With the fast pace of city expansion and population growth it is necessary to not just build homes, but build homes that are sustainable. Not long ago builders bulked at the cost of switching to green building practices. However, has the green movement has gained momentum, it actually doesn’t cost significantly more to build green. In fact, the large the development, the less expensive it is to upgrade to green materials and plans, because contractors can buy in large quantities and thus push the prices down.
One of the misconceptions about green housing is that it will be less comfortable, or luxurious and that homeowners would have to sacrifice those things for sustainability. That simply isn’t true. For example the Beddington Zero Energy Development, one of the first green housing developments, is actually sought after not because of its green standard, but because of the quality of the homes. Each apartment gets plenty of natural light, has its own small garden space and is close to public transport and local shops (Steffan, 155).
Green housing developments can not only improve the quality of life of city living, but also help the environment. Small changes are being made in big cities now, roof top gardens, water-recycling programs, but bigger changes need to occur. Developing Green housing is not a distant future, but a close realizable one. I think that green housing developments sound like exciting and comfortable places to live. With so many people living in cities, I think there is a real need for green housing that also improves the living conditions of the tenants.
Steffen, Alex. World Changing. 1st. Abrams, New York: Harry M. Abrams Inc., 155-157. Print.
World changing For this weeks entry, I read, “Seeing the Big Picture” on page 402. This piece discussed how people take advantage and even enjoy their ability to be unaware of the corrupt things going on around us regarding the government, systems, and workings of different corporations. It talks about how although this acceptance of ignorance being bliss may make it easier to deal with certain aspects of life, in a sense it also enables us to almost push these ideas by not doing anything about them. The solution to this dilemma is to pay attention and take into consideration, indicators. In other words, trend data: what has happened in the past and what were the outcomes of such events? This alone couldn’t solve the problem though, because people need something straightforward and easy to understand, not a complex series of numbers and graphs. People are a lot more likely to pay attention to blinking lights, smiley faces, and check marks as opposed to numbers and long articles full of big words and statistics. The key is getting the important information out to the people in easy to understand ways so they can better put this information to use.
We live in a materialistic society, and we see so many advertisements for different things everyday. Most of us like to buy products of a popular brand. We like to think they're better quality, but it is not necessarily true. Why do we like brands then? Brands are like "badges", people show them off to show their value. The media and advertisements are a huge influence in how our society thinks, and richer companies can invest more in promoting their images. Small, not-as-famous brands therefore, cannot compete. As long as the media is a large part of how we live, we can't escape or avoid brands.
I chose the article “Living Well in Compact Space” this week. This article is all about saving space while living in small apartments. It informs the reader of a few designs that are made to save space in apartments. First, it describes a pod that stands in the middle of a space. The pod contains a bathroom, kitchen, and washer dryer, all designed to fit into a small space within a room. The article also describes a combination stove-top and lounge chair. This “stove-chair” folds in certain ways to become a stove when you need it, and a chair when you are not cooking. The article also goes on to describe compact shelving, and kitchens that can be set up in individual rooms so that roommates do not need to share a common kitchen. I found these designs interesting, but rather irrelevant to my future plans. I have never wanted to live in a large city. In fact, I prefer a small town or the countryside. This article actually frowns on living in rural areas. It states that urban living is better for the planet than rural living. Even if that is true, I doubt that I will be able to give up my plans of living in a rural area. I have never liked being in large cities; they make me feel too disconnected from the natural world.
