What happens to plastic after its recycled? Some researchers view garbage as a gold mine. The greatest benefit of plastic is that it does not react with any other agents. But what is the environmental benefit of plastic waste? At the moment, there is no type of biodegradable plastic but scientists are working on solutions. In the book The Ethics of Waste, Gay Hawkins talks about recycling your waste and how important it is and how we can reinvent recycling. These two articles are similar because they both have concerns of what waste can do for us and the environment. Both articles urge us to think about our waste differently.
Weekly Response # 6 (February 16-18)
Richard Cordero
One of this week’s selected readings, The Ethics of Waste: How We Relate to Rubbish by Gay Hawkins, discusses the plight of society’s struggle with how we handle waste morally and ethically. As a society we are promoted to use in excess, redundancy and focus on disposal. The author goes on to argue how unless society changes their moral and ethical perspective of how we consume there can never be a real effective change in consumption and our relation to waste. The author also makes a point to explain how consumerism has alienated people from nature and the environment. The author states, “My concern is with our most quotidian relations with waste, what they mean and how they might change” (p.3). This addresses the concern that waste is a phenomenological incident rather than an ecologically one. We as a society needs to politically confront the environmental consequences of overconsumption.
As stated in the article, Recycled fashion: how do we close the loop?, we as a people are beginning to understand the environmental and economic need to reevaluate the current perspective of recycling waste. Recycled fashion is one of the newest strives to change the public’s stance on recycled material in a consumeristic sense. The article concludes with the argument that however many attempts to change society’s wasteful habits a single market cannot completely alter the entire world. As stated by the author from the selected reading, waste is a phenomenological incident so that means policies and procedures can be established to combat it. It is not a natural occurrence and can be undone by the same people that caused it. If more markets and nations collaborated there is possibilities that there could be an effective turn in how the world consumes and how we handle waste.
Source: http://www.theguardian.com/sustainable-business/sustainable-fashion-blog/2015/feb/12/recycled-fashion-how-do-we-close-the-loop-live-chat
Thoreau’s Cabin Redux is a short video clip on Jay Shafer. He believes that people yearn for accumulation, especially is regards to houses, in order to be happy. “Stuff” gets in the way of Shafer’s happiness as he views the key of happiness to be within. Random commodities seem to diminish life. Shafer differs from Thoreau in the sense that he does not primarily yearn for solitude, as he goes out in public to restaurants or to the library. It is not about complete self-sufficiency, but using the world as his living room. Figuring out what makes one happy and getting rid of the rest is Shafer’s advice. BBC News recently published an article on American’s and their thirst for tiny homes. “Financial freedom and a smaller ecological footprint” are the main motives for this search for tiny homes. The article introduces many individuals who built their tiny home; however, one notable figure seemed to stand out. Her name is Sicily and she began constructing her tiny home at the young age of twelve. Her father helped for the first few weeks until he suddenly passed away. The rest of the project was done herself and finished within a year. The article claims that most tiny home developments represent a milestone in personal development. The two articles show the transition of interest toward a simplified life. Shafer’s journey represents his quest for happiness, and Sicily’s journey shows her quest for finishing the tiny home for her father.
For my weekly response, I usually discuss the articles that we have read for class and connect them to current events. However, for this particular response I am compelled to respond to our class discussion on Monday. In class, we have been discussing the politics and ethics of waste. During class, Prof. Ignatov shared a Larry Summers’s quote from a leaked World Bank memo. In the memo, Summers stated, “the economic logic behind dumping a load of toxic waste in the lowest wage country is impeccable.” As I read those words, I was astonished. However, what stunned me more was that it appeared that some students in our class agreed. The main comment was that there should be an equal distribution of waste. What the comment fails to acknowledge and what I pointed out in class is that under developed counties have poor waste management practices and do not have the infrastructure to handle waste. In my opinion, the problem with waste is over-consumption by developed nations. Countries, like the US, should not create waste then shipped it to out undeveloped counties because they don’t have as much. Our class discussion related to an article I read this week entitled “Plastics waste heading for counties quantified.” The article detailed the rise in plastic that is entering our oceans because of waste mismanagement. Every year, over eight tons of waste is ends up in the ocean. Most of the waste comes from 20 counties that account for 83% of the waste in the ocean. One of the solutions to the problem, writes the author, is for “rich nations need to reduce their consumption of single-use, disposable plastic items, like shopping bags; and developing nations must improve their waste management practices.” I was excited to read this because It validated my opinion I shared in class. I agree that waste is serious problem that requires serious solutions. Solutions that take the interest of developed countries, underdeveloped countries, and the environment into account. Economic growth is not a valid reason to mismanage waste. Responsibility cannot be shifted to other countries. The lives and health of individuals in underdeveloped countries are just a valuable and precious as the lives and health of individuals in developed countries.
In the writing of Henry D. Thoreau we see a criticism in the perspective of his eyes of mans constant pursuit of what they deem as progress for society. He questions the lifestyle that seemed to have been adopted by everyone in which all we do is continuously put ourselves through labor in order to do it again and again because society has told to do so. One of the main points he makes is suffering that people are put through in doing labor just for the purpose of obtaining certain materials that is not needed for life.
After reading that I looked online and found an article of Garment workers’ in Bangalore are speaking out against workers rights being violated. They went through numerous abuse by their employers and were being paid wages that could not sustain there families. One women quoting her daughter said “‘Why you gave birth to me if you are not able to feed me properly?”. These companies are the providers for materials for larger fashion companies that make close for the more developed countries. Its very unfortunate to see how Henry Thoreau observations still ring true and we are living in society that seems to have such a large dependence on consumption.
What is so bad about this situation its how its effecting the overall environment. These companies are not only taking advantage of these less developed nations but are constantly breaking environmental codes of those countries and are poisoning those peoples environments. The problem that Thoreau pointed out of us being so focused on gaining more and more items is leading to the suffering of humans as well as out environment.
