mortally wounded. How can we argue that animals are incapable of emotion when on a daily basis we are proven wrong? In my previous post I spoke of what world do we want to leave for our future children, to add furthermore on that question. What world do we want to leave for our neighbors? Robertson, M. (2017). Sustainability Principles and Practice. Abingdon, Oxon: Routledge.

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What world do we leave behind?

“We will need not just technological adaptations, but social and political ones as well. Sustainability will depend on having informed, ecologically literate citizens working toward healthy ecosystems, genuine social inclusion, and equitable distribution of resources.” Yet lately our leaders still worry about the profit they can make and whether they “take a political hit” that will affect re-election for them. Time after time when a bill is proposed that would bring good to the world, we live in it is met with rebuttal and attacked saying it defeats the purpose of free market. That government regulation would hinder the progression of certain corporations. Millions of dollars go towards lobbying efforts to block bills that would harm the profit of these companies at the cost of benefiting the environment. Sometimes the bill passes and sometimes its voted into oblivion. We the common people tend not to think much of it, “it won’t affect our current generation so it’s a problem for someone else.” But It fails to address what some ask, “What world do we want to leave for our future generations to come.” The repercussions of our actions today will affect our children in the decades to come. It’s our responsibility to clean up the mess that we made. We may not have the power of the world’s leaders, but we have our voice, and together our voices can make a difference. One by one.

Robertson, M. (2017). Sustainability Principles and Practice. Abingdon, Oxon: Routledge.