I chose the “Future of a Small Town” section in the Planet chapter. I learned about “reaping the wind”. Wind is becoming a quickly growing commodity that’s being picked up by farmers across the nation. The business does best in the Midwest and mountain states. Farmers are also available to lease their land out to energy companies, letting them install and operate the turbines in exchange for sharing a small two to four percent cut of the money. Farmer’s income in 2003 came from nonfarm activities 94 percent of the time, a figure that baffled me. What if 94 percent of a restaurant’s money came from non food activities? Farms certainly need to be getting more versatile, and wind power is helping them be allowed to do that. Renting is perhaps advantageous to self construction, since a single turbine is 50,000 pounds and financing once costs $750,000. I also read about conservation easements. They’re agreements with a local government for how land can be used if its given away. You can keep Grandma’s farm still a farm, and make money off of it too when you let the companies at it. They won’t be allowed to subdivide they property or build houses if you don’t want them to. In 1900, 50 percent of the labor force worked in farming. Now, less than 1 percent of workers are in the farming industry. But not too quick, from 1990 to 2000, rural areas grew four times faster than they did in the previous decade. This new period of rural growth is being called the “rural rebound”. The rebound is being led by retired folks who are looking for lower costs of living and workers of an ever changing workforce, such as in IT service, manufacturing, and distribution. Unfortunately, and this is true for Joe, rural living means longer commutes to work and the city.
The article I read was about do-it-yourself attitude and culture. This is a great way to recycle. I think that it is even more beneficial than recycled materials. Normal recycling only reuses the materials of a product to make other products, but by recycling yourself less energy is spent reusing the materials and you are sure that 100% of the product is recycled instead of just most of it. I would like to try and start thinking of new and creative ways to reuse things that I would otherwise throw away, even though that might require more knowledge of the properties of a material (how many times can plastic be washed and reused? Heated? Frozen?) It wouldn’t be bad to educate myself a little more about the things that I use every day. I think that if more effort and thought was put into trying to reuse things that would otherwise become garbage, a lot of money could be saved. Especially in electronics, finding other uses for old computer parts or electronic devices that are no longer functional or desired. Learning to fix things or rig them up differently could be extremely cost effective in addition to more environmentally friendly. There are probably thousands of websites and books that tell you how to make useful household objects from scraps and garbage.
I appreciated this portion of World Changing because it shows a mentality of gradual change rather than the immediate ‘demolish and rebuild’ attitude that Americans have become accustomed to. What I mean by this is, when we envision a prospective new property that is to be built where a structure already exists, the obvious thing to do is to tear down the prior and erect the new. The slums don’t have the luxury of such immediate change. They build their homes and communities literally with their own hands and create a culture from nothing. But though it starts with scraps and messiness, these ‘squatters’, as the slum-dwellers are called, slowly but surely implement change by organizing what they have, taking action legally to gain basic right, promoting literacy and equality. Though I was initially confused by the title of this section, I now understand why the slums are described with the word ‘vitality’. These communities arose from necessity and it is clear that they are not afraid to fight for their lives. They know their problems and they are taking measures to solve them. Just look at the women of Vikas Sagar who have evolved to be literate, independent individuals of their own community. Or look at Sultanbeyli, in Istanbul, that started off as a regular squatter community, but now proudly boasts water and sewer system and electricity. The slums should no longer be labeled as problem areas, but rather need to be addressed as growing phenomenon that is just as much as a city than New York or Paris.
For this week I read about Community. The article discussed the power of community projects and inversely, the ineffectiveness of individual efforts in changing harmful situations on a large scale I found it interesting since in lecture we had talked about the pros and cons of individualism. Lately, I feel like we have been leaning toward individualism and making strong efforts to change our own lives. We learned that via the internet, people can be organized and efficient without being part of a major environmentalist group or coalition.
However, people in struggling communities have different circumstances. They require immediate attention and abundant support. Individual efforts are heartfelt and nice, but they won't get the job done.
People have been banding together since we were hunter-gatherers, and relied on each other to eat. A sense of community and people helping people for a common cause is natural to us, we only need to open our eyes to it and together we can make a huge impact.
Kellyn Carpenter ADP III: Section 4 World Changing Response
Watching the Watchers, pg. 447
I thought that this chapter was extremely interesting. In it, it describes how everything we do, say, sometimes even think is recorded. From our cameras phones to our TiVos, a minute never passes without the possibility of recording it and saving it forever. It describes how this may seem like a “Big Brother” kind of world, but the fact is that we are the ones in control and acting as a constant surveillance.