In this week’s reading, we discussed the concept of recycling, such as the benefits, and how it is more of a ethical benefit then any form of cost benefit. Still, while reading online, I found an article that stated the US Environmental Protection Agency estimated about 32 million tons of plastic waste was created in 2012. I was astounded by the large number, but it got even worse, because they claimed only 9% of that was recovered and recycled, and much of the plastic is dumped illegally or somehow find it’s way into the ocean (such as through streams). In Mike Biddle’s article: “What plastic can learn from steel in a circular economy” he compares the plastic industry to the steel industry, particularly how there are high rates of steel recycling. Biddle tries to make an economically persuasive argument for recycling plastic, saying how plastic is worth much more (when selling the same amount, weight-wise). He then goes on to explain the difficulties in recycling plastic (such as how size and shape apparently plays a role), before making a call for this form of recycling, to avoid the many forms of pollution that results from plastic waste that we see today (such as burning of it, burring it, ship it overseas, etc.). The main reason I used this article is because of how they both discuss recycling of plastics (especially since the reading made a claim that it wasn’t profitable, while Biddle says it can) and I also liked the article because it discussed some of the problems we have from not recycling, and making a decent argument defending the need to recycle and other ways it can benefit us, other than environmentally. https://ecologiesofthegoodlife.wordpress.com/weekly-response-6-february-16-18/
This article describes an exchange between the US and the Philippines in which the US paid the Philippines nearly $2 Million as a result of a US naval ship causing extensive damage to a coral reef. I immediately related this to our recent discussions of economic considerations in environmental thought. In this case, the intrinsic, aesthetic and environmentally vital values of this reef was completely flipped into economic values and I, and I would guess most of the class, do not think this is a fair exchange. Damage was caused to that reef that cannot be repaired, no matter how much money you throw at it.
“Noise Pollution is making us oblivious to the sound of nature, says researcher” by Ian Sample discusses how background noise has become so prevalent in our lives, that we fail to listen to the sounds of nature anymore. Kurt Fristrup, a senior scientist at the US National Park Service stated “there is a real danger, both of loss of auditory acuity, where we are exposed to noise for so long that we stop listening, but also a loss of listening habits, where we lose the ability to engage with the environment the way we were built to.”
Sound levels have been recorded at places like Yosemite, Yellowstone and Denali and every one was affected by human noise such as aircraft, motorbikes, boats or buses. “As you raise background sound levels it has the same effect on your hearing that fog would have on your vision. Instead of having this expansive experience of all the sounds around you, you are aware of only a small area around you.” Fristrup believes eventually we will forget how quiet the world could be.
This connects to todays reading, because it shows how opposite of living simply we have become. Thoreau went to live in nature to get back to a simpler time, and with this article we can see that that idea is becoming even more far fetched. Even with the video for class of the man living in the tiny house, we find it difficult to go back to living that simply. He has all that he needs, and nothing extra, but in today’s society living minimally is difficult to find.
After reading Economy from Thoreau’s book, I knew the article I picked would most likely portray a striking contraction to the daily life that I and millions of other people have become accustomed to. Quickly, I found one out of Zimbabwe that was outlining the continuing travesties befalling the estimated 20,000 victims of a massive flood in the Tokwe-Mukorsi dam basin in February of 2014. The article claims the Zimbabwe government has been utilizing violence, harassment, and the deliberate restriction of humanitarian aid in order to coerce these victims to resettle on tiny land plots, conveniently located right next to their future sugar cane plantation. These land plots, claims the article, are too small to support their families, and that they are being given no choice but to grow sugar cane, which they have no experience cultivating.
I felt this pertained to our class assignment due to the drastic comparison being shown between what society calls normal, and what is actually needed for survival. Granted, Thoreau and Shafer were deliberately choosing to be minimalists, but Thoreau definitely wanted to highlight just how far the scales had tipped toward materialism. These flood victims have been shoved from their homes, some probably smaller than Shafer’s 96 square-footer, and are being forced to resettle into even worse conditions. They are stretching survival to its breaking point due to the direct influence of capitalism and materialism.
In this weeks reading and viewing of the video in class we have seen how dumping waste in other countries has been a major issue. For such reasons as economic globalization, social impacts, and environmental hazards the dumping of waste is becoming a topic to talk about and make others aware of the problems it is causing. The article “Conversion of E-Waste to Good Business Is Solution to Dumping, Says Derus” is talking about Nigeria an African country struggling to find a solution to the e-waste such as computers, electronics and televisions to name a few. These under developed countries have found themselves now looking for solutions to the waste problems which came to their countries under false pretense such as second hand use products to only find out they do not work. Now coming to the realization that these products are dangerous to their citizens and their own environment are looking to make this somehow work on their behalf. In this article the Nigerian government is looking to create a project which can begin a process of collecting all the metals which are in these components and getting them out in a way it will not release toxic fumes which cause health issues and also harms their environment. This project would” create employment, boost the national economy, alleviate poverty, and upgrade the capacity of the informal sector in managing e-waste in an environment-friendly sound manner.” This may seem like a beginning to solve their problem of the e-waste they have receive from developed countries.
In Walden Henry David Thoreau expresses the idea that simple is better. He has learned this from his experience of being one with nature when he spent two years and two months living in a home he built by Walden Pond. In our modern society Thoreau would argue that we take on too many responsibilities and that “most of the luxuries, and many of the so called comforts of life, are not only indispensable, but positive hindrances to the elevation of mankind” (Thoreau). Thoreau would probably agree with and encourage the lifestyles that the Jarawa tribal group in India live.
The Jarawa of the Andaman Islands enjoy a lifestyle where they live off of the land much like Thoreau did in his book, Walden. The lifestyle that they employ is one that is simple by a means production, because they farm their own food and get all of their water from their environment. The views of the Jarawa on modern society itself is also rather intriguing. They take an environmentalist approach by saying that we destroy the environment that provides food and water in order to provide food and water. I found this extremely ironic in a sense that we spend our whole lives trying to attain security on a modernly complex level where as on a traditionally simple level it is much easier to provide security. Studies have actually shown that “people on their own land are some of the happiest in the world” (“Are the Jarawa…”). This aligns with Thoreau’s idea that simple is better.
Thoreau’s take on simplicity included self-reliance, as well as a connection with nature. The blog I found comes from a farmer who lives a simple lifestyle in the same manner. Like Thoreau, the farmer is fond of being dependent on himself. He built his own chicken coops, and tilled his own land like how Thoreau built his own place to live in the woods. Throughout the two years that Thoreau spent in the woods, his focuses were spending as little money as possible for sustainment, and building his relationship with a nature around him. The farmer in this blog sought to do the same. He talks about how he takes his dog for a walk through the woodland every day, and he would observe everything around him. After a while, he started to notice subtle changes in nature, noting that this was evidence of him being able to take in his surroundings. Thoreau also spent much of his time outdoors while living simple.
The farmer also writes about operating his farm in the most eco and cost efficient way. He has a strict budget for buying feed, seeds, and tools he uses for farming. He has even made his own tools using scraps and wood he finds around the property. Thoreau was also very distinct in his finances. Before he set out to live in the woods, he wrote down all of his expenses that were required to start up. After that, he kept a log of what his costs and profits were throughout the whole experiment. While searching for articles about simplistic living, the themes of self-reliance and connecting with nature were almost uniform throughout. Even 170 years after Thoreau set out on his experiment, people are still living simple lifestyles despite all the technologies and luxuries that are so easily available to the public.
