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Will Colton ever form an objective opinion? The world may never know. 

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Blog 10- Climate

So, climate change. This is subject matter that I have mentioned previously that I’m not a fan of. Every time I hear climate change, I hear some people scream “we need to change!” and some people scream “It’s a myth!” As for me, I’m no scientist, so I’ve chosen to stay in the middle on this one. So, these readings and articles are fun for me, It gives me a chance to look at the issue of climate change from a standpoint that I can formulate myself. In this class I have the freedom to write anything I want, that’s the point of a blog! In previous classes, I’ve found myself completely taking a stand for global warming, for the sake of the assignment. 

So, as for the reading from Robertson, here’s my first favorite quote “Is the earth warming? On one hand, the answer from data in thousands of studies over 150 years is clear. Yes, the earth is warming. On the other hand, the answer from data in thousands of studies over 150 years is clear. Yes, the earth is warming. On the other hand, continual change is a charachteristic of climate and of all complex systems.” Robertson goes on to write that what is important isn’t the fact that the earth’s climate is changing, what is important is the fact that the climate is changing rapidly. I think this is quite interesting. If your a climate newbie like myself, you know the biggest argument for people who don’t believe in climate change pose is the fact that the earth’s climate has always been changing. There was an Ice age to prove it! Anyhow, Robertson brings up a great point here. My second favorite quote came at the very end of the reading in the final thoughts section. Robertson writes “The transition back to stability is likely to take centuries.” We can see from this quote how severe Robertson perceives the climate change to be. Robertson even goes to explain that the  fruits of the conservationists work will most likely never be seen. If this is true, that is terrifying. I believe Robertson first wrote this book in the 2000′s, it is 2017 now. So, has the damage continued or do others think differently? (Robertson, 2017)

So, to find an article against global warming, I find a news source I know won’t let me down, good ole’ Fox News. 

Fox News published an article called “Catastrophic global warming less likely, study says” The article went on to say that a recent study performed indicates that climate change wont drastically effect temperature all that much. Instead of raising temperature by about 8 degrees, it may only raise the temperature about half that. What’s interesting is the fact that Fox News totally acknowledges climate change! The one news company I thought would deny global warming, confirms it. Wow. (Lott, 2018)

References

Lott, M. (2018, January 23). Catastrophic global warming less likely, study says. Retrieved July 10, 2018, from http://www.foxnews.com/science/2018/01/23/catastrophic-global-warming-less-likely-study-says.html

Robertson, M. (2017). Sustainability principles and practice. Abingdon, Oxon: Routledge.

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My waste consumption as I’m completing this assignment. Did I really need the Take 5? Probably.

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Blog 9- Waste

So this week’s module didn’t quite hit me as hard as the previous modules, I think this is primarily because I can’t see the immediate effects of human waste production in my day to day life. I also don’t think I related to the story of stuff all that much. Don’t get me wrong, I am absolutely a consumer, but I certainly don’t base my sense of self on the possessions I own. She demonstrated this point in the example where the guy rotated from work to T.V to shopping, from work to T.V to shopping, and on and on again. Thankfully, I don’t view the world like this! And I certainly feel bad for the folks that do in fact see the world like this! (Which unfortunately, is most Americans) Another reason I don’t think the story of things and the story of solutions resonated with me is because I don’t believe in global warming. That may sound crazy to some, and it’s not a political view either. I just hear both sides, and I know I’m not knowledgeable enough to make the choice myself. I also think big American companies outsourcing and polluting other countries isn’t necessarily a bad thing either. If done properly, these “sweatshops” provide tons of people an income, when they may have not had one in the first place. Pollution or not, if this system feeds people who many not have eaten in the first place, I’m all for it. So anyways, I loved most the stuff the woman was talking about. Cutting down on plastic bags, and measuring success on health, and not GDP is a no-brainer. I do believe she showed a bit of political bias, and I don’t totally agree with everything she had to say. 

Anyways, as for the reading from Robertson, my favorite quote was this: “On Earth Day in 2010, a dead whale was found on the Washington Coast with over 50 gallons of plastic and textiles in its stomach.” (Robertson, 2017)

Reading this quote I did this thing I do, where if something is so sad and terrible I laugh. I laughed. How is this acceptable?! Right before Robertson mentioned that whale, she describes the great pacific garbage patch. There is literally a trash patch out in the Pacific ocean that is the size of Texas. This is not OK! Something needs to be done about this. 

