Environmental Sociology: 2015

Tuesday, April 21, 2015

Honestly, what is nature? how do we define something so encompassing, yet not so encompassing? What I mean is, nature feels like its all around us, the grass beneath your feet, the water we drink, the birds we hear singing in the morning. But are those things really natural? Grass that grows wild in the wilderness where no one can mow it or spray it with weed killer seems natural, but the grass that covers the rolling hills of golf courses doesn't seem natural. the large oceans that surround us and the small rivers that run through creeks in our back yard are natural, but is the water that comes in your aquafina water bottle natural? defining nature is by no means black and white.     Defining nature becomes a large tasks because it almost becomes philosophical, as both Aristotle and Plato proved in the past. I personally, use to think that I could very  easily tell you exactly  what was natural and what isn't, but i'm also one that is very deep in my conventions. I would easily say that water was a natural thing. it was here before humans and created by some unknown higher power. but when that water is running from my faucet or in my over priced aquafina bottle, i don't think of it as natural, mostly because I have to pay for it and its unfortunately tainted by capitalism. its an odd thing to charge us for something that is natural. I think that that is exactly what forces it out of the definition of natural. trees seem natural, but once we take that wood and put it into the form of a bed, is it natural? i don't really view my queen size serta bed as natural in anyway. Once an outside source is acting on something,  it no longer becomes natural. so, that leaves me asking, is anything really natural?     I'm left confused, and feeling that really nothing is natural at all. But when I think of the Guarani who reside on the borders of Paraguay, i can't help but think that they live a beautiful and natural lifestyle, although they are adding change to the land and nature around them. it just seems that somewhere along the line, we changed the land around us too much, and took it too far. we  went beyond necessity and instead dominating nature in order for personal gain. When I was young I didn't understand why we had to pay for everything. I wanted to know why we couldn't live in a world where we just traded and gave things away, only taking just what we need. but not after too long i was unfortunately tainted by our society and grew accustomed to our luxurious, comfortable, and convenient lifestyle. when we have become so accustomed to our lifestyles, is it even possible to turn back the clock? 
Honestly, what is nature? how do we define something so encompassing, yet not so encompassing? What I mean is, nature feels like its all around us, the grass beneath your feet, the water we drink, the birds we hear singing in the morning. But are those things really natural? Grass that grows wild in the wilderness where no one can mow it or spray it with weed killer seems natural, but the grass that covers the rolling hills of golf courses doesn't seem natural. the large oceans that surround us and the small rivers that run through creeks in our back yard are natural, but is the water that comes in your aquafina water bottle natural? defining nature is by no means black and white.

Friday, April 10, 2015

Risky Business

This diagram displays the solar geo-engineering project of putting
reflectors in the atmosphere and its hopeful benefits.

During the summer pools are crowded throughout the country with people lounging in chairs basking in sun rays. Not all of these people may be wearing the proper amount of sunscreen to protect them from the sun’s harmful rays however they are all wearing stylish sunglasses to protect their eyes from those rays. Solar geo-engineering or solar radiation management scientists have proposed a project that would have the same objective as when we put on our sunglasses. Solar geo-engineering scientists are working on a way to be able to put a ring of sunlight-scattering particles. This ring of sunlight-scatting particles would reduce the amount of solar radiation hitting the planet and thus

counteract some of the global warming that is induced by the greenhouse gases. Solar geo-engineering may help in cooling down the planet however there are many uncertainties and risks such a project.

