I have had a good amount of people respond to my survey with a variety of responses. Most people were willing to make lifestyle changes to help the environment and knew the negative effects cars can have on it. A smaller amount knew information on electric cars and were willing to drive one. A good amount of the participants said the style of an electric car would deter them from buying one. About one third of the participants currently drive an SUV or truck. I think it is interesting how more said they were willing to help the environment, but less said they would drive an electric car which is a way of helping the environment. Below is a link to my survey.

http://www.surveymonkey.com/MySurvey_EditorFull.aspx?sm=epYqzABwqQu1LB79jd2l1AtkAZ6CaKtHxG9F6reIFnA%3d

Progress on Paper 4

         So far, I have come up with the topic and theory I want to work with. The question I want to research is "How willing are people to drive electric cars?" The theory I am using to back up my question is the critical theory. I have also begun to work on my survey questions, I need to think of 2 or 3 more. Once I have all my questions I will put them in an order that flows and makes sense and then make the survey public for volunteers to take.

Indigenous Resistance and Racist Schooling on the Borders of Empires: Coast Salish Cultural Survival

         Michael Marker explains the racial issues pertaining to the Coast Salish people and how they were forced to assimilate into American and Canadian cultures. The Coast Salish were settled on the border of the US and Canada in Washington state and British Colombia. Each of these regions in their differing countries used the same technique to assimilate the Coast Salish, but they used this technique in two different ways. The people in British Columbia were forced into white public schools where they faced great amounts of racism and segregation. They were also punished harshly if they acted like native Coast Salish people. Numerous families fought against this form of education by taking their children out of school completely or crossing the border to attend school in the US. Coast Salish favored the US's way of education because they provide private schools that were for the Coast Salish only. In the private school setting the students still faced some racism, but it was much less than what they encountered in public schools. Having the Coast Salish children attend private schools was a much better idea because they could still be assimilated, but they were not criticized by white students and they were probably more comfortable being surrounded by their own people. The Coast Salish people should have been left alone altogether, but the US was smarter and more thoughtful about the way they assimilated these people. It was more effective and less harsh.

Food and Sustainability Issues

After watching The Meatrix it is easy to see that we have a major issue with the way our food is produced. The main issue focuses on the production of our meat. What needs to be changed is the living conditions of the animals and what they are fed. First off, the places animals are forced to live in are unsanitary for them and the consumers who buy the food. They never see the daylight and become sick from the conditions, many of them cannot even walk. This is not only a problem for them, but  also for the consumers. When we are eating meat from unhealthy, sickly and unsanitary animals, we ourselves could easily be negatively affected. This mainly pertains to our health and sicknesses/diseases that we could pick up. Another important issue is the unnatural items animals are being fed to enhance their growth. They are pumped with steroids, chemicals and other unnatural things that end up affecting the consumer as well. Yes, this process is cheaper for the manufacturer and consumer, but it is unsafe and unhealthy for the animal and the consumer at the same time. People need to realize what they are buying and understand that there are smarter ways to consume.

Environmental Ethics

The artifact I found relating to environmental ethics is an image relating to the issue. In the image it appears that a group of men and one chicken are at some sort of important meeting. The chicken has a voice box next to it that reads: "It's because I'm a chicken isn't it?" To me this is implying that the chicken or any animal for that matter have no say because they are not human; they are not put first, they are used for the greed of humans. This relates to the idea of environmental ethics because it is highlighting the fact that we need to intertwine human relations with those of the natural world, instead of only thinking of ourselves.

https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5xQ6tot68zEICTGfl09fKLR0so9DsCeE2XWQxmpzJBQXHkAoviB4PF9LIoe7gx-qR04df3x0f2n0cW8pvAVEqJlfOTqm5WE9GFG5jyEZdX-3d4YXqqL1pB9xXaGhq3669lrdEPsfOwbw/s400/anthropocentrism.jpg

Synthesis of Article

        

The article I chose makes a strong point that I greatly agree with. The author, B. Jickling, focuses on education and sustainability. His main focus is how educational systems try to implement the idea or term of sustainability into the curriculum. Jickling believes doing this is not enough. He states that "sustainability" is too limited of a term and excludes important ideas. Sustainability is one important issue, but it is not the only thing we need to be educated on in order to better our world and earth. In his article, Jickling reveals why sustainability cannot be our only focus. 

 Jickling proposes a few ideas that could possibly change this issue. He first mentions that we must be less deterministic. This means that we can not stay stuck on the idea of sustainability. We have to be willing to branch out and accept a broader range of ideas. When we become less deterministic, there will be more space to include other concepts.