We can bring a parallel between Thoreau’s reading on living with nature and an article from Dianna Ferrero, titled, “Mystical amphibian venerated by Aztecs nears extinction.” In this article, the mystical axotlotly, salamanders found in Xochimilco Mexico, that were once regarded as gods by the Aztec people , have begun decreasing and numbers and are nearing extinction. The fact that at one point this creature was considered to be a god by some humans bring an interesting parallel between the course reading and the article. Thoreau would most likely believe that people have begun to lose grasp of what the environment really is and how we can benefit by living one with it. According to the article some scientist in the University of Kentucky, believe that the axolotl could potentially hold a cure for organ and limb regeneration, as well as a cure for life longevity and reduced aging. Many of the reasons for the axolotls decline is due to urbanization and pollution. It’s amazing how the human’s inability to work and live alongside nature simply, has begun to negatively impact our own lives. http://america.aljazeera.com/articles/2015/2/15/mystical-amphibian-venerated-by-aztecs-nears-extinction.html
In the article, “Why would a food evangelist write a response to Fifty Shades of Grey?” Linda Watson discusses the reason on why she wrote Fifty Shades of Green. Watson shares similar views concerning the American consumerism as Henry Thoreau. Watson states, “Christian Grey resembled the villains I’ve fought all my life.” A prominent trend of American culture is to strive for luxury and materials goods, in which relates to Thoreau’s quote, “The mass of men lead lives of quiet desperation.” In efforts to gradually break from the materialistic society, Thoreau advises his readers to go on new adventures, like living a simplistic life in woods, for self-discovery. Although not as drastic as Thoreau’s tactic, Watson creates a recipe book that encourages readers to cook with fresh ingredients by visiting their local farmers markets. There, readers can interact with the farmers and possibly develop an intimate perspective of the cultivation of foods; in comparison to shopping at our local supermarket which lacks the personal connection to how foods were cultivated. http://www.motherearthnews.com/real-food/my-response-to-fifty-shades-of-grey-with-recipe-zbcz1502.aspx
After reading this weeks required texts I was truly intrigued about the idea of over consumption. So I decided to keep it home on my article and talk about the great state of Florida. One major issue facing the state is over consumption of freshwater resources from the state of Georgia. Florida, Alabama and Georgia share the Florida water system but Georgia has had failed attempts to work with the other states on figuring out an amount to share. This hits home not only to us Floridians but to all people around the world. Over consumption can become a disastrous enterprise with immense repercussions. Like talked about in the text with immense amount of waste among food consumption, material goods and natural resources will only hinder our long term sustainability needs. This issue is a threat to national security in my opinion because if we lack the efficient delivery of natural resources like fresh water we will put our nation in an endangered state.
This article “West Africa May Become a Dumping Site for E-Wastes” by Emmanuel Iruobe exemplifies the issues brought forth in the short film Ghana Digital Dumping Ground. Both of these pieces demonstrate the growing inequality between the Global North and Global South. Korle Lagoon outside of Accra, Ghana is a prime example of how nations and corporations are exporting their waste to poorer nations in West Africa in order to avoid dealing with their own problems. Clapp argues that “a growing distance, geographically as well as mentally, between consumers and their waste” is the cause of this lack of responsibility (Clapp, p.155). Just as the consumers fail to be educated about the means of recycling and dumping—the corporations fail to responsibly dispose of the waste. Most consumers are still completely unaware of the repercussions of their over-consumption, especially in regards to modern technologies and so the cycle of exploitation continues. The harsh truth is we are exploiting the global inequalities of the free market by strategically dumping waste in economically depressed countries. Although this e-waste may provide short term jobs, the long term destruction on both the people and the environment is devastating. One of the major problems identified in this article is the lack of governmental policies. When one nation bans importing e-waste, corporations simply move their big business to another. In order to make effective change, it is necessary that an international mandate be set forth to protect all nations from this vicious practice and to hold organizations and consumers accountable for their own waste.
Iruobe, Emmanuel. “West Africa May Become A Dumping Site For E-Wastes.” Ventures Africa. Web. 18 Feb. 2015. .
The article “learning to live together” takes a very different look at the cultivation and take over of the wild life by humans then the usual arguments. This article talks about new ways that animals and humans can both adapt in simple ways to learn to live together so the destruction of their natural habitat doesn’t lead them to a timely death. Gough discusses that the animals left after the takeover of their habitat must either move, die, or adapt. New studies have shown that these animals are adapting to the new environment but also showing slight aggression towards humans they encounter.
People have been finding groups of chimps to raid their crops at night in order to satiate their new adapted diet. To combat this farmers have been trying to grow separate crops away from their main ones in order for the chimps to harvest on those. Amazingly, the chimps have learned to grow their own crops in a way slowly beginning to mimmic human behavior. With the growing emphasis on progressing towards more advanced things these farmers kept it simple and have just adapted themselves to the new issues surrounding them regarding wild life.
Recently the popular science news website wrote an article called “Eight Million Tonnes Of Plastic Are Going Into The Ocean Each Year” which talks about the ridiculous amounts of plastic that are going into our oceans. It appears that it truly is almost impossible to have the dualism of being environmentally ethical and keep economic benefit as two coexisting ideas. In Hawkins “Empty Bottles” he argues for the impossibility of this dualism and this article seems to reflect what he believes. The ocean is polluted with an insane amount of plastic, and most of it this pollution is coming from developing nations. The article mentions how the United States is the only developed country in the top 20 countries that emit this waste. Interestingly enough, China is one of the countries that gives off the most pollution but yet it also has a very large economy so this goes hand and hand with what Hawkins said in “Empty Bottles.” Many of the countries, however, have a small economy and even though many of them are growing it is still ridiculous that so much plastic is going into the ocean. What makes this situation more frustrating is that we don’t know where most of that plastic is, so it can’t be picked up or recycled since it is not accessible. Hawkins also talked about the benefits of recycling and the power it has today, and the truth is that recycling is still one of the strongest tools we have for environmental responsibility. Not all plastic is recyclable but something does need to be done, because according to the article we are about 85 years away from reaching our “waste peak” and recycling is still one of our biggest help. If some of this lost plastic is retrieved not only would we be cleaning up some of our ocean but also reuse some of this mysterious plastic so that we can at least keep trying to extend the time we have before our tolerance for waste reaches a breaking point.