If solar geo-engineering could help prevent or slow down global warming in any way wouldn’t that be reason enough to keep going forth on the project? Maybe not if you analyze the risk. If scientists go forth with this project the Earth’s climate patterns would be affected. Tropical regions near the equator are heated more by the sun than higher latitudes of the Earth. If there are reflective sun rays in the atmosphere that create a cooling effect, they could also reduce the sunlight in those tropical regions. Reducing the sunlight in the tropical regions could offset the climate change and thus reduce the amount of rainfall in the tropics. Two-thirds of all rain falls in the tropics. The tropics

This diagram displays how the solar geo-engineering reflector in
the atmosphere would block the sun rays.

now have an immense amount of sunlight therefore it is able to evaporate the rainfall. However if there is less sunlight there will be less evaporation and thus less rainfall. This is just one risk that solar geo-engineering poses on the Earth. There are several more risks that could occur and several uncertainties altogether on the project. Do the benefits of solar geo-engineering really outweigh the risks? We should consider precautionary principle if there are major risks that could possibly outweigh the benefits. The mathematician, Peter Saunders advocated for the precautionary principle. He stated, “All it actually amounts to is this: if one is embarking on something new, one should think very carefully about whether it is safe or not, and should not go ahead until reasonably convinced it is. It is just common sense”(Bell 251).

Solar geo-engineering could be the solution to global warming. However precautionary measures should be taken if solar geo-engineering projects right now pose serious threats to the environment or human health. For society to understand the risks of solar geo-engineering, society needs to engage in reflexive modernization. Reflexive modernization is, “a form of modernization in which we think critically and engage in democratic debate about science and technology” (Bell 246). The goal is for society to raise questions and create a dialogue that breaks down the barriers between laboratory science and society’s knowledge of that science. Society needs to understand both the benefits and the risks before we do something drastic to the environment. Solar geo-engineering would help slow down global warming however there are some obvious risks to it. We need to ensure these benefits are going to outweigh any risk that creates a threat on humanity’s health and the environment before we put this project in motion.

Sources:

Bell, Michael. An Invitation to Environmental Sociology. Thousand Oaks: Pine Forge, 1998. Print.

"Climate Science Info Zone." Backup Plan: Sunglasses in Space - - Science Museum. N.p., n.d. Web. 5 Apr. 2015

"Future of Solar Geoengineering Far from Settled." MIT News. N.p., n.d. Web. 5 Apr. 2015.

"Should We Use Geoengineering to Cool the Earth? An Interview with David Keith." Washington Post. The Washington Post, n.d. Web. 5 Apr. 2015.

"Join the Fight" Sincerely, the Bottom of the Rung

Development of anything in our modern world starts with participation. This participatory turn occurs when citizens looking to grow come together for town meetings, focus groups, and committees to help one another look for the next best thing. Our environment has been on the forefront of the turn and yet there is still a lack of significant development. We are still fighting to block pipelines from being built in our forests and pollution being poured in our rivers, but the cost is heavy. Michael Bell says “A local community organization may have a fierce commitment to saving a nearby forest, say, or to ending the fumes coming from the vicinity’s factory. But the company that owns the forestland or the one that owns the factory likely has people working 9/5, and maybe even 24/7, representing its interests” (270). The cost is high for those of us who want to fight back because we are at the bottom of the rung, compared to the major corporations and organizations with mottoes that directly require them to dump their trash elsewhere.

We have to support the little guys, starting from the bottom, but it’s hard to do at the national level. The Environmental Justice Small Grants Program has spent the last twenty years awarded over $24 million dollars to community-based organizations that support healthy environmental contact. “EPA recognizes the critical role of helping communities with localized strategies to avoid, lessen, or delay the risks and impacts associated with our changing climate” (EPA.gov). The EPA, among other environmental agencies, helps to push the precautionary principle, acting against threats early, into the light. The support provided for the bottom, these community based programs for example, is a step in the right direction but we need mega corporations, from the top, to participate and provide assistance. It’s important to remember too that just because a corporation supports renewable resources and provides products that do not harm the environment as much, they need to be committed to all aspects of the environmental agenda.

15 Best Companies for the Planet:

http://www.businessinsider.com/the-15-best-companies-for-the-environment-2009-9?op=1

What can we do? Unless your uncle owns a mega corporation that you could inherit soon, maybe we should start a little smaller. Build your own grassroots organization in your community!

Do Your Research: This goes beyond typing in "Global warming" into your Google search. Try looking into local problems and start there. This obviously does not mean you should only focus locally, if you have big ideas, go for it!

