Products and Waste

     In the consumer market, everything is a product and creates some type of waste. This "take-make-waste idea is when raw material flows in, products are made and wasted from poor design, and then flows back out" (Robertson, 2014, p.280). We are now such an industrialized planet, that the Earth cannot keep up with all rapid changes happening. One power plant produces sludge for road construction, it creates waste heat, to fish culture, to sludge, to local farmers, which get fermented sludge from a bioplant that got steam from the power plant. This is shown in Figure 14.1, and displays that everything comes back, and works with other items in the world. This is "industrial ecology, and Life Cycle analysis measures a product's impact on the environment for its entire life" (Robertson, 2014, p.251). Everything has an outcome, and not everything has a good one.

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     There are some products that produce a zero waste. They use the three r's: reduce, reuse, recycle, and sometimes a fourth is added to the beginning of the list , re-think. "Zero waste looks at every material as a resource that can be used again" (Robertson, 2014, p.281). Since natural systems are closed loop cycles, resources are reused. So if we use to much water in one cycle, it will upset the next cycle. When using resources, we need to reduce what we use. Items then need to be made for multiple purposes or uses, so we can reuse them. Finally, objects then need to be made out of recyclable materials. By being made out of these materials, we can process them into new items. If we do these things, we will be protecting the earth, and making it a better place to live.

https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/1228/6382/files/rrr_large.jpg?v=1489366494

     We need to start creating product packaging that will disintegrate in less time, or in the water. This is especially needed for garbage that gets into the ocean or lakes. This garbage is eaten by animals in the sea, and will kill them. Turtles eat the plastic bags, as they think they are jellyfish. If these bags were made of a substance that disintegrates when it hits the salt water, and also does not harm it, we need to create it. New product packaging will help create a new industry, and also start to save the planet. 

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     Other ways we can create sustainable products, is the packaging they come in, and the transportation methods used to deliver the products. Mostly everything has to be shipped by sea, plane, and then driving. Most products come from out of the country, and are shipped thousands of miles to their destination. Driving and flying products burn the most fuel, and lead to the most emissions of gasses. To cut back on this, we need industrial plants close by. This will reduce miles that need to be driven, but the surrounding communities will suffer. They will feel the effect from the burning of gases, and the production of more steam into the air. Either way, green house gasses will be released, we just need to decide which ones are worse. 

Works Cited

Robertson, M. (2014). Sustainability principles and practice. London: Routledge, Taylor & Francis Group.

Liveable Cities

     Within a liveable city, everything you need will be available within a short distance. Restaurants and shops are right next to each other. Apartments are above these shops. Sidewalks are more prevalent than streets, to promote walking around town. The city is inviting, and feels safe. More downtown districts of towns are starting to see revivals, as a way to bring more income into the city. Buildings are being remodeled to fit the needs of new businesses. Also, these buildings are using green infrastructure. These green infrastructures "consist of vegetation and other living parts of the biosphere" (Robertson, 2014, p.216). An example of this type of infrastructure is the High line in New York City. They took an old railroad that was not being used anymore, and created a walkable garden above the city streets. This has brought more green space to the city, and another walking platform in the city. 

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     Transportation is one of the main aspects of a liveable city. A person living in a city does not want to be dependent on having to drive everywhere. It is not good for the Earth for extra emissions into the air. Also, it leads to traffic and more use of fossil fuels. Within liveable cities, there is a need for different modes of transportation. Transportation can be public or non gassed power. Non gassed powered may be bikes, skateboarding, rollerblading, running, walking, etc. This picture does a good job at showing the difference between using public transportation, and driving your own car everyday. On the left, there are many cars, that take up a lot of space on the highway, and produce a lot of emissions that are released into the air. On the right side, all of the people who were driving their own car, all fit on one bus, cutting back the emissions released. Also, "transit oriented developments appreciate fastest in up markets and hold their value better in down markets" (Robertson, 2014, p.219). 

