Final Impact Journal
I have always wanted to take an environmental class at BCC and my last quarter here I finally did it and glad I did. My family is somewhat big on environmental issues but my older sister at Seattle University is an environmental nut! Needless to say she got me really excited to take this course and always had someone there that I could discuss the issues with. I remember the firs t few days of class we discussed population and growth within the U.S. and the world. To be quite honest it grossed me out and made me depressed about the direction our world is going in. I had no idea the extent and severity that population growth had moved to. Going hand in hand with this was consumption and I am glad we talked about this because being Americans it relates the most to us.
From this class I honestly have been impacted and affected in my everyday ways in a lot of senses. From the bottled water discussion I have completely changed my usage and awareness of bottled water and passed on the knowledge and facts to people around me that may not have known this information. I also try to conserve more weather it be water or food or material things. Recycling doesn’t just mean re-using paper or cans but rather taking clothing, furniture and other useful products to a place where other people can use them and they are recycled rather than put into a landfill.
Many of the issues we learned about I had a brief understanding about but the way we were able to go in depth and really break things down made me really see the light of things. Instances like food webs and biodiversity really showed me the value in consuming a variety of things and being aware of the source for many foods such as fish. I was also able to better understand how animals and living organisms can become extinct, what makes certain things more susceptible and what we should and should not do to certain habitats.
I thought one of the most fascinating areas we discussed this quarter was evolution. Although we didn’t spend a great deal of time on it, it was interesting to learn about the different impacts that have affected evolution and how there is evidence to prove the evolving of things. Nature is incredible in the way that things can evolve based on the changing ways of the environment.
I valued learning about why water and soil is important and what effects we have on it. The most important thing that was taught throughout the quarter though was how to improve and prevent issues from furthering. All too often I find myself in class or lecture learning about the many negative occurrences but I leave not knowing what can be done to change these things. Having a list or lists of different ways I can helped the environment on a regular basis gives me hope and a sense of contribution to a better Earth and that is essential to getting there.
Probably my ultimate favorite thing discussed was the issue regarding genetically modified plants. I had never really understood this and all of this came as sort of a shock. It changed a lot of the ideas I had and gave me a sense of hope for the future farmers. I shared this information with a lot of my family and friends and was able to debate and understand both sides of the spectrum. I am surprised this isn’t in the news on a regular basis!
There were many interesting current events that w4ere talked about. Mine were interesting and dealt with emissions requirements and extinction of a certain tuna. These harsh realities made re evaluate my consumption and opened my eyes to some of the issues and politics that are caught up in the environmental world today. As we all agree the event of the giant floating plastic wasteland in the Pacific was something that stuck out. I could not believe that this was allowed to happen in today’s society and that it is still out there right now. I hope that this is taken care of and hopefully dealt with in an effective way. Another current event that I remember vividly was one that dealt with a school and parents that thought the “Inconvenient Truth” was too harsh and dramatic. Well it’s funny because the truth of our current world’s state is harsh and dramatic and people need to be aware of it before it’s too late. There is no time for sugar coating the truth nor is there any reason to,
Looking at my long list of resources I see that I consume a great amount on a regular basis. Form plants and vegetables that use soil, trees for any paper or homes, petroleum for tons of plastics and gasoline, gas for heating, water for drinking, cleaning, cooking, heating, etc, animals for eating, metals and other mined materials for countless things I am a major consumer of environmental materials. I nee to cut back on the usage of plastic by using reusable water bottles, reusable grocery bags, less or no disposable kitchenware and many other plastics. I can also aim to conserve more water by cutting down on my showering and faucet running to a bare minimum.
Unfortunately in this quarter I have also come to terms with the amount of waste and pollution I put out into the world. The three different worksheets really helped put that into perspective. Through things like driving a vehicle and using electricity I learned that on a daily basis I put off about 100 pounds of carbon dioxide each day; not a number I am proud of. The worksheets allowed me to see the massive amounts of water I use each year and made me re-think some of my daily habits. These are just some obvious and major ways I directly impact the environment but there are countless other ways as well such as consumption. I learned the concept of energy totals that are truly behind a product or material and I was able to see how even the consumption of a product mean I was contributing to pollution often.