Cameras have been put into everything, from cell phones to actually wearable, small camera devices in your clothes. While this last example may be slightly more extreme, cell phone cameras are a norm. Every phone has them, and they are getting higher and higher quality each day. These cell phone cameras have started “sousveillance,” or the idea that everyday people are watching others (especially high officials). Cell phone cameras have enabled people to take pictures or videos everywhere they go, having a record of every event with the discreteness of a cell phone. These events can be the everyday mundane or, as an example in the chapter, be riots that were recorded and these low-resolution videos become evidence. Everything, whether ordinary or important, is on record.
I think that Facebook is a perfect example of this. Our entire social lives are up on this webpage, waiting to be shared and “liked”. We load pictures from Friday night on Saturday morning. We read our roommate’s status while we write on a friend who lives in China’s wall. We have complete viewing of our entire online social lives in the small space of a computer screen. This act of surveillance comes into play even more in the ever so popular “Facebook stalking”. Spending hours upon hours looking through that cute guy who sits next to you in class’s pictures. Reading what his friends write on his wall, finding where his hometown is, researching any ex-girlfriends—this sounds absolutely crazy. But to some degree, we all do it and can do it. People put up these pages, update statuses or profile pictures with the hope that someone is looking at it. We want to watch and want to be watched. Big Brother is not just a sole, higher power. It is everyone.
Like I did with the article on Chinese Cities I decided to research some of the points brought up in this article and see how much we have progressed. I was pleasantly surprised by what I found. There are quite a few airlines on aboard with using eco-fuels. Actually a few have already put bio-fuels in action. Virgin Atlantic has already flown a commercial aircraft using 20 percent bio-fuel. Other airlines like Lufthansa plan to have 10 percent of the fuel it uses to be from alternative sources within the next 12 years. Continental Airline has explored other ways of being energy efficient. They have installed winglets on most their Boeing 737’s and 757’s. These winglets help Continental save fuel that in turn reduced carbon emissions. Groups, such as The International Ecotourism Society (TIES), work with places around the global to ensure responsible travel. TIES gives travelers tips as well as allows them to get in touch with members in a certain area. They also list lodges and tour groups that are eco-friendly and are tied to the areas community. Ecoclub, another international ecotourism club promotes heavily the networking aspect associated with ecotourism. It helps you get in touch with people from around the world that can give a traveler a local perspective on an area. I was drawn to this article because of Joe Trumpey’s discussion on international travel. I really want to travel abroad but after learning about the terrible state the Earth is in I was really concerned. I feel better knowing there are options for smarter travel.
Paula Schubatis World Changing ADP 3 Section 4 P 167 Vampire Power
The piece I read in world changing this week was about vampire power. When we leave appliances plugged in for prolonged periods of time without using them, they still use about 70 to 80 percent of the power that they would if they were on. About 20 percent of most Americans monthly electric bills are generated by vampire power. The US Department of Energy is in the process of instating manufacturing standards requiring electronic products to not draw as much energy when not in use, but the solution to this problem at the moment is a very simple one; unplug appliances when not in use. It may seem like a simple solution, but most of us would rather pay 20 percent more in our electric bill each month than unplug everything every time we use it. All of our products are designed to be plugged in constantly; when they are unplugged, one must reset all of the settings. If we were to unplug everything when not in use, every time we would use that thing, we would have to plug it in again, and reset all the settings. Not only should engineers focus on appliances which use less power when not in use, but also orient product design to accommodate unplugging.
This section discusses why it is more environmentally friendly to live in a city than in a suburb or rural area. This is very surprising because living in a place where consumerism is targeted by the media and where a ton of people live seems far less environmentally friendly than living in a suburb with nature. However, when it is explained, it makes much more sense to live in a city. When in a suburb, people have to drive long distances to work each day, whereas in a city people generally do not have cars and instead commute together on public transportation. People share resources and support local businesses because of convenience. One of the most surprising facts is that New York City citizens use fewer resources and less energy than anyone else in America. We tend to think of New York as an extravagant and disgusting environment, and therefore representing wastefulness, but it is very surprisingly the opposite. Furthermore, although suburban areas look nice and natural, building on them destroys the ecosystems and drives off animals. It makes more sense when thinking about how we live in Ann Arbor. Many of us do not have cars and we share homes with other students. I find that I use a lot less resources at school than when I am at home (in a suburb).