For this weeks current event I used The Guardian’s “Rate of Environmental Degradation Puts Life on Earth At Risk, Say Scientists” which highlights the human consumption effects on earth. The article states that “changes of the last 60 years are unprecedented in the previous 10,000 years.” The studies find that there is a correlation to the increase in pollution and the increase in the economic system. The article concludes with a brisk picture of a river entrenched in trash.
This piece in The Guardian is very similar to the TED Talk, “Seas of Plastic”, for this weeks reading, where Captain Charles Moore unveils the harmful effects of dumping all throughout the world, particularly at sea. He blames the consumer lifestyle, the “throw away” culture that relied so heavily of plastic. He states that recycling plastic is VERY hard. With this eye opening lecture the Captain shows us how harmful dumping had been for Earth, He is very bleak in concluding that there is very little we can do to help the current trash. The only hope is to change the ways of our consumption.
The U.S. is falling behind foreign governments in the energy sector. While the United States economy experienced a brief but dramatic boom in oil and natural gas extraction, before the recent drop in oil prices put this endeavor on hold, foreign governments continue to lead the way in implementing renewable, so-called “green” technologies.
While China remains the worlds foremost contributor of carbon emissions and other greenhouse gases that are wreaking havoc on the atmosphere and all but guaranteeing a hellish, nearly-uninhabitable planet for future generations, the current regime under president Xi Jinping is pushing forward with plans to boost reliance of green technologies. Te latest numbers released by the National Energy Administration claim that power capacity from wind infrastructure increased to 19.81 million kilowatts last year, a 23% increase from 2013. While this only accounts for under 3% of China’s total generated electricity, the government has plans to generate 20% of the country’s total electricity through “non fossil-fuel” means by 2030.
What I find most unsettling about articles like these is the fact that in America, the debate surrounding different sources of electrical fuel has become entangled with various ideologies and political dogmas. Very rarely do Americans get a chance to witness political leaders speaking openly and pragmatically about the costs and benefits of various sources of energy. The debate in the U.S. has become poisoned with political posturing, catchphrases, and other forms of rhetoric that make honest communication about scientifically-reached consensus regarding the detrimental long-term effects of burning hydrocarbons nearly impossible.
For this week’s reading assignment I chose to take a look into Henry David Thoreau’s Economy chapter of “Walden”. In the reading, he explains the economic implications of living in simplicity and how less stressing as well as economically pressing it is to live in a small, simple home. This idea presented by Thoreau jogged my memory of an increasingly popular trend of people building a living in “Tiny” houses. In the article “Can Tiny Houses Help Fix Homelessness?” by Katie Rose Quandt, the issue of homelessness is brought to light but not in the conventional awareness approach that the general public is accustomed to but with a potential temporary fix (not solution). The article suggests that for about $30 one person can have some shelter to lie in at night rather than sleep in the cold on the street. Also, I can provide shelter for those who choose to live the more simpler life. Of course as the trend continues to increase, there are more modern and luxurious modifications being made to the simplistic design of said houses but it is a start.
Henry D. Thoreau is an environmentalist I have actually studied prior to taking this course, so I greatly looked forward to getting to read more about his philosophy on life, particularly regarding his views on human’s relationship with the environment. We are always trying to progress and make the world around us ‘better’ when in reality we are losing touch with nature and the truth and beauty in the world around us. This particular article on BBC about trying to get animals, specifically chimpanzees, to speak like humans was interesting to me. Why would we feel compelled to teach animals our language when it is something clearly foreign to them and when we have been able to live amongst them sans communication for hundreds of years? What good could truly come from this communication? We still test on animals and treat them as if they are inferior to us. Would it really be better to further alter their natural tendencies? It seems as though it would more so be fore man-kinds own personal observation and entertainment. Scientist claim that it would so an amazing progress in science, but this really just ties in with Thoreau’s commentary on are lustful search and seizure for ‘progress’.
Garbage dumping and disposal of waste are universal issues that all societies everywhere have to deal with in one way or another. Residents in Lamu are having to deal with sanitation workers on a go-slow strike, which involves them not cleaning and disposing of things at the usual rate that they would. This is in an effort to get a bargaining position with the governor, Issa Timamy, for new tools and better equipment. So far, their strike has lasted more than a week and residents are being encouraged to not dump their waste, but rather to try and help sanitation workers with their jobs by being more environmentally conscious by helping clean up the surrounding areas.
The concept of progress actually hindering mankind as Thoreau suggests is a topic that fascinates me and is actually what my term paper is going to be on. The more we search for knowledge and truth and this thing called progress, the more we become blind to the world around us. Not only is that affecting mankind, it is also affecting the world around us. This article regarding whether we can save the polar bears is a perfect example of this. Man kind put polar bears at risk for extinction because of our rush for progress and now we have to try and right our mistake before its too late.
In the “Ethics of Waste: How We Relate to Rubbish” by Gary Hawkins, this weeks reading discusses the importance of recycling. As a society, Hawkins believes that we are suffering both ethically and morally through overconsumption. Hawkins believes that our perspective on consumerism must be changed in order to make substantial change for the environment. After reading this article, the most profound point was the idea that overconsumption alienates us from nature. By being so wrapped up in consumerism we continue to disregard the environment and the damages that we cause to nature. In “The cold truth about our thirst for bottled water,” by Lucy Siegle the author discusses the many ethical issues that we currently face due to our commitment to bottled water. Siegle believes that we focus on the good of recycling and the numbers that show people recycle but we do not think about those that do not. The main ethical issue in this article is about a Nestle bottling plant is Sacramento that was shut down by campaigners when it was found out that they were pumping water from he San Bernardino national forest although their permit expired 27 years ago. Both articles explain how we exploit nature through consumption and how changing both our views and ways of living can bring positive change to the environment.
SD 3800 Voices in Sustainable Development 
What happens to plastic after its recycled? Some researchers view garbage as a gold mine. The greatest benefit of plastic is that it does not react with any other agents. But what is the environmental benefit of plastic waste? At the moment, there is no type of biodegradable plastic but scientists are working on solutions. In the book The Ethics of Waste, Gay Hawkins talks about recycling your waste and how important it is and how we can reinvent recycling. These two articles are similar because they both have concerns of what waste can do for us and the environment. Both articles urge us to think about our waste differently.
http://america.aljazeera.com/articles/2014/11/11/the-afterlife-ofplastic.html
Weekly Response # 6 (February 16-18)
Richard Cordero
One of this week’s selected readings, The Ethics of Waste: How We Relate to Rubbish by Gay Hawkins, discusses the plight of society’s struggle with how we handle waste morally and ethically. As a society we are promoted to use in excess, redundancy and focus on disposal. The author goes on to argue how unless society changes their moral and ethical perspective of how we consume there can never be a real effective change in consumption and our relation to waste. The author also makes a point to explain how consumerism has alienated people from nature and the environment. The author states, “My concern is with our most quotidian relations with waste, what they mean and how they might change” (p.3). This addresses the concern that waste is a phenomenological incident rather than an ecologically one. We as a society needs to politically confront the environmental consequences of overconsumption.
