Survey Update

I believe there may be some trends emerging from my survey data, but I only have 9 respondents and it's hard to draw any conclusion from such a small sample size. If anyone else can take the survey, that would be great. So far most respondents identify as independents and voted for Barack Obama. Everyone finds voting important, and an overwhelming majority finds the two party system too limiting.

Survey Link: http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/NVHKVH7

Voting Opinions Survey

My theory is that most people feel disconnected from politics in general and don't feel represented in Washington. My survey is on surveymonkey.com and has a variety of question formatting from sliding scale to free response. I need as many survey responses as I can get, and if anyone can complete the survey, that would be great.

Survey Link: http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/NVHKVH7

Water Sustainability

        Water is one of our most precious resources, and is fundamental to life on Earth. Today, consumption of water has increased to the point that water is no longer necessarily a renewable resource. The number one consumer of water in the modern world is in agriculture. Agricultural water usage accounts for 67% of the total water usage by humans. Water use in households for cooking, cleaning, and operating bathrooms only accounts for 9% of water usage. with growth in the population and growing development around the globe, there will be more farming and more domestic water usage. The only way to meet the incredible demand ahead is to develop more efficient water usage systems. We may need to focus on crops that need less water, and to rework the quantity of water used in showers and toilets. Industrial use accounts for 13% of the total water usage, and is made up by manufacturing, power, and mining operations. These industries may also require a rework. The key to meeting the demand of the future and maintaining a level of sustainability is greater efficiency. Where efficiency is not enough, we may have to cut back on water depleting activities.

http://www.climate.org/topics/water.html

Artifact

        This artifact is an image of a t-shirt logo. The logo is a very well done graphic opposing fracking and shows tap water burning. The tap water around fracking sites has been filmed burning and posted all around the internet. The flames are cleverly shaped onto the exclamation point in the exclamation "Stop Fracking with our Water!" This image conveys the environmental ethics of protecting groundwater and reducing pollution from the oil industry.

Fracking Source

The article Fracking Fury lays out the pros, cons, and possible risks associated with fracking. It goes into some detail describing the process of hydraulic fracturing, and the disposal of waste. "In 2009, about 14% of natural gas production came from shale formations." Pros listed in Fracking fury include more jobs and economic growth, as well as having natural gas which is cleaner than fuel. The brief summary of the cons is worded best by the article. "Hazards associated with natural gas production and drilling are not as well known as with other fossil fuels, and regulations have not kept pace with production (NYT 2011). Escalating concerns include adverse effects on drinking water, human health, animals, and ecosystems." So, fracking is too new, and under-regulated. Concerns over water include: massive pollution to local groundwater if anything goes wrong, "neurological impairment, loss of smell, and nerve pain" from the pollution, billions of gallons of water used in fracking, waste disposal may not be meeting standards for fracking fluids. Fracking may be responsible for disease in local residents, killing farm animals, causing earthquakes, and polluting ground water. EPA studies have not been reassuring about the safety of fracking, and the industry is not being properly regulated.

Palliser, Janna. "Fracking Fury." Science Scope 35.7 (2012): 20. Science Reference Center. Web. 2 Oct. 2012.

Fracking

            Fracking is the process of pumping a mixture of chemicals into the ground at high pressure in order to loosen the rock and release trapped oil and gas. In the article “EPA: Natural Gas Fracking Linked to Water Contamination,” a new EPA study was described. The new study found that fracking fluids were in fact leaking out of the oil wells and into the ground water.  Synthetic compounds thought to be from fracking fluids were detected in the groundwater around the town of Pavilion, Wyoming.  

            The most disturbing thing about the EPA study, is how mixed up in politics the science is. Somehow, merely challenging the position that fracking is safe can create political firestorm with people taking sides. It seems as though many are more concerned about profits than they are about major pollution. It seems logical that pumping synthetic compounds into the earth at high pressure would lead to ground water pollution. The safeguard against this pollution is supposed to be steel and concrete barriers that must contain the fluids on their journey. It seems again plausible that these barriers could occasionally fail, and that the concrete may not be poured properly from time to time.

            In the article, Sen. James Inhofe, R-Okla was quoted as finding the EPA report “offensive” and accused the EPA of bias. A truly scientific study would have no bias, and should only reveal the truth. Assuming this study is airtight, major changes to regulations and possibly the legality of fracking must be considered. One important detail about the opposition to any scientific digging about fracking, was the secrecy surrounding the fracking fluid’s composition. The drilling companies were withholding information about the compounds contained within the fracking fluid, making it much more difficult to get to the truth. Many of the compounds were thought to be carcinogenic, and are being pumped into the earth in large volumes. If fracking is to continue, I think the concrete barriers should be guaranteed not to fail, and the fracking fluids should be regulated to prevent any major health and environmental risks. It is incredibly unlikely that the drilling companies have the public health or environmental health prioritized over profits, and thorough scientific testing must be continued to ensure fracking’s safety.

