Author: Hannah Peterson

As our climate changes, we tend to think about physical impacts to the environment, such as erosion or air pollution. We separate what is happening to the environment from ourselves to justify the detrimental impact that our current lifestyle generates. In reality, climate change directly impacts human wellbeing in many ways, including mental health. As our climate changes, weather patterns shift. Extreme changes in the weather destabilizes homes, which can impact physical and mental health. Research by Bourque and Wilcox (2014) provided evidence from specific weather events that have impacted psychological health. One of the weather pattern changes they studied was the drought in Australia that lasted nearly a decade. According to the prior research, the drought has been attributed to an increase in psychological distress causing anxiety and depression. The drought has greatly impacted the people whose life depends on the land, especially farmers. As they lose their crops due to the lack of water, their source of income dissipates. Many of the farmers reported feeling an “overwhelming sense of loss” because of losing their crops to the drought (Bourque & Wilcox, 2014). Furthermore, the Australian farmers have less access to mental health resources because of demographics and low income, making them more susceptible to psychiatric problems.

Indication that climate change has negatively impacted mental health can also be seen in the indigenous Inuit populations in Canada. Inuit life revolves around their natural environment. They use the land to sustain life through hunting and fishing, as well as many other activities that require the land. Beyond just sustaining life, the Canadian forests are their home, so you can imagine that losing their land could be equivalent to someone’s house burning down. The Inuit people are being directly impacted by climate change because of decreasing temperatures and an increased occurrence of storms that is destroying their home. This increased stress has been correlated with poor mental health. In fact, the suicide rates among the Inuit population are 11 times higher than the Canadian average (Bourque & Wilcox, 2014). Similar to the Australian farmers, the Inuit people also do not have proper access to mental health resources, which demonstrates the disparity climate change has on mental health in susceptible populations.

On a larger scale, climate change has increased the number of severe natural events, such hurricanes and floods, all over the world. Severe weather events can destroy homes and lives, which leads to acute stress. The elevated stress from these events is correlated with higher rates of PTSD and depression (Bourque & Wilcox, 2014). Specifically, flooding has been tied to high incidence psychological stress. In fact, a Dr. Onarae Rice at Furman University studies the relationship of dopamine pathway to PTSD in rats. In order to give the rats PTSD, one of the steps is to make the rat swim in water for an extended amount of time to simulate the feeling of drowning in a flood. Clearly, environmental disasters can directly impact mental health.

It is important that we help people who are experiencing the detrimental impact of climate change on their mental health. The first step is the acknowledge the correlation and inform people of it so that following a natural disaster people may be more likely to seek out mental health resources. It is also important that we have means for people to get counseling, since those who are the most susceptible to climate change impact most often don’t have resources. Of course, it is vital that we make changes to save our environment so that climate change does not progress.

-Olivia Larner

 

Bourque, F., & Cunsolo Willox, A. (2014). Climate change: The next challenge for public mental health? International Review of Psychiatry, 26(4), 415-422. doi:10.3109/09540261.2014.925851

Upon typing “Trump and the Environment” in google I was not surprised to see that the two do not have the most cordial relationship. Since Trump’s Inauguration in January of 2017, National Geographic has continued to keep an active list of the many changes to U.S. scienceand environmental policy. President Trump stepped into the White House and quickly undid many of the actions taken by Obama toward curbing climate change and limiting pollution as well as other environmentally harmful acts; Following this, President Trump thus announced that the United States will no longer regard climate change by name as a national security threat, viewing it as nothing more than a “burden”for businesses.

With Trump’s new budget coined “ A New Foundation for American Greatness ,” he cuts the Environmental Protection Agency’s budget by 31 percent, a bigger cut than any other department; these cuts translate to a $2.7 billion spending reduction and the loss of 3,200 jobs. What the trump. A recent study done by EDGI finds that in the first year of the Trump administration, U.S. government websites have been

“systematically altered to cut mentions of climate change (Michael Greshko, National Geographic ). The words “climate change” are no longer directly mentioned and instead have been replaced with more vague words. Since Trump’s inauguration, the EDGI has been monitoring thousands of government web pages for changes or deletions; the EPA’s “Student’s Guide to Global Climate Change” went offline between February and April 2017 (Michael Greshko, National Geographic ). Okay Trump, just because you don’t want to talk about it, doesn’t make it go away.