As stated in the article, Recycled fashion: how do we close the loop?, we as a people are beginning to understand the environmental and economic need to reevaluate the current perspective of recycling waste. Recycled fashion is one of the newest strives to change the public’s stance on recycled material in a consumeristic sense. The article concludes with the argument that however many attempts to change society’s wasteful habits a single market cannot completely alter the entire world. As stated by the author from the selected reading, waste is a phenomenological incident so that means policies and procedures can be established to combat it. It is not a natural occurrence and can be undone by the same people that caused it. If more markets and nations collaborated there is possibilities that there could be an effective turn in how the world consumes and how we handle waste.
Source: http://www.theguardian.com/sustainable-business/sustainable-fashion-blog/2015/feb/12/recycled-fashion-how-do-we-close-the-loop-live-chat
Thoreau’s Cabin Redux is a short video clip on Jay Shafer. He believes that people yearn for accumulation, especially is regards to houses, in order to be happy. “Stuff” gets in the way of Shafer’s happiness as he views the key of happiness to be within. Random commodities seem to diminish life. Shafer differs from Thoreau in the sense that he does not primarily yearn for solitude, as he goes out in public to restaurants or to the library. It is not about complete self-sufficiency, but using the world as his living room. Figuring out what makes one happy and getting rid of the rest is Shafer’s advice. BBC News recently published an article on American’s and their thirst for tiny homes. “Financial freedom and a smaller ecological footprint” are the main motives for this search for tiny homes. The article introduces many individuals who built their tiny home; however, one notable figure seemed to stand out. Her name is Sicily and she began constructing her tiny home at the young age of twelve. Her father helped for the first few weeks until he suddenly passed away. The rest of the project was done herself and finished within a year. The article claims that most tiny home developments represent a milestone in personal development. The two articles show the transition of interest toward a simplified life. Shafer’s journey represents his quest for happiness, and Sicily’s journey shows her quest for finishing the tiny home for her father.
http://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-26964724
For my weekly response, I usually discuss the articles that we have read for class and connect them to current events. However, for this particular response I am compelled to respond to our class discussion on Monday. In class, we have been discussing the politics and ethics of waste. During class, Prof. Ignatov shared a Larry Summers’s quote from a leaked World Bank memo. In the memo, Summers stated, “the economic logic behind dumping a load of toxic waste in the lowest wage country is impeccable.” As I read those words, I was astonished. However, what stunned me more was that it appeared that some students in our class agreed. The main comment was that there should be an equal distribution of waste. What the comment fails to acknowledge and what I pointed out in class is that under developed counties have poor waste management practices and do not have the infrastructure to handle waste. In my opinion, the problem with waste is over-consumption by developed nations. Countries, like the US, should not create waste then shipped it to out undeveloped counties because they don’t have as much. Our class discussion related to an article I read this week entitled “Plastics waste heading for counties quantified.” The article detailed the rise in plastic that is entering our oceans because of waste mismanagement. Every year, over eight tons of waste is ends up in the ocean. Most of the waste comes from 20 counties that account for 83% of the waste in the ocean. One of the solutions to the problem, writes the author, is for “rich nations need to reduce their consumption of single-use, disposable plastic items, like shopping bags; and developing nations must improve their waste management practices.” I was excited to read this because It validated my opinion I shared in class. I agree that waste is serious problem that requires serious solutions. Solutions that take the interest of developed countries, underdeveloped countries, and the environment into account. Economic growth is not a valid reason to mismanage waste. Responsibility cannot be shifted to other countries. The lives and health of individuals in underdeveloped countries are just a valuable and precious as the lives and health of individuals in developed countries.
http://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-31432515
In the writing of Henry D. Thoreau we see a criticism in the perspective of his eyes of mans constant pursuit of what they deem as progress for society. He questions the lifestyle that seemed to have been adopted by everyone in which all we do is continuously put ourselves through labor in order to do it again and again because society has told to do so. One of the main points he makes is suffering that people are put through in doing labor just for the purpose of obtaining certain materials that is not needed for life.
After reading that I looked online and found an article of Garment workers’ in Bangalore are speaking out against workers rights being violated. They went through numerous abuse by their employers and were being paid wages that could not sustain there families. One women quoting her daughter said “‘Why you gave birth to me if you are not able to feed me properly?”. These companies are the providers for materials for larger fashion companies that make close for the more developed countries. Its very unfortunate to see how Henry Thoreau observations still ring true and we are living in society that seems to have such a large dependence on consumption.
What is so bad about this situation its how its effecting the overall environment. These companies are not only taking advantage of these less developed nations but are constantly breaking environmental codes of those countries and are poisoning those peoples environments. The problem that Thoreau pointed out of us being so focused on gaining more and more items is leading to the suffering of humans as well as out environment.
http://www.labourbehindthelabel.org/news/item/1104-india-human-rights-trial-hears-fashion-workers-woes
In this week’s reading, we discussed the concept of recycling, such as the benefits, and how it is more of a ethical benefit then any form of cost benefit. Still, while reading online, I found an article that stated the US Environmental Protection Agency estimated about 32 million tons of plastic waste was created in 2012. I was astounded by the large number, but it got even worse, because they claimed only 9% of that was recovered and recycled, and much of the plastic is dumped illegally or somehow find it’s way into the ocean (such as through streams). In Mike Biddle’s article: “What plastic can learn from steel in a circular economy” he compares the plastic industry to the steel industry, particularly how there are high rates of steel recycling. Biddle tries to make an economically persuasive argument for recycling plastic, saying how plastic is worth much more (when selling the same amount, weight-wise). He then goes on to explain the difficulties in recycling plastic (such as how size and shape apparently plays a role), before making a call for this form of recycling, to avoid the many forms of pollution that results from plastic waste that we see today (such as burning of it, burring it, ship it overseas, etc.). The main reason I used this article is because of how they both discuss recycling of plastics (especially since the reading made a claim that it wasn’t profitable, while Biddle says it can) and I also liked the article because it discussed some of the problems we have from not recycling, and making a decent argument defending the need to recycle and other ways it can benefit us, other than environmentally.
https://ecologiesofthegoodlife.wordpress.com/weekly-response-6-february-16-18/
This article describes an exchange between the US and the Philippines in which the US paid the Philippines nearly $2 Million as a result of a US naval ship causing extensive damage to a coral reef. I immediately related this to our recent discussions of economic considerations in environmental thought. In this case, the intrinsic, aesthetic and environmentally vital values of this reef was completely flipped into economic values and I, and I would guess most of the class, do not think this is a fair exchange. Damage was caused to that reef that cannot be repaired, no matter how much money you throw at it.