As for my Wow moment from the story of stuff, I think it came when she was explaining how costs are “externalized”, and we’re not paying for how much the radio from radio shack per say, is actually worth. And it makes sense that the cost is externalized to the environment and to less fortunate countries. I had never thought about the process quite like that.

My wow moment from the story of solutions came when she was explaining how the change is made. It starts with education and small changes, then eventually the world will follow suit, right? Kinda. I checked and the video was made 4 years ago, and today, we still have quite a good ways to go. We are still making massive pushes to increase GDP and there are still plastic bags in every big box store I know of. 

References

Robertson, M. (2017). Sustainability principles and practice. Abingdon, Oxon: Routledge.

The story of stuff project. (2013, October 01). The Story of Solutions. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cpkRvc-sOKk

The story of stuff project. (2013, October 01). The Story of Solutions. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9GorqroigqM

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My totally unsustainable piece of bacon this morning. After I finish the supply, I’m checking at the farmers market!

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Blog 8- Food

This is definitely the section of colloquium that has affected me the most. I’m definitely an American. I eat eggs and turkey bacon almost every morning, I eat extremely processed vegetables that almost never go bad, and just about every night I eat beef or chicken. None of these animals or products are raised in a sustainable manner. Watching Food Inc was absolutely eye opening. I never thought I would say it, but I’m going to start buying organic, locally produced foods. Anyhow, as for my two “wow” moments..

-I hated the footage of the workers trying to get the cow that was to lame to walk to slaughter. That was downright horrible. I’m all for eating meat. I am a Christian, and I believe God put animals on the earth for us to eat. I do think, however, animals should be treated somewhat humanely. I don’t know where to draw the line, but I know those factories are well over that line. I have to include that my family used to own about 10 cows in total. We raise them and fatten them up, then we send them off to market, and the buyer sells them as organic beef. I can’t help but think that were doing it the right way. Now I know that this method would not be able to meet the demands of modern America, but it should be able to. Modern America is fat, and demands meat at every meal, but what if the American mentality was changed? What if Americans didn’t eat cheap, fatty meat at every meal? Then farming the way we did it would be exceptional. 

-Another “Wow” moment came from the footage of the organic farmer. The way he ran things just made sense! I couldn’t help but feel guilty, because I’m the guy who refuses to buy organic eggs, but loves to down monster energies for 2.75 at the library when I get sleepy. How backwards is that? I loved watching how I did things and how he ran his farm. There is no way his meat didn’t taste better!

-As for the reading the Robertson text, I was totally alarmed with the sections detailing food additives. The most terrifying quote was this: “A laboratory discovery that two commonly used additives work as estrogen mimics has led researchers to suspect that other additives may be endocrine disrupters as well.” Robertson goes on to write that “The FDA does not require food additives used in the US to undergo testing for estrogenic activity.” Well now this is terrifying. Who knows what in the world these chemicals and hormones are doing to the animals, and then to us? It’s pretty scary to think about. 

References

Kenner, R. (Director), Kenner, R., & Pearlstein, E. (Producers), & Kenner, R., Pearlstein, E., & Roberts, K. (Writers). (n.d.). Food, inc.[Video file].

Robertson, M. (2017). Sustainability principles and practice. Abingdon, Oxon:    Routledge.

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Here is a photo of my street after IRMA. I wonder how much delicious pesticides washed up in my drinking water? Yum! 

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Blog 7-Pollution

Hey there! This was a tough one for me. I’ve agreed with almost every chapter in the reading so far, but this chapter I feel a bit different about. I think I fall in the middle somewhere on this topic. I believe that in this state of the world for economic growth and enhanced quality of life, environmental pollution must occur. It is simply inevitable, and it’s sad that the world operates in this manner. I think the American government has this opinion too, with fair, but not necessarily drastic pollution policies. Unfortunately, in some areas of the world, pollution is necessary to maintain impoverished levels of living. Terribly, some people in the world don’t have the choice to walk away from a job, lifestyle or industry that may be unsustainable. These people may have to live a terribly polluted lifestyle just to live at all. In saying this, I have to consider how fortunate I am to have the choice to choose a workplace that does not compromise my health or the health of my immediate environment.

