Lauren Sinclair
October 30, 2007
Envsc 204
Journal Activity 1
AQUARIUM TRIP
I decided to take my journal activity to the aquarium. I have been wanting to go lately and if I can go and get credit at the same time I see a great situation! I also think it really relates to environmental science and what we have been talking about with fishing, pollution, biodiversity and much more. I had been there once or twice before but many years ago so the information was all new to me.
I thought the whole set up and arrangement was really interesting. I first walked into the area that was called “Sound in the Mountains.” Here there was the mock river and lots of information about water around the globe. I liked that we were able to see the river from a side perspective and see both the upper action of the surface as well as what was happening beneath the water. Of course my favorite part of this area was where the northern fur seals were living. It was great to be able to see them so close up. I also thought it was smart of the aquarium to design the tank so that we could see the upper level of the seals habitat where they rested out of the water and also be able to walk down stairs and see them swimming deep in water. I learned that these furry guys, on average, live to be about 26. That is much longer than I would have guessed. I also learned about how the male seals fast during mating season for one to two months! After I did a little more research on these animals I read about how, “The 2000 IUCN Red Data list considers the northern fur seal to be Vulnerable.” [1] The northern fur seal has been hunted for fur since the 18th Century, and in 1911, the North Pacific Fur Seal Convention was founded. I understand now the importance of the food webs these animals live in and the impacts that arise if any species is altered. I know from learning in my environmental class that especially the animals that are higher on the food web are less in abundance on a natural level and generally reproduce at smaller rates than those of say producers or primary consumers. I suspect that this is true for the seals which is why it is easily believable that they could have been vulnerable to extinction if hunted. I hope things are being turned around today to stop this possible issue.
Next I went to the “Puget sound fishes.” There were so many types of fish here and so much information. It was a little time consuming to go through all of the wall postings but well worth it. I thought it was fascinating to learn that there are actually more than 200 different types of fish in just the Puget Sound. There was a type of clingfish in here that one of the staff persons pointed out that was really cute and was suctioned to the wall. I thought it was interesting that they actually use their pelvic fins to suction themselves to rocks. I looked up some more information about clingfish and learned that a clingfish's suction cup does double duty. When the tide goes out, a clingfish's pool might be left high and dry. But the cup holds in moisture, so the fish can still breathe. Tucked safely beneath its rock, the clingfish waits until the tide rolls back in again. [2]
I read about a fish called Prickle Backs which are generally found inshore and at the bottom. They can frequently be found in tide pools. I found research that told me in most species, all the dorsal rays are strong, sharp spines (the source of the name 'prickle back'), although some species have a few soft-rays at the posterior end of the dorsal fin. Prickle backs feed on a variety of invertebrates, larvae and algae. From the knowledge I have acquired from my current environmental class I would guess that these would be maybe primary consumers based on the food they eat. There are about 65 species with 11 found here. This family is common in Puget Sound. [3] Seeing the jellyfish and cowfish were also highlights of the fish area.
After the fish I went into the whale section. This was probably the best part of the tour for me because Orcas are my favorite animal of all time! I thought the life-size dorsal fin of the orca in the ground was neat because we were really able to understand directly what the size of those really are. I also really liked that there was a wall hanging that discussed “heroes” for the orcas. The information described different people that had contributed to the whales’ success in our waters. I think it’s so sweet how these whales like in groups are much like families and how important it is to them to take care of their community and calves. I also thought the information about specific orca pods was interesting. I had learned about these things a long time ago but I had forgotten it and was happy to read about it again. I am glad that it is illegal in the U.S.A for the hunting of whales because their species are not in abundance and should be valued and respected in the waters and how they too have their own niche in the ocean. A really cool piece of information I found when I was researching online was that, “Killer whales are often compared to wolves because both species are top predators, maintain complex social relationships, and hunt cooperatively.” [4]
Lastly I visited the area that had tide pools and touching pools. It was called “Life on the Edge.” The information and facts were impressive and I had never heard of most of them. I liked being able to touch the animals like the starfish and anemones. Some of the hermit crabs were among the biggest I have ever seen in my life. I think it’s pretty funny that I, and almost everyone I know, call ceratin animals “starfish” when they are actually sea stars and not fish at all. When I researched the sea star I found a plethora of interesting information that I had never heard about before. One interesting fact is that sea stars actually have their anus located on top of their body. Also, I read that the sea star uses a hydraulic water vascular system to feed, transport waste and move around. [5] This aspect of the trip showed me another world in the large, complex oceans and I have great appreciation for this part of the waters.