Find Your Focus: Is there a trash problem in your community? Are there ponds or lakes that are being polluted? Would your community benefit from a garden? Find something you can attack head on and rally around it to get it done.

Attract Members: Find like-minded people with ambitious purposes. Together you will not only be able to spread the burden of work that needs to be done but a team can help bring new ideas and resources to the organization.

Get Organized: Have meetings and make sure you know the agenda beforehand. Keep track of all of your information and be sure to have it available to all members of the group. Plan ahead and keep everyone on the same page.

Recruit Leaders: Define who can lead, how the decisions are made, and who is the face of them. It's hard to get things done if everyone is the leader, but spreading out the work and placing a face to each system (a social chair, a treasurer, etc.) in the organization will help keep things moving.

Aim High, Celebrate It All: Always reach for the big goals but do not be discouraged if you are only getting small victories. Celebrate all the victories you get, learn from the ones you didn't, and work to keep pushing forward. The environment is tough, you can be too.

Get out there and fight because whether you have noticed or not, the environment is changing and you are a part of it. Make good decisions and focus on the future of the environment, or we won't have one!

http://www.ecohearth.com/eco-zine/green-issues/741-eco-action-how-to-start-your-own-local-environmental-group.html

Renewable Energy

The way that we use energy now isn't an environmentally safe way of using energy. We are using up as much fossil fuels as possible right now without the thought of what happens when there is no more and we drain the earth dry. I, as well as many of you, use fossil fuels like it is my job. I drive almost everywhere that I go, using gas and oil everyday. It is very hard to get out of that habit, especially since I don't have a bike. It is engrained in our society that it is okay for us to use all the fossil fuels possible because it won't affect us when they are all gone.

There are some ways to get the same amount of energy through renewable energy. Most renewable energy comes from the sun. Solar panels are the best way to capture the sun and convert it into energy. This energy can be used to heat homes, create electricity, and dry clothes without using a dryer. The suns energy will never run out and we can use it as much as possible. We need to think about switching to solar power rather than the use of fossil fuels to make it through everyday.

Another type of renewable energy comes from the wind turbines. These are already in use, driving from Arizona to California every Christmas with my dad I saw them lined up all down the highway. I always thought they were the coolest things because of how big they were. Now I think they are even better because I understand that they are used to make electricity without the use of fossil fuels.

These sources of renewable energy have many benefits. They are clean sources of energy, the conventional way was harmful to the environment and these renewable resources act with the environment to help human life. The renewable energy investments are spent within the United States, this gives a boost in the economy. It also creates jobs for the people in the US which also helps the economy. Renewable energy creates energy security. This means that when all non-renewable resources are gone we will still be able to create and sustain enough energy for everyone to use.

It is strongly encouraged to start finding ways to use renewable energy rather than non-renewable. You could even stop driving everywhere, dry clothes outside, or don't have as many electronics. Dong any of these things would help keep non-renewable resources around until the renewable resources are fully built and used.

Acid Oceans

We have all heard of global climate change, and when we think of this we generally think of the sea levels rising or the ice caps melting, but there are so many other things happening with global climate change that go unnoticed.

The ocean is not only affected by the ice caps melting and making the water levels become higher and higher, the ocean is also affected by carbon emissions. Since the Industrial Revolution, the release of carbon dioxide has and continues to increase in the atmosphere. What people do not realize is the ozone is not the only factor being affected by this. The ocean is responsible for absorbing one fourth of the carbon dioxide released into the air. This leads to the problem of ocean acidification.

Ocean acidification is becoming more and more of a problem because we continue to release more and more carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, and when we are releasing carbon emissions into the atmosphere, we are also releasing them into the ocean. The absorption of carbon dioxide into the ocean is changing the chemistry of the ocean which in turn is causing many problems for marine life.

The graph shown above is showing the increase in the ph balance at two different locations. Although carbon dioxide is required for the ocean life to live, too much carbon dioxide can be detrimental. This process will begin to affect species such as oysters, clams, sea urchins, shallow and deep water corals, and plankton. When these shelled ocean life are at risk, humans are also at risk because such a large portion of the world rely on these animals for their food supply.