Turtle Island Themes III

        In the chapter "For the Children" I focused on three poems: Dusty Braces, The Jemez Pueblo Ring, and For the Children. Dusty Braces is about Snyder's hatred of the acts of his ancestors. He sees the work of past generations "progress" as a destructive act. He says that his mustached lumberjack ancestors killed off  the grizzly and the cougar. When Snyder says "nine bows. Your itch in my boots too." he may be sympathizing with extinct species, or may be saying that he wants to connect with more distant ancestors that lived off the land. In The Jemez Pueblo Ring, Snyder the life of an old ring caught under the construction of modern Japan. The ring is discovered a century later when the construction above is recycled, like a time capsule from a past civilization to the east. This poem shares the theme of connecting with the distant past. For the Children is about how "progress" and growth are bringing us down, but if future generations can survive the challenges ahead they'll need to work together. His message is to "stay together, learn the flowers, go light." For the Children continues the use of vivid imagery, and the theme of the destruction of nature. In this chapter, he also seems to want to connect with the distant past in order to aid the future of humanity.

Turtle Island Themes II

     In the chapter Magpie's Song I focused on three poems: On San Gabriel Ridge, Black Mesa Mine #1, and Mother Earth: Her Whales. In San Gabriel Ridge, Snyder seems to see his past relationships in fox scat. In the same way that he can see the fox's past in what the fox has eaten, he sees his past loves and relationships. In Black Mesa Mine #1, Snyder describes in great detail a scene on a mountain where bulldozers are tearing it apart. The air is filled with dust, and the mountain is being reduced to gravel. Snyder sees a parallel between the mountain destroyed by industrial society and the Navajo settlement down the road that is left in disrepair with only dried up poles and logs remaining. In Mother Earth: Her Whales, Gary Snyder details his thoughts on the world and how nations are ruining the environment. Brazilian forests, whales, deer, tigers,boars, monkeys, and all of nature are being destroyed by nations and their priorities. Humans making decisions are described as robots and he expresses disdain towards nationalism and the treatment of the wildlife by various countries. All three poems use vivid imagery and both Black Mesa Mine #1 and Mother Earth: Her Whales focus on themes of humanity destroying nature. Mountains and animals are given personalities and their treatment is seen as an injustice.

Turtle Island Themes

     

                Turtle Island by Gary Snyder is focused on several key themes. I focused on the chapter Manzanita in my reading, and the chapter's key themes include vivid descriptions of nature, references to native American tribes, and the destruction of the environment and native peoples by settlement. Coyote Valley Spring describes a scene in nature, possibly in the past, where life is thriving. The poem ends by mentioning a lost tribe floating in their fishing boats. The poem, The Dead by the Side of the Road is a much darker poem. It focuses on the way nature is used by man. Animals are killed and skinned as trophies. Animals become tools and there is little respect for nature. The poem also seems to use roads as a metaphor for human progress and industrialization. The animals and nature are casualties of our expansion. Control Burn describes how native tribes used to clear the forest of excess brush regularly. It prevented major forest fires and was an important part of maintaining the forests. Today even with our modern technology, we are taking worse care of the forests than they did centuries ago.

Bioregion and Eaarth

       McKibben talked about the need for more local food production and the detrimental effects of long distance food transportation. Although growing corn in the western United States in mass and growing oranges in Florida in mass may be more cost effective, the long distance transportation to the rest of the country leaves behind a massive carbon footprint. McKibben advocated for a more local means of food production of growing crops local to your area on smaller scale operations. McKibben believes the future of agriculture may be smaller scale and less automation. The growth of urban agriculture and utilizing the available open space such as rooftops and courtyards for growing fruits and vegetables would be another step in the right direction. McKibben also offered support for solar and wind power generation as the future of energy favoring them over nuclear power.
       Based on a show of hands in class, the vast majority of the population including myself are entirely ignorant on the subject of local agriculture, wildlife, and where our water and waste goes. The current generation of young people are more disconnected from the land and wildlife than ever before.