One reoccurring theme of ADP III has been the meat industry, and in World Changing, the topic continues to make an appearance. The chapter “Eating Better Meat and Fish,” page 63, discusses ways farmers can use their livestock to help the environment rather than hurt it. One article suggests that if cows are allowed to graze on grass in a managed fashion, than the grazing will help increase plant diversity and fertilization of the grass and grains. In addition to benefitting the pastureland, allowing cows to graze on grass is also better for the animals. Cows are biologically developed to consume and break down grass, not corn, which is what their diets today are mostly comprised. Living off of corn makes the cows sick, and forces farmers to add antibiotics to the cows’ diets to keep them healthy. Grass fed cows would lead to an increase in plant biodiversity, better tasting, more natural meat, and less meat in the market at once. The average American eats over 200 lbs. of meat a year. On average, people should be consuming 1 lb. of meat a week, and with the current statistic, this means that Americans are eating over 3 times the amount of meat that their bodies need. If cows were raised on grass, it would take longer for a cow to reach slaughtering weight. This means that not as much meat would be available in such short periods of time, and that meat would be more expensive and there would be less of a surplus. This would help the consumer cut back on the amount of meat he/she consumes, and therefore, both forces the meat industry to continue good practices, as well as better balancing the human diet. One article also discusses how farmers can use cow’s waste as recycled energy. Raising livestock requires lots of energy. Large machines maintain the land, feed, and slaughtering process. Cow manure can be recycled in a process that breaks down the manure into acids and feed bacteria, which turn the manure into biogas. This biogas can then be burned to create energy. This is an economical way to reuse potentially dangerous waste produced by the livestock. Cow manure can be dangerous if it is allowed to seep into the water systems or soil. CVPS, or Central Vermont Public Service has been taking advantage of the cow power technique of recycling cow poop, while making an effort to keep their environment clean, as well as recycle energy. The second part of the chapter discussed the fish and seafood market. This has been an underplayed issue, shadowed by the meat industry. However, it is important that people understand that substituting fish for meat to rebel the meat industry practices may not be entirely beneficial. Fish farms also raise fish in very crowded, polluted areas, feeding fish hormones to increase size and change their color. 28% of the fish marketed have become unsustainable species in the wild because of over farming. However, today there are public resources that educate on which fish species are abundant and acceptable to eat without fear of supporting overfishing, and which species need to repopulate before fishing should continue. Regardless of whether it is the fish or meat industry, it is the public that needs to change the way they eat before the food industry does. The food industry is supplying the food that the public is demanding. If the public demands, free range, grass fed cows, and fish that aren’t raised in their own waste, the industry will comply because their business benefits from providing what the people will buy.
Melis Agabigum World Changing 5 ADP III-004 02 November 2010
For this week's World Changing, I read the article Protest on page 451. The article discusses Cultural Jamming and protest art. I found the notion of cultural jamming interesting. The idea of taking advertisements and turning them into protests for the companies that produced them, seems quite logical. While I would never participate in cultural jamming, I like the idea that people can take something alreay created and turn it around to make a statement about how it has affected the way society behaves and views commercial advertising.
I also liked the portion about protest art. As an artist, I am always looking for ways to make statements about my life and the factors that affect my life. By creating protest art, people are able to express their feelings through symbols and are able to comment on and against technologies. Art has such a power over people; we are able to stimulate thought and emotions that no other physical forms of expression are able to do.
Robin Tuck
ReplyDelete10-28-10
ADP III
Developing Green Housing
With the fast pace of city expansion and population growth it is necessary to not just build homes, but build homes that are sustainable. Not long ago builders bulked at the cost of switching to green building practices. However, has the green movement has gained momentum, it actually doesn’t cost significantly more to build green. In fact, the large the development, the less expensive it is to upgrade to green materials and plans, because contractors can buy in large quantities and thus push the prices down.