I thought overall the experience was informative and worthwhile. I am glad I went and I gained a lot of new knowledge. One thing that still sticks out in my mind about the trip is the idea of watershed. When I found the answer to the question about whom the biggest influence on watershed I was at first surprised to learn that the answer is people and myself. I even ran into a wall that had the exact question painted on it and the answer was an arrow pointing to a mirror (meaning you). That was when I realized how much we really affect our planet and it showed me how that information directly related into the common topic of global warming. It just made me even more motivated to turn this mess around and take care of our beloved ocean and world. I have always had an interest in the oceans of our world and to learn about the destruction and damage we are doing in great masses really makes me want to change how things are. I genuinely believe that education is key to reform in this world and I think I am a prime example for this as well as our classmates.
Sources:
[1]http://www.bbc.co.uk/nature/wildfacts/factfiles/174.shtml
[2]http://www.mbayaq.org/efc/living_species/default.asp?hOri=1&inhab=418
[3] http://artedi.fish.washington.edu/FishKey/index.htm
[4] http://www.afsc.noaa.gov/NMML/education/cetaceans/killer1.htm
[5] http://www.aquaticcommunity.com/sw/seastarfacts.php
Tuesday, October 30, 2007
Tuesday, October 16, 2007
journal 3
During week three we really got into the swing of things. We discussed ecology and what a true ecosystem is. I really enjoy learning about habitats and ecosystems because they are all around me and involve animal life. I finally learned what it means to be a species and what the terms ‘population” and “community” really mean. I thought it was so fascinating to learn about how species such as insects can actually become stronger from things like pesticides by surviving the conditions and passing on the resistance through genetics. It’s amazing what nature can do. I also thought it was really interesting to learn about the way that animals can adapt to circumstances of variations. I got a kick out of learning about the bird that drops their egg in other bird’s nests in hopes of its survival. Not only that but the fact that these eggs are larger and have better chances of being nurtured and survival. Many things in nature can be compared to the way that people act. There is always competition for food or shelter in both worlds but there has to be a certain harmony between creatures within a community for it to work successfully.
There are only two journal questions this week and the first asks me to note the interactions between species in my environment on a daily basis. For me, I don’t have too many things that are obvious living around me as I go about me day. From an animal standpoint there are squrriel, birds, insects, domestic dogs and cats, fish in the near by waters, amphibians such as frogs, snakes and more. Other non-animal species include plants such as flowers, grass, trees, weeds, bushes and many other plant types. From just this week I have seen many birds interact with one another. They sometimes crow at one another, fly together or sit in the same area near one another. I see many squirrels climbing trees and eating things from the ground. The trees are also homes to many of the birds I see and are important aspects of the animals’ habitats.
The second part of the questions for this week asks me to describe an ecosystem that lives nearby me. I live near a popular creek in Issaquah, WA so I though t this would be fun to monitor. Within this area there are many small insects such as ants, beetles, worms, slugs, spiders as well as different amphibians such as frogs and snakes. At this time of the year it is especially fun to see the salmon spawning as well as many other small fish living in the river. Besides the animals there are ferns, grasses, weeds, flowers, trees, mushrooms, moss, algae and blackberry bushes. There of course is soil and rocks as well as a flowing river of water. These animals rely on the water of the river, the trees for shelter and the community of organisms for food. Many insects are located living underneath the rocks and there are many bugs living in the grassy areas. The frogs that I see are living in the watery areas as well as the places with plants. I have impacts on this area by what I put in and around this area. Many people impact this area by mowing and maintaining the land for the human community.