The first few pages from the Sustainability Principles and practice chapter went like this. Robertson listed a category of toxin, then listed all the toxins that may fall under each category, and there was a pretty alarming amount of substances, both inorganic and organic, that could harm the environment, animals, and us.My favorite quote (well, favorite maybe not) comes when Robertson is writing about estrogen in our water systems. She writes, “One example of an endocrine disrupter is the hormone estrogen itself, taken by millions of women for birth control or for hormone replacement during menopause. These pharmaceuticals must be able to resist being broken down in the body so that they can reach their target sites intact, which means that quantities of hormone are excreted and carried into sewage treatment facilities.” She then goes on to explain that sewage treatment facilities do not filter out estrogen, or most prescription drugs, for that matter. This treated water is then returned to streams and other bodies of water, which will later return to our consumption. I’ve never even began to think of this. This is dangerous! Who knows what cancers or mutagenic effects we may be causing by this process? (Robertson, 2017)

As for the reading from the colloquium reader, I loved this quote. “Among them are many that are used in man’s war against nature. Since the mid-1940′s over 200 basic chemicals have been created for use in killing insects, weeds, rodents, and other organisms described in the modern vernacular as “pests”; and they are sold under several thousand different brand names.” I absolutely love how she describes this process as man’s war against nature. Because, at this time, it was almost true! The use of DDT is a prime example of greed and indifference about the environment when there is profit to be made. (Florida Gulf Coast University, 2011)

As for my chemical of choice, I randomly chose Atrazine. Atrazine is a common name for a herbicide that is used to kill weeds. Atrizine is used almost anywhere weeds are not wanted, like crop fields, or say, a railroad track. It’s pretty widespread. It can pollute the air, can stick around in soil “for up to a year” and can take longer to break down in water. Atrizine apparently, cannot “travel up the food chain” So I’m safe, right? Anyway, the people seeing the most damage from this substance are the people who used it daily, farmers. From what I have read, the primary consequences of atrizine exposure may include reproductive system issues, and in turn, issues with developing fetuses. Other effects haven't been proven in humans, but are possible, like kidney and liver issues, or cancer. As for how much I’m exposed to, it’s probobally in tap water, as well as any fruit, vegetable or grain I eat. But according to the CDC, my level of exposure is pretty safe. (Toxic Substances Portal, 2017)

References

Florida Gulf Coast University (2011) University Colloquium A Sustainable Future. Myers Florida: Copley Custom Textbooks

Robertson, M. (2017). Sustainability principles and practice. Abingdon, Oxon:      Routledge.

Toxic Substances Portal - Atrazine. (2015, January 21). Retrieved from https://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/phs/phs.asp?id=336&tid=59

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Here’s the results from the water usage calculator!

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Blog 6- Water

Hey! Before I get going on this blog, I have to say, this is what I’m passionate about. I was raised on the water, and I spend almost every weekend doing some sort of fishing. Seeing the destruction of my harbor back home in Punta Gorda makes me, well, actually angry. The last Okeechobee water release was terrible.It caused the worst red tide I’ve ever seen in the far side of Charlotte harbor and the Boca Grande area. I’ve never seen so many dead fish in my life. Trout, greenback, mullet, pinfish, sandbrim, drum floating dead, literally, one every 20 feet of water in some areas. While some say that red tide is natural, and it’s “nature’s way of cleaning itself” I have to disagree. Sure there may be some instances where red tide may occur naturally, but in my opinion, we should do everything possible to prevent red tide from occurring because of man-made causes! 

So, as for the reading from Robertson, I loved box 7.3, the mini-section on bottled water, I’m pretty angry with what I’ve read. I’m not one of those people, but I always thought it was ridiculous for people to always drink bottled water. I know a girl who would rather go thirsty then drink from a fountain or sink, her water must be either in bottled form or filtered from a britta. How ridiculous is that? I can’t wait to show her this little side note. Anyway, my favorite quote from the article comes from one of the first lines. “According to government and industry estimates, about 25 percent of bottled water is actually just tap water, with no further treatment.” (Robertson, 2017) What in the world? I think it is hilarious that bottled water companies promote their product as pure, as less toxic than whatever the alternative may be, then turn around and literally bottle water straight from the hose. I’m not saying all bottled water companies do, but, ya know, a quarter of companies probably do.

