The problems that I continue to read occurring in the world disturb me to no end. I am sick and tired of all the crap that people do to the environment all in the name of humans. The idea that a human can think, "i get what I want" is just wrong on every level. What our population is doing to our harvest of crops and animals should not be happening. It is wrong from an ethics, a moral, and a health stand point. A new process of maintaining our food supply must be found.
         Philosophy is one of the most interesting subjects an individual can study; it deals with the questions of human mind and questioning their importance and value to the world. Ethics and philosophy hold a close relationship, due to the fact the both pertain to the importance of figuring out whats right and whats wrong. Today people need to ask themselves if genetically modifying foods is the best answer. My environmental science professor- Dr. Bruck- was telling the class the other day the dangers of genetically modifying food. The other day there was a farmer that had his chickens babies come out mutated with their body parts where they should not be. He said this farmer was arrested for not carefully using the process right. If genetically modifying foods can do this to an organisms offspring imagine the effects it can create on the human population.
          Another issue that humans do not seem to understand is the moral duty that is owed to the organisms that surround them. There are 8 billion humans and 19 billion chickens in the world. Many would look at this statistic and say "great", but they do not seem to ask why there is 19 billion chickens. Humans have been drugging them and forcing them to grow and reproduce at uncanny rates which can be considered animal cruelty. It is undoubtedly unfair that humans do this for their benefit.
           Eventually there will come a time where human ways will bring chaos to the world whether it be through food, global warming, or nuclear terror. As a race, we must make our duty to ensure that we treat the world as the responsible, intelligent species that we are. It is time to realize the problems that currently face the world and attack them before its too late.

Natural gas Fracking

Alex Ruth

3/1/2012

Eng 101

Dr. Hill Taylor

Synthesis

            In Wyoming there is a huge issue of natural gas fracking affecting the water supply of the local communities. After reading all the information in the article I felt a sense of serious disturbance; if companies, like EnCana, can go around in a reckless manner and not be punished or controlled for their wrong doings then I can be in just as much danger as the people of the communities in Wyoming. When a community’s water supply is contaminated there is a huge question over the risk of the people’s health. Water contamination has been known to cause serious problems such as cancer. If the government cannot protect the people, control reckless companies, and limit environmental hazards then who will?

            The people of Wyoming are no different than the people of any other state. They are just looking to live their lives in peace just like anyone else. When drilling companies such as EnCana came in, their lives became in danger of serious health risks. The people had no say in what the company’s boundaries were and could not control the situation at all. The people were nothing more than a group of gazelle in a field of lions. Water is one of the few things in life that are required to live, and when companies contaminate the water they are putting many people’s lives at risk. In a world where people are not in control over the actions of organizations, such as companies in this case, then it is the job of the government to control and protect the interests and safety of the people.

            The government holds the greatest responsibility to the people. The government’s purpose is to serve and protect the rights of all of the country’s civilians. With all of the concern over politics of who’s elected and whose not creates a fog over the government’s ability to do the right thing at all times. Often, the people that make up the government only have their interest kept in mind instead of the people, and in this case this seems to be the problem. In the article made by The Scientific American, the people of congress completely shut down the science and finding found by the EPA and one congressman stated that they were deeply offended over their findings. Deeply offended! Science is science, fact cannot be changed. Why would one be offended over their findings? How does it play an effect in that congressman’s life? Is he in any way connected to the company under attack, and if so why? The people of the government do not always have their priorities in the right place, which can obviously be seen in this instance.

            Natural gas drilling and transporting needs to be made sure it is done in a safe manner in which no-one’s health is at risk. Coming up with an alternative solution over the one that currently exists is not a problem to the company just maybe an inconvenience. In any company the number one concern should always be safety no matter what.

     I found that using a Powerpoint was more convenient than an essay because I can express my views in an more organized manner. Writing essays are a hassle, because maintaining a fluid flow of what your trying to say is difficult. The thing about Powerpoint  presentations is that they are clear to the point. The facts are presented in a way that are easy for everyone to understand and its more enjoyable. With Powerpoints I can express everything on my mind in an instant without forgetting a what I am trying to say, unlike an essay. Powerpoints also hold the pro of time, meaning they are not as time consuming as righting an essay. My essays take me hours upon hours upon hours to write due to my lack of fluidity. Overall, Powerpoints destroy essays in head to head combat.

Waxhaw Environmental quality

          After doing a little research on the local environmental quality of where I live, I found nothing out of the ordinary. However, I did learn a few new things; for instance, a superfund site. A superfund site is an area of land that has been contaminated by hazardous materials and has been identified by the EPA. Superfund sites can occur from pollution, leaking underground tanks, chemical spills, and hazardous contamination; they are most always the byproduct of a a company. Waxhaw has only polluter that has been identified by the EPA, Boral Bricks Inc Van Wyck Plants. The polluters were found by a special program called the Toxic Release Inventory Program. The Toxic release inventory program provides communities with information of the chemicals and waste management currently going on in the local area.

