World Changing Extra Credit - due 12/15/10, limit of 2
www.jamesrotz.com - There is a limit of 2 World Changing responses that can be done for extra credit. They are worth 10 points each. They responses need to be posted by next Wednesday.
Planet: Ecosystem Services (487-491) As an active member in society and the ecosystem, as well as a person with previous knowledge on environmental systems, I find it of vital importance to discuss the importance of resources and ecosystem services. Many disregard the amount of “product” we as humans utilize, which is provided to us from the environment at no cost. In Layman’s terms, we mooch off the environment and it’s free shit. The ecosystem naturally provides services, which we as humans need to survive. The air we breathe, the food we eat, and the climates we depend on are all complimentary services provided by the ecosystem. If not for the ecosystem and the services provided, aspects such as clean water, agriculture, shelter, and food would not be viable. The services provided are vitally important to human survival; however, many take for granted these services assuming that they will always be replenishable, renewable, and free. Recent studies show that “it would cost at least 33 trillion per year to substitute human effort for the services that nature provides for free”, meaning that the ecosystem’s services are not actually free but come at a cost, especially when the ecosystem can no longer provided these services we use so readily. Over consumption of products and resources had led to the depletion of our natural stock. Humans extract resources and utilize services at a greater rate than the environment can provide. Services that should function as renewable, no longer are sustainable because of over use. We as a society need to cherish these services and re-evaluate our usage before we completely destroy the ecosystems ability to provide services. The ecosystem is a company or provider, of products and services that we need as consumer. When the demand is higher than production, and products fees equal greater than the amount being paid, the producer suffers. Through things like increasing biodiversity, recycling, reducing our negative impact, and conservation/restoration, we will slowly be able to set the ecosystem back on track where are consumption is not greater than production.
12/13/10 Jackie San Fillipo ADP III- Rotz World Changing Extra Credit Response 1
Craft it Yourself on page 90 explains the “DIY” movement in the US. It is the brainchild of Marcel Duchamp, a surrealist who also coined the term Readymade. I thought this short chapter was really interesting because the DIY movement is something that can be applied to our everyday lives no matter what really changes over the years, and can help us build creativity, skill, and be less wasteful. When we start to make cool things out of old junk, it gives us a better appreciation for what we have, as well as help us to understand just how wasteful we can be. The chapter gives the example of an “old water bottle becoming a chandelier” or an “old sweater becoming a new scarf”. I recently saw an ashtray in my friend’s apartment sculpted from a used soda can. Many people take this on as an artistic challenge, as sorts of pop art or Bauhaus style projects. Crafting things this way is not only smart and artistic but inspiring. If a major movement were to catch on, think about how much trash would not only not be in a landfill, but have a new and cool use?
12/13/10 Jackie San Fillipo ADP III- Rotz World Changing Extra Credit Response 2
The chapter Bright Green Computers on page 134 talks about the anomaly between the fact that the computer, today’s greatest modern tool, is the most disposable and resource-heavy. Computer designers today have more tools than ever to create more long lasting and recyclable products, but they don’t. Obviously money is a factor, and creating products that need replacing periodically means more money for the producer. “$250 billion dollars are spent every year powering computers worldwide, and only 15% is spent computing”. Why? Because it remains idle, so that we can have the power the second we need it. It is absurd that an industry so ubiquitous and necessary in our culture has so many flaws. Devices are slowly using less and less power, while energy is becoming more renewable. But serious changes need to be made to change the way our computer industry, and in my opinion, it is not going to start with technological advances. Just like everything else in our country and many countries around the world, profit is the bottom line. If companies are going to loose money making something, you can be sure they are not going to make it. Unless there is some way the public can join together and figure out a solution- such as boycotting all products that are not as environmentally friendly, we will get no where. I also think the government needs to start taking action, since some of the hazardous materials and production methods are so dangerous they should be illegal.
Sam Goldman ADP III James Rotz World Changing Extra Credit A healthy Choice- response
On page 57 the piece talks about healthier foods, and how we need to be able to get the option of the healthier choice even though we see the unhealthier choice more. For example if you drive down a main road you will probably see 2-3 McDonald’s in a very small vicinity. But if you were to look for say a fresh market stand, or a whole foods, it is a bit harder and you need to know where to go. It is an interesting issue because healthier food really does cost more, and most chain restaurants really don’t have healthy food. If there could be a way to make it so that there were just as many healthy food choices as there are to how many unhealthy food choices there will be progress. Although we also have to take in consideration cost. A lot of the time the cheaper, quicker meal is the unhealthy one, so even if we make healthier foods more assessable will people actually be able to afford it. Then it comes to the whole idea of making healthier choices more affordable but no one has found a way to do that yet. Once we figure out those few problems, I think that the world will 100% become healthier and better to the environment.