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     Downtown Ft. Myers is an example of a liveable city. The entire city was designed for people to be able to walk everywhere, eat, shop, and live. The streets have crosswalks, and sidewalks to promote walking and biking. The parking is on one side of the city, so people have to walk past all of the businesses. There are public transportation stops throughout Downtown to also promote driving your car less. The buildings have inviting windows, that show you what type of products they are selling, and they draw you in. These buildings are also mixed used, and have apartments in the top stories. This was designed, so you can live fairly close to where you work and shop. It makes it easier for people to use the basic necessities. One thing the Downtown district did was build a community. The social structure is going to be a very important piece to save this structure in the years to come. This type of social structure shows a "resilient community that provides walkable streets, public spaces, places to sit, and the opportunity for social interaction" (Robertson, 2014, p. 217). With these things in mind, Downtown Ft. Myers is going to be able to last in the years ahead.

https://www.housingpredictor.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/ft-myers.jpg

Works Cited

Robertson, M. (2014). Sustainability principles and practice. London: Routledge, Taylor & Francis Group.

Climate

     Climate change is a growing social issue, that needs to be taken care of. "Climate is the long term trends in these atmospheric conditions measured over decades, centuries, or longer" (Robertson, 2014, p.73). With rapidly changing climates, the Earth cannot change in time to prevent the drastic changes that come with the rising temperatures. The rising temperatures from greenhouse gases and the burning of fossil fuels have warmed up the atmosphere. This has in return, started to melt landlocked  icebergs, and ones in the ocean. By melting, the icebergs have elevated the sea level, and have created more lakes, which have taken out villages and towns. Climate change can also be measured through the growth patterns of plants. An example is when trees used to bloom when you were a child, that now bloom four weeks earlier. They bloom earlier because the temperatures have risen, prompting blooming to happen earlier.

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     Ways we can reduce emissions is through energy use, transportation, buildings, operations and purchasing, forests, and carbon sequestration. "The most effective method of reducing emissions is to cut energy use" (Robertson, 2014, p.87). By cutting back on burning fossil fuels, we will be emitting less greenhouse gasses. Another way of saving energy, is by using energy efficient objects. Light bulbs, heating rooms, and electric motor can all be replaced with items that use less energy to do the same work. Transportation is one of the biggest contributors of carbon monoxide emissions. By traveling on a bus or train, limiting how often you drive, and start walking to places, you will be burning less fossil fuels. Buildings use a lot of energy, and need to switch over to energy efficient appliances. When purchasing objects, we need to buy locally sourced products, that are also recycled. Forests do both good and harm. They provide habitats from the animals that live there, but are also a big source of carbon. When trees are cut down, the carbon that is inside is released into the air. "The more frequently a forest is harvested, the more carbon is emitted" (Robertson, 2014, p. 88). Carbon sequestration is a type of technology that takes carbon dioxide produced from an industrial process, and is then pumped down into porous locations.

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     For the Earth to respond to climate change, we need to lower greenhouse gasses and adapt to the changes that have already occurred. These changes that have occurred already are the rising sea levels. We need to be prepared for coast lines to start disappearing, and for cities like New York, to start becoming flooded. Florida will be wiped off the map pretty soon, along with islands all over the world. The only places that will be safe will be mountain ranges, and cities high above sea level. With the increase of temperatures, we have already seen species starting to disappear, and this will happen to more as their habitats are destroyed. An example is animals living in Arctic regions. The ice caps were they used to live are breaking off, and are melting. This is pushing the animals all into one area now, and food sources are going to be used up very quickly. The melting of the icebergs is going to cause the extinction of wild polar bears, and other members of their community.

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Works Cited

Robertson, M. (2014). Sustainability principles and practice. London: Routledge, Taylor & Francis Group.