            Through the homefacts website I was able to find all of the information going on in my local community, all the way from criminal activity to local polluters. I found this website very interesting and I would suggest it for those that are trying to keep up with their community. I am also glad to know that the area that was affected by the hazardous waste is no where near me. Overall I found Waxhaw is not such a bad place to live.

Environmental Artifact

The bulldozer has everything to do with the technology that has remodeled the environment. Thanks to the bulldozer there are millions of less trees and forests left in the world. The bulldozer may be considered an entity to society, but as an environmentalist I see it as unnecessary. The world that we live in today is uncontrolled, from the population up to the governments. The landscape we are choosing to remodel comes with implications, and with these implications society shall be punished. The bulldozer can be accredited for tearing apart the world.  

                The relationship between religion and environment correlates to what is right and wrong. Often in today's world, people fail to see the difference between right and wrong, which causes our world to suffer drastically. It is sad to think that we ditch the values that we are taught throughout our childhood, all in the name of greed. The balance between environment and religion exists on the line of morality. It is not necessarily what one believes but what one does. The environment is being destroyed today all because people don't know or understand how to overcome greed. People will put money over the people that surround them any day just because the human mind struggles with thinking in an appropriate manner. Everything that we choose to do, say, and believe  has an effect on the world that surrounds us whether we realize it or not.
               There is a saying that  goes, " Greed is human nature" and this statement is 100% true. The basic definition of greed is putting one's personal interest over another. With that being said, everything that we do as humans we do for as an act of greed, whether we realize it or not. There is always a choice to be made; feed your children for 5$ or feed 100 African children for 5$. Most people would feed their children for 5$, which is definitely understandable because I would do the same thing to, but can't this be justified as an act of greed? Can anyone say with sheer resiliency that one life is of definite value over any other? I guess the point I'm trying to make is that when there is a choice to be made that effects our personal interests, we will always value our personal interests over something that might deem to be just as equivalent in value  based off of the concept that the human nature of greed is instilled within us.
            Just to be clear I'm not saying that everyone is a bad person for being greedy, greed is a loaded word that can often be misinterpreted. I'm just simply pointing out a different perspective behind the word that may not be recognized or understood.

“Towards Ecopedagogy” Synthesis

          Has the wave of catastrophe already hit or is it only on the verge of hitting our world? Some may say that this wave hit a long time ago; some may say that there is no such wave and we are all just a bunch of radical, ludicrous thinkers. To those who question the wave of catastrophe I say take a look around; there is oil dispersed throughout the Gulf’s waters, our Arctic glaciers are practically gone, many animals are going or have gone extinct, the world is faced with a heavy economic crisis, and greed has defaced the population more so than ever. The wave of catastrophe has yet to hit, but every day society see the remnants brought forth by this oncoming wave.

          In Kahn’s paper Towards Ecopedagogy, he mentions our society as a transitioning technocapitalism society that is a threat to organisms and their environment. I took this comment to great lengths of thought asking, “What exactly is a transitioning technocapitalism society?” I came to a consensus that Kahn is referring to a free market that is solely reliant on its technology and rapid expansion. The common person would probably see no problem with this type of society at all; however, there is a huge problem. In a society that is comprised of technological sufficiency the rate of growth is highly inclined. With a high rate of growth, the people, the animals, and the environment suffer. The more people there are in the world, the more the world’s resources are exhausted. Most of the resources that exist in our world are limited; therefore it’s important that we watch what we are doing and watch the rate at which we consume our resources. Kahn goes on to make many important points in his paper; such as, living beings and organic habitats are being culled and destroyed for human production of goods, tree consumption for paper products has doubled over the last forty years, and throughout the oceans, global fishing also has doubled resulting in a recent report finding that approximately 90% of the major fish species in the world’s oceans have disappeared. These statistics are truly fascinating; the people of today’s world need to take a good look around and realize what they and not take it for granite. Our nation is extremely fortunate to have the lifestyle it has; there are many people around the world that would kill for it.

          The world is a gruesome place; we have vast fields of slaughterhouses for fast food chains, we attack our forests with heavy machinery all for the sake of some paper, and we pollute our world’s air with millions of factories. The fact of the matter is that people know the world is being destroyed, and the problem is nobody cares. Man’s greatest flaw is his greed and with this flaw comes the great downfall of civilization. In life we are all given an opportunity to do the right thing when time calls for it, and now is the time. Do the right thing and don’t be the cause, but instead be the solution.