If hiding the problem and eliminating protection wasn’t enough, now he wants to facilitate the problem. If you are not familiar with the Clean Power Act, it was a mandate issued in 2005 by the U.S. power sector to cut carbon emissions by 32 percent by 2030 (870 million tons of CO2) (Michael Greshko, National Geographic ). Trump however is now campaigning against this act calling it a “burden” on the economy and coal industry. It seemed like this was a profitable move for Trump since The U.S. Department of Interior recently proposed auctioning off oil and gas leases for 77 million acres of federal waters within the Gulf of Mexico. The EPA said that if these fossil fuels were burned completely, they would add more than 28 billion tons of carbon dioxide to the atmosphere, more than five times what the United States’ total carbon footprint was in 2016. Now that our carbon footprint is going to skyrocket, I guess the birds aren’t going to have long anyways. The Trump administration announced that it will

no longer consider the accidental killing of birds, violating the Migratory Bird Treaty Act which has been in act for 20 administrations. That means companies won’t take preventative measures anymore to avoid zapping ducks on their power lines or knocking out eagles with their wind turbines. Poor birds. So I don’t completely sound like some liberal trump-hating hippie (which I’m honestly not), I will end with Trump in a positive light; President Trump did however donate the first quarter of his salary ($78,333.32) to the National Park Service. Super generous right? But wait, that was only after Trump’s 2018 budget called for a $1.5-billion cut to the U.S. Department of the Interior of which the National Park Service and its $3.4-billion budget belong. Well, at least he tried. Well now when it comes to talking about what Donald Trump has done to help the environment thus far, well, that’s a different story. A way shorter story that I have yet to find the inspiration for.

-Natalia Baldwin

Citation –
Michael Greshko (2018, January 17). A Running List of How Trump Is Changing the
Environment. Retrieved January 25, 2018, from
https://news.nationalgeographic.com/2017/03/how-trump-is-changing-science-environment/

In recent years, environmental issues such as climate change, use of pesticides, use of resources, genetic engineering of crops, and others have become increasingly prevalent. To counter these problems other movements have cropped up. The organic food industry is in response to increasing concern about pesticides and GMOs. In the same way, the tiny house movement arose partially as a way to combat the unnecessary overuse of resources in modern lifestyles while providing financial independence, freedom, and often mobility.

 

Historically, homes and personal spaces have not been large. But around the 1960s, the size of American homes ballooned and continues to grow even now. In 1950 the average size of a new, single-family home was 983 sq. feet, in 1973 it had become 1660 sq. feet, and by 2015 it was 2598 sq. feet (Kilman, 2016; McLennan, 2010). For many, the sheer amount of space is unnecessary and uses many resources that would be better used elsewhere or conserved, such as the labor that goes into the building process, gas and energy being used as power, material resources, and time. These resources, combined with the size of a home, amount to a heavy bill and cause financial strain. This means that homeowners will spend more time trying to cover their bills month to month than saving or using their money for personal enjoyment and gain. This is why people have started to move in the opposite direction with their housing; they are choosing to go back to their roots and not live beyond their means.

 

Building a tiny home can be complex depending on the homeowners’ locality. Most places have zoning laws that prohibit buildings under a certain square footage, normally done by county: “the minimum single-family residence size in Gwinnett County, GA is 1,400 sq. ft” (Kilman, 2016). As a result, the movement predominantly features tiny homes on wheels, which are classed as RVs. Going this route, the homeowners would also not pay property tax. With both more money in the bank and a home that could be pulled by a decently sized truck, many choose to travel. Taking a tiny home on the road has its own considerations. For instance, there are laws surrounding both the dimensions of the trailer and its weight, as either a permit or a different class of vehicle may be needed for a homeowner to tow the tiny house themselves. Most roads are about 9 feet wide for a single lane the general limit on height is 13.5 feet, and a tiny home should be built with this in consideration.

 

With the general restrictions on dimension, most tiny homes are around 180 sq. feet. The size is wonderful for utilities; the average monthly electric bill runs about $114, which can amount to a lot of savings (Lake, 2016). But the small space also requires some creative solutions to utilize, and because many of the movement’s adherents show environmental concern, some curious mashups have occurred. In the interest of conserving water, both toilets and miniature washing machines have been created with sinks in the top, so the water used in washing hands drains into the attached reservoir. Other space saving solutions are stairs that double as shelving, a trundle-style bed that disappears under a lifted kitchen floor and doubles as a couch, tables that fold down from the wall and hold spices or function as a mirror when upright, couches that can also be a bed or storage unit, cabinets in the floor for extra storage, shoe racks underneath chairs, and wet baths, where the entire bathroom becomes a shower.