One of the misconceptions about green housing is that it will be less comfortable, or luxurious and that homeowners would have to sacrifice those things for sustainability. That simply isn’t true. For example the Beddington Zero Energy Development, one of the first green housing developments, is actually sought after not because of its green standard, but because of the quality of the homes. Each apartment gets plenty of natural light, has its own small garden space and is close to public transport and local shops (Steffan, 155).
Green housing developments can not only improve the quality of life of city living, but also help the environment. Small changes are being made in big cities now, roof top gardens, water-recycling programs, but bigger changes need to occur. Developing Green housing is not a distant future, but a close realizable one. I think that green housing developments sound like exciting and comfortable places to live. With so many people living in cities, I think there is a real need for green housing that also improves the living conditions of the tenants.
Steffen, Alex. World Changing. 1st. Abrams, New York: Harry M. Abrams Inc., 155-157. Print.
World changing
ReplyDeleteFor this weeks entry, I read, “Seeing the Big Picture” on page 402. This piece discussed how people take advantage and even enjoy their ability to be unaware of the corrupt things going on around us regarding the government, systems, and workings of different corporations. It talks about how although this acceptance of ignorance being bliss may make it easier to deal with certain aspects of life, in a sense it also enables us to almost push these ideas by not doing anything about them. The solution to this dilemma is to pay attention and take into consideration, indicators. In other words, trend data: what has happened in the past and what were the outcomes of such events? This alone couldn’t solve the problem though, because people need something straightforward and easy to understand, not a complex series of numbers and graphs. People are a lot more likely to pay attention to blinking lights, smiley faces, and check marks as opposed to numbers and long articles full of big words and statistics. The key is getting the important information out to the people in easy to understand ways so they can better put this information to use.
Hannah Dow
Tiffany Hu
ReplyDeleteWorld Changing -"Brands"
We live in a materialistic society, and we see so many advertisements for different things everyday. Most of us like to buy products of a popular brand. We like to think they're better quality, but it is not necessarily true. Why do we like brands then? Brands are like "badges", people show them off to show their value. The media and advertisements are a huge influence in how our society thinks, and richer companies can invest more in promoting their images. Small, not-as-famous brands therefore, cannot compete. As long as the media is a large part of how we live, we can't escape or avoid brands.
Kaiti Marek
ReplyDelete2, November 2010
ARTDES 250: SEC4
I chose the article “Living Well in Compact Space” this week. This article is all about saving space while living in small apartments. It informs the reader of a few designs that are made to save space in apartments. First, it describes a pod that stands in the middle of a space. The pod contains a bathroom, kitchen, and washer dryer, all designed to fit into a small space within a room. The article also describes a combination stove-top and lounge chair. This “stove-chair” folds in certain ways to become a stove when you need it, and a chair when you are not cooking. The article also goes on to describe compact shelving, and kitchens that can be set up in individual rooms so that roommates do not need to share a common kitchen.
I found these designs interesting, but rather irrelevant to my future plans. I have never wanted to live in a large city. In fact, I prefer a small town or the countryside. This article actually frowns on living in rural areas. It states that urban living is better for the planet than rural living. Even if that is true, I doubt that I will be able to give up my plans of living in a rural area. I have never liked being in large cities; they make me feel too disconnected from the natural world.
I chose the “Future of a Small Town” section in the Planet chapter. I learned about “reaping the wind”. Wind is becoming a quickly growing commodity that’s being picked up by farmers across the nation. The business does best in the Midwest and mountain states. Farmers are also available to lease their land out to energy companies, letting them install and operate the turbines in exchange for sharing a small two to four percent cut of the money. Farmer’s income in 2003 came from nonfarm activities 94 percent of the time, a figure that baffled me. What if 94 percent of a restaurant’s money came from non food activities? Farms certainly need to be getting more versatile, and wind power is helping them be allowed to do that. Renting is perhaps advantageous to self construction, since a single turbine is 50,000 pounds and financing once costs $750,000.
