Giulio Di Sturco - VII Agency - A photoessay on India's Ganges River. It is predicted that by 2030, the Ganges will have dried up due to global warming, water pollution, and the construction of dams.
Consuming Responsibly pg 35. We all know that huge corporations and media have jumped on the "go green" band wagon, using it as a marketing strength and outlet for great expansion in consumerism. Ironically the whole purpose behind the go green movement, is to deviate away from this sort of mentality: over production, mass produce, increased consumerism and materialism leading to greater pollution and waste. The purpose of go green is to try and be as resourceful as possible, this implies spending less, recycling and reusing more, and overall creating less "stuff". The root of the problem starts with consumerism; the desire to buy and consume more things on the illusion that we need them, rather than want them. The first step in becoming a better consumer is prioritizing, separating the entities which we really need from those which we only want. Eliminating excess products not only minimizes waste but decrease overall spending. Shopping at second hand stores or vintage shops is a great way to buy clothes they are not necessarily new but they are new to you as well as affordable. Try and look for clothes that are organic and sweatshop free labor. When buying products other than clothes look for such qualities as biodegradable, recyclable, environmentally safe, toxin free, and compostable. However, though it is good to "go green" be wary of products on the market that promote green living when actually are just as negative impacting as other products. It is important to shop wise, read labels and really understand exactly what you are buying and how it impacts your surroundings.
It’s devastating how the construction of that dam has nearly destroyed Uttarakhand, India and the cities within it. Pg. 186 of World Changing “Water” states that: “No matter where we live, there is a water crisis unfolding around us. For some, this crisis is a matter of life and death.” We as citizens have to be much more aware of the problems surrounding us. Even the United States have problems, I think people fail to believe that sometimes. Third world countries get their news broadcasted worldwide, when in fact everyone needs help. With water being the most important resource other than Oxygen, we must take care of it seeing that it key to human survival. What happened and is currently happening to India now cold be identical what could happen if something were to happen to the Great Lakes, or the Mississippi River. There has been ways to save and recycle water in effective ways for a while. “Plumbing codes, social marketing of conservation practices, green roofs, and permeable pavements are just a few examples.” Rain harvesting is a tool that has been around for thousands of years. Water collected from rainfall is used for irrigation purposes as well as for sanitation (flushing toilets etc.). I know for a fact that when back home in this summer, we’ve been flooded by rainfall. This system could not only supply us with reusable water but give us control of the sewage. Of course like everything this has its negatives too. If we were to use this system and the patterns of rainfall weren’t as we’d planned, as well as the cross-contamination between drinking water and the water being collected (water getting into the pipelines of our drinking water).
Lindsay Avino ADP III World Changing Response Craft It Yourself p.90-92
Whenever I need to write a World Changing response, I look in the table of contents to try to find a chapter that is most interesting to me. I try to look for something that I can relate to, and that will give me new ideas or inspiration to help me with my own work. This is why I was drawn to Craft It Yourself. I knew after reading the title that I would get ideas on how I could make things that were eco-friendly, which interested me. I thought that it was interesting that although the DIY concept has been around for a long time, it has become more popular since the 1900s. The increased access to tools and information fueled this movement because people were able to find directions to do just about anything on the Internet. I also thought it was fascinating that another reason why people like to make things themselves is because they want unique and one-of-a-kind things. I never would have thought of this but being that things that are rare are most expensive and prized, this makes a lot of sense. The thing that caught my attention the most was the small sound system made of two Altoids tins, playing cards and a set of headphones. Instead of spending a lot of money on a pair of speakers that don’t work well, this is an easy alternative that I will definitely try making myself. Although I have the ability to make many things and be creative with the items around me, I now realize that I do not take advantage of this like I should. Some of the most interesting art pieces that I have seen are made from found objects, however: if I can make something useful out of the everyday things I have it would not only save me money, but help decrease my carbon footprint as well.