Researchers have looked into what will happen to these different shell fish over time, and with the highly projected ph levels in the ocean shell fish's shells are going to begin to deteriorate.

Carbon emissions are continues to cause more and more problems throughout nature, and it is not a realistic goal to completely stop these emissions from happening, it is possible for us to cut down on the carbon dioxide we put into the atmosphere. Not only are we affecting the atmosphere we live and breath with, we are also hurting other types of animal life including the ocean as a whole. The ocean is the home to the most amount of species on the planet and we need to make ourselves aware of what we are doing to their home.

http://www.pmel.noaa.gov/co2/story/What+is+Ocean+Acidification%3F

http://www.pmel.noaa.gov/co2/story/Ocean+Acidification

http://ocean.nationalgeographic.com/ocean/critical-issues-ocean-acidification/

Wednesday, April 8, 2015

BP Oil Spill

The Gulf oil spill, or BP oil spill, was one of biggest oil leaks in history. Despite the fact that oil is a naturally occurring substance created by decaying plant matter over millions of years, it is a substance best left underground. We use it to fuel our cars just like how we use coal to power the amenities in our homes such as our oven's, air-conditioners, and lights. Being in the developed nation that we are in, we take these amenities for granted, as it is difficult to quantify the true impact they have on the environment.

Yet, we still drive cars that run on oil, and we still use electricity that relies on coal. We are paying oil companies out of pocket to get ourselves from point A to point B. Quite obviously, companies like BP recognize that there is an enormous demand for petroleum products. Thus, they have built one of the many oil platforms such as the "Deepwater Horizon" oil rig. There were a total of 8 fail-safe procedures in place to help prevent the events that inevitably occurred on April 20th, 2010.

The effects of the oil spill do not limit themselves to the financial costs in such a disaster. The BP oil spill has affected the ecology of the ocean life, down to the very phytoplankton that provide for the rest of the food chain. Due to the fact that crustacean and fish populations are nearly depleted as a result, the financial status of New Orleans has suffered a considerable blow. Michael Bell states, "These disasters not only affect individual people, but can also threaten the social fabric that links us one to another." Thus, it must be realized that there are inherent risks with the technology we create, and we can only have so many more disasters like this on our planet.

Sources:
- http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn19425-the-eight-failures-that-caused-the-gulf-oil-spill.html#.VSXyqvnF-Sp
- http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/economy/bps-gross-negligence-caused-gulf-oil-spill-federal-judge-rules/2014/09/04/3e2b9452-3445-11e4-9e92-0899b306bbea_story.html
- http://www.nola.com/dining/index.ssf/2014/04/the_2010_gulf_of_mexico_oil_sp.html
- http://ocean.si.edu/gulf-oil-spill
- Bell, Michael. An Invitation to Environmental Sociology. Thousand Oaks: Pine Forge, 1998. Print.

Consequences of Recycling

When you walk by that green recycling can and toss your paper, plastic, can etc. in to it, what are you thinking? Do you even know what you are doing and why? I know, I know, "I am recycling so I can help do my part in saving the environment." I do not believe that many of us have actually thought about what happens to our recyclables and what process goes in to them being recycled. Are we really saving the planet or could we actually be hurting it still?

Yes, recycling is good for the earth and is not all 100% bad, however we do not realize quite how bad it is. The main ways in which recycling hurts the environment are…

Contamination gets around
Air pollution
Paper sludge
Oil refining contamination
It encourages consumption and being wasteful in other ways

When you recycle things that may have toxins or impurities in it and it is made in to something else, the toxins and impurities are usually just transferred over in to the new product. These new products could be soda cans or water bottles that we are putting our mouths on and drinking or eating from. Hundreds of buildings in Taiwan have been constructed using recycled steel which has just been found out to be giving people gamma radiation poisoning for years now. The trucks used for transferring your recyclables and the machines used to recycle them are are creating many airborne toxins. In many areas, recycling plants are proven to be the biggest polluters of that area. The paper that you recycle is all mixed up and cleaned off, so all of the runoff which is called "paper sludge" contains all of the ink and chemicals and is then either burned (releasing toxins into the air) or sent to a landfill where it can run off into your groundwater.

