Month: April 2017

We have more eyes than two

To see more than Earth’s view.

But like the sky’s hue

Our perspectives are so blended

That our vision is unlimited

Until the ego comes by

To taint the pool that is you.

Greed, Impatience, Anger, Fear,

All projections of the mind

To help you stay here.

 

It’s sad,

The ego is too short-sighted to see

That you only switch gears

At the stop of your heartbeat.

So when life seems to flee

& Your ego tells you to chase,

Just remember that your days are only numbered inside your mental space.

-Jacque Evangelister

Ever since Henry Ford revolutionized the car-making process with his assembly line manufacture in the 1910s, the automobile industry has been one of the key components of the U.S. economy. Environmentalist, Clive Ponting, points out that the motorization of America was not a fully organic process, because in 1936 “General Motors, Standard Oil of California and the tire company Firestone formed a new company called National City Lines whose purpose was to buy up alternative transport systems and close them down.” Railroads across the country began to shut down despite the fact that car transport consumes six times the energy per passenger mile and the infrastructure uses four times the land area compared to rail. Unlike citizens of other industrialized nations, Americans were increasingly forced to travel by bus or by car as roads expanded and railroad tracks ceased to be built during the 20th century.

Through an analysis of 26 cities from 1960-2000, Australian researchers at the Curtin University Sustainability Policy Institute have determined that cities “should be supporting the investment in quality rail transit systems and building up urban densities around them, rather than increasing road capacity” if they are “seeking to limit car dependence.” America has been entrenched in a car-dominated society for decades; consequently, shifts in automobile transportation preferences and breakthrough innovations in driving technology are the only alternatives to improving public transportation through expensive rail systems. Though an America with a modern high-speed rail system would be the most efficient and environmentally friendly form of transportation infrastructure, it simply is not feasible given America’s size, lack of government support, and path dependence on automobiles. Under ideal conditions in which “electric vehicle capital costs, battery costs, and maintenance costs are at the low end of predictions, and fossil fuel prices rise to the high end of predictions, a rapid shift to electric vehicles may cost no more than continued use of internal combustion engines,” according to researchers at the Tinbergen Institute and Centre for Energy and Environmental Markets. While America cannot compete with the efficiency of rail travel, it can come close to being on par with rail travel’s environmental impact if investment in renewable energy continues to flow.

The federal government should react to shifts in transportation culture by enacting legislation that requires automakers to synchronize their autonomous vehicles into fleets and platooning systems that improve fuel efficiency, traffic flow, and travel times. Many Americans have a strong connection to their cars, and it will be difficult for Americans to wean themselves off the feeling of independence that automobiles provide. Trends do indicate however, that access is replacing ownership among drivers, and soon the market for automobile ownership will be replaced by a market for ridesharing services. In the new market, journalist Clive Thompson argues that it will be much easier for “a fleet of robot cars to go electric than it is for individual car owners to do so,” thereby indicating that governments should closely monitor how autonomous vehicle companies will work with one another to improve efficiency on the road. A future with start-up assist systems could make traffic congestion near an accident much more efficient by forcing all cars to accelerate at the same time. Platooning, or reducing “headways between vehicles in a string without compromising safety” takes start-up assist to the macro level. The platooning approach to traffic will allow more cars to fit on the road, allow those cars to travel at higher speeds, and improve fuel economies as a result of reduced drag and momentum loss. Made possible through the exchange of braking and acceleration data, simulations have shown significant traffic flow improvements from this use of autonomous driving technology. Perhaps self-driving vehicles will eliminate deaths caused by drunk driving and other reckless behavior as they are adopted as the primary form of transportation.

Community organizers, city planners, and sustainability activists must continue to push for greater governmental support in public transportation infrastructure and aid in the transition to autonomous and electric vehicles as climate change concerns rise. Significant steps must be demanded such as introducing car emissions standards that evolve over time, reducing or removing taxes on the import of electric vehicles, and providing electric vehicles with access to restricted transit lanes. These initiatives in conjunction with fleets, platooning, new parking efficiency, and ideals of car-free cities will change America’s attitudes toward automobile transportation and improve air quality. If the private sector and government entities work together, they can create an American transportation system that is still reliant on cars, yet significantly closer in efficiency and reduced carbon emissions of Japanese and European rail-based transportation systems.

-Owen

During the Friday afternoon meetings in the Greenbelt community, we discuss ways we can live a more sustainable lifestyle, fun facts we learned during the past week, or simply what comes to mind about our environment and other aspects of our lives. One of the most interesting tidbits of information we discussed was when we were talking about the differences between bottled water and tap water.

