I think that it is safe to say that food (growth, production and consumption) is a current hott environmental topic. There are many ways to reduce one’s overall impact on the environment by buying better food. Buying Local is an ideology that is recent and supports the reduction of our food’s carbon footprint. Buying Local also means buying seasonal. It requires that food be enjoyed during its local growing season and resisted when it is not. Buying food together, in shares, at local food co-ops cuts down on costs for buyers. Buying food in bulk is always cheaper and this way the members of co-ops have a say in the food that is on grocery shelves. Buying a part of a co-op system ensures that your money is going towards the consumption of food that is ethically grown and sold. Growing your own food is the ultimate way to ensure its growth and salability is principled, however this is not always an option and this is why CSAs are valuable. Community Supported Agricultures (or CSAs) sell food to the consumer directly, by dropping of shares at front doors. This farm to table methodology eliminates the capitalist hand that is visible in most grocery stores. Some goods still must be grown out of season or imported from other places. A way to ensure that food is ethical is to look for Fair or Free Trade Certified Labeling. It is important however to be weary that food is often greenwashed so being knowledgeable of the food we consume is beneficial.
China has become one of the leading countries in the world, coming up fast in the steps of the United States. With such great expansion and growth in not only population, but technology, innovation, and business, it is no wonder China appears to be one of the leading powers. However, with this great expansion comes many concerns. The rapid growth means rapid use of resources and space, making an obvious impact on the environment. China is not unaware of these global concerns and many efforts are underway to may China an “eco-city”. Due to there huge population living in very close proximity to one another, China faces huge pollution problems as well as energy deficiency. To combat these problems China’s minister of construction has placed some of the strictest building regulations in the world, enforcing “ the world’s largest green-building retrofitting crusade”. Its ironic to think that one of the countries that contributes most to green house gases and pollution, now pushes for the greenest living. Among building standards, China is a lot trying to combat the problem of energy and transportation. Because of China’s huge population many conventional gasoline automobiles are on the road, excessively polluting the environment and utilizing large quantities of oil. The best way to handle this problem, China already knows. Large efforts have been put into hybrid energy efficient cars, and an increase in miles per gallon. One car gets forty-three miles per gallon, proving China’s efforts to handle their biggest problem. Though China has come a long way they still have further to go. Along with the rest of the world everyone needs to make an effort to live a more greener life.
Lindsay Avino ADP III World Changing Statement 11/2/10
Landscaping p.198
I was very interested by this passage because I never thought about out lawn being "like big green sponges, our lawns suck up water, fertilizer, pesticides, and money, and if we leave them alone for too long, they start to look sad until we give them some more." I always just thought that it was normal for our lawns to be perfectly manicured, because this is how everyone else's lawn looks. Our lawns and the front of our homes are a direct reflection of the people who live inside, and much like out outer appearances, if it doesn't look perfect, people will judge you for it. I think that if more people realized that their landscaping could directly benefit them more people would design their lawns in different ways. Fritz Haeg, a radical designer help homeowners create productive gardens in their lawns. Instead of "water-guzzling, pesticide-drenched" front lawns, the lawns he designed were thriving edible installations, and not only saved money are better for the environment, but provide food for the homeowners. Not only do biodiverse landscapes have ecological values, but they are also dramatic in shape, size and colors, and as a result our lawns can come alive with vegetables, vibrant flowers as well as birds and insects.
Ben Paskus ADP 3 World changing Holistic Problem Solving pg. 310
As you all know many communities experience poverty and all the problems that are associated. Solving these problems is no easy task obviously but more times than not they originate from more than just one source. To tighten the hold on communities we need to empower the younger generation, support families, promote education, and improve health standards. This approach of encompassing multiple disciplines is referred to as a holistic approach, which usually helps more people than it even sets out to. The Harlem Children’s Zone(HCZ) in New York is one of most successful community support programs ever created thanks to Geoffrey Canada. This man has created a sixty-block area to help kids become educated in a life filled with poverty, violence, drugs, and lack of city government support. The HCZ basically begins working with kids at birth and supports them through college. Geoffrey Canada realizes in order for individual success to take place parents have to be present in their children’s lives. The positive effects of this ideal are easily seen in the success of Finland’s school system. Finland has the highest rate of teen literacy in the world and the most “creatively competitive” economy. Finland spends more per student than any other nation on earth and interestingly enough Finnish kids spend less time in the classroom than students in any western country i.e. the USA. Finland is the greatest. They also have longer breaks and holidays, this emphasis is put on a family’s role in educating kids is having great output. And whereas the teaching profession in the us is looked rudely upon, the Finnish teachers are held in very high regard. These guys sound like they know what they’re doing. In Zimbabwe there is a place called Kufunda Learning Village which provides the people in Ruwa a great environment to learn and teach the skills of self-reliance, a trait that is held very highly in that community. Kufunda also helps people see local assets hidden in their villages and taking advantage of the possibilities. These three systems are very similar even though they’re not really geographically related, and I think they should be studied and possibly instituted elsewhere.