There are only two journal questions this week and the first asks me to note the interactions between species in my environment on a daily basis. For me, I don’t have too many things that are obvious living around me as I go about me day. From an animal standpoint there are squrriel, birds, insects, domestic dogs and cats, fish in the near by waters, amphibians such as frogs, snakes and more. Other non-animal species include plants such as flowers, grass, trees, weeds, bushes and many other plant types. From just this week I have seen many birds interact with one another. They sometimes crow at one another, fly together or sit in the same area near one another. I see many squirrels climbing trees and eating things from the ground. The trees are also homes to many of the birds I see and are important aspects of the animals’ habitats.
The second part of the questions for this week asks me to describe an ecosystem that lives nearby me. I live near a popular creek in Issaquah, WA so I though t this would be fun to monitor. Within this area there are many small insects such as ants, beetles, worms, slugs, spiders as well as different amphibians such as frogs and snakes. At this time of the year it is especially fun to see the salmon spawning as well as many other small fish living in the river. Besides the animals there are ferns, grasses, weeds, flowers, trees, mushrooms, moss, algae and blackberry bushes. There of course is soil and rocks as well as a flowing river of water. These animals rely on the water of the river, the trees for shelter and the community of organisms for food. Many insects are located living underneath the rocks and there are many bugs living in the grassy areas. The frogs that I see are living in the watery areas as well as the places with plants. I have impacts on this area by what I put in and around this area. Many people impact this area by mowing and maintaining the land for the human community.
Journal 2
The second week of class was fun and more active than the first. We got to do a variety of things such as take notes during lecture, participate in class discussions and learn about current events. This week was my week to monitor and document current events. I did things like watch the news, listen to the radio, surf the web and subscribe to sites such as the daily grist. I found a plethora of things going on in the world and I was able to discuss three of them with the class because I only had one other person monitoring with me. My events included a story about decreasing numbers of Blue Fin tuna in the Mediterranean and how that can have effects on it’s ecosystem, another story about push from Californian’s for regulations on emissions from large ships and vessels and a last event regarding the new placement of certain corals on the endangered species list. Although I was nervous to talk in front of the class, I got up there and did my best and felt as though I did a decent job.
Looking at the questions assigned for this week I have interesting viewpoints and feelings towards all of them. The first question asks about things that I do to effect the environment when it comes to certain things and what I can do to lessen those effects. I think that directly effect the environment by participating in things that emit carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. Some of these activities may include driving, burning materials, purchasing products that are manufactured by large machinery that gives off lots of pollutants and many other things that involve burning fossil fuels. I also use things such as detergent for laundry or other types of soap that may include phosphorous. This means I am effecting the phosphorous cycle as well and I was not even aware of it. Another question that I am asked to answer is about where we stand on the food web. I believe that as humans, we are at the tertiary level of the trophic levels because there aren’t really any predators to humans and humans eat a wide variety of plants and animals. My level in the web affects the world and environment because we as humans can choose to consume a wide variety of specific plants or animals. When we do this though, we should be careful not to throw off the ecosystems and eat too many but of course this happens all the time. This relates directly to one of my current events that talked about people eating too much tuna. People do see these things as problems sometimes which is why we take it on ourselves to breed animals to eat and grow massive amounts of crops to eat as well.