People buy bottled water because they want quality controlled, clean water. However, people are much more likely to get infected drinking bottled water than tap water. Companies that put out bottled waters fall under the regulations of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration; the policies regarding quality control and testing are the same as for any other food. On the other hand, tap water and the water reservoirs are under the city’s regulations and are tested multiple times a day; this results in a much cleaner source of water than bottled. While this was already an interesting fact, we also learned that according to the American Water Works Association, Greenville, SC, has the cleanest tap water in the nation. I found this to be the most fascinating fact of Greenville and of drinking water in general. Since then, whenever I see someone buying water, I throw some facts at them and tell them how much better tap water is.

On top of being better for us, it is also much better for our environment. You can get one water bottle and be set for life, instead of wasting multiple plastic bottles a day.

 

So I encourage all of you to go out and buy a water bottle and start drinking tap water!

 

-Adel Takacs

When will it stop?

When will the use and abuse have its end?

Don’t men already have enough?

There’s only so much Earth can lend.

 

The one who has given men everything

Men give her nothing.

The one who has given men food,

Men call her crude.

The one who has given men water,

Her oceans we slaughter.

The one who has given men shelter,

Her air men swelter.

But, the one who has given men air,

Men can no longer impair.

 

But food, water and shelter isn’t enough.

We need more buildings and technology to show how cool men are.

“Live life to the fullest!” “You only live once!” may be man’s excuse.

But it’s only so accurate in that man’s end is not too far.

Does that justify the abuse?

 

Man’s leaders will tell them: “It’s fine. No need to worry.”

“Climate change doesn’t exist and the end is certainly not soon.”

There are bigger things to talk about. Make America Great Again.

But will America be so great if men did nothing to stop their impending doom?

 

Pressure to use less only results in strife.

Men say, “Wow, you tree huggers are delirious”

“Look man, I don’t care. I have a life!”

But life is not an entitlement. It’s only a gift.

Earth will take it back. So, it’s time to get serious.

 

So stop it now. Save the trees; build less.

Earth has begun to grow a little tired of men’s selfishness.

How long do you expect a woman to put up with man’s demand?

“Whatever, let’s see!” But, in a few years, man may be eating out of an empty hand.

 

Remember that Earth doesn’t rely on men; men rely on her.

When men have met their end. She will still be here.

She will not be hurt and man’s demise, she will not deter.

But I’m sure even all of this still fails to instill men with fear.

 

So what will it take? The answer is beyond me.

I guess no one’s afraid of death

So I ask again; when will it stop?

When the last man has reached his last breath.

---

“Ugchh, Uckhh…This is the end.”

The human race committed suicide,

And all could have been prevented if Earth’s resources we didn’t so irrationally spend.

But we didn’t care. So, we suffered the consequences. We just withered and died.

Why? Because we will never Stop.

Joshua B. Perry

Life is full of decisions. Should I get eggs? Should I get bacon? Should I skip breakfast and just sleep in and say screw it all because nothing really matters? No, I don’t think that’s a good idea. None of this is a good idea. I’m not saying that getting eggs, bacon, or sleeping in are bad in themselves, but what is bad is act of second guessing your original instinct. The same way of thinking goes for a test. I always find that whenever I second guess myself on a test question, especially multiple choice, my first intuition was usually correct. The only thing that prevents us from becoming the best possible version of ourselves is, quite ironically, ourselves. I can relate this same feeling to playing music. Music is really simple. By simple I don’t mean the technical simplicity of the mathematical relationships between the notes or however music theory would describe simplicity, but I mean more the simplicity of the feeling. Obviously learning to play a musical instrument takes time and dedication to master the physical requirements (like finger dexterity or lip strength), but once you have the muscle memory, an endless amount of music is literally available at your fingertips. With so many options to put your fingers (like the eggs, bacon, or any other of the guh-shmillions of life decisions we each go through every day) it can seem so overwhelming that you just second guess your first instinct and play something that is a little behind in “time” which is really you just hesitating your ability to naturally have rhythm. As long as a consistent time is kept in between beats in your soul, aka getting into the groove, you can chop up the micro moments into however many you want into whatever pattern feels good into infinitely small pieces and still be able to always resort back to that groove when your head bobs back down. But you aren’t even really resorting back to that groove because you were always in it as long as it’s going in your body and you feel it. But that is the key is the feel part about it. I feel (lol no pun intended there) like people haven’t put as much time into teaching music this way and thinking about it like this because it’s really hard to explain because we really don’t know why music does to us what it does. Why do vibrations feel good, like what!? Vibrations cause our brains to release certain chemicals that make us experience emotions, and I don’t think that the correlation between “sad” songs and the sadness you feel is a societal created effect. I think that music has an innate quality that affects each person in a unique way and we really don’t understand why. The songs reflect how that person was feeling when he or she made it, and how connected that feeling was to the music and how in the moment and honest and open he or she was when playing it. The more “into the music” the person is, the better it sounds (and feels for the player) because other people are able to feel what that person was feeling. But, back to my main point, the thing that made that music good is that the person playing was going with their first instinct when playing. You can’t fake a sad song (well you could but people could sense it), you have no choice but to be honest with yourself when playing it. This is why I think that sad songs often sound more “soulful” because that person is putting more of their true selves through the music. Take that same honesty and openness that creates the best music and apply it to everything in life. Just trust your true honest self and what you know is right, and flow with it without any anxiety or hesitation, and the most beautiful “life music” or whatever you want to call it because it’s all music, will be created. “Whatever the mind can perceive, the body can achieve”-Bo AKA the chill old dude who rides his bike around at Furman and plays mandolin. I truly believe that this statement is 100% true, it’s just that we rarely see it happen because of all of the distractions in today’s world and all of the things that bring us down causing us to doubt our own capabilities. You are you, so just do stuff. (was gonna say “just do it” but didn’t want to quote nike).