As for the reading from Marjory Stoneman Douglas, I loved how she excellently conveyed passion for the everglades, and gave the reader a chance to imagine the saw grass, the beautiful water, and lake Okeechobee. My favorite quote from her excerpt comes from her thoughts about the Caloosahatchee. “The Caloosahatchee began in earnest, a river so remote, so lovely that even in the days when it was best known it must have been like a dream.” (Florida Gulf Coast University (2011) She goes on to talk about how the river flooded one time, and that a smaller boat could traverse anywhere in the river. Wow is this sad. What I would give to see the Caloosahatchee in it’s beautiful, untouched state. To fish in places in the river that have never even been seen before. It’s actually quite depressing to know that the Caloosahatchee will never reach this state again. 

As for my water usage, I was proud, and surprised, to be a bit under the national average. The biggest hit on the amount of water I consumed came from my meat-eating habits. I guess I’m kind of shocked to see how much water it takes to create meat based food products, but then again, cows drink tons of water. 

Refrences

Florida Gulf Coast University (2011) University Colloquium A Sustainable Future. Myers Florida: Copley Custom Textbooks

Robertson, M. (2017). Sustainability principles and practice. Abingdon, Oxon:      Routledge.

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A sideways shot of our totally unsustainable road trip to Tallahassee this weekend. More fast food and gas consumption than I’d like to admit

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Week 5- Ethics and Biodiversity

I have to say, I really liked the readings this week. Both writers were drastically passionate about sustainability. Aldo Leopold used such extensive vocabulary, I had to read most sentences twice to comprehend what the author was trying to convey. Anyway, here is my favorite quote from Leopold’s reading. “Conservation is a state of harmony between men and land. Despite nearly a century of propaganda, conservation still proceeds at a snail’s pace” He then goes to further explain that the current state of conservation just consists of meetings about conservation, and any conservation never really happening. (At least that is what I got out of it.) He also goes on to explain that more conservatory efforts aren’t in place because “philosophy and religion have not yet heard of it” So, by synthesizing these two points, I guess there is this sad truth about sustainability to be created. Basically, conservation is inefficient, and for the most part, doesn’t work well because people must first acknowledge its importance through religion and philosophy. So, I googled it, and Aldo died in 1948, meaning that this piece was written a very, very long time ago. Isn’t it terrible that almost a decade later, we are still faced with the same exact issue? Conservation is and will always be a philosophical issue. And unfortunately, due to moral decline (in my opinion) in the world, can’t this only get worse? Thinking about sustainability in this manner was new, and neat.

As for the reading from Vandava Shiva, you can immediately tell that Shiva is very well-educated woman. My favorite quote from her reading came right off the bat when she talks a little bit about the cultures of Indians and native Americans. Shiva writes “Native American refer to other species as brother and sisters. In India, we think in terms of the earth family.” This relates to the work of Leopold, and his ideology that sustainable change must stem from religious and philosophical reform. As Shiva explains, India and Native Americans have different ideology about sustainability because of their deep-rooted religion and philosophy. So that makes me think, how would America be different if the domineering religion was one of native American beliefs, or an Indian religion? Would America think twice about environmental policies before implementation? It’s funny to think about how vastly different things may have been if a few factors may have been changed around.

As for support of determining that I exhibit land sustainability ethics, I really don’t have anything incredibly convincing. 1.) I recycle when it is convenient for me. 2.) I pick up any trash I see when I’m walking through campus, or on the boat. 3.) I always turn off the lights when I leave a room. So, not totally convincing. As for evidence against, well I do require 4.5 earths, so there is much more. 1.) I eat red meat almost daily. 2.) I shop at Walmart/Publix for my groceries. 3.) I almost never utilize public transportation.

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Here is my “beautiful” rendition of the plunge chapel.

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Biophilia and the nature deficit disorder

If there has been a chapter I’ve felt passionate about so far, it’s been this one. I’m a huge advocate for going into nature, and I’d be able to rant all day about how all kids do is sit inside and play video games. Anyhow, here is the first quote

“The capacity for biophilia can still be snuffed out by education that aims no higher than to enhance the potential for upward mobility, which has come to mean putting as much distance as possible between the apogee of one’s career trajectory and one’s roots.” 