I directly use products that directly and indirectly come from living things. I eat living things such as cows and chickens or broccoli or lettuce and I also use byproducts of these animals such as milk or cheese. I believe almost everything that I consume comes from something living. These things include meats and leather, cloth and vegetation, paper, wood, and many other things. Just this week I have used paper for schoolwork, leather for my shoes, my apartment made of wood, meats to eat and many paper products such as napkins, boxes, cups and more. On top of all of this, I really make it a point to never waste food as much as possible. I can reduce waste by only purchasing what I will eat for a period of time so things don’t rot and go to waste; I can only plate what I will eat for meals and save leftovers in reusable Tupperware for later. Small portions can help me to do this and making sure I eat everything I make and buy is smart. When eating out I can always take home leftovers for later and make sure to only order things I will eat (if I don’t like tomatoes, I can make sure to ask to leave them out so I don’t have to throw them away.)
A last part that I will discuss from this week’s questions deals with our food and where it comes from. I did some research and looked at Wendy’s information. I found a lot of specific information about their animal regulations and rules. There was a lot of surprising information and very informative. I learned that the animals including beef, chicken and pork were transported all across the country. There are specific shipping regulations when it comes to temperature, bedding, room etc. Wendy’s also has regulations on health, handling, housing and usage of antibiotics in animals. I hope that I can choose to eat food that is more local and organic. If I do this there will be less chance of unnatural things begin put into the animals and myself and the animals will hopefully be raised more naturally with real food and living circumstances.
Looking at the questions assigned for this week I have interesting viewpoints and feelings towards all of them. The first question asks about things that I do to effect the environment when it comes to certain things and what I can do to lessen those effects. I think that directly effect the environment by participating in things that emit carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. Some of these activities may include driving, burning materials, purchasing products that are manufactured by large machinery that gives off lots of pollutants and many other things that involve burning fossil fuels. I also use things such as detergent for laundry or other types of soap that may include phosphorous. This means I am effecting the phosphorous cycle as well and I was not even aware of it. Another question that I am asked to answer is about where we stand on the food web. I believe that as humans, we are at the tertiary level of the trophic levels because there aren’t really any predators to humans and humans eat a wide variety of plants and animals. My level in the web affects the world and environment because we as humans can choose to consume a wide variety of specific plants or animals. When we do this though, we should be careful not to throw off the ecosystems and eat too many but of course this happens all the time. This relates directly to one of my current events that talked about people eating too much tuna. People do see these things as problems sometimes which is why we take it on ourselves to breed animals to eat and grow massive amounts of crops to eat as well.
I directly use products that directly and indirectly come from living things. I eat living things such as cows and chickens or broccoli or lettuce and I also use byproducts of these animals such as milk or cheese. I believe almost everything that I consume comes from something living. These things include meats and leather, cloth and vegetation, paper, wood, and many other things. Just this week I have used paper for schoolwork, leather for my shoes, my apartment made of wood, meats to eat and many paper products such as napkins, boxes, cups and more. On top of all of this, I really make it a point to never waste food as much as possible. I can reduce waste by only purchasing what I will eat for a period of time so things don’t rot and go to waste; I can only plate what I will eat for meals and save leftovers in reusable Tupperware for later. Small portions can help me to do this and making sure I eat everything I make and buy is smart. When eating out I can always take home leftovers for later and make sure to only order things I will eat (if I don’t like tomatoes, I can make sure to ask to leave them out so I don’t have to throw them away.)
A last part that I will discuss from this week’s questions deals with our food and where it comes from. I did some research and looked at Wendy’s information. I found a lot of specific information about their animal regulations and rules. There was a lot of surprising information and very informative. I learned that the animals including beef, chicken and pork were transported all across the country. There are specific shipping regulations when it comes to temperature, bedding, room etc. Wendy’s also has regulations on health, handling, housing and usage of antibiotics in animals. I hope that I can choose to eat food that is more local and organic. If I do this there will be less chance of unnatural things begin put into the animals and myself and the animals will hopefully be raised more naturally with real food and living circumstances.
Monday, October 1, 2007
WEEK 1 JOURNAL: SCIENTIFIC METHOD/POPULATION GROWTH
Journal week 1:
Scientific Method & Core Issues: Population & Consumption
This first week of class was interesting and full of captivating information right off the bat. We certainly didn’t waste any time even on the first day. I will begin my weekly summary by answering the mandatory questions given for this week and then I will go into my own questions and ideas I have accumulated.