Sam Goldman ADP III James Rotz World Changing Extra Credit Buying local- Response
On page 53 Buying better food the piece talks about how we are losing our connection with the source of where our food comes from. For example I know that when I am home I got to my grocery store to get all my foods. Even if I try to go healthy and go it the organic isle I still have no ACTUAL idea where my food came from. I might grab something like organic tomatoes, thinking that it is the best choice when really though it has no pesticides and is organic, I have absolutely no idea where it came from. No only is not having this knowledge important, but the local farmers are suffering. When because of convince people are going to the huge chain markets to get all of their produce the local farmers have little to no chance of making it. We need to help support them by buying local. Not only to help them, but because it is better to know where you food has come from, and know that it hasn’t traveled a huge distance. Though this piece is talking about how we should go local, which I am all for, it is also important to take into consideration the area in which you live. For example you cannot grow strawberries in Boston all year round, but you can grow them in say Florida. So because of different climates and different seasons buying local may be difficult. But people should try to buy local when they can, and they should try to find where there food really comes from.
Teresa Dennis 12/15/2010 World Changing: Furniture and Home Décor
Putting thought into a family’s furnishing, past the appearance and cost of them, is not a common thing. Many homemakers will sacrifice the integrity of the materials of a product for its appearance and value. The area I grew up in has a very definite type of family, lower to mid middle class, living in smaller homes, and many have refurbished furniture. In these circumstances, the origin of the furniture is untraceable. The homeowners know nothing about where the piece was made or what it has been through. What matters to them is that it is cheap, or even free. The more recent reform in products and health can help bring awareness to many people furnishing their homes. Various furniture products can have materials in them that are hazardous of health, such as the formaldehyde used in particle boards, polybrominated diphenyl ethers used in foam cushions as a fire retardant, and hazardous finishes on wood and metal items can cause various types of cancers, or even damage to growing fetuses. If people were to put more thought into the selection of furnishing around their home, they could encourage the green movement, and improve the health of their families. There are products being made composed of Homasote (recycled paper composite), recycled fiber optic threads, or even recycled woods from across the country. By making the slightly pricier choice on these products, the consumer is making a healthier choice for themselves and their enviroment.
Slums are overcrowded and squalid urban districts that are inhabited by impoverished people. From an outsider’s perspective slums are ill functioning and over crowded streets that have no systematic or cohesive form of living and progression. But in actuality, this is a false presumption. Slums are communities that service the people that live in them and provide resources and jobs to their people. Slums have grocery stores, beauty parlors, means of laundry, and other resourceful goods and services to offer. Every day approximately 200,000 people leave behind their rural lifestyles and move to the world’s large cities to look for jobs, food and services that are essential to a productive and healthy life. Within the many slums are schools so that children can earn an education and so that parents have a safe place for their kids to go while they work during the day. Within the slums, there is most likely little use of government issued money, as the people are impoverished. But because of this, many systems of trade and barter have been implemented in order to insure a fair market. Slums, in actuality, represent a very progressive style of living. It is cooperative and simple and every member of the community tries his or her hardest so that they not only have what they need but so that the community as a whole begins to thrive. Slums make up a very large part of the world’s urban population and it would be shameful to not recognize the slum life as a model of green living.
China and its vastly growing population seem to be outnumbering the population and the advancement of the rest of the world. China currently has one of the most advanced green architectures of the world and it is predicted that by the end of 2020 it will house more green communities than the rest of the world combined. China as an urban environment is very polluted and the government is making many attempts to control the population of china as well as the amount of cars that a family can own which in result affects the pollution of large cities such as Shanghai. Currently in Shanghai, the construction of an entirely exclusive “eco-city” is underway and when complete will exceed the size of Manhattan. This eco-city is carbon neutral, uses recycled water, cogeneration and biomass for energy. In this city there is no waste of resources. Gray water is collected and reused and natural light and heat are used to power the city. Businesses and jobs employ the people of the city, cutting back on excessive transformation. China is no doubt the future model of the world as a global society, with its greening technology and growing population, it is most defiantly a source that should be modeled upon elsewhere in the world. China is the world’s number one market for many goods and it is up to the rest of the world to follow their lead in terms of creating urban environments that are truly green.