Cities are greener than suburbs. This is mostly due to the population density of largely inhabited areas. People who live in cities, inevitably live a reduced lifestyle, meaning they live more simply than do people of suburbs. This is because cities are compact and the therefore the objects of a peoples need are compact as well. The urban local grocery store is services a larger number of people that live in a more confined area than does a suburban grocery store that people from all over drive to. Despite the conceived grime and pollution of cities, urban landscapes are less disturbing to the natural world than largely spread out suburbs. More land is used and abused by the allocated lots, concrete, and yards of suburban residencies and businesses. Cities are the hubs of public transportation, urban farming communities and cleaner watershed drinking water. Even though the suburbs may look ‘green’ with the many trees and plants that grow there, building many houses destroys the natural ecosystem. Cities are acting as the catalyst of the urban green movement, and I greatly wish that I was apart of one.
Teresa Dennis October 5th World Changing: Brands I myself have never been attracted to wearing a large brand name on my clothing articles. When I shop, I will put back a nice article of clothing if it has the brand stamped on it. It has never seems attractive to have it on me, it seemed to be a way of defining myself, in a way that is no way my own, which I had no part in, other than giving that certain brand money to use me as a billboard. If I have something on my shirt, I do not want it to be an ad for who I got it from, not directly like that. If I am going to be an ad for a product I am wearing, it is because it is a quality product that I enjoy. Feeling this way, I appreciate the efforts of companies like Blackout and Mujirushi Ryohin, who do not put a brand on their products. They understand that having no brand can be just as effective for a company, and it is not necessary to brand their consumers. In World Changing, the twenty-first century is defined as one where the consumer is becoming aware of brands, learning how their strategies work and putting a stop to bad corporate behaviors, such as sweat shops and abusive relations to workers and products. I see this class a product of that movement in society, and looking back ten years ago when no companies we scrutinized like they are now, I do believe that we will be able to abolish unsafe and unethical practices in companies by the end of this century.
10/5/10 Jackie San Fillipo ADP III Rotz World Changing
Since this photograph astounded me and I wanted to know more about our water situation, I chose to read the article “Water” in World changing that explains that there is pretty much a water crisis all over the world. In America where we live, most of us think about wastefulness in terms of trash and recycling. It is hard to think of water as being something in crisis when it is literally ubiquitous. “Worldwide too many people with too many needs have pummeled natural systems that depend on a steady flow of water”. Just as we are doing with the meat and fishing industry, our water system is not something we want to destroy the balance of. Obviously all the water on our earth cannot dry up, but it is disappearing from the places we need it most, like streams that are home to wildlife. The climate is not making this any better. Our water crisis is still something I have yet to really understand, how it is purified, where it is kept, where it goes after I take a shower or brush my teeth are all things I would like to know. Like me I am sure most Americans have no idea of this, which means it is not something that we can easily change.
I think this chapter started off with a great way of giving us a view of how precious water actually is. If each of us were given a set amount of water to use for the rest of our lives it would force us to protect and recycle it as much as we could. I think we sometimes take for granted what running water gives (dishes, laundry, showers, sewer systems). In the Great Lakes it’s especially not taken for granted considering we live on one of the greatest sources of fresh water in the world.
To recycle and save the water we use regularly and stop the excess pumping and piping there is going to be a demand for privatized recycling machines that can be easily installed in homes and cities. For those who already have privatized wells this is already the case but it comes down to city systems and suburbs to create this change. Personally I’ve lived the majority of my life with my own well at my family’s house but it still doesn’t save us from water contaminants or shortages. We are all connected to each other and must work together to save this precious resource.
When this change becomes to take shape we can see some dramatic changes in culture such as the Q-Drum in South Africa and the PlayPump, a simple water pump that is powered by a merry-go-round that children play on. Even more radical practices are employed such as fog catching in Chile. With a shift to seeing water as a valuable commodity it begins to affect communities as well as our lives.