These photos prompted me to read “Neobiological Industry” on page 109. It talks about the basic problems we’ve had since the industrial revolution using materials such as the ones in these photos that are not from the ground, so they have to be “smelted, distilled, or reacted with toxic chemicals at high pressure; a wasteful process”. And even those that need no manipulation, like wood, have to be cut into different sizes, which also produces waste. In the industrial age, nature’s bounty was more plentiful than thus cheaper than human labor. We were amazed by all the uses oil had that we used it until it has wreaked havoc on our resources. Today to make the objects we use on a daily basis uses tens of thousands of chemicals. These chemicals are not only tearing up the planet but giving us cancer and other health issues. We have been allured by the ease of using these materials that we ignored the consequences. Now that those consequences are a real and present problem, it will be easier to sway markets into greener solutions. That means all those CDs and metal products we see building up in China; we may have hope that they will someday be biodegradable instead of degradable by means of dangerous and cheap child labor.
Teresa Dennis November 2nd World Changing: Landscaping
Lawns are something that unnecessarily take up resources. A lot of effort Is put into the upkeep, time, chemicals, pesticides, all to support grasses that are alien to the piece of land. If we could let go of this general bleaching of the landscape in our front yard, we could cut down costs, and even potentially effort put into a yard. Landscaping is something that if done right, can greatly benefit the ecosystem in one’s front lawn. Planting native shrubs, ground cover, and trees increases the foliages survivability in an environment, and thus cuts down on resources put into it to keep it alive. Besides making a lawn that is better on costs and time, if a lawn is turned into a well balanced garden, encouraging wildlife into it as well as growing off of itself, it will make the garden more adaptable, resistant to pests and disease and more productive, as well as making it more unique. By putting in little effort to our lawns to turn them into a bio-diverse garden, we could help the local ecosystem. The problem with this overhaul thought of gardens is that it is not one that is a commonly accepted, it is not part of the conscious thought of our society. Our society has grown up with the white picket fence and perfectly trimmed uniform lawn ideal, not wanting to have anything different. Lawns other than this are thought of as disgrace. In the neighborhood I live in, my mother and I were asked to take our bikes inside our small apartment, as they were ruining the aesthic of the landscaping.
Caleb Moss 2 November 2010 World Changing Green Car China pg. 277-278
It’s more than obvious that China has one of the world’s largest populations, so that means that the amount of automobiles are exponential. China is taking the initiative to become more “green”. Due to the large amounts of oil consumption and pollution over the years, China’s auto designers are working on vehicles that can dramatically cut down these rates. Leapfrogging is the term that best describes what China is trying to do. Leapfrogging is when a developing country tries out different solutions that have yet to take hold in industrialized nations. China did so with the Wuling Sunshine, a small van that runs about five thousand dollars in total cost and gets about forty-three miles per gallon in the city. Since it’s introduction in 2002, this van has crept its way to the number one spot in the light-vehicles market. Toyota and Volkswagen are building hybrid car factories, while the United States seems to be taking baby steps. GM and DaimlerChrysler hope to introduce fuel-cell based vehicles in limited numbers over the next few years. For China to be a developing country it is taking a large stride to get what is necessary to overcome one of its biggest adversities. It seems like the United States just plans to take it gradual in case the vehicles don’t sell as they’d hoped. China (Shanghai) seems to be enforcing it upon its citizens. Is this a more effective thing to do? Maybe a gradual shift isn’t what we need at this time. With the large amounts of pollution we contribute a change needs to be made as well.