ASSIGNED QUESTIONS:
1. What do you think are the five most important issues facing the environment today? Why?
I am aware that there are countless issues within our world and environment in current times but there are some obvious major dangers becoming more and more prevalent. My first major concern in our environment is the popular topic of global warming. I believe this issue is so important because science is continuing to show us that the rate our world and societies are going we are going to be in for some extreme dangers. I fear that the people of the world are going to damage our environment so badly that it will be irreversible and serious changes and consequences will result. A second serious problem that is current in our world’s environment today is human population growth and it’s impact on the environment. As we talked about population growth in class this week I learned how much our growth rate has advanced and what that means to the world. The effects of population directly relates to consumption, which instantly links to the environment and its resources. A third prominent issue occurring in our world today is pollution and hazardous waste. This has been a dilemma for years and although we have made attempts to control it we still face this danger everyday. Pollution can lead to unhealthy air, water and resources. It is a danger to the people of the world as well as the animals and our many ecosystems. A fourth major issue standing in front of us today that is effecting our environment is land and forest conservation. For years we have been destroying miles of rainforests and other natural forest acreage causing various issues with resource depletion as well as species extinction. A last evident occurrence that is threatening the environment is the use and abuse of certain natural resources ranging from the earth’s soil to oil consumption. With high demand for certain assets and a need to largely manipulate the earth’s materials we are finding ourselves running out of many needed resources and altering materials in ways that are dangerous.
2. What activities/daily practices do you do that have a positive impact on the environment?
I try to participate in various activities that aid positive impacts on the environment even if it can be in a small way. In my home my roommate and I believe it is very important to use a recycling bin as a way of allowing our used paper products to be reused over and over rather than the usage of new paper from more trees. I try my best continuously throughout my day to conserve energy and water and I make a valiant effort to use paper towels or disposable products such as plates or cups sparingly to cutback on waste. I have many washable kitchenware and hand towels to help keep this possible. One more thing I do that positively impacts the environment takes place at my job. I am a barista at a coffee stand and there I try my best to keep the waste down to a low level as well. I discount people who bring their own reusable cups and I do my best to not waste anything from a pump of chocolate to a paper cup during my day.
3. What are some of your daily practices that have a negative impact?
I like most Americans unfortunately impact the environment in more negative ways than positive on a daily basis. I use a car to get from work to school to wherever else I need to go. Although my car does not have too high of gas mileage it is dependant on oil and pollutes the world every mile I drive. I too consume various products throughout each day and use energy at almost every minute. I produce waste and use products that are dangerous to the environment like plastic. I buy products and machines that are created in factories that greatly pollute the world and I buy food from places that aren’t always organic.
4. What is your attitude about the impact humans (individuals and society) are having on the environment?
Frankly I am saddened, scared and discouraged by the way humans have taken advantage of the environment, abused it and now nearly ruined many of it’s essential features. I know there are many individuals out there who deeply care about the environment and do more than their part to try to help but sadly, and especially in America, there are not nearly enough people who do care to take part in helping the environment survive. It seems to be that the leaders of our very country don’t appear to care at all about the fact that we are reliant on oil, and they would rather focus on the money and profit that they will receive from the dependence than look at what kind of effects it is having on our world. The society I live in relies on things called, “dumps” and is the leader in waste. I feel if people across the country and around the world stopped being lazy and changed even a few small things to conserve, we would be in much better shape than we are and at the rate we are going I honestly don’t know if I have much hope for saving the environment regardless how much I would like to.
5. What are your feelings about human population growth? What should we as a society do to help decrease demand for resources that a growing population requires? What could you do?