Ben Paskus World Changing ADP section 3 Landmines pg. 218
Deadly and cheap. Landmines cost as little as 3 dollars to make. The lingering 45 million landmines scattered over the world kill 1500 people a month. They’re found where people frequently used to travel through so farmland that could be used for harvesting and feeding hungry people goes unplowed, roads and trails that could link villages and allow wealth-building trade go untraveled, and towns that could shelter people are abandoned. Removing buried landmines is extremely difficult and cost up to one thousand dollars if done by trained professionals. It’s tough because most are made with plastic so they can’t be found with metal detectors. An estimated 33 billion and a thousand years will be needed to clear all of them. There are a couple inventions that speed up the process though. The minewolf is a modified tractor which mulches and churns up land, converting a minefield into a cornfield after blowing them up. The only downfall to the minewolf is the toxic chemicals that are released when landmines are blown up. Another solution is called the dragon. A torch that burns landmines out and is simple enough for civilians to create and utilize. The dragon is ideal because it can be assembled using local material, it’s low cost to use, and safer for both people and the environment. Surprisingly, nature can also help in detecting landmines. As mines decay their chemicals leak nitrogen dioxide(NO2) into surrounding soil. A genetically modified version of the flower thalecress changes color when its roots come into contact with NO2. This flower/weed is ideal because it can sprout and mature in 6 weeks and seeds could be dispersed with crop planes. And better yet, the United States hasn’t signed the landmine treaty, banning the use of them because our soldiers would be put at risk by depriving them.
Sam Goldman Weekly response World Changing 10/4/10
World changing- Green Power
In world changing I read the chapter on green power. I leaner a lot about the solar power use which was really cool to me. I know at best buy I saw this phone charger that you would lay out in the sun and it would charge your phone. Another really cool solar powered toy is this backpack for kids that have solar panels on the back that would charge your ipod and or computer. That to me is so cool. I guess I have a hard time comprehending how a panel would create energy, but then again I don’t understand how a wire does the same thing. Another interesting part wads with the solar wind power. The huge fans that create wind power. I know that there was a huge problem with putting some wind powered towers by Nantucket to give the island energy and power, but conservationists argue that it would ruin the landscape and scenery. I am very torn between these arguments. I see that using wind power would really help make Nantucket more green, and help the environment, but Nantucket has been somewhere that I have been going since I was little and the landscape is so important to its culture and its feeling.
I had little knowledge of the ice caps in the Arctic melting and when I read “ Polar Regions” in World Changing I learned that if these ice caps kept melting that we would lose not only Polar bears but could lose our selves. Polar bears are of course cute but they are very much in danger. Most people already know that the rising temperatures are breaking up the ice and leading to less land for the bears to live on. However, most people don’t know ‘mercury levels of polar bears tested in Greenland [have spiked] over the past thirty years” (pg 526). It’s sad to see that even a place so remote from the hustle and bustle of the large cities in the world can be affected by what those cities are making. Carbon dioxide is also a large factor in the warming of the North Pole. On page 526 of “Polar Regions,” the author states, “Our civilization is mimicking those ancient volcanoes, pumping huge volumes of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere.” That statement is pretty much talking about how naturally carbon dioxide levels have been going up steadily by ancient and even current volcanoes but now that man is creating its own carbon dioxide waste, it is speeding up the natural rise of arctic temperatures. How does the ice caps melting involve us humans? Well for one thing it shows us how greedy we are for not thinking about all the wild life we are destroying cause of our own needs. Furthermore, the ice caps melting lead to high sea levels. I’m not sure if this is possible but I did see it on the Discovery Channel a couple times but some scientist say that when the ice caps fully melt, that the whole world will be flooded. Is it possible? Who knows?
This week I read the chapter on Green Infrastructure. The author made some very interesting comments on how to make our buildings more green friendly. The passage that caught my interest the most, however, was the introduction. The author advocated for integrating our building with nature more. I began to question what nature really is. What makes some things natural and other things unnatural? Why is it that the things that are human made are considered unnatural? I think that humans have the ability of reason and possess a conscience so the responsibility is greater. We can feel guilt, and we know the necessity to help our planet, where as, paradoxically, a wolf feels no responsibility to a rabbit. A wolf does not know if that rabbit is the last of the species, and a wolf does not feel guilty. However, humans can feel these things, so, yes, I believe that we do have the responsibility to protect our environment. However, I do not believe that this makes our creations “unnatural.” We build our homes just as other beings on this planet build homes. Other animals use miscellaneous materials to build things, just as we humans use miscellaneous materials to build things. I would argue that our creations are not unnatural; we just have the ability to see the damage that our creations may cause. Therefore, I believe we should create more green friendly buildings.
Consuming Responsibly pg 35.