 

The freedom a tiny home provides, both financial and in mobility, begs homeowners to venture out and experience. Why not, when you can avoid the costs of a hotel and just bring your house with you? Many people decide to go tiny specifically because they decide to put emphasis on experience rather than material goods and this lifestyle allows them to spend less time working and more time doing the things they love. Seems like sound reasoning to me. So take life by the reins, go tiny.

-Mikaela Williams

 

References

Code-Friendly Fresno’s California Tiny House Company – Tiny House Blog. (n.d.). Retrieved February 2, 2018, from http://tinyhouseblog.com/uncategorized/code-friendly-fresnos-california-tiny-house-company/

Kilman, C. (2016). Small House, Big Impact: The Effect of Tiny Houses on Community and Environment. Undergraduate Journal of Humanistic Studies @BULLET Winter, 2, 12. Retrieved from https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/2732/8c4ba21b4f6ae467210ddffd3edb2da8fa4b.pdf

Lake, R. (2016). How Much Can You Save By Living in a Tiny Home? – SmartAsset. Retrieved February 2, 2018, from https://smartasset.com/mortgage/how-much-can-you-save-by-living-in-a-tiny-home

McLennan, J. F. (2010). The Righteous Small House: Challenging House Size and the Irresponsible American Dream. Retrieved February 2, 2018, from http://www.yesmagazine.org/planet/the-righteous-small-house-challenging-house-size-and-the-irresponsible-american-dream

Tiny House Weight: How to Calculate and Weigh a Tiny Home for Towing. (2017). Retrieved February 2, 2018, from https://tinyhousegiantjourney.com/2017/01/26/tiny-house-weight/

 

By definition, sustainability means managing present resources without compromising the social, economic, and environmental abilities of the future. In action, sustainability aims to preserve and, if possible, improve society. As I see it though, sustainability begins with childhood education.

 

“Welcome to Sludge City –– where overflowing landfills stretch across a grimy coastline. Here, pollution has virtually wiped out most animals’ natural habitats and made it nearly impossible for most crops to grow in the barren soil. Fortunately, a thick smog cast over the city makes it difficult to notice all of these issues,” I explained as an outraged audience of kids morphed into pure frenzy.

 

As a counselor at Camp Invention, I helped 1^st through 6^th grade students tackle real-world sustainability issues with group collaboration and quick-witted innovation. With some basic school supplies and a room inundated with recyclable materials, these young inventors were encouraged to concoct the most off-the-wall solutions to problems that modern scientists, mathematicians and engineers are currently discussing. In five different classes, these students brainstormed ideas in the fields of geometry, electrical engineering, and marine biology. In one particular week, however, the challenge of revitalizing Sludge City overtook the children’s interests unlike any other class.

 

On the first day, the presented task was to restore the water quality and to filter out all of the harmful pollution. Each table first received a water bottle cut in half with the top half placed inside the bottom half like a funnel. Next, the kids obtained some glasses of dirty water, cotton balls, sand and gravel. After deliberating amongst their team of young inventors and experiencing a few failed attempts, the aspiring Edisons had constructed a miniature filtration system. Delighted, some children expressed their excitement at the end of the day by rushing to their parents to describe what they learned, while others displayed more immediate enthusiasm by drinking the filtered water.  Whether or not they realized the fact, the students accomplished much more than rebuilding Sludge City. Rather, they learned the value and enjoyment of sustainability –– a word some of them would have struggled to pronounce yet remarkably already understood.

 

If sustainability really does include looking towards the future, then we must remember to look towards our children. While those under the age of 18 represent less than one quarter of the population, they represent 100% of the future.[1] For that reason, I see no other way to look at sustainability than by equipping the youth to respond to current environmental concerns from energy management to pollution to air quality. On an individual level, this might be as simple as donating school supplies to a classroom in need or visiting an elementary school one day as a tutor, volunteer or mentor. Educational advocacy can also come in the form of political literacy through regular voting in local and state elections, attendance and participation in regional school board meetings, or researching educational issues on the web or at nearby libraries.  In any case, sustainability requires deliberate acts of compassion to help others in order to not only preserve but also enrich the future, so that future generations might one day do the same.