This closely relates to Bell's An Invitation To Environmental Sociology when he talks about virtual environmentalism which is "environmentalism that lies behind and beneath our daily lives" (Bell 283). We are not thinking of what we are really doing when we toss our products in to the recycling can, which is bad in this case. While we think we are saving the earth, we are doing it in such a way that is only increasing our main environmental problems. We need to stand up and find different, more environmentally safe ways in which we can recycle our goods or else we will just keep going around in this continuous circle while the environment, the place we call home, suffers.

http://listverse.com/2013/01/27/10-ways-recycling-hurts-the-environment/

http://www.wm.com/location/california/ventura-county/thousand-oaks/recycle/facts.jsp

Tuesday, April 7, 2015

Don't Be Hitler

What is your greatest fear? Spiders? Heights? Horses? Why are you afraid of those things? And what is really the probability of you dying from your fears, or being injured by your fear?

Many times, some of the things we are afraid of aren’t likely to happen to us at all. The probability of falling from a roller coaster and dying: 1 in 300 million. Chances are, you will be fine. But yet people still have that irrational fear of these things. But we aren’t so much afraid of the things that are MORE likely to hurt us.

For example, the probability of dying in a car crash is 1 in 500. You are a lot more likely to die from these dangerous things called automobiles than you are on that rollercoaster. Yet, we still drive cars every day and try to avoid the amusement park. The probability of getting melanoma is 1 in 40 people. Yet, most people are not concerned with the environment and global warming and the risks of the sunlight.

Image result for fear of falling off a roller coaster

We use something called the rational choice theory to determine the risks of something. The rational choice perspective is that the individual is a purposeful, calculating actor, seeking to maximize his or her interests. This can potentially explain the irrational fears that we have. If I am terrified of roller coasters, my rational choice perspective would to be avoid those like the plague because I do not want to die.

But some of our choices are made without thinking about the environment and the people in that environment. If a risk, no matter how irrational it is, is disturbing or threatening social order steps will be taken to eliminate that risk at all cost. For example, Hitler thought that the Jews were to blame for everything. Despite his irrational thinking, he did everything he could to try and eliminate the Jewish people due to his irrational fear.

What would happen if someone was terribly afraid of shark attacks and began killing every shark they saw? What would that do to our environment? What would that do to the natural balance of the sea? Many, such as Hitler, take our irrational fears to a whole other level, without really determining the probability of this risk and without taking in consideration what would happen to the rest of the world.

Though everyone tends to have these fears and risks that influence their everyday lives, maybe it is time to stop and think about whether our choices and perspectives are influencing the environment around us. Weigh the risks and probabilities. Keep the environment in mind and stay calm people.

A Fisherman's Distress

“The fishermen know that the sea is dangerous and the storm terrible, but they have never found these dangers sufficient reason for remaining."

-Vincent van Gogh

I like to think of myself as having a strong presence on the water while fishing. The thrill of having a large fish pulling on the line is one of a kind. Although not good to eat as they are bottom feeders the Silver Carp puts up quite a fight when being reeled in. Not only does this carp grow upwards to 40lbs, it can jump up 10 feet out of the water—hence the nickname: The Flying Carp. Let me tell you a little about this species of fish and why it is causing trouble, not as much for fishermen but for other fish species.

The Flying Carp is an invasive species, do I need to say more. Originating from Eastern Asia the species was brought to America in the 1970s in an attempt to control algae growth. The Silver Carp were seen as a form of technology as they were thought to best control the algae in aquaculture and municipal waste water treatment facilities. In order to better create an efficient facility a foreign species was brought over in an attempt to change the current situation to one of better quality. The idea of keeping the species contained was thought to have no complications but something thought to be so simple did not occur.