ReplyDeleteWe all know that huge corporations and media have jumped on the "go green" band wagon, using it as a marketing strength and outlet for great expansion in consumerism. Ironically the whole purpose behind the go green movement, is to deviate away from this sort of mentality: over production, mass produce, increased consumerism and materialism leading to greater pollution and waste. The purpose of go green is to try and be as resourceful as possible, this implies spending less, recycling and reusing more, and overall creating less "stuff". The root of the problem starts with consumerism; the desire to buy and consume more things on the illusion that we need them, rather than want them. The first step in becoming a better consumer is prioritizing, separating the entities which we really need from those which we only want. Eliminating excess products not only minimizes waste but decrease overall spending. Shopping at second hand stores or vintage shops is a great way to buy clothes they are not necessarily new but they are new to you as well as affordable. Try and look for clothes that are organic and sweatshop free labor. When buying products other than clothes look for such qualities as biodegradable, recyclable, environmentally safe, toxin free, and compostable. However, though it is good to "go green" be wary of products on the market that promote green living when actually are just as negative impacting as other products. It is important to shop wise, read labels and really understand exactly what you are buying and how it impacts your surroundings.
Water – Pg. 186 & Rainwater Harvesting Pg. 190
ReplyDeleteIt’s devastating how the construction of that dam has nearly destroyed Uttarakhand, India and the cities within it. Pg. 186 of World Changing “Water” states that: “No matter where we live, there is a water crisis unfolding around us. For some, this crisis is a matter of life and death.” We as citizens have to be much more aware of the problems surrounding us. Even the United States have problems, I think people fail to believe that sometimes. Third world countries get their news broadcasted worldwide, when in fact everyone needs help. With water being the most important resource other than Oxygen, we must take care of it seeing that it key to human survival. What happened and is currently happening to India now cold be identical what could happen if something were to happen to the Great Lakes, or the Mississippi River. There has been ways to save and recycle water in effective ways for a while. “Plumbing codes, social marketing of conservation practices, green roofs, and permeable pavements are just a few examples.” Rain harvesting is a tool that has been around for thousands of years. Water collected from rainfall is used for irrigation purposes as well as for sanitation (flushing toilets etc.). I know for a fact that when back home in this summer, we’ve been flooded by rainfall. This system could not only supply us with reusable water but give us control of the sewage. Of course like everything this has its negatives too. If we were to use this system and the patterns of rainfall weren’t as we’d planned, as well as the cross-contamination between drinking water and the water being collected (water getting into the pipelines of our drinking water).
Lindsay Avino
ReplyDeleteADP III
World Changing Response
Craft It Yourself p.90-92
Whenever I need to write a World Changing response, I look in the table of contents to try to find a chapter that is most interesting to me. I try to look for something that I can relate to, and that will give me new ideas or inspiration to help me with my own work. This is why I was drawn to Craft It Yourself. I knew after reading the title that I would get ideas on how I could make things that were eco-friendly, which interested me. I thought that it was interesting that although the DIY concept has been around for a long time, it has become more popular since the 1900s. The increased access to tools and information fueled this movement because people were able to find directions to do just about anything on the Internet. I also thought it was fascinating that another reason why people like to make things themselves is because they want unique and one-of-a-kind things. I never would have thought of this but being that things that are rare are most expensive and prized, this makes a lot of sense. The thing that caught my attention the most was the small sound system made of two Altoids tins, playing cards and a set of headphones. Instead of spending a lot of money on a pair of speakers that don’t work well, this is an easy alternative that I will definitely try making myself. Although I have the ability to make many things and be creative with the items around me, I now realize that I do not take advantage of this like I should. Some of the most interesting art pieces that I have seen are made from found objects, however: if I can make something useful out of the everyday things I have it would not only save me money, but help decrease my carbon footprint as well.
Caitlin Murphy
ReplyDelete5 October a 2010
World Changing
The Bright Green City.
Cities are greener than suburbs. This is mostly due to the population density of largely inhabited areas. People who live in cities, inevitably live a reduced lifestyle, meaning they live more simply than do people of suburbs. This is because cities are compact and the therefore the objects of a peoples need are compact as well. The urban local grocery store is services a larger number of people that live in a more confined area than does a suburban grocery store that people from all over drive to. Despite the conceived grime and pollution of cities, urban landscapes are less disturbing to the natural world than largely spread out suburbs. More land is used and abused by the allocated lots, concrete, and yards of suburban residencies and businesses. Cities are the hubs of public transportation, urban farming communities and cleaner watershed drinking water. Even though the suburbs may look ‘green’ with the many trees and plants that grow there, building many houses destroys the natural ecosystem. Cities are acting as the catalyst of the urban green movement, and I greatly wish that I was apart of one.