Water and the Everglades

     Water is an essential part of life. "It makes up most of the volume of every living cell, maintains the temperature of the climate, and reshapes mountains and land"(Robertson, 2014, p.94). Every living organism on earth needs it in some form to survive. Water is also needed for the production of food, electricity, and the creation of products for everyday survival. In Florida, we have two naturally occurring bodies of water, Lake Okeechobee and the Florida Everglades. "Lake Okeechobee pours into the Everglades from the north and west. They overflow southward into the Everglades, from Lake Okeechobee, Kissimmee River, and dozens of other creeks and streams"(Stoneman Douglas, 2011, p.112). This overflow of water is what is keeping our Everglades alive.

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     Water from Lake Okeechobee, and surrounding water sources, have always overflowed to the Everglades in south Florida. This is no longer happening how it used to, due to sugar cane farming, and the growing demand to build more houses in south Florida. To build more houses, we are leveling and adding dirt to natural watersheds that are needed to move water from the north to the south. Lake Okeechobee is having new dikes built to limit the water released to the south, and to protect surrounding communities from possible floods. Instead of sending the water south, we are sending it out to the east coast through Indian River, and the west through the Caloosahatchee. This water from the lake is polluted with pesticides from farms all over Florida, and have high levels of phosphorus. This phosphorus led to the algae blooms throughout the Treasure Coast a two years ago. This led to the death of our local river, and is ruining the beach. 

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     When the water was sent south to the Everglades, the naturally occurring phosphorus, was taken out of the water. The Everglades are able to purify the water. If we sent the water south, the Everglades would be able to take out the phosphorus, and produce clean, unpolluted water. This clean water would help save our dying Everglades. The clean water will also enter the water cycle, and will be taken all over the world. By taking out the pollutants, the Everglades are trying to save the plant from becoming totally polluted. If we do not send the water south, we will be killing the Everglades, which house many species that are native to Florida. Each play a role in the surrounding ecosystems, and keep other populations in balance. We need gators, fish, birds, deer, etc. to all work together to help keep the Everglades working. But to do so, they need clean water to survive. 

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"Water is being used faster than it can be purified and replaced. The most visible problem is water scarcity. Less visible, but more long-term, are the resulting symptoms of water scarcity: water pollution, underground aquifer depletion, and damage to ecosystems"(Robertson, 2014, p.95). The Earth only has so much fresh water available for our use, and we do not try and help in the purification process. In Florida, we are building on top of our aquifers, which does not let naturally flowing water purify, and go into these aquifers. If we do not allow water to do so, we will be out of water, and desperately looking for new ways to clean water quickly.

Works Cited

Stoneman Douglas, M. (2011). Excerpt from The Everglades: River of Grass. In University Colloquium: A Sustainable Future (pp.104-107 & pp.111-112). Acton, MA: XanEdu Publishing

Robertson, M. (2014). Sustainability principles and practice. London: Routledge, Taylor & Francis Group.

Food

     Food today is not being grown like it used to be. "For around 200,000 years, human lived by gathering and hunting for their food" (Robertson, 2014, p. 223). Food is no longer coming from farms like before, but from factories. These factories do not treat the animals humanely, and these factories are dangerous to the animals and to us. Contamination is also a big problem in these factories. E-coli and salmonella are found in these factories, as they are grinding up thousands of animals, and combining them into one meat source. This makes it harder for the company to find the source of contamination, and the contaminated meat goes all over the country and the world. The farmers that work for these companies, are not allowed to talk about their farms anymore.
     The first types of these factories were fast food restaurants. The first one that ran like a factory was McDonalds. They trained one person to do one specific job. This made the pay wages lower, and it was easy to replace a worker when they were fired. They are now the main user of beef and potatoes in America.
     One thing from the movie that I did not realize, was that cows are not made to eat corn. Cows need to be grass fed only. Factories are feeding the, corn, because it is cheaper, and they gain weight much faster. When cows eat corn, they do not digest it correctly, leading to the build up of E coli bacteria in their guts. This e coli is then transferred to the meat when the animal is slaughtered. It also is present in the manure, and on their coats, and the workers are present to it all day. They get infections on a regular basis, which can some times cause death.