-Matthew Martin

[1] https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/fact/table/US/PST045216

I am a student at a small, liberal arts university in the south, and I am currently working on a sustainability initiative with a small group to get rid of the plastic straws and plastic bags in one of our dining halls. This has proven to be a challenge when thinking of how to tackle the situation because these items are used so often without being conscious of the environment. With the guidance of our professor and project tips from the article “Bagging the Disposable Plastic Bag” from the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE), we have been working on a game plan for implementation. Although some may be obvious, I want to share a few things I have learned along the way.

1. Research, Research, Research!
   1. Our professor recommended we look through databases for successful projects similar to ours to find out what issues ran into and how to avoid them. A simple Google search can suffice, but AASHE can quickly provide multiple relevant resources instead of filtering through a Google search trying to determine what is and is not credible.
2. Take time to study how your own campus uses plastics
   1. Find a subtle spot in the place of action to observe when plastics are being used the most. For our dining hall, most students who dine in do not get plastic tops or straws for their single-use cups, but if they are taking their food and drinks elsewhere, they are much more likely to get bags, tops, and straws, even if they do not need them. This method can help you evaluate students’ needs and target a more specific campaign to students.
3. Approach stakeholders with collaboration and conversation
   1. No one likes to be told how they should run their business. It may be easy to rattle off statistics and say, “You have to make this change; I can’t believe you haven’t done this yet,” but this can make others feel like they are being attacked. Avoid a condescending tone when giving information because you want the other people feel like they have a say and can work with you, not for
4. Gradual change
   1. Something the article “Bagging the Disposable Plastic Bag” brought to my attention was the actual timeline of taking away the plastic products. In the project described by the article, the students working on the project took away the plastic bags one day without any warning, causing students to complain, and the food provider to bring back the bags. When the students tried again, they did a countdown until the bags were taken away, and students were more receptive to this. Also, talking to your friends about this issue may give you an insight as to how the general student population would feel about it.
5. Generate excitement and interest in the mission
   1. Incorporating students into the initiative and making them feel like they are individually making a difference will help students think more positively about it. You can post facts about plastic on campus and show that your individual university is making a difference, whether you are the first university in your area to do it or you’re joining a host of other universities already participating.

-Katherine Kristinik

 

Citation:

Cammarn, Grace, et al. “Bagging the Disposable Plastic Bag.” AASHE, Association for the

Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education, 10 June 2016.

 

The Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education, The Association for

the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education, 2018, www.aashe.org/.

Every day we make decisions as consumers that affect the local, regional, and even worldwide ecosystem. Growing up, it is easy to think that you are just a kid in high school, or in college, so there is nothing you can really do to impact what we see around us, but that just isn’t true. Looking at statistics about waste and pollution can be overwhelming, such as plastic contributes to over 250,000 tons of trash to the ocean (Gourmelon), but every revolution starts as small. It is easy to think that you “living green” but there is always room for improvement, and it’s never too late to start. There are many small life style changes you can make that have a meaningful impact into helping the environment, even if you are living low-budget. And it all starts with a dialogue

America in general has an obsession with fast food. And while I’m not asking you to eliminate it, I am asking you to think about what you are consuming. The beef in your McDonalds hamburger, has one of the highest carbon footprints of any meat product, because it is a ruminant. This means that it produces methane, a highly potent greenhouse gas, while the cow digests (Carrington). But the carbon footprint doesn’t stop there. As soon as your cow is killed to be ground up or otherwise processed, it must be kept at a very cold temperature to prevent any contamination and slow the spread of potentially harmful bacteria. This high level of refrigeration must be kept up for the entire duration of your ground beefs life – right up until it is cooked.

So, instead of going to McDonalds for your hamburger fix, why not hit up your local burger joint instead? Ask your favorite mom and pop shop where they get their meat. While you’re there, also ask if they have considered not serving straws any longer. Single use plastic straws are the single largest contributor to plastic in our oceans (Gourmelon), and they are completely unnecessary. As an added bonus, their restaurant can save money from not buying any.

Just by asking your local restaurants to stop using plastic straws, or ask them where they get their beef from, is contributing to change. Education is the key to revolution, and approaching people in a positive and polite manner can have a huge impact.