Teresa Dennis
ReplyDeleteOctober 5th
World Changing: Brands
I myself have never been attracted to wearing a large brand name on my clothing articles. When I shop, I will put back a nice article of clothing if it has the brand stamped on it. It has never seems attractive to have it on me, it seemed to be a way of defining myself, in a way that is no way my own, which I had no part in, other than giving that certain brand money to use me as a billboard. If I have something on my shirt, I do not want it to be an ad for who I got it from, not directly like that. If I am going to be an ad for a product I am wearing, it is because it is a quality product that I enjoy. Feeling this way, I appreciate the efforts of companies like Blackout and Mujirushi Ryohin, who do not put a brand on their products. They understand that having no brand can be just as effective for a company, and it is not necessary to brand their consumers.
In World Changing, the twenty-first century is defined as one where the consumer is becoming aware of brands, learning how their strategies work and putting a stop to bad corporate behaviors, such as sweat shops and abusive relations to workers and products. I see this class a product of that movement in society, and looking back ten years ago when no companies we scrutinized like they are now, I do believe that we will be able to abolish unsafe and unethical practices in companies by the end of this century.
10/5/10
ReplyDeleteJackie San Fillipo
ADP III Rotz
World Changing
Since this photograph astounded me and I wanted to know more about our water situation, I chose to read the article “Water” in World changing that explains that there is pretty much a water crisis all over the world. In America where we live, most of us think about wastefulness in terms of trash and recycling. It is hard to think of water as being something in crisis when it is literally ubiquitous. “Worldwide too many people with too many needs have pummeled natural systems that depend on a steady flow of water”. Just as we are doing with the meat and fishing industry, our water system is not something we want to destroy the balance of. Obviously all the water on our earth cannot dry up, but it is disappearing from the places we need it most, like streams that are home to wildlife. The climate is not making this any better. Our water crisis is still something I have yet to really understand, how it is purified, where it is kept, where it goes after I take a shower or brush my teeth are all things I would like to know. Like me I am sure most Americans have no idea of this, which means it is not something that we can easily change.
ADP III – World Changing 10/4
ReplyDeleteLyle A. Murphy - Sec. 003
Thinking Differently About Water p. 189
I think this chapter started off with a great way of giving us a view of how precious water actually is. If each of us were given a set amount of water to use for the rest of our lives it would force us to protect and recycle it as much as we could. I think we sometimes take for granted what running water gives (dishes, laundry, showers, sewer systems). In the Great Lakes it’s especially not taken for granted considering we live on one of the greatest sources of fresh water in the world.
To recycle and save the water we use regularly and stop the excess pumping and piping there is going to be a demand for privatized recycling machines that can be easily installed in homes and cities. For those who already have privatized wells this is already the case but it comes down to city systems and suburbs to create this change. Personally I’ve lived the majority of my life with my own well at my family’s house but it still doesn’t save us from water contaminants or shortages. We are all connected to each other and must work together to save this precious resource.
When this change becomes to take shape we can see some dramatic changes in culture such as the Q-Drum in South Africa and the PlayPump, a simple water pump that is powered by a merry-go-round that children play on. Even more radical practices are employed such as fog catching in Chile. With a shift to seeing water as a valuable commodity it begins to affect communities as well as our lives.
