cameliaenvironmentalscience-blog

[cameliaenvironmentalscience-blog]

Conclusion: Implementing a National Plan of Action on the Right to Water and Sanitation in the United States

Quote - Putting human rights at the center of national planning and policy will help ensure that basic needs and ecosystem protections are prioritized when balancing competing demands on water.

Comment - human rights should involve enough water to live. Clean water. Not disease river water that kills people and has mosquito larvae in it. It should be water that doesn't kill them. Water that keeps them alive and does what it should inside of them.

[cameliaenvironmentalscience-blog]

U.S. Foreign Aid and U.S. Engagement in International Financial Institutions

Quote - The United States is the largest single donor country to the World Bank Group, which remains the largest external source of financing for water management in developing countries. However, the Bank continues to push water privatization and corporatization on governments through advisory and technical services, direct investments that empower transnational water corporations, the restructuring of public utilities, and even the use of donor conditionalities. Restructuring often means forcing borrowing countries to adopt cost-recovery regulations that increase household tariffs and lay the groundwork for privatization.

Comment - I think its really great that the US is the largest single donor, I really think that's amazing considering we're one of the highest countries to have clean water. So I think its great that we are sharing the wealth and health. haha. But yes, I think that's just splendid. I honestly think its great that they are helping.

Connection - I just think its really important, since I do live in the US and I am so blessed with food, water and health that we need to help developing countries, I just find it so horrifying that in some places people are forced to drink disgusting disease filled water because there's literally nothing else. I need to take advantage of the resources i have and how lucky I am.

Questions - What is the money the US is paying doing exactly? 

[cameliaenvironmentalscience-blog]

Vulnerable Populations and Discrimination

Quote - About 40 percent of the Navajo Nation lacks piped water service and has to spend two hours a day hauling water to their homes.

Comment - I don't think this is fair for the people on the Reservations to not have as much access to water as we do. I think it should be more of a priority for us to give water to everybody. I think it's too much of a water = power mentality. we don't need to have the power in this case, we need to give water to everyone, its not like water is some frivolous special treat, it is needed for life. Any and every life at all requires water. 

Connection - We also need to get water to homeless people as well, like within the United states I think that's a big point of people who need water. I have passed out lunches and water bottles to homeless people before, but on a hot day one bottle of water won't last long, although I think the homeless problem is a lot bigger than this, I think it would help.

Questions - How can we make water affordable? Who determines who gets water?

[cameliaenvironmentalscience-blog]

Violations of the Human Right to Water and Sanitation

Quote -The United States can be considered largely water rich relative to many other countries, and its citizens enjoy near universal access to safe water and sanitation. Yet some U.S. communities continue to face systemic violations of this human right — often those in poor, minority or rural locations. In recent years, new threats have emerged, particularly in communities where the oil and gas industry is using the process of hydraulic fracturing to extract natural gas deposits, and in communities where groundwater is being mined for bottling, which can lead to shortages in household water supplies.

Comment - We are really lucky in America to have access to fresh water for drinking, bathing, cooking, everything. But its still scary that can be taken away from you, especially with so many people not doing well money/job wise. It seems inhumane to have water taken away but there are plenty of countries where they rarely if ever get clean water at all. Especially since the government is not funding as much as it used to, it was something like 5 percent where it was 78 percent before.

Connection - I think we sometimes take water for granted. At least I do, I don't drink as much water as I should, I take long showers, I don't appreciate that it is just given to me. One of the worst things I saw in that movie was where the people had to have the coins to get water, and they would have to take them to work because the children would spend them and the children would have to go all day without water and the one hut caught on fire and the children died because nobody had the money to spend on them and they had no coins. It was really upsetting to me.

Questions - What will they do to ensure everyone has water regardless of if they have money? Do we want to make sure we all have water, is this a concern? What can other countries do to have more clean water like we do?

[cameliaenvironmentalscience-blog]

Part 1

1.       What fresh water sources are around you (home, school, work)?

I live right next to the San Diego River in Mission Valley that goes to Ocean Beach where it disperses. Other water sources near me are El Capitan Reservoir, San Vincente Reservoir, Lake Murray, Boulder Creek and Santee Lakes.

2.       What watershed are you in?

I'm in the San Diego River Watershed.

3.       Where does your tap water come from?

Most of the water comes from a mix of the Colorado River and northern California and some is from rainwater that they have caught in reservoirs. Some of it could also be ground water.

4.       Where does your waste water (sewage) go?

The Sewer

[cameliaenvironmentalscience-blog]

QQC

Beets in the Hood

Quote - But we don’t have to pay $10 dollars a pound for food- i charge $2 a pound and make money. You could be a millionaire.”