His next point is that we try to use more inclusive language. If we only focus on the term sustainability, we  are leaving out numerous important ideas. Jickling suggests terms such as: "Environmental ethics," "ecofeminism," and "social ecology" that are all up and coming ideas that cannot be forgot because we are focusing too much on sustainability. This is an important step to changing how much time we spend on this one idea. 

         The biggest issue Jickling highlights is that there are far more environmental issues than sustainability can cover. He even wants to focus on equity and justice, not just issues of the environment. He believes we need to focus on all ideas and issues that can better the world and clearly sustainability is not cutting it. Jickling concludes his article with the proposal that we need to go where sustainability cannot. 

Oil Drilling and Water Contamination

Oil Fracking

The entirety of this passage is based around the contamination of water and water wells due to oil fracking. Recently, officials have found contaminants in the water in parts of Wyoming. The contamination is believed to be linked back to the oil fracturing and drilling processes that take place in this area. There has been much suspicion for quite a while and now there is actual evidence. The findings came about in a study that was made to test if oil drilling could be a potential cause of water contamination and it was proved true. It was said that the contaminants came from the gas wells and contained ten different compounds that can be found in the drilling process. These findings have a possibility of leading to numerous debates pertaining to if the contamination is an actual problem or not.

            To environmentalist, this was a big find. It is a huge help to their side of the argument and can help them prove their point and change the way fracking is done. On the other hand, CEOs of the oil companies involved are claiming that the contamination has no relation to the oil drilling and is related to natural cause. It is also stated that the area of Wyoming being affected already has poor water quality parameters, which could likely be a cause. This area in particular has had an issue of poor water quality for a few decades and has recently gotten worse, however, residents claimed that water in their wells turned brown after a recent oil fracking. The company responded to the residents by providing them with other sources of water. Nothing has been decided on the issue as of now. The report on the situation is to be further reviewed and examined to determine if oil fracking is the actual cause of contamination.  

Visual Rhetoric

The example of visual rhetoric that I found was an image of a gorilla on the side of the road with a "homeless" sign. This image is intended to highlight the issue of issues like deforestation and construction that is destroying the natural habitats of animals. Technology is a powerful way to inform people of these ongoing issues. It allows us to spread the word and be more willing to make a change. This image is forcing people for once to think of animals as humans and that they should be treated the same way. You wouldn't want your home knocked down would you?

Turtle Island poems and themes

     In the few poems that I recently read, I noticed that Snyder focuses on the parts of the Earth that have already quickly gone to waste. Land, trees and animals will be here one minute and the next they are completely gone. He continuously blames this on the greed of humans and their thoughtlessness. Gary Snyder wants to highlight the destruction that has already happened in order for humans to build parking lots and random, unimportant "necessities." He understands the rapid rate the Earth is running out of resources and how plants and animals are being removed from their natural homes. Snyder's tactic is to emphasize the destruction that has already happened through his poetry.

More on Turtle Island Poems

This time when I was going through the book, I decided to skip to different sections of the book, instead of reading the poems in order. Each poem is different in certain ways, but essentially they are all concentrated around bioregionalism. The reader is able to clearly tell how much Gary Snyder focuses on environmental issues and it highlights how much he cares about the earth and especially nature. I think it is important how descriptive each of his poems is. It helps the reader understand how important the place Snyder describes is and it helps you see the place in a clear view. To me it seems that Snyder reflects back to earlier, more natural times in his poems and wants readers to give more thought to those times before we began to mess up the environment so greatly.

Turtle Island themes

The central theme that I have noticed in the first several poems is nature. They all deal with animals, plants, the earth or a combination of both. Snyder pays great attention to detail in all of his poems and they are all very descriptive. Another thing that I noticed was how edgy I guess is the right word, the poems are. They are in a sense a tad bizarre and Snyder is not afraid to push the limit and write what he wants.

McKibben and Quiz Response

From McKibben's podcast, the speaker clearly states that people and the growth that comes along with people is creating numerous problem for the environment. Bill McKibben wants agriculture to be more local and contain less fossil fuels, the reason for this is because of how people try to mass produce items  such as food, but do not do so in the smartest way. McKibben highlights that humans need to stop thinking about growth and instead focus on durability, meaning people cannot base production on making the most items in order to make the most money, but make items that will last and are solid, durable items that are safer and better for humans and the environment. The author also mentions the term "videophilia," which McKibben describes as kids being unconnected to the outside world and the environment because of new technologies like the internet and cell phones. "Videophilia" can lead to a massive problem because the next generation will be even more uneducated then the current one. When reading over the quiz, noticing how many questions could be left unanswered, people of our generation and age could be easily just as ignorant to our environment as young children. There were questions that seemed like only a scientist should know the answer to, not a high school or college student.