Caitlin Murphy
ReplyDelete2 November 2010
World Changing
Buying Better Food
I think that it is safe to say that food (growth, production and consumption) is a current hott environmental topic. There are many ways to reduce one’s overall impact on the environment by buying better food. Buying Local is an ideology that is recent and supports the reduction of our food’s carbon footprint. Buying Local also means buying seasonal. It requires that food be enjoyed during its local growing season and resisted when it is not. Buying food together, in shares, at local food co-ops cuts down on costs for buyers. Buying food in bulk is always cheaper and this way the members of co-ops have a say in the food that is on grocery shelves. Buying a part of a co-op system ensures that your money is going towards the consumption of food that is ethically grown and sold.
Growing your own food is the ultimate way to ensure its growth and salability is principled, however this is not always an option and this is why CSAs are valuable. Community Supported Agricultures (or CSAs) sell food to the consumer directly, by dropping of shares at front doors. This farm to table methodology eliminates the capitalist hand that is visible in most grocery stores.
Some goods still must be grown out of season or imported from other places. A way to ensure that food is ethical is to look for Fair or Free Trade Certified Labeling. It is important however to be weary that food is often greenwashed so being knowledgeable of the food we consume is beneficial.
Chinese Cities of the Future: pg 271
ReplyDeleteChina has become one of the leading countries in the world, coming up fast in the steps of the United States. With such great expansion and growth in not only population, but technology, innovation, and business, it is no wonder China appears to be one of the leading powers. However, with this great expansion comes many concerns. The rapid growth means rapid use of resources and space, making an obvious impact on the environment. China is not unaware of these global concerns and many efforts are underway to may China an “eco-city”. Due to there huge population living in very close proximity to one another, China faces huge pollution problems as well as energy deficiency. To combat these problems China’s minister of construction has placed some of the strictest building regulations in the world, enforcing “ the world’s largest green-building retrofitting crusade”. Its ironic to think that one of the countries that contributes most to green house gases and pollution, now pushes for the greenest living. Among building standards, China is a lot trying to combat the problem of energy and transportation. Because of China’s huge population many conventional gasoline automobiles are on the road, excessively polluting the environment and utilizing large quantities of oil. The best way to handle this problem, China already knows. Large efforts have been put into hybrid energy efficient cars, and an increase in miles per gallon. One car gets forty-three miles per gallon, proving China’s efforts to handle their biggest problem. Though China has come a long way they still have further to go. Along with the rest of the world everyone needs to make an effort to live a more greener life.
Lindsay Avino
ReplyDeleteADP III
World Changing Statement
11/2/10
Landscaping p.198
I was very interested by this passage because I never thought about out lawn being "like big green sponges, our lawns suck up water, fertilizer, pesticides, and money, and if we leave them alone for too long, they start to look sad until we give them some more." I always just thought that it was normal for our lawns to be perfectly manicured, because this is how everyone else's lawn looks. Our lawns and the front of our homes are a direct reflection of the people who live inside, and much like out outer appearances, if it doesn't look perfect, people will judge you for it. I think that if more people realized that their landscaping could directly benefit them more people would design their lawns in different ways. Fritz Haeg, a radical designer help homeowners create productive gardens in their lawns. Instead of "water-guzzling, pesticide-drenched" front lawns, the lawns he designed were thriving edible installations, and not only saved money are better for the environment, but provide food for the homeowners. Not only do biodiverse landscapes have ecological values, but they are also dramatic in shape, size and colors, and as a result our lawns can come alive with vegetables, vibrant flowers as well as birds and insects.
Ben Paskus
ReplyDeleteADP 3
World changing
Holistic Problem Solving pg. 310
As you all know many communities experience poverty and all the problems that are associated. Solving these problems is no easy task obviously but more times than not they originate from more than just one source. To tighten the hold on communities we need to empower the younger generation, support families, promote education, and improve health standards. This approach of encompassing multiple disciplines is referred to as a holistic approach, which usually helps more people than it even sets out to. The Harlem Children’s Zone(HCZ) in New York is one of most successful community support programs ever created thanks to Geoffrey Canada. This man has created a sixty-block area to help kids become educated in a life filled with poverty, violence, drugs, and lack of city government support. The HCZ basically begins working with kids at birth and supports them through college. Geoffrey Canada realizes in order for individual success to take place parents have to be present in their children’s lives. The positive effects of this ideal are easily seen in the success of Finland’s school system. Finland has the highest rate of teen literacy in the world and the most “creatively competitive” economy. Finland spends more per student than any other nation on earth and interestingly enough Finnish kids spend less time in the classroom than students in any western country i.e. the USA. Finland is the greatest. They also have longer breaks and holidays, this emphasis is put on a family’s role in educating kids is having great output. And whereas the teaching profession in the us is looked rudely upon, the Finnish teachers are held in very high regard. These guys sound like they know what they’re doing. In Zimbabwe there is a place called Kufunda Learning Village which provides the people in Ruwa a great environment to learn and teach the skills of self-reliance, a trait that is held very highly in that community. Kufunda also helps people see local assets hidden in their villages and taking advantage of the possibilities. These three systems are very similar even though they’re not really geographically related, and I think they should be studied and possibly instituted elsewhere.