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-31514221
“Noise Pollution is making us oblivious to the sound of nature, says researcher” by Ian Sample discusses how background noise has become so prevalent in our lives, that we fail to listen to the sounds of nature anymore. Kurt Fristrup, a senior scientist at the US National Park Service stated “there is a real danger, both of loss of auditory acuity, where we are exposed to noise for so long that we stop listening, but also a loss of listening habits, where we lose the ability to engage with the environment the way we were built to.”
Sound levels have been recorded at places like Yosemite, Yellowstone and Denali and every one was affected by human noise such as aircraft, motorbikes, boats or buses. “As you raise background sound levels it has the same effect on your hearing that fog would have on your vision. Instead of having this expansive experience of all the sounds around you, you are aware of only a small area around you.” Fristrup believes eventually we will forget how quiet the world could be.
This connects to todays reading, because it shows how opposite of living simply we have become. Thoreau went to live in nature to get back to a simpler time, and with this article we can see that that idea is becoming even more far fetched. Even with the video for class of the man living in the tiny house, we find it difficult to go back to living that simply. He has all that he needs, and nothing extra, but in today’s society living minimally is difficult to find.
http://www.theguardian.com/science/2015/feb/17/noise-pollution-is-making-us-oblivious-to-the-sound-of-nature-says-researcher
After reading Economy from Thoreau’s book, I knew the article I picked would most likely portray a striking contraction to the daily life that I and millions of other people have become accustomed to. Quickly, I found one out of Zimbabwe that was outlining the continuing travesties befalling the estimated 20,000 victims of a massive flood in the Tokwe-Mukorsi dam basin in February of 2014. The article claims the Zimbabwe government has been utilizing violence, harassment, and the deliberate restriction of humanitarian aid in order to coerce these victims to resettle on tiny land plots, conveniently located right next to their future sugar cane plantation. These land plots, claims the article, are too small to support their families, and that they are being given no choice but to grow sugar cane, which they have no experience cultivating.
I felt this pertained to our class assignment due to the drastic comparison being shown between what society calls normal, and what is actually needed for survival. Granted, Thoreau and Shafer were deliberately choosing to be minimalists, but Thoreau definitely wanted to highlight just how far the scales had tipped toward materialism. These flood victims have been shoved from their homes, some probably smaller than Shafer’s 96 square-footer, and are being forced to resettle into even worse conditions. They are stretching survival to its breaking point due to the direct influence of capitalism and materialism.
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-31450651
In this weeks reading and viewing of the video in class we have seen how dumping waste in other countries has been a major issue. For such reasons as economic globalization, social impacts, and environmental hazards the dumping of waste is becoming a topic to talk about and make others aware of the problems it is causing. The article “Conversion of E-Waste to Good Business Is Solution to Dumping, Says Derus” is talking about Nigeria an African country struggling to find a solution to the e-waste such as computers, electronics and televisions to name a few. These under developed countries have found themselves now looking for solutions to the waste problems which came to their countries under false pretense such as second hand use products to only find out they do not work. Now coming to the realization that these products are dangerous to their citizens and their own environment are looking to make this somehow work on their behalf. In this article the Nigerian government is looking to create a project which can begin a process of collecting all the metals which are in these components and getting them out in a way it will not release toxic fumes which cause health issues and also harms their environment. This project would” create employment, boost the national economy, alleviate poverty, and upgrade the capacity of the informal sector in managing e-waste in an environment-friendly sound manner.” This may seem like a beginning to solve their problem of the e-waste they have receive from developed countries.
http://docs.newsbank.com.ezproxy.lib.usf.edu/openurl?ctx_ver=z39.88-2004&rft_id=info:sid/iw.newsbank.com:AWNB:AAA9&rft_val_format=info:ofi/fmt:kev:mtx:ctx&rft_dat=1536EB6AEB3DE2A0&svc_dat=InfoWeb:aggregated5&req_dat=0D0CB5811D21E575
In Walden Henry David Thoreau expresses the idea that simple is better. He has learned this from his experience of being one with nature when he spent two years and two months living in a home he built by Walden Pond. In our modern society Thoreau would argue that we take on too many responsibilities and that “most of the luxuries, and many of the so called comforts of life, are not only indispensable, but positive hindrances to the elevation of mankind” (Thoreau). Thoreau would probably agree with and encourage the lifestyles that the Jarawa tribal group in India live.
The Jarawa of the Andaman Islands enjoy a lifestyle where they live off of the land much like Thoreau did in his book, Walden. The lifestyle that they employ is one that is simple by a means production, because they farm their own food and get all of their water from their environment. The views of the Jarawa on modern society itself is also rather intriguing. They take an environmentalist approach by saying that we destroy the environment that provides food and water in order to provide food and water. I found this extremely ironic in a sense that we spend our whole lives trying to attain security on a modernly complex level where as on a traditionally simple level it is much easier to provide security. Studies have actually shown that “people on their own land are some of the happiest in the world” (“Are the Jarawa…”). This aligns with Thoreau’s idea that simple is better.
http://www.notprimitive.in/
Thoreau’s take on simplicity included self-reliance, as well as a connection with nature. The blog I found comes from a farmer who lives a simple lifestyle in the same manner. Like Thoreau, the farmer is fond of being dependent on himself. He built his own chicken coops, and tilled his own land like how Thoreau built his own place to live in the woods. Throughout the two years that Thoreau spent in the woods, his focuses were spending as little money as possible for sustainment, and building his relationship with a nature around him. The farmer in this blog sought to do the same. He talks about how he takes his dog for a walk through the woodland every day, and he would observe everything around him. After a while, he started to notice subtle changes in nature, noting that this was evidence of him being able to take in his surroundings. Thoreau also spent much of his time outdoors while living simple.