Comment on Bill McKibben's podcast

For the most part I agree with Bill Mckibben's ideas. He states that he is not looking for a way to make a Utopia, which many people struggle and fail to do, but he is looking for better ways to move forward. Like many other people, he wants agriculture that is local and does not have to travel far and does not depend on fossil fuel. I strongly agree with this. I also like when he says that "growth is not the mantra." Bigger is not always better and we need to stop thinking we can keep growing at this rate and not have anymore consequences.

Deforestation

Deforestation

            One of many major issues that could be solved with the enforcement of “island civilization,” is the enormous problem of deforestation. This is also known as the destruction of indigenous forests and woodlands. It is a huge problem that is taking away the habitats of millions of species and also having an effect on climate change. A high percentage of these forests will never be seen again because they have been built over by homes, communities and even entire cities. Deforestation can happen because of fires, logging, new highways, but it mainly occurs because of population growth and city expansion. If the idea of humans being contained to certain islands worked, these forests that have been completely cut down would have the chance of growing back without being disturbed.

            There was an article by National Geographic that highlighted the speed at which deforestation is occurring and the negative effects it is having on our environment and life forms. The article noted that deforestation is even contributing to global warming. With a reduced amount of forests, more greenhouse gases are escaping into the environment because there are fewer trees to absorb these gases. A solution suggested was to eliminate the process of clear-cutting and instead plant new trees every time old ones are cut down. This process will slowly begin to balance out the amount of trees being destructed.

            Brazil is one of the greatest countries being affected by deforestation. Brazil is home to the Amazon, which has seen the greatest amount of forest destruction. Part of the destruction is caused by farmers who need more space for growing crops and livestock. These farmers, like many others, use the slash and burn technique, which destroys the trees quickly and easily. Other reasons for deforestation in Brazil are due to logging, soybean production and mining activities. It is estimated that by the year 2030, the Amazon will be reduced by forty percent.

           

Island Civilization

Response to “Island Civilization”

            In “Island Civilization,” Nash highlights the environmental issues of Earth and how humans are basically taking over the entire planet, not leaving much room for any other life form. He proposes that we look further into our futures, not just fifty years from now, but also hundreds and even thousands for a plan to preserve our planet. Nash’s main concern is the destruction and civilizing of the “wild.” He introduces the reader to a plan that most people would never even think of and some may even be afraid to pursue.

As humans, we saw the need to digress away from the ways of hunting and gathering and to have pastures, farms and tamed animals. The progress that we as humans were making was helping us, but harming the planet and nature. Nash completely disagrees with the way humans have progressed. He wants to see a society where we travel back to the ways of finding our own food and letting nature happen on its own. In his article, Nash suggests the idea of “island civilization.” By this he means small confined places where humans live with boundaries instead of the wilderness living with boundaries. Furthermore, Nash wants the human population to be reduced so the focus can be put back on other life forms. He even believes that technology can become so advanced that humans will be able to build cities underwater and in the sky, out of the way of everyone else. With this advanced technology, Nash also believes humans will not even have a need for transportation such as cars anymore, because we will have teleportation. Nash’s reasoning behind his ideas is that we need to put Earth before people if we want to save our planet from becoming a wasteland.

As I was reading this article, it was easy for me to understand where Nash is coming from. We are slowly destructing our planet day by day and our progress does have a negative effect on many different factors, but I believe Nash’s way of solving this problem is much too extreme. When trying to resolve issues, the best way to go about it is to take baby steps; giant leaps are most of the time unrealistic. I agree that we need to make changes to the way humans live to save Earth, the environment and the wild, but Nash’s way seems too harsh.

To me it seems strange to confine ourselves to bounded parts of the Earth. We as humans and every other form of life should have the freedom to roam and live where we choose. As of now every life form can go wherever they want. Organizations such as national parks and reservations are even there to protect parts of the wild and keep them separated from the harmful ways of humans. The idea of an “island civilization” seems too much like a dictatorship or communist government. A second problem I see with Nash’s idea is how unrealistic his plans are. I am not saying people should not dream big, but why plan things that would never be possible in a lifetime? We should be focusing on the present and how the present will impact the future. I always find that taking baby steps gets you much farther than taking on more than you can handle.