After reading the “Brands” section under the Business I started to think about how people value what brands they wear. The section about the non-brand brand called Muji really got my attention. A good majority of people shop for brands. Some people won’t shop at certain stores and some people won’t even step into a department store. Don’t get me wrong, looking good is important and it defiantly is important when you are trying to make a good impression but, nice clothes can be found for under 50 dollars a piece. I found it very interesting that Muji makes clothes without brands because it makes me wonder how they are able to sell their product. This is so because a lot of people just shop for brands, especially when it comes to clothes. Top designers make a great amount of money because people want those specific brands and these people that buy these brands are usually brand happy with other top designer brands. Even as years have gone by, some high-class designers have gone down in status. Back a couple years ago, Coach was posh and for the elite. Now a day, Coach is available for even the Middle Class in society. It’s interesting to see how fashion changes over time and how much it controls our economy. My new thought is, will this new wave of no-brand brands catch up and mask the demand for buying top brands; or will it just be
After reading about movements, I started thinking about all the past movements that have happened through out the world. There were many good movements but also some were caused horrible destruction and were horrible for society. Between the 1940s-1970s, there were a lot of powerful movements in the US. Now, there doesn’t seem to be a lot of movements here. I wonder why this is so…is the youth lazy and caught up in their own worlds, do people in general just not care anymore? It made me a bit sad to think that no one really does anything anymore when it comes to his or her views. Yes, there are rallies but none that have really caused a huge movement in the country or world. The only movements I can think of are on the other side of the world. There is a strong Christian movement in the 1040 region of the world (India-far East Asia). Another movement that would be how the world is trying to help stop spread diseases. It takes the whole world to do that, not one country can solve that problem because it takes multiples ideas to solve problems. Maybe that is why there aren’t that many movements in the US these days…too many people are becoming enclosed in their own lives and don’t want to concern themselves with other people’s issues.
Planet: Ecosystem Services (487-491)
ReplyDeleteAs an active member in society and the ecosystem, as well as a person with previous knowledge on environmental systems, I find it of vital importance to discuss the importance of resources and ecosystem services. Many disregard the amount of “product” we as humans utilize, which is provided to us from the environment at no cost. In Layman’s terms, we mooch off the environment and it’s free shit. The ecosystem naturally provides services, which we as humans need to survive. The air we breathe, the food we eat, and the climates we depend on are all complimentary services provided by the ecosystem. If not for the ecosystem and the services provided, aspects such as clean water, agriculture, shelter, and food would not be viable. The services provided are vitally important to human survival; however, many take for granted these services assuming that they will always be replenishable, renewable, and free. Recent studies show that “it would cost at least 33 trillion per year to substitute human effort for the services that nature provides for free”, meaning that the ecosystem’s services are not actually free but come at a cost, especially when the ecosystem can no longer provided these services we use so readily. Over consumption of products and resources had led to the depletion of our natural stock. Humans extract resources and utilize services at a greater rate than the environment can provide. Services that should function as renewable, no longer are sustainable because of over use. We as a society need to cherish these services and re-evaluate our usage before we completely destroy the ecosystems ability to provide services. The ecosystem is a company or provider, of products and services that we need as consumer. When the demand is higher than production, and products fees equal greater than the amount being paid, the producer suffers. Through things like increasing biodiversity, recycling, reducing our negative impact, and conservation/restoration, we will slowly be able to set the ecosystem back on track where are consumption is not greater than production.
12/13/10
ReplyDeleteJackie San Fillipo
ADP III- Rotz
World Changing Extra Credit Response 1
Craft it Yourself on page 90 explains the “DIY” movement in the US. It is the brainchild of Marcel Duchamp, a surrealist who also coined the term Readymade. I thought this short chapter was really interesting because the DIY movement is something that can be applied to our everyday lives no matter what really changes over the years, and can help us build creativity, skill, and be less wasteful. When we start to make cool things out of old junk, it gives us a better appreciation for what we have, as well as help us to understand just how wasteful we can be. The chapter gives the example of an “old water bottle becoming a chandelier” or an “old sweater becoming a new scarf”. I recently saw an ashtray in my friend’s apartment sculpted from a used soda can. Many people take this on as an artistic challenge, as sorts of pop art or Bauhaus style projects. Crafting things this way is not only smart and artistic but inspiring. If a major movement were to catch on, think about how much trash would not only not be in a landfill, but have a new and cool use?