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDelete10/2/10
ReplyDeleteJackie San Fillipo
ADP III
World Changing
These photos prompted me to read “Neobiological Industry” on page 109. It talks about the basic problems we’ve had since the industrial revolution using materials such as the ones in these photos that are not from the ground, so they have to be “smelted, distilled, or reacted with toxic chemicals at high pressure; a wasteful process”. And even those that need no manipulation, like wood, have to be cut into different sizes, which also produces waste. In the industrial age, nature’s bounty was more plentiful than thus cheaper than human labor. We were amazed by all the uses oil had that we used it until it has wreaked havoc on our resources. Today to make the objects we use on a daily basis uses tens of thousands of chemicals. These chemicals are not only tearing up the planet but giving us cancer and other health issues. We have been allured by the ease of using these materials that we ignored the consequences. Now that those consequences are a real and present problem, it will be easier to sway markets into greener solutions. That means all those CDs and metal products we see building up in China; we may have hope that they will someday be biodegradable instead of degradable by means of dangerous and cheap child labor.
Teresa Dennis
ReplyDeleteNovember 2nd
World Changing: Landscaping
Lawns are something that unnecessarily take up resources. A lot of effort Is put into the upkeep, time, chemicals, pesticides, all to support grasses that are alien to the piece of land. If we could let go of this general bleaching of the landscape in our front yard, we could cut down costs, and even potentially effort put into a yard. Landscaping is something that if done right, can greatly benefit the ecosystem in one’s front lawn.
Planting native shrubs, ground cover, and trees increases the foliages survivability in an environment, and thus cuts down on resources put into it to keep it alive. Besides making a lawn that is better on costs and time, if a lawn is turned into a well balanced garden, encouraging wildlife into it as well as growing off of itself, it will make the garden more adaptable, resistant to pests and disease and more productive, as well as making it more unique. By putting in little effort to our lawns to turn them into a bio-diverse garden, we could help the local ecosystem.
The problem with this overhaul thought of gardens is that it is not one that is a commonly accepted, it is not part of the conscious thought of our society. Our society has grown up with the white picket fence and perfectly trimmed uniform lawn ideal, not wanting to have anything different. Lawns other than this are thought of as disgrace. In the neighborhood I live in, my mother and I were asked to take our bikes inside our small apartment, as they were ruining the aesthic of the landscaping.
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteCaleb Moss
ReplyDelete2 November 2010
World Changing
Green Car China pg. 277-278
It’s more than obvious that China has one of the world’s largest populations, so that means that the amount of automobiles are exponential. China is taking the initiative to become more “green”. Due to the large amounts of oil consumption and pollution over the years, China’s auto designers are working on vehicles that can dramatically cut down these rates. Leapfrogging is the term that best describes what China is trying to do. Leapfrogging is when a developing country tries out different solutions that have yet to take hold in industrialized nations. China did so with the Wuling Sunshine, a small van that runs about five thousand dollars in total cost and gets about forty-three miles per gallon in the city. Since it’s introduction in 2002, this van has crept its way to the number one spot in the light-vehicles market. Toyota and Volkswagen are building hybrid car factories, while the United States seems to be taking baby steps. GM and DaimlerChrysler hope to introduce fuel-cell based vehicles in limited numbers over the next few years. For China to be a developing country it is taking a large stride to get what is necessary to overcome one of its biggest adversities. It seems like the United States just plans to take it gradual in case the vehicles don’t sell as they’d hoped. China (Shanghai) seems to be enforcing it upon its citizens. Is this a more effective thing to do? Maybe a gradual shift isn’t what we need at this time. With the large amounts of pollution we contribute a change needs to be made as well.