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     There are only three or four companies that control all the meat in America. These types of factories are known as factory farms, and consist of CAFOs. "Concentrated animal feeding operations (CAFOs) or feedlots are industrial-scale yards housing animals at very high densities for feeding prior to slaughter" (Robertson, 2014, p. 225). The biggest chicken provider in the world is Tyson. Not only is Tyson the biggest supplier of chicken, they have modified the chicken to create more breast meat. This is not good to the consumers, because what are they putting into the chickens to make them bigger? These growth hormones in the chickens are then eaten by everyone all over the world. It has changed generation after generation, and each time it odes something different. They have cut down the time it takes for a chicken to grow from three months to around 45 days. These changes in our food are not good for anyone. The workers are becoming immune to medicines, as they are exposed to antibodies everyday. Also, these changes are making children grow faster than they have in the past. This is not good as childhood and development are important times in a child's life. Changing the biology of a growing child can and will have detrimental effects in the future.

 

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     Produce and water cost more than cheeseburgers from a fast food restaurant. This is due to over production of products, like corn, that are used in almost every product. Corn is in almost every processed product. Also, corn can be transformed in the lab, into hundreds of other products used in foods. This limits a lot of food for a person allergic to it. One of my friends can no longer eat corn, and it is hard for her to find food that she can eat at restaurants. She has to watch what she eats and drinks. She can rarely buy anything that was processed. Mostly everything she eats is vegetables, fruits, and meat.

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     Fresh produce in grocery stores, are not 'fresh'. They are grown in different parts of the world, injected with preservatives, and shipped to the country that needs them. "There are no seasons in the American supermarket, now there are tomatoes all year round. Grown halfway around the world, picked when it was green and ripened with ethaline gas. Although it looks like a tomato, is notional tomato, its the idea of a tomato" (Kenner et al., 2008). These pesticides are then eaten with the product, and add to other chemicals we are putting into our bodies willingly.

Works Cited

Kenner, R., Kenner, R., Kenner, R., Pearce, R., Schlosser, E., Schlosser, E., . . . Adler, M. (Writers), & Pearce, R. (Director). (n.d.). Food, Inc. [Video file].

 



Robertson, M. (2014). Sustainability principles and practice. London: Routledge, Taylor & Francis Group.













Pollution and The Obligation to Endure

     Pollution "is a substance that is harmful, and it comes from a variety of sources" (Robertson, 2014, pg.135). These sources are natural, like volcanoes, organic like sewage, or synthetic chemicals. These varying sources, all release different levels of pollutants, and they vary in toxicity levels. Some of this pollution is needed to replenish chemicals in the air, but from natural and organic sources. Nitrogen and carbon dioxide are needed in the air, but in certain levels. If there is too much, it will disrupt the climate, or affect drinking water. Pollution is not limited to the air. The soil and water can also become polluted. If this happens, we cannot drink the water until it has gone through extensive filtration. This water also cannot be used to grow food and given to livestock, as they will be taking in the pollution. The same thing goes for the soil. If the soil is polluted, no crops can be grow as they will be getting their nutrients from polluted soil. The air, water, and soil all work together throughout the world, and if one gets polluted, the others will eventually.

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     In the world today, there is no time for the environment to change to new conditions presented to it. Forests are being cut down for more houses, the ocean is being filled with garbage, and chemicals are being dispersed into the air. "Given time- time not in years but in millennia- life adjusts, and a balance has been reached. For time is the essential ingredient; but in the modern world there is no time" (Carson, 2011, p.154). Millions of years ago, the Earth was able to take natural pollutants, and was able to balance them. Now, we are seeing synthetic creations and disruptions in natural elements, and the Earth is not able to adapt to them quickly. Since the Earth cannot adapt fast, it is causing damage that cannot be undone. Climate change is one of these issues. We are heating up the world at a faster rate than we ever have, and there has been no solution yet on how to stop this. 