Wow the author nailed it on this one. Why do I think of multi-million dollar mansions, servants, a completely technological home with screens everywhere  when I think of extreme career success? There is something truly wrong with the ideology of our society that believes technology and development lead to ease, luxury, and thus happiness? I know this to be totally false. with modernization comes ease, and ease certainly does not lead to joy. It’s scary to think about, but were people happier thousands of years ago farming, hunting and exploring? As compared to the average american stuffing fast food down its throat because it was easy, or watching television late into the night every night because its easy. Is it any wonder there is a mental health epidemic in America? Ease does not equate to joy, and it simply never will. 

Full disclosure, this next quote terrifies me

“Children’s hospital and regional medical center in Seattle maintains that each hour of TV watched per day by preschoolers increases by 10 percent the likelihood that they will develop concentration problems and other symptoms of attention deficit disorder by age seven. “

This is scary. There is a correlation between television and attention disorders in children. What’s even scarier is the fact that this study was done in 2004. Moreover, This study probably didn’t account for smartphones or video games, or smartphone video games. I hate walking into restaurants or doctors offices and seeing kids playing with thier parents iPhone instead of working on their imagination. Anyways, the fact that this correlation even exists attests to the potentially harmful effects of technology. In no way am I claiming that TV and video games and social media are horrible creations. I do think the time invested into each of these needs to be limited to a minimum by both kids and adults, however. 

As for the picture, what I have drawn (or at least attempted to) was pioneer plunge. Pioneer plunge is a Younglife camp, Younglife being a christian organization promoting the gospel. Pioneer plunge is a place kids get to go, away from any technology, mirrors, or showers, and live a life free from image, for a week. It’s nestled deep in the smoky mountains, and it is breathtakingly beautiful. the scene in the picture i drew, was an outdoor chapel we would go to once a week, located even higher in the mountains than pioneer plunge was. Pioneer plunge is so special to me. Visiting plunge taught me so much about myself and who i was, not who I wanted other people to see. 

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Better start eating less meat.

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Human Sphere and Biosphere

   Hey there! I love learning about the complexities and utter implausibility of our earth. The fact that our earth is incomprehensibly complicated fascinates. So naturally, here’s the first quote (well, actually I could have included the entire paragraph here) from the reading I found pretty interesting. 

   “In the oceans, the calcium and silica rich bodies of dead organisms settle into moving plates of the sea floor and are eventually carried deep into the lithosphere when an oceanic plate meets and slides beneath a continental plate.” 

   The quote goes on to discuss how the water pressure deep in the ocean breaks down the ATOMIC BONDS that compose these dead organisms, and eventually processes these remains into carbon dioxide. This carbon dioxide is eventually integrated deep into the earth and released during volcanic eruptions. That is so complicated! These creatures are literally chemically altered to be recycled. It makes you wonder how in the world (punny) the earth knows to do that. Either we got really lucky with the whole big bang deal, or there is a God that has figured out how to run inter-mechanisms of earth pretty well. Sorry for taking the discussion there, but you cant help but ask after looking at how marvelously complex just one single aspect of the earth is. What’s even more amazing is the fact that this is just a piece of the puzzle in the grand scheme of how the earth operates. 

  Here’s the second quote. I mentioned in one of my earlier posts that I’m choosing to remain somewhat neutral about the state of the earth as a whole. If I was well versed in science and could look at the evidence objectively, I would take my stand, but unfortunately, I’m not. Anyways, about the state of the earth, one side says it’s fine, one side says we may need to adapt some policies and one side says we’re utterly and absolutely doomed. This quote leads me to believe the author thinks were utterly and absolutely doomed. 

   “Synthetic pesticides and heavy metals are found in the tissues of every animal on earth. The end of cheap fossil fuels are looming. The planets sixth mass extinction is underway, with 50 percent of existing species expected to be gone by the year 2100.”

  Again, I hope the author isn’t correct, but the author isn’t totally wrong. As for how much I’m contributing to said destruction, the “ecological footprint calculator” claims 4.6 earth if everyone lived like me. I hope to goodness that isn’t true, but unfortunately, it probably is to some degree. I am a bit surprised by these results. I try to turn off my lights, take quick showers, and buy produce that is in season, but I didn’t think it was that bad. As far as changing what I’m doing, I would love to scoot around on a moped one day and start buying food at the farmers market, but then again, I’m a broke college student. I have no money, and I am very thankful for cheap, processed meats.

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The only trash on the street we saw the entire time!