Ben Paskus
ReplyDeleteWorld Changing
ADP section 3
Landmines pg. 218
Deadly and cheap. Landmines cost as little as 3 dollars to make. The lingering 45 million landmines scattered over the world kill 1500 people a month. They’re found where people frequently used to travel through so farmland that could be used for harvesting and feeding hungry people goes unplowed, roads and trails that could link villages and allow wealth-building trade go untraveled, and towns that could shelter people are abandoned. Removing buried landmines is extremely difficult and cost up to one thousand dollars if done by trained professionals. It’s tough because most are made with plastic so they can’t be found with metal detectors. An estimated 33 billion and a thousand years will be needed to clear all of them. There are a couple inventions that speed up the process though. The minewolf is a modified tractor which mulches and churns up land, converting a minefield into a cornfield after blowing them up. The only downfall to the minewolf is the toxic chemicals that are released when landmines are blown up. Another solution is called the dragon. A torch that burns landmines out and is simple enough for civilians to create and utilize. The dragon is ideal because it can be assembled using local material, it’s low cost to use, and safer for both people and the environment. Surprisingly, nature can also help in detecting landmines. As mines decay their chemicals leak nitrogen dioxide(NO2) into surrounding soil. A genetically modified version of the flower thalecress changes color when its roots come into contact with NO2. This flower/weed is ideal because it can sprout and mature in 6 weeks and seeds could be dispersed with crop planes. And better yet, the United States hasn’t signed the landmine treaty, banning the use of them because our soldiers would be put at risk by depriving them.
Sam Goldman
ReplyDeleteWeekly response
World Changing
10/4/10
World changing- Green Power
In world changing I read the chapter on green power. I leaner a lot about the solar power use which was really cool to me. I know at best buy I saw this phone charger that you would lay out in the sun and it would charge your phone. Another really cool solar powered toy is this backpack for kids that have solar panels on the back that would charge your ipod and or computer. That to me is so cool. I guess I have a hard time comprehending how a panel would create energy, but then again I don’t understand how a wire does the same thing. Another interesting part wads with the solar wind power. The huge fans that create wind power. I know that there was a huge problem with putting some wind powered towers by Nantucket to give the island energy and power, but conservationists argue that it would ruin the landscape and scenery. I am very torn between these arguments. I see that using wind power would really help make Nantucket more green, and help the environment, but Nantucket has been somewhere that I have been going since I was little and the landscape is so important to its culture and its feeling.
Rebecca Aguilar
ReplyDeleteADP3
"Polar Regions" of WC
I had little knowledge of the ice caps in the Arctic melting and when I read “ Polar Regions” in World Changing I learned that if these ice caps kept melting that we would lose not only Polar bears but could lose our selves.
Polar bears are of course cute but they are very much in danger. Most people already know that the rising temperatures are breaking up the ice and leading to less land for the bears to live on. However, most people don’t know ‘mercury levels of polar bears tested in Greenland [have spiked] over the past thirty years” (pg 526).
It’s sad to see that even a place so remote from the hustle and bustle of the large cities in the world can be affected by what those cities are making. Carbon dioxide is also a large factor in the warming of the North Pole. On page 526 of “Polar Regions,” the author states, “Our civilization is mimicking those ancient volcanoes, pumping huge volumes of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere.” That statement is pretty much talking about how naturally carbon dioxide levels have been going up steadily by ancient and even current volcanoes but now that man is creating its own carbon dioxide waste, it is speeding up the natural rise of arctic temperatures.
How does the ice caps melting involve us humans? Well for one thing it shows us how greedy we are for not thinking about all the wild life we are destroying cause of our own needs. Furthermore, the ice caps melting lead to high sea levels. I’m not sure if this is possible but I did see it on the Discovery Channel a couple times but some scientist say that when the ice caps fully melt, that the whole world will be flooded. Is it possible? Who knows?
Katie Klimkowski
ReplyDeleteWorld Changing 10/5
This week I read the chapter on Green Infrastructure. The author made some very interesting comments on how to make our buildings more green friendly. The passage that caught my interest the most, however, was the introduction. The author advocated for integrating our building with nature more. I began to question what nature really is. What makes some things natural and other things unnatural? Why is it that the things that are human made are considered unnatural? I think that humans have the ability of reason and possess a conscience so the responsibility is greater. We can feel guilt, and we know the necessity to help our planet, where as, paradoxically, a wolf feels no responsibility to a rabbit. A wolf does not know if that rabbit is the last of the species, and a wolf does not feel guilty. However, humans can feel these things, so, yes, I believe that we do have the responsibility to protect our environment. However, I do not believe that this makes our creations “unnatural.” We build our homes just as other beings on this planet build homes. Other animals use miscellaneous materials to build things, just as we humans use miscellaneous materials to build things. I would argue that our creations are not unnatural; we just have the ability to see the damage that our creations may cause. Therefore, I believe we should create more green friendly buildings.