Writing 3 and Reading Comments

For my sustainability pact, I have decided to calculate how much I have recycled (by weight and sum of product items). I can use the internet and/or a scale to help with the calculations. I hope to find that I have recycled more items than I normally would had I not made an effort to change.

The Value of Nothing:
A sentence that caught my attention- They turned to the only thing they had left, they sold their labor.
A question I have is why Pakistan allows foreign trawlers to fish their shores if it is killing their people and communities, despite the economy boost?
I was upset by the fact that the article said all people are rapacious and cannot control themselves. Definitely untrue.
I realized as I read the article that learning about the commons and how people treat one another really upsets me. BUT also how scientists and other communities are trying to blame other people or communities for the downfall of things such as fishing. If people have been fishing for AGES why is it all falling apart now? It can't just be due to the people...who have inhabited the planet ...for a very very long time.

Recovering the Commons
A sentence that caught my attention was "

"Whenever the bond that binds the living creature to his environment is broken, there is nothing that holds together the various factors and phases of the self "
A question I have is why are people so confused on how to deal with the commons. Could a set of laws not be laid down to further protect the common area?
I was interested in the approach this article took compared to the previous article. A lot of referencing was used, possibly to the detriment of the article.
Again, I felt upset about how people are treating their environment when I read the information provided by this article.

App State has a go with sustainability...

When viewing the Sustain Applachian website, the first thing I thought was "hmm...this looks really plain and boring". While that may be true, it is also true that the website is very informative on a variety of topics relating to sustainability.

It took a while for me to find the 3 categorys: Energy, Travel, and Waste. I ended up clicking on every tab on the left side of the page to try and find these pages. It ended up being under Campus initiatives...how was I supposed to know that though?
The energy page seemed to be pretty good. It was really simple and straight the point.
The waste reduction page was alright. It should have given more information about how they came up with those figures.
The travel page was neat becuase it actually realted to the viewer on a personal level by telling stories of other students and their travel to Whales. The calculator was a great gadget to include.

I was really disapoined with the transportation page, especially the Boone Bike Initative link. There was hardly any information. It told you to email for more info. You shouldnt have to do that when your on a website. All the info should have been posted for you to read right there and then- like who to contact, who started it, how to rent or buy a cheap bike. I'd like a bike! but wait...where do I begin??!

Overall the site was good but lacked in places.

Personal Sustainability...what a toughy!

     Implementing some of my "promises" are simple, while others are not as easy. It's easy to rinse a can out and throw it in a bin for recycling. It's even easy to recycle other random products, like carrot bags and plastic tomato pints. However, the community connection is not as easily achieved. Unfortunately my church is in Charlotte, I am not able to be there every Sunday to make pastries for the refreshment table.

     On a positive note, I have started all of my objectives in some way. I walk everyday to class and I take jogs when possible between work and classes.

     To measure my "non-green" activities before I started, I monitored what my average weekly recycling was. I recorded that and I am now keeping track of what I am recycling on a green-scale. I cannot really measure how much electricity I am using but I do know that I am keeping my lights, tv, and chargers off when they are not in use. I cannot control everything because I have roommates.

     Sometimes it is difficult to stick to the golden rule, but I know it is worth it. As time goes by, people will notice my efforts and in the end there will be more respect between me and the relationships that I have with others on a daily basis.

My relationship to the environment...is a sticky situation.

          I'm not exactly sure what my race or ethnicity has to do with a connection to the environment, or I don't know why it should be involved (leave the color of your skin out of it). I believe that your class, unfortunately, has the greatest effect on your relationship to the environment. How much money you have pretty much determines how you'll grow up and how people will treat you.
I find that many people, if not all, have a choice on how they view their environment, once they become an adult...where their environment has to be, and how they react to their environment. You don't have to remain in a "run down" area once you know what it takes to make a life for yourself. You can go out and get a job, educate yourself, and make enough money to live comfortably.
           I know there are many people who think they are stuck in the place they grew up, or that their environment influenced them so much so that they cannot make a change in their life. I was fortunate enough to be born into a loving family. My parents were responsible and they work hard to provide for me and my sisters. I think anyone who attends a public school, like I did, or is able to watch TV, can find out that there are many facets to the environment and if you are growing up in one that is holding you back and suppressing your people...then YOU can leave that area and make a life for yourself somewhere else.