ReplyDeleteI also read about conservation easements. They’re agreements with a local government for how land can be used if its given away. You can keep Grandma’s farm still a farm, and make money off of it too when you let the companies at it. They won’t be allowed to subdivide they property or build houses if you don’t want them to.
In 1900, 50 percent of the labor force worked in farming. Now, less than 1 percent of workers are in the farming industry. But not too quick, from 1990 to 2000, rural areas grew four times faster than they did in the previous decade. This new period of rural growth is being called the “rural rebound”. The rebound is being led by retired folks who are looking for lower costs of living and workers of an ever changing workforce, such as in IT service, manufacturing, and distribution. Unfortunately, and this is true for Joe, rural living means longer commutes to work and the city.
James
ReplyDeleteThe article I read was about do-it-yourself attitude and culture. This is a great way to recycle. I think that it is even more beneficial than recycled materials. Normal recycling only reuses the materials of a product to make other products, but by recycling yourself less energy is spent reusing the materials and you are sure that 100% of the product is recycled instead of just most of it. I would like to try and start thinking of new and creative ways to reuse things that I would otherwise throw away, even though that might require more knowledge of the properties of a material (how many times can plastic be washed and reused? Heated? Frozen?) It wouldn’t be bad to educate myself a little more about the things that I use every day.
I think that if more effort and thought was put into trying to reuse things that would otherwise become garbage, a lot of money could be saved. Especially in electronics, finding other uses for old computer parts or electronic devices that are no longer functional or desired. Learning to fix things or rig them up differently could be extremely cost effective in addition to more environmentally friendly. There are probably thousands of websites and books that tell you how to make useful household objects from scraps and garbage.
Hannah Ryou
ReplyDeleteThe Hidden Vitality of Slums pg. 286
I appreciated this portion of World Changing because it shows a mentality of gradual change rather than the immediate ‘demolish and rebuild’ attitude that Americans have become accustomed to. What I mean by this is, when we envision a prospective new property that is to be built where a structure already exists, the obvious thing to do is to tear down the prior and erect the new. The slums don’t have the luxury of such immediate change. They build their homes and communities literally with their own hands and create a culture from nothing. But though it starts with scraps and messiness, these ‘squatters’, as the slum-dwellers are called, slowly but surely implement change by organizing what they have, taking action legally to gain basic right, promoting literacy and equality.
Though I was initially confused by the title of this section, I now understand why the slums are described with the word ‘vitality’. These communities arose from necessity and it is clear that they are not afraid to fight for their lives. They know their problems and they are taking measures to solve them. Just look at the women of Vikas Sagar who have evolved to be literate, independent individuals of their own community. Or look at Sultanbeyli, in Istanbul, that started off as a regular squatter community, but now proudly boasts water and sewer system and electricity. The slums should no longer be labeled as problem areas, but rather need to be addressed as growing phenomenon that is just as much as a city than New York or Paris.
Eliana Gershon
ReplyDeleteCommunity p. 310
For this week I read about Community. The article discussed the power of community projects and inversely, the ineffectiveness of individual efforts in changing harmful situations on a large scale
I found it interesting since in lecture we had talked about the pros and cons of individualism. Lately, I feel like we have been leaning toward individualism and making strong efforts to change our own lives. We learned that via the internet, people can be organized and efficient without being part of a major environmentalist group or coalition.
However, people in struggling communities have different circumstances. They require immediate attention and abundant support. Individual efforts are heartfelt and nice, but they won't get the job done.
People have been banding together since we were hunter-gatherers, and relied on each other to eat. A sense of community and people helping people for a common cause is natural to us, we only need to open our eyes to it and together we can make a huge impact.
Kellyn Carpenter
ReplyDeleteADP III: Section 4
World Changing Response
Watching the Watchers, pg. 447
I thought that this chapter was extremely interesting. In it, it describes how everything we do, say, sometimes even think is recorded. From our cameras phones to our TiVos, a minute never passes without the possibility of recording it and saving it forever. It describes how this may seem like a “Big Brother” kind of world, but the fact is that we are the ones in control and acting as a constant surveillance.