12/13/10
Jackie San Fillipo
ADP III- Rotz
World Changing Extra Credit Response 2
The chapter Bright Green Computers on page 134 talks about the anomaly between the fact that the computer, today’s greatest modern tool, is the most disposable and resource-heavy. Computer designers today have more tools than ever to create more long lasting and recyclable products, but they don’t. Obviously money is a factor, and creating products that need replacing periodically means more money for the producer. “$250 billion dollars are spent every year powering computers worldwide, and only 15% is spent computing”. Why? Because it remains idle, so that we can have the power the second we need it. It is absurd that an industry so ubiquitous and necessary in our culture has so many flaws. Devices are slowly using less and less power, while energy is becoming more renewable. But serious changes need to be made to change the way our computer industry, and in my opinion, it is not going to start with technological advances. Just like everything else in our country and many countries around the world, profit is the bottom line. If companies are going to loose money making something, you can be sure they are not going to make it. Unless there is some way the public can join together and figure out a solution- such as boycotting all products that are not as environmentally friendly, we will get no where. I also think the government needs to start taking action, since some of the hazardous materials and production methods are so dangerous they should be illegal.
Sam Goldman
ReplyDeleteADP III
James Rotz
World Changing
Extra Credit
A healthy Choice- response
On page 57 the piece talks about healthier foods, and how we need to be able to get the option of the healthier choice even though we see the unhealthier choice more. For example if you drive down a main road you will probably see 2-3 McDonald’s in a very small vicinity. But if you were to look for say a fresh market stand, or a whole foods, it is a bit harder and you need to know where to go. It is an interesting issue because healthier food really does cost more, and most chain restaurants really don’t have healthy food. If there could be a way to make it so that there were just as many healthy food choices as there are to how many unhealthy food choices there will be progress. Although we also have to take in consideration cost. A lot of the time the cheaper, quicker meal is the unhealthy one, so even if we make healthier foods more assessable will people actually be able to afford it. Then it comes to the whole idea of making healthier choices more affordable but no one has found a way to do that yet. Once we figure out those few problems, I think that the world will 100% become healthier and better to the environment.
Sam Goldman
ReplyDeleteADP III
James Rotz
World Changing
Extra Credit
Buying local- Response
On page 53 Buying better food the piece talks about how we are losing our connection with the source of where our food comes from. For example I know that when I am home I got to my grocery store to get all my foods. Even if I try to go healthy and go it the organic isle I still have no ACTUAL idea where my food came from. I might grab something like organic tomatoes, thinking that it is the best choice when really though it has no pesticides and is organic, I have absolutely no idea where it came from. No only is not having this knowledge important, but the local farmers are suffering. When because of convince people are going to the huge chain markets to get all of their produce the local farmers have little to no chance of making it. We need to help support them by buying local. Not only to help them, but because it is better to know where you food has come from, and know that it hasn’t traveled a huge distance. Though this piece is talking about how we should go local, which I am all for, it is also important to take into consideration the area in which you live. For example you cannot grow strawberries in Boston all year round, but you can grow them in say Florida. So because of different climates and different seasons buying local may be difficult. But people should try to buy local when they can, and they should try to find where there food really comes from.
Teresa Dennis
ReplyDelete12/15/2010
World Changing: Furniture and Home Décor
Putting thought into a family’s furnishing, past the appearance and cost of them, is not a common thing. Many homemakers will sacrifice the integrity of the materials of a product for its appearance and value. The area I grew up in has a very definite type of family, lower to mid middle class, living in smaller homes, and many have refurbished furniture. In these circumstances, the origin of the furniture is untraceable. The homeowners know nothing about where the piece was made or what it has been through. What matters to them is that it is cheap, or even free. The more recent reform in products and health can help bring awareness to many people furnishing their homes. Various furniture products can have materials in them that are hazardous of health, such as the formaldehyde used in particle boards, polybrominated diphenyl ethers used in foam cushions as a fire retardant, and hazardous finishes on wood and metal items can cause various types of cancers, or even damage to growing fetuses.