Overall this class was a success for me. I really enjoyed the reflective weekly journals and the periodic class discussions. I was uneasy about the idea of having to talk and discuss out loud in class about certain topics but by the end of the quarter felt more than comfortable to speak my mind. I thought our class had a lot of different opinions and discussed well. We almost had too much to say at times! Not only have I successfully completed yet another course at BCC but I have honestly acquired a broad understanding for the environment and the environmental issues on our world today. Many of the topics we discussed I was unaware of and am happy to now be educated about them, I look at the purchasing or a bottle of water differently, the flushing of a toilet, the flipping of a light switch, the type of detergent I use, the type of fish I order at a restaurant and many other things that effect the environment that I never thought twice about before. The fact that I in more than a few ways, will alter my ways means that much more chance of helping the environment and conserving what e have left. I would recommend this class to anyone that had any sliver of interest in the environment and I feel truly impacted from this course.
Wednesday, December 5, 2007
Journal week 9
With the last worksheet given we were asked to find our personal carbon emissions amounts. With electricity as my main source of energy in my home and gasoline to run my car I sadly came to the conclusion that I am giving off a great amount of carbon dioxide on a regular basis. From gasoline alone (and I don’t’ drive that much) my calculations said that I gave off 98.16 pounds of carbon dioxide a DAY and 35,828 pounds a year. This to me was the most shocking number out of the entire set of worksheets. I had no idea that this number was so high and even with a small, light, decent gas mileage car. From electricity I alone used 2118 kWh from coal burning in one year alone. This lead to 847 pound of carbon dioxide from coal each year! My total contribution to carbon dioxide was 36,675 pounds and made me a little sick to my stomach. This means that I would need over 9 acres of woodland to absorb this annual output of carbon dioxide. Lets just say I felt a little guilty and selfish.
Besides the obvious and large ways that I contribute to CO2 in the atmosphere there are many other ways I do as well that are direct or indirect. The purchasing of products that take great energy to produce generally give off a lot of CO2 emissions and my consumption of this product supports those emissions. Other products that I purchase including even food and groceries need to be transported to the store and therefore must at some point give off carbon dioxide. Other things that might not jump to the mind are things like airplanes, ships, trains and other ways of transportation.
I would like to reduce the amount of greenhouse gases that I produce and there are a variety of ways that I could do this. Things like carpooling, walking, or riding bikes or even the bus can help with the transportation area issues. Other things like conserving electricity or consumption can help reduce the amount of carbon dioxide and air pollution that we give off. I think that the districts and cities should push for cleaner air and stricter regulations of the amount and types of pollutants being put out into the air. Companies should be rewarded for cutting back pollution and others should be penalized for excess amounts.
Besides the obvious and large ways that I contribute to CO2 in the atmosphere there are many other ways I do as well that are direct or indirect. The purchasing of products that take great energy to produce generally give off a lot of CO2 emissions and my consumption of this product supports those emissions. Other products that I purchase including even food and groceries need to be transported to the store and therefore must at some point give off carbon dioxide. Other things that might not jump to the mind are things like airplanes, ships, trains and other ways of transportation.
I would like to reduce the amount of greenhouse gases that I produce and there are a variety of ways that I could do this. Things like carpooling, walking, or riding bikes or even the bus can help with the transportation area issues. Other things like conserving electricity or consumption can help reduce the amount of carbon dioxide and air pollution that we give off. I think that the districts and cities should push for cleaner air and stricter regulations of the amount and types of pollutants being put out into the air. Companies should be rewarded for cutting back pollution and others should be penalized for excess amounts.
Journal week 8
I live in Seattle and use Seattle Public Utilities to attain clean water. Yet
Public water systems contain more than one connection. The public systems are managed by homeowners, private non-profit organizations, corporations such as homeowners' associations, private, for-profit companies and municipalities such as cities and water districts. My wastewater goes out into the septic tanks where it is treated in the drain field in Bothell,WA. When it is cleaned and treated it begins its process into the larger water areas. Because we as humans have such advanced technology and sciences we are able to cut corners and conserve water. There are things like conservation kits that can help prevent or stop leaks in water outlets that will allow the saving of unnecessary water. I can do things like shorten my showers, wait longer to wash my clothes or only use the exact water amount to cook with.
I certainly try to conserve water as much as possible for environmental reasons as well as financial. I must admit though I do definitely take part in the pollution of water in indirect ways that still have great effects. I myself produce waste and wastewater that must be cleaned and filtered then sent back into rivers and streams. If this water is not clean it could damage and infect the water with pollutants. I also indirectly contribute to pollution by consuming certain goods like coal or jewels that are mined from the ground and where the water is polluted.
This section on water ties in with our class lectures and how we are learning about the complexities of this vital substance. As we are seeing there are many effects coming about that greatly impact water and must be addressed. People as usual, are greatly taking advantage of this material and are pumping it out in mass quantities of certain areas. This can lead to the depletion of ground water, which is important, and therefore land subsidence. There is also another effect that is called saltwater intrusion that is polluting the fresh water needed by humans.