Other low budget options for college students could be as easy as switching their peanut butter type. Did you know that palm oil on of the leadings causes of deforestation in tropical rain forests (Rainforest Rescue)? Most people don’t. Helping this fight is as easy as checking your food products labels to see if they contain palm oil or any derivative, and switching to one that doesn’t include it. If you are say a coffee enthusiast, why not look into where your product comes from? Coffee is also grown in the tropics, and is naturally grown in the shade. Being grown in the shade, instead of a genetically modified monoculture out in the sun, acts as a corridor for migratory birds to rest in (Smithsonian Global). A simple, quick google search can show you any number of small and easy ways to reduce your carbon footprint and give back to the environment.

Leaving the local grocery store with your new rainforest friendly peanut butter and migratory bird friendly coffee, do you grab a plastic bag? The average use of a plastic bag is around 20 minutes (Greener Ideal). Used for just 20 minutes, and then where does it go? For over half of plastic bags used – it’s straight to landfills or our oceans. 20 minutes of use, followed by over a thousand years of polluting decay. All of this could be changed with a 1-2$ investment into a reusable bag.

Overall, there are many small switches anyone could make in their everyday life to live more sustainably – if only they knew. And that is why living cleaner starts with a dialogue! Any change you make will add up over time, and hopefully inspire others to do so as well. Reduce, reuse, recycle!

-Julia Clements

Many of us are lucky enough to have things that we take for granted: bathrooms, beds, automobiles, access to all kinds of technology, three meals a day — the list goes on and on. One major possession that many of us take for granted is our access to yards. In many nations, the concept of having a space that is as large and fertile as some of our front yards and isn’t used for growing crops or raising livestock is unthinkable. Meanwhile, some of us just let it sit out there looking beautiful and even consider it a burden to “have to” cut the grass once a week. Some will even leap at the opportunity to hire someone else to cut their grass when they have the funds to take the burden off of themselves. While this is a good thing for creating jobs and allowing more free time to those who have busy schedules or other conflicts, it also creates a real issue. Beyond the simple disconnect between a human being and his or her land (yes, our property is our land, though it isn’t held in such high regard for most anymore) there also emerges a new problem of severe air pollution from commercial lawn care companies.

As a novice in the lawn care business, I have already seen some of the things that are causing serious issues when it comes to air pollution, and have also seen, as a novice in the sustainability world, that there aren’t many feasible solutions to these problems. An organization called Quiet Communities presented the results of an EPA study that showed lawn and garden equipment emits over 20 million annual tons of carbon dioxide into the air.^[1] While this is a small amount compared to the 1.5 billion tons of carbon dioxide produced by transportation vehicles per year^[2], it is still troubling. The world has rapidly made great advances in automotive emissions issues and in creating cars and trucks that don’t create any emissions (electric, fuel cell, etc.), but when it comes to commercial lawn care, the same thing can’t be said.

Companies that mow multiple (as in 10 to 30+) lawns per day need mowers, blowers, trimmers, and other equipment that can last long enough to get the most possible work done between charges/fill-ups, and also that simply can get the work done, and there simply isn’t enough of this technology out right now. Mowers that are powered by rechargeable batteries either do not have the battery power to last as long as companies need them to, or do not provide enough power to the blades to get a quality cut on the grass. Another major problem is that the quality electric mowers are too expensive for buyers to even consider. The Mean Green lawn mowers are some of the only commercial grade, high quality electric mowers, and even have a run time of up to 7 hours, which is in a comparable range with gas powered mowers. However, the price of this mower is $14,725, which is, as you can imagine, at the highest end of prices of these mowers.^[3] While Mean Green promises that the mower costs less to operate with its plug-in-recharge compared to mowers that must be refilled with gasoline or diesel, I fear that the initial price of this mower is too high for most in the lawn care business to even be able to consider. This, along with logistics issue of having to find outlets to recharge the machine as opposed to simply being able to pour liquid from a can into the tank as with gas and diesel mowers, provide problems that most would probably not be willing to deal with.