Environmental Issue

            The most important environmental issue that could create a need for an island civilization is the need for clean and abundant energy sources. According to the statistical research of  Hans Rosling, if the developing countries of the world that are still living in extreme poverty can be brought out of the third world and the child mortality rate drops significantly, then the world’s population growth problems will disappear. According to Hans Rosling, with economic growth, come better conditions for women and children, which in turn result in more stable populations. He projects that the world population will stabilize at nine or ten billion, meaning that the problem of population growth may be on its way to being solved. The major issue with this future is how to provide for the energy needs of a whole planet of developed nations. If the entire world produced the amount of pollution and greenhouse gasses that are produced in North America, there would be no hope for the planet. In order to meet the energy needs of the rapidly developing world, we will need major innovations in the generation, storage, and transport of energy.
            In order to create a sustainable energy future for the entire world, we may need a combination of innovations in energy generation and storage. Solar and wind power are great sources of power generation, however, in order to use them as our primary sources of power, we will need to drastically improve our storage and transport of the power. Batteries are one option, but at the moment the technology is far too expensive, and the transport of this power may require the burning of fossil fuels. This technology may not be effective everywhere, although there are many places in the United States that could benefit from it, such as California, Florida, and any other sunny or windy area of the country. It may take advancements in and the adoption of hydrogen as a major fuel source or adoption of other technologies such as compressed air or gravitational storage to make these energy sources reasonable and clean.
            One other option that could power the entire world is the use of IFR (Integral Fast Reactor) or LFTR (Liquid-Fluoride Thorium Reactor) technology. Fourth generation nuclear power has the potential to power the entire world cleanly and is capable of burning our current nuclear waste as fuel. This could eliminate the problem of nuclear waste and provide centuries or more of power off of the current waste alone. The fourth generation nuclear reactors have the potential to be 100 to 300 times more efficient than current technologies. These advances in nuclear power are projected to be available by 2030 or earlier if support grows. The United States has the most nuclear power plants of any country, and although the current plants have entire lifetimes to play out, their waste may become useful soon enough. If the projected goal can be met and implemented quickly, there may be a clean energy future on the horizon.

            If technology such as this is implemented in the developing world, they may not need to undergo the messy industrial revolutions of the past by burning fossil fuels.  Switching the developed nations over to renewable energy and providing new technologies for the developing world are vital objective to ensure the survival of the planet and life on it.


http://ossfoundation.us/projects/energy
http://ossfoundation.us/projects/energy/nuclear
http://www.gapminder.org/

Island Civilization Summary and Criticism

Island Civilization Summary and Criticism

            Island Civilization by Roderick Frazier Nash gives background history about the trajectory of human progress and presents solutions to pressing obstacles in humanity’s near future. He begins by explaining the origins of idea of wilderness and the wild. According to Nash, the drive to settle wild lands began after the Neolithic Revolution with the advent of farming and animal husbandry when humans were holding territory and began building settlements. This drive has been a major part of western civilization for the past centuries and over time the west had become practiced at the breaking “wild” territories and peoples. Nash accuses western capitalistic society of being dangerously driven to expand to the point of self-destruction.

            Nash continues by laying out stages of progression in thought on the subject of wilderness and the value of nature. As Manifest Destiny took hold and the wilderness dwindled in size, people began to assign more value to nature. Wilderness took on a utilitarian purpose of being the object of human appreciation and a tourist attraction. The protection of wildlife was only a side effect of the protection of the wild lands for entertainment and inspiration. The next stage of thought occurred in the past century as biological sciences gave new insight into the “purpose” and possible necessity of the natural order and the wild. Today only 2% of the mainland United States is officially wild territory.
            With the population growing at a staggering rate and the environment and global balance in jeopardy, Nash lays out four outcomes for the future of our planet. His first scenario is a wasteland scenario. In this scenario the human race could expand and consume to the point of self-destruction taking much of the planets ecosystem with it. His second scenario is the garden scenario. In the garden scenario humanity inhabits every corner of the earth and farms resources from the most useful domesticated animals, pushing larger wildlife to extinction. The third scenario is future primitive, a future where technological civilization is written off as a bad experiment. The fourth and final scenario laid out is the island civilization. The island civilization consists of islands of humanity with 15 million person populations living in efficient and self-sufficient mega cities scattered around the globe. This scenario is important because it would allow evolution to occur naturally outside its borders.
            While I think Mr. Nash has many good ideas and a valuable historical perspective, his island civilization may have some flaws and may be too idealistic. I think the number one priority should be to slow population growth worldwide and as Nash suggests try to reduce the world population significantly in order to avert global catastrophe. The second priority should be to reduce the consumption of resources in the United States and other “first world” countries. These two things should bring stability to the planet even under the current conditions.

            I believe professor Nash reached his conclusion about island civilizations due to the immense value he assigns to nature operating free of human influence. While I think having ongoing evolution and thriving wildlife in the future is something to be desired, I wouldn’t build my entire civilization around that sole purpose. With that purpose Nash reached the conclusion that “wilderness” should dominate the Earth in the future with humanity occupying a fraction of the planet. Why not have humanity evenly distributed around the globe with relatively low and even population density with large pockets of protected wildlife?

            Another problem I see with Nash’s Island Civilization is the incredible amount of personal freedom that must be relinquished in order to reach his utopian society. It would take an enormous amount of cooperation and could result in dystopias. One last problem I have with Nash’s scenarios is that they are all very extreme directions with no middle ground. I can imagine blends of these different scenarios playing out on smaller scales and around the globe at some point in the future. Realistically however, I can see the garden scenario playing out if we continue down the course we are on as it would not require us to give up on consumerism