The farmer also writes about operating his farm in the most eco and cost efficient way. He has a strict budget for buying feed, seeds, and tools he uses for farming. He has even made his own tools using scraps and wood he finds around the property. Thoreau was also very distinct in his finances. Before he set out to live in the woods, he wrote down all of his expenses that were required to start up. After that, he kept a log of what his costs and profits were throughout the whole experiment. While searching for articles about simplistic living, the themes of self-reliance and connecting with nature were almost uniform throughout. Even 170 years after Thoreau set out on his experiment, people are still living simple lifestyles despite all the technologies and luxuries that are so easily available to the public.
http://dreamer-dreamingofasimplelife.blogspot.com/
We can bring a parallel between Thoreau’s reading on living with nature and an article from Dianna Ferrero, titled, “Mystical amphibian venerated by Aztecs nears extinction.” In this article, the mystical axotlotly, salamanders found in Xochimilco Mexico, that were once regarded as gods by the Aztec people , have begun decreasing and numbers and are nearing extinction. The fact that at one point this creature was considered to be a god by some humans bring an interesting parallel between the course reading and the article. Thoreau would most likely believe that people have begun to lose grasp of what the environment really is and how we can benefit by living one with it. According to the article some scientist in the University of Kentucky, believe that the axolotl could potentially hold a cure for organ and limb regeneration, as well as a cure for life longevity and reduced aging. Many of the reasons for the axolotls decline is due to urbanization and pollution. It’s amazing how the human’s inability to work and live alongside nature simply, has begun to negatively impact our own lives.
http://america.aljazeera.com/articles/2015/2/15/mystical-amphibian-venerated-by-aztecs-nears-extinction.html
In the article, “Why would a food evangelist write a response to Fifty Shades of Grey?” Linda Watson discusses the reason on why she wrote Fifty Shades of Green. Watson shares similar views concerning the American consumerism as Henry Thoreau. Watson states, “Christian Grey resembled the villains I’ve fought all my life.” A prominent trend of American culture is to strive for luxury and materials goods, in which relates to Thoreau’s quote, “The mass of men lead lives of quiet desperation.” In efforts to gradually break from the materialistic society, Thoreau advises his readers to go on new adventures, like living a simplistic life in woods, for self-discovery. Although not as drastic as Thoreau’s tactic, Watson creates a recipe book that encourages readers to cook with fresh ingredients by visiting their local farmers markets. There, readers can interact with the farmers and possibly develop an intimate perspective of the cultivation of foods; in comparison to shopping at our local supermarket which lacks the personal connection to how foods were cultivated.
http://www.motherearthnews.com/real-food/my-response-to-fifty-shades-of-grey-with-recipe-zbcz1502.aspx
After reading this weeks required texts I was truly intrigued about the idea of over consumption. So I decided to keep it home on my article and talk about the great state of Florida. One major issue facing the state is over consumption of freshwater resources from the state of Georgia. Florida, Alabama and Georgia share the Florida water system but Georgia has had failed attempts to work with the other states on figuring out an amount to share. This hits home not only to us Floridians but to all people around the world. Over consumption can become a disastrous enterprise with immense repercussions. Like talked about in the text with immense amount of waste among food consumption, material goods and natural resources will only hinder our long term sustainability needs. This issue is a threat to national security in my opinion because if we lack the efficient delivery of natural resources like fresh water we will put our nation in an endangered state.
http://america.aljazeera.com/articles/2013/8/13/florida-to-sue-georgiaoveruncheckedwateruse.html
E-Waste: Reinforcing Global Inequality
This article “West Africa May Become a Dumping Site for E-Wastes” by Emmanuel Iruobe exemplifies the issues brought forth in the short film Ghana Digital Dumping Ground. Both of these pieces demonstrate the growing inequality between the Global North and Global South. Korle Lagoon outside of Accra, Ghana is a prime example of how nations and corporations are exporting their waste to poorer nations in West Africa in order to avoid dealing with their own problems. Clapp argues that “a growing distance, geographically as well as mentally, between consumers and their waste” is the cause of this lack of responsibility (Clapp, p.155). Just as the consumers fail to be educated about the means of recycling and dumping—the corporations fail to responsibly dispose of the waste. Most consumers are still completely unaware of the repercussions of their over-consumption, especially in regards to modern technologies and so the cycle of exploitation continues. The harsh truth is we are exploiting the global inequalities of the free market by strategically dumping waste in economically depressed countries. Although this e-waste may provide short term jobs, the long term destruction on both the people and the environment is devastating. One of the major problems identified in this article is the lack of governmental policies. When one nation bans importing e-waste, corporations simply move their big business to another. In order to make effective change, it is necessary that an international mandate be set forth to protect all nations from this vicious practice and to hold organizations and consumers accountable for their own waste.
Iruobe, Emmanuel. “West Africa May Become A Dumping Site For E-Wastes.” Ventures Africa. Web. 18 Feb. 2015. .
The article “learning to live together” takes a very different look at the cultivation and take over of the wild life by humans then the usual arguments. This article talks about new ways that animals and humans can both adapt in simple ways to learn to live together so the destruction of their natural habitat doesn’t lead them to a timely death. Gough discusses that the animals left after the takeover of their habitat must either move, die, or adapt. New studies have shown that these animals are adapting to the new environment but also showing slight aggression towards humans they encounter.
People have been finding groups of chimps to raid their crops at night in order to satiate their new adapted diet. To combat this farmers have been trying to grow separate crops away from their main ones in order for the chimps to harvest on those. Amazingly, the chimps have learned to grow their own crops in a way slowly beginning to mimmic human behavior. With the growing emphasis on progressing towards more advanced things these farmers kept it simple and have just adapted themselves to the new issues surrounding them regarding wild life.
Recently the popular science news website wrote an article called “Eight Million Tonnes Of Plastic Are Going Into The Ocean Each Year” which talks about the ridiculous amounts of plastic that are going into our oceans. It appears that it truly is almost impossible to have the dualism of being environmentally ethical and keep economic benefit as two coexisting ideas. In Hawkins “Empty Bottles” he argues for the impossibility of this dualism and this article seems to reflect what he believes. The ocean is polluted with an insane amount of plastic, and most of it this pollution is coming from developing nations. The article mentions how the United States is the only developed country in the top 20 countries that emit this waste. Interestingly enough, China is one of the countries that gives off the most pollution but yet it also has a very large economy so this goes hand and hand with what Hawkins said in “Empty Bottles.” Many of the countries, however, have a small economy and even though many of them are growing it is still ridiculous that so much plastic is going into the ocean. What makes this situation more frustrating is that we don’t know where most of that plastic is, so it can’t be picked up or recycled since it is not accessible. Hawkins also talked about the benefits of recycling and the power it has today, and the truth is that recycling is still one of the strongest tools we have for environmental responsibility. Not all plastic is recyclable but something does need to be done, because according to the article we are about 85 years away from reaching our “waste peak” and recycling is still one of our biggest help. If some of this lost plastic is retrieved not only would we be cleaning up some of our ocean but also reuse some of this mysterious plastic so that we can at least keep trying to extend the time we have before our tolerance for waste reaches a breaking point.
source: http://www.iflscience.com/environment/eight-million-tonnes-plastic-are-going-ocean-each-year
For this weeks current event I used The Guardian’s “Rate of Environmental Degradation Puts Life on Earth At Risk, Say Scientists” which highlights the human consumption effects on earth. The article states that “changes of the last 60 years are unprecedented in the previous 10,000 years.” The studies find that there is a correlation to the increase in pollution and the increase in the economic system. The article concludes with a brisk picture of a river entrenched in trash.