Cameras have been put into everything, from cell phones to actually wearable, small camera devices in your clothes. While this last example may be slightly more extreme, cell phone cameras are a norm. Every phone has them, and they are getting higher and higher quality each day. These cell phone cameras have started “sousveillance,” or the idea that everyday people are watching others (especially high officials). Cell phone cameras have enabled people to take pictures or videos everywhere they go, having a record of every event with the discreteness of a cell phone. These events can be the everyday mundane or, as an example in the chapter, be riots that were recorded and these low-resolution videos become evidence. Everything, whether ordinary or important, is on record.
I think that Facebook is a perfect example of this. Our entire social lives are up on this webpage, waiting to be shared and “liked”. We load pictures from Friday night on Saturday morning. We read our roommate’s status while we write on a friend who lives in China’s wall. We have complete viewing of our entire online social lives in the small space of a computer screen. This act of surveillance comes into play even more in the ever so popular “Facebook stalking”. Spending hours upon hours looking through that cute guy who sits next to you in class’s pictures. Reading what his friends write on his wall, finding where his hometown is, researching any ex-girlfriends—this sounds absolutely crazy. But to some degree, we all do it and can do it. People put up these pages, update statuses or profile pictures with the hope that someone is looking at it. We want to watch and want to be watched. Big Brother is not just a sole, higher power. It is everyone.
Elaine Czech
ReplyDeleteTravel and Tourism P 363
Like I did with the article on Chinese Cities I decided to research some of the points brought up in this article and see how much we have progressed. I was pleasantly surprised by what I found.
There are quite a few airlines on aboard with using eco-fuels. Actually a few have already put bio-fuels in action. Virgin Atlantic has already flown a commercial aircraft using 20 percent bio-fuel. Other airlines like Lufthansa plan to have 10 percent of the fuel it uses to be from alternative sources within the next 12 years. Continental Airline has explored other ways of being energy efficient. They have installed winglets on most their Boeing 737’s and 757’s. These winglets help Continental save fuel that in turn reduced carbon emissions.
Groups, such as The International Ecotourism Society (TIES), work with places around the global to ensure responsible travel. TIES gives travelers tips as well as allows them to get in touch with members in a certain area. They also list lodges and tour groups that are eco-friendly and are tied to the areas community. Ecoclub, another international ecotourism club promotes heavily the networking aspect associated with ecotourism. It helps you get in touch with people from around the world that can give a traveler a local perspective on an area.
I was drawn to this article because of Joe Trumpey’s discussion on international travel. I really want to travel abroad but after learning about the terrible state the Earth is in I was really concerned. I feel better knowing there are options for smarter travel.
Paula Schubatis
ReplyDeleteWorld Changing
ADP 3 Section 4
P 167
Vampire Power
The piece I read in world changing this week was about vampire power. When we leave appliances plugged in for prolonged periods of time without using them, they still use about 70 to 80 percent of the power that they would if they were on. About 20 percent of most Americans monthly electric bills are generated by vampire power. The US Department of Energy is in the process of instating manufacturing standards requiring electronic products to not draw as much energy when not in use, but the solution to this problem at the moment is a very simple one; unplug appliances when not in use. It may seem like a simple solution, but most of us would rather pay 20 percent more in our electric bill each month than unplug everything every time we use it. All of our products are designed to be plugged in constantly; when they are unplugged, one must reset all of the settings. If we were to unplug everything when not in use, every time we would use that thing, we would have to plug it in again, and reset all the settings. Not only should engineers focus on appliances which use less power when not in use, but also orient product design to accommodate unplugging.
Liz Ritenour
ReplyDeleteADP III
Section 004
Worldchanging
The Bright Green City pp 228-230
This section discusses why it is more environmentally friendly to live in a city than in a suburb or rural area. This is very surprising because living in a place where consumerism is targeted by the media and where a ton of people live seems far less environmentally friendly than living in a suburb with nature. However, when it is explained, it makes much more sense to live in a city. When in a suburb, people have to drive long distances to work each day, whereas in a city people generally do not have cars and instead commute together on public transportation. People share resources and support local businesses because of convenience. One of the most surprising facts is that New York City citizens use fewer resources and less energy than anyone else in America. We tend to think of New York as an extravagant and disgusting environment, and therefore representing wastefulness, but it is very surprisingly the opposite. Furthermore, although suburban areas look nice and natural, building on them destroys the ecosystems and drives off animals.