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     One way the effects of pollution can be reversed is through remediation. "Pollution remediation means stopping and revising damage to environmental systems caused by pollution" (Robertson, 2014, pg.147). One way this is done, is by using organisms, like bacteria and fungi. Some of these organisms eat the pollutants, where as they are deadly to other animals. These organisms are able to eat the pollutants, because they have adapted to do so, to keep the Earth in equilibrium. Without them millions of years ago, the Earth would have been in a worse state than it is now. Although these organisms help in reversing the damage, we need more than that. We need to realize that everything we do as a society, all have some type of negative affect. We need to find sustainable manufacturing practices to limit the amount of byproduct released into the air and water. By doing so, we can start to reverse some damage we have done, and possibly extend the life of many natural resources, plants, and animals. 

https://www.conserve-energy-future.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/pollution-plastic-iceberg-218x150.jpg

Works Cited

Carson, R. (2011). Excerpt from Silent Spring. In University Colloquium: A Sustainable Future (pp.153-160). Acton, MA: XanEdu Publishing

Robertson, M. (2014). Sustainability principles and practice. London: Routledge, Taylor & Francis Group.

Biosphere and Human Sphere

     The Earth is composed of many organisms, animals, plants, gases, and other natural resources. All physical substances are named matter, and is made from atoms. Matter then is made up of elements, which cannot be broken down by regular chemical means. The Earth's biosphere is closed, and rarely any matter goes in or out. Only matter from space will make it in sometimes. All of the elements found within the biosphere descend from Earth's creation 5 billion years ago. "The biosphere is the thin layer at the surface of the planet where life exists"(Robertson, 2017, 2017, p.30). Inside the biosphere, not only is all life living there, but regenerative patterns, called cycles are taking place everyday, all day long. These cycles "happen at all scales of systems, from the metabolism of a bacterium to the pumping of carbon around the planet to the recycling of fundamental matter in the great star factories of interstellar space" (Robertson, 2017, p.24). Different types of cycles are needed in the biosphere, as they help generate another cycle, and it just continues. These cycles happen in all types of ecosystems within the biosphere.  

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     One thing transferred through systems during the carbon cycle, is carbon, as it is a building block of life. "Plants take CO2 out of the air during photosynthesis, plants are eaten by other organisms and become part of the eating sequence known as the food chain. then when the plants die, they are broken down by microorganisms and become part of the soil. Some CO2 goes back into the air, and into the oceans algae and becomes part of that food chain" (Robertson, 2017,  p.24-25). Another essential gas to life is nitrogen. These gases needed in the ecosystems, earth, organisms, air, and water are known as biogeochemical cycles. Phosphorus is created during a cycle, and is called the energy element. Phosphorus cycles through the food chain in the ocean, which is then brought to land through birds. Sulfur is also needed in the biosphere. It comes from the ocean as well, and eventually makes its way to land, to be reused again. 

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     The earth consists of all these moving parts, that are need for all organisms on Earth to survive and prosper. If we do not have some of these cycles within the biosphere, it would stop working, and no life would be able to survive. We need to start protecting the biosphere. There needs to be regulations on what gets released into the air, because it will disrupt the natural gasses. Also, if the gasses are disrupted, the plants will not grow right, which will then limit the food for other organisms. This cycle will be continuous, and eventually kill the biosphere. As humans using the Earth for our own use, we need to be cautious about what we are doing to the Earth, and how we can help protect it. We need to see that every part of the Earth works together, and if we damage one part, eventually the rest will start to crumble. This is seen through using natural resources and not replenishing them, not wanting to protect natural landscapes, protecting animal populations, and much more. If we start protecting the Earth, it will be able to natural sustain itself, as it has been doing so for 5 billion years. 

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     It is important for humans around the world to realize that the human population is projected to grow every year. This means that there will need to be more resources used, more food, and more emissions will be put out into the biosphere. The Earth's carrying capacity will continue to get smaller until there is nothing left. 

Works Cited

Robertson, M. (2017). Sustainability principles and practice. London: Routledge, Taylor & Francis Group.