This piece in The Guardian is very similar to the TED Talk, “Seas of Plastic”, for this weeks reading, where Captain Charles Moore unveils the harmful effects of dumping all throughout the world, particularly at sea. He blames the consumer lifestyle, the “throw away” culture that relied so heavily of plastic. He states that recycling plastic is VERY hard. With this eye opening lecture the Captain shows us how harmful dumping had been for Earth, He is very bleak in concluding that there is very little we can do to help the current trash. The only hope is to change the ways of our consumption.
http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2015/jan/15/rate-of-environmental-degradation-puts-life-on-earth-at-risk-say-scientists
The U.S. is falling behind foreign governments in the energy sector. While the United States economy experienced a brief but dramatic boom in oil and natural gas extraction, before the recent drop in oil prices put this endeavor on hold, foreign governments continue to lead the way in implementing renewable, so-called “green” technologies.
While China remains the worlds foremost contributor of carbon emissions and other greenhouse gases that are wreaking havoc on the atmosphere and all but guaranteeing a hellish, nearly-uninhabitable planet for future generations, the current regime under president Xi Jinping is pushing forward with plans to boost reliance of green technologies. Te latest numbers released by the National Energy Administration claim that power capacity from wind infrastructure increased to 19.81 million kilowatts last year, a 23% increase from 2013. While this only accounts for under 3% of China’s total generated electricity, the government has plans to generate 20% of the country’s total electricity through “non fossil-fuel” means by 2030.
What I find most unsettling about articles like these is the fact that in America, the debate surrounding different sources of electrical fuel has become entangled with various ideologies and political dogmas. Very rarely do Americans get a chance to witness political leaders speaking openly and pragmatically about the costs and benefits of various sources of energy. The debate in the U.S. has become poisoned with political posturing, catchphrases, and other forms of rhetoric that make honest communication about scientifically-reached consensus regarding the detrimental long-term effects of burning hydrocarbons nearly impossible.
http://asiancorrespondent.com/130589/china-wind-power-capacity-jumps-to-record-high/
For this week’s reading assignment I chose to take a look into Henry David Thoreau’s Economy chapter of “Walden”. In the reading, he explains the economic implications of living in simplicity and how less stressing as well as economically pressing it is to live in a small, simple home. This idea presented by Thoreau jogged my memory of an increasingly popular trend of people building a living in “Tiny” houses. In the article “Can Tiny Houses Help Fix Homelessness?” by Katie Rose Quandt, the issue of homelessness is brought to light but not in the conventional awareness approach that the general public is accustomed to but with a potential temporary fix (not solution). The article suggests that for about $30 one person can have some shelter to lie in at night rather than sleep in the cold on the street. Also, I can provide shelter for those who choose to live the more simpler life. Of course as the trend continues to increase, there are more modern and luxurious modifications being made to the simplistic design of said houses but it is a start.
http://www.motherjones.com/politics/2015/02/tiny-houses-homelessness-solution
Henry D. Thoreau is an environmentalist I have actually studied prior to taking this course, so I greatly looked forward to getting to read more about his philosophy on life, particularly regarding his views on human’s relationship with the environment. We are always trying to progress and make the world around us ‘better’ when in reality we are losing touch with nature and the truth and beauty in the world around us. This particular article on BBC about trying to get animals, specifically chimpanzees, to speak like humans was interesting to me. Why would we feel compelled to teach animals our language when it is something clearly foreign to them and when we have been able to live amongst them sans communication for hundreds of years? What good could truly come from this communication? We still test on animals and treat them as if they are inferior to us. Would it really be better to further alter their natural tendencies? It seems as though it would more so be fore man-kinds own personal observation and entertainment. Scientist claim that it would so an amazing progress in science, but this really just ties in with Thoreau’s commentary on are lustful search and seizure for ‘progress’.
http://www.bbc.com/earth/story/20150216-can-any-animals-talk-like-humans
Garbage dumping and disposal of waste are universal issues that all societies everywhere have to deal with in one way or another. Residents in Lamu are having to deal with sanitation workers on a go-slow strike, which involves them not cleaning and disposing of things at the usual rate that they would. This is in an effort to get a bargaining position with the governor, Issa Timamy, for new tools and better equipment. So far, their strike has lasted more than a week and residents are being encouraged to not dump their waste, but rather to try and help sanitation workers with their jobs by being more environmentally conscious by helping clean up the surrounding areas.
http://allafrica.com/stories/201502130818.html
The concept of progress actually hindering mankind as Thoreau suggests is a topic that fascinates me and is actually what my term paper is going to be on. The more we search for knowledge and truth and this thing called progress, the more we become blind to the world around us. Not only is that affecting mankind, it is also affecting the world around us. This article regarding whether we can save the polar bears is a perfect example of this. Man kind put polar bears at risk for extinction because of our rush for progress and now we have to try and right our mistake before its too late.
http://www.bbc.com/earth/story/20141107-can-polar-bears-be-saved
In the “Ethics of Waste: How We Relate to Rubbish” by Gary Hawkins, this weeks reading discusses the importance of recycling. As a society, Hawkins believes that we are suffering both ethically and morally through overconsumption. Hawkins believes that our perspective on consumerism must be changed in order to make substantial change for the environment. After reading this article, the most profound point was the idea that overconsumption alienates us from nature. By being so wrapped up in consumerism we continue to disregard the environment and the damages that we cause to nature. In “The cold truth about our thirst for bottled water,” by Lucy Siegle the author discusses the many ethical issues that we currently face due to our commitment to bottled water. Siegle believes that we focus on the good of recycling and the numbers that show people recycle but we do not think about those that do not. The main ethical issue in this article is about a Nestle bottling plant is Sacramento that was shut down by campaigners when it was found out that they were pumping water from he San Bernardino national forest although their permit expired 27 years ago. Both articles explain how we exploit nature through consumption and how changing both our views and ways of living can bring positive change to the environment.