Essay 4 Progress

http://apps.facebook.com/my-surveys/polls/w0em2l/answers?fb_source=notification&ref=notif&notif_t=app_notification

The results of my survey are coming in as predicted; the majority of the people are more willing to do little things to help the environment than commit to major changes that will last in the long run.  Also, the majority of people appear to be very concerned with the state that the Earth is in and very few have no concerns.

Essay 4: Masterpiece in the Making

Currently I have the majority of my survey planned out and a hypothesis for the results.  My topic is global warming and how people deal with it.  I will be utilizing the Rational Choice Theory - I believe that people (college students) participate in more short term green-habits, than long term.   As soon as I have perfected my survey, it will "go live" on facebook and once the results are compiled I can integrate the information into my essay.

Coast Salish People

The Coast Salish people of British Columbia and Washington State have been feuding.  Britsish Columbians and Americans designed the schools to eliminate memories that were associated with the
Indigenous people. Their goal was to rid of the Indigenous people completely.  The Coast Salish people tried resisting the racism and to keep their own culture.  They feared that their culture would be lost and they would mold into a single culture.  Because this occurrence happened across the border, analyzing the research has proven to be difficult. The differentiation of policies and cultures made it hard to measure the responses of the people. The Coast Salish people that are across the Canada-Washington State boarder are well aware of the conditions on the other side.  The children tend to be more physical in the US and in Canada the children try not to be noticed.

Home of the Grape Pickers

            In my home town of North East, Pennsylvania the people of the town are completely dependent upon the grape crop.  Some of the townspeople are grape farmers, some own wineries and the rest work at the Welch's factory  It's easy to conclude that if the grapes are low in sugar content the whole town suffers.  As one can only imagine, the town is completely engulfed in grape vines.  Decades ago when the grapes were farmed with only the help of elbow grease the grapes were the sweetest they've ever been. 
           But as technology progressed, farmers started investing in bigger tractors, fertilizers, and pestisides to help produce more of their crop.  The town was bombing, Welch's was prosperous and everyone was happy.  That is until 5 years ago, when two 17 year old boys were diagnosed with testicular cancer.  The one thing they had in common; the grapes.  It was never officially announced that the pestisides were the cause of their illness, but parents are now wary about letting their children out when the grapes are being sprayed.  We used to walk across the street and snag a bunch of grapes to eat right off the vine, but nowadays we have to wash them off first.  Before the pestisides, the only harm from not washing the grapes was a little dirt - which is proven to help build ones immune system.  Things just aren't the same as they used to be in North East.
           

Ethical Dilemma

As humans, it's natural to use our hunting instincts and creative genius to build weapons and traps to hunt.  Unfortunately, often the animals we are not hunting get caught and we end up in an ethical dilemma; is the demand for tuna or king crab worth the lives of innocent sea turtles and dolphins? Sometimes we only look at animals as a way to make money and we forget that we share the planet with them and we are being too greedy. 

Sustaining Humanity

                Maintaining life on the planet is not as easy as it used to be.  Humans have been around for approximately five million years.  For about ninety-seven percent of those five million years, humans were hunters and gathers, living off what Mother Nature provided for them.   Our ancestors were able to keep humanity sustainable for five million years, without a McDonalds’ Big Mac or an Iced Chai Latte with Soy from Starbucks. About 10,000 years ago came the domestication of food, but that didn’t last long because now we are just over 100 years into being industrial agriculturalists.  Meaning that we now have McDonalds and Star bucks readily available at all times.  Unfortunately, because our population is increasing at an exponential rate, even with our advanced technology, it’s proving to be impossible to provide food for all of humanity. 

                In “The Sustainable Humanities” the term sustainable humanity has been coined to suggest that sustainability and humanity have "always been compatible projects." In order to keep humanity alive, we must look back at our past.  Looking back to times before keeping records of the weather was the norm, there are only the authors who recorded their environment for us to analyze.  Henry David Thoreau's seasonal notebooks are currently being scrutinized for any evidence of a climate change during his era.  It is of great importance that we do not overlook any evidence as to how our planet ended up in such an awful situation.  Possibly even more important is that we do our best to reverse the damage humanity has created.  This is crucial for our survival as humans.  Going back to the ways of our ancestors as hunters and gatherers is not necessarily what is being suggested here; there are 7 billion people on this planet, it's about time we put our heads together and got creative about how to solve this dilemma.

 LeMenager, Stephanie, and Stephanie Foote. "The Sustainable Humanities." 127.3 (2012): 572-578. Web.

Fracking

Fracking, or hydraulic fracturing, is the process of extracting natural gas from shale rock layers deep within the earth.  Essentially fracking allows for the injection of highly pressurized fracking fluids into the shale area. Creating new channels within the rock from which natural gas is extracted more quickly than it would be otherwise.

According to the report released by the EPA, officials said that the town of Pavillion, Wyo. had contaminations that were most likely from the gas wells.  The area was polluted with at least 10 compounds known to be used in frack fluids.  Fracking is polluting the water systems, but because the proof that the EPA has is inconsistent and sparse, the fracking continues.  Doug Hock, the spokesman for Encana defends fracking to the end, "Inconsistency in detection and non-repeatability shouldn't be construed as fact." It is true that the evidence against fracking is weak, but there is no other explanation.  Hock is putting the blame on Mother Nature.  This debate is being to shape up how the country will regulates and develops natural gas in the eastern states. 

                Amy Mall, a senior policy analyst at the Natural Resources Defense Council, is suggesting that higher standards and more regulations should be put into place regarding fracking. The EPA has reported thirty-three abandoned wells that were once used for fracking and are now polluting the shallow ground water.  But they could not be responsible for the pollution found in the monitoring wells 1,000 feet underground. More regulations on fracking must be enforced   to ensure the safety of the citizens.  In some cases the water is reported as explosive and the citizens are provided with replacement drinking water because the contaminated water could be detrimental to their health.  Carcinogenic chemicals were even found in the water. The EPA also concluded that sporadic bonding occurred in the cement in areas which led to the barrier that kept the chemicals in their intended zone had been weakened.

"What Is Fracking." What Is Fracking. N.p., n.d. Web. 27 Sept. 2012.