The 40lb plankton eating fish has become an Invasive Species. Working its way into many water sources has created an alteration in the ecosystems. As a fisherman I know the importance of sustaining necessary nutrients for all varieties of species in waters—the diminishing of one species creates a catastrophic effect. The Flying Carp feed on Plankton required by other species, species originating in North America, creating food competition. This is an increasing problem for me as my fishing supply may be limited if different species become wiped out from the Flying Carp. The prevalence of the Silver Carp has impacted the freedom-from of other fish attempting to be sustained in their natural environment because of the competition for limited food.

How to control the Invasive Species:

1. Release sterile male fish to limit reproduction

2. Release predators into the waterways inhabited by Silver Carp

3. Release disease agents in order to create contact with the species

In order to best combat the species the population needs to be minimized—to the point of extinction, to create an ecosystem that is self-sustaining. Many Invasive Species are brought to the United States and become detrimental to the ecosystems. I would like to be able to fish without the fear of my favorite fish being extinct—let alone being attacked by the Silver Carp as it jumps out of the water.

Sources:
Source 1
Source 2
Source 3

Monday, April 6, 2015

A Message from Mother Earth

I am your mother and I care about how you treat me. Without me, you would not exist. If I'm unhealthy, you are as well. If you take care of me, you will be taking care of yourself. One of the simplest things you can do for me is to reduce your dependence on animals for food. Eating less meat is one of the most significant things you can do to take care of me.

You may be wondering how such an individual choice as what you eat has an effect on me, and ultimately, on you. According to the United Nations, livestock is "one of the ... most significant contributors to the most serious environmental problems, at every scale from local to global." (...www.fao.org...)

So, I'm asking you to consider the consequences to my health of eating meat on a daily basis.

First, as you're already aware, I'm warming at an alarming rate. The UN scientists say that eating meat causes 40 percent more global warming than all forms of transportation combined. That means that it is worse than all of the cars, planes, trucks and trains combined. On top of that, raising animals for food is the largest cause of methane emissions, which is really a problem because methane emissions are about 20 times worse than carbon dioxide emissions! If that weren't enough, it also is the leading cause of nitrous oxide emissions, which are about 300 times worse than carbon dioxide emissions. Skipping one meal of chicken per week and substituting it for a vegetarian meal would save about as much carbon dioxide as removing a half-million automobiles from US highways.

Second, consider how much of my land is used in raising meat. Thirty percent of my land mass is used for raising animals for food. Over 260 millions acres of forest in the US alone has been cleared for raising animals. And the animals are causing soil erosion and the extinction of many plant species because of the land they use. If that weren't bad enough, modern fishing techniques are destroying coral reefs and harvesting many fish to extinction.

Then there's the water used in raising animals for food. I'll bet you didn't know that you'd save more water by not eating a pound of meat than you would by not taking a shower for six months! Or that it takes almost 2500 gallons of water to raise a pound of beef. That's because it takes a lot of water to grow the crops that animals eat, to give water to those animals to drink, and to clean out the farms, trucks, and slaughterhouses. Compare that to raising a pound of wheat, which only takes about 25 gallons of water. That's 100 times more water used to raise cattle for food! Think of all the water we could be using for other resources! Sure, some would have to go to growing more grains and vegetables but we would have enough left to go to those in need of water!

Looking at energy use, did you know that making one calorie from plant protein uses 11 times less fossil fuel than making a calorie of animal protein? That's because there are so many steps in raising animals for food: growing food to feed them, transporting the feed, running the factor farms, trucking the animals to the slaughterhouse, operating the slaughterhouse and then shipping the meat to grocery stores. Wow, that's a lot of energy compared to what it takes to just grow the grain or the bean and then harvest it and transport it to a grocery.

Finally, there's the issue of pollution. As you can imagine, raising the billions of animals used for food in the world generates a whole lot of waste. This waste gets into our waterways and, according to the EPA, it causes more pollution than all other industrial sources put together! You should care about nature and the environment because you are a part of the complex system that makes up the Earth. This is moral holism, according to Bell. You should care about what you do to me, your mother, because what you do to me affects you as well. If you harm the environment, you are harming yourself.