As the first week of school went on I was very surprised to learn about the dramatic numbers of population and it’s growth throughout history. I don’t blame people for having children of course but I do think that things have nearly become out of hand and it is essential for people to be aware and careful of these growing numbers. I believe as a society we should focus on values that promote smaller families and the idea of starting families as older adults in life to lengthen the age gap between generations. I have heard that this is going on in many Asian countries due to demand in higher education and careers as well as older marriage ages and that this in turn is advocating population control. I feel this is somewhat currently occurring in the U.S. as well and I feel it will have a positive impact on the population. I also feel it is important to spread awareness and education about contraceptives in industrialized countries but more so in underdeveloped countries. I can do my part to maintain a smaller family, teach my children the same and try to participate in supporting UNFPA programs for people around the world.
This week’s lessons were really interesting and dealt with population as well as the scientific method. I already knew a lot about the scientific method but the information was good to go over. I enjoyed the lectures about population and the numbers I learned about were baffling. I always wondered how scientists were able to predict and average population trends and I was finally able to see a lot about how that works. I thought the readings that were given out about population were very interesting and important to this week’s information. The readings talked a lot about why the population has grown the way it has and why the rates are different around the world. I still had some of my own questions from the readings that I thought of and we were able to go over them in class discussions. It was somewhat disturbing to learn about the fats regarding consumption and it made me pretty ashamed to learn about consumption of the U.S. versus any other county. It’s vital for us to understand where we have come as a society and as a world since the beginning of man so that we can see how much we really do effect the environment and earth. Furthermore it is important to realize where we stand today and predict where we are headed so we can make adjustments to make sure we are heading somewhere that is healthy.
There are so many issues going on around the world that are effecting the environment I often can find myself feeling down and discouraged. I feel it is important to remember not to loose hope or give up because we still can turn things around and take charge to save what has not yet been destroyed. I am very happy to be taking a class that teaches me about the different dangers and information going on in the world around me so that I can do my part to fix what I am able to. It is time for us to come together as a nation and as a world and start making life changes to save the earth and ultimately nature and mankind.
Scientific Method & Core Issues: Population & Consumption
This first week of class was interesting and full of captivating information right off the bat. We certainly didn’t waste any time even on the first day. I will begin my weekly summary by answering the mandatory questions given for this week and then I will go into my own questions and ideas I have accumulated.
ASSIGNED QUESTIONS:
1. What do you think are the five most important issues facing the environment today? Why?
I am aware that there are countless issues within our world and environment in current times but there are some obvious major dangers becoming more and more prevalent. My first major concern in our environment is the popular topic of global warming. I believe this issue is so important because science is continuing to show us that the rate our world and societies are going we are going to be in for some extreme dangers. I fear that the people of the world are going to damage our environment so badly that it will be irreversible and serious changes and consequences will result. A second serious problem that is current in our world’s environment today is human population growth and it’s impact on the environment. As we talked about population growth in class this week I learned how much our growth rate has advanced and what that means to the world. The effects of population directly relates to consumption, which instantly links to the environment and its resources. A third prominent issue occurring in our world today is pollution and hazardous waste. This has been a dilemma for years and although we have made attempts to control it we still face this danger everyday. Pollution can lead to unhealthy air, water and resources. It is a danger to the people of the world as well as the animals and our many ecosystems. A fourth major issue standing in front of us today that is effecting our environment is land and forest conservation. For years we have been destroying miles of rainforests and other natural forest acreage causing various issues with resource depletion as well as species extinction. A last evident occurrence that is threatening the environment is the use and abuse of certain natural resources ranging from the earth’s soil to oil consumption. With high demand for certain assets and a need to largely manipulate the earth’s materials we are finding ourselves running out of many needed resources and altering materials in ways that are dangerous.