-Thomas DesChamps

Looking back on my time in the Greenbelt community, I feel as if the experience has had a positive impact on me, not only in terms of sustainability but in terms of being a good person as well.

Even though my sustainable project ended up falling through, I believe the Greenbelt as enabled me to make some real change in how I live. When I began life in the Greenbelt, I was not the most sustainable person, and I will be the first to admit that. However, I quickly learned how easy it is to have a real impact on your community and on the environment. I learned that sustainable living is easier than one might think, and implementing simple adjustments to your everyday life can make a large difference. For example, on the first day of class, Dr. Dripps handed out simple tools for us to take that would make us more sustainable. One of these tools was a shower timer, and it is something I use all the time now. I learned simply shortening a shower to under five minutes actually saves a good amount of water. Now I can take an effective shower in under four. In addition, I recycle quite often now. Before living in the cabin I never bothered to. Now I always separate my glass plastics and paper. I even sometimes use some naturally sourced laundry detergent on my clothes when I wash them.

However, when I look back on my time in the Greenbelt I feel that the biggest change came in the sense of community that was developed. Personally speaking, my current roommates have become some of my best friends at Furman. I feel that living around people with a good deal of diverse interests and lifestyles is something that few Furman students can take advantage of. The Greenbelt has given me the opportunity to get to know some incredible people, and I am thankful for that. I hope that the future groups have as good of an experience as the one I have enjoyed.

Jonathan Fitzgerald

When addressing the sustainability of American dietary trends, it is crucial to understand the main drivers of those trends in order to implement effective solutions to an issue that impacts a wide variety of stakeholders. Unfortunately for humans, our brains were designed to help us survive in an environment that no longer exists. In other words, the same instincts that prevent many of us from taking any unnecessary risks that our brains erroneously perceive as potentially fatal threats like starting a business, cold calling, or public speaking, are the same instincts that drive our biologically irresistible urge to consume foods containing high levels of salt, sugar, and fat.

Humans used to live as hunters and gatherers, so discovering sources of food that provided our bodies with those three vital nutrients was a relatively rare occurrence. This meant that the impulse to consume as much of those foods as possible was a critical element of survival. However, given that the human brain has remained unchanged from an evolutionary standpoint for a significantly vast amount of time, our biological compulsion to consume as much salt, sugar, and fat as possible has become completely obsolete and truthfully debilitating in a society that has developed the capacity to produce absurdly large amounts of unnaturally preserved food that contains extremely high levels of those three nutrients. To make things worse, those foods are not only easily accessible, they also often represent the most cost-effective means of feeding a family. Thus, the fast food and snack companies that have caused the majority of our world’s obesity problems are collecting billions of dollars in profits by satisfying all of our biological impulses for incredibly low prices.