         I can only define my environment as the people, places, and things around me that influence my various decisions. If I were to try and define it any further it would become a massive list of various descriptions of ...well everything I grew up around.
         I believe the thoughts and opinions of others can be threatening. Everyone is classified and put into a category without "due process". Judging a book by its cover tends to be a popular problem in society that people always say not to follow, yet they do anyway. From my point of view, based on environmental degradation when referencing society, I think a threat only exists when you give into stereotypes. From the ridiculous- "Asians can't drive, all white people can't dance, all black girls can sing"...to the more serious types like " all white people are privileged" and "all black people are ghetto and uneducated". These general and unrealistic stereotypes are what many people believe. Since they are so personally degrading and disrespectful you have to make sure you don't fall into these "categories" and start believing them yourself.

Farmer's Market Fun: fruits and veggies and...soap?

     First off, let me just say how much I enjoy the farmer's market. Not just Horn in the West, but any market, big or small (even though big markets tend to be more fun!). I was spoiled living in Charlotte because I had access to 3 or more markets on the weekends. One of the biggest ones that I know of was in Charlotte by the Airport.
     At the FM, you can find anything from the usual- fresh fruits, veggies, cheese, and meat, to the unusual wood crafts, pottery, muscial delights, and....soap..?
     But the FM is more than just a nice stroll outside grabbing some grub. Going to the FM means you are affecting the enironment in its "sustainability-ness", especially when you consider the THREE PILLARS pillars pillars....

By shopping locally you are affecting the economy positively. You are not supporting the huge grocers who get their products from mass prodution farms miles and miles away. So esentially, you are reducing the need for a large consumption of land for farming that supplies these monster grocery stores that we all know and love. This sets an economic model that ensures fair use of resources, not just for the States but for the world.

Environmentally, the farmer's market is hard to beat. By supporting the market you support protection from corporate exploitation, local agriculture initiatives, and the simple down-home farmer just trying to live and let live. You'll buy organic food that's good for you and the environment. No need to worry (usually) about pesticides and run-off into our water source.

Socially...well the FM is all about being social. By being a regular at the FM you create relationships with the Farmer's and the other shoppers. You support a peaceful society event that supports grassroots movements and the reduction of poverty.

     It may seem like a long shot, but doesn't sustainability start out on a personal level? Make the change that you want to see in the world... ya know, they say the flutter of a butterfly's wings can create a tsunami
...just a thought

Kill Yourself, Save the Earth

              Personal lifestyle change in the global North may be necessary for creating a sustainable society for various reasons. Some argue that simply changing your light bulbs and reducing the length of your showers will actually have a greater effect on sustainability.
Many also believe that the "global North" is using a lot of the natural resources available. So if the north were to change "their awful ways" then the world would essentially be a better place!....right? Wrong...

           Apparently it has been proven that even changing your personal lifestyle is not enough; That if everyone in the States were to do everything off of this "sustainability" list it would still only amount to a 22% reduction of pollution (being carbon or CO2). So the large corporations, power plants, metal smelting and government agencies are the ones who would have to change a lot of their "every-day going ons" to actually make a change in this downward spiral that the earth seems to be in.

However, there are some personal rewards to being personally sustainable:
-cash from the government for buying energy saving appliances
-general savings in money if you were to buy a solar panel for your house or use energy saving light bulbs
-you get that "feel good, can do" attitude that everyone knows and loves so much.
-you can live a healthier lifestyle by buying organic, which also helps reduce soil contamination.

I think these are all compelling reasons to make personal changes in your life. People think it will not make a difference....but how could it not? At least 22% is better than nothing.

Ecological Wonderings...

I took an ecological footprint quiz online. It determined how my day-to-day life impacted the earth. It told me if everyone lived the way I did that we would need 3.4 earths TOTAL just to handle how much consumption and waste there would be.

Based on the questions I was asked, it would not be too difficult to lower my impact on the earth. Simple ways I could do this are by buying energy saving light bulbs, trying to use a small solar panel on my house, introduce at least 3 new organic items to my refrigerator (which helps out in VAST ways)...so on and so forth.

If you look at the Urban Sustainability Reporting, a lot of the information is based on a small amount of random non-personal things, such as population in King, salmon in streams, etc. But the Ecological Footprint article talks about a lot of personal sustainability based on food products, packaging, healthcare, and entertainment.

Other community members need to evaluate themselves on a personal level, like with food and lighting, housing and personal farming. If they were to look at the Reporting article I do not think they would realize how they are affecting the sustainability of the environment.