2. What activities/daily practices do you do that have a positive impact on the environment?
I try to participate in various activities that aid positive impacts on the environment even if it can be in a small way. In my home my roommate and I believe it is very important to use a recycling bin as a way of allowing our used paper products to be reused over and over rather than the usage of new paper from more trees. I try my best continuously throughout my day to conserve energy and water and I make a valiant effort to use paper towels or disposable products such as plates or cups sparingly to cutback on waste. I have many washable kitchenware and hand towels to help keep this possible. One more thing I do that positively impacts the environment takes place at my job. I am a barista at a coffee stand and there I try my best to keep the waste down to a low level as well. I discount people who bring their own reusable cups and I do my best to not waste anything from a pump of chocolate to a paper cup during my day.
3. What are some of your daily practices that have a negative impact?
I like most Americans unfortunately impact the environment in more negative ways than positive on a daily basis. I use a car to get from work to school to wherever else I need to go. Although my car does not have too high of gas mileage it is dependant on oil and pollutes the world every mile I drive. I too consume various products throughout each day and use energy at almost every minute. I produce waste and use products that are dangerous to the environment like plastic. I buy products and machines that are created in factories that greatly pollute the world and I buy food from places that aren’t always organic.
4. What is your attitude about the impact humans (individuals and society) are having on the environment?
Frankly I am saddened, scared and discouraged by the way humans have taken advantage of the environment, abused it and now nearly ruined many of it’s essential features. I know there are many individuals out there who deeply care about the environment and do more than their part to try to help but sadly, and especially in America, there are not nearly enough people who do care to take part in helping the environment survive. It seems to be that the leaders of our very country don’t appear to care at all about the fact that we are reliant on oil, and they would rather focus on the money and profit that they will receive from the dependence than look at what kind of effects it is having on our world. The society I live in relies on things called, “dumps” and is the leader in waste. I feel if people across the country and around the world stopped being lazy and changed even a few small things to conserve, we would be in much better shape than we are and at the rate we are going I honestly don’t know if I have much hope for saving the environment regardless how much I would like to.
5. What are your feelings about human population growth? What should we as a society do to help decrease demand for resources that a growing population requires? What could you do?
As the first week of school went on I was very surprised to learn about the dramatic numbers of population and it’s growth throughout history. I don’t blame people for having children of course but I do think that things have nearly become out of hand and it is essential for people to be aware and careful of these growing numbers. I believe as a society we should focus on values that promote smaller families and the idea of starting families as older adults in life to lengthen the age gap between generations. I have heard that this is going on in many Asian countries due to demand in higher education and careers as well as older marriage ages and that this in turn is advocating population control. I feel this is somewhat currently occurring in the U.S. as well and I feel it will have a positive impact on the population. I also feel it is important to spread awareness and education about contraceptives in industrialized countries but more so in underdeveloped countries. I can do my part to maintain a smaller family, teach my children the same and try to participate in supporting UNFPA programs for people around the world.
This week’s lessons were really interesting and dealt with population as well as the scientific method. I already knew a lot about the scientific method but the information was good to go over. I enjoyed the lectures about population and the numbers I learned about were baffling. I always wondered how scientists were able to predict and average population trends and I was finally able to see a lot about how that works. I thought the readings that were given out about population were very interesting and important to this week’s information. The readings talked a lot about why the population has grown the way it has and why the rates are different around the world. I still had some of my own questions from the readings that I thought of and we were able to go over them in class discussions. It was somewhat disturbing to learn about the fats regarding consumption and it made me pretty ashamed to learn about consumption of the U.S. versus any other county. It’s vital for us to understand where we have come as a society and as a world since the beginning of man so that we can see how much we really do effect the environment and earth. Furthermore it is important to realize where we stand today and predict where we are headed so we can make adjustments to make sure we are heading somewhere that is healthy.
There are so many issues going on around the world that are effecting the environment I often can find myself feeling down and discouraged. I feel it is important to remember not to loose hope or give up because we still can turn things around and take charge to save what has not yet been destroyed. I am very happy to be taking a class that teaches me about the different dangers and information going on in the world around me so that I can do my part to fix what I am able to. It is time for us to come together as a nation and as a world and start making life changes to save the earth and ultimately nature and mankind.
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