It makes more sense when thinking about how we live in Ann Arbor. Many of us do not have cars and we share homes with other students. I find that I use a lot less resources at school than when I am at home (in a suburb).
One reoccurring theme of ADP III has been the meat industry, and in World Changing, the topic continues to make an appearance. The chapter “Eating Better Meat and Fish,” page 63, discusses ways farmers can use their livestock to help the environment rather than hurt it. One article suggests that if cows are allowed to graze on grass in a managed fashion, than the grazing will help increase plant diversity and fertilization of the grass and grains. In addition to benefitting the pastureland, allowing cows to graze on grass is also better for the animals. Cows are biologically developed to consume and break down grass, not corn, which is what their diets today are mostly comprised. Living off of corn makes the cows sick, and forces farmers to add antibiotics to the cows’ diets to keep them healthy. Grass fed cows would lead to an increase in plant biodiversity, better tasting, more natural meat, and less meat in the market at once. The average American eats over 200 lbs. of meat a year. On average, people should be consuming 1 lb. of meat a week, and with the current statistic, this means that Americans are eating over 3 times the amount of meat that their bodies need. If cows were raised on grass, it would take longer for a cow to reach slaughtering weight. This means that not as much meat would be available in such short periods of time, and that meat would be more expensive and there would be less of a surplus. This would help the consumer cut back on the amount of meat he/she consumes, and therefore, both forces the meat industry to continue good practices, as well as better balancing the human diet.
ReplyDeleteOne article also discusses how farmers can use cow’s waste as recycled energy. Raising livestock requires lots of energy. Large machines maintain the land, feed, and slaughtering process. Cow manure can be recycled in a process that breaks down the manure into acids and feed bacteria, which turn the manure into biogas. This biogas can then be burned to create energy. This is an economical way to reuse potentially dangerous waste produced by the livestock. Cow manure can be dangerous if it is allowed to seep into the water systems or soil. CVPS, or Central Vermont Public Service has been taking advantage of the cow power technique of recycling cow poop, while making an effort to keep their environment clean, as well as recycle energy.
The second part of the chapter discussed the fish and seafood market. This has been an underplayed issue, shadowed by the meat industry. However, it is important that people understand that substituting fish for meat to rebel the meat industry practices may not be entirely beneficial. Fish farms also raise fish in very crowded, polluted areas, feeding fish hormones to increase size and change their color. 28% of the fish marketed have become unsustainable species in the wild because of over farming. However, today there are public resources that educate on which fish species are abundant and acceptable to eat without fear of supporting overfishing, and which species need to repopulate before fishing should continue. Regardless of whether it is the fish or meat industry, it is the public that needs to change the way they eat before the food industry does. The food industry is supplying the food that the public is demanding. If the public demands, free range, grass fed cows, and fish that aren’t raised in their own waste, the industry will comply because their business benefits from providing what the people will buy.
Melis Agabigum
ReplyDeleteWorld Changing 5
ADP III-004
02 November 2010
For this week's World Changing, I read the article Protest on page 451. The article discusses Cultural Jamming and protest art. I found the notion of cultural jamming interesting. The idea of taking advertisements and turning them into protests for the companies that produced them, seems quite logical. While I would never participate in cultural jamming, I like the idea that people can take something alreay created and turn it around to make a statement about how it has affected the way society behaves and views commercial advertising.
I also liked the portion about protest art. As an artist, I am always looking for ways to make statements about my life and the factors that affect my life. By creating protest art, people are able to express their feelings through symbols and are able to comment on and against technologies. Art has such a power over people; we are able to stimulate thought and emotions that no other physical forms of expression are able to do.