The primary issue when it comes to lawn care is that too many people have looked at lawn maintenance as a horrible burden rather than as an opportunity and a blessing. However, since most Americans are past the days of mom or dad walking the push-powered reel mower across the yard every Saturday, and since we have moved toward big-time lawn care companies with multiple four-foot-wide, triple-blade, gas powered zero-turn mowers rolling into neighborhoods and cutting 20-30 lawns per day, it is time that we use our great advancements in technology to find a solution to the environmental problems that stem from commercial lawn care. We are on the right track with automobiles, but even if every person in the world were to end up driving a zero-emissions water powered jetpack to work each day, our nation would still have grass that needed cutting, and there needs to be an equally clean, equally affordable, and equally efficient way to get that job done.

-John Martinson

 

^[1]  Gas-powered lawn equipment emits unhealthy air pollutants. . 2015. https://www.quietcommunities.org/gas-powered-lawn-equipment-emits-unhealthy-air-pollutants/. Accessed Jan 25, 2018.

^[2] https://www.eia.gov/tools/faqs/faq.php?id=307&t=10

^[3] Cxr-52/60. Mean Green Mowers Web site. http://www.meangreenproducts.com/cxr5260/. Accessed Jan 25, 2018.

 

What if I told you there’s a way to turn your death into something more than just an ending?

 

Before the solution, however, it’s important to understand the problem. Although death is difficult to face, even in hypothetical terms, we need to take a closer look at the way we carry out burials; it’s not as sustainable of a practice as we thought. Routine burial methods require large amounts of materials that are used for a short time, and every part of the process is toxic to the environment. Because of traditional embalming practices, 800,000 gallons of formaldehyde (a potential carcinogen to humans) are put into the ground annually. Additionally, in the US alone, the amount of wood used for caskets is equivalent to four million acres of forest. After the burial is over, it becomes a contributor to the one million acres of land currently used for cemeteries in the US. This land has to be maintained with fertilizer, pesticides, and massive amounts of water (Calderone, 2015). These numbers are staggering. It’s easy to see how much we’ve commercialized death.

Designers Anna Citelli and Raoul Bretzel have a solution to the toxic practices: a biodegradable burial pod that gives nutrients back to the environment and nourishes trees. They call it “Capsula

Mundi,” which translates to “world’s capsule” in Latin. The pod is made from a plastic outer shell that breaks down once it comes in contact with bacteria in the soil, and human remains are placed inside the pod (Erizanu, 2018). Because human remains release nutrients into the ground, they can be used to nourish a mature tree. When a body breaks down, it releases large amounts of nitrogen, but the plastic shell releases carbon in an effort to balance out chemical levels in the soil. Their design isn’t currently legal everywhere, but it’s allowed in North America (“Capsula Mundi”).

The designers of the Capsula Mundi pods are reimagining cemeteries as land filled with trees and wildlife. They want to help people understand that death can be turned into life by helping the environment flourish. The one million acres of cemetery land and tombstones can become wide expanses of woodlands.

For the people more passionate about ocean life than trees, there are still options for a sustainable burial- Eternal Reefs. A similar concept to the Capsula Mundi, reef pods are created from human remains and an environmentally-safe cement mixture. These pods are then used to foster new habitats for sea life. There are currently 1800 Eternal Reefs created by people in the United States, but the company is quickly growing. Families can write in the concrete before it hardens and hold a service on the water as the reef pod is placed in a location of their choosing (“What is an Eternal Reef?”).

These solutions are the first attempts to transform our idea of death and to help people dedicate themselves to helping the environment. It’s hard to grasp the idea that our lifespan is finite, but just because human life has an expiration date doesn’t mean the environment has to follow suit.

-Haley Park

 

 

References:

 

Calderone, Julia. “Burying Dead Bodies Takes a Surprising Toll on the Environment.” Business Insider, Business Insider, 4 Nov. 2015, www.businessinsider.com/burying-dead-bodies-environment-funeral-conservation-2015-10/#eco-friendly-alternative-do-exist-6.

 

“Capsula Mundi >> Project.” Capsula Mundi, www.capsulamundi.it/en/project/.

 

Erizanu, Paula. “Organic Burial Pod Turns Your Body into a Tree.” CNN, Cable News Network, 11 Jan. 2018, www.cnn.com/2017/05/03/world/eco-solutions-capsula-mundi/index.html.

 

“What is an Eternal Reef? >>Eternal Reefs >> Living Legacies That Memorialize the Passing of a Loved One.” Eternal Reefs, www.eternalreefs.com/the-eternal-reefs-story/what-is-an-eternal-reef/.