I wish that instead of taking advantage of everything the Earth has to offer, humans could embrace and respect the materials and use them according to their availability. Then maybe things wouldn’t be so off balanced and the world would not he in the state it is right now. I also find it ironic that with so much if the Earth’s surface water we still have major issues not having enough. When will we begin relying on ocean water? Maybe never?
I certainly try to conserve water as much as possible for environmental reasons as well as financial. I must admit though I do definitely take part in the pollution of water in indirect ways that still have great effects. I myself produce waste and wastewater that must be cleaned and filtered then sent back into rivers and streams. If this water is not clean it could damage and infect the water with pollutants. I also indirectly contribute to pollution by consuming certain goods like coal or jewels that are mined from the ground and where the water is polluted.
This section on water ties in with our class lectures and how we are learning about the complexities of this vital substance. As we are seeing there are many effects coming about that greatly impact water and must be addressed. People as usual, are greatly taking advantage of this material and are pumping it out in mass quantities of certain areas. This can lead to the depletion of ground water, which is important, and therefore land subsidence. There is also another effect that is called saltwater intrusion that is polluting the fresh water needed by humans.
I wish that instead of taking advantage of everything the Earth has to offer, humans could embrace and respect the materials and use them according to their availability. Then maybe things wouldn’t be so off balanced and the world would not he in the state it is right now. I also find it ironic that with so much if the Earth’s surface water we still have major issues not having enough. When will we begin relying on ocean water? Maybe never?
Journal week 7
This week we talked a lot about energy and how humans use it. I was able to successfully fill out my personal energy record and really see the amount of energy I consume within a day and year. I calculated my usage of gasoline and realized that I use roughly about 4.09 gallons of gas on an average day. I did run some errands and go to school and work but for the most part I keep the driving to a minimum. My car also gets decent miles per gallon which helps cut down cost and energy usage. I live in an apartment where I have electric heat and power. I go through Puget Sound Energy and they allowed me easy access to my usage status online with graphs and numbers. I learned that on average I use around 21 kilowatts-hours per day, which I could not have come close to guessing prior to this. My roommate and I try to keep the heat down and the lights off unless needed to both conserve energy as well as money. We honestly did already value the saving of energy before learning about these numbers and statistics; this just really helps put it into perspective. I tried to think of the other ways in which I use energy and it occurred to me that there are various types of batteries that allow me to use energy such as the battery in my cell phone, computer, car, iPod and remote control. By the end of the worksheet I had realized that not only did I consume much more energy on a regular basis than I thought but I actually came to see that I use 63,082 kilowatt-hours every single year! This is just an approximate number that came from my energy bill but that doesn’t take into consideration all of the other ways that I use and consume energy like food and consuming products. It’s amazing to think that oil is brought from underground or that there are power plants around my area that create the energy I live off of.
My energy use clearly has many impacts on the environment. I consume many products and materials that come from the earth such as petroleum and water and have learned to depend on these items. Not only do I partake in great consumption but also I also unfortunately contribute to the ongoing output of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere through energy consumption. This clearly has great effects on the environment and is increasingly worsening.
It seems like anything I touch, do or use involves some energy consumption. From turning up the heat in my room to driving a car I directly use materials that create energy. But beyond this are many ways that I use energy that is more indirect and behind the scenes. I know the building of computers takes many machines and technologies as well as material. The simple purchase of a computer, which seems un-linked to energy usage, is anything but irrelevant. Many things that involve production, assembly and manipulation of materials generally means large factories and much carbon dioxide out put. I understand that even the purchase of a loaf of bread has many links to energy with labor, baking, packaging, shipping and sales. The best thing I can do is conserve when able and to consume when necessary.
My energy use clearly has many impacts on the environment. I consume many products and materials that come from the earth such as petroleum and water and have learned to depend on these items. Not only do I partake in great consumption but also I also unfortunately contribute to the ongoing output of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere through energy consumption. This clearly has great effects on the environment and is increasingly worsening.
It seems like anything I touch, do or use involves some energy consumption. From turning up the heat in my room to driving a car I directly use materials that create energy. But beyond this are many ways that I use energy that is more indirect and behind the scenes. I know the building of computers takes many machines and technologies as well as material. The simple purchase of a computer, which seems un-linked to energy usage, is anything but irrelevant. Many things that involve production, assembly and manipulation of materials generally means large factories and much carbon dioxide out put. I understand that even the purchase of a loaf of bread has many links to energy with labor, baking, packaging, shipping and sales. The best thing I can do is conserve when able and to consume when necessary.
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