Ok, so you're probably asking, "meat tastes good, so what's in it for me to stop eating it or to eat less of it?" If you are coming from moral separatism, there is still a reason for you to be vegetarian. Moral separatism, according to Bell, is believing that humans are separate from nature. What happens to it doesn't affect us. Well, when you help me by eating less meat, you also happen to help your own health. According to the American Dietetic Association (as well as lots of scientific studies), reducing your meat consumption will lead to a significant lesser risk of heart disease, diabetes, cancer, stroke and obesity. Your risk of certain cancers can be reduced by 50-80 percent just by being vegetarian! So if you don't want to do it for the environment, do it for yourself.

Works Cited

http://www.alternet.org/story/74605/eating_as_if_the_climate_mattered

http://www.fao.org/agriculture/lead/lead-resources/newsletter2/newsletter-09/en/

http://www.peta.org/issues/animals-used-for-food/meat-wastes-natural-resources/

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19562864

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YInwDw7DQ6U

Bell, Michael. An Invitation to Environmental Sociology. Thousand Oaks: Pine Forge, 1998. Print.

Sunday, April 5, 2015

The Risk Is Worth It

Everyone has at least one big fear in their life.. and if not, props to you. Whether it is being afraid of heights, dark rooms, or clowns, the list goes on and on. Life and short and frankly, we do not have all of the time in the world to complete our goals and missions. If someone invited you to go skydiving or you were offered a free trip to some unknown land, would you go? Would you be the person to pass up the once in a lifetime opportunity or would you take it?

Many people would consider themselves people who never take risks, but think about it.. you are

taking risks every single day! It could be anything from riding in a car, eating a hamburger (mad cow disease, or even swimming in shark infested waters! We as humans are never thinking if driving down the road to your friends house could kill you, but matter in fact, it could.

So why do we do all of these things every day even if we know it could be a risk to us? We can take a look at the rational risk assessment to ask ourselves why we are doing these things. The rational risk assessment is the idea that we should compare our best knowledge about the rates and probabilities of hazards and choose the least dangerous alternative. Risks are "facts" that can be measured, recorded, and evaluated.

This is a great way to gauge what we do and what we do not do as a society, but do we really need this? Why can't we just live our lives whether we are engaging and risky behaviors or not? Sometimes this risk assessment cannot be accurate since everyone does not live just for themselves. We have to think that there are people out there that are selfless and will risk their lives for others. There are people that are willing to give their lives up in order to protect someone else.

When I think of my biggest fear, it is definitely snakes. Not only snakes in general, but getting bit by a snake. Little did I know, there are only 5-6 fatalities each year from being bit by a snake. Also, did you know that you are 9 times more likely to be struck by lightning than to be bit by a snake? All of the sudden my fear of snakes has gone way down!

I think that we as humans should have somewhat of a conscious of how many risks we are taking in our lives, but at the end of the day if you haven't taken any risks you probably are living a very boring life! One choice you could make, could end up changing your life.. so just do it!

Here is an awesome motivational video about taking risks:

http://ufwildlife.ifas.ufl.edu/venomous_snake_faqs.shtml

Thursday, April 2, 2015

What is Your Moral Code?

Have you ever thought of yourself as a lover of the environment?
Do you recycle or make sure to turn off the lights when not in a room?
What about animals, are you all about animal rights and preservation?

So yeah, you love your environment and you want to protect it as best as you can, but where do you place yourself?

Do you consider yourself part of the environment?

If you do believe that humans are a part of nature then you believe in moral holism!

If you believe that humans are separate from the environment then you believe in moral separatism.

WHAT ARE THE IMPLICATIONS

Obviously, there are a few implications with each one. For moral holism there is a sense of a reciprocal relationship. We need nature and nature needs us. More so, because we are considered a part of nature then everything we do must be natural, right? If so then sex, eating, sleeping, and reproducing must come to us naturally. Is that really truthful? What about people whom are asexual or homosexual? Does moral holism imply they are unnatural? How about violence, murder, or even rape? Wouldn't they be considered natural as well? At least, people could use moral holism as an excuse to do things.