We live in a very progressive society where our main goal to ensure that we leave our planet a better place than we found it. A couple weeks ago I was watching a TedTalk that discussed about how profit is not always the point. I was quite interested in this talk because I feel like in today’s society profit is always the point. If it’s not the point, then we would probably question why we decide to endeavor do it.

During the talk, an interesting quote that caught my attention arose. The quote by Adam Smith stated that, “If you continue to operate in your own self-interest, then you will do what is best for society.” When I first heard this, it was quite frightening. My first thought was if the people in society act in a selfish way, then we as society aren’t advancing towards a common goal. As the video continued, I realized that when Adam said self-interest he meant in the interest of the human population. If we put the interest of our community first, then our society will be making adjustments towards a better tomorrow.

While Harish Manwani was trying to reach corporate leaders during his talk, I hope to reach the average, normal person. The person who can make our environment better by adjusting basic day-to-day living. While Manwani was arguing that profit wasn’t the point, I think that profit is the point. See I have a different prospective. Instead of adjusting our lens to believe that profit isn’t the point, why don’t we adjust what our definition of profit is. I truly believe that in a profitable society, we strive to cut down on nonrenewable resources. A profitable society is one where we protect our forests and oceans.

I believe that in a profitable society, we are making this Earth more green- and no I’m not taking about money. Instead of settling for instant gratification, we could make efforts to install plans so that we will leave Earth a better place for future generations. What if we can make it a more profitable society by recycling plastic and composting food. What if our society is profitable by turning the lights off when you leave the room? Well it is. By doing this we are making our Earth a better place. We are contributing to a decrease in fossil fuels. By biking and carpooling we use less gas and less oil which there will be in soon enough. What if we stop littering and contributing to pollution? Instead of making a profit in money, we are saving our planet which is more profitable than all the zeroes in a bank account.

If we make an investment in projects that will make our community more sustainable, which may end up being costly now, but it will contribute to a greener and a better living environment. I believe that we have the ability to make Earth more profitable. By changing day-to-day routines, we can be very profitable.

-Fabby Gonzalez

The lens of a camera is powerful because it has the ability to capture and preserve a memory for years to come. These photographs have the uncanny ability to transport you to a whole other dimension simply by gazing into them. One day, I happened to be scrolling through the Instagram page for National Geographic when I stumbled upon a photograph taken by one of their many photographers. This particular picture wasn’t awe inspiring or breathtaking but rather it was simply tragic and heartbreaking. The picture was of an emaciated adult polar bear in a barren landscape with no ice insight, and his drooping head indicated that he had no more fight left in him. The reason for this particular polar bear’s poor health and untimely death could have stemmed from multiple causes; however, it doesn’t take an expert to know that global warming is contributing to the demise of polar bears.

Global warming is a hot topic right now, and a major source of disagreement especially when it comes to differences between political parties. Global warming is a frequent term but it is important to understand the cause of it to be able to mitigate its effects. The cause of global warming is the release of large quantities of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere where heat becomes trapped in these gases. This trapping of heat leads to a warming of the world hence the term global warming. This increase in heat can lead to melting of the ice caps which in turn contributes to rising sea levels (What is Global Warming). The melting of the ice caps in the Arctic is destroying the habits of polar bears because when it comes to their habit specialization, they “rely heavily on the sea ice environment for traveling, hunting, mating, resting, and in some areas, maternal dens” (Advani). If we don’t make changes in our day to day lives to help aid the environment in its recovery, then polar bears might not be able to adapt fast enough to their changing environment.

The picture of the dying polar bear made me stop in my tracks because photographs are extremely powerful objects. I was no longer concerned with all of the hustle and bustle going on around me, and I just focused on the one photograph right in front of me. We live in a fast paced world where we don’t have an abundance of time to stop and think, so I greatly appreciated this one moment. This moment made my heart ache and made me realize that there are countless times in life we choose to ignore the important things going on around us. Sometimes we have a one track mind and don’t worry about anything else that is going on in the periphery. I am so glad that I stumbled upon this picture because it makes the current impact of global warming all the more real. In the end, we need to realize that our actions greatly affect the environment we live in because polar bears are just the tip of the iceberg. A decline in the population of polar bears can potentially cause a domino effect down the rest of the food chain and produce unimaginable catastrophic consequences. You should care because this world is your home and we can’t relocate to another.

 

-Emily Shafer