Clearly, our economic system has failed us in this regard because it has financially incentivized firms to prey on our most inherent weaknesses, while completely ignoring the devastating impact that those firms’ products have had on our society and especially on those of us who are not financially stable enough to afford healthier food. Therefore, in order to solve this issue, we must first recognize why our brains function the way they do and then create financial incentives for firms to produce affordable, healthy, and sustainably-sourced food. Perhaps the amount of money saved by drastically reducing the amount of insulin medication and coronary bypass operations needed in this country could be redirected to firms who are pioneering the efforts to supply us with sustainable and nutritious food.

Regardless, making the transition from eating factory-farmed meat and preservative-laced food and drinks three times a day to eating raw produce that is sustainably farmed and distributed will take a massively concentrated effort from frankly everyone who has the ability to influence the food industry in any way whatsoever. In other words, if American consumers can develop more self-awareness and overcome the limitations of their primitive brains, hopefully firms will shift their marketing, sourcing, production, and distribution processes to match the evolving palates and demands of their consumers. However, this will require a massive shift in the collective consciousness in regards to dietary habits, which may unfortunately represent an initiative too taxing for the average American citizen.

As it stands today, American diets primarily rely on products produced by industrial agriculture, which has caused the erosion of our country’s topsoil, used the vast majority of our world’s fresh water, poisoned the earth with pesticides, and transformed the meat industry into an inhumane abomination. Industrial agriculture has been easily recognized as unsustainable for decades, so the question is certainly no longer whether our current farming system is sustainable, but rather is how are we going to develop one that is.

 

– Noe Hinojosa III

Since President Trump took office, America has seen a ton of unbelievable changes in the government that will inevitably affect everyone. One of these changes is the new director of the Environmental Protection Agency, or the EPA, named Scott Pruitt. The EPA is charged with, as the name suggests, protecting the environment. The way humans have been living is not sustainable, and is hurting the environment, so an agency like the EPA is just what the doctor ordered for our world.
However, Mr. Pruitt has different ideas. He is a climate change skeptic, and he is actually currently pursuing a lawsuit against the EPA. Despite protests from congress, namely democrats, and from the EPA itself, Mr. Pruitt was appointed to head the agency in February. Mr. Pruitt believes the EPA constantly oversteps their boundaries. He wants the efforts of the EPA to be passed down to the state level, instead of being a federal power. On his Linkedin page, Pruitt actually describes himself as a “leading advocate against the EPA’s activist agenda.” He also works very closely with the fossil fuel industry. Pruitt thinks carbon dioxide does not contribute to climate change, nor does he believe human activity has played a role in climate change. To be frank, he really does not believe anything in regards to sustainability needs to be changed.

So what do we do?

We march on anyway. We, as Americans, have the right to voice our opinions. Thankfully, Scott Pruitt does not have a monopoly on all conversation surrounding sustainability and climate change. We can continue to encourage participation in climate change conversation, and have real discussion about what can be done that is within our reach. The head of our Environmental Protection Agency does not believe the environment needs protecting, but that does not mean we cannot continue to push for more sustainable and eco-friendly ways to live.

 

 

• Shannon S.

Furman prides itself in its ability to achieve much of its accomplishments while maintaining a healthy relationship with the environment. Though environmental efforts on campus are lead unsurprisingly by the Environmental department, several other departments aide in environmental friendly campus notion. Such efforts can be seen in the Biological and Chemical sciences, Health sciences and other various departments. Dr. Kelly Frazier is in an exemplification of unity of sustainable efforts and other thought fields. In her work, she unifies not only sustainable efforts, but the community as a whole. In conjunction with local food ministries and homeless, drug addiction, and abuse shelters she promotes healthier eating with each given situation and decrease food wastage while maintaining sustainable practices. I often volunteer with a local Free Clinic and find similar programs enabling those in need with healthier and sustainable practices that are approachable. Loaves and Fishes, in addition creates neural-like network between the such organizations to provide much needed supplies and preventing wastage.

 

It’s a proud moment, indeed to be a part of communities that finds utter joy and happiness by developing mechanism to aide not only our surrounding community, but our surrounding environment. The only change that can be evoked is that derived from true intent, such intent is readily available campus-wide.

 

Furman not only preaches sustainability, but quite frankly sets a standard of practice that should be noted. It is here, that multiple disciplines are capable of uniquely in cooperating their scholarly passions with pertinent environmental causes and the surrounding community.

 

On another note, as the semester wraps up, so does my time with the greenbelt community. It was such a lovely experience and has broaden my horizons further than I could ever imagine. Through the experience, I have gained a sense of urgency to be the type of person who chases a problem and not just address it, but rather solves it.

 

This may be the last blog, but trust me, we are just getting started.

J. Saxena