Questions - How did he get started? Why don’t more people approach it the way he does?

Comment -I think his attitude is amazing, and I always have thought it was sad when people have to use money as an excuse to not eat right, or to go for cheap/fast food. Some people can’t afford to constantly shop at Whole Foods but they can pay two dollars for organic food. We need cheaper, better options for people that are less harmful.

Michael Pollan Fixes Dinner

Quote - You’ve got to deal with the quantity issues. And then plants; the more you looked, the more you realized that he shortage of our plants in our diet could explain a lot. Not that I’m against meat eating. I think we’re eating too much. That’s why I said “mostly plants”

Questions - Is he a vegetarian/vegan? Why do we eat too much meat? How can we stop it?

Comment - I like how he isn’t against meat eating. It’s not an all or nothing situation, to him its more that we need to eat vegetables and meat is good too, but only in small amounts. It shouldn’t be more meat and less vegetables. I don’t know if i could be a vegetarian, but I could eat less meat, and cut it out completely one day a week, which i think is a step in the right direction.

Veg-o-might

Quote- “After a four-year hiatus from bodybuilding, he’s spent the last seven months resculpting his musculature-all on a diet of fruits, vegetables,seeds,buts,legumes and a lot of soy protein.

Questions- Is this the healthiest diet? Why no meat? 

Comment- This is a severe diet, at least to me, but it seems to be super healthy, sort of like that caveman diet or whatever that was. This guy is obviously very dedicated, even after 4 years of a break, he comes back ready to party.

[cameliaenvironmentalscience-blog]

Soil Ecology Questions

We would probably find lots of bugs, including but not limited to: roly polies, ants, spiders and worms. They might be looking for food and trying to avoid each other. Even smaller than that there are cells within the plants doing lots of work. The cells could be taking in sunlight and making energy for itself or reproducing. There are probably bugs in the soil too small to see as well as particles of other plants. There could be a tiny bit of a weed that could spread and kill tons of other plants. Soil is made up of three minerals, clay, silt and sand. Certain plants need certain soils because of how much water they need. If there is too much clay it won’t properly irrigate, which some plants might love, but it could kill other plants. However clay does help to keep the nutrients in which is good. With too much sand the water will just run through and the plant may not be able to soak up as much as it needs. 

The soil in the garden seems pretty soft to me, especially after cultivating. From the soils we had in class, it seems pretty soft. We had some soil that was yellow and dry and dusty and some that was dark brown and luscious. This seemed closer to the luscious dirt, but it was a little bit more dry. I think it’s probably not too sandy and probably more into the clay because it wasn’t super dried out.

[cameliaenvironmentalscience-blog]

Turnips

It's a root vegetable. It contains Vitamin C in its root, vitamin C is helpful for your immune system, cardiovascular health and prenatal health problems. It also has Vitamin A, folate, Vitamin C, K, B and Calcium in its leaves. They are also rich in fiber, which is essential to health. It also may reduce your risk of cancer.

Turnips grow best in 40 - 60 degree heat. In coastal areas from about September to May. They can grow in about 30 - 35 days. 

In about a 3 ft x 3 ft square you can grow about 3 dozen in one month.

They should be planted about 2 inches from each other in 12 inch rows. It likes slightly acidic soil, deep loam. It does not like lots of clay. They shouldn't be watered too much.

Spinach

It should be planted in a sunny spot. A 4 ft x 5 ft area will produce a bag of spinach a week. plant rows 12 inches apart with the seeds every 2 inches. In southern cali its a fall and spring plant. The soil should be under 70 degrees. If not, the germination rate will go below 50 percent. This plant likes water much more and seems to like to be moist and cool. It has vitamin C, B and E. It also has zinc, copper and iron, which are all essential in your body. It has lots of protein as well. 

It needs fertile, well drained soil. Spinach has a short root. It also needs a pH between 6 and 7. 

Seeds should germinate in about 5 days to two weeks. You can refrigerate before and this will lessen the germination period. It needs to be watered a lot. Check for light brown splotches, that means its being eaten. It does not have a bulb that you eat, like turnips do.

Onion

It likes sunny spots. A 3 x 3 ft spot will give a dozen onions. Onions have Vitamin C, B6, B1 and K and biotin, chromium, calcium and folic acid. Also lots of fiber, which makes your body work. Onions are good for your liver. They stimulate the amino acids to your brain and nervous system. And you can use them for detoxing your body. 

They like lots of drainage, they also like soil incorporated with manure/compost. High temperatures and low humidity are best.