If people were to put more thought into the selection of furnishing around their home, they could encourage the green movement, and improve the health of their families. There are products being made composed of Homasote (recycled paper composite), recycled fiber optic threads, or even recycled woods from across the country. By making the slightly pricier choice on these products, the consumer is making a healthier choice for themselves and their enviroment.
Caitlin Murphy
ReplyDeleteExtra Credit
The Hidden Vitality of Slums
Slums are overcrowded and squalid urban districts that are inhabited by impoverished people. From an outsider’s perspective slums are ill functioning and over crowded streets that have no systematic or cohesive form of living and progression. But in actuality, this is a false presumption. Slums are communities that service the people that live in them and provide resources and jobs to their people. Slums have grocery stores, beauty parlors, means of laundry, and other resourceful goods and services to offer. Every day approximately 200,000 people leave behind their rural lifestyles and move to the world’s large cities to look for jobs, food and services that are essential to a productive and healthy life. Within the many slums are schools so that children can earn an education and so that parents have a safe place for their kids to go while they work during the day. Within the slums, there is most likely little use of government issued money, as the people are impoverished. But because of this, many systems of trade and barter have been implemented in order to insure a fair market. Slums, in actuality, represent a very progressive style of living. It is cooperative and simple and every member of the community tries his or her hardest so that they not only have what they need but so that the community as a whole begins to thrive. Slums make up a very large part of the world’s urban population and it would be shameful to not recognize the slum life as a model of green living.
Caitlin Murphy
ReplyDeleteExtra Credit
Chinese Cities of the Future
China and its vastly growing population seem to be outnumbering the population and the advancement of the rest of the world. China currently has one of the most advanced green architectures of the world and it is predicted that by the end of 2020 it will house more green communities than the rest of the world combined. China as an urban environment is very polluted and the government is making many attempts to control the population of china as well as the amount of cars that a family can own which in result affects the pollution of large cities such as Shanghai. Currently in Shanghai, the construction of an entirely exclusive “eco-city” is underway and when complete will exceed the size of Manhattan. This eco-city is carbon neutral, uses recycled water, cogeneration and biomass for energy. In this city there is no waste of resources. Gray water is collected and reused and natural light and heat are used to power the city. Businesses and jobs employ the people of the city, cutting back on excessive transformation. China is no doubt the future model of the world as a global society, with its greening technology and growing population, it is most defiantly a source that should be modeled upon elsewhere in the world. China is the world’s number one market for many goods and it is up to the rest of the world to follow their lead in terms of creating urban environments that are truly green.
Rebecca Aguilar
ReplyDeleteExtra Credit
After reading the “Brands” section under the Business I started to think about how people value what brands they wear. The section about the non-brand brand called Muji really got my attention. A good majority of people shop for brands. Some people won’t shop at certain stores and some people won’t even step into a department store. Don’t get me wrong, looking good is important and it defiantly is important when you are trying to make a good impression but, nice clothes can be found for under 50 dollars a piece. I found it very interesting that Muji makes clothes without brands because it makes me wonder how they are able to sell their product. This is so because a lot of people just shop for brands, especially when it comes to clothes. Top designers make a great amount of money because people want those specific brands and these people that buy these brands are usually brand happy with other top designer brands. Even as years have gone by, some high-class designers have gone down in status. Back a couple years ago, Coach was posh and for the elite. Now a day, Coach is available for even the Middle Class in society. It’s interesting to see how fashion changes over time and how much it controls our economy. My new thought is, will this new wave of no-brand brands catch up and mask the demand for buying top brands; or will it just be
Rebecca Aguilar
ReplyDeleteExtra Credit
After reading about movements, I started thinking about all the past movements that have happened through out the world. There were many good movements but also some were caused horrible destruction and were horrible for society. Between the 1940s-1970s, there were a lot of powerful movements in the US. Now, there doesn’t seem to be a lot of movements here. I wonder why this is so…is the youth lazy and caught up in their own worlds, do people in general just not care anymore? It made me a bit sad to think that no one really does anything anymore when it comes to his or her views. Yes, there are rallies but none that have really caused a huge movement in the country or world. The only movements I can think of are on the other side of the world. There is a strong Christian movement in the 1040 region of the world (India-far East Asia). Another movement that would be how the world is trying to help stop spread diseases. It takes the whole world to do that, not one country can solve that problem because it takes multiples ideas to solve problems. Maybe that is why there aren’t that many movements in the US these days…too many people are becoming enclosed in their own lives and don’t want to concern themselves with other people’s issues.