Moral separatism has another set of implications. Since we are not part of nature than we can not follow nature and nothing we do is natural. Our technology, our advancements, none of it can be considered natural. If we are to consider that we are not part of nature than we can clearly never come to understand it..

These are both difficult to fully grasp, and it may not make since. You may find yourself not able to identify with one or the other. Maybe you have your own moral code that is a combination of the two. Maybe the concept of nature is beyond our understanding. After all, it is a social construction, which is the reason that different cultures of different places and times have their own unique relationship with nature.

Wednesday, April 1, 2015

Forest loss in Paraguay

Satellite images of forest loss here.

Tuesday, March 31, 2015

A Guarani Way of Living

A Guarani Way of Living

Derek Dozier

Showing how we should and shouldn't treat the environment

In today’s modern day society everything is so structured. You wake up go to work or school for many hours come home eat dinner and get ready for bed. A continuous cycle of the same stuff over and over again. You are told what to do and how to do things about everything you do. To acquire certain things you must spend money on it, and the nicer the item, the more expensive it is. It’s not a way of “living”, it’s more a way of “getting through the day”. How about this, you spend a little time of the day doing some of the essentials such as taking care of the house, taking care of the children, and getting food and other resources. To get things that you like/want you just trade with someone, and you don’t have to abide by strict rules and demands of modern day living. Sounds nice, doesn't it? Well I just explained the life of the Guarani.

Picture of happy Guarani Children

The Guarani are and indigenous tribe located in the tropical forest of Paraguay and Brazil. They are a very close nit group of individuals that have little contact with the “outside” world and are very independent within themselves. I believe that if we all lived in a way like they do that the environment, the ecosystem, and the way of living would be much better, and less damaged. One thing that the Guarani does to ensure a better society as a whole is the way they spend their days. Unlike modern day people, they do not have to put on a suit and tie and work from 9-5, rather they actually spend very little of their day working. In the book Forest Dwellers, Forest Protectors, Richard Reed explains how most of the day is spent. The Guarani’s work time is either spent doing productive labor, or reproductive labor. Only 18% of the Guarani’s waking time is spent doing productive labor, such as hunting and gathering, and only 27% of the Guarani’s day is spent doing reproductive labor such as household cleanings and taking care of the children. This means out of their whole daylight hours they are only spending 45% of their time working, and with the remaining 55%, they are resting, relaxing, and socializing. What makes the Guarani’s way of living seem so much easier is that they use the area around them in a beneficial way and fit well within the ecosystem, rather than modern civilization, in which we try to separate ourselves from the environment and over power it.

Many feathers of a Macaw Bird the Guarani would use for trade

Another awesome thing about the Guarani is the way they acquire their goods. Unlike today’s modern day society, they are not spending hundreds of dollars on things that are not truly needed and over working themselves to try and pay for these goods. Instead, the Guarani get their things by trade. As explained by Richard Reed, there are three types of exchange that the Guarani participate in. The first being generalized reciprocity. The is trade between close kinship in which one is given something or gives something to someone with no expectation of getting or giving anything back. The second type of exchange is balanced reciprocity in which both parties are expected to trade items of equal value or importance. This is seen when trading with distant kinship and acquaintances. Lastly, they do negative reciprocity in which they trade something that has lesser value than what they are going to receive. Some things that are traded are foods, items used to make different medicines, and things such as nice looking shells or pretty bird feathers.

Although people can’t just put everything down and live like the Guarani, we can do things more efficiently and work together with the ecosystem rather than against it. For example, harvest energy from a natural source (wind, water, solar), recycle more items, use things that don’t require the burning of harsh fossil fuels, and growing things on your own rather than shopping from large corporations. The Guarani are a very efficient, and eco-friendly group that seem to have a nice life, which if people began to adopt some of their ways, people’s way of living may become a lot easier and nicer.

To learn more about the Guarani you can visit the available link: http://www.everyculture.com/wc/Norway-to-Russia/Guaran-s.html